WEEDSPORT - The name D. Maitland Armstrong may not be as well known as that of his one-time boss, but his work is just as remarkable.
To protect the stained glass artistry of Armstrong, First Baptist Church held its second annual craft fair and bake sale Saturday.
“They're not in a crisis situation yet, but we want to be proactive with them,” said Amy Chirco, a life-long member of First Baptist and one of the organizer's of Saturday's well-attended bazaar.
Located on Liberty Street, First Baptist is the oldest church in Weedsport and one of the most senior in Cayuga County.
It was built in 1839. Forty years later, the pipe organ was installed, and in 1910, the decorative windows were put up along each side of the sanctuary.
Armstrong worked for a time with Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose work can be seen at the Willard Chapel and at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn.
Armstrong's stained glass and frescoes can also be seen at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., and at many New York City churches.
In Weedsport, Armstrong's windows follow the travels of Jesus - Calvary, the Golden Gate, the Mount of Temptation. Chirco has heard others remark that Armstrong must have been time in the Holy Land because of how accurately his windows depict the various landscapes.
In February, three pipes burst in the church's kitchen when a downstairs heater failed to start up.
The cupboards and kitchen floor were ruined, and water streamed across the gym floor.
The final two months of CCYO basketball games had to be played elsewhere, and it took months to get all of the moisture out. It also had an impact on the many other groups that use the church on a regular basis, including Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, the Brutus-Sennett Food Pantry, various classes.
Considerable work has been done since the unfortunate accident. The kitchen sparkles with new cabinets, the gym floor has been sanded and re-finished.
The Sunday School rooms in the basement are nicer than ever. There was insurance but it didn't cover everything. The cabinets alone cost more than $10,000.
Nearly 25 vendors took part in Saturday's sale, and there was plenty of good food available: Homemade soups such as chicken noodle and chicken-and-broccoli, and a pot of chili that was prepared by Sherry Donahue. She and her family moved from a small town outside of Birmingham, Ala., to upstate New York two years ago.
“Great people here. They've been very welcoming, very friendly,” said Donahue. “There's a lot of similarities. People take care of each other. And that's what I wanted in a small church. I wanted my church to be in my community.”
There was also Girl Scout cookies for sale. About a half-dozen members of Brownie Troop 237 were there mid-afternoon, all of the brightly-colored boxes of Tagalongs and Thin Mints neatly stacked in rows. They had a plastic cash register to handle transactions.
“It's great to see all the girls getting along. Doing things for the community, doing things together. They're having fun,” Musengo said.
Paul Clift, of Auburn, was selling intricate scroll-saw carvings. He glues a pattern onto the wood before carefully sawing out pieces.
“It's fun. Business has not been bad today,” said Clift, noting the Christmas buying season is his busiest time. “Some shows you make good money, some show you don't. You can't predict.”
Displaying her line of Lia Sophia jewelry was Johanna Lynch, of Weedsport. Lynch has been selling the colorful bracelets and necklaces for the past two years.
“I do fundraisers all of the time, and I donate 30 percent of my profits to fundraisers,” Lynch said. “It's a lot of fun. It's a great company to work for.”
First Baptist was placed on the federal National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and it is also on the New York State registry.
The church will continue to have fundraisers, Chirco said, and continue to urge people to make contributions to help with the upkeep of their historic church.
“They're not in a crisis situation yet, but we want to be proactive with them,” said Amy Chirco, a life-long member of First Baptist and one of the organizer's of Saturday's well-attended bazaar.
Located on Liberty Street, First Baptist is the oldest church in Weedsport and one of the most senior in Cayuga County.
It was built in 1839. Forty years later, the pipe organ was installed, and in 1910, the decorative windows were put up along each side of the sanctuary.
Armstrong worked for a time with Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose work can be seen at the Willard Chapel and at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn.
Armstrong's stained glass and frescoes can also be seen at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., and at many New York City churches.
In Weedsport, Armstrong's windows follow the travels of Jesus - Calvary, the Golden Gate, the Mount of Temptation. Chirco has heard others remark that Armstrong must have been time in the Holy Land because of how accurately his windows depict the various landscapes.
In February, three pipes burst in the church's kitchen when a downstairs heater failed to start up.
The cupboards and kitchen floor were ruined, and water streamed across the gym floor.
The final two months of CCYO basketball games had to be played elsewhere, and it took months to get all of the moisture out. It also had an impact on the many other groups that use the church on a regular basis, including Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, the Brutus-Sennett Food Pantry, various classes.
Considerable work has been done since the unfortunate accident. The kitchen sparkles with new cabinets, the gym floor has been sanded and re-finished.
The Sunday School rooms in the basement are nicer than ever. There was insurance but it didn't cover everything. The cabinets alone cost more than $10,000.
Nearly 25 vendors took part in Saturday's sale, and there was plenty of good food available: Homemade soups such as chicken noodle and chicken-and-broccoli, and a pot of chili that was prepared by Sherry Donahue. She and her family moved from a small town outside of Birmingham, Ala., to upstate New York two years ago.
“Great people here. They've been very welcoming, very friendly,” said Donahue. “There's a lot of similarities. People take care of each other. And that's what I wanted in a small church. I wanted my church to be in my community.”
There was also Girl Scout cookies for sale. About a half-dozen members of Brownie Troop 237 were there mid-afternoon, all of the brightly-colored boxes of Tagalongs and Thin Mints neatly stacked in rows. They had a plastic cash register to handle transactions.
“It's great to see all the girls getting along. Doing things for the community, doing things together. They're having fun,” Musengo said.
Paul Clift, of Auburn, was selling intricate scroll-saw carvings. He glues a pattern onto the wood before carefully sawing out pieces.
“It's fun. Business has not been bad today,” said Clift, noting the Christmas buying season is his busiest time. “Some shows you make good money, some show you don't. You can't predict.”
Displaying her line of Lia Sophia jewelry was Johanna Lynch, of Weedsport. Lynch has been selling the colorful bracelets and necklaces for the past two years.
“I do fundraisers all of the time, and I donate 30 percent of my profits to fundraisers,” Lynch said. “It's a lot of fun. It's a great company to work for.”
First Baptist was placed on the federal National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and it is also on the New York State registry.
The church will continue to have fundraisers, Chirco said, and continue to urge people to make contributions to help with the upkeep of their historic church.
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