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<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>FOR RELEASE: FEBRUARY, 2017
CONTACT: Joan DiPersio<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'> <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Thornton</st1:City></st1:place> W. Burgess
Society<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'> 508-888-6870<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:14.0pt;text-align:center;
text-autospace:none'><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>ANNUAL SNOWDROP TEA IN <st1:place
w:st="on">SANDWICH</st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%;text-autospace:
none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%'>The special spring Snowdrop Tea to benefit the Thornton W. Burgess
Society will be held in mid-March at the historic home of Eugenie and Jonathan
Shaw in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Sandwich</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Village</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Their home, the 1857 Jarves
House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Tea, which celebrates
the first flower of spring, will begin at 2 pm with a tour of the landscaped grounds
which feature drifts of snowdrops, one of the largest and most extensive
collections of snowdrops in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place>, established by Jonathan Shaw over the
last 45 years. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%;text-autospace:
none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%'>In addition to the tour, detailed photographs of rare &
beautiful snowdrops in the collection, some of which bloom as early as
December, will be continuously on video display. Accompanying the Tea is a
delicious abundance of American and Norwegian desserts, prepared by Eugenie Shaw.
The Tea will conclude with a silent auction of rare spring bulbs and snowdrops.
Each participant attending the Tea will receive a gift of a snowdrop for his or
her own garden or as a gift for a friend. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%;text-autospace:
none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%'>The admission fee of $30 plus auction proceeds will entirely
benefit the endowment of the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Shirley</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">G.</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Cross</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Wildflower</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Garden</st1:PlaceType>
at the Thornton W. Burgess Society’s <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Green</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Briar</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Nature</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType> in <st1:place w:st="on">East
Sandwich</st1:place>, whose name honors the famous 20<sup>th</sup> century
children’s author and environmentalist. The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Wildflower</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Garden</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
was the creation of Dr. Shirley Cross, one of the first women botanists to earn
a Harvard PhD. This Snowdrop Tea was mentioned in the <i><span
style='font-style:italic'>Wall Street Journal</span></i> in March 2010. Seating
is limited to 25 persons on each of two consecutive mid-week <a name="_GoBack"></a>days
in March – exact dates to be announced in late February or early March. This
will be the final year for this popular event. Call 508-888-6870 and add your
name to the list to be called when the dates are determined.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:14.0pt;text-align:center;
line-height:150%;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>-#-<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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