Illinois State University’s Horticulture Center will provide tours of its 1911 Garden and host a 1911 Garden Dinner on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 8 and 9. The 1911 garden, established to honor 100 years of agriculture at Illinois State, showcases produce grown a century ago.
Free guided tours of the 1911 Garden will take place from 5 – 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8. Visitors will also be able to tour other themed gardens and a restored prairie during their time at the Horticulture Center.
The 1911 Garden Dinner will take place at the Horticulture Center on Friday, Sept. 9, from 4-7:30 p.m. The event begins with appetizers and a cash bar. The dinner, prepared by Illinois State University Catering Executive Chef Phil Cade, will feature heirloom vegetables grown at the Horticulture Center along with other locally grown produce. Illinois State alumnus Mac Condill, owner of the Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur, will be the dinner speaker. Condill’s Great Pumpkin Patch grows more than 400 varieties of cucurbits (pumpkins, gourds, and squash).
Tickets for the dinner are $50 per person, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Horticulture Center operations. Reservation deadline is Friday, Sept. 2. Register online at http://www.Alumni.IllinoisState.edu/hortdinner or contact Alumni Relations at (309) 438-2586 or (800) 366-4478.
The Horticulture Center is located off Raab Road in Normal, across from the Corn Crib baseball stadium. Off street parking is available. For more information on the Horticulture Center visit www.horticulturecenter.ilstu.edu
