What a Workshop!

This Saturday's workshop was - well - even more than I could have ever dreamed it could be - - (and trust me - when I say I can dream pretty big!)

Over twenty people showed up throughout the workshop today and the amount of work that we accomplished is to be proud of!

Danny Hakes did an incredible job sweeping the floor, moving items, and washing down walls and windows.

I want to thank Danny and Sue for taking some time out on their Saturday to come and help us out. Truth is that Danny and his mom planned on staying for an hour - but they said they were having so much fun that they stayed alot longer. Here is Sue and Jeff T.'s dog Alley(below)..Sue was doing "double-duty" because Alley was very nervous and decided she needed Sue's attention while Sue continued to wash the windows! I cannot believe just what a difference Sue's hard work made in the end ... (with Alley too!)



Meanwhile Jeff was helping Jess Quinn who was tearing down the huge peg boards that had the old store signage, (see below.) This was a welcomed renovation to be sure!



Jeff also is working on our padded cases that were donated to us by Lockheed Martin in order for us to be able to make up "learning cases." These cases will be filled with actual artifacts and learning materials for schools, boy scout and girl scout leaders and so on to sign out for educational purposes.

Meanwhile, Rita and Craig Maurey stopped in to volunteer to help us with building cases and to do other finish work. They just happen to have a workshop just a few buildings down from us and took measurements for a couple of projects that they have offered to do for us for nothing more than the cost of supplies.


I don't know how to express how grateful we are to have decided to have our Center in Waverly, NY and to have been welcomed by the Village and such people as the Maureys who have been so generous to us.

At the same time on the other side of the building, Tom Vallilee, Jack Rowe and our new friend Angelo all were getting ready to dry wall an area in our gift shop/visitor center for us.



And directly opposite to them, Mary Vanschaik was high atop a ladder preparing the wall for spackling and painting, which none of us were looking forward to doing....



But then in walked Ron Nogar who was there to discuss the mural he is doing on the outside of our building along with his friend Dr. Barry Skeist. Come to find out, Dr. Skeist came to offer to pay for the expense of the work to spackle and paint, etc in the form of a donation to SRAC, and we accepted this incredible offer in awe of his generosity! (NO KIDDING!)

Meanwhile Inga Welles and Claire Borits were working away on cleaning the poles and doorway area respectively.


Sadly I do not have pictures to show that Susan Fogel, Dick Cowles and Ted Keir were also cleaning, moving, fixing some things downstairs as well as in the office and upstairs area, and Dick being the engineer of the group, was figuring out some other things for future workshops such as tiling the bathroom floor, and so on...And other friends of SRAC stopped in to chat a while and to see what they could do or to say they would be there for next Saturday's workshop.

Unbelievably, within an hour after Dr. Skiest left, the worker's he had hired for us, Jeri and Mike Sanders came in and started laying out plans for the spackling and painting work they will begin immediately.

After working out the plans with them, I ran across the street and ordered two pizzas from the Rail House which they so kindly delivered to us so that I could get back to the Center...

We then all sat down with the two pizzas and Susan's home made brownies, the cookies my mom and dad stopped in with earlier, and some other goodies Inga had gotten for us and chatted for a while...

Strangely, I noticed that people would get up and just have to go back to what they wanted to get done...then come back over and chat some more...then get back up to measure something or whatever and so it went...and I thought to myself just how far we had come since 2005, and how everyone there today had realized that this snowball we had built had become an exciting AND INSPIRING ride to be on...one that we would all be proud being a part of...

Although the workshop was supposed to be over at 2pm, we were still chatting and finishing up little things until after 3pm, until I had to tell Dick and Ted that we had to lock up and that we could continue where we left off next Saturday...

As Susan and I helped Dick load up his car (after he had just trotted across the street like he was twenty again,) Ted waved as he stood by his car with that smile he gets sometimes when he is ever so proud to be our Chairman of the Board...and at that moment, I had to ask myself how anyone could have had a better Saturday anywhere in the world than we did today.

Thanks to all of you who made today such a success in so many ways!

SRAC will have Saturday workshops every Saturday from 10 am - 2pm. Please stop in for a bit if you get the chance....

You too might just get back more than you expected.