AURORA - Nick Pauldine loves to play.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Terry and John Goeke of Union Springs peruse the items up for auction at the Book Lover's Ball at the Aurora Inn on Friday evening. The event was held to benefit the Aurora Free Library and the Morgan Opera House.
Terry and John Goeke of Union Springs peruse the items up for auction at the Book Lover's Ball at the Aurora Inn on Friday evening. The event was held to benefit the Aurora Free Library and the Morgan Opera House.
Pauldine, a clarinetist and saxophonist, led the Ithaca Ageless Jazz Band at the fourth-annual Book Lover's Ball at the Aurora Inn Friday night.
About 100 people attended the event, to raise money for the Aurora Free Library and its upstairs musical mecca, the Morgan Opera House.
“We're a traditional big band in the Count Basie style,” said Pauldine, a personal music instructor and stay-at-home dad who has performed with such artists as Diane Schur and Nancy Wilson.
The two vocalists for the evening were Carol Bryant, of Elbridge, and Casey McDonald, along with more than a dozen musicians.
Denise Brady has been the Book Lover's Ball chairperson for each of the last four years.
Brady said the event wouldn't be possible if not for the generous donations.
“Everybody donates,” said Brady, a native of New Zealand. “We have wonderful stuff here.”
Dinner was served in a large tent on the lawn overlooking Cayuga Lake, the Ithaca Ageless Jazz Band was set up on the patio, and the silent auction was held in the Inn's lakeside banquet room.
Executive Chef Greg Rhoad coordinated the cocktail hour snacks and the dinner that followed. Dancing began at 8 p.m.
The Aurora Free Library is located at the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Route 90, not far off the main business district. Janet Heslop coordinates the committee that focuses on capital projects, and said she is proud of both the efforts of the volunteers who keep the library viable and the quality of programs it offers day-to-day and on special occasions.
Money raised Friday will be used to finish work on the roof, which will be completed in the fall. The roof project cost in excess of $100,000.
Two important projects are next: repairing the front steps and replacing the lighting in the opera house. The stairs will cost $100,000 to fix, the new lighting system around $25,000.
The front steps “are collapsing underneath,” said Heslop, but are still in use and structurally safe for the near future. “They've been patched numerous times but it's the undercarriage we're concerned about at this time.”
The lighting was a “tin-can” system that had a fair amount of wear-and-tear when the Opera House was restored beginning in 1989.
“You have to always come up with new ideas to raise funds, and to keep people involved,” Heslop said.
About 100 people attended the event, to raise money for the Aurora Free Library and its upstairs musical mecca, the Morgan Opera House.
“We're a traditional big band in the Count Basie style,” said Pauldine, a personal music instructor and stay-at-home dad who has performed with such artists as Diane Schur and Nancy Wilson.
The two vocalists for the evening were Carol Bryant, of Elbridge, and Casey McDonald, along with more than a dozen musicians.
Denise Brady has been the Book Lover's Ball chairperson for each of the last four years.
Brady said the event wouldn't be possible if not for the generous donations.
“Everybody donates,” said Brady, a native of New Zealand. “We have wonderful stuff here.”
Dinner was served in a large tent on the lawn overlooking Cayuga Lake, the Ithaca Ageless Jazz Band was set up on the patio, and the silent auction was held in the Inn's lakeside banquet room.
Executive Chef Greg Rhoad coordinated the cocktail hour snacks and the dinner that followed. Dancing began at 8 p.m.
The Aurora Free Library is located at the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Route 90, not far off the main business district. Janet Heslop coordinates the committee that focuses on capital projects, and said she is proud of both the efforts of the volunteers who keep the library viable and the quality of programs it offers day-to-day and on special occasions.
Money raised Friday will be used to finish work on the roof, which will be completed in the fall. The roof project cost in excess of $100,000.
Two important projects are next: repairing the front steps and replacing the lighting in the opera house. The stairs will cost $100,000 to fix, the new lighting system around $25,000.
The front steps “are collapsing underneath,” said Heslop, but are still in use and structurally safe for the near future. “They've been patched numerous times but it's the undercarriage we're concerned about at this time.”
The lighting was a “tin-can” system that had a fair amount of wear-and-tear when the Opera House was restored beginning in 1989.
“You have to always come up with new ideas to raise funds, and to keep people involved,” Heslop said.
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