Cobblestone Museum holds annual membership dinner, fundraising auction

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Doug Farley, director of the Cobblestone Society and Museum, welcomes the 110 guests who attended the annual dinner and auction Wednesday night at Carlton Fire Compnay Recreation Hall. (Right) Marty Taber shows the crowd a cast iron doll’s bed which was being auctioned off during the Cobblestone’s live auction. Twenty-four unique items were donated for the live auction, in addition to 35 items for the silent auction.

CARLTON – The Cobblestone Society’s Membership Dinner, which took place Wednesday night at Carlton Fire Company’s Recreation Hall, is one of their two major fundraisers for the year, the other being the Preservation Awards banquet in the fall.

Cobblestone director Doug Farley welcomed guests and introduced retired Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower, who annually offers his talents as an auctioneer to lead the live auction.

“Randy is a talented auctioneer, and even bids on items himself,” Farley said.

Wednesday was the sixth annual membership dinner to benefit the Cobblestone Society.  The evening included appetizers and a cash bar, dinner catered by Zambistro in Medina, an early bird drawing, lottery tree drawing, split club drawing, live auction, silent auction and basket raffle.

Doreen Wilson sells tickets on a lottery tree to Mike Elam of Kenyonville at the Cobblestone Society’s annual dinner Wednesday at Carlton Recreation Hall. The event is one of the Cobblestone’s biggest fundraisers of the year.

The Membership Dinner Committee consisted of chair Gail Johnson, co-chair Chris Capurso, Larry Albanese, Jean Benson, Iris Capurso, Grace Denniston, Krys Elam, Doug Farley, Sylvia Goodstine, Ruth Mathes, Shirley Bright-Neeper, Brenda Radzinski, Marty Taber, Maarit Vaga, Camilla VanderLinden, Hailey Nevaeh Walker and Doreen Wilson.

Members of the Cobblestone Society come from Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Niagara and Monroe counties.

Farley also reminded the crowd about the Progressive Organ Concert to benefit the Cobblestone Society, which is scheduled May 26. The concert begins with wine and cheese at the Pullman Universalist Church, then progresses across the street to the First Presbyterian Church, and from there to the Cobblestone Universalist Church on Ridge Road.

Following the last concert at the Cobblestone Church, attendees will move across the corner to the Tavern on the Ridge, formerly the Village Inn, for what Farley called “a delicious dinner.”

Randy Bower, retired Orleans County sheriff, buys his tickets on the lottery tree from volunteer Camilla VanderLinden of Rochester. Bower volunteers as auctioneer for the fundraiser’s live auction.