Category: Uncategorized

If you would like to know why we think it is safe to hold the Winter Lecture Series at the Community Center, read on.

If you are like us, you assess your risks before heading out into the world.  It is different for everyone depending on age and state of health.  Here is how we plan to make things safe should you desire to attend the lectures.

Our first line of defense is our attendees.  At our last in-person lecture in October, we had 100% mask compliance and no noticeable sneezing or coughing.  You can expect to encounter a more careful roomful of people than you might find in another setting.  You can’t be infected if no one is spreading the virus.

We require attendees to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth.  It can greatly reduce, but not completely eliminate risk.   Masks are highly effective in preventing viral deposits in the lungs for all droplet sizes.  Masks are very effective in stopping the transmission of larger droplets, and the droplets that do escape are drawn down by gravity starting at about 2 ½ feet. This is why we ask that you social distance, even when wearing a mask.  But masks are slightly less effective against the smaller droplets commonly known as aerosols. Wearing  a multilayer surgical or cloth mask can reduce nasal deposition (viral load) by half for 3 µm–10 µm aerosols and by four to five times for 15-µm aerosols.  Still effective, but less so as compared to the larger droplets.  These aerosols can float for hours and accumulate over time in an indoor space.  But whether or not they can build to a concentration where someone can become infected is debatable, especially in a mask-wearing room.

Let’s assume the possibility of one or more asymptomatic carriers attending the lecture.  In addition to the above measures, our choice of using the Center lowers the possible risk.  The room is large and airy, and our attendance limit is about ¼ of its capacity.  In addition, the center has installed an ultraviolet germicidal unit in the air-handling system of the furnace to disinfect the air before it is returned to the room.  An article in the July 24th issue of The Lancet, a respected medical journal, recommended air disinfection with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, which they said might be especially helpful in congregate settings.

We might add that a local civic organization has been holding hour long meetings weekly at the Center since mid-August without incident.

We’re not medical experts.  Everyone has to make their own decision when it comes to personal risk.  We feel we are offering a relatively safe environment for you to enjoy a night out.  But if it’s not for you, then we hope to be able to offer a recording of each lecture in the near future.  Be safe and be well, as we continue through life’s journey.

 

The Marbletown Schoolhouse will once again be open to visitors Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm  starting  August 15th through September 26th.  We hope you will stop by and tour the building. Our volunteer docents will be happy to show you around and answer any questions.

It’s a snug, red-bricked building, commanding the northeast corner of the Marbletown and Miller Roads intersection in the Town of Arcadia. The small hamlet of Marbletown is located just south of Newark, NY.  The schoolhouse, built in 1876, was a landmark in this rural hamlet and served the area children until it closed its doors in l947. when Truman was President.

During those intervening years, hundreds of children, from Grades l through 8, were taught by one teacher, in one room.  When the Newark-Arcadia Schools were centralized, students were bused to the Village, and the rural one-room schools (of which there were 19) were closed.  Marbletown Schoolhouse is a classic example of a simpler time; one slower paced and perhaps offering a more friendly and personal way of learning.  The wood stove is still operational as is the school bell and most of the desks, found up in the attic recesses, are original to the building.

Marbletown Schoolhouse has been lovingly restored by the Newark-Arcadia Historical Society members, to reflect the 1940’s – the time of the last class, the final goodbye!

It plays host to visitors year round. The treasures within the building are fondly admired as well as the grounds outside where so many happy students played.

Anyone interested in visiting or arranging a tour of the schoolhouse please contact the Newark Arcadia Museum at 315-331-6409.

Hello friends of N-AHS,

I’m Jim Weiler and I became president of the Society on June 15, 2020.  It’s a challenging time for the Society as it is for the world in general.   We have had to walk down a number of new roads in the past five months, but as the uncertainty has subsided, our path has become clearer.  The museum is now open from 1:00 to 3:00 on Saturdays and we are exploring the possibility of also opening the schoolhouse to the public.  We are hoping to host an outdoor lecture in late August and then again in September if all goes well.  Indoor lectures will have to wait until better times.

I follow Cindy Russell into the presidency.  I can’t hope to match Cindy’s knowledge and perception pertaining to our local history, but I do hope to be an able caretaker of the needs of the organization.  We’re looking forward to the future.