Chicken croquettes from Canoe Island Lodge, stuffed mushrooms from Lizzie Keays and the Lone Bull Pancake House’s sausage gravy on biscuits are just some of the foods guests could sample at the 14th Taste of Diamond Point, a fundraiser for the Diamond Point Community Church, which was held this Saturday, July 16.
Church Trustee Chris McKenna says they used to hold an annual yard sale of donated goods, but they were often left with a little money and many unsold goods they then had to discard. The Trustees decided there must be a better way to raise the money they needed for building maintenance and repairs. The idea they came up with was a success. The church parking lot was full, and the lawn was crowded with guests at the 2022 Taste of Diamond Point.
Despite July being the busiest time of year for local businesses, restaurants up and down the Bolton Road (and one in Warrensburg), donated pans of their house specialties, which guests could sample in exchange for $1 tickets. The offerings included Buffalo Chicken mac & cheese from the Inn at Erlowest, Stewart’s Make Your Own Sundaes, Up North Market Deli pulled chicken and pork, Helova Deli fruit pizza, cookies from Subway, submarine sandwiches from Stable Gate Deli and Cajun chicken penne in tomato cream sauce from the Boathouse restaurant.
In addition to the wide variety of food, guests could enjoy entertainment provided by keyboardist Ray Alexander. Volunteers roamed the lawn selling strips of raffle tickets and numbers were called every 10 minutes throughout the event. Raffle prizes were gift cards, gift baskets and other merchandise donated to Taste of Diamond Point by local businesses. A silent auction allowed attendees to bid on large, donated items.
The Diamond Point Community Church was built in 1876 by Troy businessman and prominent Bolton Road summer resident George H. Cramer. Cramer donated the church to a group of trustees, and it was dedicated in August 1879 as the Union Evangelical Church. For much of its history, the church was affiliated with the Albany Episcopal Diocese but is now non-denominational.
The Church welcomes visitors, summer residents and local families to its Sunday services from Father’s Day through Labor Day. Some families, says Trustee Michael McKenna, have been attending services for 20 years for the one Sunday each summer that is part of their annual Lake George vacation. The services are led by a rotation of visiting pastors of various denominations, each staying a week at the parsonage that was built in 1894, a construction project that was funded by Cramer’s sister Mrs. John K. Porter.
The church is also available for weddings, baptisms and memorial services, although Chris McKenna says they did not have any weddings booked for this summer as it seems that lately, couples are choosing non-religious venues, such as barns, for their wedding ceremonies.
Each year following Taste of Diamond Point, organizers count how many tickets each restaurant collected. “Last year Up North won the event, but this year they were beat by 20 tickets by the Inn at Erlowest, who served a Buffalo chicken mac ‘n cheese,” says Chris McKenna. “The business donations helped us bring in a little over $2,600, but with donations and a challenge match by an anonymous donor, we brought in significantly more donations. Special thanks to the businesses for all of their support and donations and the community for coming out. Without the leadership of Kim Kadel and Donna Cunningham, this event would not have been such a success.”