The forecast for this weekend calls for snow. Ditto for the next
weekend and the two following. This is not an act of God, and Mother
Nature has nothing to do with it either. This particular precipitation
comes courtesy of Little Blizzard Fluid Concentrate, a soapy substance
that will be filling the air with snowlike flakes at the Memphis
Botanic Garden for “Snowy Nights in My Big Backyard.”
According to Jana Gilbertson, director of marketing for the Botanic
Garden, a lot of research was done to find the best fake snow. They
wanted something “universally friendly,” something that is
biodegradable and contains no wheat gluten. Because an estimated 110
gallons of Little Blizzard will be used in 11 days, its label was
carefully studied and was found to be devoid of warnings. “It’s
non-toxic,” Gilbertson says of the “snow,” which melts in a minute or
so. “It’s totally harmless.”
But “Snowy Nights” is more than snow. There’s a light show set to
music. The lights in the trees and on the Botanic Garden’s Backyard
structures are timed to circle the Leaping Lawn in intervals of 30
minutes. There’s also crafts-making and storytelling and caroling.
Plus, there’s another attraction for these snowy evenings, fake or
otherwise: hot chocolate and spiced tea.