Category Archives: Community Events

Honoring Veterans

Posted on November 13, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Friday I attended a very nice  Veterans Event in Ilion, NY.  Names were being added to the wall in the Town Hall’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium.  I got there early and walked around looking at the large number of names, all residents of Ilion who had served in the armed forces.

Only part of the veterans honored.

The names are grouped by wars, and there is a section for peacetime veterans as well.  There is even a Civil War veteran on the back wall of the stage.

The oldest one.

 Ilion Mayor John P. Stephens welcomed a gathering of over 70 people, including veterans as well as their families and friends. After thanking all veterans, past and present for their service and reiterating how proud Ilion can be of how many of its residents have answered the call to service over the years, Mayor Stephens read the names to be added, asking any who were present to stand.

Mayor Stephens

 All those attending gave a warm ovation to these veterans. Stephens then asked any other veterans present to stand, and they were applauded as well.

 After the ceremony, many spent some time walking around the auditorium, reading names and taking pictures.  It was a short but heartfelt occasion.  I got into a conversation with one couple taking pictures of their son’s name.  I asked for a picture of them, and they graciously agreed.

They had good reason to be proud.

 

They were William K. Farrell and MaryAlice Farrell, pointing to their son, Michael J. Farrell, who was an army doctor in Afghanistan.  William is on the wall for Vietnam, where he served as a sergeant.
It was a heartfelt, solemn event, although there were a couple of lighter moments, such as when people took the chairs from the head table. Nobody wanted to be up there with Mayor Stephens!  Then when he read the names, for a while there was one veteran standing by himself.  Stephens remarked on it, and remarked when another veteran stood too.
I will just mention that I was invited to be there, because I have been covering Ilion Village Board meetings for The Sentinel.  I wrote a story, which I submitted.  But I also stood when the mayor asked all veterans to stand.  I felt honored.

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Another Posers Post!

Posted on June 20, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Monday I braved the heat to walk down to Meyers Park for the Herkimer Downtown Chowdown.  My favorite band, The Posers, were playing.  How could I not go?  As it happened, I had not been feeling well all day.  No specific symptoms, just very run down, tired, and blah.  Could I have partied too heartily on the weekend?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!  I walked to the post office first, to mail a few postcards, then wandered around the park, deciding what to eat.

I finally decided on a hot dog from K Dogs BBQ.  It was big!  It was yummy!  I sat down at a picnic table in the shade and did not have long to wait till the band started.

They rock!

It was difficult to get a good shot, because of the posts on the pavilion and the setting sun.  Then again, I am an amateur with a cell phone.  A professional photographer was there and a friend shared some beautiful shots from him on Facebook.  Minter Photography was the guy (for once I was not too lazy to go looking for it).  You can check out his Facebook page.

It’s too bad I was not in the mood to dance.

I did boogey a little while I took the pictures but was not my usual Dancing Queen self  (I did not dub myself that; a fellow at work did) (yes, I dance at work.  If they don’t want me to dance, they should not play music).

Bass players rule!

Of course I had to zoom in on my friend Rick, the bass player. I also tried to get a good shot of Becky, the drummer.

You just can’t beat a good drummer. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Probably I should have tried for a few shots.  I must clean out the storage on my Tablet, which takes better pictures.

I love the ceiling of the pavilion.

I guess I don’t have a whole lot more to say than they were great, here are some pictures.

One more shot.

I was sorry I did not feel up to staying to hear more, but I was happy I had been there to support a community event as well as some of my favorite local musicians.  The Herkimer Downtown Chowdown runs every Monday in Meyers Park.  You can get some good food and hear some great music!

 

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Good Music at the Chowdown

Posted on June 11, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last Monday I received an unexpected invitation to join my friends Jim and Kelly at the Herkimer Downtown Chowdown.  Since it is walking distance from my house, I gladly took a walk down.  It was a beautiful evening, sunny with a little bit of a breeze.  Meyers Park, where the Chowdown is held, has plenty of shade.  Kelly and Jim had brought chairs.  I must do that next time.  Kelly volunteered to get a blanket out of their car and sit on the ground so I could have a chair. Since I had my Monday backache, I was very grateful for that (I don’t know if I ever mentioned it, but I get a backache most Mondays.  After relaxing all weekend, my back has a “What the hell?” attitude when I go back to work).

Kelly and I walked among the food trucks, pondering our choices.  We finally went to The Corner Office where I got a hamburger and Kelly got chicken tenders.  We went back and sat down while Jim went and got some loaded nachos.  I foolishly neglected to ask which truck he got them from; they looked really good.  We settled down to eat (chow down?) and listen to the band.

They really rocked.

It was an ’80’s band called Remedy.  ’80’s music is near and dear to my heart.  I often observe that it may not have been the best decade, but, man, what a soundtrack!  I say the same thing about the ’60’s and ’70’s.  Of course all decades have their good and bad points;  music was definitely one of the good points about the ’80’s.

The lead singer called a guitarist named Marco out of the crowd to join them for a song or two.  He was very good too.  Apparently there was some controversy, because the lead guy said he had cleared it with somebody named Anthony but expressed concern that some people were videotaping.  Yes, I had to choose that moment to take a couple pictures for the blog post.  Herkimer’s mayor was making a video, no doubt destined for their Facebook page.

Don’t tell Anthony! Whoever he is.

I had a really great time, but had to leave early, because I remembered I needed to put out my trash and recyclables (Tuesday is trash day in my neighborhood).  Jim, Kelly, and I made plans to get together to watch the next play at Ilion Little Theatre (preview of coming attractions).

I will just mention that Jim and Kelly are father and daughter.  Jim’s wife and Kelly’s mother is Phyllis, my late dearly missed friend, who I have mentioned many times in this space.

For more information about The New Herkimer Downtown Chowdown, you can visit their Facebook page.

 

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Sunday Christmas Fun

Posted on December 18, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have just had the most fun evening! I am filled with the Christmas spirit! I went to the Business and Professional Association of Herkimer’s 10th Annual Christmas in Meyers Park. I saw on Facebook that the event had been moved to Herkimer Elks Lodge due to weather. Well, that was an even easier walk for me, so I set out very shortly after 4 o’clock.

” ‘Twas the night before Christmas…”

I arrived at the Elks while the story was going on. He went on to sing a couple of Christmas carols. When he did “Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer,” I added the stuff in between the lines: Rudolf the red nosed reindeer (reindeer!)… You know what I mean.

I sneaked further into the room and grabbed a couple cookies till Santa showed up.

So cute!

After that, I confess I went into the bar and had a glass of Chardonnay. I had a lovely time chatting up a few Elks I knew. Eventually Santa came in to wish us all a Merry Christmas. I roguishly asked to sit on his lap. He graciously invited me back into the room to do so.

” Santa, baby, slip a sable under the tree for me… “

I asked someone to take a picture of us, mentioning it was for my blog. Some others encouraged me to take a picture of the fire department members who were there to offer cookies and cocoa.

Aren’t they handsome?

I told them how I loved fire departments especially after they pumped out my basement after the flood of ’13. They did not just help me, they were happy to help me! These fellows agreed that fire departments are always happy to help. I must find other ways to support the fire department, since I fear I am to old and decrepit to actually fight fires.

I went back and bid a fond farewell to my friends at the bar. It was a delightful interlude. Now I must prepare myself for Monstrous Monday. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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I Bought the Book!

Posted on November 27, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday I made my way to Ilion Little Theatre, where local author Dave Dellecese was having a Story Time and Signing for his new book, Lucy and the Ghost Take the Stage.  Two of my favorite things: theatre and ghosts!  And a book I think my grandniece, Evie, might like for a Christmas present (I feel free to put it here, because I am fairly certain she does not read my blog).

The author with his book.

Dave Dellecese has been a good friend ever since I joined Ilion Little Theatre. He is an excellent actor and director as well as a talented writer. I am so impressed with his prolific output!  I really must up my writing game.

I had to take the above picture twice, since in the first shot I inadvertently got Char, president of the club, in the background.  When I said I had gotten her blurry in the background, another lady said, “That’s the ghost!”

I did not stay to hear the reading or even eat a cookie, because I was not feeling well.  Nothing contagious; I just have not been eating in the most healthy fashion, especially on Sunday. In my defense… OK, I have no defense.

You can follow Dave Dellecese on Facebook or at https://davedellecese.com/.

 

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About That Party…

Posted on October 30, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I guess workday mornings before work are my times to make blog posts these days as my Tablet continues to foil me and my body rebels from sitting up at the dining-room-table-top.  What’s up with that, body?  My mind seems to be giving me a few problems too.  Just now the word “sitting” was underlined in blue and it took me a few minutes to figure out where the extra “t” was (I had typed “stitting”).  Then I left out one set of “in” in “dining room” and I had to ponder which “in” it was, the one in “din” or the one in “ing.”

Be all that as it may, here is some semblance of a post to try to start my week on the right foot.  In my last post, I was requested to share pictures of my costume from Friday, when my friend Kim and I went to a Halloween party featuring our favorite band, The Posers.  I had a little problem there and this is the best I can come up with this morning.

I think it is a kind of a cool shot.

This is my shadow in the parking lot of Ilion Elks Lodge, before we went into said party.  You can at least see that I am wearing a cape and have a bat on my head.  I only got one picture of the band.

They are awesome, yes!

We had a fun time at the party, dancing to a lot of great tunes.  I had not brought my Tablet with me, because I did not want to worry about it when I was on the dance floor (it is still taking OK pictures for me at least).  I had my phone in a little bag looped on a scarf around my waist.

And I see I am up to 300 words (more with this paragraph!).  I call it respectable for a Monday morning.  Once again, I will strive to improve as the week wears on.

 

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At the Grange

Posted on April 16, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday I drove to Salisbury Grange for their open house.  In addition to my interest in historic buildings, I wanted to scope out the space for Shooting at the Grange ,  our upcoming murder mystery.

I like the stage.

It is a gorgeous place, all beautifully stained wood.  I don’t know why I didn’t take a shot of the ceiling.

It looks solemn to me.

They had it set up the way it used to be for meetings back in the day.  Each officer had their own podium.  Some of them were also Masons, and they borrowed some of the ceremony and symbolism.

“Ooh, the Masons,”  I said.  “They were intense.”  Full disclosure:  my knowledge about the Masons comes mostly from the movie From Hell.

Mason stuff.

 

Another view.

I spent a lot of time chatting with the Grange volunteers.  They are very excited about the murder mystery and have already sold a number of tickets.  They have great plans for the Grange; they hope it will become a real community center with many different events.

Maybe even a sing-along!

I was taking pictures to show my cast as well as for use here.  I hope we will be able to rehearse at the Grange next week.  It will make a great blog post.

Just to re-iterate the information.

 

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I Loves Me Some Posers!

Posted on August 16, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

For one reason and another, I have not made it to the Herkimer Downtown Chowdown this summer.  I was moved to remedy the error when I heard the Posers were playing tonight.  I had to at least stop down and listen to a few tunes.

The pavilion makes a good stage.

The first thing I did when the music started was to take a picture of the band and post it on Facebook, inviting folks to come one down.  I sat at one of the picnic tables with a couple of other fans and settled down to enjoy.  I must say, Herkimer really has it going on for its food truck night.  The picnic tables are handy, and the trees provide shade which I really appreciate.

Full disclosure:  I did not get anything to eat.  I was there for the music!  I saw a table at which a lady was selling sunflowers of various sizes and colors.  Of course I don’t know from flowers, so perhaps they were not actually sunflowers but some sort of cousin.  This is the sort of thing I only could have gone over and asked, but, well, sorry, my bad.

I tried to get all three front men.

I was soon tapping my foot and chair dancing (picnic table bench dancing?), but I had to get up and boogey down to “Stuck in the Middle With You” (is that the title or just the lyrics?  No matter, if you know the song, you know what I mean).  Yes, I was the only one dancing at the time.  Hey, I don’t let it stop me in the supermarket, I am not going to let it stop me when it is one of my favorite bands playing!  I also danced to a Tom Petty song, “Listen to Her Heart.”  Announcing that one, the guy said, “We tend to play a lot of music by dead people, so in keeping with that vein, here’s one by Tom Petty.”  I loves me some Tom Petty!

And how could I neglect my favorite bass player?

 

The drummer is pretty awesome, too!

I did not stay as long as I would have liked to, but I am feeling rather tired.  I was happy I got to hear what I did, though. I might return on future Mondays to hear other local musicians.  I know I have already missed some good ones!  Also, I would also like to purchase a couple of those flowers that look like sunflowers.

The Herkimer Downtown Chowdown runs through the end of September, Mondays from 4 to 8 p.m.in Meyers Park.  You can check out their Facebook page to see who is playing.

 

 

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Pre-Rehearsal Post About PRIDE

Posted on June 9, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

This is another Pre-Rehearsal post, and I ain’t got much, time or brain. However, I do have a community event I would like to plug in advance: Little Falls Price Celebration. It is this Saturday, and I intend to go. I just now went to their Facebook page and copied the following:

Little Falls Community Outreach (LFCO) with Rainbow Club hosts our 2nd annual PRIDE celebration on Saturday, June 11, 2022 in downtown Little Falls!!

Rainbow Club is an LGBTQIA+ youth support group through Outreach that meets weekly to discuss issues and receive support. They are the driving force behind Little Falls Pride!

Event highlights:

– Pride Stride 5K – 9AM
– 1/2 Mile Kids Fun Run – 9:45AM
– Pride Celebration (Burke Park) – 10AM-4PM
– Pride Prom (Little Falls Youth & Family Center) – 6:30PM-10PM
– After Party! (The Renaissance) – 10PM

Outreach will host guest speakers, drag story hour, performances, music, food, activities, lawn games, support and love. This all-ages event is a great way to bring awareness to our LGBTQIA+ community and stand together in solidarity. 

Back to me now. Last year I ran in the Pride Stride 5K. I wonder if I wrote a blog post about it. This year, running is off the table for me. That is really OK, because after I ran, I was tired and I went home. This year I will be able to walk around Burke Park and check things out. I saw a picture of a rainbow fan on the Facebook page. I hope to purchase one for my very own. We will probably miss the Pride Prom and After Party, but I hope my friends who attend will share copious pictures on Facebook.

For more information on the Little Falls PRIDE, you can visit the Facebook Event, https://www.facebook.com/events/1069664747098358. As for me, I have to go to rehearsal.

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Oh Yeah, the Murder Mystery!

Posted on October 27, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had meant to make a Post Rehearsal Post last night, but I was too tired (you know, Tired Tuesday). I also meant to take a few pictures at rehearsal, but, well, I forgot. Oh dear.

I think it’s a nice poster.

Steven and I were delighted to see the above flier on WKTV’s Morning Mug Club yesterday morning. I have not heard how ticket sales are going, but a lot of people have expressed interest.

Rehearsal went pretty well. I think we need a little more work on lines, but we’re getting there. I, personally, am trying to learn everybody’s lines, so I can help if there’s a problem during performance. One would think this would be easy for me, since I wrote the whole thing. What, am I supposed to remember everything I ever wrote? That would be difficult, especially since I continually strive to write more of everything.

I guess you can read all the information in the poster (I’m having a little trouble with the Preview function on my Tablet) (imagine that: me having trouble with an electronic device! Say it ain’t so!), but in case you can’t: Donate to Murder, interactive dinner theatre, will be presented to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Herkimer Elks Lodge. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $35, available at the Historical Society or by calling 315-866-6413.

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