From left–Eileen Longacre, Stewart and Sidney Spahr, Deb and John Donaldson and Wyn Coghlan

On October 3, 2013, Bartram’s Garden welcomed more than 250 guests to the annual Twilight in the Garden gala. The event celebrated Mrs. Sidney B. Spahr, former president of the John Bartram Association Board, for her longtime commitment to and vision for the Garden. Featuring a silent and live auction, live music by the Bacchus Boys, and twilight garden tours, the sold-out evening was a fundraising success for Bartram’s Garden.

Many guests arrived at the Garden by riverboat, walking up from the dock on the Lower Schuylkill River on a candlelit path through the reclaimed meadow. Music and refreshments kept the historic garden lively, while the city’s oldest barn held a display of auction offerings donated by local artists, businesses, and philanthropists. Special features in the auction included an original oil painting, The Path, by Philadelphia artist Amanda Stevenson Lupke; a handcrafted table by John Bolle Design, built from a cucumber magnolia tree that stood in the Garden until 2010; and a one-of-a-kind sterling silver necklace by jeweler Mimi Favre, featuring a cast of a Franklinia seedpod.

As night fell, dinner was served under a tent in the meadow, which allowed guests to enjoy the stunning prospect of the Center City skyline just across the river. The event’s co-chairs, Sonia Nofziger Dasgupta of Philadelphia and Pamela Maher of Malvern, introduced Executive Directory Maitreyi Roy and current Board president Elizabeth Bressi-Stoppe, who spoke about Mrs. Spahr’s extraordinary contributions to the Garden. In gratitude for her years of dedication, Mrs. Spahr was presented with a framed print by William Bartram.

The evening also marked the beginning of a new phase for Bartram’s Garden, with plans unveiled for the first garden restoration in nearly a century. The restoration of the historic Carr Garden is a project long in the making, with the seeds planted during Mrs. Spahr’s tenure as Board president. Executive Director Maitreyi Roy remarked, “We can expect to see the horticultural legacy of the Bartrams come to life in a whole new way for future generations, thanks to Sidney’s incredible contributions.”