It's Recyclables Day

31.7 degrees and still dark at 6:00 a.m.

I know that it rained during the night, and from what I can see of my back porch steps and sidewalk, they look as if they could treacherous. Please be careful out there!

YNN's morning Weather Forecast:

"Rain/Mix to Snow Today, Windy and Colder

We start the day with plain rain or a wintry mix across the area. Cold air filters back into the area changing everyone back over to snow. This will bring new accumulations today and into tonight with lake ehancement. It will turn windy as well.

Temperatures on Thanksgiving will be stuck in the 20s.  Drier and quiet conditions settle in for the end of the week into the start of the upcoming weekend. 

Temperatures will climb back into the 30s Saturday and Sunday.  Milder air should work in next week with highs in the 40s."

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There was light snow throughout the day, yesterday, but it did little more than reduce visibility ......

............ and put "frosting" on the plumes of the phragmites growing in roadside ditches.

Later in the day, however, it grew colder and as roads became slicker, some motorists took unintended detours into ditches and fields and the Waterville siren was heard at least twice, summoning responders to the top of Sanger Hill.

Although they have had little help from the weather, masons have finally been able to remove the plastic "warming huts" in front of St. Bernard's church.  I've been told by Mr. Dale Meszler of "260 Structural Engineering" that they now await delivery of blue stone, which will be applied to some of the walking surfaces, and the cast iron railings which will link the uprights and also be set on either side of the steps,  to be crafted by Mr. Raulli of Rome, the  metalworker who made the elegant railings at the Memorial Bandstand.

I also asked Mr. Meszler what word should be used to describe this new construction: it isn't a "porch," or just "steps," or an "entryway," so we searched the Thesaurus and decided that the word which best described the entire area is an "approach." I'll call it that from now on.

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IN THE NEWS

Front Page Headlines from

THE WATERVILLE TIMES

"1c(coach) x 35y(years)=400w(wins)"

"Winter Farmers Market Set For Waterville"

"Board Discusses Stone Church Work"

"New Diplomas Outlined At BCS"

"Parade Hits 25th Year"

"Marshall Town Board"

To read more, please click HERE.

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Today at the Library

"Kids Get Crafty"

Let your kids get creative at the library! Ages 5 & up can visit the library anytime between 3-5pm to create something new each week!  

Today's project: "Thankful Turkeys"

The Library will be open today, but closed on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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Schools are Closed until Monday, but

Digital Sports shows these Friday events:

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The Village of Waterville

GARBAGE COLLECTION

will take place on Friday.

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Friday Evening...

"SILVER BELLS"

The 25th Annual "Parade of Lights"

starts at 6:30 on Madison Street and leads to the Fire House where there will be refreshments for all and Santa will be waiting to talk with the children!

If you lived in Waterville in 1988, you cannot have forgotten the first Parade of Lights!

(And if you've come to the village since then, you should know the story of this celebration because it is something very special, here: it's a celebration not just of the season but a Celebration of Community - Our Community!  I first posted this story in 2006, but it's worth repeating.)

It was earlier that year that both Rusty Manion and his wife Kitty passed away. Their daughter Darcy and three sons - Sandy, Jeffrey and Michael - were bereft with the loss of both parents and, at the same time, completely overwhelmed with the kindnesses shown them by everyone in the community.

One day, Darcy was having coffee with her friends Linda Nichols and Patsy Hill and she said, "I wish there was something we could do to say 'Thank You!' to everyone!" "Thank You notes," she said, "seemed just too inadequate."

It occurred to them that perhaps they could do something that hadn't been done in several years - a fun surprise for the village: they could arrange to have lights put on the Big Tree at the point of Monument Park and have it lit! And there would be a parade - fire engines and floats and children all carrying flashlights! - that would lead the way to the tree when the lights were finally to be turned on!

And each of the girls told one or two people who told one or two more and in six weeks' time - in an unanticipated avalanche of generosity and cooperation, $5,000 was raised; the Clinton Fire Department's ladder truck came to string the lights, the power company donated equipment and time, the Municipality chipped in, fire companies in all the neighboring communities sent units to be in the parade and ........... well........ the rest is history.

The floats became more imaginative and brighter. When it was deemed impossible to have the highschool band march and play (sometimes it's been so cold and stormy that just the thought of putting a flute or trumpet mouthpiece to one's lips caused pain!) the floats were actually wired for sound!

Since 1988, the Parade of Lights Committee has grown in numbers and scope: with various fundraisers - dances, spaghetti suppers and raffles - and the continuing generosity and support of the community, enough money has been raised to buy the elegant wreaths that are on our telephone poles along Main Street.

Thank you to Lisa Belfield, Doc and Kathy Upcraft, Don and Jennifer Neff, Diane Marceau, Angela Plante and Scott Whitehead.

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FOR THE RECORD

Seven years ago today thousands of  Snow Geese came to Waterville......



............. and last year they came to Hanover on December 9th.

Perhaps they'll come back!
(Click the images to enlarge!)

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PLANNING AHEAD

Here are your December Calendars

WATERVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY 

Friday Movie Matinées at 1:00

Dec. 6  -  "Jobs" (the Steve Jobs story)

Dec. 13 - "The Bishop's Wife"

Dec. 20 - "It's a Wonderful Life"

Dec. 27 - Kids' Movie: "Percy Jackson"

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WATERVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL

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VILLAGE OF WATERVILLE

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

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It is 27 degrees and a bit blustery at 6:30 a.m.
Traffic on 315 sounds sloppy, and plows are out.

The YNN Weather Forecast: 

"Storm Threat Tonight/Wednesday,  Turning Windy

Today will start quiet, but a powerful storm will be making its way up the coast, and will be on our doorstep by the late afternoon. Snow to a wintery mix will change to all rain for most by early Wednesday morning. There will be slick spots on the roads and periods of heavy rain which will slow travel through the night into Wednesday.

By Wednesday night into Thursday we will see snow showers back in the forecast with colder temperatures a windy conditions. Plan your travel accordingly."

Ski and Snowboard enthusiasts are cheering!

Whiteface Mountain and Gore are both open!

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Word spread rapidly, yesterday, of the death on Sunday of 

Ronald Terry Helmes  

1964 - 2013

a graduate of Waterville Central School.

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Here & There

The Caves in Forge Hollow were very cold-looking .....

... but these doorways on East Bacon Street were ...

.... much more warm and inviting.

(Those were the first three pictures that I took, yesterday. All the rest showed the image of a huge, smeared thumbprint that - of course - I didn't know was on the lens until it was too late to redo the photos.

Maybe today - depending on the weather!)

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Today at WCS

Early Dismissal at 2:00 p.m.

School Board Meeting 6:30 p.m.

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WCS Sports

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Today at the Library

Kids' Book Club at 6:30 p.m.

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Knit 2gether at 7:00

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COMING SOON!

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All of the Weather Forecasts for later today and tomorrow are "interesting."  I'll let you know what develops!

'Til then - have a good day and drive carefully!

Today is Garbage Day
and it's 17 degrees at 5:00 a.m

Here is the YNN Weather Forecast:

"Cold and Breezy, Storm Threat Tuesday Night/Wednesday
Look for flurries/snow showers to wind down this morning Temperatures will be warmer than yesterday but still way below average for late November.

Tuesday will start quiet, but a powerful storm will be making its way up the coast, and will be on our doorstep by the late afternoon. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the track of the storm, and precipitation type heading into Wednesday.

It's looking like a good bet that we'll see at least some wintry precipitation. Expect travel of all kinds to be impacted by this storm from Tuesday afternoon, into a good chunk of Wednesday."

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NEWS!

Found posted on Facebook by Waterville Vocal Music!

The Cast is Announced!

Performances on March 13, 14 & 15, 2014.

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Here & There

There was a flurry of lighting activity gong on at the Whites' on White Street during one of the early-weekend "lake effect" flurries.

Jeff Reynolds caught the Village crew beating the wintry weather, putting Christmas wreaths on our Victorian lamp posts last Thursday ........ 

...... all along East .....

............. and West Main Street.

(Blog readers who are unfamiliar with traffic patterns on West Main Street may wonder why that car seems to be going the wrong way, but it was, in fact, at the right place at the right time - exiting Stewart's.)

More decorations:  at the Woodman - Getman Law Offices .....

............ the Neffs' home on Berrill Avenue ....

..........  and at the Verdon residence on Putnam, next to the former "Home for Homeless Ladies," Santa and his reindeer have once again taken flight.

With three or four inches of new snow on the corn-stubbled fields in Hanover, the colors change once again.

This is the surprising new view of the Weaver Farm's new barn as seen looking South from the corner of Shanley and Gridley-Paige Roads.

I was in that location because I had expected to find more ice on the little waterfall, but that wasn't the case.

Much of the surface of the ponds next to Madison Street had frozen over, 'though, and any open water that was left was crowded with Canada Geese.

No: the snowmobile trails have not been marked, yet!

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 IN THE MAIL

"Parade of Lights"

From Jennifer Neff, a reminder that:

 "The theme this year is 'Silver Bells,' to commemorate the parade's 25th year. 

"The parade is at 6:30, line up is at 6 in the village park, Madison Street side and ends at the firehouse with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  Any vendors that would like to have a table at the firehouse can contact a committee member (Lisa Belfield, Doc and Kathy Upcraft, Don and Jennifer Neff, Diane Marceau, Angela Plante or Scott Whitehead.)"

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Public Star Gazing Event Announced

The Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society 

invites you to join them for a 

Tour of the Sky* 

on Saturday, November 30th, from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. 

at the Barton-Brown Observatory at the Waterville Public Library.

(*Weather permitting, of course.)

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Gillian Mowrey replied to the query posted last week asking if you remembered where you were when you first learned that President Kennedy had been killed.

She wrote:  "I had just run out of the doors of my elementary school in Binghamton.  One of the other students told me the news, but as she was often the  source of "misinformation" I didn't believe her. Nevertheless, I ran  all the way home (I was 8) to see my mother. As I neared my house, I  saw my father's car in front  and I knew something was very wrong...  It was far too early in the day for him to be home from work. I ran in  the house to see both my parents, my Mom in tears, sat in front of the  TV. I remember sitting at their feet, too young to understand the deeper implications, but old enough to know this the news was far more than just 'sad.' That something of deep significance had happened. We  had only just become citizens of the US, and my parents were real  supporters of JFK, so they were deeply moved by his death."

Thank you, Gillian!

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EVENTS

WCS SPORTS 

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Happening Today at the Library

At 4:00 p.m. it's the LEGOs Tallest Tower Competition!

To satisfy my own curiosity, I "googled" images of Lego Towers:  some were amazing! This was built by students of the Red Clay School District in Wilmington Delaware last summer.

The Waterville winner will get his or her name on a trophy in the library!

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For Your Calendar

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FOR THE RECORD

Have a good day, everyone!

In case you wondered .....

It's 14 degrees and white at 8:30 a.m.

Not a great accumulation, but very pretty on the Euonymus berries!

More pictures later on.

It's Snow Time in Waterville!

Just because I know that the "Snow Birds" will love this!

It's Garbage day again.

24 degrees and dry at 5:30 a.m.

YNN's Weather Forecast: 

"Quiet Today, Unsettled Friday

Temperatures should return to more seasonable levels (highs in the mid/upper 40s) despite thickening clouds associated with our next storm system.

Scattered showers develop Thursday night into Friday as a cold front works in.  Temperatures out ahead of this front will be well into the 40s on Friday.  Temperatures are expected to drop back into the 30s on Saturday with a few scattered rain and snow showers possible.  Sunday looks even colder with scattered flurries and snow showers. 

Temperatures on Sunday will likely be stuck in the 20s!  Stay tuned!"

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Happenings

WCS SPORTS

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At the Library Today

Family Movie at 6:00 p.m.

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At the Library Tomorrow

Movie at 1:00

1955

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Tonight in Deansboro

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Here & There

It's Christmas on West Main Street!

Christmas lights in the windows at Morgan's ......

.................. and Christmas Everything right across the street!  Pretty!

Those were the first pictures that I took yesterday afternoon, and - it turned out - they were the only ones.  I drove up and down and all around the village and surrounding countryside without seeing anything else that really appealed to me and my camera.

I found this picture in my mail - sent to me by Dave Hitchcock from Oriskany Falls.  He had taken it from in front of George and Connie Kelley's home on Sanger Hill Road just as the tree that had fallen was being removed. He wrote: 

"The tree is hanging on the wires - it was a pretty tough job getting it off without breaking any more poles! Town of Sangerfield brought their big front end loader to support it while they sawed part of it up."

(Thank you, Dave!)

I also noticed that the fir tree that had fallen in St. Bernard's Cemetery has already been cut up and removed.

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It's obvious from these pictures that there's no snow on the ground, now, but I wondered what the weather had been like on November 21st in the past several years.

Photo by Jeff Reynolds  -  2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

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And going much farther back - fifty years and a day, to be exact  -  here is a question for "older" blog readers:

"Do you remember where you were when you learned that President Kennedy had been killed?"

You can Email me HERE. 


REPLIES

"I was in Brookfield Central School, waiting for my French III teacher to arrive and begin class. As he came into the classroom, he was obviously upset and tense as he made the announcement that the President had been shot. At that time, we thought there might still be a chance that President Kennedy was alive. We spent the rest of the class period discussing politics and history, not French.

Jeanne Kellogg"

"I was in Waterville Central School, in a study hall classroom. I think it came over the loud speakers that President Kennedy had just been shot.. Everyone in the classroom was in shock.

Carol Stanford Felder."

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We were living in Topeka, Kansas, where Dick was attached to the B-47 wing at Forbes Air Force Base. That afternoon, a folk-singing friend and newspaper photographer named Bill Snead had stopped by for coffee and to take pictures of our daughter, Allison, who was three months old at the time.  He had been cruising around the city, as newspaper photographers did, just waiting for something newsworthy to happen.  It was a quiet afternoon. Plenty of time for coffee.

He had brought his camera into the house with him but, at some point he decided to get a different lens from his car. He had left the VW "beetle" running and the newspaper radio was on.  "Snead! Where ARE you?!"  That's when he heard. He dashed back into the house, gasped the news to me, grabbed his camera and left.  

He took several hundred more photographs that day and it wasn't until much later, when he worked for the Washington Post and had been named "White House Photographer of the Year," that he sent us the picture of Allison - an enormous print that hangs in her home, now, and is made special because "that was taken by Bill Snead the day ....... " 

To see some of Snead's other famous and favorite photographs. 

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More when it happens!

Have a great day everyone!