When Bob and Mary (Endico) Fugett met in 1976 Bob was playing guitar and teaching music throughout New York City and Westchester.

One of his musician friends brought his brother and sister-in-law to see Bob playing at one of the many coffee houses of the day.

The young married couple was so impressed with Bob's playing and singing they hired him to give music lessons to their daughters.

Soon after, when Bob and Mary heard that the couple was only $500.00 shy of being able to purchase a house, they loaned them the money ... it was more or less all the money Bob and Mary had at the time.

Of course that got them invited to the housewarming party on Woods Road in Chester.

Part of the party was a tour of Sugar Loaf where Bob and Mary were excited to see the growing artist community and noticed that of the half dozen or so artisans there was not yet a musician or watercolor artist in the hamlet.

The very next morning they got to town early and began the process of moving into a vacant space in Scott's Meadow, renovating it over the next couple years, and establishing a business (now on Kings Highway) that has flourished with an international following of Mary Endico watercolors and Bob Fugett music for nearly 40 years.

The people who had invited the Endico Fugetts to their housewarming party were Steve and Alma Shortess.

Of course you already know that Steve and Alma went on to have their own successful accounting business in Chester, and Steve was Town of Chester Supervisor for many years.

And yes, the Shortess’s paid back the money promptly, efficiently, and surely (without a contract).

The full story of Bob and Mary's wonderful life in Chester (Sugar Loaf) can be found online at: SugarLoafGuild.org and Endico.com