Year in Review: 2025
It has been an amazing year at Menokin! Before 2026 begins, we’d like to highlight some moments to remember from 2025.
Support from our community, partners, & donors has made all of this possible.
We started the year with Connie Rosemont being appointed as Menokin’s permanent Executive Director, following her 10 month tenure as interim Executive Director. Her background in nonprofit leadership and cultural programming has aided us exponentially this year. Connie’s appointment was followed by a $1.25 million grant from the VA250 Preservation Fund that enabled us to begin work on the North elevation of the ruin for the summer.
We had several engaging programs and activities during the winter and spring including a genealogy workshop instructed by Kiana Wilkerson, an Easter Egg Hunt, Earth Day hike, and our annual fairy house competition. We welcomed our spring intern, Walker, who aided in historic research and wrote about some of the Northern Neck’s prominent colonial families.
Our campaign for the Descendant Documentary was opened for public donations. Production is officially underway by filmmaker Lorenzo Dickerson, and we’re looking forward to its premiere in 2026! You can see the trailer here.
We needed to raise matching funds for the VA250 grant, so in June, we had our first ever Glass House Gala that ended up raising over $188K! That night, we honored Martin and Tish King, Menokin’s longtime advocates, and enjoyed music by the Josh Grisby and County Line Band.
The summertime meant that kayak season had officially begun at Menokin, and we were met with great enthusiasm for our guided paddles! Kayak season will begin again starting in June, so make sure to register early for when we announce the dates of future guided paddles.
Work on the ruin also began in the summer, specifically on the North wall. Hard hat tours were officially on! Some guests during this time may have also been given a tour by one of our summer interns from William & Mary: Keaton, Lorenzo, and Olivia. You can see a photo archive of work being done on the ruin here.
Just Harvest continued work on the Heritage Gardens, where we now have a longhouse trellis in the form of a yehakin on site. The gourd squash grew nicely around the trellis for the time it had, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the newly expanded garden will thrive for next year!
We also were a host site for Just Harvest’s Peoples University where a variety of talks and activities occurred such as a canoe burning demonstration by Russell Reed.
Our first ever Pumpkins Illuminated event happened in October and our community really showed up for us! 1,000 pumpkins were donated by Garner’s Produce, and many volunteers came to Menokin to spent time carving them. This was a 3-night event with Saturday being our Chesapeake to Cat Point Creek Waterways Conservation Festival during the daytime. Vendors, craft demonstrations, guided paddles (led by Rappahannock Adventures), and a lantern parade were a part of the festival. It was a long weekend of fun in the Northern Neck! You can see more photos of the event here.
Last but not least, we ended the year with the completion of the North wall. More work on the ruin and more programs are being planned for 2026, so stay tuned!
