Bright spot

ON DISPLAY

The most complex team in terms of time and labor is that of the illuminators, who plan the displays and create new ones. “It’s an arduous process,” Laura Cooper said. In her second year heading the team, she originally got involved when her daughter signed up for school service hours. “They needed people for parking. The next year, I was head of parking. It escalated from there.”

Sam Comer, on Heathcote’s board of directors for 20 years, is new to the illuminators. “We re-did the parking lot, put

in the Secret Garden. But making things — I’d never done that before.”

Most displays are handcrafted. Hundreds of thousands of hand-placed lights, in every color of the rainbow, transform Heathcote into an enchanted land — including the James J. Smith Bonsai Collection, the nation’s largest public bonsai display.

Cooper said she appreciates the bigger budget this year, as well as the challenge to create new displays for the Hang Ten with Heathcote anniversary theme. “We’ll have a moving waterfall with otters, a wave scene, manatees, mermaids, a nightly Christmas tree lighting,” she said.

In the beginning, some displays were purchased ready-made but most of what visitors see today has been meticulously created by the illuminators. “We use laundry wire, zip ties, PVC pipe, fence posts, bamboo — everything has to be planned out,” Cooper said.

One string of lights may not weigh much, but the sheer number used for displays makes planning essential. A single orchid, for example, uses 300 lights. If a tree is unable to support the weight, framework must be added. Sections are set up a little at a time, to view and critique. “Sometimes you can’t see a vignette from the path,” Cooper explained. “So, adjustments have to be made.”

Vicki Hoyos is Heathcote’s executive director. “I fell in love with Heathcote during the Garden of Lights,” she said. When she returned during the day, she had a completely different experience. She stressed that one visit isn’t enough to fully appreciate the five-acre garden, as it is constantly changing and evolving.

“As a nonprofit, we’re not self-sufficient,” Hoyos said.

“We rely on admissions, memberships, classes, venue rentals, grants, fundraising events and general contributions. [The public] helps by getting involved, helping at events — or even helping to bring awareness of the good works we are doing.”

SOME HISTORY

Heathcote Nursery started in 1925, when New Yorker Frederick Fox opened his wholesale business on Orange Avenue in Fort Pierce. Jim Crimmins, a landscape engineer, and his wife, Mollie, a landscape architect, became managers in 1933. They added retail, with a showroom and office on Dixie Highway.

Over the years, Heathcote beautified public and private areas through donations and expertise. By 1957, the Crimminses owned Heathcote, by then located on Savannah Road. Their 1922 frame house serves as the garden’s office building today.

Things got complicated when the Crimminses decided to retire and offered the property to the city for $250,000, to use as a botanical garden. As Mollie Crimmins told reporter Gregory Enns in 1984, “There’s no point in selling it to developers. They’d cut all the trees down and build condominiums. Heavens, I don’t want that.”

Gloria Moore, with the St. Lucie County Federation of Garden Clubs, was tasked by city commissioners to explore the idea. Between garden clubs and other organizations, she rallied more than 600 supporters who recognized the education and tourism possibilities.

Not everyone saw the potential. Newspaper editorials pushed for government to stay out of gardening. Meetings were tabled. The Crimminses, perhaps anguishing over the amount of time things were taking, dropped the price.

By early 1985, things were looking up. Friends of Proposed Heathcote Botanical Gardens was formed to raise funds. The nonprofit incorporated. City, county and state grants were received. On Jan. 22, 1986, the property was purchased.

Extensive work was necessary before opening to the public and when Heathcote’s first Festival of Lights was held in December 2014. The result was — from most accounts — underwhelming.

Having visited charming Christmas markets in Europe, volunteers Tom and Judy Salmon dreamed big. Through online research, Tom Salmon discovered the Garden d’Lites in Bellevue, Washington. Another Heathcote volunteer, David Martin, flew there to speak with designers.

Next, Tom Salmon put together a power point presentation for the board that — while not ignoring their limited finances, space and labor — provided suggestions to overcome each hurdle.

Cris Adams was president at the time. “We all thought it was a bold move,” she said. “Our treasurer crunched the numbers, reported back, and the decision was made to move forward. What an amazing vision.”

BECOMING TRADITION

Judy Salmon remembers the first weekend, a decade ago. “People were so enthusiastic,” she said. “For probably the first five years, we’d hear, ‘I didn’t know Heathcote even existed!’ Today, it’s a yearly tradition for many families. People who came at the beginning now bring their grandchildren to take a photo with Heathcote the Bear.”

Attendance in the first year was roughly half what it is now expected — around 10,000 visitors. But much of what was established early on — in the way of displays and procedures — became the standard for future years. “Santa has been a staple since year one,” Adams said. “What fun it is to interview Santa candidates.”

This year, a VIP night is scheduled for Dec. 3. Tickets for Under the Lights: Wine, Cheese & Chocolate are $50 and must be purchased in advance. Heathcote also partners with schools and organizations to provide a magical evening for disabled students; this year’s Night of Illumination is scheduled for Dec. 19 but is by invitation only.

Although no longer president of the board, Adams continues to volunteer throughout the year — including Garden of Lights. “We had an incredible beginning that we’ve been able to build on over the years,” she said. “I consider it the premier holiday light show on the Treasure Coast and beyond. And it’s all local talent creating it.”