Burden Museum and Gardens set springtime activities

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By: Rick Bogren, rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu
BATON ROUGE – As winter weather warms and spring approaches, Burden Museum & Gardens offers many activities to help people enjoy the changing season.
Special springtime events to remember:
On Saturday, March 4, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present the Ione E. Burden Symposium featuring “Baton Rouge’s Bicentennial: An Historical View.” Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the city of Baton Rouge, distinguished speakers will speak on the subject of Baton Rouge’s history. A special fee of $40 will be charged, and reservations are required. A lunch and speaker’s reception are included. For ticket information, contact the museum at 225-765-2437.
On Saturdays, March 4, April 1 and May 6, children ages 3 to 8 can enjoy StoryTime at Burden from 9 to 11 a.m. in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. The morning will feature storybook readings and imagination-themed activities every half hour. The last reading begins at 10:30. StoryTime is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. Admission is free.
Saturday, March 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will host Herb Day. The events will include a tea room for tasting herbal teas, herb classes, herbal products and herb plants for sale. Herb classes will start at 9:30 a.m. and continue every hour. Herb Day is sponsored by the American Herb Society Baton Rouge Unit. The event is open to the public and no admission is charged.
Saturday, March 11, from 9 to 11 a.m., Marc Chatov will present a seminar “100 Years of Painting in My Family Lineage” based on his book “Chatov” in the Ione Burden Conference Center.
A leading contemporary portrait painter as well as a well-known and popular instructor, Chatov developed his teaching skills as an assistant to his father, Roman Chatov, and uncle, Constantin Chatov, in the Chatov Studio and gradually took over their classes in 1984.
Registration is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Seating is limited.
On Saturday, March 11, from 4 to 6 p.m., the Brush with Burden 2016 Art Exhibition will begin with an opening reception in the Ione Burden Conference Center and Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. The exhibition will continue March 12-19, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The juried multimedia exhibition features art inspired by Louisiana’s natural beauty, flora and fauna. This year’s Brush with Burden theme is Southern Sights. All artwork will be offered for sale; no admission will be charged.
On Saturday, March 25, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the East Baton Rouge Master Gardeners will conduct their annual spring plant sale. The sale includes thousands of plants in hundreds of varieties of landscape ornamentals. The funds raised support activities such as plant health clinics, school gardens, educational classes for the community and various children’s programs.
On Saturday, April 1, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., Zapp’s International Beerfest at the LSU Rural Life Museum will feature more than 200 foreign, domestic and home-brewed beers and ales available for tasting. Limited to visitors 21 years of age and older, proper photo identification will be required to purchase tickets and enter the event. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available. Tickets are limited and information about ticket availability and prices will be available soon.
On Sunday, April 9, from 1 to 4 p.m., LSU Rural Life Museum will celebrate an Old-fashioned Easter Celebration. Children ages 2 through 8 will have the opportunity to enjoy customs associated with Easter in Louisiana by participating in many activities such as egg-dying, egg pacquing, leg races and, of course, an Easter egg hunt. Admission is $5 per person with children under 2 admitted at no charge.
On Thursday, April 20, from 6 to 9 p.m., the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present Gourmet in the Garden. The evening will include food creations from local restaurants prepared with locally grown products along with samplings of beverages from Louisiana distilleries and local mixologists and culminate with presentations of the People’s Choice and Juried Cocktail awards. The event is presented by the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and the Louisiana Culinary Institute and sponsored in part by Republic National Distributing Company. Tickets include samplings of food and cocktails along with live music. The cost is $50 per person before Feb. 15, $60 per person between Feb. 16 and March 31 and $65 thereafter. Tickets are available after Feb. 1 online at www.gig2017.eventbrite.com. If space is available, tickets will be available at the door for $70.
On Friday, April 28, from 6:30 to 10 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present An Evening at Windrush. This elegant Southern supper will capture the spirit of days gone by at Windrush. Guests will enjoy cocktails in Windrush Gardens followed by dinner in the Exhibit Gallery and desserts and coffee on the museum grounds. Tickets are $150 per person, and reservations are required. Reservations and information are available by contacting Molly Sanchez at 225-765-2437.
On Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present an outdoor concert featuring Capathia Jenkins and Darius de Haas with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, David Torns, conductor. The program will celebrate classic soul with timeless top 40s hits from the kings and queens of soul, including Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and James Brown. Tickets can be obtained from the Baton Rouge Symphony Box Office at 225-383-0500 extension 100, online at www.brso.org or in person at the Baton Rouge Symphony Executive Offices, 7330 Highland Road.
On Saturday, May 20, from 9 to 11 a.m., the Children’s Garden Series at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present a fruit and vegetable lab. Children will hear about the differences between fruits and vegetables. They will have the opportunity to sort, plant, eat and take home edibles for their own yards. Children ages 6-12 can participate in fun, interactive activities and learn about gardening. An adult must accompany each child. Children will receive snacks and garden take-home crafts. Attendance limited to 15, and reservations are required in advance by contacting Angie Wall at angwall@cox.net. Admission is $15 per child.

About Burden Museum & Gardens
Located at 4560 Essen Lane, just off Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge, Burden Museum & Gardens is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes the LSU Rural Life Museum, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and Windrush Gardens.
The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens is an expansive collection of specialty gardens, woodlands, wetlands and arboreta. Trees and Trails offers five miles of serene walking paths through the Burden Woods. The Rose Garden, Children’s Garden and All-America Selections Display Garden showcase the beauty of plants and flowers and provide educational experiences for gardeners of all ages. No admission is required to tour the gardens.
The LSU Rural Life Museum focuses on the ways of life of rural Louisiana during the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum also provides educational and research resources that advance an understanding of the material and cultural heritage of the region.
Adjacent to the Rural Life Museum, the historic Windrush Gardens comprises 5 acres of semiformal gardens of the Burden family.
Admission to the Botanic Gardens and Trees and Trails is free of charge and open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the Rural Life Museum is $10 for adults 12 to 61 and $9 for seniors and children 6 to 11. Admission to Windrush Gardens is $3 per person. Both are free for kids under 6. The LSU Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens are open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except major holidays.

Continuing activities include
Trees and Trails, a 5-mile system of pedestrian, recreational and educational trails in the Burden Woods, provides opportunities for hiking and interpretive and educational activities for youth and adults. The Mosaic Boardwalk at Black Swamp guides visitors through a hardwood swamp more than 200 years old. The trail system is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
The children’s garden offers a place to learn about gardening and nutrition. This model garden also provides a location for youth-related organizations and individual families to experience the outdoors, focusing on vegetable, herb and butterfly garden plantings.
Windrush Gardens comprises majestic live oaks and ancient crape myrtles to create a shady canopy over azaleas and camellias, evoking a sense of tranquility and peace. Steele Burden, who was influenced by the gardens of Europe and the surviving gardens of 19th century Louisiana plantations, designed Windrush. The winding paths are ideal for strolling and enjoying the 25 acres of landscaped spaces.
The Rose Garden is a member of the American Garden Rose Selections program, a nationwide network of approved public gardens, and the American Rose Trials for Sustainability (ARTS) program, maintaining an inventory of 1,500 plants representing 150 varieties. Starting each April, the Rose Garden offers an exclusive preview of the coming year’s outstanding new varieties.