Awards Gala

JUNE 10, 2026

SKANEATELES COUNTRY CLUB

PURCHASE TICKETS

Presented at the Skaneateles Country Club

Business Attire
Open to the public – Tickets $150 each

  • Program to include a showcase of each of the five inductees

  • Great opportunity to mingle with the Finger Lakes community

Your support will make a lasting impact by funding restoration projects, educational initiatives, and community programs that keep Skaneateles history alive.

Sponsorships

Lightning Class (Honoree Sponsor) - $ 1,750.00

• Plaque name in the Museum
• Full page program ad
• Social media recognition
• Logo on presentation board at venue
• Table tent card
• Tickets included for a Table of 8 seating
• Website listing

Comet Class - $ 1,000.00

• Half-page program ad
• Logo on the presentation board and mentioned at the venue
• Social media recognition
• Website listing

Bantom Class: $ 750.00

• Quarter-page program ad
• Presentation aboard and mention at the venue
•Social media recognition
• Website listing

Skiff Class: $ 250.00

• Name listing in program
• Social media recognition
• Website listing

Skiff Sponsorship
Bantom Sponsorship
Comet Sponsorship

Dinghy Class: $ 100.00

• Name listing in program

Dinghy Sponsorship
BECOME A SPONSOR NOW

Keeping boating alive and well on Skaneateles Lake has been a passion of several boating enthusiasts in and around Central New York.

In addition to leisure boating, rowing, kayaking, and paddle sports, sailing has come to dominate summer activities on the lake.

On Wednesday, June 10th, the Skaneateles Historical Society will be recognizing five area families for their contributions to promoting boating and boat travel on Skaneateles Lake.

The gala event will take place at the Skaneateles Country Club beginning at 5:00 pm and will include a plated meal, music, a guest speaker, and an awards presentation.

This event will recognize those who have helped support and promote boating on Skaneateles Lake.

2026 Honorees

The Bowdish Company (1880’s) was the first large-scale manufacturer of boats established in the 1880 ‘s by Nelson Samuel Bowdish (1831-1916)and his son Edward(1856-1938)  from Cooperstown, New York Both men were well known for their artistic ability, detailed craftsmanship, invention and  quality manufacture of rowboats, sailing craft, and custom- made wooden boats. The Bowdish legacy helped shape the early identity of Skaneateles as a center for wooden boat craftsmanship and regional art.

The Bowdish Company

Wells A. Harwich (1878-1934) was a retail and wholesale grocer in Skaneateles and Auburn. Mail was delivered to residents on the lake by steamboat beginning in the 1800’s. Following the demise of the steamboats, mail delivery was privatized. In 1922, a contract was issued to a group of cottage residents who formed the Skaneateles Navigation Co. Wells  was employed from 1918 to 1934, managing coordination and operation of the supply and delivery of mail, passengers, ice and groceries until 1934.

Wells Hardwich
Bill Eberhart

The Eberhardt name is synonymous with Skaneateles Lake hospitality. The Sherwood Inn is owned by the Eberhardts offering rooms with beautiful lake views. They were key supporters  of early efforts to get the annual boat show of the Finger lakes  Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society a permanent  home in Skaneateles. Their latest acquisition is Mid-Lakes  Navigation in 2020, providing mail delivery and boat tours for all.

Bent Thomsen

Bent Thomsen (1933-2024) immigrated to the United States from Denmark in 1959. He and his family settled in Homer,  spending summers on the south end of Skaneateles Lake. There, the family discovered a love for sailing. After retirement, Bent lived full-time on the north end of Skaneateles Lake. He belonged to the Skaneateles Country Club, where many of the Lightning anniversary regattas were hosted. Bent became involved with the expansion of the Skaneateles Historical Society Museum’s boat wing in 1990. He introduced the Danish custom of hanging a boat from a ceiling symbolizing gratitude for a safe voyage and honoring seafarers.

Paul Torrisi Sr.

Paul Torrisi Sr. has been selected as an inductee into the  Boating Hall of Fame based on his decades-long leadership protecting the quality of Skaneateles Lake, beginning in the 1980’s with the Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Pure Water Association and its successor organization, the Skaneateles Lake Association. Paul was President of the SLA from 2011 to 2024. He and his team witnessed the rapid increase in challenges to the lake water quality and developed responsive strategies to address those challenges: Millfoil control, boat launch stewardship, hazardous Algae Bloom, established the SLA Legacy Fund, and appointment of a full-time director. Paul continues on the SLA board, providing leadership and looking forward to the future.

Thank You to last year’s Sponsors

2025 Award Recipients

  • The Barnes Brothers

    John and George Barnes were avid sailors and are credited with the building and development of the Lightning class sailboat.

  • Dick and Janet Besse

    Providing amajor contribution to sailing on the lake, they established the Sailboat Shop in the mid-1970s, they built and sailed competitive boats, founded and promoted the Skaneateles Sailing Club and endowed that club’s future success.

  • Arnie Rubenstein

    His on-going support of the annual Skaneateles Antique and Classic Boat Show has drawn classic boat enthusiasts regularly from throughout the northeast and has had exhibitors from throughout the country and Canada.

  • HONOREE

    Dick Sherwood

    Also being recognized for his work with Arnie and others in bringing the FLC show to Skaneateles (celebrating 31 years in Clift Park in 2025). Both Arnie and Dick, along with others, also helped bring the parent organization’s (ACBS) annual meeting and International Boat Show to Skaneateles in 2015.

  • The Wiles Family

    In 1968, Peter Wiles (Sr) bought the Pat II from Don Stinson, continuing mail service to lake shore residents from the village of Skaneateles en Haven at the south end of the lake. The company expanded through the years, utilizing the boats Pat II, Miss Clayton, Barbara S. Wiles, and in 1983, building Judge Ben Wiles which continues to operate on the lake.

    At the “Borodino Boat Barn” they also built canal boats of their own design and operated a small-ship cruise on the Emita II along the NYS Canal System.

  • The Stinson Family

    Represented by Bill Stinson III, the family is credited with establishing the Stinson Boat Line which delivered US Mail on the lake and provided rides and tours beginning in 1939.

  • Dick and Janet Besse

    A duel honor, tThe Besses established the Sailboat Shop in the mid-1970’s, they built and sailed competitive boats, founded and promoted the Skaneateles Sailing Club and endowed that club’s future success.