Chatham Chatter, 2nd Quarter, April - June 2026
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
President's Message
Dear Friends,
Spring has returned to Chatham, bringing renewed color to the gardens and fresh energy to our community. As daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths emerge after a long winter, this season reflects both the beauty of the grounds and the steady care of the volunteers who prepare, plant, and sustain them year-round.
This quarterly update celebrates both recent gatherings and exciting times ahead. From our annual “Funraiser” and a festive Fredericksburg Symphony Valentine’s concert to upcoming events like the Photographer’s Meet and Greet, Memorial Concert, and Annual Meeting, there are many opportunitie
s in the months ahead to connect in friendship and celebrate Chatham together.
We are also pleased to share that the National Park Service has completed the interior renovation of the main house. Preparations are now underway to move back in and reopen the building in the coming weeks, with additional work continuing into the summer—an encouraging step forward in preserving and sharing Chatham’s history.
My sincere thanks go to our dedicated volunteers, especially our Wednesday morning crew led by Scott Blake, whose efforts ensure that visitors throughout the year can experience the beauty and tranquility of these grounds. We are grateful for your continued support and hope you will join us this spring to enjoy all that Chatham has to offer.
With warmest regards and a gardener’s love,
All the Best,Carol Hyland, President
Recent Events
Ristorante Renato Annual “Funraiser”on 23 February 2026
Our generous members and guests gathered together in this annual tradition of dining and donating in honor of our beloved Chatham. Members and guests enjoyed a festive atmosphere with plenty of fun activities to include raffles for baskets full of wonderfully decorated gifts and treats, and a silent auction of fine art and photographs. We greatly appreciate all of our fabulous volunteers who donated their time and energy to make this event a success.
Fredericksburg Symphony Concert (Valentines Special) on 14 February 2026
In our own special seating section, members of the Friends of Chatham joined together to enjoy the beauty of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, a fantastic “Fab 4” Beatles tribute, and a special visit from the King himself, Elvis Presley.
St. Patrick’s Day Member Mingle
on 16 March 2026 (Canceled due to weather)
Unfortunately, our popular St. Patrick’s Day Member Mingle this year was canceled due to inclement weather. We are sharing a photo from last year’s event, and look forward to more luck of the Irish with no cancellation next year!
Upcoming Events
Photographer’s Meet and Greet at Chatham
on 19 April 2026 (4:30 PM)
A Meet and Greet for local photography (camera and cell phone) enthusiasts will be held at Chatham Manor. Participants will gather at the picnic tables on the north side of the screened-in summer house. After introductions, and some comradery accompanied by FREE PIZZA and soft drinks, participants will stroll Chatham grounds snapping photos for later submission into a winner-takes-all contest - for a $100 DOWNTOWN GIFT CARD PRIZE. The contest theme will be announced at the beginning of the event, with photos required to be taken on the day of the event. The judges for the photography contest will be the Friends of Chatham Board of Directors.
Reminder, vehicle entry to the Chatham grounds is not allowed after 5 PM (although vehicles may exit onto River Road later until sunset). If vehicles arrive after 5 PM, they must park at adjacent Pratt Park, which allows parking until 8 PM.
Fredericksburg Symphony Concerts at the James Monroe High School (7:30 PM) on 23 May 2026
(Summon the Heroes: The Memorial Concert)
Join the Friends of Chatham in our special seating section for this final Fredericksburg Symphony Concert of the season.
In celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, the FSO will “summon America’s heroes’ in a special Memorial Concert, featuring special military guests and uplifting patriotic music.
Email event coordinator Kevin Brown friendsofchatham@gmail.com by midnight Sunday 12 April if you would like to be included in our group ticket reservation.
Friends of Chatham Annual Meeting, Central Rappahannock Regional Library at 1201 Caroline St on 9 June 2026 (5:30-7:30 PM)
Our annual meeting will be held at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library – Fredericksburg Branch, at 1201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. Members will join together in celebrating this past year’s accomplishments and to learning about plans for the upcoming year.
From the Garden
Photo credit: Carol Fry
After a cold, snowy, icy winter, the Chatham gardens are starting to pop with Spring color once again. Despite the weather, the beds have been weeded and mulched and are ready for this year’s growing season. While the daffodils, tulips and hyacinths are coming up in the gardens now, we have already started sowing annual seeds and plugs in the greenhouses in preparation for planting in late Spring.
Our Gardener Scott Blake successfully propagated the Catalpa and Sycamore witness trees that are on the Chatham grounds. In late fall, several of these trees were planted around the grounds to continue their legacy. With assistance from the National Park Service, more will be planted this Spring, along with one that will be going to the Fredericksburg National Cemetery.
We are excited to welcome several new volunteers, and hope that with the warm weather, even more will come out to help maintain the gardens.
Membership
Membership to Friends of Chatham is current until June 30th of each fiscal year. If you have not yet renewed your membership for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, now is the ideal time to take advantage of an extended membership opportunity. Renewing your membership now will keep it active through June 30, 2027.
To renew your membership, you have two convenient options available. You may complete your renewal by mailing a check to the following address: Friends of Chatham, PO Box 36, Fredericksburg, VA 22404, OR you can renew your membership electronically by visiting our website at www.friendsofchatham.org.
Your continued support is vital and appreciated as we work to preserve Chatham.
Endowment Update
We are profoundly grateful for the generosity shown by the Friends of Chatham community since the inception of the Endowment in 2017.
From the initial transformational gifts made by Mary Jane O'Neill and Don and Bev Newlin, to the contributions received from the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, Susan Hatch, Beverley King (in memory of Liz Thompson), Dr. Rex Haydon and Mrs. Cory Jamison (in memory of Joseph Haydon), Patsy and John Thompson (in honor of Joseph and Coreen Haydon), Barbara Chadwick, JD and Suzy Cribbs, Sam and Laura Smart, Joan McLaughlin, an anonymous donor (in memory of Mildred Sheppard Berry), Sharon Adinolfi, Charles and Mary McDaniel, Rennie and Richmond McDaniel, Dave and Meg Bohmke, and many others, the Endowment has grown to over $540,000.
The Board of Directors is currently discussing a long-term investment strategy for the endowment. This plan aims to protect the $500,000 core established at the Endowment’s creation while allowing for the prudent use of funds to cover the ongoing compensation of the part-time gardener at Chatham and future projects.
We remain grateful to all our supporters and look forward to undertaking additional preservation projects at Chatham in the coming days.
Website and Social Media Update
We encourage everyone to visit our Friends of Chatham website at www.friendsofchatham.org and see the terrific design and content improvements that have been made with the help of our website manager, Deborah Newman at arts@petitetaway.com. For membership and donations, payment acceptance is provided via Paypal.
Our Facebook page, Friends of Chatham, Inc., is very active with beautiful photos and news related to Chatham being posted and shared on a daily basis. We encourage you to follow our Facebook page, if you are on social media, so you can automatically view our content.
Did you know you can support FoC when you buy bulbs for your garden from Brent and Becky's Bulbs? Go to www.bloominbucks.com. Select Friends of Chatham in the drop down menu, follow the prompts, and start shopping. Twenty-five percent of your purchase will go directly to Friends of Chatham.
