Garden Gala Around the Corner!

It seems hard to believe, but spring is just around the corner and even warmer days lie ahead. With this in mind, the Friends of Lorenzo have already turned their thoughts to Lorenzo’s magnificent gardens and have begun to plan their annual Garden Gala. 

This year’s gala will be held from 6-8 pm on Friday, June 15^th. Guests can enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music, and lively conversation while taking in the sights and smells of the magnificent Ellen Shipman formal gardens at Lorenzo, which should be in full bloom.  

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to win an array of items, all of which will have a flower theme this year. These include a flower arranging class for four given by Suzanne Phillips followed by a tea, beautiful planted urns, an opportunity to have a garden professionally photographed, and much more.  Some guests will also have the chance to take home a piece of Lorenzo. There will be cuttings of plants from the Lorenzo gardens that participants can take home and plant in their own gardens! 

Keeping with our outdoor theme, we will raffle off an elegantly decorated table set for eight that will be beautifully adorned to represent our garden motif.  One fortunate person will win everything on the table!!  

Of course, we will once again be raffling the catered dinner for eight in the Lorenzo formal gardens. The lucky winner will enjoy an evening under the stars with five of her/his friends, dining amidst the lovely gardens on mouthwatering delicacies prepared by suzanne & co.

We will also unveil a wonderful surprise at the beginning of the evening! Dr. David Eldridge, Friends of Lorenzo supporter and talented wood craftsman and cabinetmaker, has generously offered to donate a piece of furniture, hand crafted by him.  For his inspiration, he has chosen a piece of furniture from inside the Lorenzo mansion, and will adapt the design to his own interpretation.  People can preview the details of this creation at the garden party and we will be selling raffle tickets.  The winner, however, will not be drawn until the Christmas Preview Party

Members of the Friends will receive invitations for this event, but non-members are always welcome to attend. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. If you have any questions or would like to purchase raffle tickets, please call Diane Voss at Lorenzo (655-3200).

Friends Announce '12 Season Programs

Early American foodways, historic gardens and landscapes, Cazenovia church architecture and Dutch art are among the themes to be explored during the 2012 program season at Lorenzo State Historic Site.
 
At the recent annual meeting of The Friends of Lorenzo, the non-profit affiliate of Lorenzo, announced their support for and the kick-off of the upcoming season, beginning with an evening featuring the Influence of Dutch Culture on the American Kitchen on Tuesday, April 17 at 7 pm at the Cazenovia Public Library. With support from the New York Council for the Humanities,  the Cazenovia Public Library and The Friends of Lorenzo, author Peter Rose will discuss the imprint of the Dutch in our culinary traditions, and artisanal cheesemaker Renate Nollen of Dutch Girl Cheese will offer a sampling of Dutch cheeses at this free program.

In celebration of PRESERVATION MONTH 2012, the doors of Lorenzo will re-open on Friday, May 18 for the tour season, and a free walking tour of historic Cazenovia church architecture will be offered on Saturday, May 19 from 10 am – 12 noon by Jerry Munger and Ted Bartlett. Then on Wednesday, May 23, historic landscapes and open hearth cooking programs will be offered. In association with the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, a workshop on cultural landscape research and documentation will be offered at Lorenzo from 10am -3pm with representatives of the National Park Service, the Department of Landscape Architecture at SUNY ESF and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; pre-registration is required and a program fee will be charged. At 7pm on the evening of May 23, a free foodways program, Salamanders, Firedogs, Beehives and Cranes: Open Hearth Cooking and Brick Oven Baking will be offered at the Cazenovia Public Library by open hearth cooking expert Lynne Belluscio, director of LeRoy Historical Society.

On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, the annualEuroCar Show, sponsored by the MG Car Club of CNY, and the Dark Aisle Garden Art Show, sponsored by Cazenovia Arts, will take place on the grounds of Lorenzo; both events are free and open to the public. Topping off June and new to Lorenzo, a free production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, will be offered on the front lawn by Red House Arts Center on Thursday, June 21 at 7pm.

For more information on these Lorenzo and Friends of Lorenzo-sponsored programs, including summer day camp for ages 8-11 at the Rippleton Schoolhouse, Monday, July 30 through Friday, August 3, please call 655-3200.

Rippleton Schoolhouse Summer Camp Returns for Eighth Season!

Whirligigs, slate boards, lunch pails, knickers and aprons, fountain pens and a real school bell will once again help to set the stage for a week of engaged learning and fun at Lorenzo’s one room schoolhouse the week of July 30th. Without the benefit of modern electronic devices, 8-11 year-old summer camp attendees will enjoy their days at Rippleton exploring 19th century arts and crafts, agricultural practices, horse and carriage etiquette, culinary traditions, customary attire and local history mysteries. “Miss Mattie Buckland,” the 1880’s schoolmarm at Rippleton, will be portrayed by Kathleen Emerson, a Skaneateles native, former staff member at Genesee Country Museum and fourth grade teacher in the Chittenango school district. Registration for the 2012 camp is due June 29; all required activity materials are covered by the week’s program fee ($150 per student; $135 for Friends of Lorenzo members) and students must bring their own lunch; snacks will be provided. Call (315) 655-3200 for more information.

Click HERE to download the 2012 Summer Camp Registration Form