HATHORNE — Superintendent Heidi T. Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School will host its annual Larkin Gala to help raise funds for the renovation of the Catherine Larkin Memorial Practice Cottage.
The event will be held on Saturday, May 20 on the lawn at Essex Tech, 565 Maple St. in Danvers. The event begins at 6 p.m.
The Larkin Gala is a fundraiser, named in honor of Lt. Catherine Larkin, an alumnus of the Essex County Agricultural School homemaking program and World War II nurse who died in a plane crash in 1945. Money raised supports the renovation and rebuilding of the Catherine Larkin Memorial Practice Cottage on the Essex Tech campus.
The original Larkin Memorial Cottage – a small Cape-style house- was built in 1950 in Larkin’s memory to continue the Homemaking School. The original cottage was the second-oldest building on campus, after Smith Hall.
The cottage is being rebuilt into a multi-use facility, including a historical museum, service kitchen, office space, an exhibit hall, a learning lab and function space.
This unique project gives students in the Construction CTAE programs — Carpentry, Construction Craft Laborer, Plumbing, Masonry, Electrical — hands-on experience in a major building project. It also affords them the chance to learn directly from workers in the union trades.
Students are involved in every aspect of the design and build process. All funds for the Larkin Cottage are raised through private donations such as those received via the Larkin Gala.
Recent progress on the cottage has included Construction Craft Laborers and Masonry students performing chimney work, roof sheathing and trim being completed by Carpentry students, and roof shingles, donated by Owens Corning, being installed by Precision Roofing in collaboration with the Carpentry students.
Siding has been donated by James Hardie, windows are on site for installation by the Carpentry students, and doors have been ordered. Landscaping students have presented a unique design for the surrounding grounds, and electrical permits have been secured.
The gala will take place under a tent on the lawn in front of Smith Hall, and will feature music, hors d’oeuvres, a live and a silent auction, and a farm-to-table meal prepared by Essex Tech culinary students. The event will also include a cash beer and wine bar.
Essex Tech will present the 2023 Larkin Lifetime Achievement Award to a community member who has demonstrated great success in the local agricultural industry.
Tickets are $150 each or $1,200 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/larkin-gala-tickets.
In addition to selling tickets to the event, organizers are seeking items and services to be donated for the live and silent auction that will be part of the gala, as well as seeking project sponsors.
Project sponsors will receive recognition in the evening’s program, signage at the event, and a plaque that will be displayed in the finished Larkin Cottage. There are five levels of sponsorship available: Iron ($250), Bronze ($500), Silver ($1,000), Gold ($2,000) and
Those interested in becoming a sponsor can sign up at https://larkincottage.square.site/.
To learn more about the Larkin Memorial Cottage Project and view pictures of ongoing student work, go to https://essexnorthshore.org/larkin/.
To learn more about past winners of the Larkin Lifetime Achievement Award, go to https://essexnorthshore.org/.
