STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Sawtooth Botanical Garden never lacks for color, given the bi-colored columbine, lavender and other plants that make up its five specialty gardens.

But on Saturday it got an extra splash of color as celebrants came together for the fifth annual Pride in the Garden.

Dozens of adults and children decorated their bicycles with yellow and orange leis, striped flags and streamers provided by Sun Valley Resort, and they bicycled to the garden from St. Luke’s hospital and East Fork Road.

Children blew bubbles against the backdrop of rainbows and rainbow-colored banners.

Upon arrival, they partook of tacos and margaritas served up by Despo’s new taco truck, went on a path of discovery looking for the garden’s new fairy houses and danced to “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia.”

Attendees hooted and hollered as a basket full of teeny tiny rainbow-colored rubber ducks were dumped into the creek running through the garden racing to the finish line.

“Go duck!” “Swim hard!” they yelled, hoping the ducks they placed their money on would win them a prize.

“This is not only a celebration of Pride but a fun-raiser for the garden,” said the garden’s executive director Jen Smith, who described herself as the garden’s fairy grandmother.”

A cyclist heads into the garden on her decorated bike.

Sarah Hedrick of Iconoclast Books laid out an array of banned books, such as “The Kite Runne,r” “The Scarlet Ribbon” and “Charlotte’s Web,” as passersby noted that many had been required reading for them in school. And Crow Cruz, a member of the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) team at St. Luke’s Wood River, handed out an array of rainbow-colored fans, sunglasses and other items as she promoted the idea that St. Luke’s prides itself as being a “Partner in Health.”

Miss Jaxon, dressed in bright orange, put on a show, somersaulting and cartwheeling across the grass against the backdrop of three-foot letters spelling LOVE.

“There’s some really scary things going on in the world right now so let’s just take the moment to be with one another and have fun,” said Miss Jaxon.

Morgan Landers, Courtney Hamilton and Katie Quaglia donned their most colorful duds as they participated in the fun.

K.O. Ogilvie gave the play-by-play for the Duck Race as Jen Smith reached in to capture the first duck to cross the finish line.