The year's longest day has long been an occasion to celebrate. At this Iowa garden party, the fun doesn't end even after the sun finally sets.

By Berit Thorkelson. Photographs by Pete Krumhardt.

Summer Fun

(Originally Published May/June 2004)

FOR A KID, SUMMER IS the most free and promising of times, a succession of long, green, sunlit days waiting to be filled with fun. You spend them running through the backyard sprinkler or twirling on merry-go-rounds at the local park. You take long bike rides along neighborhood sidewalks with no particular destination and play games made up with friends as long as the late-burning summer sun allows.

For an adult, summer remains magnificent, though most of us have commitments that make it feel somewhat less than completely free. Still, we dawdle outdoors during lunch hours, take off full weeks for family vacations at cabins and express deep gratitude for the overhead sun, as we twiddle in our gardens well into weekday evenings.

We can all linger latest on June 20th, the day this year with the most sunlight. It's called the Summer Solstice and Midsummer, and it's long been singled out as a reason to celebrate. For adults, it's a great excuse to expand appreciation of the season to more youthful proportions (minus the skinned knees and Popsicle stains). What better day to recapture that summer-inspired exuberance and freedom than this one, so packed with light and warmth? What better place to do so than in a green garden, its lush growth showcasing the benefits of lengthy summer days?

This Midsummer celebration unfolds in the Des Moines, Iowa, garden of Wade Scherrer and Anthony Horvath in the historic Sherman Hill neighborhood just west of downtown. The couple take full advantage of their secluded, terraced lot that overflows with plants and flowers. At its center sits a five-tiered Mexican bronze-patina fountain that's been the centerpiece for wedding rehearsal dinners, vow renewals and neighbor-hood get-togethers. Today it's a celebration of summer. We used Wade and Anthony's time-tested party ideas and threw in a few of our own.

The couple greet guests, who enter the garden under a stone arch, one of the many salvaged architectural details found throughout the space. The use of old materials helps connect the garden to the century-old home. In the spirit of embracing all the best that the season has to offer, fresh plants, herbs and flowers are everywhere, from feverfew tucked into napkin rings to ivy garlands woven into the metal pergola. So are streaming ribbons, reminiscent of the traditional Midsummer maypole, and sheer white toile.

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