GARDEN PARTY 2025

An End-of-Season Celebration!

Last summer, we took some time to get to know our new home at the Ent Center for the Arts with a 40th Anniversary Gala. But now, the annual Garden Party is BACK at Hillside Gardens!

Enjoy the stunning view of Pikes Peak and the lush gardens that are one of Colorado Springs’ most popular wedding destinations - even our own Executive Director is getting married there!

All the while, you’ll enjoy a wonderful meal and music from the Chamber Orchestra. It’s the perfect way to start your summer - and we’ll even have some items you can bid on to take home!

EVENT SCHEDULE

5:30 PM — “Doors” open. Stroll through the garden or find a seat!
6:00 PM — Dinner begins.
7:00 PM — Music & Live Auction: Proceeds to benefit the Chamber Orchestra. See information below.

DINNER MENU

Salad & Bread Appetizers, with Tea & Coffee

Beef Medallions & Peppercorn Sauce: Tender beef shoulder medallions with a rich peppercorn sauce.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken: Grilled natural chicken breast with creamy lemon rosemary sauce topped with spinach chiffonade.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad: Refreshing orzo pasta with tangy olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, feta and fresh herbs.

Fresh Grilled Vegetables Medley: Grilled vegetables that can include asparagus, red peppers, chiles, onions, and zucchini

Plus: Desserts - such as lemon bars, pecan bars, brownies, cheesecake bites - and an assortment of wine and other beverages from Hillside Gardens.


You’ll See: One of the Most Beautiful Views in the City

You’ll Hear: A Concert While You Dine

You’ll Feel: Connected to Nature and Community


Tickets Now Available + A $10 Discount for COS Subscribers


June 10th
2025

Tuesday, 5:30PM
Hillside Gardens


This Event is Made Possible by:

2025-26 Season Sponsor:

AUCTION INFORMATION

New this year: the chance to take home anything ranging from a special bottle of wine to a musical summer vacation!

All of the items below will be auctioned off at the Garden Party - if you want to bid, you’ll have to be there! Proceeds from all items go to benefit the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs.

BRECKENRIDGE SUMMER PACKAGE

Enjoy a FULL WEEK at a beautiful condo in Breckenridge - check-in on June 20th, and check-out on June 27th.

This week is perfectly timed to align with the start of the National Repertory Orchestra’s summer festival, so we’ve thrown in a pair of tickets to their opening concert on June 21st and their concert on June 25th.

Experience music by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Mahler, and more - in one of the most picturesque venues Colorado has to offer.

(ESTIMATED VALUE: $2,050)

“NAVAJO BUS STOP” PAINTING

Original oil painting by Paul Forster - 20"x24"

Paul Peter Forster of Buffalo, New York, and Leawood, Kansas, was a member of the Brigham Young University art faculty during the 1960s and 1970s. His wife Peggy was the director of the Springville Museum of Art. Paul was well respected for his sensitive use of color and modeled figurative and landscapes of the Southwest. His work has been shown at the Tivoli Gallery in Salt Lake City for many years.

(ESTIMATED VALUE: $4,000)

HAFNER WINE PACKAGE

Hafner Vineyard is in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, on land where grapes have been grown for over a century. They are committed to staying small in size and making high-quality wines through careful, hands-on managing of their vineyard and winemaking.

  • 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon

  • 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

  • 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon

  • 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

  • 2020 Blanc de Blanc Sparkling

  • 2022 Reserve Chardonnay

  • 2019 Next Red

  • 2024 Rosé

This item also comes with a beautiful display rack.

(ESTIMATED VALUE: $500)

TED BLUM JEWELER’S SERVICES $200 GIFT CARD

Jewelers Services is a family run business specializing in custom designs, engraving, jewelry repair, insurance appraisals, consignment and bead stringing.

They have graciously agreed to support our Garden Party with a $200 gift card - enough to handle a repair, cleaning, or get you started towards that next special item.

(ESTIMATED VALUE: $200)

CHATEAU LAFITE ROTHCHILD 1980 & CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHCHILD 1980

A wine-lover’s unearthed gem: a bottle each of meticulously cared for Chateau Lafite Rothchild 1980 and Cheateau Mouton Rothchild 1980.

In 1855, dozens of winemakers in the Bordeaux region of France were ranked into four categories of quality. Only four wine-makers were designated with the highest rating of Premier Crus - one of them was Chateau Lafite Rothchild. In 1973, the list was amended to include Chateau Mouton Rothchild, indicating that both of these bottles are among the finest French wines available anywhere in the world.

These spectacular wines have aged well - their corks are moist and not leaking, the bottles were always stored on their sides, and they were transported to the United States in a climate-controlled environment in 1987. The average retail price for these 45-year-old bottles are $935 and $485, respectively.

As with all old bottles, they will most likely need to be decanted prior to enjoyment.

(ESTIMATED VALUE: $1,420)


WHAT TO KNOW


VENUES & DRESS CODE

This event is held at Hillside Gardens.

Doors open at 5:30PM.

Wear whatever will make you comfortable outside on a pleasant, summer evening! Most guests opt for business casual.

PARKING

Parking is available on-site, at the neighboring church, and on the street.

DO I NEED TO SELECT MY DINNER CHOICE IN ADVANCE?

No. Dinner is served buffet style, so you may try whatever suits your fancy on the day of the event!