We had a full schedule of events, museum visits, tool sales, and member displays. On Thursday, May 29, we travelled to the Genesee Country Village & Museum, the largest living history museum in New York State. The museum was chartered in 1966, to preserve the architecture of the Genesee Valley region in a recreated historic village, providing context for the telling of New York State and 19th-century American history. We had the opportunity to explore the village of 68 historic buildings, museums, and trades shops, all of which were handicap accessible. Costumed interpreters shared the stories of the historic buildings, and journeymen and apprentices demonstrated their crafts, which included coopering, shoemaking, dressmaking, pottery, woodworking, printing and pharmacology. It was certainly a full day of learning and exploration. There were also tours of the collections storage area and three hands on workshops for those seeking a more intensive dive into leather work, tool sharpening and tin painting were offered. After dinner we were entertained with a “whatsit” session with our renowned host Terry Page. It was a nice diversion and a fun way to end a busy day. Friday’s activities included visits to the George Eastman House Museums in downtown Rochester. George Eastman was a leader in developing film technology in the late 19th and early 20th century. The film library and museum is the world leader in the collection of all aspects of film preservation, conservation, and collecting. The large museum was completed in 1989 and the collections and exhibitions were moved out of the Eastman House and into this modern climate controlled and accessible building. George Eastman’s house has since been returned to a museum dedicated to preserving the home and furnishings of the Eastman family as it was left in 1932 at George Eastman’s death. It was a great experience to visit and many of our members also enjoyed touring the beautiful gardens behind the Eastman house. On Friday afternoon we travelled to Victor, N.Y. to visit the Valentown Museum. Valentown Hall, a 19th Century, four story building constructed by Levi & Alanson Valentine to be a shopping plaza and community center (complete with underground parking!) at a busy crossroads, it soon became a home for the local Grange. Today it is an intriguing Museum housing many exhibits that depict historic made- in-America tools, artifacts and furnishings that represent rural life in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The landmark four-story building is a rare example of 19th century architecture that has remained almost unaltered since its construction in 1879. After dinner, we returned to the hotel ballroom for a live tool auction presented by Great Planes Trading Company. There were 250 lots of tools, antiques, and irresistible objects to bid on! Saturday was dedicated to member tool displays, tool exchange, and a variety of presentations by members including past EAIA President Dana Shoaf, of Middletown, Md., who shared information and a presentation about his large collection of 19th Century photographs of craftspeople with the tools of their trade. Another presenter was long time member Frank Kosmerl of Victor, N.Y., who shared his extensive knowledge and expertise of surveying, and surveying tools. Jane Griswold Radocchia shared her knowledge of the history of the compass and carpenter square. The theme for our conference was “Tools & Trades Along the Erie Canal.” Saturday evening concluded the conference. The always popular annual silent auction brought lots of competition for the great hand-crafted objects, antiques, books, and more! The conference ended with a banquet, awards ceremony, and a program on the history of the Erie Canal by Craig Williams, Canal Historian. Did you know that the canal was called the “mother of cities,” because it gave rise to so many cities, towns and villages along its passage? Rochester is one of them. It was a wonderful conference and we look forward to next May when our conference will be held in Burlington, Vermont, centered around the Shelburne Museum. Save the date, May 27-30, 2026.