Some galleries provide art patrons with wine and cheese. Over Columbus Day Weekend, an exhibition held in Padanaram added something new to the hors-d’oeuvre list: birthday cake.

Painter Sandra Hall and potter Beverly Carter have exhibited their work together for years. But, after forming the summer art tour, the Art Drive, it became a challenge to do so. However, this year happened to mark a major milestone at Hall’s home on Elm Street.

“So many people asked us about why we don’t [exhibit] anymore, so we decided that we were going to pick a weekend in the fall,” said Sandra. “Having the carriage house turn 100, we thought what a better way to bring it to everyone’s attention, form a party and exhibit.”

To mark the occasion, Hall and Carter got together with their neighbor, fine art photographer Dick Hilker, to form a show inside the carriage house. The Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society also provided packets of documents highlighting the history of the house and its previous inhabitants.

Hall and her husband, Dave, bought the home back in 1995. The house was formerly the summer home of Andrew Pierce, who would come to Padanaram to sail his 140-foot schooner named Palestine.

Dave said that Pierce built the carriage house in 1915 for his horse and buggy. A coachmen would live on the second story, he said. The back of the carriage house has two working horse stalls where the animals could be shoed and fed.

He said the carriage house required a new coat of varnish and paint when he purchased the property 20 years ago. Though, he noted that it was “quite an elegant carriage house.” In addition to the cast iron feeding troughs, there are several gas mantles inside.

“This was not your average horse barn,” said Dave.

Sandra said that she and her husband moved from Connecticut, where they owned a 1865 farmhouse. She thinks she must be drawn to historic places.

“One thing I’ve noticed after years of exhibiting in here, there’s something about this carriage house. It’s got a feeling that’s very positive. It’s not inhibiting. Some people feel inhibited walking into a gallery,” said Sandra.

Her displayed work featured watercolor and ink paintings. She said she paints every single day of the week.

The walls of the carriage house were lined with tables showcasing Carter’s pottery and Ellen P. Flynn’s Japanese floral art. The flower arrangements were standing upright in shallow bowls of water, locked in place by a bed of stones. Flynn’s work paired well with Hickler’s still life photography.

Hickler said he reluctantly transitioned from film to digital. Mostly, he made the switch because it became too challenging to find a place to develop film on a large scale. He said his most popular pieces are his photographs of flowers.

“For a while, I did nothing but florals because my wife at the time was very ill and we couldn’t travel. So I brought the subjects home, grew most of them and took pictures of them,” said Hickler.

He tries to capture a painterly style in his work, an effect that’s enhanced by the way in which he frames some of his work. He said that, with some of his photos, he frames them like a painter would frame an oil painting: without a mat, stretching the picture to the edges and selecting a frame that would typically go with an oil painting.

“Since I can’t paint, that’s the only way I can do it,” he said.

Sandra said she was happy with the turn out for the show. As for the future of the 100-year-old carriage house, she hopes to keep it as is.

“We’ve lived everywhere, but we adore this place,” she said. “It’s a stewardship. We know that. But our goal is to make sure it stays here.”