Big changes are coming to the Wellfield Botanic Gardens, including a new visitors center and an outdoor covered pavilion for concerts and performances. Concerts have been a part of the gardens in the past, but Jen Tan, Marketing and Communications Manager for Wellfield, said the new additions, scheduled to be completed in late November or early December, will change things.
“We have a summer concert series called Groovin’ in the Garden,” Tan said. “Next year we’re going to do it a little bit differently. We’re going to have less concerts, but we’re going to have higher quality bands, which is amazing. Also, it’s going to be under the pavilion, so we can be rain or shine, which was our biggest challenge over the past couple of years. Are we going to get rained out? What’s going to happen? Is that going to affect ticket sales? But now we’re covered, literally.”
Wellfield Botanic Gardens have been a part of the Elkhart community since 2005. Chrisi Cornell, Wellfield’s Education Coordinator, said that despite being 36 acres in the heart of Elkhart, many residents still don’t know about the venue.
“We are, unfortunately, still one of Elkhart’s best kept secrets,” Cornell said. “Even though we have over 100,000 visitors a year, we still have people in our community that come and say I had no idea you were back here. I’ve lived in Elkhart my whole life, or I’ve lived in Elkhart for seven years and I had no idea.”
The new visitor’s center boasts multiple event spaces for indoor events that hold the charm of outdoor events, because of a 25 foot tall, floor to ceiling glass wall overlooking the main pond of the gardens. Tan said the larger indoor event spaces will open up the gardens to year round guests.
“This makes us more of a year round attraction,” Tan said. “People can come even when it’s cold or when it’s raining. We can still hold events here, and hold them with grace.”
Wellfield is open during the renovations, and will still host one of its annual events alongside the Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum, the Garden of Villains. Tan said it’s a fun Halloween event.
“They bring in all of their museum pieces,” Tan said, “like a life-size Hulk, or Tony Stark and his Iron Man suit. There’s a ton of cosplayers walking throughout the gardens.”
Cornell said that the volunteers are the lifeblood of the Wellfield Botanic Gardens.
“We could not do this without our volunteers,” Cornell said. “We have an amazing horticulture staff of four full-time and one part-time, but they cannot operate alone. Our volunteers are amazing.”
In full disclosure, Wellfield Botanic Gardens is a WVPE Underwriter.
