For over 90 years, the International Peace Garden has stood as a testament to the enduring friendship between Canada and the U.S.—a friendship that remains strong at the Garden.
They invite the public to join them in a unique show of friendship and relationship building on August 9th with their Handshake Across the Border initiative.
'Join us in this space where disagreements pause, and the beauty of our shared landscape takes center stage,' shares the Peace Garden invite.
'We are excited to do our part as citizens of both countries in bringing people together for a beautiful display of friendship. As part of our Summer Floral Celebration on August 9, the Garden will organize a Handshake Across the Border at 11 AM. Imagine hundreds if not thousands of Americans and Canadians shaking hands across the 49th parallel between our terraces and the Peace Chapel.'
"This is actually an idea that really kind of simmered earlier this year, but it's something we want to actually do every year going forward" shares Peace Garden CEO Tim Chapman, "just because of the kind of tough trade talks that have been going on between the two countries."
"We started brainstorming earlier in the year. You know, what sort of thing can we do as a show of support in bringing people together here at the Garden? So I know the Garden had done stuff like this in the past. I'm not sure when the last time we really tried to pull something like this off, but it's just going to be a great opportunity on our Celebration Day to get some incredible photography of as many Americans and Canadians who show up literally shaking hands across our border channel," adds Chapman.
The Peace Garden will have a variety of photography, including drones, to capture this special moment that can only take place in their world-class and unique setting. The day will also include a car show; vendors of impressive floral-related arts and crafts, food and drinks and tours from Peace Garden staff.
Each year the Peace Garden hosts their Summer Celebration in early August, when the flowers are in peak bloom. The car show will return, and this year they're focusing on vendor from North Dakota, Manitoba, and even Saskatchewan
"So, it's going to be a fun festival day with good food and drink, and maybe some entertainment will be added down the line. But yes, we're calling out for people to come and to enjoy that day while also helping us really create an incredible display that represents the friendship of our two nations!"
"And we're in peak bloom, at the height of its summer color and beauty," says Chapman. "The weather's been really favorable to us this year. So not only did we complete our annual planting on June 21st, but things have just really gone well since. So, we might even be a week or two ahead of where we usually are at hitting peak bloom. But this year's theme is peace and really just trying to invoke those calm, thoughtful, peaceful feelings through the formal stretch with warm and cool colors that kind of inspired people to be a little more contemplative while enjoying their stroll through the formal stretch."
Two adaptive chairs will be available for use at the Summer Floral Celebration. The motorized chairs run on tracks that allow them to move easily over varied terrain. Visitors with limited mobility are welcome to use the chairs for one-hour intervals to explore the garden with friends and family. The chairs are being provided by Annie’s House, a collaborative partnership between Anne Carlsen and Bottineau Winter Park.
"Yeah, that's another great example of the partnerships we're trying to grow," Chapman explains. "We don't currently have the funding to have something like that on site every day, but Annie's house down in Bottineau at the Bottineau Ski Resort, they do a great job of trying to get their track chairs out to different facilities as much as possible. So, it was kind of a no-brainer to reach out to them to see how we can try to have those accommodations on site a little more often. It's because the Garden is so big and even if you're just sticking in the formal area, that's about a half mile. But if you're trying to get out on the loops and into the forest trails, this is just going to be a great opportunity for the Garden to start to become more and more accessible."
"This really wouldn't be possible, I don't think, without having Annie's house so close in proximity, and they just do incredible work," he adds. "So, it's really an honor for the Garden to be able to have their chairs out three times this year is what we have scheduled."
The motorized chairs will be available at the Peace Garden on August 9th and September 11th, from 9am to 5pm.
Advance sign-ups for chair use are recommended and can be made on our website.