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Peekskill Celebrates Past, Looks Forward At 75th Anniversary Gala

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- Peekskill residents will celebrate the past while looking forward to the future at a gala celebration for the City’s 75th anniversary on Oct. 24.

Peekskill will celebrate its 75th anniversary at a gala on Oct. 24 at The Mansion at Colonial Terrace in Cortlandt Manor.

Peekskill will celebrate its 75th anniversary at a gala on Oct. 24 at The Mansion at Colonial Terrace in Cortlandt Manor.

Photo Credit: Contributed

In September 1609, Henry Hudson, captain of the Halve Maen, anchored along the reach of the Hudson at Peekskill. His firstmate noted in the ship's log that it was a "very pleasant place to build a town.” Many question why a '75th anniversary?' Despite having had an extraordinary long history, it wasn’t until 1940 that the City actually became incorporated. It is this history that is being memorialized at the gala.

Committee co-chair Jini George-Cummins said seven former mayors have been invited to the gala, which will be held at The Mansion at Colonial Terrace in Cortlandt Manor. It begins with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. and tickets are $125. People can click here to purchase tickets online.

  • Peekskill 75th Anniversary Gala Facts
  • When: Saturday, October 24, 6 p.m.
  • Where: The Mansion at Colonial Terrace, Cortlandt Manor
  • What: Dinner with cocktail hour, band and dinner to celebrate the town's 75th anniversary
  • Tickets: $125

Among the seven former mayors the committee hopes will attend is Presidential candidate George Pataki. The former Governor of New York served as Peekskill’s Mayor from 1981-84 and thus launched his political career. He is a Peekskill native and graduated from Peekskill High School.

“We hope he’ll be able to join us along with the other former mayors’’ said George-Cummins, co-chair of the event with Frank Goderre. "We have already heard from three of them and our current Mayor Frank Catalina will be in attendance. We believe this will be a special moment for our event. It’s going to be a wonderful celebration for Peekskill.”

The genesis for the gala started last year when Mayor Catalina approached a few interested citizens about developing plans to celebrate the City’s 75th anniversary. The city created two marquee events, a ball drop last New Year’s Eve, and the gala. George-Cummins said the ball drop figures to be a permanent activity while the gala is a one-time event.

“The ball drop was enormously successful,’’ George-Cummins said. “When we talked with the Mayor, we said we’d also like to do the gala. It’s a good opportunity for everyone in the community to come together.” He enthusiastically agreed. While the City celebrated the 25th and 50th anniversaries, this will be the first gala for a significant anniversary. Both events were privately funded through efforts of the anniversary committee.

George-Cummins said the gala has been well-received by the community, with interest spiking as the date approaches. “It’s been very upbeat. We’ve been getting a lot of emails and questions from the community. We think it’s going to be an exciting night."

 The gala will include a live band, cocktails with food stations and dinner with a choice of four entrees.

Honorary chairs of the event are former mayors Frances Gibbs and Fred Bianco, a three-term Peekskill mayor who died in January.

Click here to visit the event’s Facebook page and click here to purchase tickets.

This article is part of a paid Content Partnership with the advertiser, Barbara Bodnar. Daily Voice has no involvement in the writing of the article and the statements and opinions contained in it are solely those of the advertiser.

To learn more about Content Partnerships, click here.

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