New Year's Ball Drop Debut Set

RENSSELAER FALLS - Tammy L. Cotton and Donald D. Sendlak are hoping to bring some New Year's Eve cheer to the village.

"We're doing a ball drop over at the old church to create a little fun in town. A lot of people hang home on New Year's. Hopefully, this will be a community gathering of sorts," Mr. Sendlak said.

An industrial contractor, metal fabricator and artist from Buffalo, Mr. Sendlak will actually be constructing the New Year's ball and suspending it from a boom sticking out of the bell tower louvres at 107 State St., the former United Methodist Church.

"There's a keyhole big enough to get a jib stuck out. At midnight, we'll have a countdown and lower it down. We've even got permission to ring the bell at midnight," he said, inviting village residents to gather on the church lawn at 11:30 p.m.

"It's something we hope to have as an annual event," Mr. Sendlak said.

He said those planning to attend Saturday evening's ball drop should be aware the church has no handicapped access, and there will not be public bathrooms available.

Ms. Cotton, a Belfast native and retired hairdresser, recently purchased the State Street property and hopes to open an art gallery inside the historic church as early as summer.

"We're hoping to get The Sanctuary up and running as soon as we can," she said. "We want to display some of his work as well as bring in artwork from local people and friends we know in Buffalo."

Mr. Sendlak said they also hope to host performing arts, like book and poetry readings and, eventually, to establish an eatery.

"A venue for events and banquets. A variety of cultural activity," he said.

Ms. Cotton said the couple was initially looking for a vacation property after Mr. Sendlak, a SUNY Canton graduate, returned to the area to help refurbish his old fraternity house, Theta Gamma, on Court Street, Canton.

"Then we came across the church, and I just fell in love. We had to have it," she said.