Press Releases

Smith Center for the Arts honors attorney Wendy Marsh: Celebrate Smith! Dinner will take place Sept. 20 at Cracker Factory in Geneva (Aug. 7, 2018)

GENEVA, NY (For Immediate Release) — The Smith Center for the Arts will honor Hancock and Estabrook attorney Wendy A. Marsh at its annual Celebrate Smith! Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 20. The reception will start at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. at The Cracker Factory at 35 Lehigh St. in Geneva.  

Celebrate Smith! is an opportunity for Smith supporters to celebrate the past year and help fund quality programming, cultural enrichment and educational outreach to the community.  Celebrate Smith! also recognizes an individual or entity that has made outstanding contributions to the Smith Center for the Arts and its historic theater, the Smith Opera House, as well as to the Geneva community at large.

As a board member from 2006 to 2016, a past chair and an on-going volunteer, Marsh has been a major contributor to the theater’s revitalization. She  currently leads The Smith’s Building Committee, a group that oversees major grant-funded construction projects. She has helped The Smith navigate past state awards that brought the historic Opera House its air conditioning, new movie screen, stage rigging and many other capital upgrades. Her work in securing and implementing state grant funds has been critical in The Smith’s current construction project of renovating patron bathrooms and artist dressing rooms.  

“I know I speak for The Smith’s Board, volunteers, and staff when I say how grateful we are for Wendy’s tireless commitment to our organization and, especially, our historic building. Wendy is a ‘force of nature’ and has devoted countless hours and her considerable expertise into our ongoing list of priorities and issues. I am personally grateful for her patience and kindness and look forward to toasting her at Celebrate Smith! in September,” said Susie Monagan, The Smith’s Executive Director.

Marsh has been an attorney with Hancock Estabrook since 1998 and currently serves as Chair of the Real Estate, Environmental & Land Use Planning Department, concentrating in the areas of environmental, zoning and land use law. She and partner David Linger have been instrumental in revitalizing a number of buildings in downtown Geneva. She is also an active leader in the firm’s community service and pro bono efforts, which has participated in more than 100 charitable organizations and has contributed a yearly donation of more than 836 of hours of legal services.

Marsh also served on the Boards of Geneva Growth and the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Advisory Board of UG Collective, an organization that uses music to support community arts initiatives.  She is the current Chair of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Foundation Board.

Marsh’s law firm, Hancock Estabrook, has also routinely provided financial and administrative support to The Smith, providing assistance navigating the many requirements of grant application and administration. The firm is a lead sponsor of the Medley on Linden, one of The Smith’s major fundraising efforts.

Past Celebrate Smith! Honorees include philanthropists Carl Fribolin, Nozomi Williams and Dave and Brenda Rickey; retired New York State Sen. Mike Nozzolio, Lyons National Bank CEO Robert A. Schick, and former Geneva City Manager Matt Horn.

Major sponsorship of 2018’s Celebrate Smith! is provided by Sodexo, Hobart and William Smith’s dining service company. Sodexo will also cater the event. Additional sponsors include In House Design, The Cracker Factory and Hancock Estabrook.

Tickets for Celebrate Smith! are $100 per person. A sponsorship table for eight is $1,000. Tickets can be purchased at the Smith Box Office by phone or in person during box office hours. (Tickets are not available online).

The Smith Center for the Arts, stewards of the historic Smith Opera House, provides diverse arts and educational enrichment opportunities year-round for Finger Lakes residents and visitors. The Smith Opera House is at 82 Seneca St. in Geneva, NY. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. For more information, call 315-781-5483 during box office hours or visit www.thesmith.org.