For Immediate Release
 
Contact:
Michael Hoke, Managing Director
409.670.9113
 

 
ORANGE, Texas, September 1, 2009 - Discover the fascinating world of yard art in Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center's "Beat the Heat" program on Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Shangri La Discovery Theater. Author, conservationist, and landscape designer Jill Nokes will lead the discussion titled Yard Art and Handmade Places: Extraordinary Expressions of Home.
 
Yard art is a popular outlet for those seeking to creatively express themselves, their history or background, and even their religious beliefs. Nokes will showcase and discuss yards ranging from extravagant environments to modest gardens, and she will also share stories about some of the people behind these displays.
 
Following the presentation, Nokes will sign copies of her book Yard Art and Handmade Places: Extraordinary Expressions of Home, which will be available for purchase at the event.
 
This event is free and open to the public; however, an RSVP is required to attend. Visitors should reserve a seat by calling 409.670.9113.
 
Shangri La is located at 2111 West Park Avenue, Orange, Texas. The Shangri La Visitor Parking area, located across West Park Ave. from Shangri La, will be open and available to Shangri La visitors free of charge. A restricted access parking lot for vehicles with proper handicap designation is located just inside the vehicular entrance gate of Shangri La.
 
For more information, please visit www.shangrilagardens.org or call 409.670.9113.





About Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
 
Nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a program of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, a private foundation whose mission is to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas and encourage and assist education. The unique ecosystem of Shangri La presents an ideal opportunity to further that mission as well as carry on the vision of H.J Lutcher Stark, the man who originally developed the gardens more than 60 years ago.
 
Amid nature's pristine ecosystems, the formal gardens at Shangri La reflect a use of more than 300 plant species to paint beautiful landscapes among a series of theme-based garden rooms.  Around every corner a new vista awaits the visitor with exquisite sculptures, a great lawn, serene waterscapes reflecting beautiful colors and a Cypress Gate framing blooming plants and soaring birds. The Nature Center includes Adams Bayou boat excursions to educational outposts, a 15-acre Beaver Pond, a state-of-the-art bird blind, a bat house, and more up-close encounters with nature.
 
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum Certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies that the design and construction of Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures.  Shangri La was also named by the American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment as one of the top 10 green projects throughout the world.
 
Shangri La offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature, as it strives in its mission to Mentor Children of All Ages to Be Kind to Their World.
 
Other programs of the Stark Foundation include the Stark Museum of Art, The W.H. Stark House and the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts.

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