Inspired by GOCO’s Generation Wild initiative, the 5,500 sq. ft., interactive entry garden will showcase 34 of the 100 things to do before you’re 12
DENVER (Jan. 10, 2019) – Colorado Garden Foundation (CGF) announced today that this year’s 5,500-square foot entry garden, designed and built by Laura Heath with Town & Country Landscaping, will be presented in partnership with Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) at the 60th Annual Colorado Garden & Home Show, held Feb. 9-17, 2019, at the Colorado Convention Center.
The entry garden will feature 34 of the items from Generation Wild’s list of ‘100 things to do before you’re 12.’ GOCO’s Generation Wild initiative encourages kids and families to spend more time outside. Some of those 34 items include roll down a hill, play in a treehouse, swing on a rope swing, and read a book under a tree. This year marks the first time the Colorado Garden & Home Show’s entry garden is 100 percent interactive, and attendees of all ages are invited to participate.
“Great Outdoors Colorado is so excited to bring Generation Wild inside the Colorado Convention Center in February during the 2019 Colorado Garden & Home Show,” said Chris Castilian, GOCO Executive Director. “Not only does the show inspire homeowners to get outside and enjoy their outdoor spaces, but our partners at the Foundation support many wonderful projects around horticulture and youth. This entry garden will be a fun way of illustrating our combined interest in getting Coloradans outside and enjoying all that the great outdoors have to offer.”
GOCO launched Generation Wild to inspire and encourage outside play, inviting kids and their families to reconnect with nature and experience the incredible benefits right outside their front door. Because kids grow better outside. On average, kids today only spend 4-7 minutes each day in unstructured outdoor play, and studies show that playing outside is an important part of a child’s development. Research has shown that children who play outside are more creative, less aggressive, less stressed, and have reduced ADHD symptoms. Plus, spending time in nature as a child helps youth grow up to appreciate the environment as an adult.
Upon entry, visitors of the Colorado Garden & Home Show’s entry garden can pick up a Generation Wild list of 100 things to do before you’re 12. Kids and adults alike are invited to experience the entry garden, with 34 of the list’s items, along with the American Family Insurance Kids Zone complete with a playground, games and activities.
“Each year, we work closely with a Colorado partner organization to create an entry garden with a special “wow” factor,” said Jim Fricke, Executive Director of the Colorado Garden Foundation. “We are thrilled to watch this Great Outdoors Colorado entry garden come to life. It will make a strong entrance to our show, and one that offers attendees of all ages an enjoyable and unique experience.”
Considered one of the premier shows of its kind, the annual Colorado Garden & Home Show is the region’s largest, oldest and most prestigious consumer garden and home improvement show west of the Mississippi. More than 600 companies from 25 states and Canada will introduce new technologies in landscaping, gardening, energy-efficient heating and cooling products, window treatments, siding, flooring, lighting, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, patio furniture, gutters, sound systems, storage systems, greenhouses, decks, spas and more.
The Colorado Garden & Home Show is produced by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that contributes show proceeds to grants and scholarships. Since the 1970s, Colorado Garden Foundation has awarded more than $9 million for horticultural projects and scholarships throughout the state.
The 2019 Colorado Garden & Home Show takes place Feb. 9-17, 2019 at the Colorado Convention Center, during the following hours:
Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sundays: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Mon. – Thurs.: Noon – 7:00 p.m.
Friday: Noon – 8:00 p.m.
Admission:
About Colorado Garden Foundation
Colorado Garden Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, 501(c)(3), provides funds for horticultural-related grants and scholarships for the benefit of Colorado. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $9 million for horticultural projects and scholarships throughout the state. Colorado Garden Foundation presents the Colorado Fall Home Show focusing on home renovation, remodeling and sustainable living and the Colorado Garden & Home Show, the Rocky Mountain region’s largest, oldest and most prestigious consumer garden and home improvement show west of the Mississippi in February. For more information, visit ColoradoGardenFoundation.org, facebook.com/coloradogardenfoundation or Twitter and Instagram @cogardenfdn. The hashtag for the 60th Colorado Garden & Home Show is #Garden2019.
About Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)
Great Outdoors Colorado invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. Our independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,000 projects in all 64 counties of Colorado without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information. Learn more about Generation Wild at GenerationWild.com or on Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kate Peters:
919-606-5612
kate@katepeterspr.com