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IT'S GARBAGE DAY

Hazy blue sky and bright at 7:00 a.m.

The TWCNY weather forecast:

"Still Seasonable and Warm, Showers Return Late Today.

Today will start off with quite a bit of sun, but look for clouds and showers to build from south to north during the afternoon. Rain will be steady at times evening and overnight.

 Rain will tend to be a bit more scattered in nature Tuesday, but expect a cloudy, breezy, damp day. Wednesday will be breezy and cool with an isolated shower possible south of the lake and over the higher elevations. After a cold night, temperatures will soar to near 60 Thursday afternoon."

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IN THE NEWS

"Huge turnout for the 2nd annual Daniel Barden Highland Mudfest"

From WKTV.

"Teamwork, camaraderie highlights of memorial mudfest"

From The Observer-Disparch.

For lots and lots of photos, click HERE!

*******

IN THE MAIL

From Lawrence Gilley, this link to the Marshall Historical Society's website where you will find another link to this month's Newsletter.

(Yes - I will be the speaker at the April 24th meeting, explaining that my husband and I had nothing whatsoever to do with causing this little valley in Marshall Township to be named "Whiskey Hollow" - but naming those who did, and when!)

*****

Here & There

Last Thursday and Friday the DPW did quite a good deal of Spring Cleaning around the Village, but the Street Sweeper must have missed the north side of West Bacon Street, leaving plenty of roadside grit for residents there to shovel and sweep.

Scott Woodhouse finds an easier method to tackle the problem in front of his home on Madison Street  ......

.............. and, on Sanger Avenue, Kevin Bancroft used a power-driven rake to clean his lawn.

I enjoyed the perfect Spring day with a Sunday afternoon "ride in the country," starting on Route 12 south of the Village where I couldn't help but slow down and look at the display at "Fresh Picked" Antiques in the old Allen Acres building.

The snow is nearly gone from hillsides. This is the view looking westward from the top of Grant Hill.

Although quite a distance from the road, I could see several dozen Canada Geese lounging in the sun on the shrinking ice cover at the pond next to Sally Road.

Best "find" of the day was this clump of snowdrops that I first spotted about forty years ago growing in an obscure location next to the old Chenango Canal Towpath.

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COMING EVENTS

WCS Sports

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At the Library

There are no special events at the Library on Monday.

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Tuesday, April 8, 6pm

"Positive Discipline Workshop" & Story Hour

Join Megan Barella, certified positive discipline parent, to learn about this approach to parenting.  

At the same time, children ages 4 & up are welcome to join in on a special Story Hour while they wait for their parent(s).

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PLANNING AHEAD

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NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

On Wednesday, April 9th, leave the cooking to Moe's Southwest Grill in North Utica! 
15% of the night's proceeds (5-8pm) will support the
Waterville Musical Production 
(a non-profit organization).

******

SATURDAY CRAFT SHOW - N. BROOKFIELD

"A  Craft Show will be held at the North Brookfield

Fire House on April 12 from 10am to 2pm.  Come and

see what the local Artisans have crafted for you."

The artisans are from Leonardsville, Brookfield, North Brookfield,

Hubbardsville, Waterville, etc. and have quite a variety."

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49TH ANNUAL PALM SUNDAY HAM DINNER

Sunday from Noon - 3:00
at the Deansboro Fire House.

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Next Week Special Events


GOOD FRIDAY TRADITIONS

 The annual Community Stations of the Cross Service and Walk begins at 10 a.m. at the Methodist Church and continues across the village.

*****

AT THE LEGION

*****

Free for all who attend

- Lots of Prizes and Refreshments - 

- DJ -

Gym will be open on Sat AM 

so that items may be dropped off (sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, clothes etc.)

Permission Slips with parents contact info needs to be turned in by April 25.

*******

The "Old Timers" and I want to take this opportunity to extend our condolences to Nicki Suba and her family on the death of her father, our friend Donald "Don" Hazard.


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FOR THE RECORD

Along with the School District, I will be taking "Spring Recess" from April 14th through the 21st.

If you have any announcements for events that will be taking place during or just after that time period, please send them to me right away!

Back on Wednesday morning.  Have a great Day!

It's Garbage Day.

29 degrees with blue sky and bright sunshine at 7:00 a.m.

The TWCNY Weather Forecast: 

"Bit Cooler but Nice Today,  Showers Return Friday.

Today starts bright with skies becoming partly sunny, quiet and cooler than average with highs in the 40s and some spots sneaking into the 50s.

A well developed system will approach from the west on Friday with unsettled conditions lingering into the first half of the weekend. During this time period, temperatures should end up at or below average with highs in the 40s to near 50 degrees.  

Dry weather and sunshine return on Sunday with high temperatures close to 50 degrees".

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IN THE NEWS

"Officials: Missing Girl Found."

From the Utica Observer-Dispatch.

"Antique Dealer to Give Talk, Offer Appraisals."

From the Mid-York Weekly.

"Football Season of Change for Some Area Schools."

From the Observer-Dispatch.

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Seasons have changed in the Sidewalk Showroom!

Bikes are out .......

.............. gone are cold weather clothes ......

............... and Stafford Avenue neighbors sit outdoosr in the sun for their afternoon chat!

This is more like it!   Blue sky and bare fields in Hanover.

The Great Blue Heron are back, fishing above the little waterfall next to Gridley-Paige Road .......

...............  the ice at the Caves in Forge Hollow is nearly gone.....

......  and Aconite is in bloom at the Felhner-Peach residence in "Dicksville!"

It really is SPRING!

--------  COMING EVENTS  -----------

@WCS

PTA meeting Thursday at 6:00

Elementary All-county Festival on Friday and Saturday.

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*****

 At the Library

Thursday at 6:00 - "Spring Fling Story Hour"

Ages 3-8 | Drop In

Spring is in the air! As buds pop and flowers bloom,colors wash away winter’s gloom. Celebrate the wonder that spring brings with stories and activities.

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Friday Movie Matinée at 1:00

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Another Event to Add to your Calendar

April Book Discussion Group -  April 23.

This month, the Waterville Book Discussion Group will read the classic "Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins.  After lunch and discussion we will watch the BBC filmed version of this classic novel. 

Generally considered the first English sensation novel, the "Woman in White"   features the remarkable heroine Marian Halcome and her sleuthing partner, drawing master Walter

Hartright, pitted against the diabolical team of count Fosco and sir Percival Glyde. 

A gripping tale of murder, intrigue, madness and mistaken identity, Collins's psychological thriller has never been out of print in the more than 140 years since its publication in 1859.

Bring your lunch, we will supply coffee, tea, dessert, discussion and a movie...in the the meeting Room at the Waterville Library at noon on Wednesday April 23rd.

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REMINDER

Tomorrow is your last day to register online for the

Daniel Barden Highland Mudfest!

CLICK HERE!

(You may register in person Saturday morning.)

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New Event

Saturday, May 18 from 1:00 - 6:00 at the Sangerfield Legion.

*********

Have a grand weekend, everyone!

*****

It's Recyclables Collection day.

36 degrees and dry at 5:00 a.m.

The TWCNY morning weather forecast:

"Dry and Seasonable Today, Showers Return.

Our weather doesn't look half bad today as we'll see sun and clouds with a brisk breeze and highs in the upper 40s and low 50s.

Some extra moisture starts to lift in from the south Thursday which will return the threat for a couple of showers to the forecast. As a result, temperatures will be a touch cooler with highs for everyone in the 40s.

A well developed system will approach from the west on Friday with unsettled conditions lingering into the first half of the weekend and during this time period, temperatures should end up at or below average (highs in the upper 40s/near 50)."

****************

IN THE NEWS

Front Page Headlines from

THE WATERVILLE TIMES

"Time To Get Your Mud On"

"WCS Sets Tax Hike at 2%"

"Race Is On For Assembly"

"Basketball Photos"

"Students Awarded"

"Workshop Offered"

"WCS Project Approved"

To read more, please click HERE.

******

"List of Increases in School Aid for Area Districts."

from WKTV.

"Educators: Additional Funding Welcome, but it doesn't Tackle Key Issues."

From the Observer-Dispatch.

*******

Here and There

"Think Spring!"

Judging by their smiles, Aubrey Hildreth and her dad, Jody, agree!

They had pulled up right next to me on Madison Street when I stopped to take a picture of the new arrangement on Suzette's front door.

*****

Trail markers are still there, in the field next to Osborn Avenue, but .......

....................   snowmobile suits have been swapped for sneaks and running gear.

(Some runners - like MaryBeth and Doug Plourde - travel so rapidly that I can't even focus my camera before they pass me!)

*******************

Because yesterday was the first day of Trout Season, I took a tour of some of the favorite fishing spots.

The bench next to the Oriskany Creek was more accessible than it had been, last week, but the water was high and it's been so cold that I wasn't surprised to see the spot vacant.

Nor was there anyone at the handicap accessible platform next to the bridge in Deansboro. (I did notice that someone has trimmed several trees which, I imagine, had been snagging too many fish lines!)

It was at the new trout pools south of Forge Hollow that I spotted Bob Mayne ....

................... and, a few yards upstream, there was Helen.  She turned to smile at me and I shouted, "Getting any bites?" and she gave a big grin and, nodding her head, said, "It's a good day!"

***************

Hundreds of Canada Geese were resting on the seasonal pond next to Sally Road.

 In the Village, folks are wondering what's going on at the old Foodking / soon-to-be CVS store. There certainly is a lot of material stacked in the parking lot!

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TODAY'S EVENTS

WCS SPORTS

******

AT THE LIBRARY

Finally, the weather is cooperating, and  ....

.... the "Walking Group" will set out at 6:00!

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COMING EVENTS

In addition to the Talent Show at the High School on Friday, Highland Mudfest of Saturday and the Palm Sunday Ham Dinner at the Deansboro Fire House on the 13th, here are two 

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

- for your Calendars -

*********

****************

FOR THE RECORD

When I first read "Singular Discovery," originally published in The Waterville Times 157 years ago and seen here, yesterday, I was completely taken in by it and thought that I was discovering a long-forgotten and wonderfully exciting piece of local history.

  Well ...... judging from my mail, several of you had the same disappointing and somewhat embarrassing experience!

I've just spent a frustrating and fruitless hour or so trying to find the follow-up article in which the editor of The Waterville Times identifies the very imaginative writer responsible for the tall tale.  I know I've seen it, and I will dig more, later on.

**************************************

Last week I wrote that the big brown barn here in Whiskey Hollow had once been a sawmill and then a piano factory.  It was during the time of its reconstruction, following the great "crash" of twenty years ago, that we found a stenciled marking on one of the interior walls reading

"Buckingham Piano Fortes, Waterville."

Here is an advertisement from an 1857 issue of The Waterville Times.

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Have a great Spring Day, everyone!

"A Singular Discovery"

This lengthy article originally appeared in 

The Waterville Times in 1857.

"SINGULAR DISCOVERY

Some of our readers will remember that several years ago, a Samuel Walker, while at work on the highway, a few rods below the distillery, (lost) a crowbar in the following singular manner:  he was endeavoring to loosen some sharp stones that appeared to be embedded in the road between two of which he struck a heavy blow with a point of the crowbar, when to his surprise it slipped from his hands and passed out of his reach, into a cavity below. There has long been (a tradition) that the sharp bluffs on either side of the ravine, we’re connected by a subterranean passage, under the bed of the creek; and this passage has been used as a means of  ???? and defense in time of danger to the people who constructed it; but what ???? people they were, was unknown to the generations.  These circumstances created considerable excitement at the time, but (no obvious) attempts were made to recover the missing crowbar, because it would interfere with the highway. But the spot was visited by most of the village savants, and a variety of opinions were ventured upon, touching the subterranean passage and its probable uses and belongings. At length, however, the circumstance was forgotten, or only occasionally alluded to by the wonder -loving storytellers of the town.

Yesterday afternoon, however, while two boys were at play, about 10 rods west of the road and near the margin of the creek, they discovered a hole in the ground nearly large enough to admit the body of a man. It excited their curiosity to such a degree that they thrust long poles into it, but could not touch bottom. They immediately made these circumstances known to three laborers at work near the lower mill. Some lights and a rope were soon procured; the whole was enlarged, then two of the men and one of the boys were let down into the cavity. They descended about 30 feet before they struck bottom; when they found themselves in a subterranean passage, running nearly east and west and about 25 feet wide. It was built of course unhewn stone, but of a different quality from any known to exist in this vicinity. The stone were laid in a dark and very tenacious cement; and the whole work was very handsomely done. The floor was of nicely hewn limestone, like Eastman’s quarry, and were probably brought from it. The day was so far advanced that little was done toward an exploration of the singular work; but the discoveries that were made we’re very important, and may lead to a solution of the mystery. The explorers on going eastward about 30 rods came upon a large square, or court, which was estimated by them to be about 50 feet in diameter. In this court they found the following articles, which will doubtless lead to further important discoveries: several bundles of arrows and many hundreds of bows of hickory, so massive and inflexible that neither of the men could bend them.

Sixty-two stands of firearms, of that description commonly known in military parlance as “blunderbusses” and were in general use in the reign of Louis XIV of France. Their locks show them to be a French manufacturer, as they bore the impress of the French coat of arms. Their stocks were very much decayed and fell in pieces on the slightest touch. The barrels were of brass and covered with a thick coat of mingled mould and verdigris. Eleven rusty and much-battered swords were found, without scabbard or mountings of any kind. Their hilts were of the elaborately carved bone; but they do not exhibit nice workmanship, and that they are totally devoid of inscriptions of any kind. An iron bar, supposed to be the one that lost by Walker more than 30 years ago. It was broken about 3 inches from the tip it is 5’1” in length and weighs 23 pounds.

Nineteen iron saucepans; eight copper boilers, and 110 iron goblets were found distributed about the room in entire disorder, leading one to conclude that some feast or festival had been broken up without “previous notice.” In the northeast corner of the court were found 280 smoke-tanned deerskins containing parched corn, very dry and hard, but wholly untouched by mold. Under this emmense heap of provisions was found a helmet, of brass and iron, the frontispiece of which bore the following letters in Roman characters: “D. L. O. S.”

The above “remains” were taken to the house of Mr. Fitch, near the “lower mill,” where they may be seen by the curious.

We understand that explorations will be continued today and we hope in our next issue to give a full account of this singular discovery."

The article is real.

Although it was originally published in January, 1857, it is referred to several times in subsequent issues - especially those printed on or around April 1st.