End of Summer Celebration
Celebrate the end of Summer with this special all-day event on Saturday, September 9.
Enjoy the the sweet sounds of music drifting through the gardens as Birds of a Feather Sing Together: Acoustic Edition featuring Jane Draheim & Caleb Funk grace the 577 Outdoor Stage from 11am to 1pm. This dynamic duo blends the perfect mix of rock, folk, and pop. Bring your own seat, pack a picnic, and relish the musical vibes in the garden. Plus! Explore the Children’s Book Sale in Welcome Center and Curiosity Shop offering a bag of kids books for just $5.77! Bonus! Tour Virginia’s House & Cottage. Enjoy activities and tour the first floor of these historic spaces. Special activity in Virginia’s House in honor of Dot Day from 10am to 2pm!
Don’t miss this chance to revel in music, books, and creativity with friends and family! Best of all, this event is FREE!
Check out the details below. Event is rain or shine.
Birds of a Feather Sing Together
Acoustic Edition featuring Jane Draheim & Caleb Funk
Saturday, September 9, 2023 ~ 11am to 1pm
Branching out into the live music scene, Jane Draheim, lead vocalist for Birds of a Feather Sing Together, met guitarist Caleb Funk at a local Open Mic Night.
After performing together, the two were destined to become an acoustic duo. Together they mix rock, folk and pop into an entertaining blend of acoustic music.
Concerts take place on the 577 Outdoor Stage, near the Dome. Limited seating is available, we suggest bringing your own blanket or chair for maximum comfort.
Make it a memorable afternoon in the gardens by packing a snack or lunch. Best of all, this event is FREE! Spread the word and bring your friends and family along for a wonderful musical experience. We can’t wait to see you there!
Concerts are rain or shine. In the case of inclement weather, concert will move inside Virginia’s House.
Children’s Book Sale ~ Fill a Bag!
Saturday, September 9, 2023 ~ 10am to 5pm
Join us for a book bonanza that’s as sweet as honey. Grab your very own “bee-utiful” paper bag for just $5.77 from the Welcome Center and step into the Cottage to browse through 100s of children’s books. From curious cats to daring dragons, the collection is as diverse as it is delightful.
Pack that bag to the brim! Whether your kids are into fairytales, mysteries, or tales of far-off galaxies, there’s room for every story that will tug at their heartstrings. How many books can you squeeze into one bag? Anywhere from 25 to 40 – challenge accepted!
This special sale is for parents and kids alike. Find a bargain, stack those stories, and dive headfirst into a world of adventure – all for just $5.77. (Do you like what we did there?) We hope we can sprinkle a little extra magic into your reading nook.
Special thanks to the retired teacher who donated her book collection to us in the fall of 2022. Her hope was that these books would bring a smile to another generation of kids.
Tour Virginia’s House & Cottage
Virginia’s House ~ Open Saturday, September 9, 2023 ~ 10am to 2pm
Cottage ~ Open Saturday, September 9, 2023 ~ 10am to 5pm
Virginia’s House ~ Open House
Take a tour of the first floor of Virginia’s home, bring a book to read in the Library, spend a little time putting a puzzle together on the Screened Porch, or enjoy a chat with a friend in the Lounge. Plus! 577 Program Intern Avery Bohman will be offering a special activity in the Dining Room. We are celebrating International Dot Day by painting dots inspired by our September StoryWalk® book by Peter H. Reynold’s book ~ The Dot.
Stop by to make your mark and celebrate creativity, collaboration, and courage by helping us make a watercolor mural of dots!
Cottage ~ Open House
Browse through the 100s of children’s books available during our Fill A Bag Sale! Enjoy a respite in the cozy living room and check out the architecture of this historic space.
International Dot Day Special Activities
September’s StoryWalk® book is The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark — and follow where it takes us.
Her teacher smiled. “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw – she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. “There!” she says.
That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds’s delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.
International Dot Day ~ Celebrated every year on September 15~ish
Published nearly twenty years ago, the best-selling book The Dot is now in over 25 languages and has inspired tens of millions of people young and older to use their creativity, compassion and courage to move the world to a better place. With over 22 million participants in more than 196 countries since 2014, International Dot Day has become a truly global event celebrating creativity, courage, and collaboration.
Join Avery, 577’s program intern, for two special events celebrating International Dot Day
- Saturday, September 9, 10am to 2pm ~ Make your Mark!: Join us in Virginia’s House to paint a dot inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’s The Dot. 577 is celebrating International Dot Day by creating a watercolor mural of dots! Stop by to make your mark. Remember ~ anyone can be an artist!
- Friday, September 15, 4pm ~ The Dot Read-Along with Avery: Meet Avery by the Terra Vitis ceramic dome at 4 pm for a special walk and read-along. No need to register. This is a free event, open to all!
Annual Special Events
Music in the Gardens
Enjoy listening to the sweet sounds drifting as you stroll through the gardens. Concerts take place on the outdoor stage on select weekend dates. Outdoor stage seating is limited, we recommend bringing a blanket or chair. Pack and bring a snack or lunch for the perfect afternoon in the gardens.
This is a free event and takes place rain or shine. Select areas of Virginia’s House are open to visitors during this special event for tours and activities. In the case of inclement weather, the music will move from the Outdoor Stage into Virginia’s House.
Thank you to all the artists who performed in 2023!
- Glass City Steel
- TSA String Quartet
- Urban Jazz Collective
- Quick Trio
- BLISS
- Ellie Martin Duo
- Birds of a Feather Sing Together
Interested in performing in 2024? Contact us!
577 Annual Plant Sale ~ PLANTS ARE SOLD OUT!
WOW! We’re over the moon with gratitude for the amazing support we received this past weekend.
Shout-out to Bennett and Samantha, our incredible horticulturists at 577, who were blown away by the level of enthusiasm.
We’ve never sold out after the first weekend before, and it’s all thanks to YOU! We can’t wait to see and hear about your flower and veggie gardens.
We do have some good news. ~ despite being sold out of plants, the Welcome Center & Curiosity Shop will still be open special hours this week including Mother’s Day. The Shop Hours this week are Monday, May 8 through Sunday, May 14, 10am to 5pm.
Located at 577 East Front Street in Perrysburg, the gardens and grounds at 577 are open daily, 9am to 5pm. Open to all, no admission fee to the grounds including the Geodesic Biodome, Log House, and Bee Room.
Proceeds from the Annual Plant Sale benefit the gardens and food bank delivery programs at 577.
Go Green Day! Thank you for celebrating with us!
Photos coming soon!
Celebrate sustainability with us on Saturday, April 29, during 577’s Go Green Day!
For this special day, Virginia’s House will be open to visitors from 10am to 4pm. Join us for a variety of free drop-in activities including a furoshiki tutorial, a make n’ take craft perfect for Mother’s Day, an exploration of watercolor paints, and more!
Plus! Grab those binoculars and find 577 staff member and amateur birder,
Mike Welling, around the grounds and near the Bird Blind to ask all your birding questions.
Many thanks to our partners, The City of Perrysburg and Partners for Clean Streams, who will have displays, some fun giveaways, and oodles of information on how we can all make a difference toward keeping our regional water sources clean and vibrant. Check out the info on rain barrels, pet waste disposal, kids tips, rain gardens, and much more!
Check out the full schedule of events below. The event is Rain or Shine!
Schedule of Events
10AM to 4PM: Get a glimpse of Virginia’s House – the iconic large building at the north end of 577 – that has officially become a space for art, movement, gardening, and culinary classes. Walk through the open spaces – the Dining Room, Gray Room, Kitchen, and Sunroom. 577 staff will be available to answer questions about upcoming classes, meeting reservations, and volunteer opportunities.
10AM to 4PM: Visit the Welcome Center & Curiosity Shop. Browse the large selection of once-loved books, magazines, and art supplies. There is always something new to discover thanks to generous donations from the community. When you find that perfect item to take home, you save it from entering the waste stream (and save a little money by buying used!). Bonus! Bring a reusable bag for your goodies and get a FREE book with purchase (up to a $3 value).
10AM to 4PM: Nature Activities for Kids. Drop into the Welcome Center for these two fun nature activities! Scavenger Hunt Nature Bingo: Walk around the 577 grounds to complete a nature bingo card. Bring your finished bingo sheet back to the Welcome Center to receive a special Earth Month prize. Nature Frames: Take a unique photo using one of our nature frames. All you need is a camera to make magic!
10AM to 2PM: Stop by the pottery studio to make your own car (or closet) air freshener. 577 pottery instructors, Julie and Emily, will walk you through a few simple steps of cutting and decorating a small disc that you will leave at the studio so it can be fired in the kilns with pickup 10 to 14 days later. Add a string/ribbon and a few drops of your favorite essential oils for an all-natural air freshener. Limit one per person.
10AM to 3:30PM: Kids are invited to decorate a terra cotta pot and plant a 577 greenhouse-grown basil seedling perfect for the windowsill. Add a tag made of handmade seed paper for a Mother’s Day gift. Activity will take place on the Outdoor Stage. The rain location will be in Virginia’s House Garage Studio.
11AM to 3:30PM: Treat yourself to a fun make-and-take project that’s easy on the eyes AND on Mother Earth, while learning about the eco-friendly medium of watercolor. Our paper will be reclaimed book pages that were destined for the landfill. You can choose to paint a pre-printed image of a Monarch Butterfly or Purple Coneflower or a creation of your own imagination. Activity location: Virginia’s Dining Room.
10AM to 11:30AM: Join us in Virginia’s Library to learn with 577’s Executive Director, Heather Gallant, about furoshiki: the art of gift wrapping with fabric. Fabric and textiles come in such a wide range of patterns and textures that they make gorgeous, personalized gift wrap. Since it’s more pliable than paper, fabric fits a wider range of gift shapes, and it’s reusable for many years to come. You may already have what you need to get started right in your home.
1PM to 3PM: Interested in learning more about Cloth Diapering? Join us in Virginia’s Library to ask Megan Rittenhouse about the different types of cloth diapers, the benefits of cloth diapering, and how to choose the best diaper for your budget and family’s lifestyle. See and try out a wide range of diapers, covers, and accessories firsthand. The demo is presented in a nonjudgmental way with the goal of helping you enjoy diapering and your baby. It really is simpler than you think!
Celebrate Earth Month with 577 in April!
Virginia Secor Stranahan envisioned 577 as a place where people would “learn to love the land.” While the world celebrates Earth Day on April 22, here we honor it every day.
Join us in April, as we highlight the many ways we can all make small changes that make a big impact in protecting the planet. By taking action and working together, we can help ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
More Earth Month Event Highlights:
The StoryWalk® is a great adventure for the whole family to explore nature while reading about nature. April’s featured story is Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter.
As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Wangari was surrounded by trees. But years later when she returns home, she is shocked to see whole forests being cut down, and she knows that soon all the trees will be destroyed. So Wangari decides to do something—and starts by planting nine seedlings in her own backyard. And as they grow, so do her plans. . . .
This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a shining example of how one woman’s passion, vision, and determination inspired great change. Her books are printed on 100% recycled paper with 50% post-consumer waste.
Earth Month Bingo Scavenger Hunt ~ Walk around the grounds of 577 to complete this nature-inspired bingo board. Kids (and kids at heart) can pick up a board in the Welcome Center & Curiosity Shop during open hours and return their BINGO for a special prize. The Bingo board is also available for download – CLICK HERE.
577 Tree Trek Scavenger Hunt returns on Friday, April 28, to celebrate Arbor Day and will be available through May. More details coming soon.
Check out 577’s Program Intern Avery Bohman’s Sustainability Blog Posts each week highlighting the many ways the staff stewards sustainably including their favorite tips and tricks, and ways you can incorporate simple but impactful changes in your own life.
Our April (and a few May) classes offer you the opportunity to learn a new skill with a focus on sustainability. Click the name of the class for more information and to register.
- Backyard Conservation: Join 577 Organic Garden Horticulturist Samantha Day as we talk about all of the things that make our local environment unique.
- Visible Mending: Learn a sustainable way to prolong the life of your favorite well-loved clothes in the class taught by community instructor Ellen Seeburger.
- Cloth Diapering 101: Interested in cloth diapering but don’t know where to start? Join community instructor Molly Chalfin for her class on April 6 at 2pm.
- Crafting with Upcycled Materials: Learn how to upcycle discarded objects or materials into something new and practical in this class taught by Avery Bohman, 577’s program intern.
- Discovering the Trees of 577: Join Bennett Dowling, 577’s Organic Landscape Horticulturist, on an interactive tour of the trees here on the historic grounds of 577.
- Sewing: Reusable Hygiene Supplies: Learn to sew and make a difference in a class taught by 577 Executive Director Heather Gallant.
- Upcycled Art ~ Collaged Flowers: Celebrate spring with sweet flowers made with sustainable materials perfect for hanging on the wall in this class taught by Isabelle Tucker, 577’s program assistant and artist.
- Acrylic Painting ~ Sustainable Abstracts: Paint a beautiful one-of-a-kind abstract piece of art by sustainably using paints and exploring non-traditional painting tools in this class taught by Avery Bohman, 577’s program intern.
- Upcycling for Gardeners: Create your own unique and functional pieces for your garden out of upcycled materials with Avery.