The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

The Stark Museum of Art, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center and The W.H. Stark House, programs of the STARK Cultural Venues in Orange, Texas, will participate in the 12th Annual Art in the Park Festival to be held at Stark Park in downtown Orange. On Saturday, March 16, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., booths will offer fun, family-friendly activities and information on each venue. In addition, the venues will have a variety of exhibitions and classes for visitors of all ages, providing ways to enjoy of art, nature, history and culture.

Inside the Stark Museum, attendees can participate in the Gone Fishing scavenger hunt to find images of fish or water throughout the Museum and win a prize.

Visitors may also take a family-friendly tour of the extensive collection of art from the American West, including the current exhibitions Wild Beauty: The New Mexico Setting andMastering Fish: American Natural History Illustrations.

Docents will provide mini-tours of the Wild Beauty exhibition during Opening Day Tours, which will take place from 9:00 a.m.

- 3:00 p.m.

Wild Beauty will be on display through June 8 and Mastering Fish will be on display through April 20.

Participation in the scavenger hunt and mini-tours are included with Museum admission.

Nature enthusiasts will want to stop by the Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center’s booth.

Shangri La’s booth will feature Leaf Rubbing Critters where children will be given different leaves and use crayons to make rubbings in the shape of an animal.

This work of art can be taken home.

Shangri La will also be hosting a program from their Saturday Adventure Series called Ladybugs and Aphids: Garden Combat, taking place from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

and beginning at the Admission Window.

This program has limited seating and an RSVP is required to attend.

To reserve a seat, call409.670.9799.

Also, after visiting Art in the Park, attendees are invited to tour the gardens of Shangri La, including the state-of-the-art bird blind, and take an outpost tour along Adams Bayou.

The W.H. Stark House will host an activity booth with fish-related projects for children of all ages.

House staff members will assist children in creating “flying fish” art and other fish craft projects from a variety of materials.

Visitors will also receive a free fish-themed papermaze game to complete at their leisure.

The staff will also provide complimentary notepads to visitors.

In addition to the activities, The House will offer guided first-floor tours of the historic home for $2.00 from 9:00 a.m.

- 3:30 p.m.

to visitors age ten years and older.

During first-floor tours, guests can see the Dining Room decorated for an Easter celebration, featuring a floral-themed tablescape emphasizing The House’s collection of American Brilliant Period cut glass in floral patterns.Tours of the second and third levels of The Stark House will not be offered during the Art in the Park festival.

For more information about Art in the Park Festival, visit http://www.orangetexas.org.

For more information about the programs of STARK Cultural Venues, visitwww.starkculturalvenues.org.

Shangri La will have a fun activity of leaf rubbings at their Art in the Park booth.