CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS • 500 YEARS OF THE CARILLON • ONLINE GIFT SHOP LAUNCHES
The Vol. 2 | Issue 2 | Summer 2010
A newsletter from Bok Tower Gardens www.boktowergardens.org
FROM THE PRESIDENT Visitors enjoyed our extended spring bloom this year. Many bus groups from the Northeast expressed amazement at our display of Tillandsia and other unusual plants. Our pilot project to restore the Singing Tower ended on an optimistic note. Damage caused by rust wasn’t as extensive as originally anticipated. As we look to the future of the Gardens we see many opportunities and challenges. Our board of directors approved a long range plan for the Gardens that helps visualize our direction over the next five years. Often institutions adopt plans that transform themselves into new organizations. However, we approached this plan with a sense of how we can maintain consistency in what we have done for 81 years. The planning process began by reviewing the writings of Edward Bok, and then our archival history of the administration, visitor and supporter comments, and general public perceptions. Through this process we were able to determine what it will take to sustain the Gardens in the coming decades. Our members and visitors have appreciated the peaceful nature of the Gardens and the fact that we have “not changed in all these years� while the outside world has changed so much and so fast. Our visitors tell us that they yearn for consistency in this fast-paced world. We re-crafted our mission statement, not to alter our mission, but to better convey its relevance to those who visit and support the Gardens. In support of our mission, we strive to be family friendly by providing offerings for both children and adults. Other goals are to increase access to all, enrich our programs, preserve and enhance the quality of our garden displays, carillon and our conservation programs. Growing our attendance and financial support is key to maintaining the Gardens and meeting these goals.
David Price, President The cover photo is of Charley, one of our resident swans who survived Hurricane Charley. Photo by Eric Farewell.
Photos by Marc Martin Publishing (Albert Barg / Jeff Weisberg)
The
David Price President
Cassie Jacoby Editor
Martin Corbin Graphic Design
David Price with WEDU CEO Richard Lobo David Price presents to the U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow
Editorial Contributors Nick Baker Jennifer Beam Marjola Burdeshaw Robert V. Burt Cindy Campbell Megan Chambers William De Turk Sandra Dent Christine Foley Steve Jolley
IN THE MEDIA Special thanks to AAA’s Going Places magazine summer issue for featuring us in a Show Your Card and Save promotion distributed to 1.8 million households in Florida. We’re also included
Patricia Jones Christopher Lutton Katrina Noland Cheryl Peterson David Price
in AAA’s Worth the Drive publication produced with Visit Florida with a combined annual
Pirjo Restina
circulation of two million that promotes drive trips around Florida! We were featured nationally
Joan Thomas
as one of the South’s best gardens in Country Living and Southern Living magazines. Bok Tower Gardens received two nominations in the WEDU Be More Awards, known as the “Academy Awards for Nonprofits.” After nearly 50 of WEDU’s Broadcaster’s Circle major donors enjoyed a VIP tour in March, we promoted the Gardens on-air by volunteering to answer phones during WEDU’s spring membership pledge drive. In April, we hosted WEDU’s Star Gaze supplying telescopes to view the night sky and showed a preview of the PBS documentary, “400 Years of the Telescope.” Journalists from 11 countries attending the U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow in Orlando enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour in May. Visiting from Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Japan, The Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore and Thailand, the group included managing editors of publications, journalists and travel writers. One of the tourism industry’s most celebrated events, Pow Wow provides an opportunity for tourism businesses and agencies from across the U.S. to sell travel to the world. Nearly 5,000 attended the event that featured foreign travel companies and tour operators from 90 countries.
Mission To share Edward Bok’s gift of a beautiful and serene garden with music, architecture and nature, so that all who visit will be inspired by his vision: “Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.” Bok Tower Gardens, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is supported by tax-exempt gifts and contributions and is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. MM/5.5M/0610
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Our new membership cart built by longtime volunteer Duane Hull and handpainted by Lisa Moore of La Moore Visions. Nearly 50 of WEDU’s Broadcaster’s Circle major donors enjoyed a VIP tour in March. David Price leads one of our Founder’s Room Tours this past season.
MEMBERSHIP
Joan Thomas, Director of Development & Membership
Membership Information Cart Membership is now 4,000 members strong! It is great to see you all
in the Gardens and participating in our Garden Campus programs. Help us encourage others to become members by volunteering a few hours of your time this coming year at our new membership cart in the Visitor C enter. Contact Lisa Allen at 863.734-1211 or lallen@boktower.org.
Founder’s Room Tour
Members: E-Mail Us! We are gathering e-mail addresses from all of our members to help us better communicate with you about matters pertaining to your membership, as well as upcoming member events and news. This also helps us cut down on printing and postage costs, ensuring more of your membership dues
Nearly 800 members at Sustainer level and above enjoyed a breakfast
are being spent in maintaining the Gardens.
and Founder’s Room tour of the Tower this past season. The popular
Since we only have e-mails on record for a third
benefit of membership is offered only a few times a year. Watch
of our members, it’s important we hear from you
for a postcard invitation coming soon for the last two tour dates of
as soon as possible!
2010: Saturday, November 20 and Saturday, December 18. If you’re not a Sustainer level or above member, consider upgrading your membership and get a special look inside the Singing Tower. Contact Marjola Burdeshaw, development and membership manager, at 863.734.1213 or mburdeshaw@boktower.org.
Please send a quick e-mail to
cfoley@boktower.org and include your name
and member number for reference. Thank you for helping us “go green!”
Summer 2010 | The Garden Path | 5
Knoll Restoration Progress Katrina Noland, Land Steward Thanks to plenty of rain and supplemental irrigation, the project to restore the Knoll along our entrance drive to its ancient sandhill roots is off to a successful start. After seeding a mixture
BEFORE
AFTER
Tower Restoration Update
Christopher Lutton, Director of Facilities & Operations
A six-month pilot project to restore the Singing Tower found less corrosion than expected. Protected by masonry, most of the steel was in good shape and will not require significant repairs. More than a third of the entire project to restore two of the eight grille faces on the northeast and east sides involved the replacement of steel surrounding the marble parapet panels on the roof. A mix of steel with a protective coating and stainless steel is expected to give us 100 years of serviceable life. The twopart epoxy paint system called Tnemec, cement spelled backwards, may prevent future rust when the top coat is replaced every 10 years. Another method to help delay oxidation in the steel was implemented using zinc anodes for cathodic protection that reverses the flow of electrons from the steel. Since the 1990s, there have been four phases of restoration. Repairs during this phase were underwritten by a $350,000 grant from Florida’s Bureau of Historic Preservation that was matched by private funds.
of native upland species on the north 15 acres in January, tiny seedlings of wiregrass, lovegrass, silkgrass, lupine and blazing-star started to emerge in mid-March. These hardy species were positively identified by crawling on hands and knees in the sand with eyes nearly level to the ground. They’re expected to grow and flower in several years. Supplemental irrigation was turned on as needed so the Knoll received water every other day. It takes three people about 20 minutes to move all six sprinklers by hand twice every day the irrigation is turned on. The wet winter was a blessing; however, the germination took longer than anticipated because of extremely cold temperatures. The south 12 acres will be restored next year. Future plans include planting endangered species such as the Florida Jujube (Ziziphus celata) which was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered over a decade ago.
INSPIRED VISITOR
The 27-acre tract of land was a sandhill forest for thousands of years and a citrus grove
Bok Tower Gardens’ member Joseph Carani shared photos of his twins whose Lake Wales High School graduation was held at the Gardens. Joseph Carani III, drum major, and Elizabeth Carani, head dancer, for the Lake Wales Highlander Band are pictured here at the Gardens in their full uniforms.
until the hard freeze of 1989. One of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, a sandhill habitat has an open canopy of widely spaced longleaf pine and a few sparse turkey oaks with a dense carpet of wiregrass, other native grasses and wildflowers. The area is being restored to its native state through funding from a $44,000 grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through the Partners for Fish & Wildlife program, and a $15,000 grant from the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation.
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Bok Academy students work on artwork displayed in the Visitor Center at Bok Tower Gardens. During the day’s celebrations the orchestra performed in front of parents and visitors. One of the pieces of student artwork on display in the Visitor Center. Students played the steel drums outside the Café terrace.
A Celebration of the Arts at the Gardens More than a thousand visitors enjoyed our Celebration of the Arts
in May that showcased students from Edward W. Bok Academy. A steel drum band and other musical performances were featured along with a display of student artwork. Sharing Mr. Bok’s mission to “make the world a bit better or more
how to behave in a manner that shows respect for the learning environment and others. In addition to establishing a farm on campus to teach about
agriculture, the Collins Peace Garden is being designed with help from David Price and others. From laptop computers to control-
beautiful,” the Lake Wales charter middle school with 540 students
operated robotics, mountain bicycles for bike trips to Bok Tower
is designed to educate Renaissance thinkers for the digital age,
Gardens and other locations, the opportunity to use kayaks, take
embracing the concept that all learning is viewed through the lens
dance and karate as electives all combine to make the learning
of architecture and design. Students learn the “Bok Way of Life,”
experience truly unique.
ART EXHIBIT
Wish You Were Here! Antique Postcard Exhibit May 29 – September 30 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Stop by the Visitor Center this summer to see an eclectic collection of old postcards depicting the Singing Tower, Lake Wales area and other tourist destinations in Florida dating back to the early 1930s. The collection is on loan from member Kenny Endline.
Summer 2010 | The Garden Path | 7
CONSERVATION
Brooksville Bellflower’s Botanical Mystery Cheryl Peterson, Conservation Manager
Piecing together clues to a puzzling botanical mystery could save one of the world’s rarest plants from extinction. The Brooksville Bellflower, Campanula robinsiae, is a tiny, easily overlooked plant with delicate leaves and blue, bell-shaped flowers. They only grow along pastureland pond margins and within wet prairies from January to early April. With seeds roughly the size of ground pepper, the smallest of any North American bellflower, the plant is around two inches tall. The inconspicuous ground cover plant was first discovered in 1924. It was found in three locations on the Brooksville Ridge in Hernando County in 1983. One of those locations no longer exists. In 2006, a new population was discovered in Hillsborough County’s Hillsborough River State Park, far from its previously known range. How did the bellflower make its way from Brooksville to Thonotosassa without growing anywhere in between? Funded by a grant from the state of Florida, Division of Plant Industry, our Rare Plant Conservation Program (RPCP) is working to solve that mystery and others by monitoring all the known populations in collaboration with park biologists and volunteers. During the seasonal winter rains, the amount of water in ponds and wetland depressions rises. Seeds, dormant during the summer and fall in the soil around the ponds, become saturated. By early March, when the pond water levels begin to decrease, seeds germinate in the exposed wet muck. The plants grow rapidly, forming flowers and dropping ripe seeds by the end of March, senescing at the end of their life-cycle by early April. Spring 2010 was a favorable year for the Brooksville Bellflower. After disappearing for two years due to drought conditions, more than 2,300 were counted. The RPCP is storing seeds to protect the species from both natural weather events and development. Future plans include population introductions onto protected lands. Surveys will be conducted in Hernando, Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to locate previously unknown populations.
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“It must sing of music, sculpture, color, architecture, landscape design and the arts of the workers in brass and iron, ceramics, and marble and stone, each a part of the chorus, each adding beauty to the others.� - Milton Medary
500 Years of the Carillon
Photo Š Digital Cordon Bleu
William De Turk, Carillonneur
Bells are ringing throughout the world in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the first carillon. The year was 1510 when, in an imposing city hall in Oudenaarde, Belgium, Jan van Spiere installed a simple keyboard with a mechanism attached to the bells. The carillon was born. But, the story behind the evolution of this unusual instrument is much older. From earliest times, bells have played an important role in the life of people. Church services use bells for calling to service, for the entrance of priests into the sanctuary and for various parts of the ritual of the Mass. Bells accompanied funeral processions from the church to the cemetery to ward off evil spirits. It was believed that bells had magical sacred powers because they continued to ring. Bells also played an important role in the secular life of people. In the Middle Ages, the walled cities in the Low Countries, The Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France, would include a tall tower where bells were rung for the opening and closing of the main gate; the lighting and extinguishing of fires; warning of The home of the first carillon is the Oudenaarde Town Hall in Oudenaarde, Belgium.
approaching storms or armies; the outbreak of a fire and its location and tolling for a death, denoting the age, sex and location of the deceased.
Summer 2010 | The Garden Path | 9
Edward Bok’s Singing Tower: A Grand Carillon in Central Florida An engraving above the fireplace in the Founder’s Room of the Singing Tower represents bell ringers who were replaced by automation. Bells were played by means of a large drum with moveable pegs like a giant version of a music box mechanism. The clock mechanism would release the large weights via ropes in the tall towers. As the weights descended, the drum turned, the pegs tripped levers which caused small hammers to be lifted and then dropped on the outside of the bells.
With 60 bells, our carillon is one of only a dozen grand carillons in North America and considered to be one of the world’s finest. This architectural treasure was constructed between 1927 and 1929. Edward Bok’s only instruction to Philidelphia architect Milton Medary was to make it as beautiful as possible and to create a design that would “pay tribute to its ancestry and the spirit of the arts which had been born under the blue skies and sparkling sunshine
In the 14th century, clocks in towers did not have the power to ring a large bell for everyone to hear. When the small clock struck 10 times, the bell ringer struck the largest bell 10 times for everyone to hear. Since the usual noise of everyday life – the blacksmith hammering away, mothers shouting to their kids, the busy market square – often made it difficult to hear the first strike of the hour, the hour strikes were repeated after a pause for those who did not count them the first time. The ingenious Netherlandic people solved the problem by devising a system to announce the hour strike. A set of bells was installed which allowed a musician to set short musical tunes which would play before the hour strike. This was called voorslag, the strike before the hour. The tunes caught the attention of the people, and they stopped their work to hear the hour strike. Then came the desire to know the divisions of the hour, and thus a few bells would ring at half past the hour, and eventually every quarter hour. The Westminster Quarters heard in London is the most famous example. Its largest bell, weighing 14 tons, is affectionately called Big Ben. When automation arrived, the bell ringer was replaced with figurines on display, called Jack o’ the clock or Jacquemart in French, pretending to strike the bells on the hour. As cities became more prosperous and competitive, more bells were added and clock faces and figurines appeared, adorned in gold leaf.
of other parts of the world: the colored marbles of Italy; the contrasts of stately mass and sculptured frieze of Greece; the plant and animal motifs of Persia and India, and the porcelain temples of China.” In his book America’s Taj Mahal, Bok describes his motivation for creating the Singing Tower. “The purpose of it all? Simply to preach the gospel and influence of beauty reaching out to visitors through tree, shrub, flowers, birds, superb architecture, the music of bells and the sylvan setting.” In the same book, Medary details the motivation behind his architectural design. “It must sing of music, sculpture, color, architecture, landscape design and the arts of the workers in brass and iron, ceramics, and marble and stone, each a part of the chorus, each adding beauty to the others.”
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Nick’ s Picks: Bok in Bloom Coral Bean Erythrina herbacea
Nick Baker, Director of Horticulture
Mussaenda Mussaenda frondosa
The Coral Bean is a flowering shrub native to Florida that blooms
Mussaenda frondosa is one of showiest summer shrubs. The true
bright red tubular flowers from long, leafless spikes. Its foliage
flowers are small and orange. The larger showy white “petals”
is also beautiful with bright green leaves that have a unique
are actually a type of leaf called a bract. This is similar to what
arrowhead shape. After it blooms in the spring and summer
you find with poinsettias although they are not in the same
months the Coral Bean then produces bean-like pods that split
family of plants. Some species of Mussaenda, including this one,
open to reveal bright red seeds. In areas that are frost-free, this
can be difficult to propagate from cuttings. We are using a type
shrub can grow up to 20 feet tall, but in areas such as ours it
of hydroponics known as aeroponics where the cuttings are
typically grows to be about eight feet tall.
rooted in an oxygen rich fog rather than in soil. This has greatly increased our success rate.
Southern Magnolia Magnolia grandiflora
Native to the southeastern United States, the Southern Magnolia is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 90 feet tall. The tree’s flowers are white saucer-shaped citronella-scented blossoms that bloom in the late spring and into the summer. The scientific name, Magnolia grandiflora, is an apt description as it is among the largest flowers native to North America.
Our Plant Shop behind the Tower & Garden Gift Shop sells many plants that can be found in the Gardens. Stop by during your next visit to take home a piece of one of America’s finest gardens!
Summer 2010 | The Garden Path | 11
BRAVO!
Bok Tower Gardens Wins Silver ADDY Award Our website is a winner of the prestigious
Silver ADDY Award, the world’s largest and toughest advertising competition. Cassie Jacoby and Martin Corbin received the award along with Clark/Nikdel/
Singing Tower Wins Award of Excellence
The Singing Tower received an Award of Excellence for Historic Structures from the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) for the Impressed Current Cathodic Protection system installed on 11 horizontal beam levels. The 11 zones push a DC current of 12 volts at 100-200 milliamps through the cathodes installed into the brick to reverse the ion flow of the iron to stop the creation of rust.
Powell, Inc. of Winter Haven for the boktowergardens.org design. The ADDY Awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all
Hospitality Service Award
Rita Horton has received the
types. Conducted by the American
2010 Polk County Tourism
Advertising Federation, it is one of
Hospitality Award. As our
the key creative awards program
wedding and facility rental
administered by the advertising
coordinator, Rita manages
industry for the industry.
site tours, wedding ceremonies and receptions as well as corporate groups with a positive attitude and outstanding customer service to
Special thank you to the following donors of Florida native plants and property owners who allowed Bok Tower Gardens to collect and/or survey for native plants January through March 2010. Mary Young, Fort Pierce, FL Tom & Tammy Nguyen, Lake Wales, FL Harbor Branch Oceanographic Inst. Foundation, Inc., Fort Pierce, FL Sam Coleman, USDA Sub-Tropical Agricultural Research Station, Brooksville, FL Terry Hintgen, Hillsborough River State Park, Thonotosassa, FL Benjamin Castalda, Apopka, FL
assure the best quality experience for our visitors. Rita’s office is covered with thank you notes and wedding pictures, a true testament to her work. Her success also has allowed the Gardens to expand the wedding and rental offerings, and through her customer service strategy changes, there has been more repeat business and an increase in revenue over the past year. Rita has been a positive, hardworking and dedicated employee at Bok Tower Gardens for 12 years. Congratulations Rita!
Assistant Tower Curator Retires
Dewey Fowler spent approximately 1,928
Upco, Inc., Lake Wales, FL
hours polishing The Great Brass Door of the
Pam Leasure, Pinellas County Dept of Environmental Mgmt, St. Petersburg, FL
as maintaining the wrought-iron gates and
Tower along with a host of other tasks such the carillon, and hosting numerous Tower tours. He retired in June, after 20 years with the Gardens. Dewey, you will be missed!
12 | The Garden Path | Summer 2010
Summer Fun at the Gardens!
Memories of summer camp are the kind that can last a lifetime and, as Edward Bok described the Singing Tower, can be “the stuff of which dreams are made.” Imaginations run wild as children experience the joy of being able to play outside and the thrill of discovering nature while making new friends. From climbing one of our tall live oak trees to preparing a fairy feast, painting watercolor butterflies, exploring secret gardens and more, our two new summer camps will be available for children who have completed kindergarten through 5th grades.
Summer Discovery Days
Activities vary each Wednesday from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
during seven weeks June 23 through August 4. The cost for members is $4 per class or $25 for all classes with nonmembers paying $5 per class or $32 for all classes.
Nature Quest Summer Camp
Presented by Pathfinder Outdoor Education, our week-long
“Nature Quest Summer Camp” will be held July 19 through 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with before and after care available for an additional cost. Nature and art activities range from animal discovery and photo exploration to papermaking, tree climbing and more. In addition to discovering nature, daily courses will focus on the power of fun and shared challenge while bonding and building trust. All materials, supplies, camp t-shirts and two snacks will be provided. Bring a lunch or order from the Blue Palmetto Café. Members: $250; nonmembers: $295. Contact programs@boktower.org or 863.734.1222 for more information and registration. Register online at boktowergardens.org/education.
Sponsor Thank-You’ s Our support from the local corporate community is growing! Two Founder’s Room tours this spring were sponsored by Holiday Inn Express of Lake Wales and Florida’s Natural Growers. The Gordon Bok Live at the Gardens concert attracted newcomer Water’s Edge of Lake Wales. Concert Under the Stars on May 1 saw the return of sponsors GrayRobinson, P.A. and new sponsors Bunting, Tripp & Ingley LLC and CenterState Bank with media partners Tampa Bay Magazine, The Ledger Media Group, MAX 98.3 FM and WUSF.
We also formed hotel partnerships with four local properties who are offering special Bok room rates, so please mention these partners if you have out-of-towners coming in who need overnight accommodations: Best Western Admiral’s Inn, Chalet Suzanne, Hampton Inn of Lake Wales and Holiday Inn Express of Lake Wales. We are still seeking sponsors for Live at the Gardens! Summer Music series, the Boktoberfest Plant Sale on October 16 and Christmas at Pinewood. Call 863.734.1213 if you would like to know how you or your company can sponsor one of these events.
LIVE AT THE GARDENS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
a Summer Music Series!
Nature Quest Summer Camp presented by Pathfinder Outdoor Education
Bok Tower Gardens Visitor Center $20 General Public Members receive 10% discount
July 19 – 23 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Concert at 7:30 p.m. Limited seating.
Discover animals at Window by the Pond, make a pinhole camera and develop handmade photos, tie dye t-shirts, make nature art, climb a tree and take home a book of art from the week. Limited to children who have completed K - 5th grade.
JUNE 26 The Porchdogs JULY 24 Tammerlin
$250 Members. $295 Non-Members. Extended care: $50/week from 8 - 9 a.m. and 5 - 6 p.m.
AUGUST 21-22 The Repeatles
Summer Discovery Days: Exploring Castles, Forests, Butterflies and Fairies
SEPTEMBER 18 Broadway & Jazz
Wednesdays, June 23 – August 4 from 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Pre-paid dinner at 5:45 p.m. $16.50 Members $18 Non-Members
Purchase your tickets online at
boktowergardens.org
$4 per child or $25 for all 7 classes Members. $5 per child or $32 for all 7 classes Non-Members.
For more information visit us online at boktowergardens.org/education
SAVE THE DATE
Boktoberfest Plant Sale
Sunset & Symphony
Gala Benefit
Celebrate the start of the fall gardening season with free admission and fun for the whole family. Education sessions, German food, beer and live music throughout the day.
Bring your family for picnic and enjoy our outdoor concert featuring the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the Singing Tower carillon as the sun sets atop Iron Mountain.
The lush grounds of Pinewood Estate will take on a Cuban vibe offering guests a cultural feast of flavor, music and entertainment. This year’s fundraiser will showcase some exciting new plans underway for the Gardens!
October 16 from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
November 6 at 6 p.m.
December 4
2010
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PARTNER PROFILE
CHAIR
William G. Burns Lake Wales, FL
VICE CHAIR
Robin Gibson, Senior Partner
Gibson & Valenti PA – Lake Wales, FL
TREASURER
Hon. Patricia C. Fawsett, Chief Judge Emeritus U.S. District Court – Orlando, FL
SECRETARY
Frank M. Hunt II, Chairman of the Board Hunt Bros. Cooperative – Lake Wales, FL
BOARD MEMBERS Louise B. Adams
Florida’s nationally renowned community radio station, WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa, is partnering with us to provide outreach to its nearly 10,000 membersponsors and 100,000-plus weekly listeners throughout West Central Florida. Sharing Edward Bok’s dream for world peace, WMNF will name one of its 2010 Peace Awards in his honor! Dedicated to “celebrating cultural diversity and a commitment to equality, peace, economic justice, human rights and environmentalism,” the non-
Lake Wales, FL
commercial, listener-supported station first went on the air in 1979 and has
Cindy Alexander, Community Volunteer
grown to become one of the most successful community radio stations in the
Lake Wales, FL
Michael Aloian, President
Charlotte State Bank Trust Department – Tampa, FL
Tomas J. Bok, Ph.D.
GMO LLC – Somerville, MA
J. F. Bryan IV
The Bryan Group – Jacksonville, FL
Nancy J. Davis, President and CEO
McArthur Management Company – Miami, FL
Derek Dunn-Rankin, President
Sun Coast Media Group, Inc. – Charlotte Harbor, FL
Senator Bob Graham
country. WMNF and Gardens’ staff will introduce the “Edward Bok Youth Peace Award” at the station’s 2nd Annual Peace Awards in Morsani Hall of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa on August 28. The WMNF Peace Awards recognize people working to advance the causes of peace,
WMNF will introduce the “Edward Bok Youth Peace Award” at the station’s 2nd Annual Peace Awards on August 28, 2010!
freedom for others, human rights,
United States Senator – Miami, FL
social and economic justice, the environment, non-violence and those who
L. Evans Hubbard, Chairman of the Board
foster peace and understanding through the media.
A. Friends’ Foundation Trust – Orlando, FL
Arva Moore Parks, President
Arva Parks & Company – Miami, FL
A. Bronson Thayer, Chairman of the Board Bay Cities Bank – Tampa, FL
Dick Wood, President
Mountain Lake Corporation – Lake Wales, FL
EMERITUS MEMBERS J. Shepard Bryan Jr., Attorney
Holland & Knight LLP – Atlantic Beach, FL
M. Lewis Hall Jr., Partner/Attorney Hall & Hedrick – Coral Gables, FL
John Germany, Attorney
Holland & Knight LLP – Tampa, FL
Joan Wellhouse Newton, Chairman Emeritus Regency Centers Corporation – Jacksonville, FL
America’s top national progressive talk radio show host Thom Hartmann is scheduled to emcee with lauded singer-songwriter and peace activist Eliza Gilkyson to perform. Tickets for the fundraiser are available at www.wmnf.org or by calling 813.238.8001. Helping to promote awareness of the Gardens, the partnership includes the station’s sponsorship of our activities, concerts and events. Our Friendship Passes are being shared as premiums during WMNF programs, fundraising and membership drives. On October 16, WMNF’s popular Sunday Polka Party Express hosts Mr. & Mrs. Wackie Jackie Z will emcee and provide entertainment during our 2nd Annual Boktoberfest Plant Sale. With our shared goals of peace, environmental education and communitybuilding, we look forward to a long and rewarding partnership with WMNF and its devoted community of listeners.
Summer 2010 | The Garden Path | 15
WHAT’ S NEW
Bok planned it.” There’s a beauty so uniquely different about the Gardens that Eric appreciates every time he visits. He has a sense of passionate responsibility
September Shopping Spree
to promote the Gardens to others, which comes across in his work. This passion is what led him to volunteer his time to work with staff to update images in the Bok Tower Gardens’ photo library. He has a unique style and eye for beauty that you
Photography in the Gardens
can see throughout various Bok Tower Gardens publications and at boktowergardens.org.
Eric Farewell photographs at locations all around the world, but his love and passion for the Gardens makes this one of his favorite sites. Growing up at historic Chalet Suzanne here in Lake Wales, Eric has been a regular visitor to the Gardens for as long as he can remember. The personal connection he feels to the Gardens goes back to his childhood memories of feeding the squirrels and swans as well as holiday family outings. However, what inspires Eric to return time and again to the Gardens goes much deeper than that. For Eric, it’s about “the rare opportunity to experience an exact vision of beauty, the way
Eric and his wife were married in the Moon Gate Garden at Pinewood Estate last year. “There is something truly magical about being married at the Gardens,” Eric noted. “Weddings are the beginning of two people’s lives together and what better location than Bok Tower Gardens is there to begin that journey.” That’s why Eric got married here, and why he enjoys photographing other people’s weddings here.
Cultivating our Garden: The Next 80 Years In an effort to minimize environmental impact, we offer our 2009 Annual Report as an electronic version to view online or download in PDF format. If you do not have Internet access or prefer to receive a printed version of this report, please call 863.734.1226 and we will be happy to mail a copy to you.
View the report online at boktowergardens.org/annualreport
September, all members will receive a one-time-only 20 percent discount off purchases in the Tower & Garden Gift Shop and a free freshly baked cookie or soft
Eric owns Farewell Photography and has been shooting professionally for six years. www.farewellphotography.com
2009 Annual Report
During the month of
drink with the purchase of lunch at the Blue Palmetto Café.
Online Gift Shop Launches We’re excited to announce the launch of our online Tower & Garden Gift Shop! We’ll be offering select merchandise for purchase online including our Singing Tower replica, unique garden themed jewelry and tickets to special events like our Live at the Gardens! Summer Music series. Don’t forget to get your 10 percent discount by entering your member number at checkout!
shop.boktowergardens.org
1151 Tower Boulevard Lake Wales, FL 33853
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1 David Price, Gardens’ president and featured artist, speaks with Arabella Decker during our opening night art exhibit reception in the Visitor Center. 2 A beautiful mist hung in the air while more than 2,300 visitors enjoyed the 84th Annual Easter Sunrise Service at Bok Tower Gardens.
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3 A couple participates in our annual picnic contest during Concert Under the Stars with a beautifully themed picnic. 4 Tierra Negra and Muriel Anderson filled the Visitor Center with flamenco music during a Live at the Gardens concert. 5 Visitors took part in a three-day tour of the Everglades during a Wildlife Safari put on by Bok Tower Gardens’ curator of education.
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Visit us online at www.boktowergardens.org
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6 A visitor reads Finding Yourself: A Spiritual Journey through a Florida Garden while taking part in a “sensory experience” during a book-signing by the author Bill Maxwell and photographer John Moran.
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