16th Annual Clairemont Town Council Garden Tour & EXPO Today!

The Clairemont Town Council, has arranged for the sun to come out for their 16th annual Garden Tour from 10am-4pm today, May 5, 2012.  This one-day, self-guided tour in the Clairemont neighborhood of up to 20 gardens ranges from drought tolerant to tropical, charming to dramatic.  And this year, there's a FREE Expo at the SDG&E Energy Innovation Center to top off the day!

Tickets are available today at the Sandwich Emporium (3054 Clairemont Drive) and at the UPS Store located in the Clairemont Square Shopping Center. Tickets are $15 for Adults, $10 for Seniors (65+). Children 12 & under free.  Maps will be provided with pictures and descriptions of each garden.

Featured in gardens throughout the tour will be Master Gardeners, Master Composters, and still life painting by the Clairemont Art Guild. In addition, at specific gardens, succulents, garden hats and topiaries will be available for purchase. 

This year the Town Council is excited to partner with the SDG&E Energy Innovation Center (4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. )  as a final stop on the tour from 2pm-6pm. The Expo will feature seminars in energy efficiency for both the home and garden, “green” ideas and resources, garden-to-table cooking demonstrations by Kitchen 4140, as well as hands-on workshops and activities for children. Refreshments and Kitchen 4140 samplings will be offered at the Expo.  Please note, there is a fee for the Garden Tour, but the Expo is open to guests at no cost.

Guests will experience:

Exhibits from local groups and companies about energy efficiency, vegetation management, SDG&E customer assistance programs and more:

• San Diego Zoo
• Kids Korps
• California Center for Sustainable Energy
• Ms. Smarty Plants/Water Conservation Garden
• Green Pea Gardens
• City of San Diego Water Department
• Clairemont Community News
• Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center
• Clairemont Art Guild
• The Energy Coalition
• Sage Mountain Farms
• Fresh Start Organic Baby Food
• SDG&E Clean Transportation
• SDG&E My Account Paperless Billing
• SDG&E Customer Programs
• SDG&E Customer Assistance
• SDG&E Vegetation Management
• I Love A Clean San Diego
• Clairemont Produce Cooperative

The Kids Zone which will feature demonstrations on water conservation in the garden, seed ball station and gardening activities.
Workshops such as composting, water conservation, energy efficiency for your home and more
Cooking Demonstrations in garden-to- table cuisine
Food and beverage with a Mexican flair

Details at a glance:

Date: Saturday, May 5th, 2012
Garden Tour: 10am - 4pm
Expo & Reception: 2pm - 6pm

Location: Clairemont Neighborhood, San Diego, CA 92117   

AND
SDG&E Energy Innovation Center,4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.,San Diego, CA 92117

To buy tickets online visit:  http://www.clairemontonline.com/garden-tour

Ticket Cost: 

Adults $12 in Advance ($15 on day of event)
Seniors $10
Children 12 & under free

Proceeds from the event benefit local Clairemont programs that focus on civic, commercial, educational and cultural activities. Grants from the Clairemont Town Council have gone to recent projects including:  

• Marston Middle School, to purchase and install a lockable display cabinet to display various works done by students 
• Relay for Life sponsorship at North Clairemont Rec Center 
• Northminster’s preschool to purchase outdoor shade covering for the preschool playground 
• Clairemont Hilltopper’s Little League to re-sod playing fields 
• St. David's preschool to purchase/install a rainwater tank
• Cadman Elementary received a grant to purchase new costumes for school performances and a second grant to fund the Classics for Kids music program for the entire school 

The Clairemont Town Council’s (501C4) objectives are to provide a forum for discussion of community issues, take a stand on community issues as authorized by the membership, communicate community views to the appropriate organizations, and sponsor programs that benefit Clairemont.