Stepping Out to Cure

Scleroderma Walk in Historic Allaire Village on June 8, 2013, to Raise Awareness and Funding for Research

Monday May 20, 2013
By: Christine Gaydos

The 13^th Annual “Stepping Out To Cure” Scleroderma will be held in Historic Allaire Village on Saturday June 8, 2013. Over 400 scleroderma supporters will take part in this family friendly event including T-shirts, refreshments, raffle baskets, awards, and entrance to Allaire Village after noon. Registration is available at www.scleroderma.org/shorewalk or in person on the day of the event and begins at 9:30 AM with the walk scheduled for 10:30 AM. 

Every Step Counts- Educate, Advocate and Cure.

Misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and underfunded. Far too many families in South Jersey understand these words when talking about scleroderma, a complicated, chronic, and life-altering autoimmune disease. Families throughout the region have been participating in the annual “Shore” walk for scleroderma for the past 13 years. The Decker Family walks in memory of their sister, Mary Jane, who lost her battle with scleroderma in 1999. The Scleroderma Walk is now their annual family reunion gathering 4 generations of family from 4 different states. The Waltermire Family walks in honor of their mother, Doris, who lives with scleroderma affecting her daily life. Last year 50 family members and friends participated in the Shore Walk along with Doris. Altogether 425 walkers participated with the same goal – create more awareness of scleroderma and raise research dollars that will find better treatments and eventually a cure.

For more information about “Stepping Out To Cure” Scleroderma in Historic Allaire Village or to make a donation go to www.scleroderma/shorewalk or call the Scleroderma Foundation Delaware Valley Chapter 856-779-7225 or dvchapter@scleroderma.org. 

Every Step Counts – Educate, Advocate, Cure

Scleroderma – misunderstood, misdiagnosed, underfunded – is a chronic connective tissue disease, classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases.  The disease affects over 300,000 people across the United States, 80 % which are women 20 to 50 years of age.  The disease is complex and painful, and it has the potential to affect every organ in a person’s body.  The disease can be localized or systemic.  If it is localized it affects mainly the skin by hardening the skin.  If it is systemic it can also affect organs by hardening the organs.  The cause is unknown, and there is no cure.  The Scleroderma Foundation Delaware Valley Chapter (SFDV) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports  scleroderma patients in 3 states, Middle and South New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware, partnering with 3 centers, the Scleroderma Centers at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The SFDV relies on the support and generosity of donors to support our community and our 3-fold mission of support, education and research.  The National  Scleroderma Foundation and its chapters are the leading  private source of scleroderma-related research and allocates $1.2 million annually through the Foundation’s research program.

 

Springtime at the Village

While the last couple of days have been a little chilly, it is officially Spring at Allaire Village! Check out some photos of our Villagers enjoying the season!

 

 

19th Century Bee Hive Oven Baking!

 

Photos by Jen Holmes & Shannon Gance.

We have lots of fun activities coming up this Spring!

Saturday, May 11th: Grand Opening Festival
Saturday, May 18th: Late Spring Flea Market
Sunday, May 19th: 1836 Militia Muster
Sat & Sun, June 1st & 2nd: Civil War Encampment
Thursday, June 6th: Allaire Village Golf Outing

To find out more about these events please visit us on the web.  You can also call us at 732-919-3500.

-Hannah

A Very Allaire Easter!

Celebrate Easter and the start of Spring at The Historic Village at Allaire! Join us on Saturday, March 30th (10am-4pm) for our first annual Easter Egg Hunt! 

Hulafrog has picked us as one of their “Eggcellent” Easter Events!

Activities for the Day:

Easter Egg Hunts on the Village Green
Ages 1-3: 10:30am
Ages 4-6: 10:45am
Ages 7-8: 11:00am
Ages 9-10: 11:15am

Historic Bonnet Parades & Contests through the Village at 12:00pm
Ages 0-12. Categories for store-bought and homemade bonnets.

Photos with the Easter Bunny at the General Store

“Can You Help Me Find My Easter Eggs?” Puppet Shows by the Bakery at 1:30pm & 3:00pm

Historic “Egg Toss & Roll” Games by the Village Green

Singing & Dancing programs at the Carriage House

Egg Coloring & Bonnet trimming stations on the Charcoal Depot

Shopping at the General Store & Bakery from 10am to 4pm

Tickets for our Easter Egg Hunt are $5 per person, children under age 6 are admitted free of charge. You may purchase tickets the day of the event, or in advance by calling us at 732-919-3500 or visiting www.allairevillage.org/tickets.

The Historic Village at Allaire will also be hosting an Easter Sunrise Service at 6am on Sunday, March 31st (Easter Sunrise) at our Historic Christ Church Chapel. The service is presented free of charge to the public, and all are welcome!

Hope to see you there!
-Hannah

George Washington’s Birthday Celebration in the 1830′s

This Sunday, February 17th the Historic Village at Allaire kicks off its first event with George Washington’s Birthday Celebration! From Noon to 3pm join us for speeches, games, hearth cooking, building tours, militia demonstrations, and more! Hulafrog of Southern Monmouth (a local event guide for kids and families) even recommended this event for all of their readers in their “Our Picks” section! How cool is that?! Check out their article. 

Before attending the event, learn more about this illustrious holiday:

Never has a man been so celebrated in life and in death as George Washington. Such was this great leader’s fame that upon his death in 1799, the entire world mourned the passing of a legend. In France, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered 10 days of mourning, and in the United States, thousands wore mourning clothes for months.

The first observance of his birthday, outside his family, took place in 1778 at Valley Forge, when the band from the Fourth Continental Artillery serenaded their commander. In 1781, the French commander, Comte de Rochambeau, declared that day a holiday for his troops, and in 1783 began a yearly gathering in New York by a group of gentlemen who ate dinner and made speeches in honor of Washington. In the first year of his presidency (1790), Congress adjourned to honor him, and the next year Philadelphians saw the militia parade through the streets.

The celebration of George Washington’s Birthday was not always universally acceptable. Washington, himself, had expressed concern over the possibility that such celebrations could too easily become political events, and he wished nothing to do with them. By 1793 the Assembly was postponed, the managers being accused of showing “undue deference to Washington, and the celebration was denounced as idolatrous”.

Washington’s death caused a great sense of national loss. But there was still a sense that his birthday could still not yet be celebrated without political overtones. Congress’ last act before leaving Philadelphia to meet with the newly created District of Columbia sought to change that. A resolution was adopted recommending that February 22nd, 1800 be observed throughout the country, “with exercises intended to express the popular esteem for the first president”.

It would take nearly another quarter century before the nation could again feel comfortable celebrating Washington’s birthday. In 1822, a magnificent statue of Washington was erected in New York City, “large as life and the work wholly by native hands”. During the 1830′s, the Villagers of the Howell Iron Works would have celebrated three main holidays: Christmas, the Fourth of July, and George Washington’s Birthday. Orations, speeches, and toasts were read by Revolutionary War veterans. In the evening, the buildings were illuminated and a grand Birthnight Ball would have been hosted.

The new popular spirit of the nation came at a time of growing national pride. The nation was prospering as none other had before, and soon America was able to put politics aside and honor the man who most felt was directly responsible for the country’s independence. On February 22nd, 1832, the centennial of Washington’s birth, the young United States of America exploded in celebration of the man who did more than help create America. To most Americans of the early 19th century, George Washington was America.

Hope to see you this Sunday to celebrate!

-Hannah

The Villagers Out and About

On Monday, January 21st (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day & National Day of Volunteering), some of our Allaire Villagers took a trip to the Jackson Library for their Volunteer Fair! It was a great opportunity to meet with prospective volunteers, provide more information about Allaire, and give the public an idea of what being a volunteer is like. Check out our day!

Shannon Gance, our Event & Operations Manager at our table!

Talking about volunteer opportunities at Allaire.

So dedicated!

Our Villagers had a great time, though they were a little confused about our carriage :P

And later…they went to Wawa.

If you’re out and about, who knows- you might just spot our Villagers! We’re going to be posting some fun videos of their adventures in “the future” later this year!

If you’re interested in becoming one of our volunteers you can fill out our online application at www.allairevillage.org/volunteer or email me at htichansky@allairevillage.org!

-Hannah

Looking Forward and Looking Back

It’s two weeks into the 2013  and here at Allaire our office staff are neck-deep in event, advertising, & program planning for 2013. While many favorite events such as Maria Allaire’s Wedding, the Ducky Derby, and Christmas Lantern Tours will be featured again this year, we are also looking forward to presenting new historical events and fundraisers in the next 12 months! Once the 2013 Calendar of Events is finalized it will be available on site and online at http://www.allairevillage.org within the next few weeks. We are also planning new volunteer training programs and as always, are accepting new volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, please call 732-919-3500 or visit http://www.allairevillage.org/volunteer

January is also a time in which we look back on the previous year. Our volunteers, staff, and donors worked incredibly hard to present our living history in a fun, educational way. Without their dedication, Allaire Village would not be possible! 2012 also saw a record number of visitors pass through our Village! Thanks to all who stopped by throughout the year, we hope to see you again soon!

Here’s some highlights of 2012:

Our Winter Events kicked off with George Washington’s Birthday, St. Patrick’s Day, and Bee Hive Oven Baking

Spring brought warmer weather and the Civil War came to Allaire!

The Wedding of Maria Allaire is always a fun event & some visitors joined in the celebrations!

The gardens were in bloom for our Summer Events including Temperance Rally, School Days, and our “Who Burned Down the Forest” program.

In August there was much silliness at our Volunteer Appreciation Picnic!

Our Foodways Guild cooked up some delicious 19th century recipes in the Autumn months!

Fall events really kicked off with a blast! Our staff showed off their skills with Allaire Puppet Theater at our Fall Harvest Festival!

Our Blacksmiths, Carpenters, & Tinsmiths were hard at work throughout the year creating hand-crafted goods to be sold in our General Store.

Hayrides are always an interesting and creepy time of year. Thanks to all zombies, cannibals, and creepy toys that volunteered!

Hurricane Sandy hit hard but through the help of dozens of amazing volunteers were were able to clean up in time for our Thanksgiving event!

And we definitely had much to be thankful for!

Before we knew it, it was time for our Christmas events!

We had amazing singers & musicians out for our Lantern Tours including Girl Scouts, the Howell High School Brass Band, and the Monmouth Regional Choir!

Thanks for another amazing year! Hope to see you when our events kick back up in February!

-Hannah

Holiday Mixed Feelings

Here at Allaire Village the Holidays are always a bittersweet time of the year. On the one hand, we have our some of our favorite events including Christmas at Allaire and Lantern Tours, on the other end it signals the end of season. During the cold winter months our volunteers and staff put aside their bonnets and waistcoats while the Village recuperates and plans for the new season. The Village reopens every year in February, for our first event: George Washington’s Birthday Celebration!

Also, if you haven’t already seen it- Allaire Village was featured in an episode of Driving Jersey! They did a beautiful job, be sure to check out their website!

The season’s not quite over yet! The Village is decorated with beautiful 19th-century inspired decorations, the Bakery and General Store are open during the week for Holiday shopping, and we have one more night of Lantern Tours this Saturday! Here’s some info on our final two events this weekend! (Click for a larger image)

Here’s some photos from our Christmas at Allaire celebrations on December 1st & 2nd!

Allaire Village would like to thank the following donors and volunteers for the Holiday Decorations in the Village:

• Especially For You Florist in Freehold
• Creative Designs in Brick
• Kirk’s Florist of Farmingdale
• Purple Irish Flower Shop in Pt. Pleasant
• Target of Ocean Township
• Wolek’s Garden Center
• Bill Gerhauser
• Carol Elliott
• Hance M. Sitkus, CPA
• Linda Ann Morton Sitkus

Happy Holidays from everyone here at Allaire Village!

-Hannah