Plans for a county-wide celebration of Orleans County history and heritage are progressing for the first annual Orleans County Heritage Festival September 9 through 11.
Over the course of the weekend, participants can grab a free “heritage passport” at any participating organization and visit a minimum of six historic sites. The passport can then be redeemed for an attractive collectable pin with their names entered in a drawing for some great prizes.
Meant to shine a spotlight on the fantastic historic assets of Orleans County, visitors to the heritage festival will have many choices available to them. Encompassing four main themes: Agriculture, Transportation, Historic Cemeteries and Historic gems, visitors might visit a family farm, walk along the Eric Canal, go on a ghost walk or visit the historic district of Medina or Albion.
In addition, Genesee Community College will participate in the Heritage festival with its own contributions located at GCC’s two Orleans County campuses.
The Medina Campus Center invites visitors to “Epochs in Orleans” – a timeline festival on Saturday, September 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring reenactors and impressionists from all eras of history. There will be artisan demonstrations, antique autos, Civil War firing demonstrations and much more.
Meanwhile, GCC’s Albion Campus Center will focus on “Death, Mourning and Justice in Orleans County History” also on Saturday, September 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring a recreated Victorian wake in the family parlor.
Two public lectures will accompany the exhibit. The first of these will focus on famous crimes and murders with Orleans County District Attorney Joseph Cardone at 10 a.m. Retired Orleans County historian Bill Lattin will give a talk on Victorian hair jewelry at 12 p.m.
The overall event is free and open to the public, however contributions to GCC’s Veteran’s Scholarship Fund will be encouraged.
For more information, visit https://wordpress.com/stats/day/orleansnyheritage.wordpress.com or contact Derek Maxfield, GCC associate professor of history at ddmaxfield@genesee.edu or Jim Simon, GCC associate dean of the Orleans County Campus Centers, at jsimon@genesee.edu
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