Due to the possibility of severe weather during the morning of Saturday, Feb. 18, the 17th Annual Community Trash-Off, sponsored by Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, will begin at 1 p.m. instead of the originally scheduled 8 a.m.

Litter collection will last from 1 to 4 p.m. Following the trash pick-up, participants are invited to return to Orange Lions Park for complimentary pizza and drinks, along with the presentation of prizes. Over 300 prizes have been donated by local businesses and will be awarded to various teams.

Come join friends, neighbors, co-workers and other members of the community on February 18 to help keep the streets of the Orange community and the banks of Adams Bayou clean. Last year, this event collected more than 16,000 pounds of trash to help beautify the area and protect the environment.

Area residents are urged to show up at the Trash-Off headquarters, Orange Lions Park, to help keep the community clean. Attendees are asked to contact friends and family members and encourage others to attend. If you have already signed up and will be unable to make the February 18 date, please call Noelle Jordan at 409-670-0803 or email [email protected].

For additional information, visit www.shangrilagardens.org call 409-670-0803. Located at 2111 West Park Avenue in Orange, Texas, Shangri La is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 409-670-9113 or visit www.shangrilagardens.org.

About Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center

Nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a program of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, a private foundation whose mission is to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas and encourage and assist education. The unique ecosystem of Shangri La presents an ideal opportunity to further that mission as well as carry on the vision of H.J. Lutcher Stark, the man who originally developed the gardens more than 60 years ago.

Amid nature's pristine ecosystems, the formal gardens at Shangri La reflect a use of more than 300 plant species to paint beautiful landscapes among a series of theme-based garden rooms. Around every corner a new vista awaits the visitor with exquisite sculptures, a great lawn, serene waterscapes reflecting beautiful colors and a Cypress Gate framing blooming plants and soaring birds. The Nature Center includes Adams Bayou boat excursions to educational outposts, a 15-acre Beaver Pond, a state-of-the-art bird blind, a bat house, and more up-close encounters with nature.

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum Certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies that the design and construction of Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures. Shangri La was also named by the American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment as one of the top 10 green projects throughout the world.

Shangri La offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature, as it strives in its mission to Mentor Children of All Ages to Be Kind to Their World.

Other programs of the Stark Foundation include the Stark Museum of Art, The W.H. Stark House and the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts.