When the AAS landscape design challenge theme was announced, the MGA of Tippecanoe began designing their games. At the garden entrance, star-shaped beds took on the life of a Chinese Checkers game. The raised six-pointed beds had each point of the star planted with an AAS Winner representing one color of the Chinese checker marbles: Viking XL Red on Chocolate begonia for red; Evening Sensation petunia for the blue; Sweet Daisy Birdy Leucanthemum for the white; Delizz strawberry for the green; Chef Choice Black tomato for the black and Big Duck marigolds and Chef Choice Yellow tomato for the yellow.

Another area hosted the AAS Tomato Scavenger Hunt. Thirteen tomato varieties were used. A mailbox housed clipboards with a list of questions. Hunters used the AAS variety signs to identify the varieties. A sample question: “Which AAS tomato variety would you give to your sweetheart?” (Valentine) This really made garden visitors focus on the signs plus, hunters sampled the varieties as they searched.

There was also a cornhole match located near the American Dream corn patch and a tongue twister competition with the recitation of “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers” located in the AAS pepper patch. In all, 67 varieties were planted, and hundreds of visitors were educated about AAS varieties. Surplus vegetables were donated to local food pantries and a homeless shelter.