August
2020
Newsletter: August 2020
Newsletter: July 2020
Wedding Ceremonies and More
Tarrywile Park & Mansion
Newsletter vol. 29
A Thought Starter for this Month:
The United Stated Live Event Industry of which Tarrywile Mansion is a part – composed of more than 12 million workers and contributing roughly 1 trillion dollars to the U.S. economy has been completely devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the necessary shutdown of many operations. Many of our event partners will not come back from this. We, at Tarrywile, have been fortunate in most of our couples already booked for a 2020 wedding ave chosen to stay with us and reschedule to 2021, for which we are profoundly grateful. We will survive, there will be areas in the park that may be affected, please be patient as we work through this together.
Photos from our Park Users I thought you would enjoy.
Breathe Healthy, Be Healthy, Support Your Local Park!
This August marks the start of my 23rd year at Tarrywile. In 1998 I was hired as the Secretary/Receptionist for Tarrywile Mansion. If you told me the day I was hired that I would end up transitioning to the Mansion Event Coordinator for 15 years and then to Executive Director for the last 7 years I wouldn’t have believed you. The biggest reason being that I would never have thought that here I would be after all these years.
The years have seen my own wedding to my husband of 21 years. Like many I have lost loved ones in the years since. I have seen the birth of my 5 incredible Godchildren, three of which are now in college and are truly adults now. I crossed a few things off my bucket list and added a few more on.
At Tarrywile in the last 22 years, we have seen the addition of over 100 acres and the building of our three bay maintenance garage, The Children’s Garden and the Gazebo and the surrounding Gazebo Angel Garden. In 1998 we saw an average of about 20.000 people a year. In 2020, COVID-19 hit and the Park was for local residents a get away from the isolation that many experienced. We saw a drastic upswing in Park use and for the first time, I believe we will see over 100,000 visitors this year.
I didn’t want to go into the sauna that is the attic to look up fiscal year 1998/1999 but 20 years ago in 2000/2001 the City funded the Park & Mansion with an annual operating budget grant of $232,323. The annual grant this coming year is $197,000. Please take a moment to donate today to the Park you love so much.
The year 2020 and COVID-19 took its toll on us all, spiritually, financially, mentally and physically. For the first time in the history of the Mansion event schedule, the building has sat empty for almost 6 months. The future is looking different now a days, what the new normal is yet, no one knows. But here at Tarrywile our goal is still to provide the residents of the greater Danbury area a beautiful respite from their everyday lives and concerns. Be well everyone.
Until Next Time Remember;
Leave what you find, respect fellow park users, always be prepared, but most importantly enjoy all Tarrywile has to offer. ~ Becky Petro, Executive Director
As time rolls on, I see the months stretching out on our events calendar, and I wait for the inevitable email or phone call from a client saying they just can’t go forward with their event, being a wedding, fundraiser, or shower, at this time. The slow bleed started in March as one by one the calls came in. Can we reschedule? What do you think it will look like for my wedding in April? May? June? Can we cancel and get our money back? By the end of June it was no longer a question of what do you think, more a question of what does 2021 look like? July, August, and September events are no longer on the calendar, a few hopefuls are hanging for October, as I wait for the inevitable, or maybe not, for hope always springs eternal!
A Casualty of the Pandemic: it is with a sad and heavy heart that I have to say the last class of Yoga in the Park with the wonderful team at YogaCulture will be on August 22nd at 8:30 am. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenny Schuck will be permanently closing the doors to her YogaCulture studio. Jenny and her team have been a loving and supportive community partner to Tarrywile Park for quite some time. Over the last 10 years Jenny and her team have generously donated their Sunday class fees totaling $13,000, to help in keeping the Park the beautiful oasis you all love. A ray of hope in this dreary time is that pop-up yoga classes are being considered in the future. We’ll keep you posted as always, if they become a reality. The staff of Tarrywile Park and Mansion are wishing Jenny and her crew all the best with any future endeavors.
Happenings at the Park: FYI Park Users, please be careful on the trails, there are some downed trees and debris from storm Isaias. Our grounds crew is hard at work cleaning up the trails and park. Cross Country track practice will be starting up beginning July 8th; Danbury Flyers on Tuesdays/Thursdays 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm and DHS Monday through Friday 8:30 am – 10 am.
Fast Facts: While white-tailed deer have 32 teeth, they don’t have any upper teeth in the front. Instead, they have a hard palate with a rough texture that helps them grind food, like molars for humans.
If you belong to an organization which would like to contribute to the park by way of a community service project, a donated service or monetary donation, please contact the office by email. We deeply appreciate all our volunteers and donors who support us, without you we wouldn’t be the beautiful park you love and enjoy.
Tarrywile Park & Mansion | 203-744-3130
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