Memory Garden Celebration Event
Memory Garden Celebration Event
Purple Power: Master Gardeners Raise Awareness for Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease
The longer days and shorter nights are a welcome reminder that the first day of summer is almost here! Also known as the summer solstice, June 21st marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and a day that is particularly significant for the Alzheimer’s Association. June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness month, and Alzheimer’s Association chapters all over the country recognize the longest day with the saying, “The day with the most light is the day we fight” and encourage the public to come together and raise awareness through various events and fundraisers.
In honor of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program has planted a Memory Garden at Ellicottville’s Nannen Arboretum. The garden will be a semi-permanent fixture and will be celebrated with a special ribbon cutting ceremony and benefit on Wednesday, June 22nd from 3:00-7:00pm, right on the heels of the longest day of the year! Master Gardener Volunteer Program Coordinator Shannon Rinow is excited to welcome the community to this fun event where she and her volunteer gardeners are looking forward to unveiling the beautiful garden of purple (the official color of Alzheimer’s awareness) pollinating perennials.
Rinow explained, “We wanted to create a way for those battling Alzheimer’s or dementia and their family members and caretakers to come, have a nice space to sit down and reflect. The events of the 22nd will help raise funds for a reflection bench, which will be situated right beside the garden.” The bench is planned to be a permanent fixture that can withstand the elements, she explained.
The idea for a memory garden began as a suggestion by a board member to place a sign at the arboretum, reminding visitors that June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. “Because the Master Gardener program is relatively new for Cattaraugus County - we haven’t had it in 10 years - we thought planting a memory garden would be a fun way to involve our master gardeners in assisting with learning and education while also raising awareness for Alzheimer’s disease,” Rinow explained. “My colleague Tamara Bacho and I started bouncing ideas off each other, and we thought it would be a really great project for our program and a fun event for the community. We’re very thankful to the Nannen Arboretum for allowing us to use the space to incorporate the garden.”
Wednesday promises to be a fun day with plenty of activities for the whole family. “There will be lots of kids activities including a fishing derby with poles that have been donated,” said Rinow. “We’ll have a scavenger hunt and different nature activities for kids, like origami to make a spotted lantern fly, coloring books, and crayons.”
Visitors can enjoy a hot dog lunch, which also includes a drink and chips, for $5. Information tables will be set up for the arboretum and some of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s programming, such as 4-H. Rinow said that she and master gardeners will be there to answer questions, discuss invasive species, and other things to look out for while gardening. There will also be some vendors set up for the event, which Rinow is hoping grows each year.
“This is our first year partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association, and we’d love to make this an annual event,” said Rinow. “We’re hoping to adjust and improve based on feedback each year. It’s a fun way to raise awareness and bring families and community members together who have been affected by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.”
Several local businesses and organizations have donated items for the basket raffle, and there will also be a door prize, said Rinow. Prize donations will continue to be accepted right up until the day of the event. Donations can be dropped off at the Cornell Cooperative Extension at 28 Parkside Drive in Ellicottville anytime between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Arrangements to have prize donations picked up can be made by emailing Rinow at smr336@cornell.edu.
Rinow said that the event will take place rain or shine, though if the rain is heavy, all activities will be moved indoors. For more information, contact Rinow by email or phone at 716-699-2377 ext. 106.