With California expected to fully reopen from the pandemic on June 15, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts announced it will present June Bloom, an outdoor garden party spread across three sprawling estates in La Cañada Flintridge on Saturday, June 19. The public event will invite guests to step out of their homes and safely stroll through elegant gardens in a progressive format showcasing beautiful landscapes, Mediterranean terraced planters, and blooming ornamental roses along a picturesque street in the heart of Flintridge. The day’s activities will include docent-led garden tours, live music entertainment at each home, floral demonstrations, and the famous Shops at Showcase featuring a variety of unique craft purveyors. Grab & go meals and snacks, wine, and beer will be available for purchase throughout the event. Advance reservations are required; tickets are $60 and available at pasadenashowcase.org. Proceeds from the event will support Pasadena Showcase’s philanthropic initiatives.
The three featured estates include a Spanish Colonial Revival built in 1917 by noted architects Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury on 2.4 acres with a well-manicured promenade, terraced pools and planters, and a secluded tennis sanctuary; an English Tudor Revival built in 1926 on 1.6 acres with a sprawling verdant lawn; and a Colonial Revival built in 1921 on 1.6 acres with an architecturally identical life-size dollhouse and an expansive collection of 142 rosebushes. (The interiors of these homes will not be available for touring.)
Live music entertainment will be held throughout the day and include a jazz trio from Saturday Night Bath, Pasadena Conservatory of Music featuring Café Luar and classical guitarist Brian Barany, string trios from the Colburn School and Santa Cecilia Orchestra, pianist Greg Parker, and the Riverboat Dixie Jazz Band. Many of the groups are Pasadena Showcase Gifts & Grants recipients. Shops at Showcase—a beloved mainstay of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design experience—will be available for all-day shopping. Featured purveyors include Designer Sterling, JP Designs, The Treasured Accessory, Jacqueline B Clothing, Laurie Jo Designs, M & C Collective, Paco Soler, Veronica’s Garden, Lavender Blue, Susie O’s, and Green & Bisque Clayhouse. Floral designer Drew Domenghini will be giving demonstrations throughout the day.
For up-to-date information on event schedules, performance times, docent-led tours, and additional Shops at Showcase vendors, visit pasadenashowcase.org.
“We are grateful that the COVID-19 pandemic has vastly improved over the last several months, allowing us to do what we do best: gather family and friends together for a unique experience in a beautiful setting in support of music and the arts,” said Barbara Damerel, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts 2020/21 President. “La Cañada Flintridge is a beautiful area and always a wonderful host city to Pasadena Showcase.”
Susie Aguirre, 2020/21 Benefit Chair and organizer of June Bloom, added, “I cannot wait to be outside in the warm sun with friends, glass of wine in hand, enjoying summer blooms and jazz. It is going to be a delightful event and I’m proud of my fellow Pasadena Showcase members who came together to make this possible.”
Guests will park at Descanso Gardens (1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011) with complimentary shuttles running throughout the day. They are encouraged to wear comfortable flat shoes as they’ll stroll across several acres and uneven terrain. Wheelchairs and walkers may not access all areas of these private estates; for questions regarding accessibility please call (714) 442-3872. Guests will also be asked to comply with the latest COVID-19 guidelines. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the grounds and portable restrooms and other high-touch surface areas will be sanitized regularly. The capacity of the event has been limited.
While June Bloom cannot replace the much anticipated and highly successful annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design, it will be the marquee fundraiser for the organization this year. Planning is already underway to secure a home for the 2022 Showcase House and an announcement will be made later this summer.
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, has been supporting local music and arts programs since 1948. With the hard work and dedication of its 200+ members, the organization raises funds from its major benefit, the Pasadena Showcase House of Design—one of the oldest, largest, and most successful house and garden tours in the country. Throughout its history, Pasadena Showcase has given more than $23 million to nonprofit organizations, particularly through its Gifts & Grants program, in support of music education, scholarships, concerts, and music therapy, while continuing to support the LA Phil and its learning programs for which the organization was first founded. Pasadena Showcase also nurtures the study and appreciation of music among young people with its three annual music programs: the Music MobileTM, which has introduced orchestral instruments to more than 125,000 third grade students; the Instrumental Competition, which has awarded more than $650,000 in monetary prizes for exceptionally talented young musicians; and the Youth Concert, which has brought nearly 250,000 fourth graders to Walt Disney Concert Hall for exuberant performances presented by the LA Phil.
For more information and photos, please visit pasadenashowcase.org.
