Cobleskill luminaries Art Berard, Bill Wolford, Lee Leibi, Max Rua, Sol Rubin, Rod Bent and Joe Head are all gone now––but they remain with us on film.
Those men, their families and many others are the subjects of a 1956 Cobleskill Exchange Club film that will be shown at the firehouse Thursday night.
The movie is part of an historic preservation celebration hosted by the village’s Historic District Review Commission. It will also include awards and discussions of old views of Cobleskill.
Free and open to the public, the celebration starts at 7pm, with Dick Frank, Tim Snyder and Craig Morlang as moderators.
Shot on 16mm film in 1956, the 45-minute movie shows nearly 70 Exchange Club members and their families at home and around Cobleskill.
Mr. Frank said a list of names of people on the film was found with the movie, which has been converted to DVD. A program to be distributed Thursday night lists the names in order of appearance.
“We did the best we could to figure them out,” Mr. Frank said. “We knew 90 percent of them.”
“Some of these people are still around––Roger Becker, Cole Barnard, Bert Schulte,” said Mr. Snyder, who as a boy is in the film, with his dad, Buggy.
“And if some of them aren’t alive, their kids are still around,” Mr. Snyder added.
Copies of the DVD will be available to purchase at the celebration.
Mr. Morlang, Mr. Snyder and Mr. Frank will also show and discuss old photos and post cards of Cobleskill.
The celebration follows last year’s event, which featured a 1939 Cobleskill Exchange Club movie and a presentation by historian Bob Holt.
“We had a great turnout then,” said Sandy Poole, chair of the Historic District Review Commission. “There’s so much interest in local history, we wanted to expand it.
“Dick, Craig and Tim have a lot of post cards and a lot of knowledge about Cobleskill. It should be good.”
Another highlight of the celebration will be Mayor Mark Galasso presenting awards for:
•The most well-preserved property in Cobleskill’s historic district.
•The commercial property with the most curb appeal.
•The construction project that has met the goals of the Village of Cobleskill comprehensive plan.
HDRC members will provide fresh popcorn, homemade cookies, lemonade and coffee.