Planting Fields Foundation’s annual Deck the Halls benefit kicked off the holiday season on Saturday, December 9 in historic Coe Hall at Planting Fields, the former Oyster Bay Gold Coast estate of the Coe Family. Chaired by Paul Mateyunas, Danielle O’Kane, and Hilary Schuville, funds raised by the event support the ongoing restoration of the historic Olmsted Brothers-designed landscape of Planting Fields.
Special guests included descendants of the founders of Planting Fields including Sarah Coe and George Critides of New Haven, CT, Baroness Margaret Frère and Baron William Frère of Brussels, Belgium, and Louis and Barbara Vitetti from Rome, Italy.
Planting Fields Foundation welcomed the the Honorable former US Congressman Tom Suozzi and Long Island State Parks Regional Director, Chip Gorman and his wife Ann Marie Gorman to the event. Planting Fields Foundation trustees in attendance included Board Vice Chairs CeCe Haydock and Andrew Nevin, Board Treasurer Amy Xu, and President and CEO Dr. Gina J. Wouters.
Several Planting Fields Foundation trustees joined the festivities including former New York State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro, Debra Del Vecchio, Bob Foschi, DR Holmes, Michael Kempner, Mary MacDonald, Thomas McPartland, Jeffrey Lee Moore, Jonathan Otto, Jenny Smith, and Stephen Watters. Other guests included radio host Mark Simone, Marissa Perry, Lucia Nuzzi-Meyer, Tim and Michelle Gokey, Brad and Alfredo Paredes-Goldfarb, Dr. James and Liz Watson, Brian and Ashley Dooley, Susan and Jack Foley, and Vincent Simeone.
The halls of the magnificent home-turned-museum were decked with all-natural greenery and decorations sourced from the grounds, including two sixteen-foot Norway Spruce trees, pine and spruce cones, dried and painted magnolia grandiflora, dried hydrangea, and fresh cut holly.
Planting Fields Foundation is a not-for-profit that strives to make relevant to all audiences the heritage of Planting Fields through ongoing landscape and architectural preservation, education programs, exhibitions, and community engagement.
Learn more at www.plantingfields.org