Chicago Botanic Garden

for immediate release

Wonderland Express Book
Links Plants and Imagination

Chicago Botanic Garden's book on beloved exhibition debuts

 

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213, direct
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (Nov. 6, 2007)—During last year's premier Wonderland Express indoor train exhibition, many visitors experienced plants in ways they never imagined. They marveled at the fact that the intricate details in the buildings were all made from natural materials. Now they can learn how the designers created that magic with a new pictorial book, Wonderland Express, explaining how architectural embellishments of famous Chicago-area buildings were crafted in miniature from plants. Buildings, tunnels and bridges were constructed by Paul Busse and his team at Applied Imagination in Alexandria, Ky., using twigs, mushrooms, gourds, bark, leaves, corn husks, pebbles and so much more. The book will be available for sale in the Garden Shop for $24.95.

Along with familiar buildings, readers will learn about new landmarks added this year, including the original Soldier Field, with accents of eucalyptus seedpods; Old St. Patrick's Church, with stained glass windows made with dried flowers; the Marshall Field's clock, made with cinnamon sticks and grape vine tendrils; The Museum of Science and Industry, incorporating a calabash gourd; and the Chicago Botanic Garden's Shoin House, with walls made with corn husks, windows of willow branches and a roof made of pine needles.

Some excerpts from the book include the following:

"The large bells in the Chicago Botanic Garden carillon are gourd tops, while the small bells are pear pods. Though 27 bells are represented here, 48 appear on the real carillon."

"'The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel was an exciting challenge for us. We installed a clock motor, hidden under tree fungus, to keep it turning "round,"' says Busse... '(it) is 20 inches tall with cars constructed from walnut hulls and acorn tops with pistachio nut footrests. The frame is a willow branch bent into a circle.'"

"Busse's version (of the Tribune Tower) was crafted with a rich selection of materials from the natural world, including acorn tops, cinnamon sticks, lotus pods, bamboo, forsythia, ferns and eucalyptus seedpods. 'An eight-sided building with a crowning tower and flying buttresses—yeah, this building was complex,' says Busse."

Wonderland Express is a winter wonderland of twinkling lights, garden-scale trains, miniature Chicago landmarks, beautiful horticulture displays, and indoor snowfall on display at the Chicago Botanic Garden from Nov. 23, 2007 through Jan. 6, 2008. The main attraction in Nichols Hall features garden-scale trains winding their way over bridges, under trestles, past waterfalls and detailed landscapes with more than 80 miniature versions of Chicago’s favorite landmarks. Interpretive signs sprinkled throughout the exhibit give fun facts about Chicago's history and architecture. Realistic snow falls throughout the exhibit.

For those who want to learn more about the exhibition, the Bridge Gallery displays behind-the-scenes photographs of the exhibit designers, creating this year's exhibition in their workshop. Visitors can also view a slide show chronicling the construction of the exhibit in the Alsdorf Auditorium.

Wonderland Express hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Nov. 23 through Jan. 6, 2008 (closed at 3 p.m. on Nov. 29, Dec. 24 and all day on Dec. 25). Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors (62+). Members pay $8 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors (62+). Admission to Wonderland Express is free on Tuesdays through Dec. 18 with a timed-entry ticket. Tickets go on sale on October 15 and are available at the Information Desk in the Visitor Center or online. Parking at the Chicago Botanic Garden is $15; free for members.

A trolley shuttle is available from the Glencoe Metra train station on opening day, on weekends from Nov. 24 through Dec. 23 and daily from Dec. 26 though Jan. 6, 2008. Trolley runs from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Round-trip tickets are $2 per person (children 5 and under free); free for members.

Wonderland Express is sponsored by ComEd, National City, Coca Cola, Grainger and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The Chicago Botanic Garden is particularly proud to be partnering with ComEd in the use of energy efficient LED lighting, which will be used on the great tree in the Esplanade. For more information on Wonderland Express, call (847) 835-5440, or visit the Garden’s website at www.chicagobotanic.org.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Melissa Schuler at (847) 835-6829 or at mschuler@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year, except Dec. 25. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. The Garden is also breaking new ground in urban horticulture and jobs training through a 15-acre project in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago called Windy City Harvest. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.