By K.D. Norris
Every visit to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a different experience than any other — there is always something new blooming in the gardens, or up on the art gallery’s walls, or a sculpture placed in a new or changed setting in the nearly 160 acres of land encompassing the West Michigan entertainment and cultural landmark.
And the last three years, there has even been even more changes to the Gardens’s buildings and grounds as part of a massive expansion — changes that are near completion with the recent opening of the new Welcome Center.
The WKTV Journal In Focus team recently visited for a special interview with David Hooker, president & CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
We talked about the Gardens nearing the end of its multi-year expansion, the successful completion of a $115 million dollar capital campaign that funded it all, as well as keeping the doors open in 2020 despite pandemic restrictions.
Mr. Hooker also discussed the beautiful mystery that is the future of the Garden’s “natural area” — a one-time golf course but at this time unplanned area of donated land adjacent to the current park.
And Mr. Hooker has plenty of stories about Fred and Lena, but did you ever hear the story about his beginning experience at Meijer Gardens? Bet it is not what you think!
For more information about Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, visit meijergardens.org.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
