James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts
Quarter 1
Festival Hill Gardens & Grounds is currently raising funds to renovate a greenhouse for educational programs, workshops, and preservation of the gardens.
Festival Hill Gardens & Grounds is a volunteer service program that is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of Round Top Festival Institute's 160 acre campus. Our current focus is to fundraise $30,000 to help renovate a greenhouse structure that will be used to engage volunteer support in educational programs, workshops, cultivation, and preservation of the public gardens at Round Top Festival Institute.
For the past two years Festival Hill Gardens & Grounds has engaged over 100 volunteers with projects aimed at beautifying the campus, restoring herbal gardens, and clearing walking trails. With the support of FHG&G, we have had a dozen volunteer service days, maintaining various areas around campus to beautify the natural landscaping, preserve natural habitats and themed herbal gardens, and reestablish walking paths as well as generate funding for a developing bird trail expected to be completed in 2025. This group has not only brought forth local volunteer support, but has also been supported by many local businesses and professionals within our community to restore and rejuvenate the campus known fondly as Festival Hill.
Our current mission is to raise $30,000 to renovate and improve the greenhouse structure on campus. This structure was originally constructed in the late 1980s in order to house a collection of rare plants from around the world belonging to renowned herbalist, Madalene Hill, it was used by the local unit of the Herb Society of America for educational outreach, workshops, plant propagation, and to sustain the gardens at Festival Hill. With time and due to past winter storms this structure has fallen into disrepair. A full inventory of the structure and its components have already been evaluated, new plumbing, electrical, heating, venting, glazing, and entrance walls are proposed to be constructed. The current frame and footing of the structure are stable and will be reused. We have had some local support of the project, by individuals and units of the Herb Society of America.
The restoration of the greenhouse will expand our year-round horticultural programming including education of propagation techniques, space for hands-on workshops, and allow winter protection of the rare plant species in our Pharmacy Garden, which showcases medicinal herbs from around the world. As we work towards sustainable gardening and native plant conservation, these efforts will help to increase the biodiversity in this region of plant, insect, bird, and other wildlife species.
We are seeking $5000 in funding to support our current fundraising efforts to purchase supplies and attain a contractor to complete this mission. Your generous contribution will directly impact volunteers, visitors to the Round Top Festival Institute, and the public, helping us to foster environmental stewardship and public engagement with this historic site in Fayette County.