Originally a farmhouse built around 1840, the Osborne Homestead Museum is now one of fifteen distinctive historic sites in Connecticut. Frances Eliza Osborne (1876-1956) was the last of the Osborne family children and deeded the 350-acre property to Connecticut to preserve it as a state park for future generations.
A white opera mask at the Osborne Homestead Museum.
Every December for more than 30 years, local garden clubs have prepared lavish holiday decorations following an annually chosen theme. The 2017 scheme, “Holiday at the Opera,” had participants leveraging thematic elements from well-known operas, such as Faust, Aida, and The Magic Flute. The Olde Ripton Garden Club (ORGC) decorated the dining room in the spirit of La Traviata.
On Wednesday, November 29, the Osborne Homestead Museum honored the garden club volunteers for their talent and hard work at the Annual Winter Holiday Volunteer Appreciation Party. Members of our Osborne Homestead Museum Decorating Committee (Mercedes Esposito, Liz Hansen, Jean Hirsch, Nancy Whiteley, Linda Tura, Maggie Howell, Joyce Fedorko, Fran Hope, and Linda Hooper) were in attendance to accept their certificate of appreciation.
The ORGC Osborne Homestead Museum Decorating Committee. From L-R, Nancy Whiteley, Jean Hirsch, Linda Tura, Decorating Chair Mercedes Esposito, Fran Hope, Liz Hansen, and Joyce Fedorko. Missing from photo: Maggie Howell and Linda Hooper.
The evening began with a catered dinner for all contributing clubs. ORGC had a stellar turnout, with 30 members attending in support of the Decorating Committee!
The Osborne Homestead Museum is open to the public, and the decorated rooms offer inspiration for holiday flair. The dining room, decorated by ORGC, displays the splendor and grandeur of 19th century Paris, featured in the opera La Traviata.
The ORGC “La Traviata” room featured 19th century costumes and a lavish party table
Rooms decorated by other area garden clubs offer similarly inspiring designs. Other featured operas included Aida, Der Ring des Nibelungen, The Magic Flute, Tristan and Isolde, The Barber of Seville, The Masked Ball, La Boheme, Lakme, and Faust.
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- Der Ring des Nibelungen
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- Der Ring des Nibelungen
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- Der Ring des Nibelungen
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- Der Ring des Nibelungen
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- Aida
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- Aida
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- La Boheme
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- La Boheme
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- The Magic Flute
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- The Magic Flute
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- The Magic Flute
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- Opera Wreath
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- Tristan and Isolde
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- Tristan and Isolde
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- Lakme
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- Lakme
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- The Barber of Seville
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- The Barber of Seville
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- Faust
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- Faust
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- The Masked Ball
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- The Masked Ball
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- The Masked Ball
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- The Masked Ball
Through mid-December, the Osborne Homestead Museum features special holiday twilight tours in additional to its regular daytime hours. For more information on the “Holiday at the Opera” program, museum hours, and guided tours, please visit the Osborne Homestead Museum Holiday Tours and Programs webpage.
We hope you get to visit the museum this holiday season and enjoy the decorations!