Special Event

When Joy Doumis and Jeremy Hammond approached Green-Wood in fall 2015 to ask if they could harvest the apples here, of course we had to know why. To make hard cider of course! Spread across 478 acres, our urban orchard has over 150 Malus (aka apple) trees! Using giant tarps to gather apples varieties that include Baldwin, Granny Smith, various crab apples, and a yet-to-be-identified apple variety, they set about turning their harvest into a delicious fermentation of homemade hard cider. In keeping with the sustainable farming movement and a love for all things Green-Wood, join Joy and Jeremy for the story of how they produced over 100 bottles of hard cider (which they call Proper Cider) in their own back yard literally. Naturally, a tasting of the final product is included.

Join us for an afternoon symposium devoted to exploring the arts and culture of Victorian mourning with illustrated talks and show-and-tell presentations of period artifacts. Speakers will include Dr. Stanley Burns, professor of Medicine and Psychiatry and Founder of the Burns Photographic Archive, Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman, Evan Michelson, co-owner of Obscura Antiques & Oddities and host of the Science Channel’s Oddities, funeral director Amy Cunningham, Jennifer Glassock, Research Associate at the Costume Institute, and more!

Although Green-Wood’s vast expanse of rolling hills, glacial ponds, and over 150 species of trees is one of New York City’s most loved green-spaces, it can be difficult to capture on film. In this class, Sean Sime, who has over 20 years of professional experience in journalism, fashion, and documentary photography, will share tips, techniques, and tools for capturing the splendor of nature.

While the colorful trees and migrating birds of Green-Wood get lots of buzz (and Instagram posts), visitors might not know about the bounty of mushrooms sprouting throughout the cemetery’s 478 verdant acres. Gary Lincoff, author of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms and instructor at the New York Botanical Garden, leads an eye-opening exploration of the wonderful fungi on our grounds. Learn the basics of identifying mushrooms species and the crucial differences between edible and poisonous varieties. This tour is a great opportunity for novice and expert foragers alike for the next hike in the woods or trip to the farmers market.

The Victorians knew a thing or two about tragedy. They seemed to almost revel in tales of disaster and heartbreak. And a Victorian-era cemetery, like Green-Wood, has no dearth of these sad, sad stories. Greg Young, co-host of the award-winning NYC history podcast, The Bowery Boys, emcees a night of storytelling, where you and your fellow audience members will vote on the most tragic of Victorian tales.