FAYETTE — Fayette’s first annual open house saw a flurry of activity at the Underwood Memorial Library, Fayette Central School, the Fayette Fire Station, and Starling Hall on Saturday.

“The turnout’s been great,” said selectman and resident Joseph Young. “It’s just to get the community together and raise a little bit of money.”

Part of the event’s purpose was to raise money for renovations at Starling Hall. According to Young, the 1878 building needs new wiring, plumbing, siding, insulation, and a new roof. More than $500,000 is estimated for the upgrades, and Young mentioned that $4,000 was raised last year.

“We’ll start getting more heavily into renovations as we get more seed money to do the work,” he said.

At the school, a yard sale took place outside, while a bake sale to benefit the Fayette Fire Auxiliary and a silent auction was held inside. Fayette resident Elaine Wilcox pointed out that the items were all donated.

“Our bake sale’s been fabulous,” she said. “We’ve been getting a lot of bids here.”

“It really showcases the local artists, which is fabulous,” said Donna Barrett as she marveled at all of the donations. “It’s amazing, the hidden talent in a little town like this. I have a feeling it’s definitely going to be an annual event.”

Earlier in the day, a story hour was held for children at the library. During the evening at the school, a family-friendly movie was shown at the school with a large screen and speakers.

At the fire station, a scrumptious chicken barbecue meal was served. Fire Chief Marty Maxwell said that the fire department was planning to serve 150 meals.

“A lot of the people have never been here before,” he said, noting that for some it was their first visit to the fire department to see all of the equipment. “To us, it’s really great PR.”

“I think it’s something the town needs, absolutely,” added resident Donald Simoneau. “It’s good to see the citizens come out and support it. We’ve had people from Livermore and Livermore Falls, and Jay come as well.”

At Starling Hall, people shared their memories of the former grange and the dances and plays that used to take place upstairs. They had the chance to view different artifacts donated to the Fayette Historical Society by residents, and were amazed at the enormous stage curtain.

“If we don’t preserve our history, we have no future,” said Sarah Reed, a member of the Historical Society.

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