Autumn Ale Faire brings brews, bites and live music to The Elizabethan Gardens while raising funds to preserve its historic treasures.
The Elizabethan Gardens is giving everyone a particularly good reason to raise a glass this September.
The Elizabethan Gardens’ second annual Autumn Ale Faire returns Saturday, September 19, from noon to 4 p.m., bringing regional brews, wine, cider, food, live music and family fun to the 10-acre waterfront gardens on Roanoke Island.
This year’s celebration has an added significance. The Gardens is marking its 75th anniversary, and the theme of the Autumn Ale Faire is “Restoration,” with proceeds helping preserve and restore some of the property’s historic treasures.
Party for The Gardens
“We’re excited to welcome the community to this year’s Autumn Ale Faire at The Elizabethan Gardens,” says Brendan Medlin, executive director of The Elizabethan Gardens. “We're planning a day packed with great food, lively entertainment and family-friendly fun. Come ready to celebrate, sample and support a fun, local tradition.”
Photo: Autumn Ale Faire brings refreshments, food and fun for all ages.
The Great Lawn will be the center of the Autumn Ale Faire action, with regional beers along with wine, cider and non-alcoholic beverages. Food catered by Red Sky Catering is included with admission, and Wilmington-based six-piece band Face 2 Face will provide live music.
Families can head to the Overlook Terrace for a Kid’s Zone with crafts, yard games, a bounce house and dry slide. Guests will also have access to the Gardens throughout the event, leaving plenty of time for a stroll through the historic plantings and along the waterfront.
Even four-legged family members can join the fun since the Gardens is dog friendly.
Tickets cost $50.25 for adults and $20 for ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and younger are admitted free, and dog admission is $6.50. Buy tickets online.
The Autumn Ale Faire is sponsored in part by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.
Win Tickets to Autumn Ale Faire
Photo: A 3 Night Stay at a Manteo cottage is just one of the dozens of auction items in the 75th Anniversary Online Auction.
Bid for the Gardens
The anniversary fundraising extends beyond the Autumn Ale Faire itself.
Throughout the month of September, the Gardens is hosting its 75th Anniversary Online Auction with a fundraising goal of $75,000. The extensive auction catalog offers everything from local and out-of-town hotel and vacation rental stays to restaurant experiences, concerts, dolphin tours, fishing, skydiving, massages, facials, wine tastings, art and merchandise.
Auction items will also be displayed in Odom Hall during Autumn Ale Faire, where visitors will get another special anniversary treat.
The Gardens is producing a four-minute commemorative film celebrating its 75-year history, and Odom Hall will become a screening room for the premiere — complete with free popcorn.
“This film is our love letter to the Gardens and to the generations who nurtured them,” Medlin says. “We’re delighted to share this short premiere in Odom Hall with free popcorn and a display of auction items"
A 50/50 raffle is also planned during Autumn Ale Faire, giving attendees another way to support the Gardens while enjoying the afternoon.
Photo: The Gatehouse Orangery is targeted for restoration with the proceeds from Autumn Ale Faire and the 75th Anniversary Auction.
Preserving the Past
Celebrating 75 years also means looking toward the next 75.
Among the historic treasures targeted for restoration are the Gatehouse Orangery, with its original 19th-century handmade brickwork from the Silas Lucas Kiln and original windows, and the Statuary Fountain of Aphrodite in the Sunken Garden.
The Sunken Garden statuary was professionally assessed last year, and in October the Heritage Conservation Collective of Philadelphia is scheduled to begin repairs and restoration of the pool, balustrade, pedestal and Aphrodite statue. A grant from the Outer Banks Community Foundation is helping fund a portion of the work.
The remaining pieces in the Gardens’ historic statuary collection will also eventually need conservation, requiring additional fundraising.
“We are profoundly grateful to the John Hay Whitney Estate for generously gifting this remarkable collection to our community,” Medlin says. “For 75 years it has been lovingly stewarded by generations who recognized its cultural and historical value; now that responsibility passes to us. It is both an honor and an imperative that we continue to preserve and protect these priceless works so they may inspire and educate future generations.”
Restoration work is already taking place elsewhere on the property. In June the Gardens completed a major waterfront project designed to help prevent erosion that has affected the shoreline over the last decade. The project was made possible with assistance from the Roanoke Island Historical Association, State of North Carolina and National Park Service.
Photo: The Elizabethan Gardens' Winter Lights festivities begin on November 20.
The Fall Fun Is Just Beginning
Autumn Ale Faire also serves as the kickoff to a three-event fall and winter series at The Elizabethan Gardens.
Next comes A Night of 1587 Pumpkins on October 20, followed by one of the Gardens’ most popular traditions, WinterLights. The annual holiday event returns on select evenings from November 20 through December 29, transforming the Gardens into a sparkling seasonal display.
But first comes a September afternoon to eat, sip, listen to music, explore the Gardens and celebrate a milestone 75 years in the making. On September 19 raise a glass at Autumn Ale Faire to help ensure that the history and beauty of The Elizabethan Gardens will be here to celebrate for generations to come.
The Elizabethan Gardens is at 1411 National Park Drive in Manteo. For more information about The Elizabethan Gardens and its upcoming events, visit The Elizabethan Gardens website or call (252) 473-3234.
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
