The Fair was a great success!

Dear Friends of Waterford,
 
The weather was perfect and happy visitors streamed into the Waterford Fair for its 65th year. This true regional celebration remains the Foundation's main fundraiser.  

So thank yous are very much in order to:

THANK YOU to Fair chair Fran Holmbraker, her assistant Mary Kenesson, Fair committees, tour house homeowners, and the hundreds of volunteers who were here to greet our thousands of visitors and crafts demonstrators.

THANK YOU to our own artist, Kathy Riedel, for her donation of the charming painting of Waterford sheep  which graced the cover of the Fair booklet, the posters, and was proudly purchased by Cate Wyatt  at the silent auction on Varnishing Night at the Red Barn.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who helped us match last year's landmark year and who enjoyed the Fair! It truly takes a village (and much more) to make things happen! 



Rebuild the Old School Update
THANKS  to Hans Hommels, Susan Sutter, Walter Music, and Ernie Smith. Our Old School auditorium plan has now been officially approved by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the county's Historic District Review Committee. Now on to the county's zoning and planning departments and to the Board of Supervisors.
 
Very soon we'll be opening the Old School classroom building for a tour. The restoration is just about complete, except for the fire escape on the outside of the building and interior fire alarm system.  Everyone should be very proud of how our Old School shines again on the hill.
 
Phillips Farm
After more than a year's hard work by the Phillips Farm Management Ad Hoc Committee chaired by Mimi Westervelt, the Foundation Board approved a plan to manage its preservation and public access and established a standing committee to oversee these responsibilities.
 
Last June, more than 40 people attended an open house at the Mill to provide public comment on the draft plan for the property. The gathering was preceded by a walking tour of the farm led by naturalists and historians on the Ad Hoc Phillips Farm Committee. The committee explained how the plan addresses three strategic areas of management--history, agriculture, and natural resources--and how it meets legal requirements of the state and federal agencies that hold conservation easements and provide funding.

Public comments included concerns about trash removal, erosion, stream pollution, and prohibited access for horseback riding, bikes, swimming, cattle, off-leash dogs, and camping. The committee carefully considered each comment and sent a letter to the Waterford Foundation membership and the attendees at the open house last month, explaining how the plan addresses these concerns as well as other suggestions for other uses of property, e.g., a tree nursery, interpretation of flora, nature trails, a survey of Native American presence, open viewshed, and vegetable farm lots. 
 
Unfortunately, there still seems to be concern about limits to public access of the Farm, particularly those that villagers enjoyed in the past. Let me assure you that the Phillips Farm Committee will be considering ways to share the Farm with the community in the weeks ahead. There will be further news. In the meantime, please contact me or Mimi Westervelt if you have questions or concerns. 
 
Thank you again to all our generous friends and supporters. We welcome your help and suggestions! Please forward this newsletter to friends you think would be interested in Waterford Foundation activities. We want to spread the word about the good things going on in the Waterford National Historic Landmark.



President