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Just seven days away!
At 10 a.m. next Friday, October 7, the gates open for the 68th Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit! Waterford Foundation staff are in high gear, and many, many volunteers are already on site--preparing to accept Red Barn, Art Mart, and Photo Exhibit entries, arranging crafts in the Old Mill, and preparing properties for the homes on tour. The hayfield on Water Street Meadow has been mowed, the Bond Street Meadow grass is trimmed, and village residents look out upon lush fall gardens from an abundance of late summer rains.
In this special Fair newsletter, we will provide you with some of the highlights of this year's fair--and you can read more about each on our website.
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One hundred and fifty years ago, Quaker Waterford sat on the burning edge of our nation's strife. Educational exhibits and reenactments throughout the village at the Fair will detail the actions of Waterford's citizens as the Civil War began, while Union and Confederate reenactors will teach about this period in our history: drills and demonstrations, encampments, musters, a fife and drum corps, skirmishes, and a moving procession to the Union of Churches Cemetery to honor the fallen.
The Loudoun Independent Rangers, Union cavalry re-enactors (the Loudoun Rangers were the only cavalry unit raised in Virginia to fight for the North during the war), will return to Waterford for the weekend. The Confederate cause will be represented by the 8th Virginia and Stonewall Jackson brigades, camped out on the grounds of the Waterford Old School. The Liberty Hall Fife and Drum Corps (a South Carolina/CSA re-enactor group) will play Civil War era music throughout the Fair (see our June newsletter to read about Waterford historic marker commemorations in May).
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Caterina Lichtenberg
and Mike Marshall
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Love music?
During the Fair there is music everywhere-string bands, troubadours, barbershop quartet, gospel, classical, folk, traditional.
But this year our entertainment offerings are very special. The bluegrass band The Seldom Scene will perform at the Old School Stage on Saturday, and on Sunday fans will fill the John Wesley Community Church to hear famed mandolinists Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg.
Now posted online is the schedule for all fair entertainment.
We thank Tuscarora Mill, Magnolias, South Street Under, and Fireworks Restaurants for their generous sponsorship of The Seldom Scene.
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The Seldom Scene
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Don't miss the Fair R affle!
This year's raffle item is an exquisite hand-painted and gilded bowl by Connecticut artisans Shaari Horowitz and Alistair Jones. This beautiful piece, a 17-inch-diameter Onyx and Gold Bowl, features a design of continuous light and dark green vines with ochre and burgundy buds painted on a background of black. The inner circle is patinated gilding. The wood is turned beech. It is valued at $600. Tickets are $3 each or four for $10, and can be purchased at the Corner Store in Waterford now and during the Fair in the village center, until the drawing on Sunday afternoon. For this generous donation we thank Shaari Horowitz and Alistair Jones, two of our 155 outstanding Fair artisans.
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We are rebuilding
the Old School Auditorium!  | |
What the geese saw: The foundation for the Old School Auditorium takes shape, four years after the original 1922 structure burned to the ground. [photo courtesy Tom Simmons]
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As you come to enjoy the Fair this year, you will see something wonderful emerging on the grounds of the Old School!
We thank all our supporters and generous donors, who have helped us through four and a half years of planning and fundraising for the return of the Old School Auditorium, a center of Waterford community life.
Construction began early in July, and we expect to celebrate completion by next spring. We still have some fundraising to do for interior furnishings, and welcome your continued support.
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Tickets!You can still purchase advance tickets at a discount at the many shops and banks that kindly offer to be our ticket outlets each year. Here is a list of locations.
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Got GPS?
Use this address
to program your device to get you to Waterford:
40183 Main Street
Waterford, VA 20197
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Mobility issues?
Here are tips for getting the most out of the Fair, if you or a companion have difficulty getting around.
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Love old homes?
Three days, thirteen private homes on tour (four or five each day). Docents will guide you through each.
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Got Children?
The Fair is a magical place for children! Many of our artisans' demonstrations will especially delight children, who might help make a clay pot or a candle, take a lesson from a sword-master, or literally find out what it means to separate the wheat from the chaff.
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Through the local grapevine?
Making wine locally has long been a part of this region's agricultural history. This year the fruits of those vines will be on hand for the tasting, as the Loudoun Winegrowers Association, in the Schooley Mill Barn area, features wines for the tasting from this region's rich soils.
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House bare?
You can furnish it here. Furniture makers, tin- and blacksmiths, wood carvers, basket makers, weavers, quilters, candle makers, potters--some of the finest craftsmen in the nation are in Waterford for the weekend.
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New York corner chair by Mack S. Headley & Sons.
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Got Fair stories?
We have families who have come every year for 30 years. We have Californians who come here to meet Marylanders, and Vermonters who come to see Oklahomans. In May we had a wedding in the John Wesley Community Church of two dedicated fair goers. (We're talkin' 'bout you, Mary and Rick!) Is the Fair where your family meets each year? Is there a funny story from your Fair visit? We'd love to hear your tales. Visit the Membership Tent in the village center, and tell us yours.
And if you are not already a member, join us! Visit the membership booth to find out more.
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