Celebrate 10,000 acres at ‘Foods of the Delaware Highlands'

HAWLEY — The Delaware Highlands Conservancy will celebrate its recent protection of 10,000 acres, and look forward to 10,000 more during a five-course dinner and wine tasting at The Settlers Inn, in downtown Hawley. The Conservancy — our local land trust — will host “Foods of the Delaware Highlands” on Saturday, Apr. 26. Wine Tasting with The Settlers Inn sommelier begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7. Tickets for “Foods of the Delaware Highlands” are $100 per person, which includes a $50 tax deductible charitable gift to the Delaware Highlands Conservancy. Since its founding in 1994 by Barbara Yeaman and a dedicated, small group of volunteers, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy has made tremendous progress in conserving the forests, farms and waters of the Upper Delaware River region. Yeaman and her volunteers set high goals for the young Conservancy, the most formidable of which was to protect 10,000 acres by 2007. “I am delighted to report that with the help and support of many people in our community we exceeded our goal and protected more than 10,000 acres by the end of last year,” says Yeaman. “But there is much more to be accomplished as our area continues to grow at a rapid pace. The Conservancy has set a new goal of protecting another 10,000 acres by 2012!” The Apr. 26 celebration at The Settlers Inn will feature delicious cuisine prepared with locally grown and produced organic ingredients, paired with appropriate fine wines. Highlights of the menu include smoked Blooming Grove trout mousse; Fallsdale Farm tri-colored goat cheese and pine nuts on crostini with Liberty greens salad; Forks Farm chicken roulade stuffed with parsley and garlic; and grilled Shaffer Farms venison with red wine game reduction. Vegetarian selections include roasted eggplant and bucatini roulade and Pennsylvania mushroom pate en croute. The evening will feature music by cellist Wesley Tudor of Hawley’s Black Bear Conservatory of Music, and will culminate with the raffle of a case of fine wines hand-selected by The Settlers Inn sommelier. The case will include 4 bottles each of the following wines, with a total retail value of more than $500: • 2003 Château Mouton Rothschild “Aile d’Argent,” Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc & Muscadelle, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France • 2005 Etude Pinot Noir Rosé, Carneros, Napa Valley, California • 2002 Capafons-Ossó “Masos d’en Cubells,” Garnacha, Cari-ena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Syrah, Priorat, Spain A live auction of a bottle of 1988 Krug Brut, Champagne, France will follow the raffle. Sponsorship slots for “Foods of the Delaware Highlands” are available. Current sponsors include Clemleddy Construction. For event tickets or sponsorship information contact the Delaware Highlands Conservancy at info@delawarehighlands.org or 570-226-3164. Reservations for “Foods of the Delaware Highlands” are requested by Apr. 11.