CAZENOVIA — The Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF) recently announced its upcoming fall community events.
CPF is a private, non-profit organization that works to protect the historical, agricultural and natural resources in and around Cazenovia for the benefit of the community and the enjoyment of future generations.
Walk Among the Spirits
On Oct. 14-16, the organization will bring back its annual “Walk Among the Spirits” living history tours after a hiatus last year due to COVID-19.
Guests will be guided by lantern light through the headstones of the historic Evergreen Cemetery, where they will encounter a number of “spirits” who will share their life stories and knowledge of Cazenovia’s past.
“Those who have attended in previous years will see many veteran Walk Among the Spirits actors taking on new roles this year, including Jim Tobey and Cindy Bell Tobey, Pat Carmeli, John Melvin, and Matt Dydo,” said CPF Executive Director Jen Wong. “Joining us for the first time this year will be a father-son team, Levi and Charlie Spires (grade 5) . . . This year, we will portray some of Cazenovia’s most well-known former citizens.”
According to Wong, Tobey will play Robert J. Hubbard (1830-1904), a successful businessman and community benefactor responsible for advancing the Cazenovia Public Library, while Bell Tobey will portray Mary Burr Gibson (1855-1951).
“Incidentally, [Cindy] played Mary’s sister, Katherine Ten Eyck Burr Ledyard, in the 2019 Walk Among the Spirits event,” said Wong. “In addition, we will consider some of the lesser known former residents of our community, as we spotlight the potter’s field this year and explore the range of stories of those buried there.”
The tours will begin every 10 minutes starting at 7 p.m. with the last tour departing at approximately 8 p.m. A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 17.
Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on the three nights of the event. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students/seniors (max $30/family). Cash or check preferred; cards accepted.
Community Photography Contest
CPF’s first annual community photography contest, “Capturing the Best of Cazenovia,” is ongoing. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 15.
Creative photographers of all ages and experience levels are encouraged to submit photos that reflect the unique sights and charm of Cazenovia and highlight CPF’s mission.
Participants are invited to enter up to five of their favorite photographs of CPF properties, nature, scenic vistas, historic architecture, farm landscapes, local events, aerial scenes, or drone images.
All images should be taken within the Cazenovia Central School District.
A panel of local experts, consisting of current and former CPF board members/volunteers with professional backgrounds in photography, will judge the submissions.
The judges — Anne Saltman, Brooke Dauenhauer, Sarah Cross, Jack Stevens, and Wong — will select three photos in each of the following categories: professionals, adult amateurs, high school/college students, and youths (grade 8 or below). The public will then have an opportunity to vote on the finalists.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the winner in each category. The professional and adult amateur winners will receive $250, the high school/college student will receive $100, and the youth will receive $50.
Winning photographs will be featured on the CPF website and social media pages.
A $20 entry fee is charged for professional and adult amateur entries. High school/college students and youth submissions are accepted free of charge.
Fall fundraiser
On Oct. 24, CPF will host its fall fundraiser, “A Scenic Sunday.”
The event will begin at 4 p.m. with a driving tour showcasing several CPF properties located between New Woodstock and Cazenovia.
“Some of those properties are owned outright by CPF, [while] others are privately owned and CPF holds conservation easements to protect certain characteristics of the property in perpetuity,” said Wong. “The tour is designed to highlight the range of conservation goals of the properties in CPF’s conservation portfolio: open space and habitat preservation, agricultural lands preservation and historic preservation.”
During the tour, participants will have the opportunity to mingle over light refreshments and talk with the owners of two conservation properties, Sky Hill Farm in New Woodstock and Hillcrest House at the Jephson Estate.
“We’re so grateful to Stephen and Suzanne Evans of Sky Hill Farm and Linda and Brian Osborne of Hillcrest House for being willing to be host sites for this fall tour,” said Wong. “ . . . While the conservation easement on Hillcrest House pertains to the building’s outer facade and the overall layout of the property, Hillcrest House will be open for tours to view the impeccably preserved interior of the house as well. Tour attendees visiting Sky Hill Farm, formerly known as Rose Farm, will learn more about Suzanne’s dance studio in one of the barns on the property, and hear about some of the dance companies that used that space for workshops over the summer, and will also learn about the extensive tree-planting work that Stephen Evans has undertaken since purchasing the property in 2015.”
Participants will be provided with full-color booklets describing the unique features of each conservation property along the route, as well as the conservation history and the specific conservation values being protected at each location.
At 5 p.m., guests will head to the Windridge Estate Redbarn 20 (2555 Route 20) in Cazenovia for a signature cocktail/mocktail and a farm-to-table Sunday supper. Greeted with jazz music by Nik Lite (a scaled down version of Nik and the Nice Guys), attendees will have the opportunity to view and vote on the finalists of the community photography contest, purchase a $20 “wine pull,” and bid on a weeklong stay at an Adirondacks vacation property.
All supper attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (within 48 hours), and to wear a mask indoors when not dining.
To purchase tickets and learn more about the event, visit cazpreservation.org/fall-2021-fundraiser/.
