News Press Releases Irvine Nature Center Celebrates Its Grand Opening Weekend at New Location
| Irvine Nature Center Celebrates Its Grand Opening Weekend at New Location |
| Sunday, 09 November 2008 09:00 |
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OWINGS MILLS, MD (September 9, 2008) - Irvine Nature Center, the thirty-three year old environmental education organization formerly located in Stevenson Maryland, will celebrate the opening of its new location this weekend with an extensive Grand Opening Celebration. The weekend will feature a variety of activities, from a gala on Friday, September 12 to a two-day family fun event on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday September 14. Irvine officials expect to attract 5,000 people throughout the weekend.
The nonprofit organization, whose mission is to inspire appreciation and respect for the natural world, recently moved to 11201 Garrison Forest Road, the site of its new, 17,200 square foot, state-of-the-art "green" building situated on 116 acres of woodlands, wetlands and meadows in the beautiful Caves Valley. Irvine Nature Center's Board of Trustees, friends, members of Irvine, and staff will kick off Grand Opening Weekend with a gala featuring the bluegrass-infused sounds of the Jody Westerlund Band. The dress code is "green chic" which means attendees are encouraged to either wear the color green or clothing made from eco-friendly materials. The celebration will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 13 and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 14 with a free, two-day family fun event during which Irvine staff are inviting families to come out to the new Irvine. The two day event will feature a variety of activities for individuals and families to enjoy, including tours of Irvine's new "green" building, nature games puppet shows, animal encounters with some of Irvine's 24 different species of animals, and more. Families will also have the opportunity to explore Irvine's new exhibit hall, which features interactive exhibits designed and built by the Maryland Science Center. Kiddie entertainment offerings include Grammy-winning duo Cathy Fink & Marcie Marxer <http://www.cathymarcy.com/> , singer songwriter of new folk music, Jennie Avila <http://www.jennieavila.com/> , Billy B. The Natural Science Song & Dance Man, <http://billybproductions.com/ Native American storyteller, Dovie Thomason <http://www.doviethomason.com/ Grand Opening Weekend will culminate at 4 p.m. on Sunday, and shortly thereafter, Irvine Nature Center will present the Olivia Irvine Dodge Conservation Award (named for the founder of Irvine Nature Center) to Johns Hopkins University professor, M. Gordon "Reds" Wolman. Wolman was selected for his decades of work teaching about, and advocating for Maryland's waterways. "This weekend, we want people to come out to Irvine to explore nature and find themselves caught up in the magic that only nature exploration can bring," said Irvine's Interim Executive Director, Peggy F. O'Neill. "However, this opening is about more than a few days of festivities and fun - this is about continuing, and in some cases establishing, a relationship with individuals and families across the region who can now look to Irvine Nature Center as their resource center for environmental education and for living "greener" lives." Irvine Nature Center officials are looking to their new facility to help double the number of constituents they provide with environmental education from 16,000 to 32,000. Currently, the organization provides these children and adults with approximately 500 environmental education program sessions annually. For more information on the grand opening, or a schedule of events, go to www.ExploreNature.org <http://www.explorenature.org/ Founded in 1975, Irvine Nature Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental education. The Center is located at 11201Garrison Forest Road in Owings Mills, MD. Call 410.484.2413 or visit www.ExploreNature.orghttp://www.explorenature.org/ < # # # |
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