Ventfort Hall to Hold Valentine's Events
LENOX, Mass.— Valentine’s Day at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum will be a family affair, with a variety of activities and events offered throughout the day.Festivities begin on Sunday, Feb. 14 at noon, with a bonfire on the hill behind the mansion with free hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows. Guests may bring their sleds for sledding on the Great Lawn hill. The free bonfire event is courtesy of the U.S. Green Building Council, and runs from noon to 3 p.m.
Beginning at 3, there will be indoor family entertainment with “The Nutshell Playhouse Fest” featuring an hour-long performance of Nutshell Playhouse’s best-loved songs and characters. With clowns, puppets, mime, and dance, the festival of song is designed for ages three to nine but appropriate for children of all ages. A Victorian Tea will follow the program.
Guided tours of the mansion will also be offered every hour on the hour from 10 to 3, with the last tour scheduled for 2 p.m. Tour guides will be on hand to relay the story of the original owners, George Hale Morgan, born on Valentine’s Day 1840, and his wife Sarah Morgan, sister of J.P. Morgan, who built Ventfort Hall in 1893. The couple also married on Valentine’s Day.
Included with tours is the exhibit of “Les Petites Dames de Mode” (“The Little Ladies of Fashion”), 60 29-inch mannequins fitted with exquisitely detailed Gilded Age costumes representing fashion from 1855 to 1914.
Valentine’s Day will also be the last day to view Something Old, Something New - 200 Years of Berkshire Brides, an exhibit of wedding gowns and accoutrements on loan from the Berkshire Historical Society.
Admission for the performance and Victorian Tea is $12 for members, $15 for adult nonmembers, $7 for children, and free for children 3 and under. Guided tours of the mansion for both floors with exhibits are $20 per person, $11 for children ages 5 to 17 and free for children 4 and under.
The mansion is located at 104 Walker St.
For more information, contact Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206 or info@GildedAge.org.
