I was born on Mother’s Day and my mom always used to tell me that she got the best present in the world on that special day. Now that I’m a mom, I wonder if she was gritting her teeth every time she said that to me. A baby is one of those “presents” that keeps giving, and not always in a good way. Okay, I’ll quit beating around the bush. Being a mother is hard work! So, every year I look forward to that wonderful second weekend in May that is mine, all mine. Yes, I celebrate the entire weekend. All mothers should!

One lucky lady stocks up at the Mothers Day Plant Sale.

This year my family is taking me to the Mother’s Day Plant Sale on Saturday. It’s located at the roomy McMillen Ice Arena, 3901 Abbott Street. I buy all of my vegetable starters, my herbs, my annuals, my perennials and my hanging baskets at this sale because the prices are amazing and the plants are extremely hardy. There’s a plant list at www.botanicalconservatory.com. The sale is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but on Saturday there will be local gardeners on hand answering questions and talking about how to grow your own fresh food at home, starting with soil care, choosing plants, watering, and fertilizing.

Spend time with Mom at the Botanical Conservatory

Then, on Sunday, after the whole family helps me plant my trunk-load of goodies, they’re taking me to Mothers Day in the Garden at the Botanical Conservatory on Calhoun Street. Mother’s get in free! The Butterflies of Malaysia exhibit is in town and they’re hatching like crazy. I don’t know what’s more beautiful—the Cethosia cyane butterfly or the endless array of flowers growing inside and outside the Conservatory. There are fragrant blue petunias, hot pink cockscomb, yellow lantana, green and burgundy coleus and every color impatient you can imagine. I’ll wonder through the Desert and Tropical Gardens as well that day. Admission for the rest of the family is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 3 – 7, and children 2 and under are free.

Doesn’t that sound like the perfect weekend for a tired, greatly appreciated mom?

For more information about both of these events, visit www.botanicalconservatory.org

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If you’re not looking, you may miss it. The Swinney Homestead sits high on a hill back off the road to the left as you head west along West Jefferson Blvd. I can imagine people who lived there centuries ago being surrounded by brush, trees, pastures, and no neighbors. Surely it would have been hard for them to believe the house would someday sit between a divided highway in the midst of a thriving city.

A local group of volunteers called the Settlers maintains the home as a venue of education and enrichment for the Fort Wayne community. Each May they sponsor the “Herbs and Perennials Plant Sale & Swinney Homestead Open House.”

This is a good chance to purchase plants to complete the landscaping around your home or herbs for your cooking. The herbs come right from the herb garden at the Homestead.

The plant sale will be held Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5.

May 4, 2012
Herbs and Perennials Plant Sale & Swinney Homestead Open House
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

May 5, 2012
Second Day Plant Sale
8:00 a.m. – noon

This free event is held to supplement the funds needed to maintain the Swinney Homestead, one of Fort Wayne’s most historic buildings.

During the sale, a gift shop is open on the second floor of the Swinney House. What fun to walk through this house and imagine the people who had lived there! Actually, it might not be too hard to imagine life during the colonial period as music, refreshments, crafts and other artifacts from that time will be on display.

Since the 1970s, Settler members have provided information about the colonial way of living for the Fort Wayne community through special speakers and programs.

The Swinney Homestead is located at 1424 W. Jefferson Blvd. Parking for the plant sale is free.

For more information, check them out online.

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Beat the rush and secure your spot to run 13.1 at Fort Wayne’s own annual Fort-4-Fitness half-marathon this fall by registering early TODAY. The 5th annual event takes place September 28 and 29, with the race finishing inside Parkview Field, the home of Fort Wayne’s own minor league baseball team, the TinCaps.

The 2012 event is promised to be bigger and better than ever, according to event organizers. The 1 Year, One Healthy Change program is a new addition to this year’s event. Participants are encouraged to change one part of their lives in order to take a small step toward a healthier lifestyle. Visit Fort-4-Fitness online for more information.

Registration for Fort-4-Fitness continues now through September 10, but closes at 10,000 runners if that capacity is reached first. This race does has a history of selling out! Register by May 5 to receive an early bird rate.

In addition to the half-marathon, there is also a 4-mile walk/run and a 10K run. Separate seniors and kids marathons take place over the weeks prior to the main event — allowing participants in each age group to tackle a full 26.2-mile marathon over a series of shorter distances combined.

The half-marathon course takes athletes through the streets of downtown, historic Foster Park and by the beautifully maintained homes along Fort Wayne’s Old Mill Road. As in years past, the event will include a free health festival at the stadium, open to runners and the public alike.

Put Fort-4-Fitness on your fall racing calendar and register now! For more information on Fort-4-Fitness follow updates on Facebook and Twitter.

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Come2Go(C2G) is a different kind of music venue in Fort Wayne. The music hall is located at 323 W. Baker St. in downtown Fort Wayne. The concept for the all-ages venue grew out of a desire for musical expression and has grown from a small number of music lovers into a dynamic Christian community.

Structurally, C2G claims a transformed warehouse as its home, where a close-knit community formed. Today, nearly a dozen teams of volunteers reach out in ministry to the Allen County Juvenile Center (Wood Youth Center), nursing homes, tavern bible studies and more. In 2005, the sharing of the gospel, teaching and community action led to the formation of a worshiping community at C2G.

Local artist Sunny Taylor hosts the open mic night the first Monday of the month.

But there’s more to C2G than its spiritual aspect. This intimate venue regularly hosts a variety of local and national talent and welcomes people from all faiths. For example, Woodstock act Richie Havens performed in 2010 at C2G. Shows are reasonably priced and accessible to most (or all ages.)  Here you can see acts representing a variety of genres-from R&B to classic rock.

For a listing of upcoming shows, see the C2G calendar.

C2G Music Hall also produces a regular Open Mic Night, hosted by Sunny Taylor, on the first Monday of every month (except on holidays) at 7:30 pm. Solo performers, bands, poets, dancers, etc. are all welcome. Performers are asked to arrive at least a half hour before show time in order to get registered and sound checked (if needed). Also, performers are asked to bring a can of food to be donated to Associated Churches Food Bank of Fort Wayne.

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Got art?

You can get your fill at a new series of events known as Last Saturdays,  on April 28th. Last Saturdays take place on the last Saturday of every month (hence the name), and are a comprehensive approach to attract visitors downtown to experience the diverse social, arts, and cultural opportunities in our community.

Stay tuned for a list of upcoming events and things to do during future Last Saturdays events.

As one of four partners in the Fort Wayne Cultural District (along with the Downtown Improvement District, Visit Fort Wayne, and the City of Fort Wayne) Arts United supports the Last Saturdays concept as an opportunity to promote the community’s incredibly vibrant arts and cultural assets.

Come out and see for yourself what this event is about. Among the highlighted events are:

•  Indiana Genealogical Society’s annual all-day conference at the Allen County Public Library’s downtown branch
• Tincaps home game vs. the Peoria Chiefs
• Fort Wayne Ballet’s A Taste of Dance and Drama for Preschoolers, 3-4 pm
• The Mayor’s Youth Engagement Council presents “Fort Wayne’s Almost Famous”, 7-10pm
• Lotus Yoga, Wellness & Gallery’s Comic Con preview exhibition

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