By Marianne Christy
Friends and supporters of Old Forge native Scott Hall have been busy the last few weeks gathering donations from area businesses that will be used to raise funds at a Sunday, February 22 benefit, the proceeds of which will assist Hall with personal and medical expenses related to his on-going treatment for leukemia.
The event will be held at Van Auken’s Inne in Thendara from 2 to 6 p.m. and will include live music by local musicians, raffles, auctions and beverages.
All food is being generously donated by Van Auken’s owners, the Moore family, said Jim Kiefer, a co-organizer of the event.
Admission fee is $15 per person or $25 per couple.
Children under the age of 12 are admitted free. Additional donations will be gratefully accepted.
Kiefer said the outpouring of generosity by the community has been overwhelming thus far with donations ranging from gift certificates for restaurants, shops and services to gift baskets, original art and photography, handcrafted quilts and furniture—some with retail values up to $1,000.
Donating their musical talents will be Jim and Gwen Tracy, Joe Bolton and John Christy, Paul Case and Kids Again, John Harrington and Doug Green.
Hall is a 1978 Town of Webb UFSD graduate and son of Old Forge resident Myrna Hall and the late Willy Hall.
From the time he was a teenager and up until his diagnosis 16 months ago, he has worked in the field of golf course construction.
He got his start at his grandfather and father’s business, Hall and Lindsay, and later traveled across the country and internationally as a professional golf course finish shaper.
His most current employment is with Jordan Golf Design of Manlius where he was lead shaper for the company’s most recent courses, including Champion Hills Country Club in Victor, NY and the Lazy Swan Golf & Country Club in Saugerties, NY.
He previously worked for Wadsworth Golf Construction Company, where he shaped projects designed by architects such as Arthur Hills, Robert Trent Jones and Tom Weiskopf.
His international experience includes work in Portugal, Sweden and Canada.
Hall underwent a bone marrow transplant in October 2014, and has since been receiving treatment at Roswell Cancer Center in Buffalo.
Anyone wishing to donate items or gift certificates for the live and Chinese auctions may drop them off at Shelter, 3109 Main Street, Old Forge, or at the Old Forge Visitor Information Center.
For more information or to arrange for a donation pick up call: Jim Kiefer at (315) 369-5014, Bill McDonough at 369-5093, Kelly Boulier at 369-3269, or Dan Tickner at 369-8562.