The familiar and the new make Arbfest ’99

May 28, 1999
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ANN ARBOR—
Arbfest ’99 is the updated model of the University of Michigan’s annual Peony Garden Party. Amid the familiar and new activities, the more than 700 blooming peonies remain the most colorful attraction of Arbfest, 2-5 p.m., June 13, in
U-M’s Nichols Arboretum.
Among the activities available are the grand opening and dedication of the James C. Reader, Jr. Urban Environmental Education Center at the Burnham House; the sale of peony plants; lemonade, tea, and delectable pastries; jazz by Paul Klinger’s Easy Street Jazz Band; docent led tours of various areas of the Arboretum, and the Artventure activity tent for children.
The afternoon begins with the dedication ceremonies which feature the premiere of “Nichols Arboretum No. 1,” a composition for strings by Gabriela Frank, a student in the U-M School of Music. Tours led by Arboretum docents will be ongoing throughout the Fest with visits to the Dow Field, the Appalachian Glen, School Girl’s Glen and other Arb areas.
Visitors can kibitz with artists painting in the Peony Garden and other areas of the Arb, and there will be an exhibition of Arboretum and River paintings by, U-M professor of art.
The Artventure activity tent, sponsored by the U-M Credit Union, will have arts and crafts projects available for children. Children and adults will enjoy the stories told by Greg Harris, professional storyteller and U-M graduate, and the premiere of Project PuppeTree’s “Old Rat’s Promise” by Carolyn Balducci, a lecturer in U-M’s Residential College.
Nichols Arboretum is located on 123 acres of glacially carved terrain in Ann Arbor that varies from steep ravines, to rolling hills, to prairie. Entrances are located off Geddes, Washington Heights, and lower Medical Center Drive. For more information, call (734) 763-6632.
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