Carefree Desert Gardens Grand Opening Celebration and Dedication November 13, 2011

Carefree Desert Gardens
Grand Opening Celebration and Dedication
Sunday, November 13

New desert botanical garden in Town of Carefree includes rare Crested Saguaro and Boojum Tree as the result of generous donation by local landscape company.

EVENT: Carefree Desert Gardens Grand Opening Celebration and Dedication.

WHEN: Sunday, November 13, 3 – 5:30 p.m. (dusk)
Kick off, 3 p.m.
Dedication, 3:15 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting, 3:45 p.m.
Docent tours, 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Carefree Desert Gardens, 101 E. Easy Street, Carefree.

COST: Free.

WHAT IT IS: Grand opening and dedication ceremony of Carefree Desert Gardens, a new desert botanical park situated on four acres and featuring hundreds of unique desert plants in the heart of downtown Carefree.

INFORMATION: Town of Carefree, 480-488-3686, www.carefree.org.

CAREFREE, Ariz., (August 27, 2011) – The public is invited to attend the grand opening of the Carefree Desert Gardens, a new botanical garden that features hundreds of cacti, including several rare specimens, that have been installed in the town center near the world famous Carefree Sundial.

The event starts at 3 p.m., Sunday, November 13 and continues until dusk near the town center at 100 Easy Street in Carefree. Guided tours of the gardens will be held starting at 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The grand opening will honor Mark and Juanita Wdowiak of Desert Foothills Landscape who donated both the cacti and the labor for the new four-acre gardens.

The gardens weave their way along Carefree’s Easy Street among features that include the recently renovated Carefree Sundial, the Carefree Amphitheater, a waterfall, art and sculpture, a giant gila monster slide, plus numerous shops and restaurants.

A rare Boojum Tree and Crested Saguaro are among the many desert cacti featured at the park, which will be open every day during daylight hours.

Carefree Desert Gardens was the brainchild of Wdowiaks and two master gardeners, Carefree residents June Reilly and Marilyn Maloney. Their vision for the town center quickly blossomed when the Wdowiaks agreed to design the project and donate hundreds of plants as well as the landscaping labor.

For the Wdowiaks the experience is just one of a number of philanthropic projects in which they have been involved. They also generously contributed landscaping to the Carefree Rural-Metro Fire Station and the Desert Foothills Library in Cave Creek.

Carefree was established in 1959 by town founders K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington and celebrated its 25th anniversary of incorporation in 2009. The Town has nearly 3,500 residents and is located only minutes north of Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Official Website: http://www.carefree.org