| There's a familiar sign on the door of the Springfield Botanical Center: No weapons allowed on premises. The man behind me upon entering the building couldn't help but comment about it in light of the recent Islamic terror attack in Paris, France. He said something like, Go ahead, tell the bad guys that the building is disarmed.
Besides wondering if he, indeed, was armed anyway, I was hoping that some of the tree hugging flower loving people at the Friends of the Gardens meeting inside also were packing more than dirt in spite of the sign. I wish I could be a pacifist but laying down arms only works when everyone is in agreement, and that concept is more than beyond the realm of possibility.
There is no right to bear arms for the French. Look what that got those who were murdered.
If anyone has missed a Friends of the Garden meeting at the Springfield Botanical Center in Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park (2400 S. South Scenic), then he or she does not know about the wonderful achievements being made by volunteers tending the various gardens. Just like the heralded New York Botanical Gardens or the St. Louis Botanical Gardens, they want the place to live up to the name, in this case, the "Springfield Botanical Gardens." There's a well-maintained garden for every taste,including the delightful Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden; the fascinating Bill Roston Native Butterfly House; The Gray-Campbell Farmstead in an 1860s village and a hiking trail around Lake Drummond that heads off for more enthusiastic hikers. There's even a solar tram tour on Saturdays and Sundays, 1-5 p.m, April through October.
And for the better enjoyment of guests with cellphones, a self-guided audio tour is available. After picking up a map at the center (which has park dates and hours), just dial 417-213-3016, enter the garden number found on a plaque followed by the pound key (#). Enjoy.
PYTHIAN CASTLE
Well, maybe, it's hard to envision a stroll in an outdoor garden during the frigid temperatures of the winter. Recently, I joined a ghost tour at the Pythian Castle on East Pythian Street in Springfield. Its driveway is easy to pass up in the dark but if you take Glenstone to left on Pythian, it will be on the right just before N. Fremont and within shouting distance of Evangel University.
Reservations are suggested, but it is doubtful that anyone is turned away. My thought after wading through all the people to get to the reception desk was how on earth are they going to organize this massive group, but they do a splendid job of it, splitting the crowd into starting groups that are taken to different sections of the building.
To get people in the mood for experiencing a "ghostly" experience, everyone is seated at tables in the large banquet hall while the history of the castle, originally constructed by the Knights of Pythias as an orphanage and retirement home for children and widows of members of the fraternal order, is retold. The Pythian Home of Missouri was listed on the U.S. Register of Historic Places on October 7, 2009. The castle currently is owned by Tamara Finocchiaro, pictured at left.
As a hospital for wounded troops during World War II and in the basement level as a detaining center for captured prisoners of war, it had inhabitants that might very well remain to haunt its visitors. And if shadows on the walls or dripping water in a dungeon-like passage doesn't get you in the mood, a docent will come by showing you her cellphone in which she says she has captured a mysterious narrow shaft of light in an otherwise dark area. Go Back |
