“Expedition! Nature's Curiosities”: Wyck's Final Second Saturday Festival of the 2012 Season

Among the nine generations of the Wistar-Haines family to live at Wyck for over three centuries, more than a few had serious interest in natural history, including Reuben Haines, III (1786-1831), cofounder of the Academy of Natural Sciences.  Wyck's final festival of the 2012 season will celebrate the fall while exploring the strange and wonderful things that happen in nature -- and are found at Wyck!

We welcome you to bring your own blanket and picnic food, and Wyck will be serving soup and cider at a low price.  See www.wyck.org/programs for more information, including photos from previous festivals, and www.wyck.org/about-wyck for directions to Wyck.  The event will happen rain or shine. 

FEATURING:

• 12:00 - Dr. David Hewitt, a researcher and lecturer fromthe Botany Department of the Academy of Natural Sciences, will speak on “Magnolia Soulangeana: What Is It, and Where Does It Come From?”


• Ongoing all day - Local musicians Urban Drawl will be playing New Grass tunes for all ages

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES AND VENDORS ALL DAY (11:00-4:00):

• Children’s activities programmed by Christina Moresi, Wyck’s Youth Education Coordinator, including scavenger hunts, nature journals, insect construction, curiosity bags, nature’s textures, a natural artifacts display, and a family story space


• The Wyck Home Farm, now in its 6th season in its current form, is home to a wide variety of vegetable and fruit crops -- a mixture of historic heirlooms and modern hybrids -- all grown organically in the heart of Germantown, as well as a small flock of heritage-breed laying hens.  Tour the farm and talk to Emma Morrow, Wyck's Farm Manager, about the more unusual varieties of fruit and vegetable grown at Wyck, and how exactly they ended up here.  Wyck produce, fresh herbs and cut flowers will be available for purchase in the marketplace.  Tours will begin at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30, and will last approximately 30 minutes.


• Wyck House contains over 10,000 collection items from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including furniture and other household furnishings; clothing; children's toys; scientific, agricultural and industrial instruments; and Native American artifacts.  Look around the house, and in particular see some of Wyck's natural history artifacts on special display.  Addie Peyronnin Quinn, Wyck's Museum and Collections Manager, will be there to answer your questions.


• Apple tastings highlighting the differences and similarities among different varieties


• Capogiro Gelato Artisans will be serving up an autumnal flavor made expressly for us!


• Germantown-based Earth's Elements Healing Foods, an eco-conscious food service operation specializing in plant-based cuisine prepared with the highest intentions, will have delicious food and products for sale


• Renowned Philadelphia chocolatiers Kira and John, dedicated to both making world-class confections and promoting social change, will have beautiful treats for sale


• Philadelphia Woodworks, a professional-grade members woodshop and classroom space in Manayunk for novices, expert craftsmen and hobbyists alike, will be woodworking away...


• Meet the Philly Seed Exchange, a collective of gardeners and farmers in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey dedicated to preserving open-pollinated species and developing new plant species to meet the needs of our neighborhoods


• Super Sisters, a bee balm “bzzzness” created by yoga teacher Dawn Reid and beekeeper Jeff Eckel, uses organically grown, wildcrafted medicinal flowers and herbs, along with beeswax and propolis from Jeff's Germantown bee hives, to create unique balms to soothe tired feet, heal scrapped elbows, moisturize lips...the possibilities are endless!  Gorgeous concoctions like Dreamy Balm and Happy Thyme will be for sale

Wyck’s 2012 Second Saturday Festival Series is made possible by a generous grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through grant making, policy development, and research, IMLS helps communities and individuals thrive through broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and lifelong learning.