Conservatory Renovations
Anyone that has lived in Orange County can appreciate the modulating effect that the ocean has on our climate, suppressing summer temperatures and elevating winter temperatures. Unsurprisingly, many plants are fond of our mild climate too. However, there are plants in our collection like the coconut palm that simply will not grow outdoors in our climate. These plants, which are often tropical in origin, are grown inside our glass conservatory which affords us greater control over both temperature and humidity through the use of industrial heating units and aerial misting systems. Originally installed in the early 2000’s, the existing heating
Celebrating Our Volunteers and Docents
We recently attended the 65th Annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards to celebrate the contributions of a few of our volunteers and docents including: Ken Schwarz, Ingrid Cebula, Keith Richardson, Melody Mcculloch, Sharon Hathaway, and Yukari Fowler. Our volunteers and docents are the heartbeat of our iconic cultural hub and we could not do what we do without them! We are so appreciative of the support and care they bring to Sherman Library & Gardens and to our patrons. The celebratory event was full of festivities including an opportunity for attendees to win gift cards that included donations back to
Get to Know Our Reimagined Visitor’s Center
Come meet the helpful staff and friendly volunteers at our full-service Visitor Service Center located inside the reimagined Garden Shop. Not only is the visitor service staff knowledgeable about the gardens, but we can also help you sign up for classes and events and help you with membership renewals. We are available to answer any questions you might have in person, on the phone, and via the ‘Contact Us’ page on thesherman.org website. Our valued Volunteers sign up to serve as Garden Ambassadors and have their own desk inside to help direct you through the gardens as well as answer
Newport Beach and Its Many Dancing Shoes
Did you go dancing to celebrate the New Year? Well, if you had grown up in Newport Beach in the early years you would not have had to travel far because Newport Beach was a hot spot for dancing, starting with the iconic Pavilion on the Balboa Peninsula. From 1920 to 1928 people from all over Southern California would hop on the Pacific Electric Red Car not only to go to the beach, but to also dance the night away. The dance floor was so crowded that a unique swing-style dance was created: The Balboa (sometimes called Pure-Bal). It was
Sherman Library & Gardens Celebrates 20 Year Anniversary of Arnold D. Haskell Scholarship
The Arnold D. Haskell Scholarship was established in 2003 and has been bestowed upon select undergraduate students annually attending Cal Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, awarding two students for the 2023-2024 school year. This year marks a milestone for Sherman Library & Gardens as two dynamic and deserving students were presented with full scholarships upon the 20th anniversary of the Arnold D. Haskell Scholarship. Named in honor of the founder of Sherman Library & Gardens, this scholarship was established as a way to invest in future generations who show great promise in their educational endeavors relating to environmental horticulture science. Cal
A Dazzling Event:115 Years in the Making
You may be familiar with the annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, but about 100 years ago, it was known by a different name, with a different purpose: Newport Beach’s Annual Tournament of Lights. Debuting in 1921, the Tournament of Lights was the city’s new and innovative strategy to draw crowds to the then Newport Beach which at the time only had a few hundred residents. It hoped that the event would aid in building the city’s population and bring in revenue for infrastructure. Prior to 1920, gondoliers would adorn their boats with Japanese lanterns and drift down the Newport
Get to Know Brooke
We are delighted to welcome Brooke Davis to the Sherman Education team. Brooke comes to Sherman Library & Gardens from El Dorado Nature Center where she has worked as a Naturalist, Volunteer Coordinator and Education Coordinator. At Sherman, she will be working closely with our Docents to deliver tours for our guests, as well as guiding our School Field Program, Pre-school Storytime, Junior Gardeners After-school club and Summer Camp programs. We are excited to have Brooke join our team! Brooke, why did you want to come and work with the Sherman Gardens community? Timing can be everything. I moved to
Sherman Library Interns
Sherman Library Interns Every fall quarter Sherman Library partners together with the history department at UCI to give their interns hands-on experience working with the library’s historic archives. This fall Sherman Library was fortunate to host three student interns: Yitang Zhang, Katelin Ramos, and Chloe Wilson. Every week, they have been helping further Sherman Library’s efforts to maintain and preserve its collections. Below is a brief biography and description of their current work. Yitang Zhang,a 4th year student double-majoring in history and political science, has a strong interest in archival work. Yitang is familiar working with digital resources thanks to
Local high school students make light work of a big task…
Community Service Visit from TVT Community Day School Students Last week we were visited by students from TVT Community Day School, Irvine, and their teachers Mrs. Bracha and Mr.Sardo. As part of their High School Day of Service they assisted our Horticulture Team to clear and prepare a new garden bed on Dahlia Ave. After a tour of the garden, and some coaching from our staff on safety and shovel technique, the High Schoolers set to work and had the job done in record time. Pulling up existing plants is hard, hot work and the team really benefited from the