“Opera Houses and Halls of the Genesee Country” with Jane Oakes (10/1/26)

The October 1st meeting of the Honeoye Falls – Town of Mendon Historical Society will feature Jane Oakes, whose topic will be “Opera Houses and Halls of the Genesee Country”

From the mid-19th century to the Depression, nearly every city, village or hamlet in New York State had its opera house or hall, but did they really only show operas? The answer may surprise you! Many of these structures have fallen to fire or ‚Äúprogress,‚Äù but some remain hidden in our communities. Learn about the role of the opera house in our ancestors’ social life, and see examples of the most frequently built styles from a ten county region. Currently, Jane maintains the largest known database of opera houses and halls across New York State.

Jane Oakes has been involved with historic education for over fifty years, beginning with volunteer work as a teen at the Valentown Museum in Victor, NY under the tutelage of the renowned historian J. Sheldon Fisher. She taught classes in open hearth cooking, nineteenth century schooling and historic architecture for Genesee Country Village & Museum, was a Museum Studies and Local History teacher-consultant for the regional BOCES Gifted and Talented programs, and conducted 18th and 19th century cooking classes/demonstrations at museums and historic sites in four states. She spent five years as the School Tours and Education Coordinator for the William Mills Mansion Museum in Mt. Morris, NY. Her research into local history has contributed to the placement of two structures in Livingston County onto the National Register of Historic Places (the Avon Opera Block and Avon’s Five Arch Bridge), and has been a consultant for regional museums in the Western New York area, as well as for groups and individuals seeking advice on restoring historic opera houses. She has been a Revolutionary War, French and Indian War, and American Fur Trade Era reenactor and holds a BA in Theater with a minor in Anthropology, and an MA in History. Her well illustrated presentations are lively and engaging, leading to consistent requests for return engagements.

The meeting will begin at 7:30pm on Thursday, October 1, 2026 at the Mendon Community Center, 167 North Main Street in Honeoye Falls. This facility is handicapped accessible. The meeting is open to the public.