Friday with Add-on!

9:25:

I just received this E-mail with photos attached from Sheri Brennan!

"Last night the 'Stinkers Girls' took 1st place in the second half of the Women's Thursday night bowling league. Congrats!! The 'Stinkers Girls' are Terry Bloomquist, Jen Neff, Sheri Brennan & Diane Marceau."

CONGRATULATIONS!

(and Thanks, Sheri!)

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ALSO: I'd like to get in touch with Megan Barnes who wrote to me a year ago in February about the exploding wells in N. Brookfield! Would you please E-mail or phone me (841-4679?) Thanks!

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It's 36 degrees and drippy.

Sorry I'm late with this post, but I was reading the O-D's blog about the opening of the Stanley, last night, and lost track of the time. WKTV has a whole section on the theater, too.

Actually, I'd spoken yesterday with Mr. Dale Meszler of Almy & Associates of Utica who had attended a VIP reception the previous evening. Almy & Assoc. had supplied structural design for the new wing, stage house and the suspension of the much-touted Meyda-Tiffany chandelier and he was rightfully proud to have been on hand for the official "lighting."

SEE IT FOR YOURSELF

The Stanley Center for the Arts is hosting a free open house so the public can see the new renovations. (Dale will be there: look for him Center-stage!)

• When: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• What: A behind-the-scenes look at the new Stanley, including backstage. Refreshments will be available.

• Where: The Stanley Center for the Arts, 261 Genesee Street, Utica.

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Unfortunately, the weather forecast isn't as bright! "After abundant sunshine and warmer temperatures, today's weather will be a big change. This morning, rain mixed with some wet snow, especially in the higher elevations. This snow is not expected to cause problems because we do think that it will stick to the roads. Any snow should be short lived, as temperatures slowly climb into the low 40s throughout the day. It's going to be a washout, with periods of rain expected on and off throughout the day. In terms of any flooding potential, we aren't anticipating any major problems.
The rain lets up this evening, with some scattered showers and drizzle that may even last into the morning hours of Saturday. Saturday's forecast does show improvements, with a return to sunshine and temperatures near 50. The weather may turn out very nice heading into next week."

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Yesterday turned out to be quite fine.


Tom's got more lawn stuff out on display .......


................. and a "bike" was parked in front of "Stinkers!"

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I was heading home to Waterville from Clinton via Hanover when I saw a group of people - intent on something, certainly - just East of Hanover Road next to Shanley.

Hmmmm. Mysterious.

Aha!!! So THAT's it!!!

"BLAST OFF!"

You've heard people say, "What's the problem - it's not rocket science, after all!"

Well --- in this case, it IS Rocket Science!

And what I was watching was

THE WCS ROCKET TEAM!

You didn't know there was one?

Well, read on .......

Written by Josh B., Team Leader

Thanks to the WCS District Foundation for giving us a grant to fund a rocket team at WCS. Also for a mysterious person for donating more money to use for our rocket and C&H Plastics for their generous support. We would like to say thanks to technology teacher Mr. English for letting our team use his room for building the rockets. In the last 5 months, the students have been working on building their main rocket for this April's Challenge (by the National Acssociation of Rocketry.) For this year's challenge, the rocket has to hold two eggs and has to go up 750 ft in 45 sec. However, the eggs cannot break! We are using a G64-4 motor to send the rocket up. The top 10 teams winners get to split $60,000 in college scholarship money and our school will receive a $1,000 grant. In addition, the top 25 teams are invited to attend a free class about NASA. If the team places within the top 100; we get to go to Virginia for the National Blast Off.

Come and cheer on the team....
Qualifying Launch: Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 1:30 p.m.
(if inclement weather on Saturday,
the launch will take place on Sunday, April 6th at 1:30)

Directions to launch site (from the village of Waterville):

Turn onto Rt. 315. Take first right onto Buell* Ave. (Buell Ave. changes to Hanover Rd.), Continue on Hanover Rd. for 4-5 miles, as you come to a stop sign, look to the right - that's the launch site!

*That should read "Berrill."

I spoke for a while with the team's mentor, Mr. Rollin Bateman. He works at C&H Plastics and both he and that company donate his time so that he can be an advisor to the students.

That was certainly the High Point of my day;
I really was at the right place at the right time!

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Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday

It's Garbage Day!

Starry-bright and 20 degrees.

• Thursday: Mainly sunny and much milder. High in the low 50s.
• Thursday Night: Becoming cloudy with rain showers or mixed rain and snow showers developing late. Low in the 30s.
• Friday: Periods of rain likely. Chilly. High: 45, Low: 35
• Saturday: Slowly decreasing clouds, with perhaps a sprinkle or flurry in the morning. High: 49, Low: 30
• Sunday: Mostly sunny and mild! High: 59, Low: 34

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Finally - I found a fisherman!


..... and he had found a perfect spot on the Oriskany!

When I first spotted him, he was untangling his line from a tree branch - well, we've all had that happen! But he laughed and said he didn't always catch trees and opened the trunk of his car to show me this fine specimen of Brown Trout (Salmo trutta).

I asked if that was going to be "supper," and he said - Yes: he planned on cutting the prize into 1" steaks, dipping them into a little garlic and tarragon and putting them right on the grill. (Sounds good!)

Rather than fending for themselves in the wilderness, these ladies of the West Winfield "Red Hat Angels" had let Michael LaTreille prepare their lunch.

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Stock photo from Google images.

While I was driving along the Oriskany between O' Falls and Sollsville, I did see several Red winged Blackbirds.


A Belted Kingfisher has been making low-level, noisy reconnaissance flights just above the waters of Big Creek, behind my house. (This photo, too, is from Google Images.)

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Has anyone heard "peepers," yet?

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"Perk" Stalter has given me a flier advertising a bus trip to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake that has been arranged by the Travelers' Club for Tuesday, June 8. A "Tours by Design" motor coach will leave Waterville at 8:15 in the morning arriving at the Museum at 11:00. Leaving there at 2:30, travelers will stop for an early dinner at (where else?) The Buffalo Head Restaurant in Forestport!!! The cost per person is $65. For information and reservations, call "Perk" at 851-7661.

I've always been told that The Travelers' Club is the oldest social organization in Waterville, so I fired up my little external hard drive that's loaded with The Waterville Times and typed "travelers club" into the search box. The earliest of 100 "hits" was this, from an 1895 issue:

"The ladies of the Travelers' Club, together with a number of young men as invited guests. had a picnic at Rexford Falls, near Sherburne on Saturday. The occasion was a very enjoyable one in spite of the heavy shower early in the afternoon."

It was also easy to answer the question that Lynne Moore had posed in this week's issue of The Waterville Times in re: a clipping about George Eastman. It was dated November 24, 1927.

Click to enlarge.

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I swung by the Skate Park to see if the "damage" reported yesterday morning was obvious: not unless you knew that there had been a tall post blocking vehicular entry, and that's gone. There weren't any skateboards in my line of sight, but these fellows seemed to be having a harmlessly good time, any way.

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As a reminder to attend the Benefit for Jessica Jones, this coming Sunday, this is from Barb Adkyn's Legion Blog.

"On Sunday April 6 there will be shuttle service to the Legion due to limited parking.
They will be running from 11 am until 8 from the old Maples Diner on Route 20, the Sangerfield Town Barn, The Sangerfield Post Office. When those lots fill, you may use the IL Richer lot.

The Chicken Barbeque will begin at noon. The cost is $8.00. The Benefit will begin at 2 pm. The cost is $15.00. Advance sale tickets are available at the Legion as well as from committee members. We have received some fantastic donations for the Chinese auction and the Raffle. If you would like to make a donation you may drop it off at the Legion. We would like to have everything ready to go Saturday night.

Join us for a great day out and show your support for Jessica."

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In the morning mail, these two "hot tips:"

"Lisa Belfields empty shop has been leased to be opened June 1st." (Details are classified!!)

"Alicia Loomis is having her Musical Theatre Class perform ‘Into the Woods’ at some point this Spring." (Do you remember that Sondheim musical? I do! It's delightful!)

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It's nice to have "look-forwards," isn't it?

Start by having a Great Day, Today!!!

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Wednesday with Add-on

Our New Village Trustee is

Sean Campbell!

94 - 66

(confirmed by Village Clerk-treasurer Lorena Lenard.)

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Keep reading!

It's Recyclables Day

and the DPW has been having quite a time of it chasing those recyclables all over the village! Question: "Didn't anyone notice that the wind was blowing - HARD - when they put their recyclables out, last evening?"

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Bulbs in Street Lights are being checked and replaced as necessary.

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Hydrant check continues, today.
The DOT will be making adjustments!

Damage at the Skatepark - already!
(Photo tomorrow.)

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27.9 degrees and overcast - but dry.

WKTV forecasts: "A few fair weather clouds will be around on Wednesday, and it will be substantially colder than Tuesday. Highs will struggle to get to 40 degrees. After sunset, any clouds will vanish tomorrow night, yielding a chilly night, with less wind and lows in the teens. On Thursday, a gorgeous day is expected, with lots of sunshine and highs near or into the 50s. Clouds will increase on Thursday night ahead of.....
...Our next weathermaker will be a storm system on Friday that is likely to bring us a cold rain. A few wet snowflakes may mix in over the Adirondacks, but at this time, no accumulation is anticipated."

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Yesterday, after a drizzly start, it finally cleared off. The temperature rose to the 60s and kids' jackets went into their backpacks!

Myrt Furness, Dave O'Brien, Sylvia Crandall and Ann Sally.

Here we go, again! At 3:15 I was voter #41.

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There was some sort of activity out on Madison Street
at the site where Mr. Pumilia had proposed (two years ago)
to construct townhouses. Perhaps now?

There were lots and lots of temporary ponds in fields - this next to Route 12 south - providing temporary rest stops for travelers heading North.

I've seen a lot of little Killdeer skimming low over fields, looking for nesting spots.

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This was one reason why I was not at Municipal Hall at nine o'clock, last night: the other was that I had hooked up an external hard drive filled with The Waterville Times from Day 1 and I couldn't make myself stop reading!!!

Click to enlarge.

This is what my monitor looks like with the "search" function in operation. I simply typed in "George Eastman" and, in about thirty seconds, was given a choice of hundreds of articles to read!

Arrangements are being made to provide a new computer, dedicated solely to this purpose, for public use at the Waterville Public Library!

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Have a Great Day!

Tuesday

It's Big Trash Day!
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78 degrees under bright sunshine.

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The results of yesterday's

Run-off Election in the Village of Waterville:

For Trustee:

Ostrander - 127

Campbell - 127

Another Run-off will be scheduled.

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April Fool's Day!

(Click: it's a link!)

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It's actually a balmy 52 degrees; breezy and drippy.



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The RUN-OFF ELECTION

REALLY WILL TAKE PLACE

TODAY

from noon - 9:00 at Municipal Hall.

"It was THIS LONG! But then my line broke!"

FISHING SEASON STARTS TODAY

I happened to see Mr. Bob Mayne, yesterday, and asked if Big Creek had been stocked, yet. He said, "No - probably not until around the 12th."

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A CLARIFICATION:

"Welcome to the Jungle"
Featuring 1st-4th grade students from Memorial Park School.

WILL TAKE PLACE

NEXT Monday evening at 7pm
WCS High School Auditorium

The show will be viewed and judged by members of the CNY Community Arts Council, as part of the local "It's a Zoo" Competition. Troupes that place in the competition will perform their show again during the weekend of May 16th and 17th at Hamilton College.

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"Perk" Stalter has brought this to my attention:

The Upstate Institute at Colgate University

On Saturday, April 5, Colgate University’s Upstate Institute will host a workshop on "Eminent Domain." (Of great interest to those who oppose NYRI!!)

The workshop will take place in Room 101 in the new Ho Science Center and will begin at 9am. Presenters include Scott G. Bullock, Senior Attorney for the Institute for Justice and Co-counsel in the 2005 landmark Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London, CT. Presenters will be followed by small group discussions. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
The Upstate Institute provides connections between Colgate University and the surrounding communities through the research conducted by our students, staff and faculty. Several of our programs are listed below and to the left. Our most recent newsletter provides additional information about our work.

(The name "Scott Bullock" rang a bell, so to speak - but this speaker's not ours.)

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In putting together material for the DEC, I dug out these three small artifacts that I had originally unearthed twenty-five or more years ago north of Hubbardsville next to the Sangerfield River in the area called "the Stillwater" - that's just about where you round the first curve in the river and cross a sandbar. I wish that I could find some REAL history about this site. I went there with the late "Pete" Peterson and his friend Syd Erickson and, as I remember the story, it went like this:

Back many hundreds of years ago - perhaps even a thousand or two - Native Americans had a large Summer encampment at the Stillwater. It was a trading place where those from the North came to trade pelts for nets and other materials woven from vines by the indians who lived farther South. The surrounding hills provided great supplies of flint for tools and the location was also close to the trail that lead to present-day Syracuse, where they would trade for for salt with which to preserve meat and fish.

The two darker artifacts are sections of flint arrow- or spear-heads. The lighter piece - to the upper left - appears to have been shaped for scraping skins and fits comfortably in either left or right hand!

I really would like to learn more about this area. If any blog-readers can tell me where to look for information I'd appreciate it!

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Last evening I attended a meeting at Municipal Hall with members of Cpl. John Sigsbee's family, representatives of Veterans' organizations, Mayor Jim Younes and the other Memorial Bandstand Fund Committee members. At the behest of the Sigsbees themselves, a group of "Veterans, Friends and Family" has established the "Cpl. John P. Sigsbee Memorial Fund" in order to provide a monetary contribution to the "Memorial Wall" at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky - home of the "Screaming Eagles" - in memory of John, and also to ensure a timely completion of Waterville's Memorial Bandstand, planned for summertime construction in the Park.

Three specific fund-raising activities have been planned. The first will be the collection and sale of used Ink Jet Printer Cartridges. Special containers will be placed at convenient locations throughout the community in a week or so. Please watch The Waterville Times (and here) for detailed information and for dates of specific events.

The Memorial Bandstand Fund Committee has known about this project for about a month and continues to express their gratitude to the Sigsbees, Veterans and Friends for choosing The Bandstand Fund as a recipient of their energetic fund-raising efforts.

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Thank You, also, to Joel and Mary Campbell for your Donation!

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Have a Great Spring Day, Everyone!

Monday

Happy Birthday, Gavin Sexton!!

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Garbage Day!

It's 34 degrees, breezy and overcast.


It was bright and sunny, yesterday, and snowmobilers were out. I saw Dave Fox and his son, Colton, taking a break at Nice 'n Easy. Dave said that it was only the second time that there has been enough snow - and an opportunity - to ride to Waterville and they weren't about to waste what might be the last chance of the season!

This morning, radar shows a mixture of "stuff" over the reagiuon, but - acording to WKTV - "The threat for freezing rain will only last a few hours, and temperatures will be warm enough by mid to late morning to turn any precipitation over to plain rain. Clouds, rain, and wind will continue through Monday with temperatures staying cool. Warm air starts to win the battle Monday night, as temperatures warm throughout the night. By Tuesday, we will likely start out near 50 degrees and with some sunshine, make a run into the 60s. Some late day showers and storms are likely, and a cold front will push the warm air away from Central New York. By Wednesday, temperatures will be back into the 40s but we'll see more sunshine.

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For those of us who are becoming tired of waiting for Winter to give way to Spring, Peter Bocko, who grew up in Forge Hollow and who is now employed by Corning, sent us some beautiful photographs to look at.

He and his wife, Andrea, are currently in Tokyo, where the cherry trees are in bloom!

Day ........

........... and night.

(Isn't that grand? And how interesting - it appears to be a pedestrian walkway but has directional lanes!)

Then he writes: "We also went to Aoyama Cemetery on Saturday, the oldest and largest cemetery in Tokyo. It is filled with old gnarled cherry trees and is a favorite spot for celebrations during Cherry Blossom season.



"Groups of family & friends spread tarps and have picnic lunches among the memorials and falling cherry blossoms. Although are supposed to be comtemplating the metaphor of the cherry blossom as the transience of life, there was a lot of drinking being done!"

Thanks loads, Peter!

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There were two

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

in the morning mail:

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"It's a Zoo" 2008

"Welcome to the Jungle"

-an Andy Beck and Brian Fischer musical - Based on the Aesop's Fable, The Lion and the Mouse

Monday evening at 7pm WCS High School Auditorium

Featuring 1st-4th grade students from Memorial Park School. The show will be viewed and judged by members of the CNY Community Arts Council, as part of the local "It's a Zoo" Competition. Troupes that place in the competition will perform their show again during the weekend of May 16th and 17th at Hamilton College. (That was from Mary Beth Sigmund.)

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- and I have a letter from Barb Atkyns, at the Legion, saying,

"We will have shuttle service for Jessica's benefit-due to limited parking at the Legion. The bus will run from the old Maples Diner on Rt 20, the Sangerfield Town Barn and the Sangerfield Post Office. Overflow location will be the IL Richer parking lot and the school if needed. We are accepting donations for the Chinese Auction at the Legion. Any and all donations would be appreciated. Advance sale tickets are also available at the Legion."

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Gil Condon sent an "add-on" to his earlier reminiscence: " My bro Bern reminded me that Lincoln Redmond was killed in the Battle of Okinawa, suicide bombers invaded the fleet. That happened in late March through June of 1945. My bro Dan was on a mine-sweeper a that time, and dodged the action. (I guess.) There's also a question about the fast-pitch leagues in Waterville at the time of Ross Hines ..... I maintain that Slow Pitch wasn't even invented/played in the late 40s... in Waterville, anyway."

You're having so much fun with these old photos - here's another!

In this picture, the "American Store" (Scerbo building) appears to have two doorways.

And, incidentally, although this row of buildings is not literally in the "triangle," it IS in the "Triangle Historic District" on the National Register of Historic Places.

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If you're one of the people who have been following the creation and installaion of the new chandelier at the Stanley Center for the Arts, there's a nice article about it in this morning's O-D. If you don't want to bother reading the article, here are just a few facts: manufactured by Meyda Tiffany, the chandelier is 35 feet across and 17 feet tall and it weighs 6,500 lbs. (sorry about my earlier error which said it weighed a mere three tons.)

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Have a Good Day, Everyone!