Valentine legacy: Ashtons celebrate gift of Thanksgiving Point
Alan and Karen Ashton have a Valentine’s gift that keeps on giving.
Not a diamond ring, a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates, her sweetheart gift as well as his on Feb. 14, 1995, became 750 acres of farmland hidden in the windy country of north Utah County. On that day they signed documents to purchase the historic Fox family farm in Lehi.
Fifty-five of those acres have been nurtured and have blossomed into the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, an attraction that draws millions of visitors from all over the world.
“I hope when I’m gone that people will wander through the gardens and will find peace there and it will stand as a legacy, [but] my greatest legacy are my children,” Karen Ashton said during a phone interview from her home on Wednesday. In the background, some of their 11 children and 47 grandchildren could be heard laughing and talking.
A general board member for the Young Women’s organization for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Karen Ashton also served on the primary general board and in the Canada Toronto West Mission when Alan Ashton was its mission president. She spearheaded establishing the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival as a vehicle to raise money for the Orem Public Library; and her latest project is working with one of her sons, Brigham Ashton, for their not-for-profit Little Wonders program revitalizing fixer-upper homes in Orem.
Her husband today serves in the LDS Church as a bishop in a BYU stake, and is a former stake president.
“We are where we love to be the most, and that is up to the eyeballs in young people,” Karen said of their church work and family.
Co-founder of WordPerfect in 1979, a BYU professor in computer science, Alan Ashton is an ASH Capital founder and today is a co-contributor for the venture investment company.
“WordPerfect was the vehicle that gave us the opportunity to do the extra things that we have wanted to do,” she said.
One of those extra things was creating the Thanksgiving Point Institute in 1996. Seven years ago, Mike Washburn joined the institute as its chief executive officer. Since then, Thanksgiving Point has seen a 70 percent increase in guest attendance and a 90 percent increase in revenue. In 2009, 1.64 million people visited Thanksgiving Point.
“We’ve really experienced some strong growth in the last five to six years,” Washburn said. “One of the interesting things about Thanksgiving Point is all of the revenue goes back into Thanksgiving Point to create wonderful educational experiences for individuals and families.”
The nonprofit institute budget is also supplemented by grants, donations, sponsorships and by its founders, the Ashtons.
“We really feel we have done a really good job at maximizing revenue and our own support,” Washburn said, adding that nationally, museums and gardens experience generating 30-35 percent revenue while Thanksgiving Point generates 75-80 percent before receiving outside funds.
“We’re excited to be where we are, doing what we are doing, and excited for continued growth and continued offerings for the community,” he said. “It’s wonderful to look back and see how [the Ashtons’] vision is coming to fruition.”
Karen Ashton reflected on the vision she and her husband had for their newly purchased property 15 years ago.
“None of us could have known how really quickly the changes would happen; I knew there were changes for that little spot of earth,” she said.
They opened Thanksgiving Point to the public in 1997, shortly before Micron would build in Lehi, and stimulated economic growth, changing the small city of 18,000 to its estimated 46,000 population today.
When Karen Ashton appeared before the Lehi City Council a year earlier, her excitement was visible as she told the council members her dream for the undeveloped property. She said she and her husband wanted to name the site “Thanksgiving Point” because they hoped to show earth’s bounty and beauty as a way of showing gratitude to their creator. Over the years, city staff and officials learned that if the Ashtons said it was, it would be.
“One of the things I wanted more than anything else was to preserve the beauty,” she said in her soft voice. “I guess it’s really the opportunity to do something that will help people enjoy life. … I enjoy watching people enjoy themselves especially with family, I don’t know why.”
She loved roses, geraniums, pansies and tulips, and as the plans were made they grew until there were 15 themed gardens at the site including a large man-made waterfall with an amphitheater, a Monet pond and a rose garden.
And while she loves every space in The Gardens at Thanksgiving Point, it’s The Secret Garden she goes to for solitude, solace and reflection.
“It’s so good for you,” she said. “It makes you want to write poetry. I don’t write poetry by any stretch of the imagination, but it makes you feel that way.”
To the southeast of The Gardens is Alan Ashton’s Farm Country with horses, cows, rabbits, goats — everything a child or a child at heart would hope to see on a farm.
“I can’t say that I thought having animals out there was a great idea until I saw the stroller brigade,” Karen Ashton said. “We have a lot of mommies and little children all the time. I cannot believe how important seeing those animals is to the little children. I firmly believe that is the place to be if you are an 18-month-old.”
Later, a Johnny Miller signature golf course and its clubhouse would be built. One of the largest exhibits of dinosaur fossils in the world would be displayed at the Museum of Ancient Life. An arts institute would be established and various other venues such as the Water Tower Plaza and the Children’s Garden would become sparkling stars on the Ashton crown of thanksgiving.
Education is an important part of the institute for the Ashtons. Gardening, cooking and art are taught at the institute. More than 300 volunteers help with programs, and 4-H clubs, the FFA and Utah State University’s Extension Service support learning and classes at the institute.
A new project, establishing a children’s museum, has begun. The Ashtons and staff visited several museums to complete research on what worked for children when visiting a children’s museum. They discovered learning in the museum was secondary.
“People don’t go to a children’s museum to learn something, they go to be together with their family and have a wonderful time,” she said. “They want to be at a place that’s fun and if it’s in a learning environment, they learn something. They have the opportunity to learn something with their very best teacher who is their parent.”
Alan and Karen Ashton meet with their own children monthly at Thanksgiving Point’s Harvest Restaurant, but say they don’t get to enjoy the resort as often as they would like.
“Because of my callings in Salt Lake [for the LDS Church], I pass by more often than I would like to,” Karen Ashton said. “It’s really magical in the morning. I would love to spend more time out there … very soon the bulbs will be coming up and everything will wake up out there. Every flower bed is a new beginning.”
