WHAT: Garvan Woodland Gardens, the University of Arkansas’ Botanical Gardens located on Lake Hamilton outside Hot Springs National Park, will be the site of a gift announcement that will affect the University of Arkansas as well as local and state tourism.

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 18 at 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Garvan Woodland Gardens is located at 550 Arkridge Road in historic Hot Springs National Park, just 12 minutes from Interstate 30.

From Interstate 30: Take the Malvern/Hot Springs exit and go north on Highway 270. At Martin Luther King Expressway, turn left. Take the Carpenter Dam Road exit, then turn left onto Carpenter Dam Road/Highway 128. Go five miles to Arkridge Road and turn right. Follow it into the gardens.

From Highway 7: Take Highway 290 for seven miles to Carpenter Dam Road/Highway 128 and turn to the left. The first road to your left is Arkridge Road. Follow it one mile into the gardens.

PHOTO AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES: Confirmed attendees for this news conference include Dr. B. Alan Sugg, president of the University of Arkansas System; Dr. David Gearhart, vice chancellor for University Advancement; John Ed Anthony, member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees; David Davies, executive director of Garvan Woodland Gardens. Attendees will be available for photos and interviews following the ceremony. Photographers also can get footage or photos of the gardens and the holiday light display.

IMPORTANT FACTS: Garvan Woodland Gardens is a division of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. The 210 acres on a forested peninsula jutting into Lake Hamilton were donated to the UA Department of Landscape Architecture by Verna Garvan. The garden features a pavilion designed by E. Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings, an amphitheater and other architectural structures in a natural woodland setting accented by natural and exotic plant and animal species.

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