In 2022, please join us for the Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Wildflower Festival, the evening of April 29 and  all day April 30, 2022 at Cedar of Lebanon State Park in Lebanon, TN. All events will take place outside, weather permitting, with social distancing in place; when that is not possible, masks will be required to protect the health of participants. There is no food concession at the park, so bring snacks/food if you are planning to spend the day.

Limestone cedar glades are globally unique and fragile habitats found primarily in Middle Tennessee. Viewed historically as wastelands, they support a plant community of highly specialized species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.

Friday, April 29, 2022, the Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Wildflower Evening Program will be held at Cedar of Lebanon State Park from 7:00pm to 8:30pm outside around the beautiful outdoor Juniper Gazebo (from the main entrance take a right at the fork in the road, park in the large lot next to the Cedar Forest Lodge and Nature Center). Light refreshments will be provided by the Center for Cedar Glade Studies and Friends of Cedars of Lebanon. Planning for the evening speakers is currently underway, check back in early spring, 2022, for an update.

Come back on Saturday, April 30, 2022 for more fun! Registration for events is not required except for the 3-hour morning (from 9 to noon) and afternoon (from 1 to 4) hikes. There are three trip leaders and each trip leader can accommodate 15 people. Registration for hikes will begin on site at the Cedar Forest Lodge on Friday, April 29, before the evening program at 7PM and resume at 8:30AM on Saturday, April 30.

Come wander the glades and experience the wonder of hidden jewels. In the words of Augustine Gattinger, “For truth, my honored Tennessee friends, go and see, and learn to appreciate and to preserve such great ornaments of your native land.” The weather has cooperated the past few years and we are hoping for more of the same. Contact the park office April 30 if you are not sure if hikes will proceed due to inclement weather. Park Information (615) 444-4565 or (615) 443-2769. Information about registration and the complete schedule will be posted after March 15 at www.mtsu.edu/glade-center and https://tnstateparks.com/parks/cedars-of-lebanon. For immediate information contact Kim Sadler: kim.sadler@mtsu.edu.

HIKES: Cedars of Lebanon State Park, meet outside the Cedar Forest Lodge. Here is a partial program of events, there are other things going on, too.

• For birders: 7 to 8:30AM – Mellissa Turrentine, Jeff Walck & TOS members
• Plant hikes: 9 to Noon – Milo Pyne & other experts; 1 to 4PM – Milo Pyne & Other experts
• Gardening with Native Plants: 9 to 10AM & 2 to 3PM– Linda Robertson