First Family Announces Holiday Open House
PRESS RELEASE
November 21, 2005
Columbia, S.C. – Monday, November 21, 2005 – The First Family today announced a special week-long holiday decoration of the Governor’s Mansion Complex (located at Richland and Lincoln Streets, downtown Columbia). The festivities will begin with the arrival of locally-grown Christmas trees and poinsettias at the Mansion at 10 a.m. followed by the decorating on Monday, November 28, 2005 and will culminate with the Holiday Open House from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, 2005.
On November 28th, First Lady Jenny Sanford will be presented six live Christmas trees by Mike McCartha and several members of the SC Christmas Tree Association. Poinsettias, grown by Lexington Technology Center FFA members enrolled in horticulture classes, will also be presented to the First Lady. Hugh Weathers, Commissioner of Agriculture, and Tommy Harmon, Horticulture Instructor at the center and FFA advisor, will assist in the delivery of the plants and trees to the Mansion.
For the first time, the open house will include a “lowcountry” tree decorated by the Sanford boys using shells and other treasures that they collected at the beach. The tree itself was grown in the lowcountry and is being donated by the Toogoodoo Christmas Tree Farm of Yonges Island, SC.
On December 1st, the Thursday after Thanksgiving, Governor and Mrs. Sanford will welcome South Carolinians to the Governor’s Mansion for a special Holiday Open House. The Mansion will again this year be decorated by the Columbia Garden Club. The Lace House will be decorated by the Crape Myrtle Garden Club. Music during the Holiday Open House will be provided by The Carillon Carolers. This year’s decorations will include gingerbread houses modeled after the Governor’s Mansion and the Lace House in honor of their 150th anniversary by the Mansion’s Executive Chef Mike Deevey along with the assistance of Damian Wanek.
Both the Mansion and the recently-refurbished Lace House will be open to the public and members of the media at the Holiday Open House. The Holiday Open House will be free of charge and open to the public. The Mansion gift shop, located in the basement of the Caldwell-Boylston House, will also be open during the tour. The Mansion will be open for tours by appointment through the holidays – please contact Nancy Bunch at 803-737-1710 for availability.
For more information regarding the open house, tree presentation, or the gingerbread houses please contact Curry Hagerty at the Governor’s Mansion at 803-737-4772.
|
