Paul Szmal: And welcome back to FLX Morning. It is 816 and we're joined by Keri Lippincott from Historic Geneva. Keri, good morning. How are you this morning?
Kerry Lippincott: Oh, how are you? Doing well, doing very well, and you are quite, quite busy with a lot going on, including the History Happy Hour that is coming up on February the 20th.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, so you can join our curator, John Marks, at Lake Drum as he's going to share a caption slideshow featuring images about Geneva's neighborhood stores. So there were a variety of food stores located throughout Geneva with the highest concentration in downtown. In fact, by, gosh, 1949, there are almost 50 food businesses in the city alone. And then in the neighborhoods, there's at least small grocery stores. First floor was the store. Second floor could be the home or maybe the house of the owner was in the back. But today we're pretty much we're down to Wegmans and Walmart. So John's going to share some images. And we're also hoping that folks will share some of their memories about the neighborhood stores. So that's going to be at Lake Drum Brewing on February 20th from 430 to 630. He does it on a continuous loop so you can come and go as you please. And if for some reason you can't make it, he eventually turns those into videos, which we put on our on our website.
Kerry Lippincott: And that begs the question, Carrie, that if people maybe had some images of some of these old stores, things of that nature, you're always on the lookout for that kind of historical documentation to help share and tell these stories.
Paul Szmal: Oh, my goodness. Yeah. So there's there's two things you can do. You can actually donate the images to us. Or if you still would like to hang on to the image, you can contact our archivist, Becky Chapin. She'd be happy to scan the image and then return it to you. So there are two options. But we're always looking for images, artifacts, anything connected to Geneva.
Kerry Lippincott: We're talking with Kerry Lippikoff from Historic Geneva here this morning on FLX Morning. Not only are you always on the lookout for stuff to be able to add to presentations like the one that John's going to do on February 20th at Lake Drum, but you're also looking to hire somebody for a position right now.
Paul Szmal: Yes, we are looking for a business manager to help run the day to day management of Historic Geneva's office. So things like payroll, doing our banking, coordinating bulk mail, maintaining our donor database, serving as a reception at the Geneva History Museum. So if anybody is interested, you enjoy history, like working with the public. We have a full job description on our website, HistoricGeneva.org. Go to the About Us and you'll see the full job description and how you can apply.
Kerry Lippincott: And you're getting ready for some pretty cool trips that are coming up. There are three excursions that are planned for 2025. So let's take them one by one, starting with the first one, which is a trip to the Buffalo History Museum on April the 23rd. Tell me a little bit about that trip.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, sure. So we're going on April 23rd. So we've got two stops planned for the Buffalo trip. I think this is maybe the third year we've headed to Buffalo. So we've got the Buffalo History Museum and the Birchfield Penny Art Center. And we're going to get guided tours of both of those museums and then time to explore on your own. And then we'll have lunch at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery. So the cost per person is $1.79. We pick up at the Geneva Park and Ride and also the and the Canandaigua Park and Ride. So we usually leave about maybe 7.30, 8 o'clock in the morning and we'll be back by 6, 6.30 that evening.
Kerry Lippincott: That's a nice way to spend a day out there in Buffalo.
Paul Szmal: Oh my goodness, yes. I had no idea. There is so much to see and do. As I said, this is our third trip and we do something different each time. So Buffalo, I think, is a happening place. And the next trip is a place that is near and dear to my heart because I've visited there several times. It's one of my favorite places to to go and get a quick getaway and one that not everybody knows about in the Niagara Falls area, which is a little village on the Canadian side called Niagara on the Lake.
Kerry Lippincott: Yeah, so this is going to be an overnight stay for us. So that's May 20th through the 22nd. So we're going to spend the night at the Pillar and Post Inn and then we're going to attend a performance of Anything Goes at the Shaw Festival. And we'll also have a guided tour of Niagara on the Lake and Fort George. So the cost per person, we've got $5.49 for a double occupancy, $6.99 for a single and $5.29 for a triple. It's been several years since I've been to Niagara on the Lake, so I'm really looking forward to this trip.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, that is one that I always enjoy. And then there's a third trip. This is actually a three-day excursion that'll be happening in August. Where's that trip going?
Kerry Lippincott: So this is to the historic Hudson Valley, August 26th through the 28th. And we're going to see a lot of historic sites, so including West Point Military Academy. We'll see Franklin Roosevelt's library and home. Also Eleanor Roosevelt's home, Belkill. And then there are some artist homes that we'll see. Thomas Cole's home and Olana, which belong to Frederick Church. And we're hoping to have dinner at the Culinary Institute. And prices for that, we've got $8.69 for a double, $8.49 for a triple and $9.89 for a single. And I do have to say, and I didn't realize this, because we are going to West Point, you do have to bring some sort of photo ID with you. The same thing with Niagara-on-the-Lake, too, because we'll be crossing the border.
Paul Szmal: That's true, that's true. Now, if people are interested in taking these trips, I know there's a minimum number required for these trips to happen, but how can you make your reservations?
Kerry Lippincott: It's very simple. We can, we work with Bus Group America. People can contact me. I'm happy to give them their number. Or you can go right to our website, and we actually have fillable forms that they can fill out and send directly to Bus Group America. So you can either call us, 315-789-5155, or visit our website. And that website is historicgeneva.org, which is a tremendous resource. There's actually a lot of stuff on that website, Keri.
Paul Szmal: Yes, I just, I like to remind people that the website is open 24-7, and we've got a variety of things. In addition to our calendar of events, it's rich in content. So we've got a lot of short videos, weekly blog articles, past programs, past exhibits. So if you're interested in knowing about Geneva, I think you've got to visit our website.
Kerry Lippincott: And that circles us back around to the historic happy hour that is coming up on February the 20th, again, at the Lake Durham Brewing Facility from 4.30 until 6.30, because now somebody like me, or people that maybe have recently grown up here in Geneva, they only know, as you mentioned, they only know that the two main grocery stores in town would be Wegmans and Walmart. But if you were to wind the clock back 50 years, you'd find a dramatically different Geneva than you do now.
Paul Szmal: Oh my, yes, yes, you would. I can't, it would be, it would be nice to have sort of like a corner store or wherever, wherever you would go. But it's hard. People often ask, well, where did all these stores go? And change is gradual and also complicated. But I think not any one factor led to their closure. I mean, lower prices, larger selection. And you also, the automobile, more people had had cars, so they were able to travel more. But it's still part of Geneva's story. And I'm hoping folks will bring photos and memories to share at the history happy hour.
Kerry Lippincott: Nathan, it's kind of an interesting question to me, is how long it takes to actually compile one of these presentations? I know John spends a lot of time on these, but I mean, is this something that is constantly in a state of being refined and added to? Or is there a process that takes a certain amount of time to come up with a lot of the historical documentation, the pictures, maybe film clips from back in the day?
Paul Szmal: Yeah, I think John's process is he comes up with the theme for the for the year. So he's got the history happy hours planned out for 2025. And then you've got to sit back and think of what what images we have. Some are already digitized, some have to be scanned. I know he's done World War Two, two or three times. So we are gaining new information, too. So I think it's one where it's it's a work in progress. It's a work in progress, constantly adding, changing and tweaking. But you start with the theme first and then go from there.
Kerry Lippincott: And I imagine he might be adding stuff right up to February the 20th, too.
Paul Szmal: It's additional information. Yes. And hopefully after hopefully folks again will bring some images. So so I'll have to do a part two of neighborhood stores. And am I correct in saying that this is free to attend and check out?
Kerry Lippincott: It is. It is. The history happy hours are free to attend. And again, he does it on a continuous loop. So you can come and go or you can stay as long as you'd like.
Paul Szmal: Right. And then don't forget, too, that afterwards that'll be converted into slideshows and videos that will be available on the website, which is historic Geneva dot org. All right, Kerry, thanks so much for joining us this morning and filling us in. Much appreciated.
Kerry Lippincott: Thank you so much. Thank you.
