What you need to know about the Mad Hatter Garden Party in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. -- For more than a century, the winged reptilian gargoyle Sir Bartlemas has watched over the Monument Avenue home that now hosts the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design . This Friday, he’ll receive a new name.

As part of the second annual Mad Hatter Garden Party, attendees will bid to rename the gargoyle for one year. Part of the auction includes a plaque and a private naming ceremony at the Branch. Last year’s winner named Sir Bartlemas after his dog Bart.

“People fight over it quite viciously,” says Lucy Northup, the Branch’s marketing director. “He’s kind of the unofficial mascot of the Branch.”

Renaming the gargoyle is just one of the many prizes attendees of the Mad Hatter party can vie for through silent and private auctions. Click here to continue reading on Style Weekly .

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