‘Toast the Tour’ to kick off WHS garden tour and marketplace
Saturday, June 5th 5-9pm
Guests attending Toast the Tour, the prelude to the 19th Annual Hidden Garden Tour and Artisan Craft and Garden Marketplace, will be treated to a splendid locale and delectable cuisine, will be given the chance to bid on numerous live and silent auction items and will be entertained by musicians Nicole Pasternak and Carmine Marino.
Photo by Jeff Green
Toast the Tour will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at an elegant Westport home. The garden tour will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 13, at several beautifully landscaped homes in Westport and Fairfield.
The marketplace will take place on the grounds of the Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, Westport, and the adjacent Veterans Green, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 13. Numerous artisans and vendors will be on hand, and live family entertainment will be performed from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets to the garden tour are $35 for WHS members in advance; $45 nonmembers in advance; $50 general admission day of the tour. For tickets, call 203-222-1424 or visit www.westporthistory.org.
All three events benefit the myriad programs of the Westport Historical Society, an educational organization dedicated to preserving, presenting and celebrating the history of Westport.
“Toast the Tour is the perfect event to kickoff the summer,” said Deborah Herbertson and Joan Isaacson, the co-chairwomen of the party. “A beautiful house, fabulous food and wine, wonderful entertainment and even shopping – what’s not to love?
“The WHS looks forward to this event each year. Last year’s event was an enormous success, so the bar is set very high. Whether you are shopping the auction and plant sale, taking part in the wine tasting, or just sipping a specialty cocktail on the patio with live music, attendees will not be disappointed in this special evening.”
One of the highlights of Toast the Tour is the wine-tasting event, which will take place from 5:00 to 7:15 p.m. The garden tour committee will co-produce the wine-tasting portion of the party with Fountainhead Wines & Distillations of Norwalk. Fountainhead’s Suzanne and Tony Ancona, who also own the Fat Cat Pie Co., will be providing a fine selection of whites, reds and rosés to be sampled and purchased. A portion of the wine purchases will benefit the WHS. Seagram’s 7 will feature specialty cocktails. Party-goers will dine on a selection of gourmet treats.
Additionally, the party will feature a container plant sale, with the proceeds to benefit the WHS. A wide variety of plants will be on display for garden enthusiasts.
Vocalist Nicole Pasternak and guitarist Carmine Marino will perform an array of songs for the party guests. They specialize in jazz, Brazilian, blues, pop and what they term as the “great American songbook.” They have a deep connection to Fairfield County, having performed for years at several venues. They got together in 2004 for a regular gig at SoNo’s Bistro du Soleil restaurant, where they performed for four years.
Marino is described as having virtuosity and solid command of countless tunes, chord progressions and fluid melodic lines, which are fully complemented by Pasternak’s ability to navigate the chords as she dovetails her sound with his, expressing a swinging feel and relaxed tone. Pasternak says they have a “range to fill the room with a warm ambience in one moment, and in the next become a compelling musical centerpiece.”
The live and silent auctions will have an array of enticing items for bidding. Westporter Jim Clerkin is the auctioneer.
The sponsor of Toast the Tour is HSBC. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased by calling 202-222-1424 or visiting www.westporthistory.org.
Bayberry Property Management & Leasing of CT, LLC
