Upgrading the Campus Flagstone Walk

OUR ANNUAL "PASS THE HAT" FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Fundraising Goal: $40,000

$13,000

PASS THE HAT | A NEW WAY TO MOSEY | THE PLAN | DONATE!

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Pass the Hat

The Clearing’s Pass the Hat Campaign is an annual fund-raising event for special projects at The Clearing. Beginning in 2009, this campaign has raised over $585,000! This has helped support many projects, including the renovation of historic buildings, restoring historic gardens, the construction of a new forge and metals studio and a complete kitchen renovation.

2022: WORK CONTINUES ON NEW CAMPUS WALKS
This year’s campaign will focus on raising $40,000 for continued work on many of The Clearing’s flagstone walks. Work is scheduled to resume this November and will finish in time for the 2023 summer season in early May.

So, once again, we’re Passing the Hat and inviting you to join our efforts to upgrade the main campus path by making a contribution, in whatever amount, to the new campus flagstone walk.

A New Way to Mosey...

Dear Friends,

For this year’s Pass The Hat For The Clearing, we are planning to convert more of the flagstone walks on the property from loose-laid flagstone to mortared flagstone, as was done on much of the flagstone surface in the central campus area in the spring of 2020 and the spring of 2022.

We have had only positive comments about the flagstone work that’s been done so far on central campus. The new walks look great, are wide enough for people to walk side-by-side, make it much easier to haul luggage carts, eliminate weeds growing in the joints between flagstones, are much easier to keep clean and, most importantly, eliminate the trip edges that are so common on loose-laid flagstone. The new flagstone walks are a major improvement regarding appearance, maintenance and safety.

Extending week-long classes through the third week of November last year, coupled with a wet, cold spring this year, shortened the time that our mason had to work on the project. Consequently, we were not able to complete all of the flagstone surfaces on central campus before classes began in early May. Those areas that were not completed this spring have the cement base in place but not the flagstone on top of the base. Our mason is scheduled to complete the unfinished areas as soon as classes end in October—to lay the flagstone on mortar on the cement base, then mortar the joints between the flagstones.

In addition to finishing the flagstone walks on central campus in late fall, we plan to do the walk in front of the Schoolhouse and the walk in front of the Workshop. And if the weather cooperates, we may start at the Jensen Center, where all of the flagstone surfaces, including the patio, are scheduled to be done in the same fashion. Those areas that cannot be completed this fall will be done next year.

Our goal for this year’s Pass The Hat For The Clearing is $40,000. This will allow us to finish the central campus walks this fall, along with the Schoolhouse and Workshop walks, and, I hope, get a start at the Jensen Center. Once the weather shuts the project down in early winter, our mason will be scheduled to be here as early as possible next spring to continue the work.

Please consider making a donation for this important project. It’s a major improvement at The Clearing.

Thank you.

Michael Schneider
Executive Director

Thank You!

Your gift today is an investment in The Clearing’s continued efforts to improve facility-wide accessibility. Your enthusiastic support will allow us to create a safer route through the heart of The Clearing campus!