The Menokin Foundation has been awarded one of sixteen 2019 Commemoration Finale Grants for “Menokin Illuminated” event. The 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution Finale Grants are for events taking place in November during the Virginia Customs, Cultures and Cuisine Festival. The grants are being administered by the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

The month-long Virginia Customs, Cultures and Cuisine Festival, presented by TowneBank, will be filled with local, regional and statewide events honoring early Virginia history with cultures and styles that have shaped America over 400 years. This special capstone to the 2019 Commemoration will foster statewide participation, tourism, marketing and promotion, and public events to create a contemporary experience for all ages.

Menokin Illuminated is designed to provide an experience unique to the Northern Neck of Virginia in a landscape that borders on magical. Anyone who has visited here knows that Northern Neck Time ticks a little more slowly. Take a pause from the hectic pace of the holiday season to reconnect with yourself in a place that only requires one thing — to be present.

The event will take place on Saturday, November 30^th and features a ticketed “Soup, Salad and Sipping” dinner under a lit tent on the lawn in front of the Menokin ruin. Choose from oyster stew made from a coveted regional recipe or hearty vegetable soup chock full of locally grown vegetables. Spirits for the spirited will be available for purchase. While you dine, enjoy an overview presentation of Menokin’s Glass House Project and programming initiatives. This new event for Menokin and is also the first of its kind in the Northern Neck. Only 100 tickets will be sold and proceeds from the evening will benefit Menokin’s humanities programs and the Healthy Harvest Food Bank.

The public is invited to participate in the Menokin Illuminated Walking Tour which begins immediately following the dinner. Guests will traverse a path on the beautifully lit landscape from the Menokin house to the Remembrance Structure – built on the site of a former slave dwelling. Along the way, interpreters will be on hand to the share stories and history of the many cultures which have inhabited the site over time, including the Rappahannock Tribe, English settlers, an enslaved population, tenant farmers and a Signer of the Declaration of Independence.  

The Virginia Customs, Culture and Cuisine Festival is a strategic part of the larger 2019 Commemoration, that recognizes the 400th anniversary of pivotal 1619 Virginia events that forever changed the trajectory of Virginia and America’s history. These 1619 events include the first official English Thanksgiving in North America, the arrival of the first recorded Africans to English North America, the recruitment of English women in significant numbers to the Virginia colony, the launch of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Commonwealth and more.

About the 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution

The 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution™ highlights events that occurred in Virginia in 1619 that continue to influence America today. Featured programs, events and legacy projects position Virginia as a leader in education, tourism and economic development. American Evolution™ commemorates the ongoing journey toward the key ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity. Dominion Energy is an American Evolution Founding Partner and Altria Group and TowneBank are Virginia Colony Partners.