MOTT Awards Matching Destination Development Grant to Ventfort Hall

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LENOX, Mass. — Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum has received a matching Destination Development grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) for $48,000.
 
These funds will be used for the restoration of the salon including the parquet floor with the Greek Key inlaid border, as well as restoring Sarah Morgan's 1895 Rosewood Steinway piano, and plaster restoration materials and training so our staff and volunteers can do the work in-house.
 
"In order to increase Ventfort Hall's program and event space to accommodate our expanding audience, we need to restore the floor of the Salon, a focal point of the main floor of the mansion, to return it to its historic beauty and enable us to use it for public programs," Executive Director for Ventfort Hall, Wendy Healey, said. "The Salon floor has deteriorated to the point that it can be safely open to the public on only a limited basis. Once restored to its original distinctive parquet design and reinforced, the Salon, together with the adjoining Library, will accommodate 150 to 200 people, becoming our largest event space."
 
The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) is the state agency dedicated to promoting Massachusetts as a leisure-travel destination. The Destination Development Capital (DDC) Grant Program supports projects that strengthen regional economies and improve the visitor experience across the state.

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Marionette Shows At Ventfort Hall for Children

LENOX, Mass. — The puppeteer Carl Sprague will return to Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion and Museum in Lenox with Rapunzel for two holiday vacation week marionette performances. 
 
The dates and times are Saturday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Dec. 29, both at 3:30 pm. The audiences will have the opportunity to meet Sprague after.
 
Sprague, who has appeared annually at Ventfort Hall with his "behind the scenery" mastery, has been a puppeteer since childhood.  He inherited a collection of 60 antique Czech marionettes, each about eight inches tall that were assembled by his great-grandfather, Julius Hybler.  Hybler's legacy also includes two marionette theaters. 
 
Also, Sprague has been a set designer for such motion pictures as "The Royal Tenenbaums" and Scorcese's "The Age of Innocence," as well as for theater productions including those of Shakespeare & Company. 
 
Admission to the show is $20 per person; $10 for children 4-17 and free for age 3 and under. Children must be accompanied by adults.  Ventfort Hall is decorated for the holidays. Reservations are required as seating is limited and can be made on line at https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or by calling (413) 637-3206. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space allows. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
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