Friday: looking ahead + Add-on

ADD-ON

at the request of Tom Eisenhut.

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While I was en route to the Car Wash to take that picture, I noticed that:




1. the rope "stands" for the Masons' Christmas Tree Sale are in place! (That means that the trees will be coming sooooon!)

2. Mike Tower and Blake Hotaling were installing the one missing piece of decorative framework on the foundation of the Bandstand.

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It's partly cloudy and 30 degrees F. / -1 degree C.

WKTV's weather forecast: "A quiet but chilly start to your Friday with partly to mostly clear skies. A winter jacket is needed as you head out to work or school with temperatures in the low to mid 30s.

A weak area of high pressure will control our weather for today. Expect a mix of sun and clouds throughout the morning and early afternoon with temperatures into the mid 40s. Clouds begin to thicken up this evening and tonight with overnight lows in the mid 20s.

A storm system in the Atlantic Ocean will begin to trek north along the east coast on Saturday. The low pressure system is just too far to our south and east to have a major impact on our weather for the weekend. . Right now, the steadiest snow looks to stay southeast of the viewing area, but as an upper level trough energizes this storm system, some if its precipitation may be pulled a bit further west than earlier thinking. Thus, a period of light snow is possible Saturday afternoon and evening across Otsego, Southern Herkimer and Montgomery Counties. At this point it still appears that any snow accumulations would be minor. Temperatures will feel a lot cooler this weekend with highs only in the mid 30s and overnight lows in the 20s."

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SPECIAL NOTE

There will be a

BLOOD DRIVE

at the

Village Hall this

Saturday, Dec. 5th

8:30am to 1:30pm

It costs you nothing but a little time and can save up to three lives.

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Varsity Basketball Scores gleaned from the O-D:
December 1 Girls Basketball: "Waterville 45, West Canada Valley 30."
Lauren Homer and Jessica Zogby combined for 18 points in the second half as Waterville broke open a close game on the way to a CSC crossover win over West Canada. Zogby led all scorers with 14 points.
Jennie Maxwell, Brittney Florian and Ciera Sportello each scored seven points for West Canada Valley.
West Canada (0-0, 0-1): Jennie Maxwell 7, Brittney Florian 7, Meghan Lewis 2, Alissa Stack 4, Alexia Fauvelle 3, Ciera Sportello 7. Totals: 11-7-30.
Waterville (0-0, 2-1): Brooke Williams 3, Jenna Fallon 7, Katie Buell 2, Dylanne Hodge 3, Siobhan Fitzgerald 2, Lindsey Wratten 1, Shelby Ritzel 2, Jessica Zogby 14, Lauren Homer 11. Totals: 17-10-45.
3-point goals: West Canada 1 (Maxwell); Waterville 1 (Fallon).
JV: Waterville 30-24.


Boys' Basketball: "Morrisville-Eaton’s boys basketball team fell to Waterville 51-42 on Wednesday."

M-E freshman Will Thomas scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the first quarter to help the Warriors go on top 24-20. Waterville tied the game at 29-29 at halftime and pulled away in the second half.

“We didn’t hit our shots in the second half, but they are playing hard and I’m proud with the way they played,” M-E coach Chad Snow said.

M-E’s Ben Thomas added 11 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and six assists. Jamie Maciag finished with 10 points.

Taylor Jaquays led Waterville with 14 points.
M-E 24 5 7 6 - 42
Waterville 20 9 15 7 - 51
M-E (0-0, 1-1): Ben Thomas 11, Will Thomas 17, Jamie Maciag 10, Kameron Brown 2, Matt Pelton 2
Waterville (1-0): Taylor Jaquays 14, Robert Hughes 2, Brett Baumgarten 12, Jared Henderson 12, Donnie March 5, Jordan Henderson 5, Dan Kelley 2."

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FOR THE RECORD



I'll be back on the usual schedule next week with lots of items for your calendars and as many pictures of Christmas Lights and Decorations as I can take!


HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

LUCY's HOME!!!

To repeat that:


"LUCY is NOW at HOME!"

I received an email from Patty Louise early this afternoon that read:

"Someone in Madison had decided to keep her, but thanks to Denise Carr of North Brookfield, who coordinates a Rescue Me in North Brookfield, we found out who the person was. Steve picked her up just 30 minutes ago.

And yes, that was Fred running loose not once but twice yesterday. He first busted out the window in the laundry room and then one in Mary Kate's room to, we think, go look for Lucy. Our neighbors will appreciate that he will no longer sit in the yard and howl in grief. We are just happy beyond words to have this work out. "

All's well that ends well!



ALSO IN THE MAIL .......

An Enote from Val Schenk to inform everyone that:

"They rescheduled


'A Charlie Brown Christmas'


Tuesday, December 8, 8:00/7:00c

"Charlie and Linus ponder the meaning of Christmas."


YAY!!

It Snowed!

But that was early this morning, and now it's melted (shucks!) and the sun's out.


In the Observer-Dispatch: "Time Since Last Real Snow Since 1902."

From "The Farmers Almanac" - "Detailed Forecast for the Next Two Months

DECEMBER 2009: temperature 28.5° (2.5° above avg.); precipitation 2" (1" below avg.); Dec 1-4: Rain and snow showers, cold; Dec 5-7: Showers, mild; Dec 8-14: Snow showers, cold; Dec 15-19: Snow, then showers, warm; Dec 20-23: Snow, then sunny, seasonable; Dec 24-27: Snow, then sunny, cold; Dec 28-31: Sunny, seasonable."

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IMPORTANT!!!

LOCK YOUR DOORS!

In this morning's O-D: "Two Morning Burglaries Reported in WATERVILLE —
Law enforcement is looking into two reported burglaries on Stafford Avenue Monday morning.

The New York State Police in Marcy and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office are each investigating a separate residential burglary. Both incidents occurred between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Both houses were occupied and only a few items were stolen.

Agencies are asking for anyone with information to contact either state Investigator Thomas Fort at 736-8802 or sheriff’s Investigator Chris Ferguson at 765-2226."

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IN THE MAIL

I had three Emails right in a row, this morning, asking if Lucy had been found. As far as I know, the answer is "No." I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything at all from the Gannons.

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"Sunset at Hickory Hilll"

by Shirlee Langone.



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A nice note and the following three pictures came from Suzy Quayle. She and Tom were in New York City over Thanksgiving, visiting their son, Matt, and his wife, Kate. They also went to see Tracy Olivera in "Ragtime!"

"It was wonderful and she gave us a backstage tour which was REALLY interesting! Seeing how they had to even choreograph their backstage movement because of the limited space, the costumes and changes, the set and lighting..it was all fascinating. Tracy is truly wonderful in the show. She plays numerous characters and is just about every scene. As Bridgett the maid she has lines and lets out a fantastic scream reminiscent of her role in the amateur Waterville production of "Death has a Horse Voice" for all who were fortunate to see this video!

The pics are of Tracy signing autographs and walking to dinner with Matt. We had great food and conversation!"

Thanks, SuzyQ!

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From Jeff Reynolds, these three pictures of evening at Otsego Lake.

An old church, originally from Little Falls, Jeff thinks, now at the Farmers' Museum.




"Sunset over Cooperstown, from Country Club point (site where Tom Hutter and Hurry Harry were captured by the Iroquois in 'Deerslayer.'"


The Sleeping Lion.

(And Thank You, Jeff!)

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More when it happens!

Good Monday Morning!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO KENNY DITCH TODAY

AND MIKE DITCH TOMORROW!!
___________________________

42.4 DEGREES F. / 5.8 C. and drippy.

It's Garbage Day

and

Tomorrow is BIG TRASH!

(Yes: I'm trying to be "on vacation," but there are some things, here, that you'll want to see, so I'll just get the week going for you.)

FROM WKTV: "Good morning Central New York! A soggy start to our Monday, with unsettled weather as we move into the first week of December.

A wet start to the day across Central New York. Bring the umbrella heading out to work this morning.

A cold front will pass through the area late this morning, bringing an end to the wet weather. The rain will come to an end near noon, possibly ending as a few wet flakes of snow, especially on the hilltops. Cooler, drier air builds in to Central New York later today. Temperatures will top out in the mid 40s this morning, before gradually cooling through the lower 40s and upper 30s as we head into the afternoon. A few breaks of sunshine later today are also possible.

A weak disturbance drops in from the northwest late tonight. Look for plenty of clouds during the overnight with light snow by daybreak. Overnight lows in the upper 20s. Little accumulation expected by the morning commute.

Scattered snow showers continue for Tuesday morning with little to no accumulation. An area of high pressure moves back in Tuesday night into Wednesday with partly sunny skies.

As we head toward the end of the work week, a large storm is expected to form in the Gulf of Mexico and track into the northeast. Our current projections bring the center of this storm near or just to the west of Central New York. This is a poor track for snow; we expect a heavy rain event. There will be some lake effect on the back side of this storm heading into the weekend.

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Vail Fleischmann

1929 - 2009

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WCS CLASS OF 1989

"Over 40 classmates attended the WCS Class of 1989 reunion Saturday, November 28th at the Blue Flag Room. Between classmates, their guests and past teachers, a total of 75 people attended the reunion. We kicked off our reunion weekend Wednesday night at Michael's, had a Class of '89 float in the Parade of Lights, spent Friday night at Stinker's (where the band dedicated a number of songs to the Class of '89), we cheered on a team of classmates (who did us proud & proved after 20 years they can still play ball) in the alumni basketball tournament Saturday morning and then had the reunion Saturday night. The highlight of the reunion was a class dvd of over 600 photos set to music which was made by Cathy (Winfield) Marriott. The dvd brought lots of laughs and some sentimental tears. It was such a fun weekend reminiscing and seeing old classmates that we can't wait for the 25th!" from Jennifer Neff.

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ANOTHER REUNION!

Paula Skipton, Ashley (Burback) Ryan, Emily Alcott, Shane Dunn.

Paula Skipton, a WCS exchange student from San Jose, Costa Rica during the 2002-2003 school year, made her first return visit to Waterville this Thanksgiving. Paula reunited with classmates whom she had not seen since leaving Waterville six years ago. Paula lived with Jan and Charlie Fischer, in Deansboro, during the year she spent here from August 2002 - August 2003. from Ashley Burback Ryan.

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The Waterville Public Library will present a

READING AND BOOK SIGNING

by

JIM BOGAN

author of

"Big Creek Valley"

at 4:00 P.M. on December 3rd.

For more Library Events, please click HERE.

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Some daytime views of decorations..........


........... at the corner of Main St. and 315 .........



............... on Stafford Avenue ...........



............ E. Bacon Street ...........



............. Elmwood ...........



............ and White Street, where Elinor Petrie was hanging lights yesterday afternoon.




Dale Meszler and I managed to get the Bandstand prettied up with old-fashioned swags on Friday afternoon.



By dark, it looked just the way this Photoshopped view had shown us that it would!

(Gosh, that's pretty!)


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FOR THE RECORD


Have a good week, everyone!

Sometimes, it's just nice to take time off from one routine to sift through "what's out there." Two things that I found over the weekend, have occupied me for HOURS - you might enjoy them, too:

Troy Bishopp's blog and his essays at "The Grass Whisperer,"
and an amazing collection of photographs by "VKEITH"
the locations of which are all indicated on Google Earth.
(Scroll down the righthand column of her Panaramia page to "Central New York" - that's just the beginning!)

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I'll be checking my email, so if you have an announcement or a photo that you want everyone to see, send it along and I'll post it!)

Thinking Turkey!

No: There's still no sign of Lucy!

Please keep looking for her!

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Recyclables.

Overcast and 45 degrees F. / 7.2 degrees C.

WKTV's Forecast: "For those traveling across the northeast (on Wednesday) no weather worries. A few light rain showers are possible heading into Western New York. The rest of the Northeast is expected to be dry.

As we approach the holiday, the weather will begin to turn unsettled. A large storm system will pass to the northwest of Central New York Wednesday, but will be close enough to give us some rain showers Wednesday night into Thanksgiving. Scattered rain showers are possible even into Thanksgiving, though at this point most of the day is expected to be dry.

Another storm system will drive in from the south on Friday morning. This storm needs to be watched closely. It will be large enough to give us windy conditions, clouds, rain and snow. Much cooler weather expected over the weekend with some lake effect snow showers."

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IN THE MAIL

The Brothertown Optimist Club's November Newsletter, courtesy of Lee Pavlot, which includes the following:


Molly Roberts

"The Brothertown Optimist Club's Youth of the Month is Molly Roberts, a senior at Waterville who is the daughter of Dennis and Jill Roberts, Waterville. Molly is a high-honor student, a member of the National Honor Society and a participant in the Advance Placement Program in Calculus. She is also taking advanced Spanish for college credit through Mohawk Valley CC. As a student
leader, Molly has been a member of the Student Council, the Octagon Club, where she has served as secretary and vice president, and is a participant in Project Lead and the Peer Mentor Program at the Middle School. Molly is also very active in the sports department as a member of the varsity volleyball and softball teams. She was selected as the MVP in volleyball received the Coaches Award in softball and was a Center State All-Star. In addition she was a NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete in both volleyball and softball. Next year Molly will attend college to major in Spanish and Elementary Education."

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Making use of the balmy weather, two stone masons continued pointing up bricks on the south tower of St. Bernard's Catholic Church.

Roofers are at work at the old Barton/Cleary farmhouse on Fuess Cleary Road.

And the busy beaver, knowing full well that he has an appreciative audience, works to further shore up the portion of his dam that washed out a week or so ago.

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Just like a "shadow box" picture, one of the front windows at the Barton Medical Center on Main Street.

About a mile south of Deansboro, Nancy Eastman's bright mural is in place!

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LAST YEAR!

WATCH FOR THE SNOW GEESE

Last year the ponds were frozen and fields covered with snow, so the Snow Geese never came, but two years ago they arrived on November 25th...........

.......... and on the 27th Moon's Pond was full!

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But right now, the subject is "Turkey!"





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OH, FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS!

I wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Fred's been Found, but ...........

Lucy is still LOST!

Fred - black and gray mix Husky - was found by a hunter "somewhere S. of Route 20 between Sangerfield and Bridgewater or Richfield Springs and taken to the Herkimer Co. Humane Society."

Please keep looking for Lucy!

If you see her, please phone 841-4431 or 841-04105.

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41 degrees F. / 5 degrees C.

overcast

From WKTV: "A mild buy cloudy start this morning, with temperatures starting out in the 40s. A few very light showers are possible this morning, especially areas west of Utica.

Clouds and a few sprinkles are possible today, but the vast majority of the day is expected to be dry. The clouds are going to keep the sun away. Despite the mild start, temperatures won't go very far this afternoon, with highs in the upper 40s. A bit of an east breeze yet again today, especially on the hilltops. Clouds and generally quiet tonight. A passing shower is possible. Lows near 40.

For those traveling across the northeast tomorrow, no weather worries. A few light rain showers are possible heading into Western New York. The rest of the Northeast is expected to be dry.

As we approach the holiday, the weather will begin to turn unsettled. A large storm system will pass to the northwest of Central New York Wednesday, but will be close enough to give us some rain showers Wednesday night into Thanksgiving. Scattered rain showers are possible even into Thanksgiving, though at this point most of the day is expected to be dry.

Another storm system will drive in from the south on Friday morning. This storm needs to be watched closely. It will be large enough to give us windy conditions, clouds, rain and snow. Much cooler weather expected over the weekend with some lake effect snow showers."

The Weather Underground

IN THE MORNING MAIL

From Kevin Ford, Poland Central School:

".... an update from the New York State Student Council conference in Saratoga Springs. Emily Gallagher, the only Waterville student in attendance, received 2 awards today. The first award was the Student Recognition Award which went to 3 students around the state for their hard work and dedication to promoting leadership in their schools. The other award she was honored with is the Kristen Haver Memorial Award, given in memory of a Poland Central School student. This award is the highest student council honor in New York State that a student can receive. She is the first student from Waterville to receive the award. My 13 Poland students, co-advisor, and myself were honored to attend the conference with her."

From Leslie Olivera - VanWormer:

The opening number of the broadway show "Ragtime" has been taped for the CBS coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which will be broadcast on Thursday, Thanksgiving day. "So if you are near a TV while you are cooking or enjoying coffee, please tune in to CBS and watch - no idea when they will appear, but the opening of the show is pretty amazing - they taped it outside at Battery Park in NYC. Tracy is in an off white dress, BIG hat with a parasol - blonde wig - she is in the chorus/ensemble. Just wanted to share as we are so excited - opening night was AMAZING last week."

Opening Gala at Tavern on the Green.
Tracy with Leslie OV and Jim.

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I have it from a "usually reliable source" that tryouts for the 2010 WCS Musical Production, "Beauty and the Beast," began yesterday! I'll be watching the school website for casting announcements!

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All of the village's runners seem to be continuing their daily afternoon and early-evening routines, (which is admirable and I wish that I were one of them!) but motorists are having trouble seeing them, especially when driving westward into a setting sun.

PLEASE WEAR SOMETHING REFLECTIVE

AND/OR

THOSE LITTLE BLINKY LIGHTS!

Reflective Vests
Signal flashers

(Click links for purchase source!)

They'd make great Christmas Gifts for runners in your family!

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Eric Kennedy, author of "Oneida Co. and Waterville in the Civil War," which ran in two installments in The Waterville Times last Summer, has completed another article - "The Hard-luck Second Oneida," in which Eric corrects and rewrites some local history!

Watch for it in The Times.

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Photographer Jody Hildreth, above, and a group of friends went exploring Chimney Mountain near Indian Lake, last weekend.

Chimney Mountain's special attraction? CAVES!

Some deep enough to require the use of rope ladders!

And more than one cave is inhabited by BATS!

"No thanks, you go ahead. I'll just wait outside and look at the lichen and trees, thank you!"


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To those who are packing up to leave early for Thanksgiving with your families, have a wonderful weekend and please travel safely!

The rest of us will be looking forward to the 21st Annual Parade of Lights which begins at 6:30 on Friday evening.

(The photograph above is of the Harding Float which celebrated the 20th Anniverary of the Parade, last year.)

This is how it all began.

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!)

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!

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Have a Great Day, Everyone!

Lucy and Fred: Where are You?

LOST DOGS!

Please click image to enlarge.


"LUCY" AND "FRED" Where are You?

Lucy and Fred, who live with the Gannons on White Street, saw an opportunity to go for a run around the neighborhood

- without permission! - on Saturday morning.

They haven't come home, and the Gannons are terribly distressed!


Lucy is a red and white husky; Fred is a black and tan husky mix. They were both seen near the Legion on Route 20 around 2:30 on Saturday. Both dogs are friendly!

If you see them, pleaae phone 841-4431 or 841-04105.

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************************
It's Garbage Day!

33 degrees F. / 0.5 degrees C. and overcast.

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From WKTV: "Good morning Central New York! It took us all weekend to get rid of the clouds, and we'll finally see some sunshine today. An active weather pattern is expected this week. Clear skies and generally light winds have allowed for temperatures to cool into the 30s and upper 20s this morning. Some patchy fog and frost across the area this morning. High pressure slides to the northeast today, keeping us dry and pleasant. Sunshine will dominate the day, especially from the Mohawk Valley northward. Highs in the upper 40s to near 50 degrees. This evening, clouds will increase out ahead of our first of several storm systems. The steady rain with this storm will pass generally to the south and east. Generally cloudy tonight, with a few sprinkles possible towards daybreak. Overnight lows in the upper 30s. Clouds and perhaps a sprinkle or two early Tuesday. Generally dry but cloudy weather for Tuesday and Wednesday. Highs in the low 50s. As we approach the holiday, the weather will begin to turn unsettled. A large storm system will pass to the northwest of Central New York Wednesday, but will be close enough to give us some rain showers Wednesday night into Thanksgiving. Clouds and scattered rain showers for Thanksgiving. Yet another storm system (we weren't kidding when we said it was going to be active!) will drive in from the south on Friday morning. This storm needs to be watched closely. It will be large enough to give us windy conditions, clouds, rain and snow. Much cooler weather expected over the weekend with some lake effect snow showers."

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CONGRATULATIONS!

to the First Prize Winners

of Thursday Night's

PRIZE SPEAKING CONTEST

Anthony Gannon, Joel Kahn and Jesstina Allinger.


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From the O-D: "Gloriana named Breakthrough Artist of the Year."


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I've just found notice of the deaths of Vail Fleischmann, who grew up in Waterville,

and Miss Leona Root of Oriskany Falls.

*******

If you missed a tour of Waterville on Sunday's Mohawk Valley Living ,

you can now see video clips, in two parts, on utube

Utube: Part 1

Utube: Part 2

in which:

MVL's host, Richard Enders, listens as Ed Gale explains the workings of the Feed Mill on Canning Factory Road;

Andy Pryputniewicz shows off pink banana squash and blue potatoes;

"Pammy Cakes'" Pam Brown tempts the crew with chocolates and pastries;

Dick Woodman lets Richard open the safe and go inside (!)

everyone tours Morgans Hardware ...........

and gets a special look at the water-powered elevator and

then goes next door to check out The Red Lion pub .........

............ ending up with a fascinating look at what gets manufactured at C&H Plastics.

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NEW ON MAIN STREET

Ecco Video has relocated to the former Scerbo Block.

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ON WHITE STREET

FOR THE RECORD

I haven't taken time to read all of the news because I want to get the "LOST DOG" poster published and into circulation as fast as I can. If I find more items to post, I'll do an "add-on."

Otherwise:

Have a Great Day, Everyone!