Memphis Botanic Gardens – Memphis Flyer

Memphis Botanic Gardens/Facebook

The Memphis Botanic Garden opened to members Thursday, the first step of a phased plan to re-open the space, after closing to all guests on March 21st.

The garden will only be open to members for now. It will expand to allow non-member, daily guests on May 19th.

“We are thrilled to be able to reopen our grounds and to do so in a measured and incremental way,” said Michael Allen, executive director of the Memphis Botanic Garden. “Since closing our gates on March 21st, we have looked forward to this day, as have our members and guests.

“I am grateful to our dedicated horticulture, grounds, and nursery staffs who have kept the grounds in good shape during this difficult time.”

Many spaces will remain closed during the phased re-opening plan and limits will be in place for the opened sections.

• Only outdoor spaces are currently re-opening

• The Children’s Garden will remain closed for now, as will other “high touch” areas like the iconic red bridge and Prehistoric Plant Trail. These features will be reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.

• The garden will control the numbers admitted to the grounds — if needed — to assure that social distancing practices are adhered to.

• There will be one set of bathrooms open on the grounds (behind the stage and adjacent to Sara’s Place).

• Our Nursery at the Garden (retail plant shop) will remain available for on-line purchases only at this time.

• All special indoor events remain canceled for the month of May

• Fratelli’s restaurant is open for call-ahead orders with curbside pickup or on the grounds (picnic) dining.

Opera Memphis is continuing its aggressive programming on Facebook. During April, it’s been offering a digital version of its 30 Days of Opera program with an Aria Jukebox, a teaser about a hedgehog hoping to revive his opera career, and local singer Philip Himebook singing multiple parts in, for example, what Opera Memphis is calling the social distance version of “O Mio Babbino Caro.”

Philip Himebook and Amanda Quinn singing ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ on Facebook for Opera Memphis.

General director Ned Canty says that on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Opera Memphis will have a variety of live events on its Facebook page. This week’s Opera for Animals program will be co-hosted by WKNO’s Kacky Walton, and next week will feature what Canty says is “an all musical theater edition of our ‘Opera Bingo.'”

He says he hopes to bring the Sing to Me program back soon, where a singer and accompanist travel to various neighborhoods to perform at an appropriate distance. And he is offering to celebrate birthdays of front-line workers by having a performer serenade them with “Happy Birthday.” Email singtome@operamemphis.org with contact info.

To see Opera Memphis’ programming, go here.

Meanwhile, the Memphis Botanic Garden’s (MBG) Live at the Garden season has been cancelled. Sherry May, co-director of Live at the Garden, posted on MBG’s website that the scheduled May 6 announcement of the summer’s acts was also cancelled.

The organization had hoped to celebrate its 20th anniversary with the season but now is considering other ways to mark the milestone. Live at the Garden brings in about 25 percent of the MBG’s annual budget. May called the cancellation “financially devastating.”