A most unusual auction in Hammondsport
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

Pictured at left and above are two sample murals of the Palettes of Keuka summer promotion project. The Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce will auction off the palettes Saturday, Sept. 8.

HAMMONDSPORT -

The Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce will hold an auction Saturday, Sept. 8, to sell up to 35 wooden murals shaped like giant artist palettes and depicting scenes of Keuka Lake.

A preview will begin at noon, with the auction to follow at 1 p.m. Proceeds will be used to fund future art projects by the Chamber, according to John Jensen, president.

The murals are part of the Chamber's Palettes of Keuka summer promotion and have been used in guiding tourists around the lake. Each measures roughly 4-feet by 6-feet; altogether, the palettes represent a variety of styles. One, hanging over Hammondsport's Park Inn, depicts a Daliesque collapse of time and is titled "Lake Time." Another, more traditional palette, depicts a cabin on the shore of the lake.

Hammondsport teacher Helen Monroy hatched the Palettes of Keuka idea after driving her son to college in New England and seeing a similar project along the streets of Bennington, Vt. She pitched the idea to the Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce, and the idea took off.

FILE PHOTOS