I’d like to take the opportunity to thank each and every person that was able to attend the First Annual Preserving York Fundraising Picnic. The weather was near perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to bring the community together for such an event.
Photograph courtesy of Ted Schaefer
I’m happy to announce that with the support of each and every guest, we were able to raise $2,460 with half going to each of the groups we chose to support: Farm and Natural Lands Trust of York County and Friends of Camp Security. We were happy to help each organization and can’t wait to see who we support next year.
I’m extremely grateful for our hosts, Steve and Sue Kohr, who opened up Historic Shady Lane to over 200 people. The property went through a metamorphosis over the past few weeks as Steve worked frantically to beautify this one-of-a-kind estate for the event. Steve spent quite a bit of time working as the sun dipped below the horizon, but when it was show time, the estate was absolutely beautiful.
Photograph compliments of Rachel Kreider
Let’s not forget the sponsors of our event: The JDK Group and Gotcha Covered Party Rentals.
JDK was gracious enough to provide a great catered meal that was complimented with the addition of covered dishes and desserts by guests. The JDK staff was really top notch, and I appreciate the time and effort they put into helping the guests have a great experience.
Gotcha Covered donated the use of their tables, chairs, and tent which kept everyone shielded from the sun, at least after it decided to break through the clouds and pay us a visit. On top of that, they also provided a $100 gift certificate towards their services as one of our door prizes.
Photograph courtesy of Ted Schaefer
I invited local historic groups to the event so they could feature a display in the old greenhouse on the property and be able to tell others about their organization. When I had a moment to check them out I was so impressed with the amount of people who were looking them over. Many thanks to those who offered a display: Dennis Kunkle and the York County Heritage Trust; Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad; Police Heritage Museum; Farmers’ Market Company; Friends of Camp Security; Farm and Natural Lands Trust of York County; Peter Brady shared a VERY LARGE 1876 York County map; Bradley Schmehl, Civil War artist; Emig Mansion; Rosemont Estate; Historic Shady Lane; and of course there was one for Preserving York which featured a few local memorabilia from my personal collection.
The event was even photographed by Jeff Taylor Photography, which also operated a photo booth behind the old garden house. Jeff will be sharing photographs on Facebook and is also offering prints for purchase.
Did I forget to mention anyone?
Photograph courtesy of Peter Brady
Next I’d like to take a moment to thank the speakers we had for the event: Sean Kenny, Executive Director of Farm and Natural Lands Trust of York County; Jonathan Stayer, Pennsylvania State Archives and member of Friends of Camp Security; and Jim McClure, York Daily Record editor and local historian. Guests sat through each presentation and listened intently and with the utmost interest in the words being spoke.
Photograph courtesy of Ted Schaefer
We had some great door prizes offered for the event, and I thank those who donated including: The Yorktowne Hotel, vendors from the Farmers’ Market Company, York County Heritage Trust, local artists Lindsey Keeney and Bradley Schmehl, Gotcha Covered Party Rentals, and John Stine and the Police Heritage Museum, and Jeff Taylor Photography.
The Yorktowne Hotel offered a one-night stay at their facilities, which went to a very deserving couple that just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. On their first night of marriage, they even stayed at the Yorktowne.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the event was giving tours to the guests who were fascinated by the 34-acre estate. I felt the old distillery was the perfect place to start since that’s really where the property originated. We moved through each area as I explained various aspects of the property’s history: the distillery, barns, Brownstone house (guest house), ice house and trolley stop, main house, bandstand area, and finally what I call the garden complex which contains the greenhouse, garden house, root cellar, tennis court, and gazebo.
Photograph courtesy of Phil Anderson
What made the tours rewarding for me was learning several people had connections to the property, and could actually share their knowledge with the group. John Stonesifer lived in the Brownstone house from the 1930s to the 1950s when his father was the caretaker. After John was married his father continued working for the family for several years. John and Susan Spittle lived on the property for 14 years in the 1970s to the 1980s. They were even married there and were lifted away in a hot-air balloon from the Great Lawn after the services. Others had memories of the former Oerwood Nature Center or playing with the Oerman children many years ago.
Last but not least I’d like to thank those who helped spread the word about this great community event. There are far to many to name individually but would include the Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ community, The York Dispatch, York Daily Record/Sunday News, Flipside, York Town Square blog, and even Central PA magazine who had a photographer on hand for the event (see the photo below). Look for that article in their September issue.
Photograph courtesy of Marg Gotwald
This event was a great learning experience for me, not only for future events, but also for the Preserving York blog. While my writing is generally targeted towards the online community, I completely miss those who do not have computers or internet access. What can I do to add them to the Preserving York experience and tap into their knowledge of York County history? A newsletter would be ideal, but since this forum is merely a name and nothing else, there are limitations such as a way to fund such an endeavor.
Something else I need to think about is naturally: the Second Annual Preserving York Fundraising Picnic. I’m a glutton for punishment and typically do many more things than a normal person should do alone. I’ve already been approached by several individuals and organizations who would like to work me on other projects, so this has definitely opened up some new opportunities for me to explore.
I invite you to view the video below, filmed and created by York Daily Record photographer Paul Kuehnel. This is really the best overview of the day’s events, and gives you a great look at the beautiful Historic Shady Lane.
NOTES:
- As always, please be sure to visit the Preserving York group on Facebook. There have been many photographs added from the fundraiser that you don;t want to miss.
