August 26, 2019 submitted by Hingham Historical Society. Photos courtesy of Hingham Historical Society and Egle Ruth Photography.
Building on last year’s sold out Tavern Night at Old Ordinary, the Hingham Historical Society is expanding the celebration of Old Ordinary to Tavern Weekend on September 14th and 15th. Guests are invited to “pick their party” – Saturday’s Tavern Night or Sunday’s Tavern Brunch – and help the Society raise matching funds for their recent Mass Cultural Council grant for the long-term preservation of the historic campus.
With the backdrop of one of Hingham’s most iconic properties, Historical Society volunteers and Tavern Weekend Co-chairs Caroline Counselman and Kristen Maxwell have partnered with the Boston Beer Company, brewers of Sam Adams for Saturday’s Tavern Night and Burke Distributor for Sunday’s Tavern Brunch. Event costs are being generously underwritten by sponsors including Old Ordinary abutters and Society board members.
Entering the tented parking lot for both events, guests are invited to tour the historic Tavern and Olmsted garden, visit the Arts & Crafts Annex and review plans for the imminent siting of the Old Fort – moved to the campus in 2013 from Fort Hill Street. - onto its permanent foundation. Saturday’s party will feature beer, BBQ and a demonstration of the Old Ordinary’s famous “flip” cocktail while Sunday’s seated brunch will feature Bloody Mary’s and classic brunch. Both events will feature live music and Old Ordinary volunteers available to answer questions about the property and planned preservation efforts.
“The inaugural Tavern Night at the Old Ordinary was an overwhelming success. This unique evening affords the opportunity to raise a glass in a spectacular setting and honor Hingham’s past, present and future. Building upon last year’s celebration, we are now offering the community an additional daytime occasion to gather & celebrate with a Sunday brunch. “said Co-Chair Caroline Counselman. Co-Chair Kristen Maxwell added “Guests are invited to pick their party or join us for both.”
Deirdre Anderson, Executive Director of the Hingham Historical Society offered the following; “We have had an incredible year at Old Ordinary with the announcement of a Mass Cultural Council grant of $135,000 in May for long term preservation efforts, a visit by two conservation specialist this past week as part of the federal Collections Assessment for Preservation program and the selection of the property to be a site visit for the 2021 Vernacular Architecture Forum’s North American conference. Over 100 of the country's leading architectural historians including representatives from Winterthur and Colonial Williamsburg will arrive by the busload in 2021 to tour the Old Ordinary campus and take in historic downtown Hingham. That's exciting for all of us."
As part of the criteria to receive the Mass Cultural Council grant of $135,000, the Society must match the grant dollar for dollar. Applying Community Preservation and Greenbush trust grants awarded to the Society for work at Old Ordinary between 2017-2019, the remaining match funds needed is just shy of $25,000. Anderson added “We are hopeful that our Hingham neighbors - in addition to coming out for fun and community – will celebrate the state and national recognition the property is enjoying and raise the remaining dollars needed to match the state grant. When your donation is matched dollar for dollar, you double your influence on preserving our historic downtown."
Tickets for Tavern Weekend go on sale to the public at 9AM today (Monday, August 26) at hinghamhistorical.org. Tickets start at $125 per person for either party. Sponsorship opportunities are available and all proceeds benefit continued preservation of Old Ordinary.