Chair's Corner - Slowing Down
One thing the pandemic has given us is the opportunity to slow down. For some of us, that’s been a welcome relief; for others, it’s been excruciating to be restricted in our activities. Two things that have kept me sane in the last year (yes, it’s been nearly a year, even though it seems like it’s been ten) have been socializing and getting outside. We talk a lot in this column about the Arboretum’s tag line - Nature That Nurtures - but boy, has it been relevant in these challenging times. 
Visiting the Arb gives you the opportunity to unplug from raucous social media, the never ending news cycle, and instead focus on all those “re-“ words:
Restore
Renew
Replenish
Revive
Refill
Do you remember being a child and having time to watch clouds, study busy ants, and find joy in the design of a leaf? All you have to do is take a stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens and nature trails to regain that feeling. 
And until the end of January, come out to enjoy the whimsy and playfulness of our Gnome and Fairy houses along the sculpture loop! Designed by four talented artists and one dedicated volunteer, these were originally created for the Luminary Walk. If you only saw them in the dark, no doubt you missed some details that are worth a second look. Check out our 15-minute video on the “Making of the Mystical Village” to learn about the artists, what inspires them, and the difference between gnomes and fairies.
Even in the winter, there’s always something special to enjoy - so I look forward to seeing you at the Arb!
Warmly,
Sonya

Annual Report
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We definitely live in interesting times! The year of 2020 required creativity and resilience on the part of FOTA and the Arboretum staff, but the outcome was positive. Out of our normal annual fundraisers, only one was a casualty of the pandemic - the Botanical Brewfest. The rest of our events were held with appropriate adjustments:

  • The Spring Plant Sale was held completely online and coordinated by the wonderful Arboretum staff, as the county was under a stay at home order at the time, and volunteers were not allowed. Even with those restrictions, the event was a rousing success! We sold out of all plant inventory, and many FOTA members appreciated the opportunity to view the plant selection online ahead of the general public. A big thanks to chairperson Pat Blanchat and her committee, along with Katharine Garrison of the Arboretum staff, who set up the website.

  • While we weren't able to hold as many Wine Tastings on the Terrace as we originally planned, guests who were able to get a reservation to our three sold-out events had a great time. Chairperson Janet Forrest is planning 10 wine tastings this year beginning in late April. Reservations are now available by clicking here - FOTA members use the discount code TASTY for $5 off.

  • New this year, we offered a Fall Bulb Sale, which was also online. While it didn't bring in a lot of revenue, it gave purchasers a great opportunity to try out some new varieties of spring-flowering bulbs recommended by the Arboretum horticulturists. We look forward to seeing them bloom in a couple of months!

  • In September, we welcomed Quixotic back to the gardens for Terra Luna, a fusion of nature, sight, and sound. Due to attendance restrictions, the three nights of the event sold out quickly, and attendees loved seeing the Arboretum in a completely different way. For 2021, we're expanding this event to additional nights over two weekends and look forward to fresh, new performances from the Quixotic creative team.

  • And as always, we closed out the year with our always-popular Luminary Walk. With both Terra Luna and the Luminary Walk, we ventured into timed entry tickets in order to manage our reduced attendance limits and make a more enjoyable experience for our guests. We learned that timed tickets are here to stay! Even if we're able to expand our attendance this year, spreading out guests throughout the evening made both parking and visiting the event much more manageable for everyone. Another experiment we tried in 2020 was adding an adults-only experience in our Candlelight Stroll. We learned that we needed to be more clear with the "adults-only" message, so we'll improve that experience for 2021. A huge thanks to Irene Parsons and her hard-working team!

One really great outcome of 2020 was a substantial increase in our FOTA membership numbers. We went from approximately 1200 members at the end of 2019 to 2000 at the end of 2020. Your FOTA membership is as important as your attendance at fundraising events. It allows FOTA to financially support the Arboretum in important ways, including our $2 million contribution to the new Visitor Center. If you're a new member this year, welcome! And if you regularly renew your membership, thank you so much for your loyalty and commitment to this vital place for our community - where nature nurtures.
Wine Tastings on the Terrace
ENJOY
$5 OFF
FOTA Members enter code [TASTY]
at checkout to save on your
registration price.
Upcoming Events
As we like to say, there's always something happening or something new to enjoy at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.

Visit the City website to view the full calendar of events!
December Donors
Mary Althaus 
Amsted Rail Company, Inc
Jaime Anderson 
Bank of Labor
Tom Bruce
Anne & Wayne Byrd
Douglas Cohen
Carlos Corredor
David & Jean Fehling
Kenneth Goldsmith
Don Grundy
Allen Halling
Edward Hansen
Pamela Harris
Linda Higgins
Larry Jiskra
Laura Kimball
Karen Koch
Lyle Krehbiel
Michael & Susan Lally
 Leawood Garden Club
Vicki Lilly
Sean Lynch
Dana Markel
Judy Moecker
Rick Morris
Catherine & Terry Nance
 Overland Park Gardeners of America Pamela Pretz
Greg Ruether
Stephen Schaum
Brent Scheumann
Robert & Beth Shea
Mark Stuecheli
Vicki Webber
Sharon Wells
December New & Renewing Members
Celia Aldrich
David Arnett
Jim Arpin
Betty Babcock
Cathy Benson
Jan Berghaus
James Bingham
Ron Boos
Amy Buckman
Michael & Tracy Camden
Sandra & Michael Cannon
Devon & Pam Carney
Joni Casey
Heather Castelli
Andra Chase
Barbara & Norman Christoffersen Kelsey Clement
Douglas Cohen
Kathy Colnar
Branden Comfort
Marian Cook
Roseann Copeland
Chris Crenner
Robbie Dalton
Joseph Davis
Stacy Fallucca
Jennifer Falor
Norma Fordham
Sheryl Foreman
Christine Frank
Jeremy Franz
Brian Frazier
Darya Gina
Valerie Golden
Lisa Goodman
Kelley Haas
Allen Halling
Diane & Terrance Hansen
Bill Hart
Salah & Penny Harzi
Heidi Hassel
Carey Hazell
Mike & Cindy Hicks
Amy Hoffsommer-Griffin
Clarisa Horton
Rick Hubert
Sandy & Ed Huggins
Dana Jackson
Nancy Jernberg
Amy Kelley
Mike Kemper
Margaret Kolm
Mary Kowalski
William Kraybill
Kelly Kreisler
Laura Lake
Stephanie Lasalle
Michael & Margaret Legel
David Long
Oscar & Kelli Lynn Lu
Janice & Phil Magathan
Jerry Martin
Royceann Mather
Julie Matlage
Douglas & Catherine May
Dennis & Laurie McCormack
Laurel Lelan Miller
David Mindrup
Denise Moore
Brian Mortakis
Walter Muff
Bill Naulty
Heather Nickel
Brooke Olson
Lisa Parrott
Laura Parsons
Dennis & Laura Patton
Cody Peratt
Cindy Phillips
Kim Porter
Karen Raker
Sidra Raza
Nancy Reel
Travis Rhoades
Jacob Riggs
Mary Rix
Libby Robertson
Ben Ross
Steven Sanderson
Chris Schaffer
Stephen Schaum
Melody & Dale Schnelle
Deborah Schreier
Michael Schwartz
Jessica Shaddox
Bob & Beth Shea
Nina Shik
April Smith
David Smith
John Smith
Andrei Sobolevsky
Lesa Soetaert
Chad Stewart
Opal Stone
Mark Stuecheli
Jim & Gail Swarts
Karen Tobler
Jenny Tonyes
Kevin & Mary Tucker
Jayme & Sarah Vasconcellos
Michelle Vieira
Dixie Wantoch
Donald Whitney
Amy Winterscheidt
Miles & Judy Yakre
Rochelle Yangmi
Rita Zeller


Updates from the City
For all information surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we recommend referencing the City's webpage.
P. O. Box 26392
Overland Park, KS 66225
Phone: 913-322-6467