Open House At Old Fiske

The town's Cultural Council and Historical Commission and the Sohoanno Gardening Club co-hosted an open house Sunday afternoon at the recently renovated Old Fiske Library Building.

The event featured music, a gingerbread house contest, refreshments and a wreath sale by the town's Boy Scout troop.

Evelyn Zepf, the chairwoman of the Cultural Council, said Sunday afternoon that the event was proceeding well.

"So far, so good," she said. "We have the Shane Wood Jazz Trio here, so that's been good."

She said the gingerbread house contest had received a good deal of attention.

"We have a number of gingerbread house entries," she said. "One of them is a replica of this building."

Zepf said the building will now serve as the physical location of the Cultural Council and the Historical Commission.

"It will be a town museum and gallery," she said. "We're looking to have some rotating exhibits here."

Gregory Stahl, the chairman of the Historical Commission, has said the additional space will be a boon to his organization, as it currently has a large number of historical artifacts. The space, he said, would allow the commission to better catalogue its collection.

According to Zepf, the building has recently undergone some substantial renovations, including an addition on the building's rear. She said the addition was needed to accommodate a handicapped entrance and bathrooms.

"It was done with a grant from the Sweatt Fund," she said. "There was also a lot of donated labor and materials."

Zepf said the building had just received its occupancy permit.