Shangri La never disappoints and always bring the most festive events to the area. Members of the community can celebrate this Christmas season by going on a stroll through the wonderfully decorated landscape. Not only will Christmas lights adorn the pathways, but there will also be an assortment of trees lining the walkway. Something like what Shangri La accomplishes is not easy – there are a lot of people working behind the scenes to make  memorable events for visitors of any age.

This year the worker elves at Shangri La have strategically placed the lights so that everyone has the most enjoyable experience possible. It was not a simple task. Not only did it take an enormous amount of manpower, it takes a lot of time. The gardens are very large and they do not do their job halfheartedly. The workers use precision in everything they do, which prevents a speedy set-up.

Leslie Pierce, a botanist for Shangri La, enjoys Christmas time at work.

“I love to see the wonder in the little kids eyes when they are looking at all the beautiful things,” she said. “We have decorated the epiphyte house and green house with poinsettias that give them such a Christmas feel.”

Pierce also loves knowing what goes on behind the scenes. She really enjoys planting the flower beds, and takes pleasure in knowing that others enjoy them. Planting flower beds at Christmas comes with its own challenges. Poinsettias cannot get water on the flowers or else there will be spots on them. They must each be individually taken out of the beds in which they have been placed and water must be placed underneath the plants so that the flowers stay beautiful.

Local businesses typically support Shangri La and some even decorated their own Christmas trees, which will be featured at the gardens. There are forms that can be found on the website which allow people the opportunity to decorate trees of their own, also to be placed around the lovely site.

The admission for adults is $6 and $4 for children. However, bringing a non-perishable food item will cut the admission price in half. The Christmas strolls will be held on Dec. 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23 and 26 from 6-8 p.m. “Dreaming of a Green Christmas” is on Dec. 12 from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. There is a Holiday Wreath Workshop for adults which is also on Dec. 12 but from 1- 3 p.m. There is never a shortage of things to do and those who are interested may visit www.starkcultureevenues.org to see more details regarding the events listed above.