Thanksgiving Point Gazette - Spring 2021

Gazette THANKSGIVING POINT

WHERE FAMILIES COME TOGETHER | SPRING 2021 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1

IN THIS ISSUE: COVID-19 Recap

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Tulip Festival

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Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects

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Summer Day Camps

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Introducing the

‘Thanksgiving Point’ Tulip on display at this year’s Tulip Festival

April 9 – May 8, 2021

Gazette THANKSGIVING POINT

TO MAKE A DONATION ThanksgivingPoint.org/give TO SCHEDULE AN EVENT 801.768.4947 TICKET SALES 801.768.4900 Toll Free 888.672.6040 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION 801.768.7478 membership@thanksgivingpoint.org ThanksgivingPoint.org/membership EDUCATION 801.768.4971 GENERAL INQUIRIES 801.768.2300 VOLUNTEER INQUIRIES 801.768.7426

FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO Dear Thanksgiving Point Member,

PUBLISHER Erica Brown Thanksgiving Point 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way Lehi, Utah 84043 801.768.2300 EXECUTIVE EDITOR Josh Berndt ASSISTANT EDITORS Emily Duffy Rachel Olsen ART DIRECTOR Jeremy Andrus CONTRIBUTORS Josh Berndt Austin Brown Esther Henrichsen Amanda Lundberg

Rilee Scoresby Laura St. Onge Kendall Wimmer Summer Zemp

SOCIAL MEDIA

@thankspoint / Thanksgiving Point

WEBSITE

ThanksgivingPoint.org

As we have just passed the one-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, on behalf of the Thanksgiving Point Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, and all of our Team Members, I express appreciation to each of you who have stuck with us and helped us weather this challenge. We are grateful for your support, willingness to social distance, wear masks, get vaccines and help us return to a strong and stable operating condition.

We were tested in every way this past year, and with the support of our members, donors, individual, foundation, and corporate partners, Utah Legislature, Utah Department of Arts and Museums, Utah County Cares, and our extremely resilient Team Members and Volunteers, we found out what we are capable of and know we can do hard things and come out stronger and more capable.

You might be interested to know that Thanksgiving Point was one of the first museum organizations to reopen safely and led our industry by example and many Zoom calls to help other museums around the nation navigate the challenges of the pandemic. Many of our best practices were adopted by museums and gardens, large and small, throughout the United States.

We are grateful to be hosting an in-person Tulip Festival this year and are excited to welcome all to a safe and beautiful outdoor experience in the Ashton Gardens. We will continue the energy of the Tulip Festival by hosting “Nature Connects” featuring large-scale sculptures built entirely of LEGO bricks by renowned artist Sean Kenney in the Ashton Gardens this summer.

As you might have heard I am retiring as President and CEO of Thanksgiving Point after an 18-year tenure. The growth that I have seen in these last two decades was unimaginable when I first came to Thanksgiving Point. I am grateful for the vision of Thanksgiving Point founders, Alan and Karen Ashton, and for everyone who has helped Thanksgiving Point become such an important community asset.

I look forward to seeing what the next 18 years bring!

Sincerely,

Thanksgiving Point Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit farm, garden, and museum complex that draws upon the natural world to cultivate transformative family learning.

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THANKSGIVING POINT GAZETTE

Mike L Washburn President & CEO Thanksgiving Point Institute

Operations | COVID-19 Preparations

WHAT A YEAR! Kendall Wimmer Vice President of Operations

As we approach the anniversary of many key dates leading up to the shut down and impacts of COVID-19 upon our operations at Thanksgiving Point and around the country, we reflect on what an interesting year it has been.

On March 12th, 2020, the day after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19 and the NBA suspended the remainder of its season, on that same day Gobert’s teammate, Donovan Mitchell tested positive and the NCAA, PGA and other sports cancelled their seasons, Governor Herbert placed restrictions on mass gatherings in Utah and announced at a press conference that “today we stopped making decisions based on the hope that things will get better.” It was the beginning of a string of events that would ultimately shut our doors at Thanksgiving Point and usher in the full force of the incoming pandemic.

On March 16, 2020 despite our best efforts to limit attendance, practice social distancing, incorporate best practices and partnering with professional cleaning groups to assist with our disinfecting and sanitizing efforts, Thanksgiving Point, along with many other institutions around the country, closed our doors for what we thought might be a two-week shutdown. On March 25th, it became clear that this was more than a two-week closure and we made the difficult decision and announced that “Thanksgiving Point will be closed until further notice.”

Those were nervous and sad times, especially for those of us still on the property. The venues and food service outlets were eerily quiet and dark. No laughter, no sound of children, and few signs of life beyond the few butterflies and insects and Farm Country animals still needing daily care. But the work went on.

Gardens needed tending, buildings needed upkeep and the sanitizing theater raged on. We learned how to communicate without being together in the same room. We learned to be resilient and we were determined and working toward a reopening that we hoped would come soon, and we would be ready when it came time to reopen.

Turning a corner On April 28th, 2020, the Governor announced that the state would be entering the “stabilization phase” of the pandemic effective May 1st. This gave Thanksgiving Point the proper permissions and protocols necessary to reopen our venues. We were ready. On May 1st we opened Ashton Gardens and Farm Country with limited capacities, plexiglass barriers, heightened cleaning and sanitizing procedures and masks. It was different, for sure.

But, the doors were opened!

The Museum of Ancient Life opened one week later (May 8th), followed by the Butterfly Biosphere (May 15th) and finally the Museum of Natural Curiosity on June 15th. Food service outlets also reopened under strict guidelines and cleaning protocols—but we were back in business.

How great it was to be open again. To see visitors once again on the property and in the venues brought such joy to our team. I walked through the Ashton Gardens on that first (re)opening weekend.

The gardens, spring, and flowers had brought such a sense of wellbeing and relief during the pandemic.

As I greeted one elderly couple on the garden path and introduced myself, the gentlemen with tears streaming down his face, thanked us for being open.

It was a powerful experience.

Many months have passed, and we continue to navigate through the pandemic. The masks, the sanitizing, the limited capacities, and challenges navigating through the pandemic have become somewhat of a new normal.

With the roll-out of the vaccines and talk of herd immunity on the horizon, we are anxious to get back to business and full capacity. We are so grateful for our members and guest and those who have continued to support us through the pandemic and in turn we hope we have provided meaningful experiences and opportunities to escape the dark times of the pandemic.

We’re not there yet but there is hope. Tulips will bloom, children’s laughs will again be heard, events will be fun and we are excited to welcome you all once again to Thanksgiving Point.

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Garden Designer at Thanksgiving Point, Esther Henrichsen discusses the Tulip Festival’s growth over the years, and marvels at how far we have come.

TULIP FEST 4

THANKSGIVING POINT GAZETTE

IVAL

17th Annual Festival Returns to Ashton Gardens April 9–May 8, 2021 VOLUME NINE | ISSUE ONE

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Esther Henrichsen Garden Designer at Ashton Gardens

The other day we were musing about what we used to call the Tulip Festival. A three-day event with a few thousand local visitors in 2004 in contrast to a celebration of spring in 2021, spread over four weeks with an estimated 130,000 guests from all over the region. In fact, it is the Tulip Festival that has made Ashton Gardens a regional garden. Guests from Idaho and Wyoming come to experience spring, weeks before their own spring. And from the south, guests whose spring has passed come to see the tulips and daffodils that do not grow in their hot climate.

Last spring, during COVID-19 lockdown, the Thanksgiving Point gardeners were fortunate to keep working while those in office and service jobs were required to stay home. We never imagined we would have half-a-million blooming tulips and daffodils that were mostly seen by the gardeners and those who watched our “Virtual Tulip Festival” on various screens. Sadly, our guests were not able to come in person to the Gardens until May 1st.

Now, a year later, we are jumping for joy that circumstances allow the Tulip Festival to take place.

Never have so many people needed the benefits of visiting gardens more! The Ashton Gardens will be open for fresh air and exercise. For those who love flowers, there will be plenty to see. A garden has the perfect formula of combining learning with pleasure, of employing one’s own senses in the investigation of the natural world.

‘Thanksgiving Point’ Tulip

What are some things to look forward to at the Tulip Festival this year, besides a million blossoms and festive party decorations? The ‘Thanksgiving Point’ Tulip will have its debut. Last year was its first year, but like a debutant that missed her first comingout party, the ‘Thanksgiving Point’ Tulip will be re-introduced this spring. It is a sunny yellow, highly fragrant, lily-flowering tulip which is much happier in shade than in full sun. It was chosen from the tulip breeding program at Ruigrok Flowerbulbs in the Netherlands and was registered on the International Register of Tulip Names in 2020.

Mother Nature keeps us humble, and we can never predict when the peak of the tulip bloom will be.

However, over the years we have met the challenge of maintaining a long period of interest--from early crocus on through the late tulips and Iceland poppies.

One week to the next is different as ephemeral flowers come and go. The garden changes by the day, sometimes by the hour. Secure a time to attend the Tulip Festival and take your chances on the flowers and the weather.

The heart of the Gardens is its guests. We look forward to seeing you at the 2021 Tulip Festival.

The Tulip Festival will take place over four weeks with timed-ticketing and coronavirus safety precautions.

With large outside spaces, the Gardens can be safely enjoyed by visitors with the safety measures that have been in place, including enhanced cleaning. Physical distancing alone is not possible along pathways in some locations so wearing an effective face mask is essential throughout your garden visit.

Your safety, and that of our staff, is our highest priority.

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THANKSGIVING POINT GAZETTE

Thank You!

Thank you to outgoing CEO Mike L Washburn, we are grateful. Your extraordinary vision and leadership have helped Thanksgiving Point and Utah Valley bloom for more than 18 years.

April 9 - May 8, 2021 | Ashton Gardens Presented by

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Travelling Exhibits | Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects

Josh Berndt Communication Director

This summer prepare to be awed like you’ve never been before! Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point is proud to welcome Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects made with LEGO® bricks.

This amazing, value-added exhibit will be on display in Ashton Gardens from May 21 until August 28. It will create a perfect compliment to a summertime visit in an already breathtaking place!

Admissions to Nature Connects in included with Ashton Gardens admission and is free for Thanksgiving Point members as part of the membership’s benefits.

Sean Kenney is a renowned, awardwinning artist and “professional kid” who uses LEGO pieces to design and create contemporary sculpture for highprofile clients, major corporations, and venues around the globe for more than 15 years.

“Nature Connects is foremost an educational platform and secondarily a means of artistic expression,” Kenney stated. “Just as LEGO pieces interconnect, everything in nature is

interconnected in a delicate balance...

According to Kenney, “each Insects and plants have important sculpture can have a different process. relationships; different species of For example, the design of the animals have special relationships with Hummingbird sculpture just “popped” each other; animals have connections in my head the minute someone said with their families just like we do. And “hummingbird”. I immediately had this of course, people have a connection vision of something that you could with nature, whether you’re trimming actually walk under, suspended as if by a bonsai tree or planting a garden, or magic. Creating a spindly little nose and anything else: you are a part of nature.” paper-thin wings built out of chunky Each sculpture is built by Kenney LEGO pieces seemed like a wonderful and his team of nearly 10 artists who challenge and, if done right, something work in their professional studio based that would look amazing. I spent about in Brooklyn, New York. The sculptures 4 weeks designing and planning this are fully glued, steel reinforced, custom- specific piece; researching images of crated and durable to withstand the life hummingbirds in nature, choosing of the exhibit. Creating art with LEGO the perfect colors and designing the bricks requires even more math than internal steel reinforcements, then traditional sculpture, because LEGO about 5+ weeks building it.” is very rigid, straight, and numbers based. Kenney needs to carefully count out the number of LEGO studs across an area to make sure rows line up with See Hummingbird at the Tulip Festival, each other, and he needs to keep track April 9- May 8. Visit all 15 sculptures of how far along in the model building May 21–August 28 at Ashton Gardens! process he is so that he can reference his drawings and plans correctly.

Nature Connects at Ashton Gardens features 15 sculptures made from LEGO pieces.

Each sculpture is built entirely with LEGO pieces. The amazing pieces will feature the following: • Ant Hill 12,990 LEGO bricks 80 hours to complete

• Birdbath 14,802 LEGO bricks 200 hours to complete

• Bonsai Tree 9,143 LEGO bricks 90 hours to complete

• Corn Spider 16,492 LEGO bricks 135 hours to complete

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• Buck 46,562 LEGO bricks 215 hours to complete

• Doe and Fawn 37,879 LEGO bricks 327 hours to complete

• Galapagos Tortoise 23,317 LEGO bricks 290 hours to complete

• Gardening Granddaughter 11,294 LEGO bricks 202 hours to complete

THANKSGIVING POINT GAZETTE

• Gardening Grandfather 35,646 LEGO bricks 334 hours to complete

• Hummingbird Feeding from Trumpet Flower 61,107 LEGO bricks 265 hours to complete

• Monarch on Milkweed 39,708 LEGO bricks 425 hours to complete

• Pansy and Bee 29,314 LEGO bricks 280 hours to complete

• Peacock 68,827 LEGO bricks 625 hours to complete

• Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly 27,788 LEGO bricks 515 hours to complete

• Wheelbarrow 29,900 LEGO bricks 205 hours to complete.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS For the most current list of events and programs offered, please visit ThanksgivingPoint.org.

April

June

August

Saturday, April 3

Wednesdays in June

Saturday, August 7

Easter Bunny Breakfast

Dog Walk Wednesdays

Shark-tastic Saturday

On Wednesdays throughout the summer, we invite you to bring your favorite four-legged friend with you to the Ashton Gardens!

SOLD OUT for 2021 – Celebrate Easter with the whole family at Easter Bunny Breakfast.

Friday, April 9 – Saturday, May 8

Saturday, June 5

Tulip Festival The Tulip Festival is one of the most popular events in Utah with more than 100,000 guests visiting each year.

The tulip display is created with bulbs imported directly from The Netherlands to create a new display each festival. This year’s festival includes the ‘Thanksgiving Point’ tulip, a new variety of late blooming, scented lily tulip.

Dairy Day Holy cow! Join us for this annual celebration of the beloved cows of Farm Country, and of all things cheesy, creamy and delicious.

Friday, June 11

Stellar Skies

Saturday, April 17

Lamb & Wool Mary had a little lamb with fleece made out of wool—but she didn’t know what to do with that tangled mess, so Mary came to Farm Country and learned how to sheer, steer, spin, dye, and felt. Be like Mary.

Join us for a fun summer evening to explore the intricacies of outer space! We’re sure you’ll walk away discovering something new about our magnificent sky.

Saturday, June 19

Fairy Tale Festival & Tea Party Join us to celebrate magic, fairies, and the rich characters of fairy tales! In addition to the Festival, the Mad Hatter will host an unbirthday you won’t want to miss at our Fairy Tale Tea Party!

Saturday, April 24

Tulip 5k Tiptoe through the tulips in Ashton Gardens.

This one-of-a-kind 5k is filling up fast. So get your tickets soon!

Saturday, June 26

Pollinator Parade Utah Pollinator Week is June 21-27th and we are celebrating! We will be doing butterfly releases and other pollinator themed activities.

May

July

Saturday, May 8

Fridays in July

Lyceum Philharmonic

Outdoor Movie Series

Featuring the national-award winning Lyceum Philharmonic with guest vocalist Yahosh Bonner, this musical night in the Gardens is an evening not to miss.

Saturday, May 14-15

Friday, May 21

Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects Made with LEGO® Bricks - Kickoff Event Join us in the Ashton Gardens as kickoff the new summer exhibit.

All things transformative family learning at this brand-new event at Museum of Natural Curiosity.

Guests will see presentations, learn new skills, with everything for all ages.

Join us on Labor Day for an end-of-summer Polynesian feast with authentic entertainers that will transport you back to ancient times when the Hawaiian Islands were ruled by kings and queens.

Thursday–Saturday, September 9–11

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival For the first time ever, the 2021 Timpanogos Storytelling Festival will be presented both in person at the stunning Thanksgiving Point Ashton Gardens AND virtually!

Wednesday–Saturday September 15-18 (classes), 17-18 (display)

Garden of Quilts The Garden of Quilts is returning for another unforgettable year! In partnership with Riley Blake Designs,Thanksgiving Point brings to Utah an outdoor exhibition of hundreds of quilts. In addition to the stunning quilt displays, your favorite quilters will be back to teach quilting classes on September 15-18.

Saturday, September 25

Harvest Festival Join us for vendors and 17th annual giant pumpkin weigh-off presented by Utah’s Giant Pumpkin Growers!

Dog Days in the Gardens

July 16 – Special Presentation - Stay tuned!

Come out and enjoy the gorgeously crisp, autumn weather with your family and friends – both two-legged and four – while you take a stroll through 50 acres of stunning fall foliage.

Saturday, July 24

Utah Foods Cook-Off To commemorate Pioneer Day weekend, we want you to show off your Utah food pride and bring your family recipe to compete for awesome prizes including Family Memberships, admission passes, and more!

Wizardly Birthday Party

Create

Labor Day Luau

Monday, September 25

Saturday, July 31

Saturday, May 22

Monday, September 6

July 9 – Detective Pikachu

July 30 – The LEGO Batman movie

Visit our baby goats, piglets, bunnies, chicks and calves, and vote for your favorite baby names!

September

July 2 – LEGO Movie

July 23 – Raya and the last dragon

Baby Animal Birthday

From the ancient Megalodon shark, to Hammerheads and Great Whites, sharks are one of the most mysterious creatures on the planet.

All wizards and witches are invited to this amazing party. It’s sure to put a spell on your day and turn it from boring to amazing!

October Monday–Saturday, October 11-16

Scarecrow Festival Join us this fall in the Ashton Gardens for the Scarecrow Festival. Create your own scarecrow for display.

Saturday, October 16

Scarecrow 5k Don’t be scared. This 5K run through the autumn leaves, passing dozens of creative scarecrow displays is a walk in the park--or Ashton Gardens to be precise.

Friday & Saturday, October 15 & 16

FAMILY PROGRAMMING TALES FOR TOTS

Witch’s Breakfast

BUBBLES & BITES 1pm

Friday, October 29

Wednesdays & Saturdays

Creepy Crawly Carnival

Museum of Ancient Life

11am–11:20am (Please purchase a 10:30am or 11am ticket for this program)

Mondays

Wednesdays

Fridays

Museum of Ancient Life

Farm Country

Butterfly Biosphere

DIRT ON DINOS 10am–noon Wednesdays Museum of Ancient Life

MELODY MAKERS

Celebrate Halloween with a delicious breakfast, activities, and spooky visitors.

11am–11:20am

CRITTER ENCOUNTERS

(Please purchase a 10:30am ticket for this program)

noon, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm

Mondays

Wednesdays

Museum of Natural Curiosity

Farm Country

Monday thru Saturday

Spend the evening with some of your favorite “creepy crawlies” at the Butterfly Biosphere for a Halloween party for the whole family, featuring fun Halloween and insect-themed activities and games.

Saturday, October 30

Dia De Los Muertos Come to our annual fiesta to celebrate family both living and gone. Experience all the multi-cultural tastes, sights, and sounds of this beautiful Latin American holiday.

Butterfly Biosphere

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Learning & Engagement | Summer Day Camps

THANKSGIVING POINT

SUMMER Day Camps Rilee Scoresby School Programs Lead - Summer Camps & Homeschool

This summer will be my fifth summer working with Thanksgiving Point Summer Day Camps. During the past four years, I was a camp guide and taught and led the camp activities and played with the campers from 9 am until 3 pm almost every day. Needless to say, I love Thanksgiving Point’s summer camps and they hold a special place in my heart, which is why I am so excited to now be the coordinator over the entire program.

With all my experience at Thanksgiving Point’s summer camps, I have found that no matter what camp is being run, or how organized it is, there is one thing that makes these camps so special: the campers-your kids! There are some wonderful kids who come to camp each year; some kids come for one day, some kids come for a couple weeks, and others come every week for the whole summer. I have loved getting to know these kids on individual levels as we work through a child-led learning process. Through this process, children direct their own learning and use their talents and interests to work through tasks. Because the learning is so individualized, children grow in ways that best suit them. Campers never cease to inspire me with their creativity and unique ideas.

Play and informal learning are other processes we use to learn at Thanksgiving Point. In fact, a research paper I did on the impact of play on children is what inspired me to get this job four years ago.

Informal learning and play are crucial to child development as they help kids foster their creativity, increase their problem-solving skills, and practice social and communication skills all while they learn about a topic such as STEM, art, nature, and more.

Kids who do Thanksgiving Point’s summer camps will be better prepared for the school year ahead of them because of these skills they will gain-but it doesn’t feel like summer school to them! Informal learning at summer camps is fun and social. They get messy, play games, and have fun with their new friends.

Another type of learning process that is fascinating to me is immersive learning. Immersive learning has many benefits as it engages children on a deeper level. Immersive learning often involves technology, as well as using all five senses to learn a topic. There are many other assets that can be used to create an immersive learning experience, and some of those will be implemented into our Summer Day Camps, particularly our new Signature Summer Camps.

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THANKSGIVING POINT GAZETTE

One thing that makes these camps so special: the campers–your kids!

New in 2021, we are rolling out Signature Summer Camps to add immersion to the play and informal learning we already do. Thanksgiving Point is an amazing campus with top-of-the-line resources and people. Signature Summer Camps will give kids a deep dive into these resources as they have hands-on experiences related to farming, gardening, making, engineering, digging dinosaurs, and discovering entomology. Signature Summer Camps will be immersive as campers use their five senses to do real life activities that coordinate with the theme of their camp. Classrooms for these camps will be decorated so that all details of the campers’ days are involved with the theme. Signature Summer Camp participants will also receive vouchers to come back to do activities at Thanksgiving Point that relate to the camp so family and friends can learn and play together, even once camp is over!

As I have been preparing for 2021’s Summer Day Camps over the past few months, I have set some goals for staff, parents, and campers. I hope to refine processes to make the experience smooth and enjoyable for both staff and parents. For campers, the ultimate goal is that through Summer Day Camps, they will find their place in the world and feel confident to unlock their full potential by finding how their unique interests fit into unexpected places.

I look forward to seeing you and your campers this summer!

Let's build an

insect!

All insects have three main body parts: a head, thorax, and abdomen.

HEAD

THORAX

ABDOMEN

It’s important to know these parts in order. It helps to think of the thorax as being sandwiched in between the head (which is at the top just like your own head) and the abdomen (at the bottom).

HEAD

Build your own insect using items found around the house.

You can use items such as LEGO Bricks, Clay, Vegetables, or even pipe cleaners! Let your imagination run wild. Don’t forget to ask your parents for help. We can’t wait to see what you create. Tag us on Facebook or Instagram to share!

THORAX

Don’t forget to check out all our fun Entomology Summer Camps, along with the many other types we offer.

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. Postage

3003 N. Thanksgiving Way Lehi, UT 84043

PAID Orem, UT Permit No. 110

Special thanks to our property partners:

THANKSGIVING POINT

CORPORATE TRANSFERABLE

MEMBERSHIPS

Thanksgiving Point Corporate Transferable Memberships are a great way to thank employees, impress a client, or treat your out-of-town guests to a fabulous day away from the office.

CORPORATE TRANSFERABLE MEMBERSHIPS INCLUDE ASHTON GARDENS

FARM COUNTRY

MUSEUM OF ANCIENT LIFE

MUSEUM OF NATURAL CURIOSITY

BUTTERFLY BIOSPHERE

ADMITS UP TO EIGHT PEOPLE PER VISIT, NOT LIMITED TO ONE FAMILY

ALLOWS HOLDER 10% DISCOUNT ON FOOD AND RETAIL PURCHASES

50% DISCOUNT FOR VENUE ADMISSION FOR ADDITIONAL GUESTS

ALLOWS DISCOUNT PRICE ON PURCHASE OF PERSONAL MEMBERSHIPS

For more information, please contact Laura St. Onge 801.768.7433 | lstonge@thanksgivingpoint.org