Self-Guided Garden Tour to Benefit Brookside Museum
Saratoga Springs, NY (September 9, 2012): Chip’s Landscaping hosted a unique self-guided Saratoga County Water Garden Tour on September 9, 2012. With the intent of making the event beneficial to a local non-profit organization, 100% of ALL ticket sales benefited Brookside Museum, home of the Saratoga County Historical Museum in Ballston Spa.
This year’s tour traveled around downtown Saratoga Springs, ending in Greenfield with a complimentary “after tour” barbeque onsite at Chip’s Landscaping. The event consisted of a total of 6 beautiful water gardens, both privately and publicly owned, within a 15-mile radius. This year’s garden sites boasted pondless waterfalls, spillways, small, medium and large sized pongs·even a “swimmable” family pond.
Upon completion of the event, Sue Ann DuBois, Co-owner of Chip’s Landscaping was overjoyed with the result, which earned almost $900 dollars for the museum. In reflection on the Tour, she says, “Our passions for water gardening lead us to host the First Annual Saratoga County tour. Water in the landscape provides tranquility and movement. It encourages families to come together to enjoy the outdoors and nature. We wanted to highlight these unique elements in local gardens. In the end, The event exceed all our expectations in ticket sales and support for Brookside Museum. We spent a fantastic day meeting and greeting water garden enthusiasts and sharing our passion, and look forward to next year’s tour”
Joy Houle, Brookside’s executive director couldn’t believe how many people turned up for the day. “We are so grateful to have been chosen for the first annual Water Garden Tour,” she said. “This is a great idea, unlike anything we have been a part of and we were honored to have been part of it.”
At the *After Tour Barbeque*, Chip’s also featured an exhibit by local artist Natalie Adler of Saratoga, in the hopes of further supporting other local vendors in the area. After retiring from a career in Emergency Medicine in 2009, Natalie began oil painting. She has painted over 30 landscapes, many inspired by her view of Saratoga Lake. Her work is displayed in homes and businesses throughout the country.
With over 80 participants throughout the day, the tour was a genuine success, and showed people in Saratoga County the benefit of eco-friendly ponds at one’s home or business. Chip’s Landscaping and Brookside Museum look forward to the event next year.
**The Saratoga County Historical Society** at Brookside is a non-profit organization located at 6 Charlton Street in Ballston Spa that inspires community memory by telling the story of Saratoga County through engaging exhibits and interactive programs. Brookside’s programs and services are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. For more information, please visit brooksidemuseum.org or call 518.885.4000.
**Chip’s Landscaping:** Chip’s Landscaping is a professional local business specializing in sustainable practices and the creation of “healthy” outdoor living environments. They are nationally certified in water feature design and construction, rainwater harvesting design and construction, as well as state certified in organic property management through the Go-Green New York Yards program.
