Upcoming Events
Watkinstown Day
Saturday, June 6th — 11am - 4pm @ Old Town Square/Kiandaga Park, Naples, NY
Did you know that as you walk through Old Town Square/Kiandaga Park and several local businesses today in the north part of the Village of Naples that you are following in the footsteps of Naples's founders, sometimes even into original structures? Step into the stories of Naples history in the original location of Watkinstown, the first white settlement in this area that eventually became Naples.
11:00am - Naples Historian Kenton Poole will give Opening Remarks "Significance of Watkinstown & Naples's first 100 Years"
11:30am & 2pm - Fairview Cemetery Tours with Ken Poole: Revolutionary War Soldiers, Watkinstown Settlers, Headstone Restoration
12:30pm - Historic Naples Walking Tour with Tracy Erwin
Throughout the Day - Watkinstown District businesses are offering special activities, including a blacksmithing demonstration, live music, a raffle drawing, and lots more! Click here for complete schedule of events, updated as the date nears.
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to spread out on the Old Town Square; visit local restaurants, breweries & wineries for delicious picnic fare! Meet local organizations with big impact in our community: Hospeace House, Daughters of the American Revolution, Bristol Valley Theater, and Naples Rotary. The Naples Historical Society will have an information table under the tent on the Old Town Square and the Cleveland House Museum will be open for a pre-season sneak peak!
Bill Vierhile's 100th Birthday Celebration
Saturday, June 13th 3:00 - 5:00pm
@ Morgan Hose Building, 22 Mill St, Naples, NY
Bill’s 100th birthday would have been on June 9th, 2026 and we’re remembering him with a party and the unveiling of a “laurels board” (courtesy of the Ontario County Historical Society’s summer exhibit, “Changemakers in Ontario County”), along with a short tribute to Bill from the Naples Historical Society and Naples Rotary, to honor his contributions to both organizations. Join us to share stories, old photos, cake & refreshments. Wayne Buchar will also give a quick update on the Naples Red Mill/Bill's Dream Project.
Freedom Festival 2026: Canandaigua & the Bristol Hills Celebrate Our Nation's 250th
Saturday, June 13th & Sunday, June 14th 10:00am - 4:00pm
@ Levi Corser Memorial Park, Bristol, NY
Join us during this weekend-long celebration, with entertainment and activities centered on life in the Finger Lakes during our nation’s earliest days, including Revolutionary and Civil War reeanactor encampment, Native American history, live folk music, food vendors, craftspeople and pioneer life demonstrtons. Saturday: NHS Board Member Kim Torpey will lead a cornhusk doll-making worshop beginning at 10am in the Harmony Circle Pavilion. (Stick around afterwards for a presentation by Haudenosaunee storyteller Perry Ground!) Sunday: Bristol Fun Day, the traditional town celebration with local vendors, vintage car show and Flag Day dedication ceremony. See us at the parade and stop by the NHS table to meet us in person! Free Admission both days. More details:
Cleveland House Museum 2026 Open Hours
Saturdays & Sundays, 11:00am - 3:00pm from July 11th - August 29th
This year we are presenting “Naples History Through the Eye of the Quilter”, a show of 12 historic quilts from our archives, ranging from a late 1880s coverlet to a 1930s quilt possibly used as mortgage payment; a quilt presented to the Village of Naples in honor of its bicentennial in 1989, depicting local landmarks and stitched by many familiar names; and several more pieces with stories to tell, including a Mystery Quilt.
In researching names written in this quilt’s squares, we found some are buried in local cemeteries, from 1846 onward — leading us to believe the quilt may even be pre-Civil War!
In coordination with this show, we are excited to welcome acclaimed quilt artist Pat Pauly to present two special talks at the Cleveland House:
• Saturday, July 11th @1pm - "Naples Quilts in the Quilting Universe" with Pat Pauly
• Saturday, August 29th @1pm - "Naples Quilts in the Quilting Universe" with Pat Pauly
ABOUT PAT PAULY: Known for her improvisational piecing and printing techniques, Pat Pauly is a quilter and fiber artist. Her use of bold color and unusual juxtapositions of her printed and painted fabric land her award-winning art in exhibitions around the world. A sought-after lecturer and teacher, from Juneau, Alaska to San Diego, California, Birmingham, England and Melbourne, Australia her talks on contemporary art quilts as a counterpart to historic quilts, carry the same qualities as her work - energized, spontaneous, and definitive. Pat curates and designs exhibitions of contemporary and historic textiles, at times seen side by side. The juxtaposition of the motif and design of historic quilts has direct decedents in contemporary work, and it is that history of quilt making she maintains is the bond of all fiber work on view today. She maintains a studio in Rochester, New York. Visit her web site www.patpauly.com to see her portfolio.