LOTUSLAND TO HOST ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA ON JULY 22, LOTUSLAND CELEBRATES: WHERE THE WILD THINGS GROW
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SANTA BARBARA, C.A. (July 14, 2023) – Ganna Walska Lotusland, a 37-acre nonprofit botanical garden, has announced the details of their annual summer fundraising gala, Lotusland Celebrates. This year’s event is themed Where the Wild Things Grow and is presented by Nora McNeely-Hurley and Michael Hurley in memory of Marjorie Reeds-McNeely.
Lotusland Celebrates: Where the Wild Things Grow takes place on Saturday, July 22 from 3:00 to 8:00 PM at Lotusland and is sold out.
“With the brilliant creative direction of Merryl Brown Events and contemporary modern designer Mary Ta, this year’s gala will surprise, inspire, and delight friends of the Garden,” said Rebecca Anderson, Executive Director of Lotusland. “Lotusland Celebrates supports the Garden’s essential education and conservation programs as well as its rare and exotic plants that make Lotusland a garden like no other.” said Anderson.
The event’s entertainment and décor tie directly to the Garden’s mission and focuses guest’s attention on the rare and exotic living collections and the organic gardening practices demonstrated within. Lotusland opened as a public garden thirty years ago and is the living legacy of its founder, Madame Ganna Walska. The all-organic gardening approach has allowed Lotusland to blossom into a botanical nirvana that is often described as one of the top gardens in the world.
Guests to the event will be free to explore the Garden during cocktail hour with herb-infused cocktails, wines by Presqu’ile and an exhibition of digital botany sculptures by Lynda Weinman of LyndaLABS. An elegant farm-to-table meal will be presented by Duo Catering and Events with a wine pairing by Antica Terra.
Emcee August Bernstein, head of the Raymond Blanc Garden School at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (a Belmond Hotel in Oxfordshire), with community volunteer and auctioneer Geoff Green will conduct the live auction to raise funds for the Garden’s care and keeping. Over 50 auction lots are available featuring one-of-a-kind trips and experiences, art, jewelry and fashion, rare collectibles and more with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the Garden. Public participation is welcomed and encouraged through the event’s online Silent Auction for Where the Wild Things Grow.
Premier event partners include: The Garden Conservancy, El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Silverhorn Design Studio, Sullivan Goss An American Gallery, The Well Summerland, Antica Terra. Additional support is provided by FOUND, Duo Catering and Events, Presqu’ile Winery, architects Shubin Donaldson, singer songwriter Katy Perry, Claybottress Lynda Weinman and Theoni Lifestyle Event Rentals.
For more information on Ganna Walska Lotusland, Lotusland Celebrates, or to bid on live and online auction items, visit www.lotusland.org. You can also follow Lotusland on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Visitation to Lotusland is limited to 15,000 visitors annually by Santa Barbara County which is why the Garden relies on the support Lotusland Celebrates and other philanthropic gifts. The mission of Ganna Walska Lotusland is to preserve and enhance the distinctive estate and botanical gardens of Madame Ganna Walska. Lotusland educates and inspires visitors with its collections, sustainable horticulture practices, and plant conservation.