T1 Antiques Appraisals by Todd Jantzi
For over 25 years, Todd Jantzi has been a dedicated auctioneer and real estate professional. He began his career at Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service where he is now owner and president. In 2009 he earned his real estate broker’s license. An active member of the New York State Auctioneers Association, Todd served as president of that organization from 2020 – 2022 and was selected as Auctioneer of the Year in 2016. He is a graduate of SUNY Brockport with a degree in History. Todd lives in Batavia, NY with his wife, Sandra. They have two grown sons and two grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys raising beef cattle.
T2 Creating Fairy Houses and a Fairy Trail by Lisa Schiske
Lisa and her husband have been cottage owners here at Silver Lake Institute for the past 17 years, feeling Blessed to live here at the Institute all summer long. Lisa is very passionate about community supported events and even more grateful that her husband of 37 years just smiles and nods his head as she runs out the door again to tend to another 'crazy idea she had in her head to be facilitated in their Silver Lake Community or back at home in Pavilion NY. Silver Lake is a magical place and Lisa is excited to share her love for fairies, angels, and lantern walks with all of those who sign up for the Silver Lake Experience. Lisa is back by popular demand after a wonderful 2022 SLE!
T3 Resin Crafts by Bonnie Bright
Bonnie Bright is a year round resident of Silver Lake who is a Master Gardener with the Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension. She enjoys crafting and learning new art techniques. She learned the art of resign during covid and enjoys sharing the technique with others.
T4 Three to See Cottage Tour by Sharon Pratt
Sharon grew up in the Perry, NY area and remembers swimming in Silver Lake and attending Asbury (Camp) as a teenager. She is a 30 year resident of Silver Lake Institute where she has been a member of the SLI Board of Trustees, served as steward (chairperson) of Epworth Hall, and is a founding member of The Silver Lake Experience. Sharon has had a lifelong interest in history and architecture. She has retired from the Landmark Society of Western New York.
T5 Happy Birthday to The ANT! by Regina Chamberlain, Sensory
Destination Coordinator, The Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park
Regina Chamberlain is currently the Sensory Destination Coordinator for the Autism Nature Trail (The ANT) at Letchworth State Park. A lifelong resident of Wyoming County, Regina has her Masters in General and Special Education and teaches 3rd grade at Warsaw Elementary. She has had many different roles in her 20 years of education, including teaching Special Education and serving as a POEMS (Prevention Of Emotional Mental health Syndromes) Counselor for Wyoming County Schools. As The ANT's Sensory Destination Coordinator, Regina coordinates the efforts of other Trail workers, produces materials for visitors, creates social media and newsletter content, and works with local schools and businesses to build connections and opportunities.
T6 Cordelia Green, Ahead of Her Time! by Linda Franke
Linda Franke is an educator, teaching artist, rural advocate and mindfulness and Integrative Nutrition health coach living and working in a small town in Western New York. She is currently working on a children's book and building up her health coaching business, all while exploring the wonder and magic of the world with her family.
T7 Woodworking by Dave Phillips Sr.
David Phillips attended Perry Central School graduating in 1968, served in USMC from 1970-74, got married in 1974 and had 6 children. From 1974-1986 he worked construction and then made a career change going to Roberts Wesleyan College from 1986-1990 receiving a BS degree in Elementary Education and a Masters degree in Elementary Education in 1994. From 1990 to 2012 he taught elementary school at Letchworth Central School retiring in 2012. Dave's hobbies are woodworking, collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia, making maple syrup, hunting, traveling, camping, walking and hiking. He attends Hope Chapel is Perry and has been involved with Odasagih Bible conference for several years. He's been on mission trips in the US and South America.
T8 United Methodist Church Stained Glass Tour by Rev. Tony Hipes
Rev. Hipes has been pastor of Perry First UMC for the last 6 years. A lifelong United Methodist, he has been a pastor for over 25 years. He has served churches throughout upstate New York and Northeast Pennsylvania. Rev. Hipes has been married to Judy for 30 years. He has one son, 4 grandchildren and 6 + great-grandchildren.
T9 Boat Tour of Silver Lake by Asbury Staff
T10 Changing Deathways by Derek Maxfield
Derek Maxfield is an historian, author, playwright, and professor. Past speaking engagements include C-SPAN, libraries, Civil War Round Tables, historical societies, and theatrical venues. He has been a professor at Genesee Community College since 2009. In 2013 he was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Scholarship and Creative Activities, and in 2019, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has written historical plays that have toured the country for many years. He and his wife enjoy a quiet life in Churchville with their cats and python.
T11 Lunch
T12 Planting With a Purpose with Native Plants by Jan Beglinger
Jan has been the Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Coordinator for 15 years. She has spent the last 30 years transforming her lawn into a bird habitat and has added numerous native plants to her landscape to attract native bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
T13 Iris Watercolor by Adele Upton
Adele Upton is a retired elementary school teacher. She has enjoyed doing a variety of crafts her whole life and often incorporated crafts in her lessons for her 4th graders. She enjoys quilting, sewing, crocheting, knitting, calligraphy and decorative painting. Adele and her husband are also avid gardeners and participate in the Grand Island Garden Walk as well as the Open Gardens of WNY. Her crafts extend into the gardens also with making leaf casts and creating hypertufas. Adele is always on the lookout for new crafts to try!
T14 Making Theatrical Props-Fake Food by Mara Rooney
Mara has been painting in various mediums all her life and especially enjoys watercolors which she has begun to focus on more professionally in the last six years. Along with watercolor painting she also enjoys fiber arts, particularly, knit and crochet. She enjoyed fiber art so much she opened Dancing Goat Yarn Shop in Warsaw in 2010 and closed after 5 years of operation so she could once again pursue a career in painting for the theatre and entertainment industry. She worked as a Scenic Artist at The Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, PA for three years before freelancing at various theatres in Maine, New York, and more. She is currently the Charge Scenic Artist and Paint Dept. Lead for Atomic Design located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. She has painted scenery for The Academy Awards, The Tony Awards, The Grammy Awards, Wrestlemania, and more including various rock and roll tours such as the Taylor Swift Eras Tour.
T15 Coca- Cola Museum Tour by Dave Phillips Sr.
David Phillips attended Perry Central School graduating in 1968, served in USMC from 1970-74, got married in 1974 and had 6 children. From 1974-1986 he worked construction and then made a career change going to Roberts Wesleyan College from 1986-1990 receiving a BS degree in Elementary Education and a Masters degree in Elementary Education in 1994. From 1990 to 2012 he taught elementary school at Letchworth Central School retiring in 2012. Dave's hobbies are woodworking, collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia, making maple syrup, hunting, traveling, camping, walking and hiking. He attends Hope Chapel is Perry and has been involved with Odasagih Bible conference for several years. He's been on mission trips in the US and South America.
T16 Introduction to Ladders to Outdoors by Kejuan Harmon
In 2020, KeJuan graduated from Canisius College with a BS in Sports Management and during the unforeseen times KeJuan was able to join New York State Parks and the Natural Heritage Trust as the Ladders to the Outdoors Coordinator. Due to the success of the program KeJuan was promoted in late 2022 to Statewide Ladders to the Outdoors Coordinator where he has been tasked to help other regions of the state park system build out the Ladders program to help expand access to New York State Parks.
T17 Silver Lake Institute History in Photographs by Bob Murphy
Bob grew up in the Silver Lake Institute so he has a very long history of stories of this historical area. He is considered the SLI Historian and takes great pride in both his personal photo collection and being the steward of the Institute's vast black and white photograph collection. Bob is also one of the founding members of the Silver Lake Experience and offers a wide variety of workshops. If anyone has a question about the history of the Silver Lake Institute. Bob will probably have the answer or know how to find the answer.
T18 Miniature Floral Arranging by the Perry Garden Club
The Perry Garden Club was founded in 1950. The objectives of the club are to stimulate the love of gardening, encourage home and community beautification, promote better horticultural practices, and to encourage all forms of conservation. Their club flower is the Field Daisy (Chrysanthemum Leucantheum). They currently have 43 active members and are always accepting new members. They are members of the National Garden Clubs Inc., The Federated Garden Clubs of NYS, Inc, and the Seventh District Federated Garden Clubs of NYS -Section I. A very active club, they participate in several spring plantings around the community and contribute a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior going into an environmental or agricultural field. The Perry Garden Club has been a regular participant of the Silver Lake Experience-their workshops are always filled to capacity!
T19 Tour of Stained Glass Windows of Perry Congregational & Presbyterian Churches by Pastor Lynn S. Burdick, Marcia Niles, Jane Bellamy
Marcia Niles, a retired educator, is a multi-generational member of the First Congregational Church in Perry Center. The title and role of church historian is an inherited position from her mother. The appreciation and sentiment for the church are in her DNA.
Jane Bellamy: When we moved to Silver Lake 45 years ago, I visited several local churches before walking into the First Congregational Church of Perry Center. What attracted me at first sight were the unique stained glass windows; and they have continued to fascinate me and mystify me all these years.
With an education in Nursing, I rather unexpectedly moved to Silver Lake in 1979 with my husband Jim and 2 young boys, to test the waters of running a marina. After 45 years, we're still right here on Silver Lake, but now our son Quinn owns Silver Lake Marine and our son Mike returned from a 20 year career in China to develop Silverlaken. My only explanation is that "Nautical knots make strong family ties”.
Lynn Burdick has been a Commissioned Lay Pastor in the Presbytery of Genesee Valley since 2003 and is the current pastor at the Brick Presbyterian Church of Perry. Lynn has been serving the Brick Church part time since March 2020.
Lynn is a retired Senior Information Analyst from the University of Rochester where she was employed for 31 years. Lynn lives in Caledonia with her loyal canine companion, Paddy, who is frequently at church with Lynn during the week when she is working. In her free time Lynn enjoys hiking with Paddy and riding and competing in dressage with her horse Moxie.
T20 Flint Knapping by Ken Wallace
Local Castile resident Ken Wallace has been practicing the Art of Flintknapping for almost 40 years. Ken has lived in Castile his whole life, and now that he is retired, he loves hiking in Letchworth State Park and learning local history of the area. One of the things that intrigued Ken was the rich Native American history of the Genesee Valley. He found his first “arrowhead” in 1983 and that sparked a passion in him to learn how these early people made their Arrowheads, knives, and scraping tools out of stone. This quest began when he would pick up pieces of flint that had been chipped off a larger stone while walking in the fields where Native Americans had lived many years ago. These chips were brought home and the learning process began. Through much trial and error, he soon learned that the process was called Flintknapping. Flintknapping is the name given to the practice of chipping flint/chert stones into usable tools, knives and arrowheads. Ken uses traditional methods to accomplish this, using antler, stone, copper and leather to fashion the stones into the desired object. Native Americans were making their tools out of flint-like materials right up to the point of contact with European settlers.
T21 Intro to Line Dancing by Pam Fiegl
Pam Fiegl - How it all started for me: I had seen line dancing and was intrigued by it - but couldn't get any of my friends to give it a try with me. One day I saw a Pennysaver ad for a local class and decided I was going to just try it by myself. It was intimidating, but I loved it and stuck with it and never looked back. I've been dancing now close to 20 years. About 10 years ago, I was between jobs for about 6 months and I filled my time with practicing line dancing at home. The following year, with encouragement from a friend, I started teaching a class in Warsaw. I now have classes three nights a week. I also danced with a team based out of Lockport for about 4 years - doing demonstration performances several times a week throughout the year. I've also started a Facebook group for sharing line dance opportunities and communicating class information with my dancers throughout Wyoming, Genesee and Livingston Counties. Come to my session and I will share my passion with you!
T22 Zentangle by Carol Forden
Carol Forden is a former First Grade teacher in the Ken-Ton School District. She left teaching to be a full time Mom to 3 boys. United Methodist Women was a major interest, but now free time is taken up with Mah Jongg, crocheting and reading. Help was needed in her husband’s pediatric office and she worked there part time for 25 years. The Fordens are retired and enjoying life in Venice, Florida while spending the summers in Akron, New York.
T23 Open Swim at Asbury Pool
T24 Daily Devotion by Rev. Tom Kraft
Tom Kraft has been a United Methodist Pastor for 37 years. During that time, he has wrestled with the struggles over hard questions and difficult relationships with hundreds of people in sermons, Bible studies and counseling. One of the hardest struggles is helping people understand when forgiveness is appropriately offered, and when it isn't, and how to heal from brokenness caused by others. Tom, and his wife Reverend Jackie Ann Rose Kraft, have owned a cottage at Silver Lake for 38 years which is now their residence.
T25 Boat Houses and Lakefront Gardens by Tina Turner and Chuck Dusel
Tina and Chuck are seasonal residents of the Silver Lake Institute. Chuck has been coming to his original cottage since he was a baby and has many stories of times past. Tina are Chuck neighbors at the institute and have forged a wonderful friendship over the years. Together, they will take you on a tour of the historic boathouses and lakefront gardens of the Silver Lake Institute.
T26 Afternoon Tea @Sharon Pratt’s Porch
Sharon grew up in the Perry, NY area and remembers swimming in Silver Lake and attending Asbury (Camp) as a teenager. She is a 30 year resident of Silver Lake Institute where she has been a member of the SLI Board of Trustees, served as steward (chairperson) of Epworth Hall, and is a founding member of The Silver Lake Experience. Sharon has had a lifelong interest in history and architecture. She has retired from the Landmark Society of Western New York.
T27 Making a Cottage Your Own @Kathy Schaefer’s Porch
Kathy Schaefer is a retired educator and Service Learning Coordinator from Gates Chili High School in Rochester. She has been a summer resident of Silver Lake Institute for 22 years where she is a co-coordinator of The Silver Lake Experience, a steward of Stoody Hall and coordinator of Saturday Morning Cafes. Her favorite role is being "Nana" (which now spans over 19 years!) to Sophie (19), Ellie (16), Abby (11), and twins Aidan and Emory (5). She loves creating fun memories for them through baking sessions, "Nana Monster" hide and seek, unexpected scavenger hunts, family vacations, and surprise "damage days". They have rejuvenated her during difficult times and bring light and happiness to her world.
T28 Mindful Slow Art by Linda Franke
Linda Franke is an educator, teaching artist, rural advocate and mindfulness and integrative Nutrition health coach living and working in a small town in Western New York. She is currently working on a children’s book and building up her health coaching business, all while exploring the wonder and magic of the world with her family.
T29 Porch Chat @the Jello House by owner Doug Wilson
Rev. Dr. Doug Wilson, “Doug”, is a retired United Methodist Pastor. He has served several different churches including Perry United Methodist Church since 1969. He has a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling. He has been a resident of the Silver Lake Institute since 1996. His late wife Nancy passed away in 2020. Nancy enjoyed leading spiritual photography workshops. Doug enjoys watching his grandkids play a variety of sports.
T30 “My Free Time’ walk along the Lake/visit the SLE Store
T31 Lakefront Games-Cornhole by Kaelyn & Brandon Phillips
Kaelyn and Brandon are both teachers in the Churchville Chili School District after teaching for over 10 years in Baltimore County, Maryland. Kaelyn teaches 7th grade Health and has coached girls JV and varsity volleyball, tennis, and is currently the modified boys and girls swim coach. Brandon teaches Honors Geometry and 9th grade Algebra. He is currently the JV Baseball Coach for Churchville. They reside in Chili with their 5 year old twin sons.
T32 Pre-Concert Desserts by Glen Iris Inn
T33 Concert: Carnival Kids Steel Drum Band
T34 Lantern Walk with Lisa Schiske
Lisa and her husband have been cottage owners here at Silver Lake Institute for the past 17 years, feeling Blessed to live here at the Institute all summer long. Lisa is very passionate about community supported events and even more grateful that her husband of 37 years just smiles and nods his head as she runs out the door again to tend to another 'crazy idea she had in her head to be facilitated in their Silver Lake Community or back at home in Pavilion NY. Silver Lake is a magical place and Lisa is excited to share her love for fairies, angels, and lantern walks with all of those who sign up for the Silver Lake Experience. Lisa is back by popular demand after a wonderful 2022 SLE!
Thursday, August 1st
Presenters
2024 SILVER LAKE EXPERIENCE PRESENTER INFORMATION