The Museum and galleries will open at 6 p.m. and dinner will begin at 7 p.m.
Each year, Scots from all over the world gather in the dark days of winter for a traditional evening meal and a joyous celebration to commemorate the birthday of one of their favorite sons, Robert Burns. Born on January 25, 1759, on a tenant farm, Burns captured the imagination and spirit of the Scottish people with his prose and poetry. He was lionized during his lifetime all over his native land. A few years after his untimely death at 37, his friends began to gather on his birthday for a meal and to toast to his “immortal memory.” The tradition has continued for over 200 years and spread to every country where Scots have settled.
The Brandywine Burns Supper consists of a hearty meal of traditional Scottish fare prepared by chef MacGregor Mann, including haggis and a tasting selection of a Belhaven ale and three single malt whiskies. A bagpiper will perform stirring Scottish music to accompany the haggis as it is brought to the table, and special guest Alasdair Nicol—PBS Antiques Road Show presenter and Freeman's Auction chairman—will deliver the “Address to a Haggis.” During the meal, Brandywine Board Member Jack Hines will guide us in single malt whisky tastings carefully paired with each delicious course.
The Museum galleries will be open for an hour before dinner for guests to enjoy the collections and view three N. C. Wyeth paintings used to illustrate The Scottish Chiefs, the classic novel recounting the life of Scottish patriarch William Wallace—who was made famous by the Hollywood blockbuster “Braveheart”—and Scotland’s fight for Independence.