The Livingston County Historical Society Museum’s Family Fun Day was a site for celebrations on Saturday Oct. 4, emphasizing the importance of local history and the strength of community ties. The arrival of the 1873 Downing Concord Coach was the focal point of Family Fun Day. The event proudly displayed the Concord Coach as well as another carriage from Avon, New York as a celebration of the Concord Coach’s complete conservation and re-addition to the museum. The coaches acted as visual examples in explanations to interested guests about the differences between conservation and restoration.
According to museum administrator Anna Kowalchuk, this celebration recognized the $50,000 conservation work of the prized artifact by conservator Brian Howard of B.R. Howard & Associates, Inc.
Kowalchuk said that this event was not only a celebration, but also a “thank you” to the Geneseo community for its support of the museum. Visitors had a chance to get up-close and personal with the Concord Coach. Families were allowed to view the coach and were offered the opportunity to take a picture with it in historical clothing for a small fee.
Strong community bonds were apparent at the event through residents and students alike. Tables had been arranged by volunteers near the main tent for engaging activities including corn husk doll-making, quill pen-writing, a three-legged race, a sack race, a table for playing with a variety of classic toys and more.
The Genesee Valley Mountain Dulcimer Club played live music in the coach tent. The Museum also worked with Geneseo to advertise the event with posters and to bring the Chowhound food truck to Family Fun Day.
The event included guest speakers New York Sen. Catharine Young, New York State Assemblyman Bill Nojay and the father of New York Sen. Patrick Gallivan for the Homecoming Celebration Ceremony in the main tent.
“We were so glad that our elected officials were on site,” Kowalchuk said.
Kowalchuk hopes that the museum can host another event like Family Fun Day in the future. The Concord Coach will be shown normally toward the back of the museum and plans are being put together to find a better environment for it later on.
The Livingston County Museum is open May-Oct. on Thursdays and Sundays from 2-5 p.m. Many of the museum volunteers act as docents or tour guides, lending their time to show their support. The museum can be found by turning east on Main Street onto Center Street past the Wadsworth Library.