DOVER, Del. – On Saturday, December 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Governor John Carney and First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney will host a holiday open house at Woodburn, the Governor’s Residence. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the Governor and First Lady, tour Woodburn and Hall House, view holiday decorations, and enjoy holiday treats. The event is free and open to the public.

WHAT:        Holiday open house and tours at Woodburn.

WHO:          Governor John Carney

First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney

WHEN:       Saturday, December 2, 2017

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. *Governor Carney will arrive around 12:00 p.m.

WHERE:    Woodburn

151 Kings Highway Southwest

Dover, DE 19901

###

The Woodburn Holiday Open House is one of several events taking place in Dover on Saturday, December 2:

Saturday, December 2, 2017
“Delaware’s State Constitution.”
9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Guided tours explore the Delaware State Constitution of 1792 which changed the Delaware State to the State of Delaware. First Saturday in the First State program. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover.

Saturday, December 2, 2017
“Johnson Victrola Museum’s 50th Anniversary Celebration: A Country Tale”
Program at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Museum open 9 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.
Program, “Play That Old-Time Country Music,” explores Victor Records’ early recordings of country music, accompanied by 78-rpm records played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. Part of a series celebrating the museum’s creation in 1967. First Saturday in the First State program. Programs held in the museum’s 2nd floor gallery (entry via staircase; no elevator). Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required for the programs by calling 302-739-3262. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover.

Saturday, December 2, 2017
“Handmade for the Holidays”
Program 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Seasonal program in which visitors can design a tile for the holidays. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover.

Saturday, December 2, 2017
“Home for the Holidays Market Place & Parade”
3 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Parade starts at 6:30 p.m.
Loockerman Way Plaza, Dover.
Click here for more information from the Downtown Dover Partnership.

(DOVER, Del.—Oct. 16, 2017)—On Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Woodburn: The Governor’s Residence, located at 151 Kings Highway S.W. in Dover, Del., will host “Halloween Family Fun Day at Woodburn.” The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available on surrounding streets. In the event of inclement weather, all activities will be cancelled. For additional information or for notification of cancellation, call 302-739-5656 or e-mail Woodburn@delaware.gov.

“Halloween Family Fun Day at Woodburn” will feature the following activities:

–Guided tours of Woodburn
Visitors will be guided through the public spaces of this 1798 home that has served as the official residence of Delaware’s governors since 1965

–18th-century games
Guests will learn how children amused themselves in the 1700s including playing games like hoop and stick, graces, quoits, ninepins, and badminton; and enjoying the folk toys jacob’s ladder and bilbo catcher

–Sachet making
Visitors can create their own scented sachet filled with herbs and spices

–Craft activities
Guests can decorate pumpkins; make a Tootsie-Roll-Pop spider, pumpkin or ghost; create a Halloween card or bookmark; make a pom-pom pencil; or decorate a Halloween mask

Woodburn is one of Delaware’s most historic homes and an outstanding example of late-18th-century Georgian architecture. The house was built in 1798 by Charles Hillyard, III (1759–1814), a fourth-generation Delawarean from a family of affluent landowners who were frequently active in the governmental, social and economic life of Kent County. Woodburn has served as the home of Delaware’s governor since it was purchased by the state in 1965. It was listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs has been responsible for the care and conservation of Woodburn since August 2009. The division’s charge includes repair and maintenance of the building; design and upkeep of the property’s garden and horticultural displays; and furnishing of the home.

-End-

Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-736-7413
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney hosted 30 guests Wednesday evening at a Ramadan Iftar dinner at Woodburn, including members of Delaware’s Muslim community and statewide elected officials.

The Iftar is the evening meal after sunset that concludes the daily fasting during the month of Ramadan, which ends the evening of June 24 this year. For observers, the Iftar dinner and Ramadan are a time to reflect on humanity and to reaffirm commitments to helping the less fortunate.

“In addition to the spiritual grounding of fasting, I have been impressed by Ramadan’s additional purpose of enhancing our compassion toward one another and heightening our awareness of those among us who are most in need – a powerful recommitment to caring for the poor and vulnerable,” said Governor Carney. “I am proud and pleased to stand as a friend to the Muslim community of Delaware, which has strengthened our state in innumerable ways and given so much to others.”

Wednesday’s event was the third Iftar dinner hosted by a governor of Delaware, renewing the tradition begun by Governor Jack Markell in 2015. In attendance were representatives from five Delaware mosques, as well as U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock and Delaware State Housing Authority Director Anas Ben Addi.

Governor Carney recently named Irfan Patel, chair of interfaith relations of the Islamic Society of Delaware, to the Governor’s Council of Faith-Based Partnerships. The Council works to create partnerships between faith-based organizations and state government.

“We appreciate Governor Carney’s commitment to friendship by hosting this Iftar dinner and joining us during Ramadan,” said Patel. “This support for Delaware Muslims is a welcome symbol of our elected officials’ dedication to diversity and equality in our state.”

###

Photos from the Iftar dinner are available here.

(DOVER, Del.—Feb. 24, 2016)—On Feb. 23, 2016, Woodburn, the governor’s official residence in Dover, Del. was lit up in blue and green in honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, an annual campaign sponsored by the National Eating Disorders Association to bring public attention to the critical needs of people with eating disorders and their families.

The theme of the association’s 2016 campaign is “3 Minutes Can Save a Life: Get Screened. Get Help. Get Healthy” which focuses on early detection and intervention. As part of the campaign, the association has partnered with Screening for Mental Health, Inc. to develop a confidential online eating disorders screening which takes as little as three minutes to complete, and from which participants can learn if it’s time to seek professional help.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder and 30 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. According to Claire Mysko, the association’s interim chief executive officer, “eating disorders can hide in plain sight and frequently go undiagnosed until someone’s health is at significant risk. These are life-threatening bio-psycho-social illnesses, not a ‘lifestyle choice.’ It’s time to get beyond the stigma and stereotypes and recognize the diverse experiences of people affected by disordered eating. Early intervention is a critical first step toward ending this epidemic, and everyone who is struggling deserves to be able to access help without delay to provide them the best chance possible of full recovery.”

In support of the campaign, Gov. Jack Markell noted, “”Too many people suffering from these disorders, suffer in silence. Bringing awareness to disordered eating is vital to support these individuals and their families to overcome their challenges and thrive.”

Located at 151 Kings Highway in Dover, Del., Woodburn is one of Delaware’s most historic homes and an outstanding example of late-18th-century Georgian architecture. The house was built in 1798 by Charles Hillyard, III (1759–1814), a fourth-generation Delawarean from a family of affluent landowners who were frequently active in the governmental, social and economic life of Kent County. Woodburn has served as the home of Delaware’s governor since it was purchased by the state in 1965. It was listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs has been responsible for the care and conservation of Woodburn since August 2009. The division’s charge includes repair and maintenance of the building; design and upkeep of the property’s garden and horticultural displays; and furnishing of the home.

-End-

Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-736-7413
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

Photos from the dinner

Becomes first Delaware Governor to celebrate Muslim holiday by hosting an Iftar

Dover, DE – Last night, Governor Jack Markell was joined by Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen and Delaware State Housing Authority Director Anas Ben Addi, along with more than two dozen guests representing mosques from across Delaware, for a Ramadan Iftar dinner at Woodburn.

The Iftar is the evening meal after sunset that concludes the daily fasting during the month of Ramadan. For observers, the Iftar dinner and Ramadan are a time to reflect on humanity and to reaffirm commitments to helping the less fortunate.

“The diversity of Delawareans has always been a source of great pride and strength,” said Governor Markell. “This Iftar dinner celebrates that diversity while recognizing the Muslim community in Delaware, which has given so much to the state and the region through a spirit of kindness and compassion as well as through a commitment to serving all of those in need.”

Governor Markell is the first Governor of Delaware to host such an event, which he hopes becomes an annual event at Woodburn following his term in office – a sentiment shared by those in attendance last night.

“We were excited to take part in the first Governor’s hosted Ramadan Iftar, this initiative shows the continued efforts by Governor Markell to be inclusive and supportive,” added Usman Sandhu, President of the Islamic Society Of Central Delaware. “We hope that this initiative will set a trend that will continue beyond the Markell administration.”

Governor Markell has long celebrated diversity in the first state. In 2012, he created the Governor’s Delaware Council of Faith-Based Partnerships. The council fosters the opportunity for leaders of different faiths to meet and work together in order to ensure community needs.

“We admire Governor Markell’s initiative to sponsor this Ramadan Iftar,” said Qamar Ahmad, Board President of Masjid Ibrahim, who attended the Iftar dinner. “We are blessed in Delaware for having accessible elected officials.
Actions like this one will enhance feelings of equality, fairness, and inclusiveness in Muslims and will boost their integration into the general population for a stronger unified Delaware.”

###