Family Day at The Mount on September 14, 2008

Lenox, MA (September 14, 2008) --  Family Picnic and Fun Day at The Mount on September 14, 2008

Lenox, MA:  The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Estate and Gardens, is joining with Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum and the Lenox Chamber of Commerce to host the second annual “Weekend of the Gilded Age” September 12 - 14, 2008.  From 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, September 14^th, The Mount invites families from Berkshire County and surrounding areas to bring their lunches and picnic on the stately grounds.  Tables will be available under the trees behind the historic stables as well as on the mansion’s terrace overlooking the gardens. Blankets and picnic chairs are also welcome.

Admission is a reduced price of $5 per adult and $2 per child or a maximum charge of $10 per family.  There will be free children's activities throughout the day, including performances of the Brothers Grimm fairytale classic “Rumplestiltskin” by The Robbins-Zust Family Marionettes at 11 am and 2 pm, pony rides from 11 am to 1 pm, face painting, scavenger hunts, and a children’s coloring corner on the mansion’s terrace.  The Terrace Café will be serving light refreshments, including wine and beer, as well as cider and donuts.  The house will be open for touring, along with the gardens.

“The Mount is pleased to participate in the Gilded Age weekend and to make the 50-acre estate available for a countywide day of fun, community and learning”, said Mount public outreach coordinator Lynn Brady. “It is one of several community events that we hope to host this fall”.

Sponsors for the Family Picnic Day include Ascentek Inc., Berkshire Irrigation Inc., Berkshire Mountain Spring Water, Cakewalk, Caligari’s Hardware, Classical Tent, Corinne’s Place, CTC Inc. of North Adams, Laura Walton Gardens, Lee Audio ‘N Security Inc., Lee Hardware Store, Lee Power Equipment, Lenox Chamber of Commerce, Sanitary Septic & Sewer Cleaning Service Inc., Quality Printing, Studio Two, W.J. Blueprints, Yankee Septic Tank Service and Ventfort Hall Mansion and Museum of the Gilded Age.

The Mount is the 1902 National Historic Landmark house and gardens designed and built by American author Edith Wharton.  Located in Lenox, MA, at the corner of Plunkett Street and Route 7, it is open to the public seasonally May through October and attracts visitors from throughout the world.  For additional information on The Mount or on the Family Picnic Day, visit www.edithwharton.org or call Lynn Brady at 413-551-5104.

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