Story and Photos by Jan Osborn.
When founder and president of Daymark Living, John Poston, thought about life as an adult for his son, Michael, he believed that Michael deserved the same opportunity as his siblings to a life independent of mom and dad. Michael Poston has Down syndrome. After opening Daymark Living in Waxahachie in the fall of 2018, John came up with the idea of Poston Gardens as a way to promote Daymark as a community for people with Intellectual or Development Disabilities (IDD). He thought about the beautiful corner piece of land he would drive by near I-35. “It’s not a great piece of land for a commercial real estate guy,” says John “but I started looking at it and thought this would be a great place for a tulip garden.” And that began the endeavor to open Poston Gardens.
Poston Gardens is now open for its third season and the tulips are in full bloom, but the spring festival looks a bit different this year! Covid-19 and the winter storms could not stop the blooming tulips. The debut of this spectacular event, celebrating the natural beauty of tulips while growing hope in the community will open to the public on March 19–28 held at the Waxahachie Civic Center.
Tulipalooza is about more than just flowers. It will include live music performances, local vendors, sponsor tents, and food trucks—all while helping to raise funds for 12 leading North Texas charities.
Tulipalooza by Poston Gardens and Daymark Living will be open rain or shine from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. starting Friday, March 19, and continuing through Sunday, March 28. One hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket and tulip sales will go to charity.
Admission to Tulipalooza is $20 for adults and $5 for children age 2 and older on the weekends; on weekdays, the price is $15 for adults and $5 for children age 2 and older; and $12 for seniors on Tuesday. For more information, go to tulipalooza.org.