February is for Sweethearts at Liberty Hall Museum

UNION, N.J. – Liberty Hall Museum welcomes sweethearts of all ages to its elegant and heartwarming February programming. Sure to please the eye, bring a smile, and satisfy the most discerning of palates, Liberty Hall’s Valentine’s Date Night and upcoming Downton Abbey Brunches offer guests a variety of creative and memorable ways to treat that special someone to something truly special this month. 

For those looking for a romantic and low-key way to spend the holiday, Liberty Hall Museum will host a Valentine’s Date Night on Saturday, February 16th from 7 – 10 p.m. The perfect, relaxing event for couples celebrating their first (or fifty-first) Valentine’s Day together, the evening begins with a wine and cheese hour, during which couples will enjoy historic movie trivia about New York City. Sweethearts will then cozy up to a screening of one of the most famous and enduringly popular romantic comedies ever shot in the Big Apple, When Harry Met Sally, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. The cost is $50.00 per couple, and reservations are required; please call (908) 527-0400 for more information. 

Timed to coincide with the much-anticipated third season finale of the popular British television series, the Downton Abbey Farewell Brunch on February 23rd (Noon – 3 p.m.) has received an overwhelming response, selling out more than a month before the event is scheduled take place. Bill Schroh, Director of Museum Operations for Liberty Hall, added the February brunch after reservations for January’s Downton Abbey New Year’s Brunch filled in record time. 

“When we decided to host a Downton Abbey-themed brunch at the museum, we never thought the guests would be as excited about the event as we were,” said Schroh, reflecting on the museum’s successful New Year’s brunch. “But quite a few came dressed to the nines in Edwardian outfits; some were even in original Edwardian clothing. During the brunch, we hosted a Downton Abbey trivia contest, and the contest got rather heated as the guests competed to show who among them knew the most about the show.” 

At the urgent entreaties of guests unlucky enough to have missed out on reservations to February’s brunch, Liberty Hall has now announced it will host a third brunch in March. Dames, Dainties and Doilies: A Downton Abbey Brunch will take place on Saturday, March 16th from Noon – 3 p.m., and celebrate the women of Downton Abbey in honor of National Women’s History Month. The event will feature Liberty Hall’s signature buffet brunch, party favors, and a champagne toast, as well as provide a welcome respite for fans suffering through the bleak season of the hit show’s hiatus. The cost is $60.00 per couple, and reservations are required; guests seeking reservations are encouraged to call (908) 527-0400 as soon as possible, as the museum anticipates this event will also sell out. 

Downton Abbey fans and history buffs alike continue to flock to Liberty Hall’s fascinating ongoing exhibit, Ring for Service: The Role of Servants in a Country House, running now through November 30th. In the 1900s, the Kean family lived in a world where their every whim was met by the simple ringing of the servant’s bell.  With the museum masterfully reinterpreted to highlight the places where servants worked, slept and spent their leisure time, tours of the museum now offer an entertaining and enlightening peek behind the scenes, enabling visitors to follow in the footsteps of a servant moving through a typical day in his or her life. The wine cellar has been reopened for this exhibit, as well as two servants’ rooms in the attic. This exhibit marks the first time any portion of the attic has been open to the public. 

Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University chronicles more than 240 years of American history. The museum also houses extensive collections of furniture, ceramics, textiles, toys and tools owned by seven generations of the Livingston and Kean families. The Firehouse Museum, built in 2004, houses three antique fire engines, including a rare 1911 American LaFrance Metropolitan Steam Engine. The Museum is currently open for group tours (10 or more guests), private events, and scheduled seasonal activities such as those outlined above; public tours resume on Monday, April 1st. 

For reservations and further information, call 908-527-0400, e-mail libertyhall@kean.edu or visit www.kean.edu/libertyhall.  Please follow Liberty Hall Museum on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/libertyhallmuseum, or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/LibertyHallKean.