The Belle Isle Conservancy, along with leaders of the Grosse Pointe area’s garden club communities, is hosting the 10thannual Garden Party on Belle Isle on Tuesday, September 13th from 5:30PM-7:30PM. The annual event raises funds for various projects benefiting the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory.
Proceeds from this year’s event will support the restoration of the Lily Pond and its surrounding garden. The restoration will improve the quality of the pond’s infrastructure, as well as provide a mud base that will allow the Koi to be housed in the pond year-round. To date, past supporters have helped the Belle Isle Conservancy raise nearly $30,000 towards the Lily Pond project.
The 10th annual Garden Party on Belle Isle is expected to attract 500 supporters to the botanical wonders of the Conservatory houses. The Garden Party will be held in a beautiful tent on the grounds of the Conservatory and will feature:
- Access to the Conservatory houses
- Cocktails and hors d’oeurves
- Musical entertainment by Ben Sharkey
- Art installations by Laurie Tennent Botanicals
- Complementary valet parking
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Laurie Tennent Botanicals will benefit the Lily Pond Project.
Longtime Conservatory volunteers Janice Ellison and Robin Heller will co-chair this year’s event, and Mrs. William Clay [Martha] Ford will serve as Honorary Chair.
“It seems hard to believe that it has been ten years since Carol Gove and I met with the Detroit Recreation Department to begin ‘The Garden Party on Belle Isle’,” says Jan Ellison. “We cannot thank the Garden Clubs of Grosse Pointe and eastern Wayne County enough for their support of the Conservatory. Thanks to their generous donations, we have made initial repairs to the Lily Pond, installed botanical signage in the facility, renovated the garden staircases and the flagstone paths and restored the bronze fountains in the Conservatory and gardens. We look forward to continued support of Belle Isle’s Jewel, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory.”
The Belle Isle Conservancy has partnered with the Garden Club of Michigan, the Grosse Pointe Farm & Garden Club, the Grosse Pointe Garden Club, the Junior League Gardeners and Talmer Bank to produce this event.
Advance tickets for the 10th annual Garden Party on Belle Isle range from “Orchid Level” at $50 per person to “Lotus Level” at $500 per person, and are available until September 6 at the Conservancy’s website.
A limited number of “Orchid Level” tickets will be available at the gate for $70. A recreation passport is required for admittance to the island. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.belleisleconservancy.org/gardenpartyonbelleisle.
