Halloween Event In Essex County: ‘Gardens Aglow’ At Presby

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — It’s a quintessential Halloween experience in Essex County: “Gardens Aglow.”

The free, annual Halloween-themed event will return to the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Montclair from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25. It takes place at the gardens, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue.

At the event, the public can take in an elaborate display of carved botanic, floral and Halloween-themed pumpkins created by local high school students. All jack-o-lanterns will be lit with candles and lined around the flower beds to help illuminate the gardens. Seasonal refreshments – including cider – will be available.

Learn more about this local event.

Admission is free. For information, call 973-268-3500.

Essex County officials offered the following background about Presby Gardens:

"The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens were initially conceived in 1927 as a tribute to Frank Presby, an active local citizen who was an advocate of the arts and horticulture with a particular fondness of irises. He served on the Boards of the Montclair Art Museum and The American Iris Society. The Citizens Committee was formed simultaneously to be the overseers of the gardens and appointed Barbara Walther to chair the organization and curate the iris collection, a role she voluntarily played for 50 years. She collaborated with the American Iris Society to develop a collection that would not only represent the entire recorded history of the iris dating back to 1500, but also ensured the addition of the newest iris introductions every year. The gardens are now a living museum of iris and, as the largest public display of iris in the world, boast a collection of over 10,000 irises of 3,200 named cultivars. Presby showcases the Rainbow on the Hill of 100,000 blooms every May drawing thousands of admirers from around the world.

"Essex County preserved the Iris Gardens and the Walther House, adjacent to the gardens, by adding the entire enclave to the historic Essex County Park System in April 2009. The Citizens Committee collaborates with the County by serving as the non-profit fundraising arm to financially support the annual costs associated with staffing and operating the iris gardens. The gardens and Walther House have been listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places since 1982."

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