The Grand Island Historical Society and the Buffalo Launch Club Heritage Committee will present a special program at the Buffalo Launch Club combining a shore dinner with a slice of history from Grand Island's storied past.
"The Lost and Forgotten Gilded Age on the Niagara River" will be the topic of a program on Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Launch Club, 503 E. River Road.
The Launch Clubber Shore Dinner will be served from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., with the history presentation scheduled for 8 p.m. The cost of the dinner is $39, and a portion of the proceeds will fund Buffalo Launch Club heritage projects. Reservations may be made by calling 716-773-7629.
The program tells the story of the clubs and resorts of Grand Island from 1850 to 1920. It will combine storytelling by knowledgeable presenters with photos and videos.
Presenters are Curt Nestark, president of the Grand Island Historical Society; Mary Cooke, Grand Island historian; Tom Frauenheim, Buffalo Launch Club historian; Traci Bedell, descendant of the Bedell family, original settlers; Greg Reid, Buffalo Launch Club Heritage Committee member; and Doug Saltzman and Rich DeGlopper, also of the BLC Heritage Committee.
Some of the resorts included the Bedell House, Sheenwater, the McComb House hotel, River Lawn and Falconwood, the summer home of Lewis F. Allen, who was the uncle of President Grover Cleveland. Falconwood later became a popular resort, open to the public.
