TOPEKA (KSNT) — Spring is officially in bloom at the Ward-Meade Gardens as “Tulips at Twilight” celebrates its 10th year, welcoming the community to larger-than-life illuminated floral displays and family-friendly fun.
The popular spring tradition kicked off on Friday, April 10, and draws crowds eager to stroll through towering tulips, sunflowers and other handcrafted displays created by local volunteers.
“I do think we’ve become like a spring staple for a lot of people,” said Denise Petet, a volunteer with Friends of Ward‑Meade. “We’re kind of a first event of the year, and folks just love getting out and enjoying the spring, seeing our beautiful flowers and then seeing all these wonderful displays.”
One of those longtime volunteers is Ray Schroeder, who began working at the garden in 1971, retired 16 years ago, but can’t bring himself to leave.
“I fell in love with the place, and I’ve been here 56 years now, so no plans on leaving anytime soon,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder said the displays are unique, as they’re entirely made by volunteers and designed to reflect the real plants.
“The neat thing about our things compared to other places is that they’re made by our own volunteers,” he said. “We just try to make them authentic to what that particular plant is. You know, the tulip looks just like a regular tulip, only it’s 20 feet tall.”
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This year, roughly 100 volunteers planted about 2,000 tulips and built more than 100 displays. All are crafted from recycled or repurposed materials and must be sturdy enough to withstand Kansas’ unpredictable spring weather.
“As we’re doing this, we’re also hand‑crafting these items from things you would find at the dollar store or that we would get online,” Petet said. “We’re reusing or recycling common items to turn them into a very uncommon display of a giant sunflower or a giant calla lily.”
For Petet, the long hours are worth it when she sees the impact on visitors. She became emotional as she recalled a couple who got engaged in the garden on opening night.
“It was special enough to you [the couple] that you wanted to come and make this a part of your life,” she said.
The event is open Wednesday through Sunday from 7 to 10 p.m. until Sunday, April 26.
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