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Waterford Foundation Newsletter
May / June
2017
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A Message from the Executive Director
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Tom Kuehhas,
Executive Director |
From its inception, the Foundation has relied heavily on volunteers to do much of the "heavy lifting" required to fulfill our mission. In fact, it would be impossible for the Foundation to do so without the myriad of volunteers who devote countless hours to the organization, and receive no more remuneration than the knowledge of a job well done. We are rarely able to acknowledge the efforts of our numerous volunteers in the manner in which they deserve. At times, such as at the Annual Meeting, we are able to recognize a few whose superlative efforts stood out. However it's neither as often, nor as all-encompassing, as I'd prefer.
So it was particularly meaningful to me when one of our own was recognized as "Volunteer of the Year" by Visit Loudoun, an organization which supports many nonprofits such as ours throughout the county. Kudos to Bonnie Getty on being awarded this high honor; she has filled so many roles for the Foundation, and so well! She is a fitting representative for our volunteer cadre as a whole, and I'd like to think that a little bit of this honor is reflected on each of you!
Sincerely,
Tom Kuehhas
Executive Director
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Heritage Crafts School Offerings for June and July Sessions
The Waterford Foundation is gearing up for the June session of the Waterford Heritage Crafts School which will take place June 3rd and 4th. Classes being offered in this session include Beginning Rug Hooking, Introduction to Lime Mortar, and Window Restoration.
Classes include 12 hours of instruction over two days (Saturday-Sunday) and includes lunch each day. Course material is designed for ages 18 and up.
There's still time to register for the June & July sessions. Visit the Foundation's website for more information and to sign up today!
Special rates on lodging are available for each session. Click on the lodging link for your session to access a special rate at the Leesburg Best Western. You may also make reservations by calling 703-777-9400.
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New Archaeology Camp Offerings This Summer!
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Dr. Clark with campers. |
For the fourth year, Dr. David Clark and Loudoun Archaeology Foundation are back at the Old School.
This year, Dr. "Digs" will be leading two camps for young people and both are new to Waterford. From July 31 - August 4, 2017, 3rd through 5th graders will be learning all about "Skeletons." For 5 days, from 9 - 3pm, campers will touch, identify, draw and study skeletons and bones of all kinds.
At the "Forensics" Camp (August 7 - 11, 2017), 6th - 8th graders will be introduced to Forensics, the fastest growing science today. Campers will learn how to calculate the age of skeletons, identify bones, and enjoy hands-on projects each day from 9am - 3pm.
Both camps will meet at the Old School in Waterford. The whole village will be available to campers as they explore archaeology in the area. Dr. Clark teaches at NVCC and Catholic University of America when not providing young people with unique experiences at these summer camps in historic Waterford.
Visit the website for more info and to register.
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Preservation Month : Lantern Light Fund
The Foundation is excited to announce a new initiative that will help us preserve the history of the African-American community that lived and worked in Waterford.
Inspired by the African-Americans who laid the foundation of the John Wesley Community Church by lantern light after their regular work days, the Lantern Light Fund will support the preservation of the sites and stories of Waterford's African American heritage. The money raised will be used to support the Second Street School program, restoration and maintenance of the Second Street School and John Wesley Community Church, exhibits and educational materials, etc. The most pressing need is to raise funds for the floor and stair restoration project in the John Wesley Church Fellowship hall. We have received a $4000 grant from the Loudoun Preservation Society for the project, but those funds will not cover the complete cost of both jobs. We had hoped to be able to reuse much of the original flooring that was removed during the most recent restoration, but unfortunately found that most of it was too badly damaged to be reinstalled. Thus, we also have to raise funds to purchase additional flooring.
We will be hosting a kick-off event to establish the Fund. The original church congregation held ice cream socials for many years to pay off the debt on the building. We may hold our own ice cream social/fundraiser to raise funds for the fellowship hall restoration. It would give us an opportunity to share some of the history of the building, raising awareness of Waterford's rich African American history. Stay tuned!
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Commemoration of Loudoun's Revolutionary War History
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Wayne's Crossing sign in Lucketts |
The Sons of the American Revolution for Loudoun County, along with the Daughters of the American Revolution will be hosting a commemoration of Wayne's Crossing on Saturday, June 3, at 11:00am at the Spirit of Loudoun Revolutionary War Memorial in Leesburg.
The event will commemorate General Anthony Wayne's crossing of the Potomac with his brigade of 700 Pennsylvania troops at Noland's Ferry. A historical marker recognizing the event is located at Lucketts Community Park.
Mayor Kelly Burk and the Leesburg Town Council have proclaimed the day as "Wayne's Crossing Day" in Leesburg and Mayor Burk will speak at the event. We salute the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution for commemorating this important event in our local history.
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Waterford Quilters Guild to Raffle Off This Beautiful Quilt
Waterford in Bloom, the Waterford Quilters Guild 2017 Raffle Quilt.
The squares for this queen-sized quilt body were machine pieced by members of the Waterford Quilters Guild. The border was hand-appliqued by eight of the members.
The overall quilt was quilted on a long-arm machine by one of our members. The quilting alone took over 40 hours and has been professionally appraised at $3,000.
This one of a kind quilt could be yours! Purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win: $1 for one ticket or $5 for six tickets. Ticket information can be found at
WQG
or they can be purchased during the Waterford Fair.
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Bonnie Getty Proclaimed Visit Loudoun's
Volunteer of the Year
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Bonnie Getty with Beth Erickson, President & CEO of Visit Loudoun |
We are excited (and proud) to announce that our own Bonnie Getty was named Visit Loudoun's 2016 Volunteer of the Year at
Visit Loudoun's Annual Meeting & Tourism Awards program on May 11
!
Ask anyone who has met Bonnie; her passion for Waterford sets her apart. Over the years she has served the Foundation in numerous capacities: President, Secretary, Homes Tour Chair, Development Chair and Sponsor Coordinator for the Waterford Concert Series.
For more than eleven years Bonnie has successfully managed the homes tour segment of the Waterford Fair. Every year she secures 8-10 homes within the National Historic Landmark for tour participation, writes scripts, and oversees approximately 200 volunteer docents, giving tens of thousands of Fair attendees the opportunity to view these unique historic properties.
"She has organized, modernized, and standardized the homes tour process", says Cordelia Chamberlin, who has worked with Bonnie for the past 11 years. "And (Bonnie) has done so with a good sense of humor and cheerfulness while serving on the Foundation board. She has total dedication," continued Chamberlin.
We are all indebted to Bonnie for her continued and enthusiastic service to the Homes Tour and Craft Exhibit, the Waterford Foundation and the County. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Bonnie!
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Celebrating our Volunteers at the Annual Meeting
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Susan Sutter with Foundation President Stephanie Thompson |
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Susan Sutter
Volunteer of the Year:
The many volunteers who have portrayed Miss Nickens for the Second Street School fourth grade program over the past 33 years. Accepted by
Kathie Ratcliffe and Judy Jackson.
Community Partner:
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
Special Recognition:
Rich Gillespie, Retiring Executive Director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association
Don Nicolson, Long-time Fair Bond Street Area Chair
Gail Hunt, Corner Store Gift Shop and
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Supervisor Geary Higgins
with Tom Kuehhas
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Welcome Center Manager
Eagle Scout Community Projects:
John Harking Beisler
Ethan Jerome Caldas
Retiring Board Members:
Peggy Bednarik
Karl Riedel
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Phillips Farm Cleanup
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IBTS |
The Waterford Foundation owes a debt of gratitude to the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and volunteers from the Institute for Building Technology Safety for donating their time and resources to a workday devoted to new planting and invasive plant removal on the Phillips Farm on May 17.
Loudoun Wildlife, under the leadership of Joe Coleman, and with the help of Ann Garvey, purchased 109 trees and shrubs for planting at the Interpretive Pull-Off Area and along the South Fork of the Catoctin Creek in the riparian buffer area. Julie of Watermark Woods donated perennials (as did Ann Garvey) for the pull-off to replace the invasive perennials trying to take over. Fourteen new trees were also slated to be planted there.
The McIntosh family dug the holes for the new plants before the volunteers arrived and delivered mulch to the planting areas. The McIntosh family leases the farm from the Foundation for hay, serves on the Phillips Farm Committee, and is always available to help with any project there.
That morning, a group of volunteers from IBTS arrived at the mill with their work gloves, waterproof shoes, bug spray and great tee shirts! They worked long and hard, and seemed unfazed by the excessive heat and sun. After a relaxing lunch on the mill lawn, where they heard about the impact of what they were doing on the monarch butterfly population, they returned to work to finish and clean up before finally calling it a day at 3pm.
Planting in the riparian buffer along a stream goes a long way toward protecting water quality in our streams and waterways. There is a 100-foot buffer on either side of the Catoctin as it makes its way across the Phillips Farm. The Deed of Easement requires that the buffer be protected in an effort to protect water quality in Loudoun. This is essential to protecting our water for human, as well as animal and wildlife, consumption. This means that livestock must be kept out of the buffer as well as any streams on the farm.
Since 2008, with the help of Loudoun Wildlife, over 1000 trees and shrubs have been planted in the buffer areas on the 144 acre Phillips Farm. After yesterday's event, we are now closer to having 1200 new, native plantings there.
The support received from the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy since the Foundation's purchase of the farm in 2003 has been invaluable. They provide the expertise, the plantings, and the labor necessary to get the work done. The Foundation simply could not do this alone.
We are extremely grateful for this valuable partnership and appreciate Loudoun Wildlife's introducing us to our new friends at IBTS!
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Historic Waterford Trail Run/Walk A Success!
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Although dawn on Saturday, April 22, brought a persistent drizzle, nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the almost 160 runners taking part in the inaugural Historic Waterford Trail Run/Walk to benefit the Waterford Foundation! Bright smiles adorned their faces as they crossed the finish line and received a shiny medal featuring Waterford's own mill. 36 of those registered came from the Waterford Elementary School Trailblazer running club, who were so excited to compete!
It was wonderful to see so many families enjoying themselves on the grounds of the Old School, and to be able to experience, first-hand while on the course, the important role that the Waterford Foundation plays in preserving this historic village and the open space surrounding it.
Special thanks to the hard-working committee, led by Inga Woods, and all our sponsors: Loudoun Mutual, Willowsford, Brookfield Residential, Carrington Homes, FBB Financial Partners, Middleburg Bank,
NVPools, Carpenter Beach Construction, Local Wood, Windows on Washington and Office Anesthesia Services, LLC.
We appreciate your support!
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Learning some new moves |
Thank you to all those who came out to support the Foundation at the Motown Dance Party at the Old School! And, thanks to auction donations (and purchases), plus some delectable martinis, fabulous glasses and fantastic singing/dancing posters --we made some funds and some friends for preserving dear old Waterford.
It was truly an unexpected honor and a pleasure to see Chair Randall of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors at the dance party that evening!
Thanks to all the Motown Dance committee members, who put their all into creating a memorable evening -- as POP Stars, auction donors and buyers, food and drinks donors, dancers, and ticket buyers. Your efforts are truly appreciated and w
e can't thank you enough for your support of this first-time event.
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Old School Debt Challenge Grant
We are pleased to report that, through the generosity of members of the Board of Directors, the Old School Steering Committee, and the Old School Advisory Board, we have successfully raised a total of $5,250, exceeding the funds needed to match the challenge grant issued by former Waterford Foundation Executive Director Nancy Doane.
Therefore, we will be able to reduce the amount of the Foundation's debt incurred in the restoration of the Old School by $10,250.
We are most grateful to Nancy for generously providing these funds, and to all those who rose to the challenge!
Thanks so much for your support!
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New Mobile-Friendly Website Unveiled
The new Foundation website is up and running; thanks to our Office Manager, Julie Goforth for her creativity and all the effort she put into revamping the site and making it more user-friendly for those on the go!
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If you are wondering what is happening at the Corner Store, here is an update. We think this is the first time the downstairs of the store has been rented since the Foundation has owned the property so there has been a steep learning curve figuring out what sort of uses are permissible. Being in a Historic District has added to the challenge. W
e have received quite a few inquiries and are finalizing our selection of a new tenant. We look forward to welcoming a new neighbor soon.
Meantime, we are getting ready to give the building a new coat of paint.
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Have You Included the Waterford Foundation in Your Estate Planning?
Help preserve the Waterford National Historic Landmark
for future gener
ations.
Include the Waterford Foundation in your estate planning.
You can provide support for the Foundation's efforts at preservation and education, while meeting your financial, tax, and philanthropic goals.
Your bequest to the Waterford Foundation allows us to continue our mission of protecting and preserving this beautiful landmark we all love.
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See what's happening on our social sites:
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