12 UCW DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2017
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
Except for special events, the Cape Fear
Botanical Garden is not open at night.
The holiday season is one exception. The
garden is open after dark Thursday through
Sunday through Dec. 30 so the community
can enjoy the annual holiday light displays.
This is the seventh year the garden has
hosted Holiday Lights in the Garden. The
event grows a little each year as the garden
approaches its goal of having half a million
lights in the display. This year, the event
gained enough lights to expand the display
into the McCauley Heritage Garden.
Adriana E. Quiñones, director of
horticulture and education for the
garden, said, "We're really lighting it up
and making a big deal of the heritage."
Though the current facilit y encompasses
80 acres, the Heritage Garden was the
original site of the garden. The McCau-
leys donated the old barn and drugstore,
hence the garden's name. The structures
were moved on to the site from Eastover. Now the
heritage garden is meant to represent what 18th-
centur y agriculture was like in North Carolina.
The Heritage Garden is maintained by
Cumberland County's master gardeners and is
usually home to common 18th-century crops like
cotton and tobacco. During Holiday Lights in the
Garden, it is decorated with thousands of strings of
lights, and the old drugstore will be open for chil-
dren to take pictures with Santa.
Though you cannot drive through the garden,
there will be a hayride available for patrons. "There
may be other surprises, too," Quiñones said.
CFBG is a private, nonprofit organization. All
revenue from the light show goes directly into the
maintenance of the facility and into the orga-
nization's projects. Through a partnership with
Cumberland County Schools, the bo-
tanical garden has become part of many
schools' science curriculum. The garden
staff also work with homeschooled stu-
dents and have had more than 7,000 stu-
dents come through the programs to date.
The organization also has partnerships
with several other groups, including the
Vision Resource Center, Service Source
and the Wounded Warrior Project.
If you are interested in supporting these
programs and enjoying the holiday display,
tickets are available online. Doors open
at 5:30 p.m., and last admittance is at 8:30
p.m. The display is closed both Christmas
Day and Christmas Eve. Base online ticket
price is $12, but there are a variety of poten-
tial deals available for members, children,
military and seniors. Tickets will also be
available at the venue, but Quiñones noted
that people purchasing tickets at the door
"may have to wait in a long line. So, I try
and encourage getting tickets online."
For further details and to purchase tickets, visit
w w w.capefearbg.org.
Holiday Lights in the Garden offers history and holiday cheer
by ALEC NICCUM
EVENTS
This year, Holiday Lights in the Garden includes a new section – the MCauley
Heritage Garden.
ALEC NICCUM, Contributing Writer.
COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin-
gweekly.com. (910) 484-6200.
