A night of family-friendly Halloween fun! Enjoy homemade caramel apples, a roaring fire and hayrides through the park! Hayrides leave the campfire area at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 & 8:00 p.m. Hours are 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.; admission fee $1 for campfire | $2 for campfire and hayride; tickets available 11:00 a.m. day of event.
574.875.7422 | ElkhartCountyParks.org
The Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail received the official seal of approval from the American Bus Association (ABA) for a fourth year in a row – it’s been selected as a 2012 Top 100 Event in North America!
And congratulations to QG partner Amish Acres. The Amish Acres Arts & Crafts Festival also received a 2012 Top 100 designation.
Competition is tough with more than 600 entries. Winning events are featured in the special Top 100 Events in North America magazine and receive wide-spread attention via ABA’s press releases distributed to media outlets throughout North America.
Plus ABA works with Group Leaders of America (GLAMER) on special promotions for the winners.
Heidi Floyd, Ambassador
Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer
As Ambassador for the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and breast cancer survivor, Heidi is an advocate for the cause, bringing an inspirational message of hope to thousands of men and women across the country.
She’s also enthusiastically involved in the Quilt Gardens’ Hope along the Heritage Trail partnership.
“The ‘Hope Blooms’ garden at Wellfield Botanic Gardens is a visual reminder of this important cause and how much people care. It moves them in a special way,” says Heidi.
“The garden helps get the message out that research funded by the Foundation is changing lives. I love coming to the Wellfield garden and bringing my children. It’s a lovely beacon of hope.”
The show goes on for the Quilt Gardens Tour now in its 4th season. The gardens have been planted and groomed to perfection by the dedicated volunteers who make each year better than the year before.
With 18 gardens on the beautiful Heritage Trail Elkhart County has much to share. Not only can we boast of the beautification added to the county, we extend a hand of hospitality to visitors from around the world.
My usual summertime post as a Quilt Gardens tour guide was exchanged for one of support for the first part of the season. I playfully say that I am in gardeners purgatory – a state of being caused by my enthusiasm for gardening earlier this spring. My love of gardening is an exercise in patience as I grapple with another back injury. So while I would love, love, love to be doing all things gardening, I am resolved to sit and watch the weeds grow.
Always the optimist I have however been sowing seeds and propagating more perennials to add to my home gardens – my jewelry box of treasures. Soon I hope to rejoin my fellow guides in welcoming visitors and sharing the history of Elkhart County, the beauty of the Quilt Gardens and tales from Amish Country.
The Quilt Gardens are in full swing! Now is the perfect time to see these eye-popping beauties. The patterns look incredible and the blooms are near peak! Check out the photos on our Facebook page.
If you have been to the gardens, tell us what you think by posting a comment below. We will randomly* select a winner to receive a free 16 oz double insulated Quilt Gardens logo insulated drinking cup.
Deadline is Thursday, July 28, 2011. Good Luck!
*Winner will be drawn using random.org
This year, the 18 official Quilt Gardens can tell us just how they’re feeling, or rather, just how “Mother Nature” is making them feel. Local furniture designer, Larion Swartzendruber, has crafted rustic cedar signs for all the gardens that cleverly convey the message to viewers on how each garden is dealing with “Mother Nature”. And, every garden has its very own birth announcement so folks can see just how fast each garden is growing up!
The Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail officially burst into bloom May 30. That means right now teams of busy gardeners are bursting into action - planting and pampering more than 100,000 plants. Come Monday all those busy planters can step back, take a deep breath and admire the glorious results of their efforts. Then it’s back to work keeping those masterpieces looking beautiful!
The 2011 Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail and the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer are partnering to raise awareness and generate funds for breast cancer research by raffling an original Hope Blooms quilt wall hanging and creating a quilt garden in the same pattern at Elkhart’s Wellfield Botanic Gardens. The Hope Blooms quilt created by fiber artist, Diana Bennett, features the signature Twirly Bird Pink and other exclusive Vera Bradley fabrics.
See the quilt* and ENTER TO WIN thru August at the following Vera Bradley retailers:
Elkhart
Linton’s Enchanted Gardens: April 30 – May 15 & August 16 – 25
West View Florist & Gifts: July 19 – 28
Middlebury
Cinnamon Stick: June 28 – July 17
Das Dutchman Essenhaus: April 25 – 29, May 17 – 30 & August 10 – 14
Goshen
Woldruff’s Footwear & Apparel: July 30 – August 8
Shipshewana
Sarah Davis, Davis Mercantile: June 1 – 26
You’re seeing the first plants for the Central Park Quilt Garden in downtown Elkhart. These plants, grown in the City of Elkhart Greenhouse, are ready for planting day on May 27! Have you started your gardens yet?
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