The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
ORGANIZATIONS HOST ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Fundraiser for two groups provides music, access to museum gift shop
The Lorain Historical Society members enjoyed the weather with some cool flavored treats Aug. 8 at an annual ice cream social.
Executive Director Barb Piscopo described the outdoor event as the highlight of their summer, offering people the chance to pull a chair and enjoy ice cream and live music in support of a good cause, while also checking out the gift shop with a number of Lorain themed items and a craft fair on site.
“This is really our first big event that we’ve done in person for sure this year and we’re just really happy to see people come out, people having a good time, have some ice cream, and just kind of socialize and get back together again,” Piscopo said.
The fundraiser was in collaboration with Prayers from Maria, an organization dedicated to research for childhood brain tumors known as gliomas.
Money raised supported both organizations, leaders said.
Prayers from Maria brought an ice cream wagon to serve the treats, a collaboration in place since 2020.
With the COVID-19 delta variant impacting Ohio, Piscopo added they weren’t certain where health guidelines would be in the lead up to the event, and decided to welcome them back. She said gathering outside where people felt safe was an opportunity to reflect.
With the 40th anniversary of the Lorain Historical Society on the horizon this year, guests also were given an anniversary cookie.
On Sept. 17 the Lorain Historical Society will hold a 40th anniversary annual meeting at The Shipyards where they will welcome keynote speaker Sean Kelley, the director of public programming and senior vice-president of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.
The facility is a former prison now open to the public as a museum. Kelley will share his story of harnessing the museum to have deep conversations about mass incarceration in America, and the role museums and historical societies play in shaping a community’s narrative.
Additional events coming up for the Lorain Historical Society include a second annual golf outing on Aug. 29 at Fox Creek Golf Club in Lorain, and the opening of the Latino Lorain history project special exhibit on Sept. 15 in collaboration with Oberlin College and El Centro de Servicios Sociales.