Shangri La Explores Yard Art in Beat the Heat Presentation,

August 19, 2008

ORANGE, Texas, August 19, 2008 – Discover the fascinating world of yard art in Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center’s second Beat the Heat program on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:00 p.m. Author, conservationist, and landscape designer Jill Nokes will lead the discussion titled Yard Art and Handmade Places: Extraordinary Expressions of Home. The talk is free of charge and will be held at the Stark Museum Education Center, 812 Green Avenue, Orange, Texas, which is located adjacent to the parking lot for the Stark Museum of Art in downtown Orange.

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.

For more information, please visit www.shangrilagardens.org or call 409.670.9113.

For a full size image file, please contact Dawn Stout at 409.882.4906 or dawn.stout@imaginuity.com

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.

The formal Botanical Gardens contain more than 300 plant species in five formal "rooms” as well as four sculpture “rooms” plus thousands of nesting birds in Ruby Lake. 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 50^th 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 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.

Shangri La is located at 2111 West Park Avenue, Orange, Texas.

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