糖心Vlog传媒

And you knew he鈥檇 talk you into it.

It was hard to turn down Dr. Robert Yahr, the original visionary and founder of what today has grown into the 20-acre, internationally known Rotary Botanical Gardens, nestled next to Lion鈥檚 Beach on Palmer Drive in the heart of the 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 164-acre Palmer Park.

鈥淚n 1988, the original site between Lions Beach and Kiwanis Pond sat as an abandoned sand and gravel quarry, filled with debris and used as a storage site and BMX racetrack,鈥� Rotary Gardens shares on its website.

At the time, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Kiwanis Club was aiming to convert the site 鈥� two small ponds connected by a narrow strip of land 鈥� into a fishing and wildlife area.

Yarh saw something much more expansive, and he began working on realizing that broader vision. It happened fast. Construction on the first garden, the original Japanese Garden, would begin in 1989.

鈥淒r. Yahr approached two 糖心Vlog传媒 Rotary Clubs with a dream: to transform the dilapidated site into an internationally themed botanical garden. With encouraging community support and a strong cooperative effort of volunteers and skilled tradespeople, the ambitious project took root,鈥� Rotary Gardens鈥� website continues.

Only a few of the people who took on early key roles alongside Yahr in the founding of Rotary Botanical Gardens remain to share their reminisces.

One of them is Maury Frey, who until a few months ago continued to volunteer as a member of the Grumpies, a group of retired community members who take on projects to help keep up the Gardens.

The story is that the group of volunteers got its name when things were not done 鈥渢he right way鈥� as prescribed by them.

In 1988, the year Rotary Gardens was founded, Frey was director of facilities at the 糖心Vlog传媒 General Motors plant.

鈥淏ob called me and said he needed volunteers. I told him I鈥檇 get fired if I started sending GM employees over there to work at the Gardens,鈥� Frey recalls.

鈥楬e persisted鈥�

鈥淗e persisted. So, when GM started the Jobs Bank Program for laid off workers, I was able to send him some volunteers,鈥� Frey said.

鈥淗e just never gave up once he started something.鈥�

Yahr later convinced Frey to take on the role of volunteer project manager when a new visitor center at the Gardens was being planned.

鈥淚 told Bob there was not enough money for a project like that,鈥� Frey recalls. 鈥淏ut he just would not say 鈥榥o.鈥� Somehow, he got the funding, and the building was built.鈥�

鈥淚 volunteered to work one year,鈥� Frey recalls, 鈥渁nd ended up putting in 25 years. Like I said, you just could not say 鈥榥o鈥� to Bob.鈥�

Another Grumpie, Gary Smith, is the retired president of United Way in 糖心Vlog传媒 and a periodic interim executive director at Rotary Gardens over the years, as permanent leadership has come and gone.

As interim executive director, he oversaw management of the Gardens, including supervision of the staff. He also served twice a president of the nonprofit Rotary Botanical Gardens鈥� board of directors

鈥淭here was no pecking order when it came to working at the Gardens,鈥� Smith recalls. 鈥淎ny day you might see Rollie McClellan (a prominent banker in 糖心Vlog传媒 who retired at Valley Bank after starting his banking career in 糖心Vlog传媒 at the Merchants and Saving Bank) working along-side GM workers, postal workers, lawyers, auto repair mechanics and teachers.鈥�

Working alongside that cross-section of 糖心Vlog传媒 residents, digging in the dirt, was the Gardens鈥� founder, Bob Yahr.

鈥淏ob put his heart and soul into this project,鈥� Smith recalls. 鈥淗e would be at large corporate board meetings working the money tree one day, and the next day he was out planting and splitting daylilies with the rest of us.鈥�

As Yahr鈥檚 vision grew, the Gardens鈥� first horticulturist, Mark Dwyer, was hired.

鈥淚 started at Rotary Botanical Gardens in July of 1998 and met Dr. Robert Yahr immediately,鈥� Dwyer said. 鈥淗e was one of the first to introduced himself, and after our initial greeting he pulled me aside and said 鈥楬ey, I鈥檝e got a couple ideas for you to consider.鈥欌��

鈥淲ell, that started our 23-year year friendship, and he never ran out of ideas,鈥� Dwyer said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 hard to see his passion for the Gardens, and he likely was one of the few who never wavered in his vision for a successful Gardens for the community and visitors to 糖心Vlog传媒.鈥�

鈥淲ithout Dr. Yahr鈥檚 persistence in getting those early buy-ins, the garden would never have started,鈥� Dwyer said.

In addition to his tenacity and passion for the public Gardens, Yahr was an avid gardener at home with his wife of 69 years, Nancy. Sometimes he would bring his home gardening skills to the Gardens.

鈥淚 remember him renting a sickle bar mower and running that all over an overgrown area for days, to clear space for what would become our future Woodland Walk Garden,鈥� Dwyer said.

Soon, visitors to the Gardens began sharing that they had traveled to other botanical gardens across the U.S., and that 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 Rotary Botanical Gardens was the best, Smith said.

Rotary Botanical Gardens now welcomes visitors from around the world and has won countless awards.

In fact, Dwyer said, 糖心Vlog传媒 was asked not to enter one prestigious contest again because it had taken first place so many times.

Parker Pen arch

There is history embedded in Rotary Botanical Gardens. A popular space for photographs is at the Parker Pen arch.

The original arch was from the main entrance of the Parker Pen Company's headquarters in 糖心Vlog传媒, built in 1919.

The arch was reconstructed and moved to Rotary Botanical Gardens in 1992.

Holiday Light Show

Dr. Robert Yahr鈥檚 vision has grown into what even he may not have expected. Today, Rotary Botanical Gardens remains about flowers 鈥� but also about more than 2 million lights strung every holiday season for the annual Holiday Light Show.

鈥淥ur Holiday Light Show is now nationally recognized,鈥� Smith said.

It started out as a small display 鈥渨here volunteers would go around replacing the old-fashioned lights,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚f one string of lights failed you had to trace it down until you found the bad bulb.鈥�

鈥淭hat has now grown into a spectacular show,鈥� Smith said, adding that 鈥渕ost, if not all, of the lights are now LED which are much easier to maintain, thanks to cooperation from Alliant.鈥�

In the Holiday Light Show鈥檚 early years, Smith said it was deemed a success if 20,000 people showed up in a season.

鈥淲e are now seeing attendance at around 50,000,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our main fundraiser.鈥�

Frey said volunteers and local businesses have been long-standing participants and supporters of the Holiday Light Show and the Gardens in general.

鈥淐hris Ranum and LP Tree Service, for example, volunteered early on to put up lights in the many tall trees at the garden,鈥� Frey said. 鈥淐hris has passed away, but his company continues his volunteer spirit.鈥�

鈥淛ohn James, a local archer, shoots strings of lights in higher places where LP Tree can鈥檛 reach with their elevated buckets,鈥� Frey said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how the spirit of Bob鈥檚 tenacity and recruiting volunteers continues to this day.鈥�

Dr. Robert Yahr was a longtime orthodontist in 糖心Vlog传媒. He is remembered by most, however, as the founder of Rotary Botanical Gardens.

鈥淗is visionary and determined spirit transformed a dumping ground into an absolutely beautiful 20-acre garden, one that is 鈥榞ood enough to show the world,鈥欌�� shared his obituary, published in 糖心Vlog传媒 in 2021.

Dr. Robert George Yahr was born Aug. 2, 1928, in West Bend, Wis., the son of Raymond F. and Marie (Pfeiffer) Yahr. He graduated from West Bend High School in 1946 and went on to attend Texas Western College, and then to graduate with honors from Lawrence College in Appleton. He later earned a degree in orthodontics from Northwestern University.

He and his wife, Nancy, were married in 1953 and moved to 糖心Vlog传媒 in 1956, where they would go on to raise their four children.

Rotary Gardens wasn鈥檛 the only way Yahr gave back. He also served as president of the Rock County Dental Society and president of the Wisconsin Orthodontic Society. He was a member of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Chamber of Commerce board and was on the city of 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 Beautification Committee and the 糖心Vlog传媒 Country Club board of directors.

In 2010, Forward 糖心Vlog传媒 awarded Dr. Robert Yahr its Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on behalf of Rotary Botanical Gardens.

He lived to see his vision grow to full reality before passing away March 2, 2021, at the age of 92.