Chatham Chatter, 2nd Quarter, April - June 2025
- Friends of Chatham
- Mar 26
- 6 min read
President's Message
Greetings All and welcome to Spring! We have entered the season of new beginnings, hopefulness and sprouting flowers. Hopefully the weather will turn consistently warmer pretty soon and make the season even more enjoyable. If you are a fan of the first sprouting daffodils, Chatham’s garden has numerous bunches of them and the population is growing by the week.
They are so cheerful.
To keep the flower parade going through the remainder of Spring and Summer, Gardener Scott Blake and the Wednesday volunteers have received the plant plugs for the summer annuals. Between Wednesday and an extra planting session on Friday, the entire plug order has been repotted into four-inch containers to give the little plants ample room to grow. They are now spread out in the greenhouses enjoying the sunshine and Scott’s tender loving care. We expect a colorful display as the new plants move to the garden.
Meanwhile planning for other Friends of Chatham activities for the coming season is underway. P.R. and Marketing Director Kevin Brown is planning another of his very popular Photography Meet and Greets for Sunday, April 13. He will also be getting a block of tickets for the Symphony Concert on May 17. The tickets must be purchased by April 7 at cost of $53.00 a ticket. If you are interested in attending, please contact Kevin before the ticket purchase deadline. Additional information will be forthcoming about both of these events.
On the heels of a delightful pre-St Patrick’s Day lunch at the Colonial Tavern, the Membership Committee is now considering upcoming member mingles. A repeat gathering at Tapa Rio is a possibility. Planning is also underway for the Annual Meeting. This will take place in the theater room at the downtown library on Tuesday, June 3, beginning at 5:30 PM. Vice President Stephanie Turman is working on a couple of proposals to amend the by-laws. These will be circulated to the membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting, as required.
Many thanks to the Board and Committee members working on these plans, and to all of our members for their faithful support of Friends of Chatham. We hope to see you soon at one of our activities or visiting Chatham.
All the Best,Carol Hyland, President
Upcoming Events
13 April 2025 (4:30-6:30 PM): Chatham Photographer Meet and Greet
A Meet and Greet for local photography (camera and cell phone) enthusiasts will be held at Chatham Manor. Participants will gather at the picnic tables on the north side of the screened-in summer house. After introductions, and some comradery accompanied by free pizza and soft drinks, participants will stroll Chatham grounds snapping photos for later submission into a winner-takes-all contest - for a $100 downtown gift card prize. The contest theme will be announced at the beginning of the event, with photos required to be taken on the day of the event. The judges for the photography contest will be the Friends of Chatham Board of Directors. Contest entrants will be capped at the first 20 people who arrive and sign in for the event. Additional photographers beyond the first 20 will be considered as visiting Chatham on their own (which everyone is welcome to do), but not as officially recognized as part of this participant-capped event.Reminder, vehicle entry to the Chatham grounds is not allowed after 5 PM (although vehicles may exit onto River Road later until sunset). If vehicles arrive after 5 PM, they must park at adjacent Pratt Park, which allows parking until 8 PM.FOC Publicity and Marketing Director, and “On the Fredericksburg Va Trails” Facebook Group Administrator, Kevin Brown is the creator/coordinator for this event.
In the event of inclement weather on 13 Apr 25, the backup date for the event will be 27 Apr 25 (430-630 PM).
17 May 2025 (7:30 PM): Fredericksburg Symphony “A Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration.”
The final Fredericksburg Symphony concert of the 24-25 season will be held at James Monroe High School. To join us in our special-reserved Friends of Chatham seating section, please text Kevin Brown at 571-488-0827 or email friendsofchatham@gmail.com by midnight 6 April to be included in our seating reservations (first come, first serve, limited seats available). Cost is $53/ticket.
3 June 2025 (6 PM): Friends of Chatham Annual Meeting
Our annual meeting will be held at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library – Fredericksburg Branch, at 1201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. Please come join us in celebrating this past year’s accomplishments and to learn about plans for the upcoming year. Member attendance is highly encouraged to ensure we have a quorum for voting on the important organizational decisions. Looking forward to seeing you there!
2 August 2025 (4: 45 - 6 PM): Member Mingle at Tapa Rio
Be sure to mark your calendar with this popular repeat event at a favorite spot with delicious fare and riverside views of Chatham.
Recent Events
“Annual Funraiser”
at Ristorante Renato’s on 27 January 2025
At our annual "fun-raising" dinner, the Friends of Chatham gathered together for fun that included a delicious dinner and drinks, an art auction, and a raffle with bountiful gift baskets and other lovely items, while guests enjoyed viewing a slideshow recapping Friends of Chatham activities and gatherings from 2024. We greatly appreciate all who participated and contributed to making this event a resounding success.
Valentine’s Day Concert
at JMHS on 14 February 2025
Continuing a tradition that began in 2024, Friends of Chatham members joined together in a specially-reserved seating section for the Fredericksburg Symphony “Valentine’s Special – What I Did For Love” concert. Heartstrings were plucked while friendships blossomed during a lovely evening of romantic music provided by Fredericksburg’s fabulously melodious symphony orchestra.
“St Patrick’s Day” Member Mingle
at Colonial Tavern on 12 March 2025
Continuing a longstanding tradition, Friends of Chatham members joined together at the Colonial Tavern for a luncheon in downtown Fredericksburg to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Green was the color of the day, and a harbinger for the coming of Spring as we wish for continued bountiful beauty of our beloved Chatham Manor’s gardens and grounds.
From the Garden
Photo credit: Carol Fry
Thankfully the cold weather broke, and with our wonderful volunteers we were able to complete tidying up and mulching all of the beds in preparation for the upcoming planting season. The tulips and hyacinth are coming up and the daffodils are already blooming. Spring is definitely in the air at Chatham!
We received over 800 various plant plugs.
After several hours, we had all of them planted in 4-inch pots, and then staged them in the greenhouses, where they will stay until they are mature enough to be transferred to the cold frames. After they are hardened in the cold frames for a period of time, they will be ready to be planted in the beds for all to enjoy.
The plant selection included Aloha Blue Ageratum, Dallas Red Lantana, Red, Yellow and White Lantana, and we also added Agastache Morello (Hummingbird Mint) this year. A variety of seeds have also been started and are germinating in the greenhouses.
We are so excited that the growing season has started and can’t wait to get everything in the beds. Our volunteer numbers are steadily growing, which will help tremendously in getting everything planted quickly.
Membership
If you have not renewed your membership for fiscal 2024-2025, April is an opportune time to support FOC through membership. All membership renewals, gift memberships and first-time memberships received in April and May, will remain current until June 30, 2026. Visit www.friendsofchatham.org, or send a check to Friends of Chatham, Box 36, Fredericksburg VA 22404. Membership levels include Individual, $25.00; Family, $50.00; Sustaining, $100.00; Contributing, $250.00; River Terrace, $500.00; and Faberge Circle-$1000.
Gift Memberships
If you need a gift for a special friend or family member, consider buying them a Friends of Chatham gift membership. Just send the recipient’s name, mailing address, and email address to Friends of Chatham, PO Box 36, Fredericksburg, VA, 22404 and a card acknowledging your gift will be sent to the recipient. Membership Levels – Individual-$25; Family- $50; Sustaining-$100; Contributing-$250; River Terrace-$500; and Faberge Circle-$1000.
Website and Social Media Update
We encourage everyone to visit our Friends of Chatham website at www.friendsofchatham.org and see the terrific design and content improvements that have been made with the help of our website manager, Deborah Newman at arts@petitetaway.com. For membership and donations, payment acceptance is provided via Givebutter, which allows a greater variety in payments methods, to include Paypal and credit/debit cards, as well as facilitates fundraising efforts.
Our Facebook page, Friends of Chatham, Inc., is very active with beautiful photos and news related to Chatham being posted and shared on a daily basis. We encourage you to follow our Facebook page, if you are on social media, so you can automatically view our content.
For Sale: $35 each*
FoC is selling signed and numbered limited edition prints of Chatham Manor by Joseph M. Serino, 18 1/2 in. x 23 3/4 in. If you are interested in buying a print you can email us at friendsofchatham@gmail.com. Prints can also be purchased online from our homepage at www.friendsofchatham.org.
* Includes shipping and handling
Did you know you can support FoC when you buy bulbs for your garden from Brent and Becky's Bulbs? Go to www.bloominbucks.com. Select Friends of Chatham in the drop down menu, follow the prompts, and start shopping. Twenty-five percent of your purchase will go directly to Friends of Chatham.