It’s considered a treasure in the heart of Aiken – 14 acres known as Hopelands Gardens.
“We are so lucky to have this in Aiken,” said Anna Dangerfield, president of the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch. The organization will celebrate its 50th anniversary in support of the gardens from 9 a.m. to noon, May 1 at the gardens.
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Dangerfield said the celebration is a great event for families with children as there will be activities aimed for them.
Members of the Sand River Garden Club will help children plant seeds in an activity at the Doll House. Artist Denise Eisele will teach children how to do rubbings from nature. Other arts and crafts will be done in the bird and butterfly garden.
Other children’s activities will include face painting and a story time.
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Aaron Campbell, the city’s arborist, will be available to talk about the arboretum trail.
At 11 a.m., members of the Friends of Hopelands and the Rye Patch will dedicate a new walkway.
Parking will be available across the street from the gardens at The Green Boundary Club.
While the celebration marks 50 years, the gardens have been around much longer.
Hope Iselin, the wife of C. Oliver Iselin, a banker and champion yachtsman, started cultivating the garden in 1900 and spent 70 years creating its quiet spots that are inspired by the gardens of Europe, according to the Hopelands Gardens’ website. These spots included statues surrounded by blooming trees and flowers. She died at the age of 102 in April 1970. The city acquired the property at her death.
The Friends of Hopelands was created in 1971 to support the city and the gardens. When the city acquired the adjacent Rye Patch in the early 1980s, the organization changed its name to indicate its commitment to the total 24 acres.
The site is the home of an annual outdoor concert series in April, May and June. The next concert will feature the Aiken Youth Orchestra at 7 p.m. May 3.
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Another series is the Story Time in the Garden program.
“Our story time program has been serving the community for almost 30 years,” according to Amber Coffey, recreation program coordinator.
It’s held at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays in March, April, May, September and October.
The free event is for children ages 8 and younger. Each child attending receives a free book.
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“The goal of story time is to encourage a life-long love of reading. We have many children that started attending story time before the age of one. Story time is a great way to spend time with family and meet new friends,” she said.
The May 1 event is one of several events related to the 50th anniversary. An art exhibit at the Aiken Center for the Arts closes April 30. The exhibition features artwork related to Hopelands Gardens.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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