- March 31, 2026
A community art project was available at the Music in the Gardens event for attendees to paint on. Joanna Bupp paints while watching the live music show. Photo by Sierra Williams
Two-year-old Henry Teigen plays in the sandbox with other kids at the Music in the Gardens event. Photo by Sierra Williams
Anthony and Kelsie Lobevero (right) play in the sand box with their young children. Photo by Sierra Williams
Easton Vashaw plays with the soap bubble set up at the Music in the Gardens event with his friends. Photo by Sierra Williams
Families dance at the biannual Music in the Gardens event at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. Photo by Sierra Williams
The Brothers Futch performed live at the biannual Music in the Gardens event at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. Photo by Sierra Williams
Families dance at the biannual Music in the Gardens event at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. Photo by Sierra Williams
The biannual Music in the Gardens event at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. Photo by Sierra Williams
The biannual Music in the Gardens event at the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park on March 29 serenaded park-goers with live music to raise funds for park improvement projects.
Twice a year in the spring and fall the Friends of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park organizes the Music in the Gardens as a fundraiser for park projects. Phyllis Minich, president of the nonprofit, said despite the cloudy weather threatening rain in the afternoon, the turnout was great.
The event has been around since 2019 to raise money for park improvement projects, but had been inconsistent in the years after the pandemic. The March 29 event featured live music from the Brothers Futch cover band, food trucks and a play area for kids.
The Friends of Washington Oaks raises money for projects to improve the park, including, in the past, raising the money for the stage at Washington Oaks. The organization’s volunteers also run the gift shop, plant sale pavilion and the park’s greenhouse.
The funds raised from the spring Music in the Gardens will likely go toward several projects in the park, including improving the park’s greenhouse, which, Minich said, gets very hot during the summer.
“It's very worthwhile, because the state of Florida pays for everything, but not any of the extras,” Minich said. “...We've got a small laundry list of projects that we work with the park manager on creating that list.”
