The Finger Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce says its September harvest celebration in Penn Yan raised more money than any previous edition of the fundraiser, though it did not release a dollar total.
The Sept. 24 Membership Harvest Celebration returned to Climbing Bines Hop Farm & Brewery for a second year, according to an Oct. 8 chamber release. It is one of the chamber's two main annual fundraisers, with proceeds supporting programs and services for member businesses.
The evening ran from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and included a harvest raffle and silent auction that the chamber said both set fundraising records for the event. Ace Automatics catered a new menu, and Brent Bond performed live music.
Children 15 and younger could attend free. The Boys & Girls Club of Geneva staffed a supervised Kids Corral with pumpkin painting, cookie decorating and playtime for toddlers, allowing parents to take part in the chamber gathering.
Chamber President Miranda Odell credited sponsors, volunteers, the caterer and the venue for the fundraiser's result. The chamber did not provide an attendance figure or the amount raised, so the scale of the record cannot be independently quantified from the release.
The event began in 2017 and has moved among regional venues. This year's celebration also included a photo area, floral arrangements donated by Sinicropi Florist and a tractor display from Champlain Valley Equipment. Community Broadband Networks, Servpro of Victor/Canandaigua and Cayuga Nation were promotional sponsors, while other businesses supported the event as community sponsors and annual chamber partners.
The chamber's other principal annual fundraiser is its Chamber Cup Golf Tournament in May. Its next announced gathering is a Business After Hours networking mixer from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 18 at N-Hance of the Finger Lakes. The chamber lists admission at $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers and asks people to reserve by emailing info@flxchamber.com.
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