September 11th 10 – 4 pm

September 12th 3 – 5 pm

Come and visit with our guest.  Learn history from local people about crocheting original designs, Hardanger needlework, wood working tools, vintage quilts, genealogy, crayon painting with fabric and felt art.

Modern design quilts, old quilts, infant and children’s quilts and one of a kind original quilts on display.

Local Artist will be painting in the garden.

**SPECIAL FEATURE **

You will not want to miss the miniature quilt display with Kathy Fisher on Saturday.

** SPECIAL FEATURE **

Sunday will be a must see 1/4 inch pieced quilt by Florence Evans mother Lola Perdue.  It was pieced in 18 months by hand in 1935 and has 75,255 pieces.

FREE

Admission – Refreshments – Gifts

Dillingham-Lewis Museum – Chicago Alton Hotel

101 SW 15th street – Blue Springs Missouri

Our 2^nd Annual Garden Tour is Saturday, June 19^th from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Hi Society Members and Friends,

What an opportunity to enjoy wonderful  gardens and see local artists painting flowers and foliage at each of the 6 gardens.

The presale ticket price is $6.00 and $8.00 the day of the tour.  Pre-sale tickets are available at:

· Ben’s Garden Center, 1001 U.S. 40 Hwy, Blue Springs

· Petals & Potpourri, 708 U.S. 40 Hwy, Blue Springs

· Yellow Strawberry, 1745 Burdett Crossing (N 7 Hwy and Duncan Rd) Blue Springs

· Vintage Daisy, 1412 Old U.S. 40 Hwy, Blue Springs

· Dillingham-Lewis House Museum, 101 SW 15th St, Blue Springs (Sundays 2:00 - 5:00 pm)

On the day of the Garden Tour, tickets may be purchased any of the homes and the museum.

Two of the gardens are in Independence.  One of these is Martha Waits, niece of Ann York.  Her    address is 1204 W Beverly Road.  The other Independence Independence garden is the Woodson Guest House Bed and Breakfast.  This home is tucked away on a “special acre of land” and is on the National Historic Register.  Charlotte Olejko is the owner of this garden at 1604 W. Lexington.

Crystal and Wyatt Zucca, 117 Dockside Circle, Lake Tapawingo will have their home on the tour.  In Blue Springs you will tour the gardens of Gwen Myers, 4200 SW 14th Street Court and Linda and Victor Celano, 1709 NW 11th Street Circle. 

You may choose to begin or end your tour at the Blue Springs Historical Society’s1906 Educational Heritage Garden.  This garden is in the second of its 4-phase grant from the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City.  While at the Dillingham-Lewis House Museum, you may view the exhibit, “Weddings Through the Year” and enjoy a cool drink. 

Enjoy the day with friends and family while you view the gardens and take in the scent of flowers.

For more information call Frances at 816-419-8304

Please email everyone in your Address Book.

Thank you, Mary Potter

P.S. I need 2 volunteers at the Museum Garden

There is a lot of talk around town regarding the Missouri Innovation Park, a development that is sure to change the face of the future of Blue Springs. A “Show Me” attitude is part of the culture in Missouri, and some need to see dirt moving and buildings under construction to truly believe that the Innovation Park, bringing with it the desired growth of quality jobs, is a reality.

Community leaders in Blue Springs laid a path many years ago, putting in place the key components to support the development of the Innovation Park by establishing the vision for Adams Dairy Parkway. As that vision has evolved, we have seen the addition of retail and restaurants, which add another component necessary to the realization of the original vision for Adams Dairy Parkway.

Two and a half years ago, as the first details regarding the park began to emerge, Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation President Brien Starner and I had long conversations about the potential the park brought to our community. It was clear that the stars were aligning for success. A project of this type normally takes, on average, approximately five years to develop the support of all the various organizations necessary for success.

In this instance, the Missouri Innovation Park has the support of the City of Blue Springs, the University of Missouri, the Blue Springs School District, the Central Jackson Country Fire Protection District, the Blue Springs Economic Development Corp., the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the Kansas City Area Development Council, Jackson County, the Mid-Continent Public Library system, and many other entities in the region and state in just two short years.

This support by so many public and private organizations is vital to the success of the project and is a direct result of the passion and commitment of current and past mayors and councils, Brien Starner, and the Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation members.
Despite the current national economy, the project has continued to move forward. New legislation, referred to as “Jobs for the Future,” has been filed and would enable projects like the Missouri in Innovation Park not only for Blue Springs, but also for progressive communities all over Missouri. This legislation would allow cities more control over their own economic destiny, with the intent of attracting high-quality public and private jobs.

Our city now stands at a precipice of key decisions and actions. As citizens, we need to join with our elected leaders and the leaders of these supporting organizations to see the fulfillment of this vision for our city. In the coming weeks there will be announcements that will show visible progress and the beginning of construction of the Mizzou Innovation Center which will anchor the project and provide the intellectual property that will spur the creation of high-tech jobs in the park. The possibilities are endless, and I am excited to see this vision come to fruition.

Blue Springs Historical Society will host a Garden Tour on Saturday, June 20^th, 10 am to 5 pm. Five gardens from whimsical to Victorian will be on display.

Ticket are being sold at Ben’s Garden Center and Petals & Potpourri on 40 Highway, Soda Fountain & Floral Shop on Main, & at the Dillingham-Lewis House Museum, 101 SW 15^th St.

Advance tickets are $6.00. Send a check and self addressed envelope to P.O. Box 762, Blue Springs, MO 64013-0762. Tickets on tour day will be $8.00. For more info call 816-419-8304.

Over the predictable objections of Councilmen Ron Fowler and Sheila Solon, who represent the residents of southern Blue Springs in District 3, the City Council voted 4-2 to continue to advance the Adams Dairy Landing project.

RED Development asked the council to consider allowing the issuance of bonds to pay for the street improvements earlier than originally anticipated and to allow the bond underwriters to consider the city’s credit rating when selling the bonds. It should be noted that this isn’t without risk, but city staff worked very conscientiously to mitigate that risk and put multiple layers of protection into the plan should sales tax revenue decline further.

While I doubt anyone was surprised by the comments of the various councilmen, given the history of this project, I was baffled by Councilman Solon’s comments as she read from a script. As I watched the meeting on the city Web site – http://tinyurl.com/bscouncil – I observed Councilman Solon tracing each word in her statement with her finger as she stated her opposition to the proposal. You might ask, what is wrong with that? It shows that she is prepared when she comes to the meeting.

Councilman Solon has long been praised by some of her constituents for coming to meetings well prepared. However, Dan Lowe, president of RED Development, was so surprised by her misstatements that he reapproached the podium and said to her, “In my opinion your comments may be a bit half-baked and certainly aren’t on target.” He went on to outline point by point the inaccuracies she was using to justify her vote. Based on the information provided in the meeting, Mr. Lowe was right on target with his comments.

The concern in this situation, as I see it, is that by pre-determining her position and writing her statement before hearing the full presentation, Councilman Solon’s statement no longer reflected the facts, making her position on the issue look arbitrary. This is the kind of behavior that results in lawsuits and wastes taxpayer money, as recently occurred on the Parkway West project. This is not a new behavior with Councilman Solon, as misstatements and a failure to follow the city attorney’s advice almost resulted in her removal from the Planning Commission several years ago.

In the end, the calm voice of reason was Councilman Kent Edmondson. He did an excellent job of describing the risks and benefits that the council was considering, and showed that he carefully, and without prior prejudice, weighed risk versus reward. His thorough evaluation indicated that the benefits far outweighed the risks in considering this resolution. In the end the council made the right decision to keep the project moving forward.

Blue Springs Historical Society

a non-profit (501c 3) organization formed in 1976

The Society’s mission is to preserve, promote, and educate citizens about the history of Blue Springs.  This is accomplished through informational historic exhibits, programs, activities, a 1906 Educational Heritage Garden, and by providing people with archival information.

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The Dillingham-Lewis House Museum Grounds

  A Focus on instilling a sense of history, through activities for youth and adults.

• Sunday’s March 15 – May 24 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. open to the public. See the exhibit Blue Springs a Railroad town
• Saturday, May 2 from 10:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m. Heritage Day celebrates Historic Preservation Month, a family fun day  with “ole time” children’s games, fishing pond, balloons, ice cream and lemonade – Volunteers, Groups and Donations are welcome.
• Saturday, May 16 at 10:00 a.m. help plant and learn about gardening.   A 1906 Educational Heritage Garden is a joint effort of local gardeners, FFA students, 4-H members and Master Gardeners of Kansas City.  The Midwest 1906 garden is typical to the house-museum built the same year.  The Blue Springs School District Ag-Science students will grow our heirloom annual seeds in their greenhouse.  The planting and maintaining will be done by youth and adults guided by Master Gardeners.  After 4 years, the Garden will boast:  sun and shade flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruits.  

Supports  Jackson  County

4-H

Join us to help preserve history, help you with community service projects,

Educating the community 

Dillingham-Lewis House Museum, 101 SW 15^th Street, Blue Springs, MO 64015

P.O. Box 762, Blue Springs, Missouri 64013                  www.BlueSpringsHistory.org

Mary Potter, President       Contact Info: MPotterEducation@comcast.net 816-797-4870

I want to let you know about a fantastic Homes (6 + Museum) Tour.  Many Brittany Hill, BSHS, BSSHS students, and Classy Clover 4-H Club members will greet you at the door while Blue Springs Historical Society members and other Society friends (more than 130) will guide you through the homes.  What a way to get that Christmas Spirit and unique decorating ideas while helping the Blue Springs Historical Society pay their monthly bills all for $8.00 for the 2 days.

Mary Potter, president More...