WRITER: Mandy Mastrovita, mastrovi@uga.edu, 706-583-0209

CONTACT: Sarah Hamil, sarahhamil@tllsga.org, 478-452-0677 ext. 120

Georgia Local History and Natural Resources Featured in Milledgeville Events

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Arboretum tours, scavenger hunts and craft demonstrations are among the activities planned for “This Flourishing Grove,” an opportunity for Milledgeville area residents to learn more about Georgia natural resources and local history.

“This Flourishing Grove” will be held Saturday, March 14 at the Lockerly Arboretum on 1534 Irwinton Road from 10:30 a.m.to 2 p.m. and the Mary Vinson Memorial Library at 151 Jefferson Street SE from 2 p.m.-5 p.m.  Most events are open free to the public. It is sponsored by the Twin Lakes Library System, the Lockerly Arboretum, the Digital Library of Georgia, the Digital Public Library of America, and the Knight Foundation.

The Digital Library of Georgia, a GALILEO initiative based at the University of Georgia Libraries, is a regional hub for the Digital Public Library of America, making content from 60 Georgia repositories available digitally. The DPLA is supported by the Knight Foundation, which encourages hubs such as DLG to engage with their communities on local history and related social issues.

Schedule:

Lockerly Arboretum:

Tours of Lockerly Arboretum, 10:30 a.m.-noon

Demonstrations and displays of work created by local craftspeople, 10:30 a.m.- noon

Rose Hill Mansion Tours ($3 per person), 11 a.m.-1p.m.
Lockerly Kids Activity Stations, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Catered lunch from Georgia Bob’s Barbecue, noon -1 p.m.

William Bartram Re-enactment and Puppet Show, 1 p.m.-2 p.m.

Mary Vinson Memorial Library:

Educational displays, 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

Meet and greet with Smokey Bear, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Family scavenger hunt, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

ViziTech Rover Demonstration, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Crafts for kids and teens, 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.

Speakers will include:

Stephen Whigham, historian, publisher and author of The Lightwood Chronicles, 2:15 p.m.

William Rawlings, author of five popular novels, including The Rutherford Cipher and The Mile High Club, 3 p.m.

Greer Martin, DPLA Metadata Librarian/Archivist, who will provide an overview of the Digital Public Library of America, 3:45 p.m.

"The Digital Library of Georgia is eager to work in partnership with the Twin Lakes Library System and the Lockerly Arboretum to highlight the community's natural history legacy and help promote local history. This collaboration and our role in the Digital Public Library of America is a key example of how we create new approaches for libraries and cultural heritage institutions to come together, share skills and services, and sustain meaningful resources and traditions," said Sheila McAlister, director of the Digital Library of Georgia.  

"This Flourishing Grove is a great opportunity for celebrating the history of Baldwin County and Georgia. Our relationship to the land around us, and how we use, enjoy, and manage it, is a large part of who we are as a community. This event celebrates that connection, and we are so pleased to partner with the Digital Library of Georgia, the Digital Public Library of America, Lockerly Arboretum, and the Knight Foundation in bringing this event to Milledgeville. All of our presenters, educators and craftspersons have a great deal of combined knowledge and skills, and the Twin Lakes Library System is very happy to partner with them in this community event," said Stephen Houser, director of the Twin Lakes Library System.

This event is sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Digital Library of Georgia, the Digital Public Library of America, Twin Lakes Library System, and the Lockerly Arboretum.

More information is available at the event’s Facebook page at www.tllsga.org

The mission of the Twin Lakes Library System (http://tllsga.org/) is to improve and enhance the educational, cultural and recreational life of the communities served in order to increase the intellectual potential of the community. The System does this by promoting access to information, offering innovative programs and providing well-trained staff.

The Lockerly Arboretum (http://lockerly.org/ ) has served the Milledgeville and Middle Georgia community for over 50 years as a public garden and educational resource. Founded in 1965 by Mr. E.J. Grassmann of Elizabeth, N.J., the Foundation seeks to provide outstanding ecological, horticultural and historical education in order to promote preservation and stewardship of the environment through greater knowledge and appreciation for our natural resources, wildlife and flora, and the history of our area.

The Digital Public Library of America (http://dp.la) brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science.

The Digital Library of Georgia (http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/) is a GALILEO initiative based at the University of Georgia Libraries that collaborates with Georgia's libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions of education and culture to provide access to key information resources on Georgia history, culture, and life. This primary mission is accomplished through the ongoing development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections and online digital library resources.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (http://www.knightfoundation.org/) supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts.