Museum Celebrates National Public Gardens Day with Free Admission, Free Garden Tours,
Free “Roses 101” Garden Talk, Free Activities for Children, and a Garden Cardio Workout

Winchester, VA 05/11/17…In celebration of National Public Gardens Day, the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) will offer free admission to its seven-acre gardens, the Glen Burnie House, and the MSV galleries and exhibitions from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. this Friday, May 12. Along with free admission, the day also includes free activities for garden enthusiasts of all ages.

Beginning at 10 a.m. and throughout the day, free children’s activities—including a garden gnome hunt in the Vegetable Garden and nature button-making in the Carriage House Classroom—will take place in the gardens. At 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., MSV Director of Gardens Perry Mathewes will lead free garden walks, and at 3:30 p.m., MSV Assistant Gardens and Grounds Manager Joel Lowry will lead a “Roses 101” talk in the Rose Garden. In addition, a family oriented “Hiit Like A Girl” (High Intensity Interval Training) workout will take place in the gardens at 11:30 a.m. In the event of inclement weather, the workout will move inside to the MSV Reception Hall.

National Public Garden Day visitors may also enjoy free admission to all the MSV exhibitions. The event offers the final free opportunity to see Superheroes and Superstars: The Works of Alex Ross, a popular traveling exhibition ending its run at the MSV this Sunday, May 14. Presenting the work of one of the world’s greatest comic book artists, Superheroes and Superstars features more than 100 original works created by Alex Ross, including paintings of Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, The Beatles, Star Wars, and Monty Python. Superheroes and Superstars: The Works of Alex Ross was organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The exhibition’s MSV display is sponsored by Shenandoah Country Q102.

Additional exhibitions in the MSV tell the story of the Shenandoah Valley and display permanent collections and rotating exhibitions. Along with Superheroes and Superstars, special exhibitions currently on view include Dynamics of Desire: The Evocative Works of Jim Costello featuring more than 20 works by modernist painter Jim Costello and This Must Be the Place: The Art of Landscape presenting 300 years of landscape art from the collection of MSV benefactor Julian Wood Glass Jr. In the drawing room of the Glen Burnie House, an exhibition of landscapes, waterscapes, and paint-decorated furniture created by Valley artist Radford Wine is on display in the exhibition Tones of a New Day: The Works of Radford Wine.

National Public Gardens Day visitors are also invited to enjoy lunch at the MSV. A variety of sandwiches, drinks, and hand-cut fried potatoes will be available for purchase from the Jack Knuckle Gourmet food truck. Visitors are invited to picnic in the gardens or use indoor bistro tables located in the first floor of the Museum.

With Friday’s activities, the MSV joins more than 500 North American public gardens that are participating in the National Public Gardens Day celebration. Presented by the American Public Gardens Association, the event is a national day of celebration to raise awareness of America’s public gardens and their important role in communities nationwide.

Opened to the public in 1997, the Glen Burnie Gardens were created in the latter half of the twentieth century. The seven-acre gardens—which are only part of the site’s 214-acre landscape comprising the largest green space in the city of Winchester—surround the MSV’s Glen Burnie House and include everything from intimate garden “rooms” to expansive lawns and a Water Garden pond stocked with golden trout.

A regional cultural center, the MSV is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV includes galleries, the Glen Burnie House, and seven acres of gardens. The galleries and exhibitions are open year-round; the house and gardens are open April through December. On days other than National Public Gardens Day, admission is $10 or $8 for seniors and youth ages 13 to 18. General admission is always free to youth ages 12 and under and to MSV Members. Thanks to sponsor Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., admission is free to all every Wednesday. During the weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the MSV is open free of charge each Wednesday until 8 p.m.  Additional details are available at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235. –END–