On June 8th, Pickering Creek Audubon Center’s Tour, Toast and Taste will be held at Richard and Beverly Tilghman’s Wye House in Easton. The event will afford guests a rare look inside Wye House and a great opportunity to socialize and add culinary adventures to their social calendars for the next year.
Just around the corner from the 400-acre wildlife sanctuary and nature education center, Wye House is a perfect fit for this year’s Tour, Toast and Taste event to benefit the education programs of Pickering Creek Audubon Center, the Shore’s premiere environmental center.
Wye House is one of Maryland’s most historic homes. It is located along the Wye River on land acquired by Edward Lloyd in 1659. The current house was constructed between 1784 and 1790 by Edward Lloyd IV and is currently occupied by the 12 th generation of the Lloyd family to live on the property. The house is in the Palladian style and is often referred to as the finest example of late 18 th Century Palladian architecture in the United States. Many of the original furnishings and other objects remain in the house. The Orangerie, a garden structure, predates the house and is the most complete surviving structure of its kind in the United States. The property contains numerous early 19 th century out buildings. The Lloyd family cemetery’s earliest grave is dated 1684.
Wye House was once the seat of a sprawling estate comprising of tens of thousands of acres.
The evening begins with a leisurely drive down a long, beautiful tree lined drive. Upon arrival, guests tour four first floor rooms where guests of the house were traditionally greeted and received. The rooms feature significant original woodwork and other detail features as well as
artwork that have remained with the house over the course of several generations. The home has hosted a number of dignitaries over the years including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Two generations of the family will be on hand to share the history of the house as well as how it got to its present state of perfection.
After the house tour guests will stroll through the home’s tree lined garden alleyway to the Orangerie. After visiting the Orangerie guests will adjourn to a breezy tent beside the Orangerie for cocktails, delicious hors d’ouevres, and light entertainment. At the sound of the bell, guests
will have the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of intriguing dinners, unique events and auction items offered by strong supporters of the community-based education programs of Pickering Creek Audubon Center.
The Orangerie protected fruit trees in the winter and serves the function of a greenhouse.
The evening concludes with a special presentation of live raptors of Maryland by naturalist and friend of the Center, Mike Callahan. Callahan is an expert on barn owls and raptors and introduces the public to them through his work with the Southern Maryland Audubon Society
and Charles County Public Schools. Guests will have an opportunity to learn about the birds and see them up close.
The Tour, Toast & Taste committee consists of a group of loyal Pickering supporters including Jo Storey, Bill Griffin, Tom Sanders, Dave Bent, Cheryl Tritt, Ron Ketter, Desne Roe, Liz Fisher, Audrey Forrer, Dorothy Whitcomb, Andy Smith, Brooke Mesko and Colin Walsh. This year’s Tour, Toast & Taste is generously sponsored by the Bill and Mary Griffin, Colin Walsh and Carolyn Williams, the Dock Street Foundation, the Chesapeake Audubon Society, Cheryl Tritt and Phillip Walker, The Easton Group at Morgan Stanley, Phillip and Charlotte Sechler, Parker Counts, Wye Trust, Shore United Bank, Dwelling and Design, Stuart and Melissa Strahl, Lane Engineering, Tom Divilio and Lisa Gritti, Tom and Cathy Hill, Kristina and Michael Henry, Solidago Landscapes, Rick Scobey and Bruce Ragsdale, Tred Avon Family Wealth and Wayne and Joyce Bell.
For over 30 years, Pickering Creek Audubon Center has provided environmental education opportunities to students of the Eastern Shore, moving them from awareness of their watershed to conservation action in their communities. Since establishing a well-reputed elementary
education program in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools 25 years ago, Audubon has added meaningful watershed experiences for middle and high school students to our continuum of education along with community outreach education about our region’s unique ecosystems. Pickering Creek reaches the people of the Eastern Shore throughout their academic careers outdoor learning experiences that encourage them to continue interacting with the outdoors frequently.
Tickets and more information are available online at www.pcacevents.org. For more information call the Center at 410-822-4903.
Gabrielle Koeppel says
The history of that plantation honoring the lives of the enslaved should always be part of the story. It is American history and should not be buried lest it be repeated. I am disappointed by the Talbot Spy, Pickering Creek and all involved.