download this information packet - Hagley Museum and Library

Workers’ Heritage Fest
Workers’ Heritage Fest
Month Held: March
Sponsorship: $1,500 for both Workers’ Heritage Fest and
Victorine’s Valentine Day
Description: Hagley Museum features a St. Patrick’s
Celebration each March on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day
from 12:30 to 4 p.m. The day brings some of the sights, sounds,
and aromas of Ireland to Hagley. Activities are included
with the museum’s regular admission. Approximately 350
visitors participate in the event each year. This celebration
of the workers who came from Ireland to find jobs in E. I.
du Pont’s powder yards offers visitors of all ages a chance to
enjoy a bit of Irish culture. A singing and storytelling duo fills
Hagley’s Brandywine Manufacturers’ Sunday School with
the sounds of fiddles, guitars, and fine vocals. In addition to
the musical entertainment, an expert presents information
on Irish genealogy searches; the McAleer School for Irish
Dance showcases children’s step dancing; the New Castle
County Irish Society demonstrates Ceili folk dancing; and
shamrocks, both live and crocheted, sprout from make-andtake
boutonnieres. “Wee ones” enjoy coloring a leprechaun or
writing with a quill pen in addition to the music and dancing.
Visitors can warm themselves with tea and scones like those
Mrs. Gibbons, wife of a powder-yard foreman, may have made
for her family in the Gibbons House kitchen. Since St. Patrick’s
Day is the traditional start of the planting season, there will be
an outdoor activity as well: in the workers’ garden, visitors can
help prepare the soil and plant peas and potatoes.
Sponsor Receives: Name on event program, on news
releases, and in Hagley’s annual report.
ROUTE 141 • WILMINGTON, DELAWARE • (302) 658-2400 • WWW.HAGLEY.ORG