Richfield, MN

The Richfield Liquor Stores are teaming up once again with the city’s Recreation Services Department, and this time, there are even more ways to help the community when purchasing your next bottle of wine.

The Richfield Recreation Department and the city’s municipal liquor stores are partnering with Bonterra Organic Vineyards during the month of September to raise money for a butterfly garden and additional landscaping around the entrance of the Augsburg Adventure Park. 

For every bottle of Bonterra wine purchased through September 20, the winemaker will donate one dollar to the project.

“At the start of September, we had always planned on having the butterfly garden project as the beneficiary of our round-up program,” said Richfield Liquor operations director Bill Fillmore. “However, when a Bonterra representative heard about the initiative the company wanted to go even further by creating its own promotion.”

The Augsburg Adventure Park, which opened in July, has been one of the city’s most popular attractions over the summer. And while the playground is complete with equipment and happy children, the entrance to the playground could use some additional beautification.  

Richfield Liquor was an indispensable partner in terms of bringing the Augsburg Adventure Park to Richfield. The stores’ round-up program was able to raise $20,000 for the project and has become a point of pride for staff.

“So many of our employees live and grew up in Richfield,” remarked Fillmore. “They see the outcomes of our round-up program and other annual recreation funding contributions on a daily basis. It brings them a lot of pride in both the work they do and the community they are a part of.”  

The butterfly garden project, which Recreation Department staff estimate will cost approximately $2,000, will be installed during the spring of 2022.  

“Aesthetically, adding some flowers and shrubs to the entrance will definitely enhance the overall visitor experience, but it will also allow us to use the garden for educational purposes,” stated Recreation Services Department director Amy Markle. “Plus, the playground has a pollinator sub-theme with butterfly and caterpillar play features. When this project is done, we will have butterflies inside and outside the playground!”  

Additionally, the project aligns with the city’s sustainability goals.

“In the United States, pollinator insects such as butterflies, bees and beetles have been in steep decline over the past several years,” explained sustainability specialist Rachel Lindholm. “They have been facing habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. As a city, we have had a lot of success adding pollinator habitats in recent years. The butterfly garden at Augsburg Park will be another great addition.”   

Bonterra is also the Wine of the Month at Richfield Liquor. All red and rosé varietals can be purchased for $9.98 a bottle, with white varietals selling for $8.98.

Available varietals include cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, equinox red, merlot, rosé, sauvignon blanc, young red and zinfandel.    

Richfield Liquor customers can still contribute to the butterfly garden project without purchasing a bottle of Bonterra. The butterfly garden project is the recipient of the stores’ round-up program through the end of November. 

Other projects aided by the Richfield Liquor’s round-up program include the dog park located in Roosevelt Park, Wood Lake Nature Center’s scholarship fund, Augsburg Adventure Park and an inclusive wheelchair for the nature center.   

“The round-up program has helped the Recreation Department deliver several projects that the organization did not have funding for,” said Markle. “I hear about the program from residents in the community and they are always excited to see what a difference their pennies, nickels and dimes can do for our parks.”