Easter eggs of every description, some 5,000 in all, are being exhibited as a fundraiser for Schoharie (N.Y.) Free Library every weekend in April through Easter Sunday. The Mildred Vrooman Easter Egg Exhibit in Schoharie includes elaborate egg-based scenes that feature backdrops and accessories made of materials such as costume jewelry, fur, shell, ribbons, and lace. The painted faces of the egg people demonstrate the artistic talent of Schoharie’s former library director and Easter egg designer Mildred Vrooman, who died in 2012 at age 103, and her late friend Elizabeth Warner.
The exhibit is housed in a building adjacent to Vrooman’s former home. The property, along with the exhibit, was recently bought by Joseph and Berna Heyman, the latter of whom is the retired associate dean of university libraries at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. “Our decision to reopen it this year is to provide much needed funds for the Schoharie Free Library and an opportunity to share the collection with the community and new generations,” said Berna Heyman. All proceeds from the 2014 opening, as well as sales of the book The Mildred Vrooman Easter Egg Collection, authored and photographed by the Heymans, will benefit the Schoharie Free Library as it continues to rebuild its adult fiction collection, which was devastated by Hurricane Irene in 2011. For more information, contact schoharie.easteregg@gmail.com.
