CORRECTION: After incorrect information was submitted in a press release, the Star-Review mistakenly reported in its July 8 edition that the Skä-noñh: Great Law of Peace Center and Sainte Marie Mission Site at 6680 Onondaga Lake Parkway in Liverpool had reopened on July 1. In fact, the Skä-noñh Center is housed in an Onondaga County building and is awaiting county approvals before reopening to the public. The center plans to reopen July 15.

By Russ Tarby

Contributing Writer

Skä-noñh, the Great Law of Peace Center and Sainte Marie Mission Site at 6680 Onondaga Lake Parkway in Liverpool, plans to return to its regular operating hours July 15.

Since 2013, the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) has been managing the facility formerly known as Sainte Marie among the Iroquois on the eastern shore of Onondaga Lake. Two years later, the site owned by Onondaga County was transformed into a Haudenosaunee Heritage museum called Skä•noñh, an Iroquois greeting meaning “peace and wellness.”

The Peace Center’s hours are Wednesday to Friday 10 to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 to 4 p.m. Admission cost $5 for adults, $4 for those ages 9 to 17, and $4 for seniors. For information, visit skanonhcenter.org or call 315-453-6767.

“OHA has closely followed state guidelines and has spent the past month preparing for Phase 4,” said Executive Director Gregg Tripoli, a Liverpool native. “Our museums, cultural sites, research centers and gift shops have gone through an extensive cleaning process to ensure the safety of our visitors. Hand-sanitizing stations, signage, plexiglass shields at points of sale and staff vigilance about social distancing are in place to help visitors feel comfortable as they return to these spaces. We look forward to welcoming the community back to OHA.”

The OHA comprehensive history museum at 321 Montgomery St. in downtown Syracuse reopened July 1.

Village historian

For the first time in three months, Liverpool Village Historian Dorianne Elitharp Gutierrez returned to her office at the Gleason Mansion on July 2.

Her regular hours are every Thursday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. and the second and fourth Saturdays each month from noon to 4 p.m.

Face masks for staff and visitors are required, she said, and visitors must provide name and address in case contact is needed. Social distancing should be observed.

“Visitors will be limited to five at a time,” Gutierrez said. “And I’ll be wiping down all the door handles and display cases with disinfectant.”

As to artifacts, she said, “I may have to make them ‘do not touch,’ but I hate that.”

The historian’s office and museum are located at 314 Second St. Contact Gutierrez at 315-451-7091 or [email protected].

L’pool Willow Museum

This summer the Liverpool Willow Museum and adjacent Steamer Building will be open by appointment only. This will allow the facilities to follow the state’s pandemic guidelines.

The Willow Museum, which preserves the village’s basket-weaving heritage, is normally open every Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. from mid-June through August.

To make an appointment, call Russ Tarby, who is the president of the Historical Association of Greater Liverpool, which operates the museum. The telephone number is 315-409-8426, or email [email protected].

Salt Museum still dark

The Salt Museum at Onondaga Lake Park, which celebrates the area’s salt-boiling industry, remains closed along with all buildings operated by the county.     

At onondagacountyparks.com/about/coronavirus/, the Salt Museum is absent from the Open or Opening Soon lists. The Closed Until Further Notice list confirms “All County Park buildings are Closed.”

Clay Fall Fest canceled

The annual Clay Historical Association Fall Festival originally scheduled for Sept. 19 has been canceled.

“We are saddened to report that we will not be holding our annual Fall Festival this year in September,” said CHA spokeswoman Cindy Redhead. “With all the guidelines to follow this year, it would be impossible to stage the festival.”  

Had it been presented this year, it would have been the festival’s 20th anniversary.

“We were so excited to celebrate this milestone with the community,” Redhead said. “We will now focus on next year’s festival, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.”

For CHA info, call 315-708-9997, visit sites.google.com/site/clayhistoricalassociation or like CHA on Facebook.