Upstate NY ‘Star Trek’ TV set tour getting boost from donor

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. – A businessman whose recreated “Star Trek” TV set is a major tourist draw in upstate New York is getting a financial boost with a donation from the former wife of a late heir to the Mars candy fortune.

The Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance, a local development agency, says a $300,000 gift from Deborah Clarke Ryan will enable James Cawley to buy the building in the village that houses his “Star Trek, Original Series Set Tour.”

Clarke Ryan and Cawley are both Ticonderoga natives. She’s the former wife of Forrest Mars Jr., who died last year. While married the couple were major supporters of Fort Ticonderoga, where the education centre is named after her.

Cawley’s studio sets mimic those of the 1960s TV series. A three-day “Star Trek” convention starting Friday is expected to draw hundreds of visitors to Ticonderoga.