One hundred live exotic butterflies will emerge from their cocoons in time for the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy’s Butterfly Ball on Saturday, May 4 at 7 p.m. in historic Hempstead House.
The immersive tropical garden exhibit is the centerpiece of this annual benefit for outdoor projects and programs and is also open on “Family Butterfly Day” on Sunday, May 5 at 2 to 4 p.m.
The gala heralds “Spring across the Preserve,” where visitors can enjoy guided nature walks along miles of wooded trails and the beach, horticultural lectures and workshops on growing organic food and planting native gardens, tours of real Gold Coast mansions – Hempstead House and Falaise – as well as a range of cultural events and themed dinners, all overlooking the Long Island Sound.
“Every season inspires new programs and services for the community,” stated Beth Horn, the conservancy’s executive director, “and this great historic estate is the perfect backdrop. Our goal is to welcome every visitor for an experience that they’ll love.”
Funds raised at the 2018 Butterfly Ball supported a new organic vegetable garden – a teaching facility, with healthy produce donated to families in need, soon to be planted for this growing season, and the new dog run on the Great Lawn – always populated by happy canines.
Opening this spring, the beautiful new Woodland Playground will be filled with state-of-the-art features, including an enormous custom castle playset, a gift from the Vultaggio Family, to complement Castle Gould’s magnificent architecture, just a few yards away. This shady area next to the Phil Dejana Learning Center will have multiple options for active play as well as picnic tables, benches, and new native landscaping. Proceeds from this year’s Butterfly Ball will provide completion funds for this project.
Spring also brings a wide range of “Learning Adventures” for children, families, adults and schools, utilizing all of the Preserve’s historic and natural resources. Monthly themed nature walks and forest therapy walks enable participants to connect with the natural environment, and weekly meditation, yoga, and Qi Gong classes are offered.
Original educational enrichment programs for middle and secondary schools are based on New York State curriculum standards and include “Immigration, Class Conflict, and The Great Gatsby” for eleventh-graders and “Environmental Studies” for middle schoolers. Now in their second year, these school visits are generously funded by The Ed. Foundation. Weekly after-school educational programs include art, science, and yoga for pre-K through fifth-graders and the new Earth Expeditions, an interdisciplinary co-curricular program for sixth to eighth graders.
Looking ahead to summer cultural events, Rosé & Roses takes place in the Hempstead House gardens on June 27; the new Four Seasons in Music series’ “Summer Playlist” concert and dinner on July 13; Dance Visions NY on July 21; North Shore Music Festival’s annual opera on August 3; and The White Party, a benefit for education programs, on August 8, 2019.
The Butterfly Ball begins at 6 p.m. for V.I.P. sponsors at the “Champagne & Butterflies” cocktail hour. For general tickets, the evening begins at 7 p.m. and includes cocktails, dinner, dessert and dancing – and the live exotic butterfly exhibit. Event tickets, sponsorship packages, and journal ads are available on www.SandsPointPreserve.org, ButterflyBall@sandspointpreserve.org, and 516.304.5076.
For general information, see www.SandsPointPreserve.org or visit the Welcome Center & Gift Shop at 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. The preserve is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the Welcome Center is open from noon to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
The Sands Point Preserve on the former Guggenheim Estate is a Nassau County public park. The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to maintain and operate the 216-acre waterfront grounds and historic mansions, and to provide a range of cultural and educational programs for families, adults, and schools. Twelve-month membership to the Conservancy offers free admission to the Preserve’s grounds and discounts to many events and programs throughout the year.
Submitted by the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy
