Last week’s Dinner Under the Stars was truly memorable, and it was a joy to connect with so many of you. Events like this thrive because of the passion and community you bring. Listening to USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Alexander Vaden served as a powerful reminder of the vital role the National Arboretum and the USDA Agricultural Research Service play in the lives of the American people. As the only ARS facility open to the public, the Arboretum is an important community touchstone in Washington, D.C. Deputy Secretary Vaden underscored FONA’s importance in ensuring it continues to thrive. We also celebrated the incredible legacy Dr. Richard Olsen leaves behind at the National Arboretum as he ends his role as Director and begins a new chapter in academia.

Special thanks to Bartlett Tree Experts, Danone USA, Bayer, and International Fresh Produce Association for leading a powerful group of sponsors whose support fuels investments in the Arboretum’s industry-leading research, expand education opportunities, enhance facilities, and improve community access.

Are you part of a running crew, or want to run the Fall 5K as a group with your family and friends? Team registration options are available! The Fall 5K & Festival will be held at the U.S. National Arboretum on Saturday, October 31st at 8:30 AM. It is a wonderfully scenic run/walk with a backdrop of fall foliage, rolling hills, and beautiful gardens. Our 5Ks always have a supportive atmosphere, so register as a team with your running crew for camaraderie or a little friendly competition!

The US National Arboretum will be closing to the public at 2 PM on Saturday, October 3rd. The Arboretum will resume normal hours on Sunday, October 4th, and apologizes for any inconvenience.

The African marigold (Tagetes erecta) is native to Mexico and Central America, and is also known as the Aztec marigold, Mexican marigold, big marigold, cempazúchitl, or cempasúchil. The Mexica, a Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico, gathered the wild plant for food as well as cultivated it for medicinal, ceremonial, and decorative purposes. The word cempazúchitl (also spelled cempasúchil) comes from the Nahuatl term for the flower cempohualxochitl, literally translated as "twenty flower". In Mexico, the marigold is used in the festivities of the Día de los Muertos, to decorate altars and tombs as a way to honor the dead. The Cherokee use it as a skin wash and yellow dye. 

It’s officially Autumn, so we thought it was time to recap the amazing summer you made possible here at the Arboretum! Throughout the summer, we held Food Truck Fridays and Wellness Wednesday programming. Almost 400 participants connected to the outdoors through yoga, gong bathing, art, and more. 

Over 1800 people danced, sung, and connected with friends and family at our Music in the Meadow concerts. One concertgoer reflected, “it was such a nice way to bring the community together. There were families, kids of all ages, older adults without kids, young adults, dogs — just a lovely mix of people enjoying the event together.”



While many joined us for our programs and events, others took advantage of summer evening hours to simply relish the quiet beauty of Arboretum evenings. Keeping our gates open longer allowed us to welcome 40,000 additional visitors during extended hours. Local neighborhood residents and international tourists alike shared how much they enjoyed the breezy summer nights, beautiful sunsets, and peaceful moments in nature after work. 

Thank you to Pepco and Sustainable Maryland for awarding FONA $10,000 to help fund improvements to the Washington Youth Garden (WYG) at the U.S. National Arboretum. Thanks to this generous grant, we were able to install a brand new pergola, two raised beds, and one additional picnic table in WYG. These infrastructure improvements allow us to provide more access to picnic spaces and shade for our visitors, including teachers doing professional development and students visiting on field trips. The food we grow in the raised beds is donated weekly to food giveaways with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. We are grateful to Pepco and Sustainable Maryland for making these improvements possible!

See our calendar for a list of all of our upcoming events and programs. FONA members get perks like discounts and early access to registration. Donate any amount to become a FONA member!