Since 1976, the Manlius Historical Society has documented history happening in within the town of Manlius and villages of Fayetteville, Manlius and Minoa.

This summer, the MHS is trying out something new – a “Taste of Manlius” event – to help promote awareness about its services and to help raise money for renovations to the building, which are estimated to cost about $30,000, said Executive Director Laura Pierie.

“Our goal is to help people realize that history is happening – it’s not just in the past, it’s happening right now,” Pierie said. “Right now, you’re doing something that could be important. We want people to start thinking outside the box about history.”

The Taste of Manlius will be the first push to raise funds for the renovations to the museum building, which Pierie said she hopes to begin as soon as possible. The first phase of the project would include re-grading the basement, she said. Water has been seeping into the basement, causing decay within the walls and making the basement unusable as a storage space.

“Water is drawing towards the building rather than away from it, so after a while, the water starts to erode the building,” she said.

The proposed second and third phases of the renovation plan would include removing the stairs to the museum, which are beginning to accumulate mold, and completely re-facing the entryway to make it wheelchair accessible, as well as improving the lighting within the building.

Breaking the stereotypes

Although the MHS is responsible for keeping historical records of events throughout the town – it has documents, yearbooks and artifacts, some of which date back to the 1800s – Pierie said that the historical society is as much about outreach and education as it is about documentation.

“I don’t want people to think that just store things,” she said. “We partner with the Manlius Library for outreach projects, I go into the schools with artifacts from the museum and do presentations – our goal is to help people realize that we’re not just these two little yellow buildings on a corner.”

Right now, the MHS is directing a project, along with the Manlius Library, called “Let Your Memories Speak,” in which members are digitally archiving residents’ memories. A couple months ago, they gathered and recorded World War II veterans at a roundtable discussion about their experiences in the war. Pierie said they’re putting the recording on the MHS website as an educational tool for teachers who may be teaching about the war to show in class.

“Students can actually hear a testimony from a soldier or a pilot who was in World War II,” she said. “We’re going to do more discussions, starting with Korea, and then Vietnam and the Iraq War.”

Taste of Manlius

The first annual Taste of Manlius will be held from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 22 at the MHS, 109 Pleasant Street, Manlius. Tickets cost $40 each and there will be more than 20 local restaurants at the event, including; Café 119, Ironwood, Hullars, the Linklaen House, Stingers, Bella Cigna, Great Northern Pizza and more.

Pierie said the event calls for “business attire” and that guests can expect a very formal setting, similar to wedding. There will be a dance floor and live entertainment all night from Manlius-area performers, including singer/songwriter Melanie Dewey, musical artist Jason Jeffers and DJs Kent Jeffery and Tom Hazelmeyer.

Additionally, the MHS has designed three different charms, one for each village, which will be available for purchase at the event. Pierie said they’re also inviting anyone who is interested to purchase a “preservation paver,” which can be engraved with a friend, teacher, resident, school team, organization or family member’s name and will be placed in a professionally-designed and landscaped walkway at the museum’s entrance.

And finally, there will be opportunities to sign up to become a member of the organization to help preserve Manlius history. Each person who signs up will receive a free “memory keeper” pin, Pierie said.

The MHS would prefer that all tickets be bought in advance for the event, but tickets will also be available at the door. For more information about the Taste of Manlius or to buy a ticket, visit atasteofmanlius.eventbee.com.