October events at Duke Gardens

Here's our October roundup:

Opera Express/photo by Gregory Cable

Arts in the Garden
Opera Express presents “Jack and the Beanstalk,” Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m.
Arts in the Garden opens its 2009-10 season with "Jack and the Beanstalk." Opera Carolina's educational touring company, Opera Express engages children and families throughout the Carolinas with professional performances of opera for young people. These delightful productions help students understand and appreciate opera as an art form that integrates all of the fine arts and humanities. Performances are tailored to children in kindergarten through fifth grade, and the children are encouraged to be vocal and interact with the performers.
The show will in the Doris Duke Center. Admission is $8, and tickets are available at http://tickets.duke.edu or by calling (919) 684-4444.

Free tours
Autumn in the Arboretum tour with Paul Jones, curator of the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. Oct. 9, 23 (also Nov. 6 & 20), 10 a.m. Meet at the Doris Duke Center.
Walk on the Wild Side tour with Stefan Bloodworth, curator of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, Oct. 1, 11 a.m.-noon. Rain or shine. Meet at the Blomquist gatehouse. This tour will recur throughout the year on the first Thursday of every month.
Bird Walk with Cynthia Fox, of Chapel Hill's Wild Bird Center, Oct. 3, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Please bring binoculars. Children welcome if they are 8 years old or older. Meet at the Doris Duke Center. If the weather is iffy, call Alice Le Duc at 730-2503 to check the status of the walk.
Please pre-register for the free tours at 668-1707.

Nature Rangers/Photo by Orla Swift

Free Children’s Programs
Sunday Science free drop-in program. Fairy Houses, Oct. 4; Germ Experiment, Oct. 11 (don’t wash your hands in advance); Build a Pine Cone Bird Feeder, Oct. 18; Make Sand Paintings in a Jar, Oct. 25.
Nature Ranger Cart every Friday from 10 a.m.-noon. Nature-focused activities.
Both programs are at the Dawn Redwood near the foot of the Terrace Gardens.
(Update: sorry, but the Nov. 1 Family Fun Day has been canceled; please mark your calendar for the next one, May 30, 2010)

More Children’s Programs
Nature for Sprouts: Sensory Walk (Oct. 9); Story Time (Oct. 10); Nature for Sprouts: Roots, Shoots, Flowers, Stems & Leaves (Oct. 16); Nature for Sprouts: Super Seeds (Oct. 23); Nature for Sprouts: How Does Your Garden Grow? (Oct. 30). Also, ask about children’s activity backpack rentals and Tues.-Thurs. morning school programs. Information: 668-1708.

Japanese Tea Gathering/Photo by Jon Gardiner/Duke Photography

Adult Classes & events
Landscape Design Study Course (Oct. 1-2); Sharing Your House with Plants: A Cohabitation Primer (Oct. 8); Triangle Orchid Society meeting (Oct. 12; open to the public); Advanced Ikebana (Oct. 14, 21, 28); Japanese Tea Gatherings (Oct. 21); Master Naturalist Program Summary (Oct. 26-27 & 30).
Pre-registration is required, even for free courses. Call 668-1707.


Looking ahead:
Please mark your calendars for the Garden Guild Craft Sale Nov. 14-15. The sale will feature holiday ornaments, knitted items, bird houses, fabric microwave bags, wine bags, stationery, framed cross-stitch, jewelry and hair accessories, photographs and other gift items.