Celebrate Summer 2007 in the Brandywine Valley
WILMINGTON, DE, June 4, 2007. The Brandywine Valley, where Pennsylvania and Delaware meet just thirty miles southwest of Philadelphia, is full of fun festivals and exhibits this summer. From fireworks and fountains to Shakespeare and hissing cockroaches, we're not kidding when we say there is something for every member of the family to enjoy!
The Discover Brandywine Valley Public Relations Association, a consortium of ten attractions, provides information and guidance to journalists interested in covering this rich travel destination.
Hagley at Fifty: Exploding with History celebrates a half-century of this unique industrial museum and park (May 21-end of 2007). The retrospective exhibit examines Hagley Museum and Gardens' transformation from an abandoned DuPont gunpowder mill and colonial revival estate into a lively museum with working machinery and interactive exhibits set alongside the picturesque Brandywine River. On June 15 and 22, Wilmington Trust presents themed fireworks and music, "The Nifty Fifties," for museum members and their guests. The Hagley Car Show (September 16) celebrates automotive history in American life with 600 cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Cars of the 1950s figure prominently in homage to the museum's fiftieth anniversary. Lucille Kahan, 302-658-2400, ext. 238; [email protected].
Spectacular Fireworks and Fountains light up the evening sky with inspiring musical accompaniment on five special summer evenings at Longwood Gardens. Sunday, May 27 and Sunday, September 2, "A Night at the Movies" features music from the silver screen. Patriotic classics "Celebrate America" on Tuesday, July 3. Melodies from Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony offer "A Touch of the Classical" on Saturday, July 21 and Saturday, September 8. Longwood's incomparable illuminated fountains under a rainbow of fireworks are an unforgettable spectacle. A family barbecue menu is available as part of this all-American summer tradition. Patricia Evans, 610-388-1000, ext. 442; [email protected].
You may want to wear white gloves to Rockwood Park and Museum's Victorian Experience: High Tea and Fashion on June 2. Victorian-inspired clothing and vintage accessories will be modeled as visitors partake of a traditional English tea at this 1800s estate. The Delaware Shakespeare Festival presents Richard III outdoors at Rockwood on three weekends (July 27-August 11). Audience members are encouraged to arrive early to picnic and enjoy the pre-show retelling of The War of the Roses, a feud that provides the exposition for the play.
Enter, if you dare, Dr. Entomo's Palace of Exotic Wonders at the Delaware Museum of Natural History (May 26-September 3). Reminiscent of an old-fashioned circus sideshow, this exhibit guides visitors into the incredible worlds of some of nature's most curious and bizarre creatures. Come face to face with glow-in-the-dark scorpions and black widow spiders. Press the Scent-O-Meter to get a whiff of how the Vinegaroon defends itself against would-be attackers. Discover unusual and deadly methods insects use to attack their prey. Teresa Messmore, 302-658-9111, [email protected].
Henry Francis du Pont, the founder of Winterthur, was at the vanguard of early 20th-century interior design. In conjunction with the exhibit Quilts in a Material World: Selections from the Winterthur Collection (through September 16), a one-hour tour, "Decorating with Quilts," takes visitors through selected mansion rooms and explores du Pont's use of those items to create beautiful rooms to delight his guests. Hillary Holland, 302-888-4734; [email protected].
At the Delaware History Museum in Wilmington and the Read House in New Castle, the Historical Society of Delaware exhibits 100 hand-made items from the First State in Made by Delaware Hands. Items were selected for quality, diversity, and for the unique Delaware stories they tell. On Saturday, August 11 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., enjoy The Great Pear Cook-Off and Ice Cream Social at the Read House. For a $5 entrance fee, cooks can create tempting dishes using pears harvested from the 150-year-old tree in the Read House Garden. Croquet, a barbershop quartet, and ice cream and sorbet round out a deliciously old-fashioned afternoon.
Megen Morris, 302-295-2390, [email protected].
The Discover Brandywine Valley Public Relations Association (DBVPRA) provides a central resource for journalists. Visit the website www.brandywinetreasures.org or contact Susan M. Maynard, 302-651-6912, [email protected] for more information.
Discover Brandywine Valley Public Relations Association Members (www.brandywinetreasures.org):
Brandywine River Museum U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, PA 19317; www.brandywinemuseum.org. Lora Englehart, 610-388-8337, [email protected].
Delaware Art Museum 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19806; www.delart.org. Dennis Lawson, 302-571-9590, x. 515, [email protected].
Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, 200 S. Madison St., Wilmington, DE 19801; www.thedcca.org. Valerie Jermusyk, 302-656-6466, [email protected].
Delaware Museum of Natural History, 4840 Kennett Pike, Delaware Route 52, Wilmington, DE 19807; www.delmnh.org. Teresa Messmore, 302-658-9111, [email protected].
Hagley Museum and Library, DE Route 141, Wilmington, DE 19807; www.hagley.org. Lucille Kahan, 302-658-2400, ext. 238; [email protected].
Historical Society of Delaware (includes Delaware History Museum in Wilmington and George Read II House and Gardens in New Castle), 504 Market St., Wilmington, DE 19801; www.hsd.org. Megen Morris, 302-295-2390, [email protected].
Nemours Mansion and Gardens, 1600 Rockland Rd., Wilmington, DE 19803; www.nemoursmansion.org. Susan M. Maynard, 302-651-6912; [email protected].
Longwood Gardens, U.S. Route 1 at PA Route 52, Kennett Square, PA 19348; www.longwoodgardens.org. Patricia Evans, 610-388-1000, ext. 442; [email protected].
Rockwood Park and Mansion, 610 Shipley Rd., Wilmington, DE 19805; www.rockwood.org. Philip Nord, 302-761-4340, [email protected].
Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, DE Route 52, Winterthur, DE 19735; www.winterthur.org. Hillary Holland, 302-888-4734; [email protected].
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