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Spring-like pink and camel suit jackets paired with yellow and green ties and sundresses in bright blues and greens and soft purples and pinks were the dress code for hundreds of guests June 11 at the Morris Arboretum’s 31st annual Moonlight and Roses fundraising gala.
The Friday-evening soirée began with 6 p.m. cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by outdoor dinner and dancing. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s event will support the summer concert series, four Thursday night outdoor concerts in July and August. The remaining funds will go to annual operations of the arboretum.
“I think this is one of the most beautiful places in Philadelphia. It’s right in our backyard and we should support it,” Jane Good, Flourtown, said while mingling in the arboretum’s rose garden.
The guests of honor at this year’s Moonlight and Roses were Peter and Bonnie MacCausland, longtime friends and supporters of the Morris Arboretum — they belonged to the search committee that hired Executive Director Paul Meyer — who recently purchased Erdenheim Farm, a 450-acre estate in Springfield and Whitemarsh townships. They are preparing to move to the property from Chestnut Hill.
“This is the most incredible place in Philadelphia,” Peter said. “They’ve transformed this place in the last 20 years into a nationally recognized arboretum.”
The MacCauslands’ interest in Erdenheim Farm comes from a desire to help other organizations to preserve the open space and to fulfill a more personal wish.
“I always wanted to live on a farm,” Peter said.
Barrett Stewart and Lisa Walker, co-chairwomen of this year’s Moonlight and Roses, said the event was sold out. Six-hundred fifty tickets were sold for cocktails and just under 500 for dinner, they said.
Robin Waché of Maple Glen, who co-chaired last year’s event, has attended Moonlight and Roses for the past 12 years with her husband, Bertrand.
“It’s really an opportunity to showcase the gardens in their height of glory, on a beautiful June evening,” she said.
It is also an opportunity to chat and catch up with friends and network, she added.
Each year, members select a different part of the garden to benefit from the proceeds of the event, she said. What she hopes is that more University of Pennsylvania graduates learn about the arboretum and take advantage of what it offers, she said.
“What’s really amazing is that it is really a hidden treasure within the city of Philadelphia,” she said.
- Springfield Sun 6/14
