MEDIA ADVISORY/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Children’s Musical Garden at Colorado State University to be dedicated Oct. 17

The Colorado State University Early Childhood Center will celebrate its new Children’s Musical Garden at a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, and media are welcome to attend.

The garden, which features various musical instruments designed for children, was funded with a $53,000 donation from former Colorado First Lady Bea Romer and her close friend Peggy Noland, who met as freshmen at what was then known as Colorado A&M in 1947.

Both studied child development in what was then called the College of Home Economics, and early childhood education was Romer’s focus when her husband, Roy Romer, served as Colorado governor for three terms in the 1980s and 1990s. (Gov. Romer is expected to attend Friday’s ceremony as well.)

The idea of creating the “Bea Romer and Peggy Noland Children’s Musical Garden” arose during a tour of the Early Childhood Center last year. Noland had traveled to CSU to watch Bea Romer receive the College of Health and Human Sciences Honor Alumna Award from the CSU Alumni Association.

In addition to musical instruments, the garden features a memorial bench and tree to honor Noland’s late son, Michael Daly Noland.

The outdoor instruments, which include a xylophone, pagoda bells, contrabass chimes and a metalophone, were made by Durango-based Freenotes Harmony Park.

Remarks are scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. The center is located at 223 S. Shields St. in Fort Collins.

The Early Childhood Center is part of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Health and Human Sciences at CSU.

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