Party guests toured the newly restored homestead and herb gardens, then relaxed in the backyard and enjoyed sampling fresh herb-seasoned foods, Texas wines, and locally brewed Belgian-style beer.
Although headquartered in Austin for many years, residents and organizations in the Austin area have been unaware of ABC and its mission. "Now that we have a home base open for the public to visit, we wanted to put out the welcome mat and invite our Austin neighbors to come see us. The Preview Party provided the perfect opportunity for ABC to showcase our plans to the Austin community," said Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director of ABC.
"We are grateful that our first public event was such a success," said Wayne Silverman, Ph.D., Chief Administrative Officer of ABC. "We are especially thankful to the event sponsors, friends, and supporters of ABC, and to the Austin-area businesses who donated food, drinks, and raffle prizes." These prizes included gift certificates for a variety of goods and services donated by sponsors, ABC T-shirts, gift subscriptions to HerbalGram, and the grand prize, ABC's celebrated reference book on botanical medicine, The Complete German Commission E Monographs -- Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines.
Judging by the response to this event, ABC is no longer a secret in Austin! ABC is now building on this newfound local support, and plans are currently underway for another event to occur next fall: ABC's Grand Opening Celebration!
Article copyright American Botanical Council.
~~~~~~~~
By Mary Susan Clancy