July is the month of our big Gala! We are looking forward to celebrating our 60th Anniversary as the Fenton Historical Society of Jamestown on Saturday, July 29th. The theme of the event is the Roaring 20s and will be a fun party for everyone. We will host a special VIP party for our sponsors at 5:00 pm, which will include piano music from the 20s, special hors d’oeuvres, party favors, and preview of our silent auction and basket raffle. The main party kicks off at 6:00 pm under the big tent. Sandee’s will be catering wonderful food, Gypsy Moon will be providing our dessert, wine from Merritt Winery, beer from Southern Tier Brewery, Pie Time Entertainment will be providing the 1920s music, entertainment by Tiffany Wakely Academy of Dance, and a Speak Easy in the basement will round out the fun. Many local businesses and individuals have donated wonderful items for our raffle ($5 for a card of 25 tickets plus 1 ticket for the Barrel of Booze) and special one of a kind items for the silent auction. We will also have a 50/50 raffle. Winnings from poker, black jack, and nickel slot machines will be turned in for tickets on the Barrel of Booze. Please support the Fenton History Center by purchasing a ticket. Tickets are $100 for an individual or $175 for a couple. Come dressed for the Roaring 20s for the full experience, however, costumes are optional.
Don’t miss our Lecture Series on July 12th at 7:00 pm in the FHC Dining Room. The program is about prohibition in Jamestown with true anecdotes that you won’t want to miss! Our presenters are Karen Livsey and Sam Genco. Seating is limited, so come early. We will be serving some “Mocktails” for you to try, also. This program will get you in the spirit for our Gala and remember: it is free.
Our virtual video tour will be ready for everyone to see at our Gala. I had the pleasure of meeting one of our original members a few weeks ago, who is currently living in Jamestown. Carolyn Graham Volk is housebound, so I took the virtual video tour to her, which I had downloaded to our new laptop. The laptop was from an ASI grant we received and the video was made possible through a grant with HNY. Carolyn had not been to visit the Fenton in many years. After watching the video tour she had tears of joy! Carolyn said that all of the original members would have loved the virtual tour and it is going to be a great way to solve our problem with our visitors who can’t do the stairs when they visit. Carolyn and her first husband, Richard Graham, were very active in the newly formed Fenton Historical Society. She served as Membership Chair in 1963 and 1964, and secretary of the board in the late 1960s. The original members put a lot of sweat and tears into saving the Fenton Mansion and procuring it for a museum. Kudos to Carolyn for dedicating several years to the Fenton Historical Society of Jamestown, we are ever grateful!
