Museum Replica Birdhouse to be Auctioned at Wine Tasting Event

A custom-built birdhouse in the image of Farmington’s historic Hill-Stead Museum will be offered as a silent auction item at the Farmington Rotary’s “Wine in the Gardens . . . and a touch of Jazz” event on April 26th. Made by well-known birdhouse designer Carol Yorker specifically for this event, this one-of-a-kind item is sure to appeal to area residents, gardeners, bird-lovers, museum members, and art-lovers alike.

Carol, a resident of Berlin, began her business “Birds in the Burbs” as a fundraising idea to help a “friends” group associated with a homeless shelter in the area. Combining years of art, graphic design, woodworking, and a lifelong love of architecture, the small, unique, and often historic replicas Carol produces, many times from photographs, are a good fit with her abilities. For further information, you may contact her at birdhousebycy@att.net.

To enter a bid on the Hill-Stead Birdhouse, please come to the 11th annual Rotary Club wine event from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at Farmington Gardens, 999 Farmington Avenue. Tickets are $60 per person and are available for sale at the Farmington Bank office at 32 Main Street in Farmington, from any Farmington Rotarian, and online at www.WineInTheGardens.org.  A limited number of VIP tickets are available at $85 each and include early admission to the event and a sampling of premium wines.  All tickets include entry into a drawing for a special door prize.  Other items will also be offered in the Silent Auction.

Wines for the event will be provided by Steve Leon of Wine Cellars 4.  Local restaurants and caterers have volunteered to provide samples of their best offerings.  Those on board so far include Apricots; Capri Ristorante; Confetti; Cugino’s Restaurant; Emily’s Catering Group; Farmington Gardens; Flaggstead Smokehouse; Gnazzo’s; Matthew's; Naples Pizza; and Wood 'n' Tap. Local grocers including Highland Park Market are also providing contributions.

Proceeds from this fundraising event will benefit Special Olympics CT, Camp Courant, Farmington Rotary’s high school scholarship program and other Rotary charitable projects. 

The Rotary Club of Farmington is a non-profit service organization. Involved in a variety of projects in the local area, the group provides support through service and giving to Farmington students and other charitable, humanitarian and community organizations.  Through its membership in Rotary International, the Farmington club’s support also extends throughout the world.