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25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS 2007
Celebrating our achievements of a quarter century, FHS's recent 25th Anniversary events in France
this October met with resounding success. In a week-long program that incorporated
historic commemorations, visits to some of France's finest wineries, and dinners
in private châteaux, FHS paid tribute to four men and their roles in binding the United States
and France: Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lafayette. The highlight of the festivities
was a candlelit Gala Dinner and Ball at Châteaux de Vaux-le-Vicomte, where guests were greeted
by Comte et Comtesse de Vogüé, the owners of this magnificent 17th-century château set within
elaborate formal gardens. Dinner was prepared by renowned chef Guy Martin of Le Grand
Véfour, with exceptional First Growth Bordeaux wines. Vaux was built by Nicolas Fouquet,
who employed the creative genius of Le Vau, Le Nôtre, and LeBrun, who would later work to
embellish Versailles.
FHS’s 25th Anniversary Gala revived the legendary splendor of its magnificent origins,
and the setting of one of the most famous fêtes in French history, as well as garnering
attention in the international press.
20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Our 20th Anniversary was held in the regal Loire Valley. It included a fête champêtre
by Taillevent, in an arbor overlooking the famous Renaissance gardens of the Château
de Villandry. The celebration culminated in a gala dinner at Château de Chenonceau,
a privately-owned Renaissance masterpiece. Arriving in horse-drawn carriages, guests
were received in the rose garden by the château’s owners, FHS representatives and
American Ambassador Howard Leach and his wife. During dinner, served in the famous
gallery, costumed performers entertained guests, with striking fireworks over the river
completing the spectacle of an enchanted, fairy-tale evening
15th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
“In the Footsteps of the Kings of France” was a nine-day gala that included a visit to
the Elysée Palace, residence of the President of France, and lunch in the 18th-century
Place Vendôme mansion which is now the Paris headquarters of Morgan Bank. The
festivities culminated with a nocturnal ride through the illuminated gardens of Versailles
and a spectacular dinner in the Orangerie.
10th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
At the 10th Anniversary, held in the town of Versailles, guests spent three magical days
over meals in private homes and receptions hosted by French and American dignitaries.
A highlight of the evening included a stunning equestrian ballet, a display of aesthetic
horsemanship in the Grandes Ecuries of the Château de Chantilly. Celebrations concluded
with a concert in the Chapel of the Château de Versailles followed by a dinner served in
the Galerie des Batailles.
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