MIDDLETOWN >> Gibson Museum’s gala celebration of its first anniversary May 3 exceeded its volunteers’ expectations. Fred Castaldo, charged with maintaining the accounting, revealed that the event cleared enough dollars to insure covering the costs of operation for at least six months.
Gibson Museum is supported entirely by donations, although the County of Lake offers use of the building at no charge. The museum is operated entirely by volunteers.
JoAnn Schwartz, a Gibson volunteer who fortuitously works as event coordinator for Twin Pine Event Center, where the event was held, drew compliments for the meal, the tasty décor and the arrangement of raffle tables and displays.
Sophie Lauterborn and Calvin Higgins drew upon two musical groups, The Hobos and The Peculiars, to present a show that brought a lot of laughs. Laura Kennedy, playing a reporter from San Francisco collecting information for a story on the history of Lake County, was the hit of the show as she swirled and gargled a good Lake County wine.
Another highlight was the presentation of an oversized check, representing a donation of $1,100 from the Middletown Rotary Club. The donation is specifically dedicated toward the cost of much-needed upgrading of the storage facilities for items in the Gibson collection when not on display.
Generous support from community merchants and other organizations offered raffle prizes that generated thousands of dollars for Gibson’s coffers. A complete list of all those who donated is posted on the museum’s website (thegibsonmuseum.com).
Harry Gibson, whose generosity underwrote restoration of the building itself, drew the winning raffle tickets with unquestioned impartiality. Harry is a great-grandnephew of Chauncey Gibson, who had donated funds for construction of the building in 1930.
Despite the success of the event, volunteers say the effort has dramatically pointed up the need for more volunteers. Those who are working at it insist that it’s fun, but that there is more than they can do. If you can offer only a couple of hours a month, they’re eager to hear from you. There is even a great deal of editing/proofreading that can be done at home on your own computer.
