Green-Wood

Death Café
2020-10-17 18:30 - 20:00, 2020-11-17 18:30 - 20:00, 2020-12-17 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11232, United States
The Death Café is inspired by the centuries-old European salon (or café), an informal gathering to discuss philosophical, political or scientific ideas. In 2011, British entrepreneur Jon Underwood brought this concept to discussions of the most universal topic of all: death. Underwood’s intention was to provide an opportunity to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives.” Today, there are over 4,400 Death Cafes in 26 countries around the world.
Green-Wood is proud to host monthly gatherings of the Death Café here in our beautiful, modern chapel. Amy Cunningham, death educator and creator of the Brooklyn-based blog TheInspiredFuneral.com, invites participants to share their thoughts and feelings on death. It’s an opportunity for safe and open exchanges, without an agenda. Tea and light snacks are provided.
“A place for people to discuss our inevitable fate.” – Gothamist
“It’s a reversal for American culture, which for a long time has shied away from these conversations.” – Village Voice
“[E]ncouraging people to talk about death more freely and naturally.” – Haaretz
Free to attend, RSVP recommended. Please register using the Eventbrite box below.
This program takes place in our Modern Chapel just to the right after passing through the Gothic Arches at the main entrance. All events will take place rain or shine. Click here for our inclement weather policy.

Mobile users: Please tap here for free registration.

The Great Communicators of the Civil War
2020-11-11 18:00 - 19:00
In an era before information was available at the click of a button, how did Americans keep in the know about the events and issues of their day? With great communicators of course! Join Harold Holzer,one of America’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era, for a discussion with Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman about those with the greatest communication skills of the Civil War era who are interred at Green-Wood. You’ll learn about newspaper publishers Henry Raymond (The New York Times), Horace Greeley (New York Tribune), and James Gordon Bennett (New York Herald), as well as the great printmakers, Nathaniel Currier and James Ives.

Harold Holzer is a prolific scholar and lecturer who has authored, coauthored, and edited forty-nine books including Lincoln and the Power of the Press. He served for six years (2010–2016) as Chairman of The Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation.

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This conversation is part of our series of virtual programs about the history of Green-Wood and its permanent residents, Zooming in on History.

$9/$4 for members. A Zoom link will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

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Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

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Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Lichen of Green-Wood
2020-11-16 18:00 - 19:00
What are these organisms brightening up the landscape in shades of orange, yellow, green, blue, and even black? No, it’s not the flowers, it’s the lichen! Green-Wood is the ideal ecological oasis for lichen—colorful fungi that grow on gravestones and trees. Nova Patch will lead you on an exploration of the lichen found in the Cemetery and discuss the variety of shapes and forms it can take. Nova runs the website Lichens.nyc which documents urban lichen found throughout the five boroughs. The next time you visit Green-Wood you won’t be able to take your eyes off them!

This conversation is part of our series of virtual programs about the horticulture and wildlife of Green-Wood, Zooming in on Nature.

$9/$4 for members. A Zoom link will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

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Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

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Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Death Cafe in Spanish
2020-11-17 18:00 - 19:00
The Death Cafe is inspired by the centuries-old European salon (or cafe), an informal gathering to discuss philosophical, political or scientific ideas. In 2011, British entrepreneur Jon Underwood applied this concept to discussions of the most universal topic of all: death. Underwood’s intention was to provide an opportunity to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives.” Today, there are over 4,400 Death Cafes in 26 countries around the world.

Green-Wood is proud to host this gathering of the Death Cafe in Spanish. Maria D.C. Rivas invites participants to share their thoughts and feelings on death through drawing, meditation, and safe and open exchanges.

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Free. A Zoom link will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

El Café de la Muerte (Death Café) está inspirado del antiguo salón (o café) europeo, una reunión informal para discutir ideas filosóficas, políticas o científicas. En 2011, el empresario británico Jon Underwood aplicó este concepto a las discusiones sobre el tema más universal de todos: la muerte. La intención de Underwood era ofrecer la oportunidad de “aumentar la conciencia sobre la muerte con el fin de ayudar a las personas a aprovechar al máximo sus vidas”. Hoy en día, hay más de 4.400 Death Cafés en 26 países de todo el mundo.

Green-Wood se enorgullece de organizar esta reunión en español del Café de la Muerte. Artista y educadora Maria Del Carmen Rivas invita a los participantes a compartir sus pensamientos y sentimientos sobre la muerte a través del dibujo, la meditación y los intercambios seguros y abiertos.

Gratis. Un enlace de Zoom estará en su correo electrónico de confirmación al registrarse.

Green-Wood’s Painters, Part 2
2020-11-18 18:00 - 19:00
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then pull up a chair, because we have many great stories to share with you! Among Green-Wood’s permanent residents are over 400 of some of the most acclaimed painters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: Asher Durand, George Bellows, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, to name a few! Join Director of Public Programming Harry Weil (who also happens to have a PhD in art history) and Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman for a discussion—and show and tell—about some of these artists and the unique collection of their work that the Cemetery has formed over the last twenty years.

This conversation is part of our series of virtual programs about the history of Green-Wood and its permanent residents, Zooming in on History.

$9/$4 for members. A Zoom link will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

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Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

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Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Green-Wood After Hours
2020-11-20 17:30 - 19:30, 2020-11-20 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-11-20 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-11-21 17:30 - 19:30, 2020-11-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-11-21 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-11-27 17:30 - 19:30, 2020-11-27 18:00 - 20:00 and 3 more dates
Long after Green-Wood’s gates close to the public, explore its historic grounds under the cover of night. You’ll weave through the Cemetery’s stunning landscape and visit the graves of fascinating figures in New York and American history. This not-to-be-missed walking tour ends with a visit to the Catacombs, which are normally closed to the public.

The walk is over hilly and uneven terrain, a flashlight and comfortable shoes are recommended for this tour.

Tickets are $30/$25 for members.

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Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Mandatory Safety Protocols

– Attendees must wear a face covering at all times and maintain at least a 6-foot distance from those not in their group.

– The tour guide will be using a voice amplifier to ensure all social distancing protocols are adhered to.

– Follow ALL instructions and guidance from Cemetery staff and ambassadors.

– Travel Safely: Green-Wood recommends following all safety precautions while traveling to and from the Cemetery, whether by foot, mass transit, or driving. If taking mass transit, please check the MTA’s guidelines.

– Feeling Sick? Stay home if you are feeling sick or running a temperature. Please use good judgement if you have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19. For more information about COVID-19, please check the CDC website.

Green-Wood reserves the right to deny entry to any visitor who refuses to comply with the safety guidelines.

History Happy Hour: Hidden Green-Wood
2020-11-24 18:00 - 19:00
Green-Wood isn’t wanting for extraordinary and monumental tombs, but many of its most remarkable residents lay buried under unmarked, modest, or sunken stones. It’s no wonder that visitors spend so much time looking for graves that are often easy to miss! You’ll learn about some of Green-Wood’s lesser-known—but equally fascinating—monuments across our 478 acres. Highlights will include suffragist Elizabeth Tilton, whose stone is marked simply as “Grandmother;” Robert “Little Dougie” Spedden, a child survivor of the Titanic; and teenage military cadet Andrew Culver Jr., whose marble gravestone is one of the Cemetery’s most underrated gems.

While we can’t actually bring the bar or the drinks to you, we can offer some history on tap! Bring your own beverage–why not try our recommended cocktail of the evening–and raise a glass to the past as we stay connected through our latest series, History Happy Hour.

$9 / $4 for members. A Zoom link and recipe will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

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Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Jeremiah Hamilton: America's First Black Millionaire
2020-11-25 18:00 - 19:00
Jeremiah Hamilton was a wheeler-dealer in an otherwise lily white business community. In the nineteenth century, he went toe-to-toe with the most powerful men in America, including Cornelius Vanderbilt, as he put together an unprecedented fortune—amassing nearly $2 Million by the time of his death (over $250 million today)!Live from Australia, Shane White, the world’s expert on Hamilton and author of the biography Prince of Darkness, will join Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman, to talk about this man’s amazing life.

Shane White is a professorial fellow and professor of American history at the University of Sydney. His research and area of expertise is African-American history, particularly the lives and experiences of ordinary Black Americans. He has authored or co-authored five books including the award-winning Price of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah Hamilton.

This conversation is part of our series of virtual programs about the history of Green-Wood and its permanent residents, Zooming in on History.

$9 / $4 for members. A Zoom link and recipe will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

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Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Post Turkey Day Tour
2020-11-27 13:00 - 15:00
After you’ve devoured the turkey and stuffed yourself with pumpkin pie, escape from the house—especially if you need a break from multiple Zoom gatherings—and enjoy a walking tour of Green-Wood. Or if the whole family is still getting along, bring everyone!

Be sure to dress warmly to enjoy a late autumn stroll in one of New York’s most beautiful and historic greenspaces. The walk is over hilly and uneven terrain, comfortable footwear is encouraged.

Tickets are $25/$20 for members.

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Not a Member?

Click here for all of our membership levels and information.

Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Mandatory Safety Protocols

– Attendees must wear a face covering at all times and maintain at least a 6-foot distance from those not in their group.

– The tour guide will be using a voice amplifier to ensure all social distancing protocols are adhered to.

– Follow ALL instructions and guidance from Cemetery staff and ambassadors.

– Travel Safely: Green-Wood recommends following all safety precautions while traveling to and from the Cemetery, whether by foot, mass transit, or driving. If taking mass transit, please check the MTA’s guidelines.

– Feeling Sick? Stay home if you are feeling sick or running a temperature. Please use good judgement if you have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19. For more information about COVID-19, please check the CDC website.

Green-Wood reserves the right to deny entry to any visitor who refuses to comply with the safety guidelines.

Birding in Peace
2020-11-29 07:15 - 08:45
Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. By September, offspring of these nesting birds will be on their own. Returning warblers will be in their less flamboyant fall plumage. Large numbers of blackbirds, flycatchers, sparrows, vireos, and swallows will also be passing through. By October, waterfowl are returning, and we’ll look for raptors heading south. November will bring back our overwintering feathered denizens from the north.

All walks are at a slow pace on easy to moderate terrain, but proper, close toed footwear is suggested. Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the Main Entrance on 25th Street or as a printable PDF here.

Tickets are $20/$15 for members.

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Courtesy of Jennifer Kepler.

Not a Member?

Click here for all of our membership levels and information.

Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Mandatory Safety Protocols

– Attendees must wear a face covering at all times and maintain at least a 6-foot distance from those not in their group.

– The tour guide will be using a voice amplifier to ensure all social distancing protocols are adhered to.

– Follow ALL instructions and guidance from Cemetery staff and ambassadors.

– Travel Safely: Green-Wood recommends following all safety precautions while traveling to and from the Cemetery, whether by foot, mass transit, or driving. If taking mass transit, please check the MTA’s guidelines.

– Feeling Sick? Stay home if you are feeling sick or running a temperature. Please use good judgement if you have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19. For more information about COVID-19, please check the CDC website.

Green-Wood reserves the right to deny entry to any visitor who refuses to comply with the safety guidelines.

The Lost Art of Dying
2020-12-01 15:00 - 16:00
Hosted by Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and The Green-Wood Cemetery

What can medieval manuscripts teach us today about living and dying well? Join Columbia Univ. physician L.S. Dugdale as she explores these texts and speaks from her new book The Lost Art of Dying.

For more than 500 years, the ‘ars moriendi’ or ‘art of dying’ genre of literature dominated living and dying in the West. These handbooks on the preparation for death spanned languages, religions, cultural contexts, and continents. In her new book, The Lost Art of Dying, Dugdale asks what it might look like to revive this forgotten wisdom. How might we learn from the past in order to move toward a future in which we live well in order to die well?

Dr. L.S. Dugdale is a primary care physician and professor at Columbia University, where she is Director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. She has published widely in both the popular and academic press. Her first book, Dying in the Twenty-First Century, provides the scholarly foundation for her most recent book, The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom.

Discussion will be facilitated by Amy Cunningham, Funeral Director and Death Educator at Green-Wood.

RSVP (Free)

On African American Death Practices Part II
2020-12-03 18:00 - 19:00
Death is the great equalizer, right? Why then have funerary and burial practices been racially segregated in the United States for centuries? Why does death care continue to be one of the most segregated sectors of the American economy? This discussion uses these questions as a starting point to trace the evolution of African American funeral practices through key moments in history and continuing shifts. We will also discuss the current state of affairs and what it might suggest about the changing landscape of America’s death culture more broadly. In Part II we will focus our discussion on contemporary African American death practices.

The discussion will be led by University of Chicago doctoral candidate, LaShaya Howie, whose studies focus on contemporary death practices in the US; cultural histories of African American funerals and memorials; theories of Blackness and death; and materiality, mourning, and grief.

This program is presented as part of a new Death Education series at Green-Wood, Death & Us. Death is the great universal, but the ways in which the dead are grieved and memorialized vary across racial, cultural, and economic divides in the United States. This series brings together a myriad of voices—from historians and preservationists to activists and funeral practitioners—to explore how diverse communities mourn and commemorate the departed from our nation’s founding to today.

Free. A Zoom link will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

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Birding in Peace
2020-12-06 07:15 - 08:45, 2020-12-13 07:15 - 08:45
Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home.

Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean that there aren’t interesting birds to discover in Green-Wood. For some bird species that migrate south after the breeding season, Brooklyn is their Miami during the cold months. Spend the early morning exploring the cemetery, looking for overwintering waterfowl, nuthatches, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches and any half-hardy birds that decided to stick around. By February we’ll see some of the early north-bound birds beginning to trickle back into the area.

All walks are at a slow pace on easy to moderate terrain, but proper, close toed footwear is suggested. Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the Main Entrance on 25th Street or as a printable PDF here.

Tickets are $20/$15 for members. There are no paper or e-tickets. Attendees will be checked in by name.

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Courtesy of Jennifer Kepler.

Not a Member?

Click here for all of our membership levels and information.

Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Mandatory Safety Protocols

– Attendees must wear a face covering at all times and maintain at least a 6-foot distance from those not in their group.

– Follow ALL instructions and guidance from Cemetery staff and ambassadors.

– Travel Safely: Green-Wood recommends following all safety precautions while traveling to and from the Cemetery, whether by foot, mass transit, or driving. If taking mass transit, please check the MTA’s guidelines.

– Feeling Sick? Stay home if you are feeling sick or running a temperature. Please use good judgement if you have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19. For more information about COVID-19, please check the CDC website.

– Green-Wood reserves the right to deny entry to any visitor who refuses to comply with the safety guidelines.

If you observe a situation or behavior that does not reflect these protocols, please advise an ambassador or other staff member immediately. With everyone’s cooperation this will be a memorable and safe unique experience.

History Happy Hour: Happily Never After—Part Two
2020-12-08 18:00 - 19:00
Love and death have inspired artists, writers, and philosophers for millennia. But where do they perfectly intertwine? At a cemetery! This time around, you’ll hear more tales of the lovesick and heartbroken, including tawdry details of dramatic–and doomed–affairs. Learn all about the tortured marriage of William and Regina Steinway, the murder of Harvey Burdell, Augustus Graham’s entanglement in a love triangle, and more.

While we can’t actually bring the bar or the drinks to you, we can offer some history on tap! Bring your own beverage–why not try our recommended cocktail of the evening–and raise a glass to the past as we stay connected through our latest series, History Happy Hour.

$9 / $4 for members. A Zoom link and recipe will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

Buy Tickets
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Not a Member?

Click here for all of our membership levels and information.

Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

Pages from the Past: NYC's Greatest Diarist Dishes
2020-12-09 18:00 - 19:00
Everyone loves a little gossip, right? And no one could dish it like George Templeton Strong. Once a well-connected lawyer and a trustee of both Trinity Church and Columbia College (but also a man who reflected the racial, ethnic, and religious prejudices of his time), he is now perhaps best known for the extensive private diary (never actually intended for publication) that he kept from 1835 until his death in 1875. Strong’s writings detail his frank observations of high society and the people of NYC who he knew intimately (many of whom wound up at Green-Wood), as well as his visits to the Cemetery. Matt Dellinger, writer and student of history, will join Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman to discuss Strong’s candid observations and his unique insider’s view of history.

Matt Dellinger has written for The New Yorker, the Oxford American, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, and has reported on transportation and planning for WNYC. He is the author of Interstate 69: The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway and is at work on his second book, about Brooklyn in the Civil War.

This conversation is part of our series of virtual programs about the history of Green-Wood and its permanent residents, Zooming in on History.

$9 / $4 for members. A Zoom link and recipe will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

Get Tickets
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Not a Member?

Click here for all of our membership levels and information.

Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.

(Postponed) Death Cafe: Hot Pot Edition
2020-12-10 18:00 - 19:00
This event has been postponed. There are plans to reschedule it at a later date. Join our email list for the latest event and other news from Green-Wood.

This special edition of the popular Death Cafe is inspired by artist Heidi Lau. She will begin the evening discussing her art practice and the importance of hot pots in Chinese culture as an opportunity for nourishment, conversation, and reflection. Led by Death Cafe moderator, Bethany Tabor, participants will be encouraged to make their own hot pots (Don’t worry! Lau will send some how-to tips), while taking part in intimate group conversations about their thoughts and feelings on death. As always, the Death Cafe is an opportunity for safe and open exchanges, without an agenda.

This program is presented as part of a new Death Education series at Green-Wood, Death & Us. Death is the great universal, but the ways in which the dead are grieved and memorialized vary across racial, cultural, and economic divides in the United States. This series brings together a myriad of voices—from historians and preservationists to activists and funeral practitioners—to explore how diverse communities mourn and commemorate the departed from our nation’s founding to today.

Traces of Tiffany: Gravestones Designed by Tiffany Studios
2020-12-16 18:00 - 19:00
Louis Comfort Tiffany was one of the most prolific and talented designers of the Gilded Age. You’ve probably heard his name associated with Tiffany lamps or Tiffany stained glass, but few people know that this remarkable and multi-talented artist was also in the gravestone business. In fact, his studio designed hundreds of cemetery monuments—sixty of which have been identified at Green-Wood alone. Join Lindsy Parrott, the director and curator of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, and Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman, for a virtual tour of the richest and most interesting gravestones designed by Tiffany—including his own monument at Green-Wood.

This conversation is part of our series of virtual programs about the history of Green-Wood and its permanent residents, Zooming in on History.

$9 / $4 for members. A Zoom link will be in your confirmation email upon registration.

Get Tickets
Get Tickets on Eventbrite

Not a Member?

Click here for all of our membership levels and information.

Already a Member?

Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.

Questions?

Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.
