A Message from the Executive Director |
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Greetings from Waterford! Each September we come to you with all things Waterford Fair in preparation for a fun and educational gathering in the Landmark for artists, musicians, families, history enthusiasts, and more. While we are disappointed that we won’t be welcoming all our Fair visitors in person this year, we are excited to bring you the first ever virtual Waterford Fair October 2-4, 2020!
Read below to find out about all the ways to engage with Waterford and its history from the safety of your home this fall. Mark your calendars to tune in to view live streaming sales from the Old Mill Shop, exciting history and homes tours videos, and greetings from Waterford Fair artists. Order Taste of the Fair packages to bring favored experiences from the Fair to you at home. Sign up for online Waterford Craft School workshops complete with materials kits and instructional videos, shipped to your door, followed by live video Q&A during Fair weekend. And for our members, get access to our paid virtual Fair content for free! Members will also be invited to our virtual Mill Preview and cocktail party on Thursday evening October 1st. It’s not too late to join or renew your membership to get these virtual Waterford Fair perks!
Also in this newsletter, you’ll find a recap of our week of Colonial Camp at the Old School with Waterford Craft School instructor Brett Walker. Read about a new educational feature on our website comparing development in Loudoun’s historic villages since 1950 and the volunteer who compiled all this information. Learn more about the state of the butterfly population on the Phillips Farm, and meet another of our dedicated Board members. Don’t miss out on the final opportunities to participate in the virtual Historic Waterford Trail run (deadline 9/9/20) and Feast With Friends At Home (deadline 9/10/20)!
See you (virtually!) October 2-4, 2020!
Stephanie C. Thompson
Executive Director
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Tickets are Now Available! |
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We are excited to bring you the VIRTUAL Fair “UNMASKED" and from the safety of your own home, October 2-4. We all know it will not be the same as celebrating in person, in the Landmark, but we hope you will participate, take a virtual tour, shop the Old Mill ONLINE Sale, sign up for a virtual workshop (or two), and show your support to the Foundation. Select one of our “Taste of the Fair” packages and take a bit of the Fair home with you!
Your VIRTUAL Fair ticket includes the following online content:
- Homes Tour: Looking Back at Waterford’s Commercial Past (6 residences and 3 Foundation buildings)
- Living historian interviews and talks
- Artisan demonstrations
Videos will be available for viewing from 10/2-10/20. Tickets are $10 per person. Members tickets are FREE (watch for the discount code to come to your inbox).
The Old Mill Shop will be OPEN FOR BUSINESS but with a twist! The “sale” will be broken up into 6 small online, live sales, 2 each day at 10 am and 2 pm. Purchases are "for pick up only" and you may want to plan to pick up for out-of-town friends and family.
To help us celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our National Historic Landmark, the Waterford Citizens' Association has created a Scavenger Hunt designed to get you exploring the landmark. Find those walking shoes (or wellies if this weather keeps up). The first clue will be announced 9/18!
Download the StoryCorps App and get ready share your favorite memories of Waterford and the Fair. These stories will be saved at the Library of Congress and by the Foundation. Details for creating an interview will be on the Fair website and online event platform just in time for the start of the Fair!
Plan to take your favorite Fair “taste” home! We have curated 4 packages; each one includes an experience to compliment a specific taste of the Fair.
Treats & Sweets of the Fair package includes:
1 - homemade apple butter (pint); Presbyterian Church
1 - "Waterford Harvest Blend" tea & tea ball (4 oz.); Walking Wild Herbs
1 - 6 pack of cinnamon rolls; Waterford PTO
Exclusive: short video featuring herbalist Megan Wakefield, who will show you how to brew a perfect cup of tea, plus share her secret on making your morning cup of tea a relaxing and energizing meditative experience. ($39)
Waterford Farms to Home package includes items from farms in and near the village. Take home a taste of Waterford's agricultural offerings, including:
1 - honey from our own Phillips Farm hives (8 oz.); Loudoun Center Apiaries
1 - lamb sausage (1 lb.) or 1 - large, felted dryer ball; Waterford Market
1 - Calvary Camp Ash goat cheese (4 oz.); Georges Mill Farm.
Exclusive pre-recorded interview with Georges Mill Farm cheese-maker, Molly McGlauflin Kroiz.($39)
Brew Master’s Tasting – for the beer lovers of the group, check out this tasting which includes:
6 – Parkway Brewing Co. beers (2 cans, 4 bottles) from Parkway Brewing Co.
2 - beer glasses (16 oz.)
a small cheese plate suitable for two from Wegmans.
Exclusive: watch this pre-recorded talk by Parkway Brewing Company's brew master from the comfort of your own home, anytime throughout the weekend. ($29)
Virtual Wine Tasting -- enjoy a wine and cheese evening from the comfort of your own home. This package features wines from local winery, Two Twisted Posts. Package includes:
1 - 2014 Vidal Blanc
1 - 2017 Chardonnay
1 - 2016 Thomas Great Meritage
2 Waterford Fair wine glasses
a small cheese plate suitable for two from Wegmans.
Exclusive: Casey Luther, from Two Twisted Posts, will guide you through a tasting and discussion during this hour-long live stream event. ($109)
Checkout our lineup of Waterford Craft School online workshops! Try your hand at baking, felting, leather craft and more, all over the Fair weekend.
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Please share -- this is a great opportunity for out of town friends and family to enjoy the Fair. We look forward to your visit, “UNMASKED" and from the safety of your own home!
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Support the Foundation and help keep the tradition of Booklet Page Sponsorship alive, as we go digital this year due to the pandemic. Share your Fair memory or create a dedication to be posted on the Fair event page and website as part of a video memory book! Follow this link for more information: https://www.eventeny.com/users/application/open/?id=333
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Feast With Friends At Home-
Extended Dates
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Feast With Friends At Home dates have been extended into our Virtual Fair Weekend! Feast With Friends At Home is an opportunity for you to gather with a small group of family, friends, or neighbors to enjoy an elegant yet relaxed three-course meal and dessert within the comfort of your own yard or home.
Choose your date for a group of 10 and let us put together a luxury farm-to-table dinner experience for you and your guests with help from Market Table Bistro, Wheatland Spring Farm Brewery, Walsh Family Wine, the Corner Store Studio, Moutoux Orchard, and Georges Mill Farm.
Please reserve your table no later than Thursday, September 10th, 2020!
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Volunteer of the Month:
Nick Spokes
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Every so often we have an opportunity to work with young volunteers eager to help preserve our Landmark. Earlier this spring, Nick Spokes created a Dashboard Map of Western Loudoun Development (linked below) as a final project for his Geospatial class at Woodgrove High School. He is a 2020 graduate of Woodgrove and is now attending West Virginia University as a freshman, majoring in cybersecurity. Nick hopes to one day work in the cybersecurity industry, doing things such as penetration testing. He is a former member of Boy Scout Troop 969 in Hamilton, and recently earned his Eagle rank in February. Nick did his Eagle project for the town when he built a gate and repaired the fence at the Water Street Meadow. Nick and his family reside very close to Waterford in the Wheatland area, and they find every excuse to visit the town that they can since it is such a beautiful environment. |
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"During the process of making this project, I not only learned a lot about the software but also a lot about the town and the surrounding area. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Waterford was the least developed town in Loudoun. The town truly is a hidden gem." ~ Nick Spokes
Click here to begin exploring the Dashboard Map of Western Loudoun Development and explore the timeline of development in Loudoun County!
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Good News from the
Phillips Farm Butterfly Count
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Phillips Farm was all a-flutter with butterflies and butterfly counters on Saturday August 1st. Every summer, our partner organization, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC) coordinates the Loudoun County Annual Butterfly Count and reports the data to the North American Butterfly Association which then analyzes the health of butterfly populations and their habitats. The good news is that the same number of species were counted as last year (25 total) and the number of individual butterflies was higher this year (426 compared to 329). Meadow fritillaries were abundant and the monarch butterfly numbers held steady at 18 individuals this year and last. When meadow fritillaries are caterpillars they feed on violets and, as adults, their nectar sources include the black eyed susan and ox-eyed daisy. Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed leaves. The nectar-rich plants they prefer as adults include Joe-pye weed and New York ironweed. All these plants are readily available to butterflies on the Phillips Farm thanks to our careful management on behalf of wildlife habitat and open space.
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Meadow fritillary friends
Photo by Miriam Westervelt
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LWC Executive Director, Michael Myers, after a Northern pearly-eye butterfly
Photo by Miriam Westervelt
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Last Call to Register for the
Historic Waterford 5K/10K VIRTUAL Run
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We are incredibly excited for everyone who has already registered the Historic Waterford 5K/10K Virtual Trail Run. Time is running out, so register you and your family today!
Celebrate 50 years of preserving the National Historic Landmark with us this September. Proceeds from the race benefit the preservation and education mission of the Waterford Foundation.
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~ New Date ~
September 11th- September 13th, 2020
Submit your race times by September 13th at Midnight
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Run/walk a 5K/10K from any location you choose. Road, trail, treadmill or a track. Be sure to track your time and submit it by midnight Sept 13th, 2020. You can run alone or with a small group.
Registration will close on Wednesday, September 9 at Midnight.
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Meet Our Board:
John Caron
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John moved to the Waterford area in 2012. He quickly became involved in supporting the Fair and joined the Finance Committee in 2014 and became a Board member in 2015. He has served as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chairperson since 2016. His term of office expires in 2021 and he strives to leave the Foundation on a sound financial footing.
John lives just north of the village with his partner, Nancy Doane, two cats and one dog on wooded acreage overlooking Catoctin Creek. Before retiring in 2010, John was an industry and Government executive providing information technology program management services. Academically, John’s graduate work was in mathematics, philosophy, public administration, art history and photography. His interests include yoga, bicycling, mystery novels, cooking, photography and spending time at their cottage on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. His two daughters teach school in Minnesota.
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What’s new with the Waterford Craft School |
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Last week, the excited voices of 10 campers ages 8 - 12 rang out in and around the Old School. We have a pretty good feeling that Colonial Camp 2020 will prove to be especially memorable, offering a unique release from the social restrictions young people are enduring this year. Bootmaker and Instructor Brett Walker and his able assistant and wife, Wendy, returned to Waterford to share their passion for Colonial-era living. From erecting a sapling lean-to, baking bread in a wood-fired oven, and practicing penmanship with a goose quill, to singing songs and tossing hay bales, the week was informative and fun, cultivating life skills that are relevant today. We extend special thanks to villagers Susan and Richard Rogers, Linda Landreth, and Annie and Joe Goode for their welcoming and informative farm visits, to Matt Rasnake and Sarah Holway for donating firewood for the outdoor bread oven, to Stephanie and Bob Thompson for the use of their tools, to Inga Woods for providing homemade bread dough, and to Liz and Pete Hohm for providing the homestay and cream for the butter churning. Plans are already underway for Colonial Camp 2021 for ages 8 - 10, and a more in-depth camp for ages 11 - 13.
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Kids don’t get to have all the fun . . . we're excited to offer a series of online workshops for Waterford Craft School at the Virtual Fair, October 2 - 4. There are both live and pre-recorded tutorials; some of the workshops include a project materials kit or opportunities to learn more about the history of the craft in a live Q&A. Space is limited, so register soon!
As always, if you have suggestions for classes, or have created something that was inspired by a Craft School workshop, we'd love to hear from you. Send your comments and images to lkovatch@waterfordfoundation.org.
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Upcoming Craft School Classes |
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As always, if you have suggestions for classes, or have created something that was inspired by a Craft School workshop, we'd love to hear from you. Send your comments and images to lkovatch@waterfordfoundation.org.
Did you know Gift Certificates to our Craft School are also available for purchase? Click Here for more information!
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Thank You to Our New & Renewing Members! |
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Memberships provide a vital portion of the Waterford Foundation's funds to pay for the upkeep and repair of thirteen properties protected by the Waterford Foundation, as well as programs like the Second Street School living history program, the Waterford Craft School, the Waterford Fair, and special programs throughout the year. We would like to thank the following new and renewing members who have joined or renewed in August 2020!
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New & Renewing Members: August 2020 |
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Allegheny Treenware- Stan & Sue Jennings
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Mastapeter
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Mr. John Rowe
Ms Pam Seik
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Our Sustaining Members are: Mr. and Mrs. Goode (Joe and Annie), Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Hale (Bob and Susanne), Ms. Joan Kowalski, Mr. Ed Lehman and Ms. Edith Crockett, Robert and Stephanie Thompson, Mr. & Mrs. Mark Sutton, and Mr. & Mrs. Brandon & Clare Synge.
Next month, we will acknowledge our new and renewing September 2020 members!
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Stories from Waterford: Resident Appreciation
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Since the first exhibit in 1944, the Waterford Fair has always been presented with the gracious cooperation of the residents of Waterford. They open their homes for tours, put up with closed streets and scores of visitors, and volunteer their time in all Fair venues. Early in its history, the Board recognized the need to thank residents for their part in putting on a successful event each October, as shown in this motion from 1950:
“[Mr. Divine] moved that two passes be issued to each family in Waterford which may be used by any members of the family any time during the three days of the Exhibit.” -WF BOD minutes, Sept 26, 1950
The free passes were apparently appreciated, as noted by Ms. Stabler at the next meeting of the Board, during her report on the Exhibit as chair of the Sales Committee:
“[Ms. Stabler] also stated that the townspeople were very happy with their free admission tickets.” -WF BOD minutes, Oct 17, 1950
This practice has been continued each year since, as a small token of appreciation for the many ways that village residents support the Fair and the work of the Foundation. As the Fair goes virtual this year, we may not see as many residents in person, but we nevertheless appreciate their many contributions over the years and to this year's first ever virtual Waterford Fair!
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Waterford Foundation Staff
COVID-19 Action Plan
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Due to safety precautions for COVID-19, the Waterford Foundation office is closed is closed to the public. The staff are teleworking and we are available via email, phone or on video calls and are happy to help with anything you need!
Our staff has updated all of our policies and procedures to make sure the Old School is clean, sanitized and ready for events and programs. We are incredibly excited to have hosted Craft School Classes, Colonial Camp and The Jupiter Theater Company all while closely and carefully following the CDC's and Health Departments requirements for keeping our guests safe. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns! Check out our newest website page introducing our Waterford Staff.
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