EVENTS CALENDAR
A primary mission of the society is to preserve our local history and share it with the public through educational programs and exhibits. We have collaborated with local organizations to observe significant anniversaries, for example, in 2012 the 50th Anniversary of the A&A Steam Engine Excursions and in 2013 the 75th Anniversary of the Hendershott-Manness V.F.W. Post. Over the years, a number of annual events have been developed which fill the calendar. We invite you to check back regularly to see when special exhibits have been added.
2019
OCTOBER
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EXHIBIT: Meet the Gibbys, a Family's History in Arcade. The Queen Anne style house was built in 1902-'03, John Gibby owned numerous cheese factories in the region, and Vernon and his wife Marjorie (Witherel) were prominent members of the community. Their home and its contents were donated to the historical society. Come discover all you wanted to know about the Gibbys, their home and significant events in the town's history during their lifetimes. The exhibit is open Thursdays and Fridays through October 24th.
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October 10th, FOURTH GRADE CEMETERY WALK - An after school tour of Arcade Rural Cemetery for 4th graders where the children learn about cemetery etiquette and discover graves of veterans, lawyers, journalists, suffragists and authors of local significance. We start at the Gibby House at 3:30 p.m. with a snack and cider, then walk with adult chaperones to the cemetery. Parents pick up their children at the Arcade Elementary School parking lot at 5:30pm. Permission slips are distributed at Arcade Elementary School. The rain date is the same time on October 11th.
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October 17th, ANNUAL SOCIETY MEMBERS' DINNER - This annual event will be at the Arcade V.F.W. Post this year with popular speaker Greg Kinal giving a presentation on Benjamin Franklin. Members look for your invitation and RSVP form in the mail during September! $22 per person, RSVPs due by October 3rd.
NOVEMBER
HOLIDAY DECORATING - we spend the month of November decorating the Gibby House for the holidays. The theme this year is Toyland and the exhibit is sponsored by Creekside Fabrics & Quilts! Volunteers interested in helping should telephone (585-492-4466) or email the office to see when is the best time to come help. office@arcadehistoricalsociety.org. Generally it is on Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 5 p.m.
The 3rd and 4th graders from Arcade Elementary also come to decorate two 8 ft. trees at the Gibby House with ornaments they make in their art class with Mrs. Pytlak.
DECEMBER
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TOYLAND HOLIDAY EXHIBIT - come see our Queen Anne style home decorated for the holidays! This year's theme is Toyland and the exhibit is sponsored by Creekside Fabrics & Quilts, a downtown Arcade business.
ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS HOLIDAY TOUR - Teachers at Arcade Elementary sign up to bring their classrooms to see the holiday decorations, the exhibit and the 3rd & 4th grade decorated Christmas trees at the Gibby House. A very popular day at school, the Gibby House is closed to the public on these two days from 9am to 3pm in order to accommodate over 600 children. We are always looking for volunteers to help as guides for the young visitors. If you like kids and Christmas, this is the perfect volunteer opportunity for you!
Holiday Open House Special Hours - come see the Gibby House all decorated for the holidays as a "Toyland," and two of the three 8 ft. trees filled with ornaments made by the 3rd and 4th graders at Arcade Elementary. Kids can try to find all the items in our "Night Before Christmas" scavenger hunt too!
Events from earlier this Year |
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JANUARY
CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC for planning and research of future exhibits.
FEBRUARY
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PIONEER CENTRAL STUDENT ART SHOW - at the Gibby House. Every year, during the month of February, the Gibby House comes alive with colorful artwork created by students from grades K through 12 at Pioneer Central Schools. A special open house is held on the Saturday of Winterfest weekend and extended evening hours make it possible for family and friends to come see the talented artists' work.
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MAY
ARCADE AREA CHAMBER COMMUNITY SHOWCASE MAY 4 (9am-5pm) and MAY 5 (10am-3pm)-The Society always participates in this community event featuring items from our annual exhibit and a fun photo opportunity for selfies at our booth. The theme this year is Business in Action, so we have assembled a series of local businesses participating in parades with their floats dating from 1900 to 2007.
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WALKING WITH HEROES - Memorial Day Sunday, May 26, 2019 from 2-3:30pm. A self-guided walking tour of veterans’ graves at St. Peter & Paul Cemetery in Arcade. The American Legion and VFW will dedicate a veterans' monument at 1:45pm. Living veterans or family members stand by the graves of deceased veterans and tell their stories to visitors on this self-guided tour. We encourage family members/ancestors to join us as guides, sharing stories their veteran may have told of their service. All veterans’ stories will be added to the historical society's veteran archives. This event is an annual collaboration of the Arcade Historical Society, the Arcade American Legion and V.F.W. Posts and Auxiliary.
Please contact the historical society if you would like to participate as a guide or download the sign up form below and return it to the historical society by May 20th. |
The Arcade American Legion Post's namesake, Hugh Lynch, was exhumed from his battlefield grave in France and re-buried in St. Peter & Paul cemetery during the 1930s.
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| walking_with_heroes_guide_sign_up_form.pdf |
JUNE
ARCADE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM VISITS - This end-of-year school visit is our opportunity to show students our latest exhibit and give them a local history lesson. Please note, the Gibby House will be closed to the public on June 7, 11 and 14 due to these school visits.
AUGUST
PIKE FAIR EXHIBIT - The Wyoming County Federation of Historical Societies presents small exhibits, each society featuring the history of their area. Past exhibits presented by the Arcade Historical Society include baseball player Jim Konstanty, Lone Ranger writer Fran Striker, "From Path to Pavement," how Main Street has changed over the years, Civil War letters from the Welles family, the 50th Anniversary of the Pioneer Central School District, the 100th anniversary of NYS women's suffrage, and Arcade's Doughboys from World War One. This year, our exhibit is on the world-class welding equipment company founded in Arcade by Chuck Aronson.
SEPTEMBER
September 14: Fundraiser for Arcade Historical Society: Wine & Beer Tasting Train Ride on the A&A, all aboard 4:30pm, depart 5pm. On September 14th, come aboard the A&A Train in support of the Arcade Historical Society on their Wine & Beer Tasting train ride fundraiser. Enjoy a ride through the countryside as you sample tastes of local beers from Windy Brew or wines from Savage Winery. Purchase either a wine or a beer ticket and get a “goodie bag” as you board the train. It is filled with snacks to clear your palate between each of four tastings (either wine or beer) as you journey to Curriers Station. On the way back, you can enjoy a full glass of your favorite from the tastings.
Food will available for purchase at the mid-way Curriers Station stop while the engine moves from the front to the back of the train for the return trip. There will also be raffle tickets for sale for a 50-50 drawing or a chance to blow the train’s whistle. Door prizes will be drawn on the way back from Curriers Station.
TICKETS must be purchased by September 12th and are on sale at the Arcade & Attica website and depot ticket booth, Arcade Marketplace grocery store, Savage Winery and Windy Brew. The train departs at 5pm on Saturday, September 14th, so don’t miss out!
Patrons must be age 21 or older and no outside alcohol is to be brought aboard the train.
TICKETS must be purchased by September 12th and are on sale at the Arcade & Attica website and depot ticket booth, Arcade Marketplace grocery store, Savage Winery and Windy Brew. The train departs at 5pm on Saturday, September 14th, so don’t miss out!
Patrons must be age 21 or older and no outside alcohol is to be brought aboard the train.
Thursday, September 19, at 7pm, Vernon Gibby's Tour of the Gibby House - take a tour with the man who lived here for 80 years. Vernon Gibby died in 1983 but he made a tape recording in the late 70s about items in his home, going from room to room, describing furniture he built, toys he played with, artwork, etc. On this special tour you will hear excerpts of Vernon's tape recording, and get background information from Arcade Town and Village Historian, Jeff Mason. The tour is roughly 1-1/2 hour long. Come early and see the "Meet the Gibbys" exhibit before the tour. Free for members, $2 per person/$5 per family for non-members.
OCTOBER
October 3rd, MAIN STREET & MORE - 4-7:30pm. Run by the Chamber, and held on the first Thursday evening in October, the Society participates in this event using the exhibit currently in place that year. Visitors are asked to find the answer to a question in the exhibit before getting a sticker on their game card - part of their quest to win a prize in this business-hopping community event.
331 West Main Street, Arcade, New York 14009 | Mailing address: P.O. Box 236, Arcade, NY 14009
(585) 492-4466 | office@arcadehistoricalsociety.org
(585) 492-4466 | office@arcadehistoricalsociety.org