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‘Taste of Spain’ is garden party feature

   The New Hope Historical Society will present its annual spring garden party on June 11 from 5-8 p.m. on the grounds of the Parry Mansion to honor the sponsors of the 19th annual Garden Tour.
   The society’s major fundraiser has the support of 70 business, media and individual sponsors this year from New Hope, Solebury and the surrounding area.
   The party, “A Taste of Spain,” will feature an open bar, sangria and a tapas menu created by local chef, Joseph Cummins, of Helping Hand Concierge.
   After attending Johnson & Wales Culinary Institute of Rhode Island, he graduated from the Restaurant School of Philadelphia.
   In 2009, Helping Hand Concierge was awarded “The Most Promising New Business of Hunterdon County” by the Hunterdon Chamber of Commerce.
   Those who attended the Historical Society’s 2011 Moth Ball last fall will remember Mr. Cummins’ magic touch on the great retro 1940-60s menu. Guests will sip sangria to the music of Fiddlesticks as Nancy Shill and Charles Pellegrino sing along with fiddle and guitar.
   The evening will be highlighted with two auction items. Auctioneer, Mayor Larry Keller, will present the anticipated “Dickens’ Dinner” (which left the auction block at $5,000 in 2011). The dinner offers a rich repast for 12 in the manner of Charles Dickens — served by candlelight in the Parry Mansion on Dec. 1. The evening includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a dinner and dessert prepared by a guest chef, each course augmented by wines and served by characters only Dickens could create. This is a rare and unique dining experience in New Hope’s most historic architectural gem.
   The auction also will feature a painting, “Midwife-Lumberville-Bucks County,” created for the New Hope Historical Society and donated to the society for the event by local artist Christopher Willett, a direct descendant of the renowned 19th century Newtown painter, Edward Hicks.
   Painted in the Bucks County Impressionist style, the 20 by 20-inch oil on canvas captures “the quiet Quaker atmosphere of the mansion at the loveliest time of year.”
   Mr. Willett’s work has been exhibited at the Phillips Mill Art Show 2008 and the East Wing Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg, early in 2010.
   Mr. Willett is the owner of the Village Artworks in Lahaska.
   Those who cannot attend the event and would like to leave an absentee bid should call the New Hope Historical Society, 215-862-5652.
   Admission to the Garden Party is $45 for members and $50 for guests.