History
In 1996, George Colligan, President of the Henderson Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce had a vision of a performing arts center in Henderson. In October of 1996, the Henderson Town Board donated the 18.5 acres of land and the abandoned Mark Hopkins Inn to develop this plan.
A little history about this property, Mark Hopkins was born September 1, 1813 in Henderson, NY. He later moved on to become a treasurer of the Central Pacific Railroad from which he would become a millionaire. The local building was named for him in the 1990's and the name was carried over when the property became known as the Henderson Harbor Performing Arts Assn. Inc. The building has since been demolished. |
Since its' inception, the organization has striven to provide the community and surrounding areas of the north country with a series of summer concerts, an annual Oktoberfest, and in 2002 the establishment of the Lila Bull Arts Academy. The Syracuse Symphony, the 10th Mtn. Division Band from Ft. Drum, and the George Colligan, Jr. jazz group have presented programs.
A special thank you goes out to all the volunteers that have given so generously of their time and talents as we continue to work toward our goal.
A special thank you goes out to all the volunteers that have given so generously of their time and talents as we continue to work toward our goal.
The “Key” Award was established in 2001 to recognize those that went above & beyond for our organization. There are so many it is always difficult to choose an individual but this is always chosen by the entire Board of Directors.
Those that have been designated as “Key People” are:
Those that have been designated as “Key People” are:
- 2001: Don Crumb
- 2001:Don Gould
- 2002: Eunice Wescott
- 2003: Bruce & Donna Thomas
- 2004: Bill Case
- 2005: Chyme Lane
- 2006: Leo Valley
- 2007: Jack & Thelma Schneider
- 2008: no award
- 2009: Mark G. Gebo
- 2010: Jim Brown
- 2011: Michael D. Yonkovig
- 2012: Eunice Wescott
- 2013: Barry & Besty Ormsby
- 2014: The Henderson Harbor Men's Club
- 2015: Charlotte Richmond
- 2016: Thelma Schneider
- 2017: The Kayak Club
- 2018: Susan VanBenschoten
- 2023: John Culkin