Thoughts on Community and Eaton's Day!

Memorial Day Monday is once again calling you to come to Eaton and help support the Old Town of Eaton Museum.  

Each year through pies and goodies the museum manages to bring the history of the area to the public and to preserve the artifacts that have been handed down over the past 220 years plus.  Some of our artifact gems date to 1797 and Eaton’s earliest settlers.

Until you get older you never realize how important a role the small town you were born in has played and how it shaped your life.  In actuality it is part of your family because in many cases your parent or grandparents may have come from the town as well.

In Eaton many of the founding families are still here, names that still fill classrooms, societies and eventually come home to rest in our local cemeteries.  History and our American root system are what hold us together as a people, and hold our tree of Democracy upright.

On Memorial Day we celebrate our many veteran’s who served with honor to protect that Democracy.  Eaton the Town and Hamlets were founded by soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War. Here in our cemeteries every war is represented a grim succession of graves.

Community Spirit has made us what we are so we the “Keepers of the Fire” for the community… known as the Friends of the Eaton Museum… invite you and your family to come to Eaton on Memorial Day Monday. We ask you to pick up a bake good, a history book, a garage sale item, a hot dog or a drink and contribute to the Old Town of Eaton Museum.  These donations also pay for this event each year.

This will also give you the opportunity to visit over refreshments with neighbors and relatives… some not seen over winter’s long drudge.  You will also be helping keep open an 1806 stone building that houses the “Past for the Future”. It is nice to remember that memories are still a part of our “Reveries” whether we are young or old!

The event runs from 9 am until 3 pm…the museum will be open from 1 pm until 3 pm and the location is the Old Auction Barn next to the Post Office on Route 26 in Eaton a road once called the “old Skaneateles turnpike”.

Watch the videos below and see some of your relatives and friends or maybe even you much younger....and  remember the many who are gone.

Memorial Day the Weather and Our Lady of Fatima rolled into one!

This week of unbelievable turmoil politically, has been made even drearier by the rain and unusual cold in Eaton. 

Our little group of workers have continued toward our goal of getting things together for our upcoming 22^nd “Eaton Day” on Memorial Day Monday.  The old Auction Barn on Front Street (Rt.26) next to the Post Office is being painted for the occasion, (thanks for its use Jim Monahan) and the bakers, seamstresses, and even this writer has been getting things together.

In the midst of this I picked up the calendar and realized that today was May 13^th..2017.  Now to some this is just another day, but to me from good old Solvay… it brought back a small vision of the church I attended as a child… The basement the church had a “Grotto” of rocks dedicated to Mary…who I always believed was Our Lady of Fatima.

The story was one I knew from childhood, by coincidence or by reality, the Secrets of Fatima seemed more relevant to me today, than any time in the past especially with news of this

week..

The story started on a hillside in Portugal in 1917 where three children tending sheep belonging to their family were greeted one day by an apparition… many call it the “Angel of Fatima”. The Angel appeared to them to foretell that the Blessed Mary would appears to them on a specific date...  which the children said she did.

The children were at one point examined by the authorities that of course thought they were making it up or seeing things.  As their stories of the apparitions and the Lady words that they were told reached the public… it caused 20,000 people to take a pilgrimage to the hillside in Fatima on the day specified for the “Lady” to appear again.

That day after a dark stormy interval, an unearthly sun danced in the sky above them, the sphere looked like a disc in rainbow colors as it zigzagged across the sky… miracle cures occurred some claimed.

Two of the children who became resolute followers died very young during the outbreak of the horrible flu epidemic of 1918.  One… Lucia, the eldest lived, to be 95 and wrote books on what she saw and what the Blessed Lady told her.

This year Pope Francis was in Fatima for its 100-year celebration and to declare the children Saints.  The trip was much like the other Popes before him had done in different capacities. Of interest…Pope John Paul who was shot on a May 13^th brought the bullet to Fatima, and placed it in the crown of the statue of the “Lady”… he believed Mary had saved his life.

The three secrets told to the children were predictions of what awaited the world unless it changed.  Written down by the third child, Lucia, who became a nun, the third secret continued to be sealed and tucked away from the World until opened by Pope John Paul.

The first two were predictions of the coming if World War II, noting the rise of Fascism even predicting Kristallnacht—the "Night of Broken Glass.  in Austria as the start.

I personally believe the vision of “Hell” given to the children was the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Japan… scenes that still haunt the world today, with their visuals as the vision of “Hell”..…

The third secret or prediction…released on 2000 I copied verbatim here….”

 [Russia] will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated' (13-VII-1917)”….

The Lady basically said we needed to stop our hatred... our persecution of religions... to act as one and to come together..for there to be peace on earth.... Much to think about in today’s world huh!

On  a lighter note…. please come out to our event on May 29^th, Memorial Day Monday…. celebrate community and take a pie or gift home as a way to support history and goodwill among neighbors and men.

Memorial Day & Eaton Day and the PIES are almost here!

Rain, Rain, Go away… come again any day but Memorial Day Monday also known as Eaton Day!  

The usual Eaton Day (Memorial Day Monday) plans are firming up and some new ideas are going to be put together.

The “Day” that runs from 9 am until 3 pm is an opportunity for everyone to grab a pie or a gift or arummage sale item to bring home.  This year we are adding more items to our “Museum Gift Shop” and more books to our vast new local history book selections.

A special addition to the fun this year will be a historic reproduction tin sale, used book sale and of course, our “what not” museum rummage sale.  These little additions should prove to be fun to look through and any purchases will of course go to helping the museum fund.

This spring the Friends of the Old Town of the Old Town of Eaton Museum became an official 501 charity, this will allow the group to look for grants and also allow museum supporters to donate tax-deductible money to the cause. Few people realize the cost of keeping a little museum going!

This year’s Pie Sale will feature a number of locally grown fruits and a good variety of local favorites made by our local pie bakers and volunteers.  So come out get a pie and enjoy a special piece of our local history.  The Museum’s cookbooks that are for sale, list a number of local recipes handed down from local bakers of the past.

If you have relatives or friends from the area and need a Christmas Present…come down and pick something up in our gift area. We even have gifts for your cats and a coloring book for kids!!  This year we will have our 2018 Historic Eaton Calendar available early.. it comes with an envelope that allows you to mail it out.

Our new Friends of the Old Town Museum Facebook and Internet pages will be up shortly and you can learn more on everything there! Right now you can go to our Old Town of Museum Facebook page!  For information or to make a donation you can email backstreetmary@yahoo.com.

The "Dark Day" in history, Eaton Day & White Elephant Sales & Ice cream!

Tommy at last year's Eaton Day!

The month is slipping away and the weather.... well that is another story.  As the week progressed down here in “old Eaton” it did improve but of course... that is scheduled to change to flurries of the s.... variety on Sunday night.  This always turns my head to the question of “what will the weather be like on Memorial Day Monday???”

As our small group puts the final push on to make Eaton Day special for the Town of Eaton and the community, thoughts always turn to ...”what if it rains?”  So without a doubt we are all praying to the powers-that-be for a good day.

This year's day is going to feature something new... a White Elephant Sale of sorts, which will include new and gently used items.  We have been collecting things all week that include items from large appliances to sets of china and paintings...  We all have them, you know the too good to throw away or take to the reuse bin...but stuff we want gone.  The idea is good and I think since my world is filled with “garag-ies” as I call them... it should be popular.  These folks actually share garage sale lists each week!

The other neat thing is troubadour Tommy Hoe and his guitar will be coming down to play some old “everybody knows” songs during our Ice Cream Social that starts at 1 pm. We are hoping to have some tables set up so you can sit and enjoy things as if it was the times in Eaton when the community celebrated together and looked forward to a change of pace day with the whole family. There will be hot dogs, soda, popcorn, coffee and an old-fashioned root beer float. So come on down...buy a pie or bake good...and say hi!

Someone mentioned the fires in Canada this past week and as always it set me on a “history quest”.  I knew the story but forgot the particulars but knew the date was May 19^th in the year in 1780. 

The sun shown bright red in many places before that date and was followed on the 19^th by a black cloud that settled over an area that stretched from New York to Maine.  It was so dark that candles had to be lit at noon and the darkness never stopped until the following night. Since there was no weather or news broadcasts in those days it brought many to the conclusion that the “World” was coming to an end as predicted in Biblical teachings.

One famous scene attributed to this was a story made famous in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.  His name and the poem are called Abraham Davenport.  Davenport was legislator in Connecticut who when his colleagues wanted to adjourn a session because of the darkness exclaimed: “I am against adjournment.  The day of judgment, is either approaching or it is not, if it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment, if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.”

The Shakers of then Niskayuna (Waterveliet) Colony were seeking new converts to their religion and were out proselytizing when the event occurred and received a record number of converts because of it.

Many years later (recently) the cause was confirmed to be massive forest fires in Ontario, Canada.  College researchers examining the scar damage on the growth rings of trees attributed the “Dark Day” to a fire in today's Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario.

Here is a video of today's work to restore the Shaker Colony of Niskayuna. Enjoy and come out to Eaton for our special “Day”!

Parades, Pies, Raffle Baskets, Memorial Day.....and another day in Eaton's 220 year history!

The week has finally ended, and what a week it was.  Last Sunday I was  pushed to set up for our event and bake a ton of pies until 2 or 3 in the morning.  Then at dawn it was out to finish setting up for our traditional Eaton Day event, which is held each Memorial Day Monday and celebrates Eaton’s history especially... its founding by Revolutionary War Soldiers and its many other veterans.

The day came together and the weather cooperated allowing us to enjoy hometown America at its best with friends, neighbors, and former residents.  Thank you to all who came out!

As a special tribute to its 20^th Anniversary and Eaton’s 220^th year I managed to finish a new history book that concentrates on the later years after 1850 in Eaton’s History and a remastered video of the day in 1995… parade and all.  To those who would like a copy you can go to Dougherty’s Pharmacy in Morrisvile and buy a copy or two and support the Old Town of Eaton Museum that made the day and event possible.

Our basket raffle was a success and the winners were Sharon Lloyd- cats, Kay Depuy - flowers, Karen Betz-history, and Barb Keough.  Barb won the wine basket (she put all her tickets in it I bet).

Thanks you to the Goodfriends, Pat Utter, Judy Oplinger, Mike Curtis, Cathy Nagle, and our special guest Tommy Hoe… You guys were great. Thank you to Jim Monahan for the use of the building and grounds!

Thank you to our history speakers Harry Riggall and Bob Betz... we are hoping to do special presentations on Wednesday nights in Eaton in the summer.

For all those who missed the grand finale ....cemetery tour…it was made especially memorable by a huge tree falling on the Morse graves…but luckily missing every stone.  It happened at a most fortuitous time… just before we toured the area! Whew!

As for me...the following morning was spent tearing down with Pat and Barb followed by working all week on ladders and chain saws so today… Sunday…I am resting… and taking this time to remind you to enjoy the day and remember to stop and smell the peonies… they are out!

Here is a clip from the video to make you smile!