Birdcraft Centennial at Holiday Tea

Milton the barn owl, is pictured with Teacher/Naturalist Jillian Maher, and Kathy Van Der Aue in period dress.

Supporters of the Connecticut Audubon Society flocked to the annual holiday tea which this year marked the 100th birthday of the founding of the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary. The December 6 event commemorated another significant historical milestone for the Fairfield community in a year with much to celebrate. Guests were welcomed at the door by Kathy Van Der Aue of Southport posing in period dress as Mabel Osgood Wright, the naturalist, author, and conservation pioneer who was a founder of Birdcraft in 1914. Milton the barn owl, a frequent attendee at Conencticut Audubon Society events, is one of Audubon’s resident educational birds. He is a majestic, living reminder of why Mabel’s legacy is important to honor and preserve.

Pictured here with Cindi Bigelow is Holiday Tea Cochair Bonnie Hirschfeld.

Next to a multi-tiered birthday cake and plaque in memory of Mabel’s work and Birdcraft’s founding, guests sipped tea and delighted in an array of exquisite holiday treats prepared by the event committee led by Co-Chairs and Board Members Landon Storrs and Bonnie Hirschfield.

A highlight of the event was the chance to learn tea facts, history and tips in a presentation by Fairfield community partner and corporate sponsor Cindy Bigelow, President and CEO of the Bigelow Tea Company, which generously donated the tea for this occasion. Curious guests were also led through a demonstration about varieties of tea and were able to test and compare different samples.  Read more