The Health Foundation for Western and Central New York (HFWCNY) has awarded Fulton Block Builders (FBB) a grant for a Living History Tour on South 1st Street in Fulton. “In 2021, HFWCNY awarded a $10,000 grant to FBB and we are pleased to announce that we were selected by the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York @hfwcny, in partnership with The New York Academy of Medicine @nyamnyc, as one of 18 new grantee partnerships through their Age-friendly: Go Local program!” said Linda Eagan FBB Director. “Go Local supports neighborhood-level groups and organizations in building equitable communities through locally focused healthy-aging projects.”
As Eagan explained, “This is a very exciting project that goes beyond FBB’s original mission. A new group, inspired by the success of FBB, came together last winter. They named themselves the ‘Reimagine Fulton Group’ and are working to support the city in its endeavors and helping out where needed. The group decided to highlight the historical prominence of Fulton and came up with the idea of a Living History Tour.”
The tour will guide participants through some of the city of Fulton’s proud past. Once a thriving, industry-based community, like many cities in the Northeastern United States, Fulton suffered as factories with good-paying jobs left the area. Reminders of what made Fulton a great place to live still stand, especially along the Oswego River, a powerful natural resource that flows through the city.
Using the format of a narrated tour, those participating will have the option to walk or travel by bus as a historian provides information about key monuments and moments in Fulton’s past. Some stops along the tour will feature senior citizens sharing stories, enhancing the historian’s narrative with their unique memories. Other stops will feature members from Fulton’s high school and city-based theatre troupes acting out historical moments described in the narration. At the tour’s conclusion, a restaurant on the tour path will provide refreshments for the participants to enjoy, while reminiscing, exchanging stories and discovering connections with one another through a shared past.
Tours will take place on Saturday, September 30; Sunday, October 1 and Sunday, October 8 from 1:00 to 3:00. Information on how to register for the Living History Tour will be announced in the coming weeks.
