Deerfield, Mass. (October 13, 2015)---A visit to Historic Deerfield in November and December will feature programs and events that celebrate the spirit of the season touched with the influence of early America.
In the spirit of giving, Historic Deerfield will kick off its support of the Greenfield, Massachusetts - based Community Action Holiday Gift Program on
Friday, November 27, with the
Day of Giving. On this day, visitors can opt-out of Black Friday chaos and instead let Historic Deerfield be their destination for handmade, heartfelt giving in preparation for the holiday season. Every visitor will have the opportunity to handcraft a special gift using simple or natural materials. Historic trade demonstrations during the day of paper marbling and redware pottery-making will provide inspiration for handcrafted gifts. Works by paper marblers Regina and Dan St. John and redware potter Stephen Earp will be available for purchase at the Museum Gift Shop and Bookstore.
From November 27 - December 13, the museum will serve as a collection site for
Community Action's Holiday Gift Program. Community Action is an anti-poverty agency in Greenfield, Massachusetts, that serves families in Franklin County. In the fall, the organization operates a Holiday Gift Program to provide gifts to children up to 18 years of age. Friends and visitors of the museum may drop off a gift anytime during open hours, daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center at Hall Tavern on Old Main Street in Deerfield.
Gifts should be unwrapped and can include toys, gift cards, and even helpful items like gift wrap and tape. This is one of the few gift programs that serves adolescents and teens in addition to younger children, so please help us provide for this age group too. To celebrate the end of the collection period, Historic Deerfield will accept
a gift donation on Sunday, December 13, in lieu of museum admission. Visitors may redeem one gift for one admission to the museum.
The holiday spirit continues in December with the return of
Heritage Holiday at Historic Deerfield. From
December 5-27, visitors can join Historic Deerfield hearth cooks, guides and educators each weekend in a month-long series of traditional festive activities. The fun begins with the King Arthur Flour/Historic Deerfield Heritage Recipe Baking Contest, on Saturday, December 5. King Arthur Flour and Historic Deerfield are looking for the best holiday cookie recipe. Fifteen finalists will be chosen to bring their cookies to Historic Deerfield to be judged in three different categories. Winners will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Baker's Catalogue/ kingarthurflour.com and a Baker's Companion Cookbook. For complete contest details and entry information, visit
www.historic-deerfield.org/recipecontest. The deadline for entries is
Monday, November 2.
The complete schedule of events for November and December follows below. Please visit
www.historic-deerfield.org for the most up-to-date information.
Programs and Events at Historic Deerfield, November and December 2015
Unless otherwise noted, all programs are included with general admission to the museum.
Special Events
Yankee Ingenuity and New England Decorative Arts, 1790-1840
November 13-15, 2015
Day of Giving
Friday, November 27, 2015
9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Opt-out of Black Friday chaos, and instead let Historic Deerfield be your destination for handmade, heartfelt giving in preparation for the holiday season. On the Day of Giving, every museum visitor will have the opportunity to handcraft a special gift using simple or natural materials. The Day of Giving also kicks off our support of the Community Action Holiday Gift Program.
17th Century Life
Saturday, November 28
10 a.m.-4 p.m., drop in anytime, Visitor Center at Hall Tavern
Meet the Society of the 17th Century, a group of re-enactors who will bring our historic Hall Tavern building to life with an incredible array of period arts, crafts and trades. Also enjoy open hearth cooking demonstrations, and make a handmade gift with the help of a museum educator.
Wreath Making
November 30, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Deerfield Community Center
December 1, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., Deerfield Community Center
Help create beautiful natural wreaths to decorate the doorways of Deerfield. Bring your creativity, enthusiasm, and an extra pair of pruning shears. No experience required. Supplies and refreshments will be provided. A second workshop will be offered on December 2, from 1-4 p.m. Free, pre-registration required. Call 413-775-7179 or register online at www.historic-deerfield.org.
Heritage Baking Day
December 5
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern
Holidays are about memories, and the foods we prepare and share form a significant core of that memory bank. Recipes (or receipts as they were once called) whether written down or taught by demonstration are documents of these memories. On Heritage Baking Day you will learn about baking recipes from the past with our Open Hearth Cooks and through demonstrations. Also see the results of the King Arthur Flour Heritage Recipe Baking Contest sponsored by King Arthur Flour's flagship store in Norwich, VT. Visitors can see contest entries displayed from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Horse-drawn Wagon Rides
December 5, 6, 12, 13
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern
The beautiful horses of Karas Farm will greet you at the Visitor Center, and provide a lovely tour down our historic street. *weather permitting
Gift Making
Saturdays and Sundays, December 5-27
12 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern
Make progress on your gift list by making a special gift by hand. Visitors may choose one of three projects.
Tavern Games
December 19, 20, 26, 27
10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern
Sit down and enjoy a game of checkers, fox and geese or merelles. Try your hand at table top nine pins, Jacob's ladder, and ball and cup. At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. enjoy special group games and songs.
Make Your Own Hot Chocolate Mix
December 19, 20, 26, 27
10 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern
The Aztecs were the first to make hot chocolate by mixing cacao with water and flavoring it with chili, honey, and spices. Europeans adapted their recipe by adding sugar and milk. Make your own hot chocolate mix to take home that is inspired by a colonial chocolate recipe.
Hands-On Learning
Archaeology Lab
Saturdays and Sundays, November 1 - November 22
12 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
History Workshop, drop by anytime
Come and learn about the science behind historical archaeology. Visitors will help clean, sort, and identify artifacts. Learn about soil and explore a "shoe box" dig. Make some clay marbles based on archaeological finds to take home.
Girl Scout Badge Days: Pottery Badge for Brownies
November 7, 14, 21
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Additional fee. See historic-deerfield.org for more info or contact Faith Deering at (413) 775-7116 or
[email protected].
Demonstrations
Open Hearth Cooking: Pies
November 7, 14
10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern Kitchen
As the fall settles in and the days get shorter, our cooks will be busy in the kitchen making pies. Pies were a common dish served as part of the meal. They were savory or sweet- sometimes both-with surprising flavor combinations.
Open Hearth Cooking: Thanksgiving Dishes
November 21, 27, & 28
10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern Kitchen
Come and see how our cooks prepare traditional Thanksgiving dishes using hearth cooking methods. Learn about the history of harvest celebrations and the evolution of the American Thanksgiving holiday.
Sugar and Spice: Holiday Baking
Saturdays and Sundays, December 5-27
10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Visitor Center at Hall Tavern Kitchen
Today it is easy to go to the store for chocolate, citrus, cinnamon, ginger or sugar. In the past such ingredients were the expensive results of trans-oceanic trade. The use of these ingredients during holiday times signified a willingness to splurge in honor of the occasion. The special holiday recipes that we pass down from generation to generation are often special baked goods that we look forward to year after year. Join our hearth cooks as they explore the sugar and spice that make the holidays nice.
Historic Trades Demonstrations
Visitors will meet talented craftspeople and observe their work up close each weekend this fall with our Historic Trade demonstrations.
Friday, November 28
Paper Marbling with Regina and Dan St. John
Redware Pottery with Stephen Earp
Saturday, December 12
Letterpress Printing: Holiday Cards with Carl Darrow
Carl Darrow first learned to print in high school and has been doing it ever since. He has his own letterpress shop in Conway, MA and will be bringing one of his small presses to Deerfield to demonstrate the art of letterpress printing. Visitors will learn about printing and the operation of a press as they watch Carl print holiday cards. Every visitor gets to take a card home with them. Envelopes, pens and other supplies are available to embellish your special card.
About Historic Deerfield, Inc.
Historic Deerfield, Inc., is dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and the Connecticut River Valley. Its museums and programs provide today's audiences with experiences that create an understanding and appreciation of New England's historic villages and countryside.
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