Monday

It's 27 degrees.

Garbage Day!!

And the same could be said of yesterday's weather - the temperature rose to nearly 50 degrees and then it rained and this is what the field at the corner of Sanger Hill Road and Bogan Road looked like!

Although it's colder this morning, I don't see any new snow or glittery ice. Perhaps we'll see some wintery effects, later on.

• Monday: Lake effect snow, especially north of Utica. Some snow could be heavy at times. High: 33
• Monday night: Snow showers. Low: 24
• Tuesday: Morning flurries, otherwise partly sunny. High: 34, Low: 20
• Wednesday: Partly cloudy and mild. High: 42, Low: 24
• Thursday: Rain or snow possible. High: 36, Low: 24

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I'll be out and around a bit, today, and will post some more pictures this afternoon.

If you didn't catch yesterday's post, do scroll down to see the photograph of children at the Hanover School!

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If you're leaving on a trip, drive carefully!
and Everyone - Have a good day!

Sunday - Special!

Remember to Watch

the High School Choir
and Swing Choir Perform!

On WUTR TV
Sunday, Dec. 23 from 2 - 4pm
Monday, Dec. 24 from 12 - 1pm (Hour 1)
Tuesday, Dec. 25 from 12 - 1pm (Hour 2)

On WFXV:
Sunday, Dec. 23 from 5 - 7pm
Monday, Dec. 24 from 10am - 12pm
Tuesday, Dec. 25 from 10am - 12pm

On WPNY:
Dec. 23 from 8 - 10pm


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And keep these images in mind:


Doug Cornelius sent this picture of his daughter Marissa and her friend Natalee (and Maxx) sliding, yesterday morning, at the Cornelius' home on Brothertown Road. It was a beautiful Winter morning!

This is what I think Main Street should look like on Christmas Eve, but will it?

Right now the temperature's pushing 45 degrees and I'm beginning to wonder!

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Either way, Green or White, here's a special treat - especially for Hanover Folks.

Dan Stricker wanted to make this photograph, taken c. 1924 in front of the Hanover Schoolhouse, available to blog-readers, historians and everyone in Hanover. It was delivered to me by Bill Stricker whom I, unfortunately, was not here to meet. (He was greeted, instead, by Stan Dziekonski, of Clinton, who had stopped by to visit and was shovelling my "messy" sidewalk!)

From left to right - Betty Gibbons (I remember her!), Ed Donally, -?- Rashford, Robert Donelly, Ed Tepolt, -?- Rashford, Bill Stricker, John Stricker, Laura Tepolt, Hedwig Stricker Eisenhut (and I know her!)

He also wrote: "I'm not sure of much but I do know Ed Donelly ran the John Deere dealership in Clinton which was located near Agway. My uncle John passed away in May in Monroe, WI. My aunt Hedwig lives within sight of the Green, next to the farm she and her husband, Ernie, worked for years. You've mentioned her daughters in your blog several times. Esther Swarthout of Interlaken, NY and Shirley Smith of Columbia (?), Missouri. Shirley mentioned May Day flowers on our grandparent's front door. They were Barth and Katrina Stricker and
the house is to the left of the Hanover schoolhouse and is owned by John Eisenhut II. He is the son of Shirley's and Esther's brother, John of Brookfield."

Thank you for that!

*****

And thanks for shovelling, Stan!

Friday

It's the day of

"The Winter Solstice"

Welcome Yule!

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It's nearly 19 degrees. No new snow.

• Friday: Mostly cloudy. A poke or two of sunshine possible. High in the low 30s.
• Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Low in the low 20s.
• Saturday: Clouds, some sun and a chance of freezing drizzle overnight. High: 35, Low: 30
• Sunday: Any freezing drizzle changing over to all rain. Rain ending as a period of snow after sunset. Breezy. High: 40, Low: 27

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Rollerskating at Madison Lake? Hank Gardner remembers, too!

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Blog-readers seem to be enjoying the Scenic side of Winter.

"The Caves" at Forge Hollow,

maples on Brothertown Road ...

and the historic little law office - schoolhouse on Tower Street.


" Hurry up! Throw another one!"

("Fetch" - with snowballs.)


Snowmobilers rendezvous at Nice 'n Easy in Sangerfield.


More and more decorations: this, at the Mowreys' on Sanger Avenue,


on Babbott Avenue .......


West Bacon Street ......


and at Val & Ron's in Forge Hollow.

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But then there's the other side of Winter:

it's not quite as enjoyable!

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But the weather will be decent ....


and there's plenty to do:

SATURDAY MORNING BAKE SALE

9 - 12 at Foodking

sponsored by the

BROTHERTOWN MUSIC BOOSTERS

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and then .........


Seating's limited, so phone the library at 841-4651 for reservations!

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On Sunday

December 23rd, from 1 - 3

The Town of Marshall Parks & Recreation
and the Brothertown Association

will sponsor

Christmas at the Depot

on Route 315 in Deansboro.

Santa will be there along with horse and wagon rides and refreshments. Families are welcome to come and enjoy an old fashioned Christmas Celebration.

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EVERY DAY!

Make a $50.00 purchase

at Main Street Liquors

and get a

FREE LASER WASH!

(Both you and your car will love it!)

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And - I do keep an eye out for news of WCS Sports, and found this in today's O-D:
Waterville 48, Canastota 47
R.J. Baumgarten had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Jessie Bowie added 10 rebounds in Waterville’s CSC Division II win. Anton Motley led Canastota with 18 points.

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Have a great Weekend, Everyone!

Thursday

A year ago today, the ground was bare and the trucks carrying the first pieces and parts of the Victorian Street Lamps arrived!

Now, it's 32 degrees with a pretty snowfall putting a fresh cover on the foot-deep accumulation that's already on the ground.


The Christmas Trees are all gone!

There's a dandy supply of cordwood, out on Bogan Road ......


... and it looks as if Santa may live there!

In the Village, it's Garbage Day!

E. Main St.

The Garden Club's Lighting Contest Judges will be here later today!

They'll have a hard time choosing winners because there are so many elaborate displays.

Buell Avenue

Madison Street

At the same time, a great many residences bear simple, traditional decorations.

Park Place

Why not take a ride around town, this evening, and see for yourselves just how pretty the village looks!

• Thursday: Cloudy with flurries or light freezing drizzle. Little to no accumulation. High around freezing.
• Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy. Low in the mid 20s.
• Friday: Decreasing clouds. Becoming partly sunny late. High: 33, Low: 20

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In the morning mail: two letters about the Post Card that was on yesterday's post showing Madison Lake and the Skating Rink!

Sylvia Person wrote: " I believe it is Madison Lake, between Solsville and Madison a very popular entertainment spot during the twenties,especially Sundays, for picnics and family gatherings.
I grew up on the Solsville-Augusta Rd, one of the daughters of Herman Karlman. In the middle of winter, when the ice was frozen thick, he'd always go to the Lake, with the team of horses and Bob-sleigh, and bring home a load of ice, cut neatly in huge chunks, and store it in the ice house, packed in sawdust. Each summer evening, after milking, he'd pull out a chunk of ice with huge ice tongs, rinse off the sawdust, and put it in the milk vat to cool the cans of milk to be delivered to the station the following morning. My sister Penny & I would always get chips to suck on--imagine ice in the middle of summer--very rare back in those years.
The picture on the left in the photo, is most likely the skating rink where we spent hours rolling staking in our teens, with Muriel McBain at the organ. Also, the Woodhall Boys provided music for square dancing on Saturday nights. These buildings slowly disappeared through the years -- but will always be remembered as a very popular spot."

Brian S. Stone, who used to be a mail carrier here and is now the Postmaster in Smyrna also recognized the scene: " They used to have a skating rink there many years ago. My grandma used to skate there." He also remarked that although he'd seen several post card views of Madison Lake he'd never seen this particular one, before.

Thanks - all of you - for the in-put!

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Have a Great Day!

Wednesday

It's Recyclables Day!

It's 26 degrees. No precipitation.

• Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with light snow developing in the afternoon. High near freezing.

• Wednesday Night: Light snow and flurries. Total accumulation of a trace to a couple inches possible. Low in the mid 20s.
• Thursday: Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers. High: 30, Low: 21

TODAY

WCS Holiday Concert
7:30.p.m.

TOMORROW

Family Movie Night

Waterville Public Library

"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"

6:00 p.m.

In the Village, the DPW crews were a work all yesterday plowing and scooping snow from around fire hydrants and lowering snowbanks.

Out in the country, it's just Wintertime Peaceful.

The "Polar Bear Club?" This group of mallard ducks made a unified march to the water, circled around once, hastily, and ran back to the "beach!"

Inside at "Michael's," where it was nice and cozy, The Waterville Times' Annual Christmas Tea was taking place. In the background, former Times owner Martin F. Cleary talks with Post Master Maureen Wratten and current owner Patricia Louise and friend Cathy Murphy while Harding Nursing Home's Katie Landers waits for Correspondent Walter Lee to say "Goodbye" to Dot McConnell.

Kristi and Kim relaxed ..........

Marshall Historian Dot McConnell and Stockwell Correspondent Dottie Ruane chatted with Oneida County Legislator E. Carter Stephenson and his wife, Joan.

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In Yesterday's Mail.

This will stir some memories! A reader sent this scan of a postcard to me, saying,

"It was made out and addressed but never mailed, no date but the sender (my Grandpa) did say he had to cut ice there tomorrow, and he referred to it as a skating rink."

And I told him that I thought other blog-readers would have some things to tell about the roller-skating rink that must have been in one of these buildings.

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It's getting a little frantic, isn't it?

But it's FUN!!

Tuesday

21.6 degrees, and there's no precipitation right now.



The world seems to be back on schedule,
and I've found no announcements of
cancellations or closings.

********

THE WCS HOLIDAY CONCERT

has been re-re-scheduled for

7:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY

*****

• Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a few flurries. High: 30
• Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. 23
• Wednesday: Chance of snow showers. High: 32, Low: 23
• Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of a snow shower. High: 30, Low: 18

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Yesterday morning.

But Sangerfield had our streets plowed ........

......... and the sidewalks (all fifteen or so miles of them) were cleared early in the morning.

Out in the country, the wind had whipped up the first drifts .......

......... and snomobilers lost no time taking to the trails.

In the Park, there were only three Christmas Trees left!

There's no end to bright decorations!

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Remember: Lighting displays will be judged after dark on Thursday!

Starting tomorrow,
Nancy Ayala will be playing the Masonic Temple Bells at about 5:30 every afternoon until Christmas and again on Christmas morning.

(A good place to hear the bells without interference from passing traffic is in the Firemen's Field parking lot - OR - up in the tower, with Nancy!
Phone her ahead of time if you want to go.)

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This story of the bells has been printed several times, but - if you're new to Waterville or the blog - here it is, again:

I met Gerald Coggeshall in 1971, at the time of the Village's Centennial Celebration. He was a little gnome of a man, descendant of illustrious ancestors, who had lived in Waterville all his life. I don't know how many years he had been playing the bells, but it was probably something in the neighborhood of fifty, and he did so without music and with never so much as a frown on his face.

The way he told the story of the bells was fun, memorable and only slightly inventive! Stephen Gates (an historian who was also a chime afficianado and could play using a regular hymnal) complained bitterly that it was inaccurate and no way to record history, -------however ---- here it is!

Once upon a time a rich man named Ruben Tower decided to build himself a house across the street and, therefore, away from his parents’ home! And wanting to make sure that everyone knew that this new building was HIS house, he decided to put a tower on the front of it.

He knew, right away, that there should be a large clock in that tower, one that had a bell that would sound the hours, and so he wrote to the Seth Thomas Clock Company and asked them to make him a suitable clock.

“Of course, Mr. Tower. We’ll be glad to design an appropriate clock for your home, with visible faces that may be seen by all around the village. May we take the liberty of suggesting that a Mr. Meneely, of Troy, New York, be engaged to cast just the right bell so that it may be heard across the land when it strikes out each hour?”

Tower thought this was a dandy suggestion, and wrote straight ‘way to Mr. Meneely asking for a perfect bell.

Mr. Meneely not only knew his metels, he knew his money as well, and said to Mr. Tower,

“Why, sir - with such a magnificent clockworks one really should have four bells so that a tuneful chime such as that heard at Westminster Cathedral in London may likewise signify each quarter-hour in Waterville.”

Mr. Tower thought it anther marvelous idea and so, bit by bit, the tower rose; the clock faces appeared* and - finally - four enormous bells were lifted to the topmost canopy of the tower. His dream was complete!

Only to one such as Mr. Meneely would it occur that there was still a potential profit to be seen:

“It has occurred to me, Mr. Tower, that you now have four bells and that number is, of course, just one half of a full scale of notes! It would be so easy for us to cast the remaining bells - don’t you see? - and then entire tunes could be played and enjoyed throughout the community.”

Another chord was struck -- Mr. Tower agreed with the proposal (which actually included 5 more bells) and so we have it that in mid-July, 1889, the day after Mr. Meneely left, Miss Flora Garvey came by train from Utica and played the “chime” for the very first time.

*The Seth Thomas clockworks were actually installed a few weeks after the chimes were complete.

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Have a Great Day!

Monday morning

14.4 degrees.

It's not snowing right now, but it certainly snowed during the night. And it blew, too!


SCHOOL's CLOSED

The WCS Winter Concert is no longer listed on the school website.

WKTV is indicating that
Rt. 12 between New Hartford and Waterville is still
CLOSED
and the amount of traffic on Rt. 315 bears that out.

The O-D has a n up-to-date listing of School Closings.

• Today: Snow showers becoming more widely scattered and lighter. Continued windy with areas of blowing snow in open areas. Accumulations of a coating to an inch in a few spots. High: 22

• Tonight: A few snow showers. Perhaps an additional coating to an inch or two, with isolated locally higher amounts, especially south and west of Utica. Low 13.
• Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a few flurries. High: 27, Low: 18.

It's still too dark for me to take any pictures or really see the "snow stake."

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This nice photo was in my morning mail:

"Jim and Debbie Beha of Marcy, along with Boy Scout Troop 79, recently held an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Marcy's newest Eagle Scout, Ryan Beha, son of Jim and Debbie, and Grandson of Joseph and Leonie Beha of Waterville, They are pictured, along with several Cousins, Aunts and Uncles who attended. "

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Check back later!