Bedford Historical Society's April Fools' Joke Causes Feeding Frenzy

BEDFORD, NY — A clever fundraising message from the Bedford Historical Society was mostly taken with good humor, but a few social media users failed to notice that the "press release" was dated April Fools' Day.

The organization announced in its tongue-in-cheek notice that it has agreed to rent the Historical Hall to Red Lobster "to raise funds in these difficult times."

The announcement even included a supposed quote from the historical society's top leadership explaining the decision:

"We were really hoping for the Olive Garden," executive director Lynn Ryan said. "But after some difficult negotiations, Red Lobster has agreed to give complimentary diet cokes to all of our members plus a free side of shrimp rangoons with every dinner order, so that's a win."

The message ended with an obligatory "Happy April Fools' Day!"

But it seems some on social media didn't read that far down. With one Facebook poster writing "very sad to turn this historic building into a restaurant" and another joking that "I nearly had a palpitation and one of our ancestors buried in the graveyard rolled over."

The "fake news story" eventually got down to the serious business of raising funds to preserve local historic treasures.

"For more than 100 years the Bedford Historical Society has been dedicated to preserving Bedford's unique historic charm," the group wrote on a more serious note. "Without our efforts, Historical Hall and many of the buildings in the Village would not be protected from development. When you support the Historical Society, you support Bedford. Please make a donation, become a member or renew your membership today. Thank you...and sorry if we gave you a scare!"

You can help support the Bedford Historical Society here (so they don't have to resort to drastic measures).