432 years ago on August 18th, 1587, Eleanor Dare gave birth to the first English child to be born in the New World. She named her Virginia Dare, and each year our friends at The Lost Colony celebrate her birthday with a very special addition to their nightly performance. This weekend on Saturday, August 17th, The Lost Colony continues its long-celebrated tradition of using real babies during their performance on Virginia Dare Night.
Being a “Virginia Dare Baby” is a coveted role in the community that many locals have had the opportunity of being a part of. For the Virginia Dare Night performance only, the usual prop baby swaddled in blankets that represents Virginia Dare, is replaced with these special guests chosen from the local community.
In addition to the Virginia Dare Night performance, The Lost Colony and the National Park Service will join forces in a special Virginia Dare Birthday Celebration starting at 5:30 PM at the Waterside Theatre with fun activities for families led by The Lost Colony company members and NPS employees. This pre-show Birthday Celebration will be open and free to the public and will include birthday cake served to kids 12 and under around 7:00pm before the play begins.