Gilbertsville gem hosts annual Bazaar
GILBERTSVILLE — Sure, the Christmas holiday is still seven weeks out, and there's still Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah to get through, but is it ever too early to start thinking about the mother of all holidays?
Even if you replied “yes,” chances are you'd think twice if conjuring up Christmas cheer and crossing a few names off your shopping list were to the benefit of a good cause this early.
Enter the Major's Inn. Since 1983, organizers at the historic site have held its annual Christmas Bazaar with one goal: Raising funds to preserve the landmark for future generations.
“This entire event is a volunteer effort,” said Executive Director of The Major's Inn Foundation, Cece Rowe. “The Bazaar is just one continued effort to raise funding for upkeep and restoration of the beloved and irreplaceable structure.”
A huge assortment of novelties and gifts are offered at the event held both today and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event will likewise offer lunch service held in the facility’s dining room.
Now nurtured back into its prime though the dedication and determination of Rowe and her board of volunteer committee members, the 52-room Major's Inn was at one point a mere crumbling pile of stones – neglected from necessary upkeep and basic repairs.
The tudor-style mansion was built for and once home to the village’s namesake, Maj. James L. Gilbert.
By the summer of 1978, the building had succumbed to being nothing more than a desolate eyesore in the community, riddled with graffiti and windows clad in plywood.
In 1980, with the interest reviving the landmark as a catalyst, unanimous public support of a not-for-profit to oversee plans to transform the Inn to its original grandeur were proposed and later made legal and binding that year.
Beginning with no capital reserves or endowment to fund the operation, the elected 15-member board organized a series of fundraisers, such as the annual Christmas Bazaar, to build a trust and sustain the Major's Inn.
According to Rowe, 100 percent of all proceeds go directly into the building via The Major's Inn Foundation. Rowe also noted that there are no paid staff that keep the operation going, all staffers are volunteers with a similar vision, the preservation of the rich history of Gilbertsvile and its iconic Inn.
“This is a beautiful, old building that many of us have dedicated our lives to assist in preserving,” Rowe said, who has served as director of the not-for-profit since 1987.
Along with a board of directors, Rowe and company maintain the property and coordinate both events located at the facility and the general day to day operations.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April of 1973, The Inn is often commissioned for breathtaking and picturesque wedding ceremonies and receptions throughout the summer months.
Even if you replied “yes,” chances are you'd think twice if conjuring up Christmas cheer and crossing a few names off your shopping list were to the benefit of a good cause this early.
Enter the Major's Inn. Since 1983, organizers at the historic site have held its annual Christmas Bazaar with one goal: Raising funds to preserve the landmark for future generations.
“This entire event is a volunteer effort,” said Executive Director of The Major's Inn Foundation, Cece Rowe. “The Bazaar is just one continued effort to raise funding for upkeep and restoration of the beloved and irreplaceable structure.”
A huge assortment of novelties and gifts are offered at the event held both today and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event will likewise offer lunch service held in the facility’s dining room.
Now nurtured back into its prime though the dedication and determination of Rowe and her board of volunteer committee members, the 52-room Major's Inn was at one point a mere crumbling pile of stones – neglected from necessary upkeep and basic repairs.
The tudor-style mansion was built for and once home to the village’s namesake, Maj. James L. Gilbert.
By the summer of 1978, the building had succumbed to being nothing more than a desolate eyesore in the community, riddled with graffiti and windows clad in plywood.
In 1980, with the interest reviving the landmark as a catalyst, unanimous public support of a not-for-profit to oversee plans to transform the Inn to its original grandeur were proposed and later made legal and binding that year.
Beginning with no capital reserves or endowment to fund the operation, the elected 15-member board organized a series of fundraisers, such as the annual Christmas Bazaar, to build a trust and sustain the Major's Inn.
According to Rowe, 100 percent of all proceeds go directly into the building via The Major's Inn Foundation. Rowe also noted that there are no paid staff that keep the operation going, all staffers are volunteers with a similar vision, the preservation of the rich history of Gilbertsvile and its iconic Inn.
“This is a beautiful, old building that many of us have dedicated our lives to assist in preserving,” Rowe said, who has served as director of the not-for-profit since 1987.
Along with a board of directors, Rowe and company maintain the property and coordinate both events located at the facility and the general day to day operations.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April of 1973, The Inn is often commissioned for breathtaking and picturesque wedding ceremonies and receptions throughout the summer months.
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