MORGANTOWN — Are you looking for things to do during the weekends in July? Scheduled activities this month at the West Virginia Botanic Garden (WVBG) include family walks, morning yoga, kids growing organic in containers, nature photography, a discussion about arthritis and gardening, an insect walk and making paper flowers.
Most summer activities are free to members. Membership information is available online or in the information kiosk in the lower parking lot in the garden.
Join Erin Smaldone, education director, on the first Friday of each month for family walks. From 10 a.m.-noon Friday, there will be a short nature-themed story followed by a walk around the garden, concluding with a simple craft. The trail will accommodate off-road strollers. All ages are welcome. Free for members; $10 per family suggested donation for non-members.
Morning yoga in the garden meets at 9:30 a.m. Fridays. Join yoga instructor Heidi Sherwin in the garden setting to stretch, strengthen, center, breathe and relax. All skill levels are welcome. Bring a yoga mat, water, sunscreen, sunglasses and a small hand towel. Cost is $12/class for members; $15/class non-members.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, Katie Fallon, director of Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, will read her new children’s book, “Look, See the Farm!” at this Kids’ Container Gardening Workshop: Growing Organic. Her book will also be available for purchase.
Fallon and WVBG educator Stacy Clovis-Woofter will teach kids about the different types of organisms and wildlife that thrive in organic gardens and on farms. Children will take home organic container gardens. Most appropriate for children ages 3 and older with an adult. Cost is $25/for members, $35 for non-members.
At 10 a.m. July 14, area photographer Dave Smaldone will teach participants how to use simple settings on their digital cameras — not on smartphones. Beginner and intermediate photographers ages 12 and up are welcome. Cost is $15/members, $25/non-members.
At 10 a.m. July 21, Doug Cumpston, assistive technology specialist with West Virginia AgrAbility and West Virginia Assistive Technology Systems, will discuss how arthritis can impact someone’s ability to carry out gardening activities and what can be done to minimize its effect while gardening.
This program will focus on techniques and tools that will help gardeners overcome the limitations that arthritis can impose on them. Free for members, $15 for non-members.
The next meal for the Season of Good Taste fundraising series is a Summer Sunday Brunch at 11 a.m. July 22. Chef Don Champion from Deep Creek Lake in Maryland will prepare an array of brunch entrees and libations to celebrate these lazy days of summer. Cost is $65, $30 is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law under IRS code 501(c)3.
Mark Aug. 19 on your calendars for “An Evening of Garden Delights!” Come celebrate the growth of the garden with friends at the annual WVBG fundraiser with food, libations, music and an auction. Details to come at wvbg.org and on the WVBG Facebook page.
Volunteers are needed to welcome visitors to WVBG on weekends. The gate to the lower parking lot is open for scheduled activities and as weather permits and volunteers are available to host.
If you are available to greet, meet, inform and orient visitors to the garden, complete the online application at wvbg.org or call Kay Jones, coordinator of volunteers, at 304-816-1745.
The garden is at 1061 Tyrone Road and is open dawn to dusk. There is no admission, but donations help the garden grow. Refrain from bringing pets to scheduled activities.
Visit wvbg.org for more details and to register. You may also call to register, 304-322-2093.
