"In February, 2013, a windy storm blew down the gazebo at the Ancram Opera House. We'd had dances and parties in it and many great summer afternoons, but after that night it was flattened, a pile of cedar beams. The roof flew off intact and landed about ten feet south of its previous position. Faced with a really big bill for rebuilding it, we decided to ask a few friends who might like taking on a timber-framing project to raise it with us Amish-style. Led by master carpenter and contractor Dan Martin and assisted by a big forklift to pick up the existing roof, we cut mortise holes and set up new posts. Then, with the forklift, we set the roof back on top. That's what you see here. It turned out to be a festive day. People brought food, and others just came to watch. Once we lifted the roof back on the new posts--reinforced with diagonal braces to keep the building up for a few more winters--we added a new bannistered railing. The whole thing got done in a day. Now we're ready for many summers of gatherings in the new gazebo."