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Nominees for the Event Award of Distinction hosted events that occurred in Dutchess County that brought in visitors and made a positive impact on the tourism economy. Join Destination Dutchess in celebrating all the honorees at the 12th annual Destination Dutchess Awards of Distinction on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Home in Hyde Park.
Read on to learn more about each Event Award of Distinction finalist.
• Pamela Brown, Executive Director; Chris Zumtobel, Director of Programs; Karen Waltuch, Horticulturist; Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield, Hyde Park
• Laura Palmer, Executive Director, Innisfree Garden, Millbrook
• Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, Jeff Barnett-Winsby, Co-Directors; Wassaic Project, Wassaic
• Pamela Brown, Chris Zumtobel, Karen Waltuch, Beatrix Farrand Garden Association: In spite of the small staff, and with the generous support from grant makers and donors, we produce dozens of public events, bringing the community into the garden to experience the transformative beauty of this historically significant garden. The staff share the responsibility of greeting and informing attendees, sharing important stories and design details of the garden designed in 1912 by famed landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand. Performances by local artists have been curated that are especially powerful inside the walled garden, made inviting for all ages by welcoming families, picnicking, and even dogs. Educational events by local experts on many aspects of horticulture, garden design, and sustainability are all interests of Farrand’s who was ahead of her time as a woman entering the landscape architectural field, and as a forward thinking environmentalist.
• Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, Jeff Barnett-Winsby, Wassaic Project: As a contemporary arts institution, the Wassaic Project hosts multidisciplinary arts events that activate our small hamlet with exhibitions, performances, film screenings, open studios, artist talks, workshops, and education activities. Our mission is to use art and arts education to foster positive social change. We nurture connections between our artists and our neighbors facilitating a mutual broadening of perspectives and respect across economic and cultural boundaries. Events take place year-round on our historic campus in Wassaic, with a highlight being our annual Haunted Mill, a three-day Fall event which fills the town with art installations, live music, and participatory programming. Attendees include local residents, families, and youth alongside visitors from across the Hudson Valley, New York City, and beyond. Each event is rooted in the belief that art should be both inspiring and inclusive, breaking down barriers between artists and audiences.
• Laura Palmer, Innisfree Garden: Innisfree Garden is a 185-acre public garden in Millbrook, recognized as one of the great gardens of the world. Inspired by Modernist ideas and traditional Asian design principles, it offers visitors a living experience of art and nature intertwined. Our small, dedicated team hosts programs that bring the garden to life — curator tours, birding walks, sunrise and moonlit programs, qigong and sound baths, and hands-on workshops. We collaborate with community partners such as the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Society and the Hudson Valley Shakuhachi Choir to create events that connect people to the landscape, the seasons, and one another. These gatherings attract visitors from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
• Pamela Brown, Chris Zumtobel, Karen Waltuch, Beatrix Farrand Garden Association: The most unique program this season has been the Rhythm of Nature youth program, combining instruction in African drumming and nature activities, intended as learning tools for lifelong mental health. Each concert, garden class, workshop and youth activity is exciting, seeing attendees drop their outside stresses of daily life, and become immersed in the joy of being in the garden, hopefully taking new information and energy back to their regular lives.
• Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, Jeff Barnett-Winsby, Wassaic Project: What excites us most is the way our events transform Wassaic into a living, breathing art community where all are welcome. Visitors can climb through our seven-story historic grain elevator to discover site-specific installations, engage in open studios, or dance to DJ sets in a converted livestock auction barn. Our events invite discovery and play while blurring the lines between artist and audience. This combination of place, community, and creative experimentation makes each gathering unlike anything else in the region.
• Laura Palmer, Innisfree Garden: What makes our events unique is how the garden itself shapes each experience. Whether guests are joining a guided walk, hearing the soothing sound of shakuhachi flutes drift across the lake, or learning from local artists and naturalists, Innisfree encourages people to slow down and see the world differently. The combination of art, landscape, and community creates moments that feel both peaceful and alive — experiences that stay with visitors long after they leave.
• Pamela Brown, Chris Zumtobel, Karen Waltuch, Beatrix Farrand Garden Association: We have many exciting new ideas for the next season, collaborating with other historic and environmental groups, offering more visual arts, more youth programs, a variety of types of group tours, a new book series, some craft groups, more ways for people to participate, all building on the programs that have made the most impact and from the suggestions we hear from the community.
• Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, Jeff Barnett-Winsby, Wassaic Project: Looking ahead, we see our events growing in depth as much as in scale. A key part of this growth is the activation of the Gridley Chapel, a recently acquired 19th-century building in the heart of Wassaic, which will allow us to host intimate performances, exhibitions, and community gatherings year-round. Growth for us means not just bigger audiences, but deeper engagement—cultivating experiences that are memorable, inclusive, and rooted in community.
• Laura Palmer, Innisfree Garden: We’re focused on deepening, not just expanding. Innisfree’s future programs will continue to build creative collaborations with artists and educators who bring new perspectives to the garden’s history and design. We’re also growing our wellness and ecology offerings, helping visitors experience Innisfree as a place of renewal and reflection. Accessibility is a key priority — from improved infrastructure to sensory-friendly, family-inclusive programs — ensuring everyone can feel welcome and inspired here while contributing to the vitality of Dutchess County’s cultural community.
