Clermont Mid-Summer Party: It's Good to Have Friends

Dale Stewart reports from Clermont, NY. On Saturday, August 3, on one of the most perfect evenings of the summer, the Friends of Clermont hosted their annual fundraiser on the grounds of the 500-acre Clermont State Historic Site. This year's event was aptly titled "Cocktails at the Cow Barn and Clermont Cottage" and honored James D. Livingston and his family, including his daughter, Susan Livingston (pictured left with Friends of Clermont Board President, Charles Geiger, and Executive Director Conrad Hanson). In addition to participating in silent and live auctions, party guests had the chance to take a peek inside the historic barn and the recently restored Clermont Cottage while they sipped spiked-punch cocktail and snacked on prosciutto-wrapped melon. The Cow Barn is a rare slice of history, one of the last surviving extant agricultural structures built just after the Civil War. The Friends of Clermont, a private, nonprofit corporation, was founded in the late 1970’s to support and supplement the museum, education, and Clermont's ongoing preservation. Gardens and grounds are open year round, 8:30 a.m. until sunset.

Christine Gibson, Kerry Fitzmaurice, and Samantha Barnes; Doug Wingo with designer Tim Legg, and Annie DiGiovanna.

Designer and real estate agent Joseph Shirk with Joseph Stephanak; pilates instructor Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson with Steve Mosto.

Artists Alice Adams, Brian Dewan, Daniel Rothbart , Bill Gordy, Laetitia Hussain with Francine Hunter McGivern, curator for Clermont's first Site Specific Group Sculpture show opening August 19, and John Cleater.

Glenda Law and Jim Hamilton; artists Dawn Breeze and Gianni Iacono, who also catered the event.

Conrad Hanson, Francine Hunter McGivern, and Clermont administrator Anne McGrath; Katrina Shindledecker and Dr. Lucy Waletzky.

Musician Miles Vidor and Andrew McKenzie flank pilates instructors Rachel Vidor and Chelsea Streifeneder.