Illuminations Starts Friday!

Come see the Gardens glow! Join us for Illuminations, a family-friendly event that showcases Botanica's 9 1/2 acres in a completely different light. More than 4,000 luminaries and tens of thousands of lights combine with nature to create a stunning atmosphere and a "HO, HO, HO" lot of holiday fun! Get into the holiday spirit with a visit from Santa Claus, crafts, live music, warm drinks and homemade goodies.

The event runs on November 23-25, 30 and December 1-2, 7-9 from 6-9pm each night.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Botanica. Tickets are $8 for adults ($7 for Botanica members) and $3 for children 2-12.

Call 264-0448 or log on to www.botanica.org for more information.

Photo Competition Winners Announced

Last night was the awards reception for Botanica's annual photography competition, A Portrait of Botanica. This competition captures the beauty of Botanica through the art of photography and provides a forum to display and sell the work of amateur photographers. The competition is sponsored for the community by DPI.

Twenty-five awards totaling more than $1,250 were given out by a panel of judges. Linda Mae Richardson took home top honors in the adult division for her photo, entitled "Amberwing" and Emily Ritter took home top honors in the youth division for her photo, "Taking Flight."

Adult Division
1st PLACE: Linda Mae Richardson: "Amberwing"
2nd PLACE: Gary Martin: "Reflections of a Water Lily"
3rd PLACE: Beverly Strouse: "Chard Tree"

Youth Division
1st PLACE: Emily Ritter: "Taking Flight"
2nd PLACE: Kelsey Prather: "Beauty Sleep"
3rd PLACE: Evan Riepe: "Unfolding Magnolia"

Congratulations also go to the following photographers for their award-winning photos:
Tammy Bach, Ben Foster, Kelly Gottschalk, Jennifer Keller, Carmen Latimer, Sara Penner, Marsha Phelps, Gary Taylor, Sigrid Trombley and Charlotte Wilson.