Visit the 1941 Historic Aircraft Museum, the New Deal Gallery, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Exhibit, and you’ve done the Greatest Generation Trail.
County Tourism Director Lisa Burns remarked that these exhibits will “give a wonderful understanding of the Greatest Generation history.”
“And if you visit all three, you can enter to win a Greatest Generation Memorabilia Package valued at $100,” Lisa explained during a Winter Lecture Series talk at the Mount Morris Dam Visitor Center last Saturday.
At the Historic Aircraft Museum, a visitor can get a hands-on WWII aircraft; it’s also the site of the Geneseo Air Show each summer. Lisa said that one can also see the movie Memphis Belle there—titled after a WWII B-17 Bomber piloted by a young crew on dangerous bombing raids in Europe.
The New Deal Gallery at the Livingston County Campus on Murray Hill in Mount Morris features a permanent exhibit of paintings by artists who were paid for their creations by the federal government’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression.
Some of the paintings are in need of restoration, and anybody can ‘adopt’ one by giving a monetary donation; that’s just what Lisa did when she chose a painting which will be dedicated to her late mother.
“My mom, Anna Tremblay, of the Greatest Generation and a first generation immigrant to the United States loved her new country, and she had a strong belief in it. I know she will look down with pride on the painting of a farmers’ market that will look just like new,” Lisa reflected.
Evidence of the CCC’s legacy can be found in the remarkable stonework throughout Letchworth State Park. A commemorative statue, depicting a CCC worker is located in the Lower Falls Area.
Lisa commented on the benefits of tourism: “The industry generates about 7 billion dollars in New York State; that’s almost as much as our state deficit,” she quipped.
She noted that the average tourist staying a day and overnight in our area will spend nearly $100. Plus, tourists have “low impact” on our environment and infrastructure she said.
Lisa ended her talk with a ‘party,’ bringing wine and chocolate to be shared with the audience. She was quick to note that these treats were associated with our county.
The Queen of Hearts brand wine (after all, it was the day before Valentines Day) came from wineries along Conesus Lake, and the chocolate was obtained from the Abbey of the Genesee.
Lisa’s enthusiasm, likeability and sense of humor make her perfect as tourism promoter. “If my pride about what Livingston County has to offer doesn’t show through, I don’t know where it will,” she concluded, grinning.
For more details about the Greatest Generation Trail or other tourist attractions in Livingston County, go to fingerlakeswest.com website or call the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce at 585-243-2222 or 800-538-7365.