Hi! I know it's late notice, but I just got this today. Wed., from
the WXXI-FM Cultural Calendar. (For info on Subscribing, contact me.)
Bonnie Glickman, Rochester NY
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> "Lunch & Learn" series.
> A talk on the Civil war.
> Garden Pavilion Restaurant in the Historic Village 538-6822
> Genesee Country Museum, Mumford
> 12:00
Also of historical interest:
> Garden Talk! "What's in Bloom?"
> Join landscape curator Deidre Cunningham for a guided walk
> through the gardens.
> George Eastman House 271-3361
> 900 East Avenue
> 5:30 PM
> The George Eastman House is adding evening hours on Thursdays.
> The House will be open until 8:00pm
> 271-3361
> Peppermint Days Festival. The event promises a variety of
> entertainment including: band concert, kiddie parade, crafts,
> street dance, canoe races, gigantic fireworks and much more.
> (July 15 thru 18, 1999)
> Lyons Village Park 1-800-527-6510
> Wayne County
P.S. I included the Lyons Festival because of the connection to the
Hotchkiss Peppermint Oil Company of Lyons NY (hence the name -
Peppermint Days). For MANY years, this was a world famous company,
and their premium product earned many distinguished awards. I met
an Indian graduate student at Stony Brook who was most impressed
that I had been to Lyons; he thought Lyons must be a "big, important
city" because Hotchkiss Peppermint Oil was available all over India
in the pharmacies to treat digestive, etc. disorders. (When I was a
kid, my Dad made our toothpowder and flavored it with Hotchkiss
Peppermint! We also had a book called "Forgotten Stories of the Finger
Lakes", which included the Hotchkiss saga. I believe the book is
available as a reprint - it's one of my favorites.)
I don't know if the company is still in business. The founder
(Charles?) developed and patented a technique for extracting the
oil; the fields around Lyons were planted with peppermint, so the
company was a huge economic resource for the region. Eventually
the company could not obtain all the peppermint it needed from NY,
so they contracted with farmers "out west".
I visited the factory in Lyons in the 70's to meet with one of the
last two remaining Hotchkiss sisters, who were both single, so I
believe the family line has now died out. The factory still stands
on the Erie Canal which was crucial to its success in not only
distributing the finished product, but also in delivering the plants.
In fact, one of the old fields which has reverted to woods was given
to the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society; it's on the Lyons/Pilgrims-
port Rd. just outside of the town limits. Across the road, what
appears to be a simple drainage ditch is actually a remnant of the
original "Clinton's Ditch"!
Regards,
Bonnie Glickman, Rochester NY B)
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