Liverpool specters return to educate, entertain
You can meet the most interesting folks here in Liverpool, and they don't even have to be alive. The Onondaga Historical Association is preparing its 13th annual Ghostwalk, and the spirits will be summoned right here in the village of Liverpool. The walks will take place on Friday, Sept. 28, Saturday, Sept.29, Friday, Oct. 5 and Saturday, Oct. 6. While the evening tours are scheduled for 6 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 6, an afternoon tour commences at 2 p.m.
Paul de Lima coffee: A hometown product to be proud of
When we first moved to the Syracuse area two years ago, one of the many questions I asked myself was whether I would ever find a cup of coffee in my new hometown that I liked as much as in my old hometown, namely the coffee I would purchase on my way to work each morning at a gas station-convenience store. A trivial dilemma, yes, but not for a coffee lover who needs one small cup o' Joe to get going in the early morning hours. Their coffee was always fresh, and, to me, absolutely perfect. So, as we started to get used to our new home, I began sampling the different coffees available in this area and soon noticed that many diners and restaurants were serving something called Paul de Lima coffee, and I really liked it. When we just happened to stumble upon their outlet store and museum, located in Cicero, I liked it even more; here was a hometown product to be proud of, a great coffee at a great price, plus a store and little museum to boot!
Pit bull advocacy group seeks to change laws, perception
When Stephanie Heath Higgins met Grace, she could barely hold up her head. The pit bull, at 7 or 8 years old, should have weighed around 60 pounds. But Grace weighed about 30. She was emaciated, dehydrated, suffering from an eye infection. She couldn’t walk. Her organs were shutting down. But Higgins loved her anyway.
Gray Matters: In praise of church suppers
The aroma's in the air! The signs are everywhere! Ah, one of my favorite seasons of the year has begun yet again. No, I'm not referring to the holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas or even football. I'm talking “church supper season,” that autumnal odyssey of comfort food and good company. Today's column features these very successful fundraisers, which are also wonderful gatherings for socializing and sampling homemade specialties at very fair prices.
New development in Bridgeport
Just recently, the Cicero Town Board passed a resolution that will clear the way for a new development called Lyons Farm just west of the hamlet of Bridgeport. I began working with the developer of this project several months ago to pave the way for this approval. This is exciting news for the Bridgeport area and the town of Cicero as a whole.
BOCES students offer good, cheap salon services for seniors
One of the little-known secrets to save big bucks when trying to improve one's appearance is to visit your local BOCES. The BOCES hair and nail salon, if you’re lucky enough to have one fairly close by, is invaluable to those of us looking to save some money in our senior years. Almost within walking distance for me here in the village of Liverpool is the OCM-BOCES (Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services) Career Training Center, located on Crown Road in Liverpool.
C-NS track sides sweep home meet
Liverpool steps up for second place in girls portion
It had not yet warmed up, nor had it dried out too much, by the time Cicero-North Syracuse’s track and field teams hosted its 10th annual Relays last Friday at Bragman Stadium.
Clay holds annual history camp
The week of July 9, seven girls and seven boys from around town made some wonderful memories. Under the direction of Cindy Redhead, chairperson of this year’s History Camp, and nine volunteers and helpers, they were kept very busy for five days learning about the Civil War as it related to Clay.
TOPS Markets provide senior-friendly shopping, services
Once a person retires, life can change dramatically. For one thing, there is usually less money coming in and senior citizens often have to make do with less, and look for ways to down-size and live more economically. Since retired or semi-retired folks, for the most part, have more free time on their hands, we (and I count myself as a member of this group) look for ways to be more frugal, yet still shop wisely without impacting our quality of life in a negative way. This senior tip focuses on a local grocery chain that recognizes senior citizens as a sizeable and important share of their clientele and has rewarded them in some very creative and positive ways.
St. Joe’s parishioner lights up the night for the holidays
Drive down Cedarpost Road next to the Wegmans on West Taft Road at night this month, and you will notice a house at the corner of Harvest Lane. In fact, it would be pretty difficult not to notice it. The house and the lawn are blanketed in Christmas decorations and lights — lots and lots and lots of lights. “[We’ve got] somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000,” estimates St. Joseph the Worker parishioner John Bianco, the house's owner and architect of “lights on the corner.”
Senior Fair draws record crowd
The Senior Fair, which took place this year on Sept. 27 in the Horticultural Building at the New York State Fairgrounds, was originated back in 2004 when State Sen. John DeFrancisco saw a need to bring seniors together, not just for fun and entertainment, because there is plenty of that, but for all the information and help they might be seeking from the people and the organizations who routinely address seniors' special interests.
An artist in our midst: Behind the Red Door: Meet Jenifer Herman
It was just over a year ago when Jenifer Herman, proprietor of Red Door Artisans decided to tear down the original farmhouse (childhood home of both her mom and grandmother) in order to build what was to become a new home for local artists and artisans to showcase and sell their creations. Sitting in the center of a parcel of land that holds the current homes of Herman and her siblings, the old farmhouse needed too much work to make for a suitable contemporary home, but it was an ideal spot to grow her family homestead into a small family business. When the property was being readied for demolition, Herman went through and found objects that would be of later use — old doorknobs, bric-a-brac and, the one most important piece, her grandmother’s original red door, which she had thrown into her garage waiting for the time when she would need it.
New highway policy will extend the life of Cicero’s roads
Spring is on its way out and summer is just around the corner. Like many other northern clime communities, the town of Cicero has embarked on its road maintenance program for the season. What is different this year is that the town board and the highway department joined forces to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with our failing infrastructure. It has been apparent for some time that our roads were deteriorating much faster than the pace at which they were being repaired. Specifically, the problem was that only two to three miles of road were being repaired each year, but, with 130 miles of road, it would take 45 to 65 years to get to all them. And there is no road that lasts 45 years, so a new approach had to be implemented — and quickly.
LPL group to vote on dissolution after inability to reach agreement with board
After months of negotiations, the Liverpool Public Library board of trustees and Friends group were unable to come up with a memorandum of understanding that would formalize the relationship between the two entities. As a result, the Friends group will hold a vote on its own dissolution at its Jan. 14 meeting.
CNY SPD Parent-Connections offers support for parents of children with sensory processing disorders
When Caryn Daher’s son, Jon, was little, he was into everything — even more than the average toddler. “He was… constantly bumping and crashing into things and people and seeking-jumping type activities,” said Daher, a Cicero resident. “He had difficulty in regulating and responding to movement activities appropriately. It went far beyond a ‘busy’ toddler.” In addition, Jon struggled with a variety of sounds, often withdrawing or avoiding certain situations because of the noise level. He had higher-than-average sensitivities to food, temperature and touch. In addition, his speech was delayed. It was that delay that led to help for his other issues. Through his speech therapist, Jon was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder.
Fiscal matters: It’s budget time!
When September comes around, everyone starts the thinking process of kids back to school or college, the State Fair, preparing your home for the winter months ahead and some start their plans to go south to avoid the winter months. While all of this is happening, towns are gearing up for something else - their town budget. All towns operate on a fiscal year which runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The monies to run the town government are raised in a budget which is prepared and adopted during the fall of the preceding fiscal year. Taxes collected to raise the monies to be used to run the town government during the fiscal year are those taxes collected during January of each year.
ELA dates conflict with spring break
Districts across New York state may have to change their spring break so that they don’t conflict with English Language Arts state assessment exams. State Education Commissioner Dr. John King announced last week that the dates of the exams had been changed to the week of April 16. That’s the same week spring break is scheduled to take place for 10 percent of districts statewide, including Liverpool and North Syracuse. In fact, all districts that are part of Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES follow the same schedule. King has made it clear that the dates will not be changed.
LCSD holds public hearing on grade reconfiguration proposal
Though about 40 people attended a public hearing on a grade reconfiguration proposal in the Liverpool Central School District Tuesday Aug. 23, few spoke out on the changes proposed to the board of education in a report made by a subcommittee last month.
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