The unofficial kick off of summer, Memorial Day weekend, is right around the corner.  You’re planning to enjoy a little time away from work, celebrating what it means to be an American.  Bring on the brats, beverages, and burgers! In between those cookouts we have some great events for you to check out that weekend.

Start your holiday weekend a little early with these events on Friday:

“Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles” at Foellinger Outdoor Theater.  You’ll be singing along with your favorite hits like “Get over it”, “Take it Easy” and “Hotel California”.  Tickets are just $13.

Tincaps take on South Bend Silver Hawks.  Go for the game and stay for the fireworks that light up the downtown sky. The first pitch will be thrown at 7:05 at Parkview Field.  Tickets start at $5.

“Wild Minds: What Animals Really Think” will give you and your kids insight into what your pets are thinking. This exhibit takes place at Science Central and runs from April 19 – September 8.  Admission starts at $7.

Enjoy the first day of your long weekend with these events on Saturday:

Fort4Fitness CycleFest provides a family-friendly environment for bicycle riders to enjoy the sights of Fort Wayne. Events will start from One Summit Square and will offer 3 different distances for riders to choose from.  Cost is $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 7-12.

Take in the arts with exhibits at various museums and galleries around Fort Wayne.  The 33^rd Annual National Print Exhibition and the HALO Project and Ceramic Wall Work exhibit will both take place at Artlink Contemporary Art Gallery.  Additional exhibits include Live2Love at Northside Galleries and Afros: A Celebration of Natural Hair by Michael July at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.

Honor our troops and veterans at the Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day (ARMAD) “A Tribute to Those Who Serve” at Parkview Memorial Regional Hospital Park.  The event will take place from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.  The public is welcome

If you’re not exhausted from Friday and Saturday, check out these events on Sunday:

Butterflies with an African Beat is at the Botanical Conservatory.  This event runs from April 13-June 7 and is sure to mesmerize visitors.  Admission starts at $3

And of course, be sure to celebrate Memorial Day with a Parade on Monday.

The Memorial Day parade and Ceremony will begin at the corner of State and Parnell at approximately 11 a.m. and end at the Coliseum.  Enjoy this great parade and honor those who have served our great country.

For information on these events, and many more, please check out our detailed Calendar of Events online!

• 

I used to have a hard time resisting the pretty flowers and vegetable starts grocery stores and hardware stores display this time of year. But now I know better. Quality is extremely important when it comes to plants, along with a large assortment. Choosing colors is half the fun! So, on Mother’s Day weekend each year, I line the back of my SUV with blankets and head out to the McMillen Ice Rink for the Mother’s Day Plant Sale.

The plant sale is extensive – and so much fun!

The experts who provide the plants are the same gardeners who landscape Fort Wayne parks, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and the Botanical Conservatory downtown. I buy my herbs, tomato plants, vegetable starts, hanging flower baskets, my annuals and my perennials there. I even picked up a few house plants last year. There are over 600 different plants to choose from! And there’s always someone nearby, ready to answer my questions, and to load my car when I’m finished.

I’m really looking forward to the “Do It Yourself” presentations on Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm. This year butterfly gardening will be covered. And I’m going to listen in on the shade gardening presentation before I shop so I can figure out what to do with the shadowy corner of my backyard. I can learn how to make compost and why it’s so important, and how to grow herbs to use in my cooking.

The Mother’s Day Plant Sale is 4 – 7 pm on Friday, 10 am – 5 pm on Saturday and noon – 4 on Sunday. If you’re a planner, like me, you might want to take a look at the complete plant list at www.botanicalconservatory.org.

• 

Have a “Hoppy” Easter and escape the glum winter-like weather at the Botanical Conservatory’s Easter in the Garden, sponsored by WAJI Majic 95.1 FM.

Hop on down on Friday, March 29, from 10am – 3pm for pictures, games, prizes, crafting, meeting the Easter Bunny, and so much more!

Friendly animals meeting a friend.

Toddlers through elementary age children can go on the hunt for colorful Easter eggs in the annual indoor Easter Egg Hunt. Enter for a chance to win a “sweet” Easter basket to take home. And don’t forget about the Botanical’s furry friends!  There will be live animals for all to see including baby chicks, ducks, bunnies, sheep and goats ready to meet you! Make sure to bring the camera, as there will be tons of opportunities for fun photos!

Have a Hoppy Easter!

This is a exciting chance to get in the Easter spirit while also checking out the beautiful Botanical Conservatory. While you’re there, explore the Mighty Jungle Adventure before it goes away on April 7!  All children must be accompanied by an adult and regular Conservatory admission will apply. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 3-17 – children 2 and under are free.

For more information visit our website or the Botanical Conservatory website.

• 

If you’ve never ventured downtown for Last Saturdays, here is a great chance for you to support local Fort Wayne businesses, explore the Cultural District of Downtown Fort Wayne, and have a little fun with the whole family! This Saturday, March 30, Last Saturdays is back with a slew of activities for all ages.

Stoner’s Funstore, a community staple for all things goofy, will host demonstrations from 9:30am-5:30pm at their Main Street store. Dick Stoner himself will be giving free magic demonstrations and showing children how to do a little magic of their own.

Down at The History Center, bring your competitive spirit for Fool Hardy Trivia. In this event visitors will compete in history trivia to identify how objects from the History Center collection may have been used in the past. Trivia will be from 2pm-4pm and the Center will also be offering half price admission!

Over at Science Central half price admission is just half of the fun! Lemonade Day event organizers will be on hand to sign kids up for this year’s Lemonade Day event, a great event that provides children with the tools necessary to learn how to run a small business. NanoDays will also be in full swing as part of a national festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering that explores the world of atoms, molecules and nanoscale forces. There will also be other activities going on including making bracelets that change color in the sun and figuring out the science of invisibility cloaks ala Harry Potter!

Take a walk to Parkview Field for a TinCaps Open House. Here you can get a behind-the-scenes tour of Parkview Field before the TinCaps bat into their 2013 season. There will be food and concessions available during the even from 11am – 1pm, and admission is free.

Don’t miss one of your last chances to explore the Mighty Jungle at the Foellinger-Freiman Botanical Conservatory! The exhibit will be leaving the Conservatory on April 7, so this will be a great chance to check it out and let the kids become jungle adventurers! The Conservatory is open from 10am – 5pm with admission being $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 3-17 and is free for kids under 2.

Other great events will be taking place all over including music at JK O’Donnell’s, a midnight movie at Cinema Center and art exhibits at Artlink and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.

For a full list of Last Saturday events check out the Downtown Improvement District website , or Visit Fort Wayne.

• 

Butterflies are magical. Now imagine seeing them up and close! You can experience the beauty of this species firsthand at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory.

A recurring exhibit, this time guests can enjoy the butterflies, along with the music of Africa.  howy butterfly specimens from the Old and New World join species imported from tropical Africa to mesmerize visitors as they get a close look in the display tent. Varieties include the Blue Morpho and friendly Owl butterflies, as well as a variety of swallowtail and brushfooted species. Guests can explore the sounds and rhythms of the drum, shekere, and other native percussion instruments from different regions of the great African continent.

There is something surreal about being in a room full of butterflies fluttering around, among the flowers. Last year I went on a a date to the exhibit with my now boyfriend, and the butterflies in the background really made for a memorable experience. We still talk about that date, nearly a year later!

Insider’s Note: The conservatory asks guests to go through air locks after the exhibit to make sure there are no “stowaways.” These butterflies are endangered, so it is a federal offense to remove them from the exhibit.

The exhibit runs April 13-July 7. Hours are : Tuesday-Saturday 10 am to 5 pm; Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, and Sunday 12 Noon to 4 pm. Admission rates are: $5 Adults ; $3 Children (ages 3-17). Children 2 and under are free.

•