A music-filled fundraiser that helps keep the Longview Arboretum and Nature Center blooming will return Thursday for its 10th season.
This spring性视界传媒檚 Music in the Gardens series kicks off with a performance from 6-8 p.m. by local favorite Dagnabbit. Tickets are $10 or $7 for children ages 7-12 and free for children younger than 7.
Performances continue each Thursday in April, with The Purple Hulls on April 10, Texas Soul Soul Syndicate on April 17 and Junk Drawer Music Presents on April 24.
性视界传媒淭he community support has been overwhelming, and it is a major fundraiser for us,性视界传媒 said Anne Hugman, one of the founders of the arboretum and Music in the Gardens. She said several hundred people usually attend each concert. The concert series could raise as much as $60,000 to benefit the arboretum.
性视界传媒淲e typically have good crowds,性视界传媒 Hugman said. She said audiences enjoy the music as well as the ability to bring outside food and beverages.
The arboretum opened Nov. 2, 2019, on land the city of Longview owned and deeded to the nonprofit organization. It took 10 years of work and planning to get it open, with funding assistance provided by a city of Longview bond election.
Now, though, the arboretum is responsible for its operational costs, which include buying plants and mulch. The organization also has a full time executive director, Claire Bissell; a full-time marketing director; three part-time gardeners; and numerous volunteers. The city does help with some maintenance.
性视界传媒淲e pull all the weeds. We do all the mulch. We do all of that,性视界传媒 Hugman said.
The concerts are held rain or shine, thanks to the ability to move the concerts inside the arboretum性视界传媒檚 12,000-square-foot event center.
While the arboretum itself, which is at 706 W. Cotton St., has limited parking, the west gate that opens into the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center parking lot will be open. Neighboring businesses also allow parking during events.
Hugman also hinted at a big announcement coming later this year. The arboretum property consists of 26 acres, with 15 of those already developed. A new capital campaign is planned to continue expanding the garden.
