NEWS MEDIA RELEASE

1:00 PM for the dedication of the North Shade Structure at their office at 2775 Highway 50, Grand Junction, CO. This celebration will acknowledge the Bacon Family Foundation and the Colorado Garden Show, Inc. for the $10,000 grants each awarded to the Western Colorado Gardening Foundation (WCGF) to cover the cost of the unique shade structure installed at The Gardens at the Mesa County Fairgrounds.  Mesa County Commissioners, and Grand Junction Mayor and City Council members have been invited to participate in this event.

This shade structure complements the 26,000 square feet of gardens surrounding the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension/Clerk and Recorder office complex. 

The Shade Structure was designed by Mark Gibbons, Landscapes Specialties of Grand Junction and constructed and installed by Jeff Bates, Sky River Ranch, 1398 16 Road, Fruita, Colorado.  On May 13, 2005, the structure was completed and hoisted into place.

This project was a collaboration of the Western Colorado Gardening Foundation, Colorado State  University Mesa County Cooperative Extension, Mark Gibbons, Jeff Bates,  the Bacon Family Foundation and the Colorado Garden Show, Inc.  The construction of the shade structure is documented on the web at 
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/demogardens/ShadeStructure.html 

Additional information on The Gardens is available at 
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/demogardens/demo.html

Since  the CSU Cooperative Extension  moved to the Mesa County Fairgrounds close to $200,000 has been donated to create  these gardens.  This does not include the thousands of hours of volunteer labor required for maintenance.  The gardens are a demonstration site for the many new property owners moving into Western Colorado and for old-timers wishing to add new plant materials to their existing landscapes.  These gardens are open for viewing 7 days a week.  Handouts list the plant materials in each of the gardens.

Stop by the office for the ceremony, enjoy refreshments, and see the progress being made on the new Mesa County Arboretum at The Gardens. If you have any questions or need additional information, please call Sylvia Sharpe at 523-1865 or Dr. Curtis Swift at 244-1840 or 250-5586.