Music In The Garden 2016

Free “Music in the Garden” concert series at Boxerwood

Music in the Garden Concert Schedule Friday, May 13:                  Leslie Tucker & Friends, original folk Friday, May 27:                   Blazing Saddle Tramps, western swing Friday, June  10:                 John Tracy, Americana mix Friday, June 24:                  Fatty Lumpkin & the Love Hogs, rockin' blues Friday, July 8:                      Baddogs, bluegrass, blues & reggae Friday, July 22:                    Red Hill Band, rock ‘n country *Sunday, August 7:            Central Virginia Blues Society, blues jam Friday, August 12:              Susanne FitzGerald, jazz standards Friday, August 26:              Shester, Datz & Newhall, old-time/bluegrass *Fundraiser for the Boxerwood Education Association (BEA)

Beginning May 13, Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden will stage its fourth annual “Music in the Garden” series. Eight free concerts are scheduled for the second and fourth Fridays of the month through August, featuring musicians from throughout Central Virginia. Groups will perform from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on the Meadow Stage.

The annual series draws local music lovers and families, who enjoy the informal, folksiness of the outdoor venue and often arrive early to picnic and socialize before the music begins.

Joe Dinardo, a board member and musician who organizes the series for Boxerwood, is excited about this year’s line-up. “Once again, we’re bringing incredibly talented musicians and a wide range of musical genres to the Boxerwood stage – original folk, western swing, rock'n roll, rock'n country, blue grass, blues, reggae and jazz. It’s great music in one of the most beautiful and idyllic settings in Lexington!”  

First on the 2016 program is singer-songwriter Leslie Tucker, a one-time Rockbridge resident who will perform on May 13 with Rockbridge friends Dan Newhall and Jim Brown.  The May 27^th garden concert will feature the Blazing Saddle Tramps, a five-some who play western swing.

June concerts include singer-songwriter John Tracy from Charlottesville performing an Americana mix on the 10^th, and Rockbridge County’s own rockin' blues band, Fatty Lumpkin & the Love Hogs, on the 24^th.

On July 8, the local Baddogs will offer a mix of bluegrass, blues and reggae. The July 22^nd concert will feature Shenandoah Valley’s Red Hill Band, playing rock ‘n country.

The August concerts showcase more hometown talent.  Jazz vocalist Susanne FitzGerald will perform jazz standards on August 12. She’ll be followed by the old-time/bluegrass trio Shester, Datz & Newhall on the 26^th.

In addition to the Friday evening concerts, the Central Virginia Blues Society will hold a special jam session at Boxerwood on Sunday, August 7 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm as a fundraiser for the nature center.

Backing this year’s line-up of musicians is an even longer line-up of local sponsors, including Azurat Studio, BARC, BB&T, Computer Doctor, Devils Backbone, Kendal, Mariner Media, Southern Girls, Southern Inn, Sweet Treats and Walkabout Outfitters.

“Thanks to these businesses, and to the musicians who all donate their performances, Boxerwood is able to present the Friday concerts for free,” says Dinardo. “Although we don’t sell tickets or suggest donations, we do pass the hat, so those who want to can put in a little something for the performers.”

For all concerts, music-goers are encouraged to bring picnics, lawn chairs or blankets – and kids! In the event of rain, concerts will be canceled. For more information and “iffy” weather updates, visit Boxerwood on Facebook or the Web (www.boxerwood.org) or call 463-2697.

An added feature this year will be the Little Cheerful Food Trailer which was a big hit at our Fairy Forest Festival and will once again bring its delicious delights to Music in the Garden on May 13

Alternative Energy Demonstration Area at Boxerwood

On your next visit to Boxerwood, check out the latest addition to our Alternative Energy demonstration area. The T-REX Solar panels have been supplying our hot water in the Munger Lodge for almost four years. We now have a non-functioning but life size residential wind generator added to the exhibit.

The Roost at Boxerwood

Come by Boxerwood to check out the new replacement for the Ed Tent that had been located next to our Founders Wing at the end of the Munger Lodge. This new structure, starting to be referred to as "The Roost" by staff members, was built with volunteer labor and donated materials to blend with existing buildings at Boxerwood.

This will provide a more suitable and safe shelter on those days of rain and bright sun.

Volunteers Working during the early stages of construction

Their finished project ready to great Boxerwood students and visitors

Authors At Boxerwood

On April 23rd author Claire Arbogast will be at Boxerwood along with fellow author Daniel Pezzoni to discuss their recent publications and their connections to Boxerwood.

Touching Memoir Reflects on the Nature of Human Life

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. Claire and Jim were friends, lovers, and sometimes enemies for 27 years. In order to   get health insurance, they finally married, calling their anniversary the “It 

Means Absolutely Nothing” day. Then Jim was diagnosed with cancer. With ever-decreasing odds of survival, punctuated by arcs of false hope, Jim's deteriorating health altered their well-established independence as they became caregiver and patient, sharing intimacy as close as their own breaths.

A year and a half into their marriage, Jim died from lung/brain cancer. Sustained by good dogs and gardening through the two years of madness that followed, Claire soldiered through home repairs, career disaster, genealogy quests, and “dating for seniors” trying to build a better life on the debris of her old

one. Leave the Dogs at Home maps and plays with the stages of grief. Delightfully confessional, it challenges persistent, yet outdated, societal norms about relationships, and finds relief in whimsy, pop culture, and renewed spirituality.

“Arbogast delivers a raw and honest narrative of her life as a lover, a widow, and a woman,” writes Library Journal. “The theme of death and life, both literally and figuratively, are navigated with such emotion, it seems natural to empathize with the author in sadness, joy, love, and uncertainty as her longtime companion (later husband) Jim combats cancer. . . An excellent choice for those touched by grief, ready for a change, or just wanting to read a beautifully written memoir.”

Claire Arbogast is a graduate of Indiana University. She gardens, walks with dogs, and writes in Bloomington, Indiana. Her website is www.ClaireArbogast.com.

Book Information—Leave the Dogs at Home: A Memoir

By Claire S. Arbogast 238 pages, 5.25 x 8

Paper ISBN 978-0-253-01719-2 $17.00 eBook ISBN 978-0-253-01721-5 $16.99

Publication Date: August 1, 2015

To order: visit http://iupress.indiana.edu

Podcast with Claire Arbogast

For review copies & interview requests contact: Mandy Hussey, mlclarke@indiana.edu, 812-855-4522