Although September finally brought some cooler weather our way, the pace didn’t show any sign of slowing around the DEETER office. Within a week, we staged two major events – the opening of a brand new college in Virginia and a reception for a British aristocrat in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Four members of the DEETER staff traveled to The Berry Hill Estate in South Boston, Virginia, for the weekend leading up to the September 9 opening ceremonies of Founders College featuring keynote speaker and former NASA astronaut Winston Scott. Scott, a retired captain of the U.S. Navy, was selected by NASA for the space program in March 1992. He flew on two shuttles; first as a mission specialist on STS-72 in 1996 and then on STS-87 in 1997. During his space travels Scott logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours, and 34 minutes in space. This included three spacewalks that totaled nearly 19.5 hours. Scott’s key note addressed focused on the spirit of discovery and pioneering and was based around his experience with space exploration.

Just a few days later on the evening of September 12, we worked with Hendrixson’s Furniture to host an elegant evening reception at their store in Furlong, Pennsylvania, for the premiere of the Althorp: Living History collection. Earl Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, was the featured guest of the evening. Earl Spencer mingled with more than 200 Hendrixson’s customers while promoting the collection of replicas of furniture and upholstery pieces found in the Althorp estate, the Spencer family’s ancestral home in the countryside of England. To the sounds of live music, guests viewed the large variety of Althorp: Living History pieces on display throughout Hendrixson’s while enjoying a creative menu of hors d’oeuvres from such Bucks County favorites as None Such Farms, Blue Moon Acres, Max Hansen, and Bolton Farms. Chef Ray Bradley was the caterer for the evening and complimented the menu with wines from Buckingham Valley Vineyards. Judging from the amount of “sold” stickers on the Althorp pieces at the close of the Hendrixson’s event, many of the reception’s attendees now have a piece of British aristocracy to enjoy in their own homes. (see event pictures below)

Earl Charles Spencer mingled with guests throughout the evening.

Members of the media met with Earl Charles Spencer to discuss the Althorp: Living History furniture collection.

Chef Ray Bradley catered the event and posed here with Earl Spencer.

September also brought a new addition to DEETER’s growing staff – Abigail Kube. Check our staff section to learn more about the team at DEETER and how we can help you.

Be sure to visit the What's New At DEETER Archive.