Sept. 23 Column: Fall Banquet
There is a fantastic event coming up that you really need to know about! It’s the 2018 Fall Banquet, which is a fundraiser for the Spokane County Master Gardener program. Wait until you hear who the keynote speaker will be:
New York Times bestselling author, Andrea Wulf (pictured at left), will give a presentation on Alexander von Humboldt. He is the subject of her latest book, The Invention of Nature (Alfred A. Knopf, 473 pp.). What, you’ve never heard of him?
Well, you’ve probably heard of Humboldt County in California, and the Humboldt current, right? And there are many more references throughout our daily lives (such as plant names) that give hints to the importance of this man. Yet most Americans know very little about this famous and groundbreaking naturalist and early environmentalist.
All of this is in my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review. Here’s a link to it: Master Gardeners feature best-selling author Andrea Wulf at banquet. (or you can read it lower down in this post)
Here’s this week’s video. It’s about the big front flower bed re-do that I’ve been working on. In it, I share tips for creating a stunning flower garden:
Garden column: Fall Banquet
By Susan Mulvihill
It’s probably a safe bet that everyone knows who Charles Darwin was. But if I mention Alexander von Humboldt’s name, I’m likely to get some blank stares. That’s because most of us either have forgotten about, or haven’t heard of, this highly-regarded German scientist, naturalist and environmentalist who lived from 1769 to 1859.
Darwin referred to Humboldt as the “greatest scientific traveler who ever lived,” and if you come to the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County’s fall banquet on Oct. 11, you’ll have the opportunity to learn and marvel about this remarkable man.
Fall Banquet: Keynote speaker Andrea Wulf
New York Times bestselling author, Andrea Wulf, will be the keynote speaker at the banquet. In her book, “The Invention of Nature” (Alfred A. Knopf, 473 pp., $30), she brings Humboldt to life and will share intriguing details about him in her presentation.
“Described by his contemporaries as the most famous man in the world after Napoleon, Humboldt was one of the most captivating and inspiring men of his time,” she writes. “Humboldt revolutionized the way we see the natural world. He found connections everywhere.”
In Wulf’s quest to learn more about Humboldt, she read through his diaries, thousands of his letters as well as his books, and retraced his steps through Europe and the Americas. She also recently filmed a documentary on his life.
Andrea Wulf resides in London and is currently on a book tour in the U.S. An avid reader of her books, fall banquet lead Lynn Meyers has been anxious to bring her to Spokane.
“For me, Andrea’s writing is unique in that she is a true historian writing about fascinating people and places, but it always reads like an adventure story,” Meyers shared. “Everything is so well-researched that it satisfies my passion for learning about the subjects she selects and it’s always peppered with little details you never knew.“
Fall Banquet: Learn about Alexander von Humboldt
“One of Humboldt’s greatest achievements had been to make science accessible and popular,” Wulf writes. “His vision of nature has passed into our consciousness as if by osmosis. It is almost as though his ideas have become so manifest that the man behind them has disappeared.”
Even though this has primarily happened in English-speaking countries, Humboldt is remembered in history through place names such as Humboldt Bay and the Humboldt current, along with many animal and botanical names.
Wulf’s keynote promises to be both entertaining and thought-provoking.
The banquet, which is a fundraiser for the Spokane County Master Gardener program, includes a meet-and-greet with Wulf, silent auction, catered dinner, and a dessert dash. The doors open at 4 p.m. for the meet-and-greet, during which Wulf’s books will be available for purchase and signing. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by the keynote presentation at 7 p.m.
The silent auction will feature over 60 items including ski lift tickets, garden-themed gift baskets, Hells Canyon jet boat tour, wine-tasting, whale watching tour, a garden potting bench and much more. View the silent auction catalog ahead of time at mgfsc.org/silent-auction-catalog to plan your bidding strategy.
The deadline for purchasing banquet tickets through the Foundation’s website (mgfsc.org) is Oct. 5. Learn more about Andrea Wulf, including other books she has written, by going to andreawulf.com.
Fall Banquet details:
When: Thursday, Oct. 11 from 4 to 9 p.m.
Where: CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley
Additional info: Visit mgfsc.org/fall-banquet. Tickets cost $45 and can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets either online at brownpapertickets.com/event/3526206 or by calling (800) 838-3006.