I am a member of the Arboretum and have loved it for years as a haven from the concrete prairie that is Dallas. Sure they have changed over the years, but one thing that never changes is nature.
The Dallas Blooms festival has begun, as reported here last week. And we had glorious weather over the weekend, so I went to revel in the beauty of the facility and my favorite views of the lake.
But something is different this year, something I haven’t ever seen before at our beloved Arboretum. It has its own specially prepared plot of land, right on top of a hill, where people normally picnic and view the lake.
I asked a couple of volunteers about this and they responded, cheerfully, that “This is one of our biggest sponsors.” As if that makes it all okay.
Who was it, in all those prior years, who kept the gardens of the Arboretum from becoming a showroom for merchandise? That was a really, really good call. And today, if the Arboretum cannot exist without becoming a showroom for merchandise, then it is with a heavy heart that I say, I just can’t watch it happen.
I am not leaving the Dallas Arboretum, but the Dallas Arboretum has left me.
