Bloedel Reserve celebrates 25 years with a year of festivities

The Bloedel Reserve is hosting a series of anniversary celebrations. Starting this August, the reserve will be opening a calendar of events to coincide with the nonprofit’s new master plan projects.

After 25 years of success, the Bloedel Reserve is hosting a series of anniversary celebrations.

Starting this August, the reserve will be opening a calendar of events to coincide with the nonprofit’s new master plan projects.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Rose & the Nightingale to play at the Bloedel Reserve’s 25th Anniversary Concert,” said Ed Moydell, executive director of the reserve.

Following the reserve’s signature fundraising event, the sixth annual Garden Party on Aug. 1, the Rose & the Nightingale Anniversary Concert will kick off the anniversary party on the bluff from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9.

The concert will introduce an all-female group on the violin, cello, piano, trumpet and three-part harmonic vocals.

The Rose & the Nightingale visit the reserve just after releasing their debut album, “Spirit of the Garden,” where they combine musical composition with garden-themed poetry written by American poets. The group’s music captures the magical inspiration of public gardens.

The reserve will continue the celebrations with a community picnic from 7 to

9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24. also on the bluff. It’s a chance to bring the whole family, a blanket and enjoy an evening on the bluff with croquet, bocce ball and music. Beer and wine will also be available.

On Aug. 29, the reserve will feature a new installation of Julie Speidel sculptures. The installation will last until October and include 12 pieces placed throughout the landscape.

Speidel’s work creates a bridge between the onlooker and the landscape of the gardens so as to draw attention to overlooked points of natural beauty.

Shortly after Speidel’s installation comes to a close, the reserve will be hosting a Founder’s Weekend on Oct. 19-20.

The weekend will be an educational experience with lectures by past and present key players in the Bloedel Reserve’s 25 years of success as a public garden. The conversation will also cover future plans.

The following week, the reserve will team up with the West Sound Wildlife Shelter for the Spooky Creatures Walk from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.

Shelter experts will be positioned all over the reserve grounds accompanied by feathery friends such as owls, hawks and crows. As visitors follow the many trails of the gardens, experts will introduce and show off a different creature.

The reserve will end the year with its fourth annual Holiday Village from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4.

A winter visit to the gardens is an experience for adults and children alike from its Christmas tree display to miniature villages and model trains.

The garden’s calendar of events this year will be a chance for visitors to hear more about proposals for the new master plan and to give input on improvements to the estate.

For more information on entry fees to any of the events, visit www.bloedelreserve.org/event-calendar/special-events.