River Corridor Foundation marks the success of Project Daffodil 2021 and recognizes 2021 Golden Turtle Award Recipients with ceremony on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at main pavilion in Mount St. Mary Park from 4:00 - 5:00 PM
The River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles invites the entire St. Charles community to join in a celebration of the highly successful Project Daffodil. Attendees will witness the over 10,000 multi-colored daffodils and Virginia bluebells planted by hundreds of volunteers in 2020 and 2021 along the western boundary of Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles. " What began as an idea that an explosion of daffodil blossoms could bring smiles to the entire community in the early days of the Covid -19 pandemic, became reality with the contributions of Heinz Bros. Garden Center, the St. Charles Park District, and the City of St. Charles," said Laurel Moad, River Corridor Board Secretary. "This wonderful floral display has quickly become an iconic symbol of spring time in our beautiful community. We invite the entire community to join us, representatives of the St. Charles Park District, the City of St. Charles, Heinz Bros. Garden Center, many of the planting volunteers and other Project Daffodil sponsors in recognition of the success of this project. We are also committed to plant another 5,000 daffodils on Saturday, October 15, 2022. We believe that this highly visible area of Mount St. Mary Park will be able to accommodate +20,000 daffodil bulbs so we have a couple more years to add to this remarkable display." Light refreshments will be served.
The River Corridor Foundation will also announce and present the 2021 recipients of their prestigious Golden Turtle Award for outstanding stewardship and leadership in enhancing and improving access to the Fox River and the St. Charles riverfront. "Over the past ten years, the impact of Jim Enck on the success of the River Corridor Foundation mission would be difficult to overstate. His designs and contributions to public art installations such as Wind Emotions, The Key and Reflections are well recognized for the beauty they have added to our riverfront. More recently, Jim's design for the Langum Corridor Project has enhanced the southern gateway to the east side of the riverfront. His meticulous planning efforts have played a significant role in the management of RCF activities such as Project Daffodil and Heart of the Fox. For these efforts and his monthly contributions to the success of the River Corridor Foundation, I am very proud to present the 2021 Golden Turtle Award for an individual to Jim Enck," said Rich Anderson, RCF President. "In addition, I would like to announce and present the 2021 Golden Turtle Award for an organization to Jay Shrock of Heinz Bros Garden Center. Jay's enthusiastic contributions to Project Daffodil have made this dream come true. As all of the planting volunteers know, Jay not only contributed daffodil bulbs but jumped right into the planting efforts with tools and expertise. We all need to thank Jay for his commitment to the St. Charles community."
The River Corridor Foundation is looking for volunteers and sponsors to help ensure the success of the Project Daffodil initiative. On-line registration will be open in July 2022 at www.projectdaffodilstc.com. Volunteers of all ages and capabilities are needed for planting, tool coordination, bulb distribution, etc. Detailed planting responsibilities and requirements are listed on the website. Planting tools will be provided, although volunteers can bring their own garden tools if they wish. Sponsors are encouraged to provide financial support and materials to ensure the success of the 2022 planting effort.
