Candor Historical Society receives Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation grant; Center now open for visitors

Candor Historical Society receives Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation grant; Center now open for visitorsCandor’s History Center is once again open for visitors on Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon, or by appointment. Masks are a must, and hand sanitizers will be available. Contact person is Georgia Westgate (659-7769). Photo credit: Carol A. Henry.

Despite the stay-at-home and social distancing caused by COVID-19, the Candor Historical Society has been busy behind the scenes over the last few months. With a renovation project at the History Center still underway, the Board has been busy with several fundraising opportunities, as well as having applied for and successfully obtained a grant from the Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation (MFTF).

Thankful to have received an initial grant of $9,400, the Foundation also awarded them a discretionary grant of $1,000. This grant will be assigned to Phase 2, of the renovation project, which will be to restore the front porch entrance that was partially damaged during last year’s microburst, and make it handicap accessible.

People have been enquiring as to when the History Center will be open for business again. Although the Board hasn’t met in months, and the history center has been closed, the board held a meeting at Moyer Park on Aug. 10 to tackle these issues. As there was no annual meeting this year, it was determined to wait to set the annual meeting until a later date. In the meantime, the current 2019/2020 officers and board members will remain the same. 

So, the good news, other than obtaining the MFTF Grant, is that the History Center is once again open for visitors on Mondays, from 9 a.m. until noon or by appointment. Masks are a must, and hand sanitizers will be available. Contact person is Georgia Westgate by calling (607) 659-7769. 

Candor Historical Society receives Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation grant; Center now open for visitors

Candor’s Home Central, located on Rt. 96, is now a drop-off location for Candor Historical Society’s Can and Bottle Drive, an on-going fundraiser project to benefit the renovation projects at the History Center. Special thanks to Wes, one of their employees, for building the bin and to Roger Westgate, who made a sign so it is easily identifiable. Cans and bottles can also be dropped off at the Neighborhood Redemption Center on 5th Avenue in Owego – specify that they are for the Candor Historical Society. Photo credit: Carol A. Henry.

A list of some of the collections available to search include CCS Alumni Newsletters, community annual events, Barns of Upstate NY, books and booklets about Candor’s history, books of other neighboring communities’ histories, Candor Bicentennial 1811-2011, CCS Annuals, cemetery records from local cemeteries, family files and genealogies on many local families, businesses and community organizations through the years, newspaper articles, maps of Candor from various years, Candor Schools, and a large variety of past and present photos.

Because the Historical Society was unable to participate in Candor’s Flea Fix this year, and the Candor Fall Festival of Events has also been canceled (including Phil Jordan’s Cemetery Walk), the Society has organized a yard sale at their Catatonk location (the old Catatonk Community Hall) on Route 96 on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Set up will be on Friday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and items can be dropped off either Thursday, Sept. 10 or Friday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

Sales will be on a donation basis, with the exception of some of the more valuable items, which will be priced. Volunteers are needed to help with the yard sale. If interested, contact Milt Dougherty at (607) 659-7357 or (607) 972-7424. If the two drop-off dates don’t work for you, or you need items picked up to donate towards their yard sale, please contact Patti Reichert at 760-7551 to make arrangements. Note: No clothing donations please.

The Historical Society has several other ongoing fundraisers in the works. One such fundraiser to assist with the renovation project at the History Center is their Can and Bottle Drive with the Neighborhood Redemption Center on 5th Avenue in Owego. 

Candor’s Home Central location on Route 96 has enthusiastically allowed the Historical Society to use their site as a drop-off location, and Wes, one of their employees, has built a drop-off receptacle for those who live locally and can’t make it to Owego. 

Roger Westgate made a sign so it is easily identifiable. 

If dropping off at the Neighborhood Redemption Center, be sure to mention that they are for the Candor Historical Society. Be sure to place your cans and bottles in a plastic bag for easy distribution at both locations. 

A new fundraiser for the Historical Society is through Amazon Smile. Shoppers can go to smile.amazon.com and choose the Candor Historical Society as your recipient. By placing a link to Amazon Smile on your computer, you can use this Amazon Smile account when ordering from Amazon, and the Historical Society will receive 0.5% of the cost of eligible purchases.  

For those wishing to simply contribute to the Candor Historical Society, whether for their renovation project or general operational funds, you can either send a check, or visit their website, https://candorhistoricalsociety.weebly.com/, and choose PayPal. By choosing the PayPal Giving Fund, 100% of your donation goes to the Historical Society. You will find links to both Amazon Smile and PayPal Giving on the Historical Society website. 

The Society is still looking for people to contribute to Volume II of “I Remember When – growing up or living in Candor; send you ‘remembrances’ to Historian Carol Henry by email to carolhenry@frontiernet.net; or by mail to 90 Dry Brook Rd., Willseyville, N.Y. 13864.

The Society specifically wants to thank everyone for their contributions, whether volunteering their services, donating toward their programs, and especially for the continued interest and support in Candor’s history.  

For more information on these and other projects / events offered by the Candor Historical Society, visit their website at https://candorhistoricalsociety.weebly.com/. 

Be the first to comment on "Candor Historical Society receives Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation grant; Center now open for visitors"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*