"Winter Life at Hagley" continues next Sunday in the second of two winter programs from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington.
The museum, on the grounds of the original du Pont mills, estate and gardens, is dedicated to preserving the lifestyles of a 19th-century American industrial complex. During winter months Blacksmith Hill, the millworkers community, is normally closed to the public on weekends, but it will be open next Sunday. Visitors can stop at the Gibbons House, home of mill foremen during the mid 19th century. Here you will find interpreters baking a weekend treat in the kitchen's wood-burning stove. Upstairs, children can dress up in period clothing. Visitors can also sit in on lessons at the 1817 schoolhouse, where they will be taught to write with a quill pen and do ciphers on a slate board. Stop at the Henry Clay Mill to see a diorama of industry that existed during the 19th century along the Brandywine River.
Admission is $9.75 for adults; $7.50 for seniors and students; $3.50 for ages 6 to 14; free for under 6. There is also a household ticket available for $26.50. Admission includes entrance to the entire 240-acre Hagley complex. Use the museum entrance off Route 141 in Wilmington. Call (302) 658-2400.
Chocolate festival
If chocolate is your passion, head for Fairfax, Va., next weekend and the second annual Chocolate Lovers Festival.
The highlight of the event is a display by area chefs and chocolatiers who will create works of art made of chocolate. Their entries will be judged on Saturday before they are placed on view at the Courthouse, 4000 Chan Bridge Road, (at the intersection of routes 123 and 236), from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $1; free for children. Admission includes a raffle ticket for the winning chocolate entry. A silent auction allows the public to bid on the other edible art.
The Living History Foundation will present re-enactments relating to Fairfax's history both days in the Colonial Court Room. Saturday's re-enactment will be of a Colonial-period wedding followed by a reception and dance, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. On Sunday the group will present a re-enactment of a trial at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Another attraction at the courthouse is the Chocolate Cafe, where visitors can watch chocolate demonstrations while sipping hot chocolate or gourmet coffee. They can also join docent-led tours of the courthouse.
