When William Shakespeare wrote that all the world’s a stage, he likely never imagined an event like Much Ado in the Garden. The Cutler Botanic Garden in Binghamton plays host to the event.
“It's an Elizabethan themed event that highlights Cutler Botanic Garden at its peak,” says the event’s coordinator Eve Berman. “We have things for people, pretty much from nine months to 99 years of age.”
Activities include face painting, a costume parade and performances from various groups. WSKG’s own Bill Snyder will be appearing in a condensed version of Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. That play will be performed twice.
This year will also highlight new features. “Cutler garden has had a huge renovation this year,” said Berman. “We have a labyrinth that was added, the stone walls have been rebuilt and the gardens are actually a little bit larger than they were. The water feature has been changed. It's just been enhanced tremendously.”
The gardens have a long history as a place where people can go and see what’s growing or just lounge about. “The gardens have been here now for 40 years,” said Berman. “There used to be an old farm house that was donated. And 40 years ago, one of the Master Gardeners thought that it would be a great idea to have a garden. It's three and a half acres and it's been expanding over time.”
Much Ado in the Garden is on July 21st and runs from 12pm to 4pm at the Cutler Botanical Garden.
Watch Bill Snyder’s interview with Eve Berman below.