Attention, all gardeners and wanna-be gardeners!  This year’s Glorious Garden Festival Garden Walk entitled Welcome Summer! will be held starting at 1:00 p.m. Friday, June 21st. Begin the driving tour at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site at 1000 Monroe Drive in Bloomington where you’ll exchange your tickets for the Garden Resource Book, event coupon and map showing the location of 9 stops with 12 beautiful privately-owned gardens in the Bloomington area.  We have a great variety of gardens this year including those with naturalized settings, wonderfully designed hardscaped areas, lake views, a private family Memory Garden, beautiful mosaic artwork, gorgeous flowers, rustic log cabins, gorgeous water features, and more.  You won’t want to miss any of these beautiful sites! Gardens will be open 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday, June 21st, and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m Saturday, June 22nd. 

Advance tickets for the event are available May 1st through 12:00noon June 20th.  Advance tickets are $18.00 for Adults and $10.00 for ages 1-17. Tickets can be purchased online at www.daviddavismansion.org, at the David Davis Mansion Visitors’ Center or at any of these other locations:  AB Hatchery & Garden Center, Casey’s Garden Shop & Florist, Growing Grounds Garden Center & Florist, Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses & Garden Center, both Schnucks’ locations and The Garlic Press. Tickets on event days will be $20.00 for Adults and $10.00 for ages 1-17. The event will proceed rain or shine. No ticket refunds.

David Davis Mannsion Foundation would like to thank all our generous sponsors for supporting this year’s walk.  Please click on their links to check out their websites.

Bloomington-Normal Area Convention & Visitors Bureau: www.visitbn.org

Casey’s Garden Shop & Florist: www.caseysgardenshop.com

Chizmar Landscaping: www.chizmarlandscaping.com

Green View Companies: www.greenview.com

Growing Grounds Garden Center & Florist: www.growinggrounds.com

Illinois Farm Bureau: www.ILFB.org

Penn Landscaping and Sunburst Nursery: www.pennlandscaping.com

Serenity Creek Design & Landscaping, Inc.: www.serenitycreekdesign.com

Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses & Garden Center: www.niepagens.com

WJBC AM 1230: www.wjbc.com

Zimmerman & Armstrong Investment Advisors, Inc.: www.firstalliedbn.com

AB Hatchery & Garden Center: www.abhatcherygarden.com

Busey: www.busey.com

Julia Davis Law Firm, LLC: www.juliadavislaw.com

 

Join us Saturday, July 20th, from 9am-3pm at David Davis Mansion, 1000 Monroe Drive in Bloomington, IL for Wheels Through Time: A Historic Bike Show. 

The show will feature:

*  Wheels Through Time: A Historic Bike Exhibit -  A selection of bikes from the Wheels O' Time Museum, Dunlap, IL. If you have a historic bike you'd like show, bring it!

 *  Bloomington Cycle & Fitness: Display of bikes for riders of all ages, including electric bicycles!

 *  Peoria Wheelman: Antique bicycles on display

The Historic Acting Troupe will present its Encounter with Lincoln's Legacy show at the following times:

*  9:30-10:00am -- Vignettes at the Lincoln-era Barn behind the Mansion

*  10:30-12Noon --  Informal interactions with visitors inside the Mansion

Other Presentations:

*  10:45am AND 1:30pm -- Two Hundred Years of Bicycles: New Technologies and Social Acceptance 1817-2018, presented by Thomas Burr, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Illinois State University, and Early History of Women's Cycling in Illinois, presented by Christopher Sweet, Bicycle Historian, Illinois Wesleyan University

*  12Noon -- Slow Bike Races: Bring your bike and participate in this fun eent! Awards will be given!

*  3:00pm -- Casual ride on Constitution Trail ending at Keg Grove Brewery at 4:00pm

The Mansion will be open 9:00am-4:00pm. This event is free and open to the public! All are welcome! Donations gladly accepted. For more information, contact David Davis Mansion at 309-828-1084.

Historic Cars to Gather at Historic Home

Antique Auto Exhibition on Aug. 3rd

Beautiful, historic cars in a beautiful, historic setting – that’s the promise of the 23rd Annual Antique Car Exhibition on Sat., Aug. 3rd at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site in Bloomington.

More than 75 cars from the 1900s through the 1980s will be displayed on the mansion grounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can stroll through the amazing collection of vintage vehicles on display. They can view the cars up close, talk with the owners, and meet fellow automobile enthusiasts.

All vintage automobiles are invited to participate in a “Parade of Progress” around the mansion drive at approximately 2 p.m. 

The event is co-sponsored by the McLean County Antique Automobile Club and the David Davis Mansion Foundation. A donation of $5 per person is suggested.