PORT CHESTER DAY
In August, we set up and ran a booth to meet and greet our neighbors! Port Chester is a fun day to celebrate all things Port Chester. We brought some items with us for a “Be a History Detective” display. Two of the items we brought were known to us - a toasting rack for the fireplace and a solid metal hand iron. The third item is a mystery to us, and we wanted visitors to see that we are constantly making new discoveries and understanding new ideas. Guesses as to what this third item was ranged from cherry-pitter to wine-cork remover, but we are pretty sure it is neither of those. We had some fun costumes to dress up in and some selfie placards for people to try out. The paintings used in the placards were painted by Robert Feake, a well known American 18th century painter. He and Ruth Lyon Bush were first cousins twice removed; Feake's grandmother was also Ruth Bush's great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Fones. Her full name is Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett, which gives you a clue to her fascinating life (three husbands!!). An important discovery: everyone looks good in a tricorn hat. Literally everyone.
WINTERFEST 2019
Our annual WinterFest included tasty treats from around the world (Mexico, Poland, Peru, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and even some Native American treats), music from around the world, and kidfriendly crafts. For our own historical interest, we asked people to share holiday traditions, and the responses were fascinating. We heard about so many food traditions, including chocolate pie, bagels, and tamales and punch. People told us about their family traditions as well, such as attending the children’s Christmas service, having a family member dress up as Santa, plain old “relaxing,” and waiting until noon to hug each other. It was wonderful to learn about the diversity within our small community! A special thank you to La Flor de Jalisco bakery for donating absolutely delicious holiday breads [WOW]!
The mistletoe/dress up area was popular both for those ready to smooch and those who just like to rock a velvet coat with lacy sleeves or a satin bodice over a silk skirt and sleeves. This is yet more proof that the Hamilton musical has made much of the 18th century cool. Party-goers got to eat chocolates off the Christmas tree, make their own paper chains or lacy snowflake art, read various holiday stories, tour the Homestead, learn about Westchester’s very own Christmas legend creator - Washington Irving - and, of course, gorge themselves. A special thank you to the Port Chester High School students who generously contributed their time and efforts (before, during, and after the event) to make this a success. If you didn’t attend this year, we hope you do next year!