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The River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles recently celebrated the Brilliant Daffodil Display at Mount St. Mary’s Park in St. Charles.
“What started as an idea in 2020 to bring smiles to the community of St Charles in the first year of Covid has resulted in an absolutely brilliant display of the color of spring,” said John Rabchuk of the River Corridor Foundation in a press release. “Thanks to a concerted effort by hundreds of community volunteers, we have now planted over 10,000 daffodils and bluebells along the western edge of Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles – and we plan to plant 5. 000 more in the fall so people can have to wear sunglasses when driving/walking/biking in the park next spring. »
The River Corridor Foundation is a non-profit group, but all of its projects. like Project Daffodil, are the result of collaborative efforts with community organizations and volunteers.
“Heinz Bros. Garden Center, the St. Charles Park District, Midwest Groundcover, the Pottawatomie Garden Club, the St. Charles Kiwanis Club and Shaw Media have all played key roles in this project for which the whole community is very grateful. said Rabchuk.
In addition to the daffodil blooms, those in attendance enjoyed the large number of new sculptures on display in the park as part of the Park District’s annual Sculpture in the Park exhibition.
The River Corridor Foundation announced the winners of the prestigious Golden Turtle Award recognizing outstanding contributions to the RCF’s mission to enhance the aesthetics of the St. Charles River and improve access to the Fox River for all of the community.
Reverend Al Patten of the River Corridor Foundation presented longtime St. Charles resident and landscape architect Jim Enck with the Individual Golden Turtle Award.
“Jim’s contributions to the design and overall presentation of the many public art exhibits along the river are well recognized throughout the community,” Patten said in the release. “He touched the community in so many ways and this recognition is long overdue.”
The Golden Turtle Award for Organization went to J. Schrock of Heinz Bros. Garden Center.
“Quite frankly, Project Daffodil exists because of the generosity and hard work of Heinz Bros. Garden Center and its local owner, J. Schrock,” Patten said. “He has been an exceptional partner in bringing the Daffodil project to fruition.”
Participants reviewed proposed concept plans for the Active River project, which has regained attention and discussion in St. Charles.
“This project was first proposed over 10 years ago as a direct result of a coordinated effort by RCF, the City of St. Charles, the St. Charles Park District and the Forest Reserve of Kane County,” Rabchuk said. “Creating an active downtown waterfront has had tremendous results in spurring economic development, improving non-motorized mobility throughout downtown, creating opportunities for beach-style recreational activities living on and along the river and expanding the amount of open space in the downtown core for communities across the country.”
Additional information is available at stcharlesactiviver.org.
The RCF also asked participants to volunteer for one of their annual projects such as the Daffodil Project, the River Runs Through It free winter lecture series, and the Fox River Cleanup Day in September.
Additional information about the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles is available at stcrivercorridor.org.
