Descanso Gardens grows its summertime offerings
Stroll into Descanso Gardens on a Wednesday night this month and head straight to the property’s Boddy Lodge in the Oak Woodland. There, the sounds of a DJ spinning relaxing music fills the air among the tranquil nature.
On July 8 the catered food, outdoor bar, picnic tables, lawn chairs, games and music brought out more than 100 attendees — Descanso members and their family and friends alike — to savor what is dubbed the “Lakeside Lounge.”
Over the last five years, Descanso Gardens’ ambitious programming has added thousands of new members, officials say, a growth trend the botanical retreat aims to continue.
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Juliann Rooke, chief operating officer of the gardens, said about five years ago they had about 8,500 households as members, where most are categorized as two individuals and children. The gardens had hovered between 7,900 and 8,500 members for many years, she said.
At the start of this summer, the nonprofit reached an ambitious goal of 14,000 households as members. It is the result of constant examination and adjustments to its program offerings, Rooke said. The move to increase revenue and membership has a twofold goal: to increase wider interest among Angelenos so they’ll experience the botanical showplace and to help with upkeep and maintenance.
At Lakeside Lounge on July 8, Rooke said they tallied more than 100 people, although the number might have been even larger, since members tend to wander through the garden as well. Compared to Thursdays’ jazz night ,where attendees are crammed onto the main lawn, Rooke said the Wednesday Lakeside Lounge is geared to be “more mellow” for gathering and relaxation.
“This is great,” said Rebecca Gilbert, a 15-year Descanso member from Eagle Rock. She was sitting with her kids and friend T.J. Deaton, a seven-year Descanso member, also from Eagle Rock, who was there with her child.
“We frequent on Thursdays for jazz nights and then here today,” Gilbert added. “It’s a hidden treasure. This is our local hangout.”
Jake Hartman of Atwater Village ate dinner with his wife and son at one of the picnic benches and enjoyed the lounge atmosphere. They have been Descanso members for two years.
“We’re regulars,” he said. “This is our first time at [the Lakeside Lounge]. Normally we’ve just been to music events here. This is nice because you can relax and let the kids run around while enjoying the food.”
Erin Kruse, field marketing representative from Golden Road Brewery, handed out merchandise at a tent and greeted attendees, encouraging them to walk over to the food vendor, Patina Catering, and try a beer.
“This is a family-friendly, relaxing summer evening,” she said. “I love events like this.”
Francisco Zepeda, event supervisor for Patina Catering, was dealing with a consistent food line at the height of Lakeside Lounge, where the street corn was topped with queso, and fish and carnitas tacos were moving fast.
Rooke praised Patina for its efforts as partners with Descanso, as well as Golden Road, a popular, local brewery.
Lakeside Lounge increased to eight events this summer, its second year operating, from two events in 2015, Rooke added. Next year, Descanso will look to shift its start dates away from early June, which saw lower turnout most likely due to graduations and the feeling of summer not quite hitting.
“We’re making a concerted effort to increase membership,” Rooke said, noting one of the first new programs offered five years ago were its jazz nights. A family-centered night called World Rhythms was added on Tuesdays.
“Entertainment would vary,” she said. “It could be a dance or a play on a stage. We saw an immediate increase, so we continued to play with programming.”
The tipping point was the Cherry Blossom Festival in March, where Descanso Gardens saw a record number in attendance of 12,000 in one weekend. All the feedback was not great, however, as Rooke says. A Facebook post about the festival went viral and too many people showed up. Traffic was backed up to the 2 Freeway. That’s a good problem to have, Rooke said.
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FOR THE RECORD
July 14, 3:18 p.m.: A previous of this story identified Juliann Rooke as chief executive. She is the chief operating officer. This story also previously stated the RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns is returning to Descango Gardens this year. It is not returning. Finally, it was reported that 1,000 people attended the Cherry Blossom Festival in one weekend. The actual attendance was 12,000 people.
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“Once people got in they were very happy, but we don’t want a very long line,” she said. “A lot of interesting artists and people come to play here.”
Next year, Descanso will institute prefilled tickets so there is access for the whole weekend.
Rooke added they are ramping up for a 43-night walk through of the gardens being completely lit up, starting from the day after Thanksgiving through Jan. 8.
Rooke added she is sure there probably is a cap to Descanso’s membership total.
“We’re not at it,” she said. “I think, really, our goal is for more of L.A. to have heard of us so we’re not so hidden, and we’re hoping this nighttime event can accomplish that.”
Matt Sanderson is a contributing writer.