Sod will fill the round area in front of the terraced seating. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

Through a $150,000 donation from the Ledbetter family, the Lake Tahoe Community College demonstration garden has evolved into a community destination.

On Sept. 20 the Ledbetter Outdoor Terrace will be formally dedicated as part of the annual Autumn Fest.

Landscape architect Brett Long and his crew have been feverishly moving dirt, laying sod, planting trees and creating a terraced seating area on a half acre of the nearly 3-acre garden.

“This venue a lot of people can use,” Long said as the sprinkler system was being put in.

He envisions with some creative seating that graduation could be staged at the mini-amphitheater. Between 120-150 could fit in the area.

The site is wired so movies could be shown at night. It’s ideal for lectures, an outdoor classroom or

John Roos works on the Ledbetter Outdoor Terrace at LTCC.

community events venue.

Grass encompasses a circular, stage-like area, while the seating is on terraced rock walls.

Jessica Ledbetter wrote the check on behalf of her parents Bill and Beverlee Ledbetter. Beverlee is the daughter of Harvey and Llewellyn Gross — the founders of Harveys hotel-casino. Bill worked for Harvey Gross.

The original demonstration garden is still there. Part of it helps Lake Tahoe Basin residents with ideas for best management practices — a Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requirement.

The irony is the demonstration garden was created years ago by the college as a mitigation measure from a TRPA infraction, Long said. That obligation recently expired so the college had more leeway in what to do with the property.

Volunteers are needed Sept. 16 from 8am-7pm to wrap-up the work. If interested, contact Long at (530) 541.0255.

Sunday’s Autumn Fest schedule:

11:15am — Ledbetter Outdoor Terrace dedication

11:30am — Speaker: Lesley Higgins, maintaining native shrubs and trees

12:30pm — Speaker: Anna McLean, attracting birds to your garden

1pm — Garden tour and puppet show

1:30pm — Speaker: Lorilyn Haubrich, medicinal plants

2pm — Garden tour and puppet show

2:45pm — Door prize drawing

Ongoing activities include live music, horse drawn carriage rides, pumpkin patch, silent auction, bake sale, and kids’ activities. The event is free.