Government House open again for holidays
COVID-19 kept mansion closed in 2020
The holiday open house at the Government House in Annapolis, home to Maryland’s governor, returns this Saturday after a hiatus in 2020 forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once more the mansion is filled with greenery, garland and gleaming ornaments for the public to see. Bakers have prepared 13,000 cookies to give away during the open house, and nonalcoholic hot wassail will be served on the patio.
There are a few changes to this year’s event to reduce the spread of COVID-19, said Shareese Churchill, a spokesperson for Gov. Larry Hogan. Visitors will enter the mansion in small groups, and cookies will be packaged instead of spread out on a table. Guests will need to wear face masks inside but can enjoy their cookies and wassail outside the mansion on the patio, where there is no shortage of decor to enjoy.
The open house is free and reservations aren’t needed. The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, and free parking is available in the Bladen Street Garage on weekends.
Saturday’s weather in Annapolis is predicted to be warm for December, with a high near 70, according to the National Weather Service. However, there is a chance for rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Assistant Residence Manager Barb Harward-Troska has worked in the house for three decades and starts planning the holiday decorations in the summertime. She has sheets torn from magazines over the decades to provide inspiration and keeps track of the decor she has put up over the years. This year the display includes regal nutcrackers with shields and, to match their height, she has added tall birch branches to table displays, so the pieces complement one another.
This year’s Christmas tree in the residence is snowman-themed, with shining white orbs, smiling faces, snowy owls and silver birds’ nests.
“Everyone lights up when they see it,” Harward-Troska said. “It makes you feel like a child again.”
Towering greenery fills the mansion, lining antique mirrors and keeping the historic state art collection company. The home has historic portraits of George Washington, Lord Baltimore, the state’s first ladies and more. Furniture in the house also reflects the state’s history, with some items featuring wood from the Wye Oak, a white oak tree that was an estimated 500 years old when it was felled by a lightning storm in 2002.
In the drawing room, a sculptural menorah
is on display, with eight candles extinguished as the Hanukkah celebration ended Monday. The piece made by Zachary Oxman includes swirling, dancing figures and is titled “A Festival of Light III, The Celebration of Family.”
Each year ornaments are available to purchase, the proceeds from which contribute to the maintenance of the historic home. Artist and first lady Yumi Hogan helps design each ornament, and State Archivist Elaine Bachmann said she has an eye
for incorporating beautiful details from the historic home.
In past iterations, the ornament has featured an ornate Victorian fan fireplace screen from the home. This year the ornament has the armillary sundial sphere in the home’s garden, which has been at the house since the 1930s.
“It’s something that is sort of always there, but until it’s pointed out, you don’t really see it, so it makes a really lovely ornament,” Bachmann said.