Posted by: David Giacalone | October 1, 2015

a photo-haiga-book to celebrate Haiku North America 2015

When I posted “autumn at Schenectady’s Riverside Park” and “October in the Schenectady Stockade” last February, I announced that the conference Haiku North America 2015 would be coming to Schenectady’s Union College, from October 14 – 18, and would attract many of the best-known English-language haiku poets and publishers from around the world. My hope then was to use the autumnal beauty of Riverside Park and the Stockade Historic District to help lure those hypothetical poets to my City. At the time, the Conference seemed to be far in the future, and our prospects were hopeful but uncertain.

HaigaOnMohawkCoverH4 Well, as I write today, HNA 2015 is less than two weeks away, and our local organizing committee is pleased to see that the turnout will be robust, maybe even historically large.  To celebrate the coming of Haiku North America 2015 to Schenectady, I have put together the photobook “Haiga on the Mohawk” (cover shown on the right), which has several dozen photos taken in the Stockade neighborhood and along our stretch of the Mohawk River. Each photo incorporates a haiku poem that is linked to the image by subject or spirit (or whimsy).

  • Photo haiga are a modern form of an ancient Japanese artistic genre that included a painted image (using ink-brush) and calligraphy of a haiku or similar short, “linked” poem.

If you go to our Mohawk Haiga page, you will find a link to the Shutterfly.com website, where you can view Haiga on the Mohawk in its entirety at no charge. In addition, you will find each of the 37 haiga featured in Haiga on the Mohawk, and can click for a larger version. I’ve also included two photos that let you Make Your Own Haiga.  Read More…

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Posted in HNA 2015, river seasons, Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 26, 2015

a stroll around the 55th Stockade Walkabout

IMG_8872 . . . and a good time was had by me.  The lovely weather was as good as it gets for the last week of September, and friendly faces under a sunny sky made my photo-shoot stroll-athon a treat.

Here’s a slideshow with over forty outdoor images, in the order they were taken as I circumnavigated the 55th Annual Stockade Walkabout.

For a larger version of any Slideshow photo, pause the slideshow and right-click on the image; then choose Open Image in New Tab/Window.

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The story of the excavation at the rear yard of 12 Union Street gets more interesting each year, as the SCCC Community Archaeology Project makes additional discoveries. Click on the collage for a larger version.

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Pokingbrook Morris Dancers at Lawrence Circle  . . .    hospitality tent

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1st Presbyterian Church

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Carol poses for a paparazzo

Carol poses for a paparazzo

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Posted in Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 19, 2015

2015 Golf Ball Drop a Ten

Dan Rogers had the closest ball

the closest ball

Yesterday evening (Friday, September 18), I took my yearly trip to Stadium Golf Course for Family and Child Service of Schenectady‘s signature fundraising event, its Golf Ball Drop. In its 85th year serving Schenectady families, FCSS is a Stockade tradition, with headquarters at 246 Union Street, across from the Van Dyck.

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Kristian

It was the 10th annual “GBD” and the event, which also included dinner, raffles, presentations highlighting the work of FCSS, and a silent auction, glowed with good cheer, good times, and good food, and I hope a great bottom line. Bruce Mowery of North Country Heli-flite again provided the requisite helicopter; legendary Channel 6 anchorman Jack Aernecke was our amiable emcee; the Honorary Media sponsor was Pop Crush 105.7; Executive Director Bob Vanzetta was a gracious host; and primary event organizer Michele Shellard was busy guiding it all to a successful end (even without her trusty right arm, Alessandra, who was ably replaced by student volunteer Elias).

  • go to the FCSS Events Page for a full list of Golf Ball Drop Sponsors and Donors.

The Grand Prize winners (balls closest to the pin):

  1. Dan Rogers: ball #485
  2. Allen Zieker, M.D.: ball #558
  3. Ann Parillo: ball #797

This slideshow presents the “outdoor”, helicopter portion of the event  — assembling the ball-handlers, loading, dropping, assessing, and picking up the balls, plus taking two FCSS clients for a special flight.  (I arrived too late to view a new tradition, a Putting Contest, which I understand brought in a few more dollars for the FCSS coffers.)

For a larger version of a Slideshow image, pause the Slideshow at the image, right-click and then chose View Image.

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  • above: a frame from Michelle’s video

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[L to R] Travis, Michelle, Beebe

After the Balls Dropped, the celebration resumed inside the Stadium Golf Course clubhouse.  We listened carefully and studied our raffle tickets as Jack Aernecke announced each winning raffle number, as well as the high-bidders who won the Silent Auction prizes. The Stadium clubhouse kitchen provided another delicious buffet meal. And, diners had the chance to meet two FCSS clients and learn their appreciation for the services provided by FCSS’s devoted staff: 1. Cancer patient Michele, along with her loving son and day nurse; and 2. Young Kristian, who showed us some of his best brown belt taekwondo moves, with the help of his instructor.

GBD2015pendant For this tenth anniversary year, top prizes included Visa cash cards, a custom designed blue topaz and diamond pendant and a weekend On The Town package. Two of the three Grand Prize winners were in attendance, Ann Parillo and Allen Zeiker.  Ann was pleasantly surprised by her 3rd-place award, a Weekend On the Town at Proctor’s and downtown Schenectady; and Dr. Zeiker’s wife was very pleased to model the blue topaz pendant, which was again custom designed by Sondra’s Fine Jewelry, as part of the 2nd Grand Prize.

The following Slideshow has two dozen photos from the indoor portion of the GBD Event. I wasn’t able to photograph each table or group of honorees, but I hope the photos give viewers a taste of a fun and heartwarming event.  (I’ve again included a collage of photo faces that were a little too blurry to use individually.)

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Posted by: David Giacalone | September 12, 2015

2015 Stockade Art Show winners

OAS2015-1stNeudoerffer1 . . OAS2015-2DeborahAngelletta1 . .  OAS2015-3MabelLeon1

  • above: [L to R] 1st Prize Winner, photo by Fred Neudoerffer; 2nd Prize , painting by Deborah Angilletta; 3rd Prize , photo by Mabel Leon. Click on each for a larger version. 
  • Much More: For more art from the 2015 Outdoor Art Show, go to our posting “Outdoor Art again in the Stockade“, which presents 60 additional photos taken throughout the Show.

 Thanks to the Outdoor Art Show committee and its sponsors, and to all the participating artists, for a most enjoyable Show. And, congratulations to all the winners. Here is a list of the winning artists in the 64th Annual Stockade Outdoor Art Show (Facebook), which was held today, Saturday, September 12, 2015.

  • Fred Neudoerffer – First Prize sponsored by The Daily Gazette

Note: Fred’s winning photograph, “Flat Water Rush”, deserves to be seen without the reflections shown in my image of it above. Fred was kind enough to share a better version with us, from his neuarts.com gallery, along with the brief explanation that follows.

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“The Flats”                                                                                                  

The Flats is my photographic study of the natural diversity of a small section of the Mohawk River, which I call The Flats, as it flows or doesn’t flow, into the Hudson River, in Cohoes, NY. As with most of my artistic work I am fascinated by the details. I attempt to capture those details as I find them and present them in dramatic way, while respecting their natural state.

Fred Neudoerffer

  • Deborah Angilletta – Second Prize
    Mabel Leon – Third Prize
  • Val Robert – James Gilliland/George Weinheimer Memorial Award selection and award provided by The Oakroom Artists.
  • OAS2015-Best1stTime-TZarnofsky1 Tyler Zarnofsky – Nicholas J. Colangelo Award for a first time exhibitor in this show
  • John Morrette – Ernest A. R. Cohen Award for “Best of Stockade”
  •  Young Artist Awards:
    Mariel Calderon – First prize, Mia Etkin- Second prize, Ethan Wilson – Third prize
  • OAS2015-LindaBiggersHonMem

    by Linda Biggers

    Honorable Mention: Linda Biggers, Robert Wesner, Ginit Marten, Lisa Burton, Paul Barton, Virginia Hoeppner.

  • Melaney Sandbrook – People’s Choice Award for favorite artist
  • Earlier in the year, the Art Show awarded $500.00 to Sam Raju, a Schenectady High School senior, who is pursuing an education in the arts.

The following Slideshow has all of the winning artists and pieces of art that I have been able to identify from the winners’ circle. (My apologies to those not yet featured or named; I will add the information as it is received.)

  • For a larger version of an image in the Slideshow, pause the Slideshow at the image, right-click on that image and choose Open Image in New Tab
  • Use. The artist may use an image for any purpose. All others may use an image for any non-commercial purpose
  • Share this post with this short URL: http://tinyurl.com/SOAS2015

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Posted by: David Giacalone | September 12, 2015

Outdoor Art again in the Stockade

OAS2015-FrontSt10am

 The 64th Annual Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show took place Saturday, September 12, 2015. Weather forecasters started the day expecting rain to arrive from the West in the mid-afternoon, causing some apprehension among organizers and participating artists. But, as you can see from the  photo to the right, taken as the Show opened at 10 AM, the day started sunny and bright. By noon, it looked like the rain would hold off, despite a growing cloud cover. And only a few drops of rain fell before the 4 PM closing. In between, I met some friendly and interesting artists, schmoozed with several regulars and neighbors, appreciated a satisfying display of art, and enjoyed taking a host of photos, even when the sky went from mostly blue to all gray. The Slideshow below presents some of my favorite (usable) images from the 2015 Stockade Outdoor Art Show. There are about 60 photos. If you can help me identify unlabeled images, please leave a comment or email me.

Paintings by Linda

Paintings by Linda

  • Winners. It was gratifying to view the award-winning pieces collected around Lawrence Circle. To see a list of winners and photos of the winning art at today’s show, go to our posting “2015 Art Show Winners” (after finishing here, we hope).

 OAS2015-KenSantiago  . . . IMG_8527

above: pieces by Ken Santiago [L] and [R] Emma Boers’ exhibit

  • – click on the photos for a larger version –

below: Val Robert Exhibit [R] and Robin Rosenthal’s [L]:

IMG_8561 . . . 

Below the Slideshow is a Gallery with thumbnail images all of the photos. Click on a thumbnail for a larger version.

  • Use. The artist may use an image for any purpose. All others may use an image for any non-commercial purpose
  • Prior Shows: Click for links to our prior Stockade Outdoor Art Show posts

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Linda Biggers exhibit

– above: mosaic with slate and colored glass and mirror backing –

by Jennifer Politano

The following Gallery includes all of the photos in the above Slideshow. Click on a thumbnail for a larger version. (painting on the left by Jennifer Politano)

Read More…

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Posted in Outdoor Art Show (Stockade)

Posted by: David Giacalone | June 27, 2015

Jumpin’ Jack’s fireworks charm again

xIMG_8198-001 A comfortable little crowd watched the Jumpin’ Jack’s 2015 fireworks last night from across the Mohawk, at the end of Cucumber Alley in the Schenectady Stockade.  The customary oohs and aahs came consistently from an audience of young, old, and in-betweens. Fewer mosquitos joined us this year, and neither terrified terriers nor toddlers were heard.

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The photos in the Slideshow below were taken from the rear of 16 Washington Avenue. Thanks to a little wobble here and there in my monopod, which has also become rather customary, lovely imaginary fireworks can be seen among the more traditional pyrotechnics, including a glimpse of celestial phragmites sailing over their swaying reed cousins below.

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Posted in Fireworks (JJ & Casino), river seasons, Stockade Views | Tags: ,

Posted by: David Giacalone | May 22, 2015

meeting Thomas and Charles on the corner

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statue of Charles Steinmetz [L] and Thomas Edison

       Statues of Thomas Alva Edison and Charles Proteus Steinmetz were unveiled this morning on a single pedestal, in a pocket park at the corner of Erie Boulevard and South Ferry Street, a few blocks from the main SchenectadyGeneral Electric plant.  The pair, who laid the foundation for the global giant GE, were inventors and close friends, and are often called the “Fathers of Electricity”.  The plaques on each side of the pedestal tell about the two men and their accomplishments.

I missed the ceremony, but both the Albany Times Union and the Schenectady Gazette have photo galleries of the event.  See  “Statue of Edison, Steinmetz unveiled in Schenectady“, (Albany Times Union, May 22, 2015); and “Edison, Steinmetz statues unveiled in Schenectady” (Gazette, Mar 22, 2015).

 The TU tells us that the wind blew the canvas off the statutes prematurely, while Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara was addressing the crowd. Decide for yourself whether wind power was making itself known.

1IMG_8100 Dexter Benedict, a sculptor and owner of the Fire Works Foundry in Yates County, created the statues.

Last month, Brian Merriam, the Schenectady native and local businessman who led the campaign to erect statues of the prolific inventors, said: “This is about 100 years overdue.”  “Edison, Steinmetz statues slated for park near Schenectady GE” (Schenectady Daily Gazette, by Bethany Bump, April 10, 2015).

The blue skies and puffy white clouds lured me out late this afternoon to welcome Edison and Steinmetz to our neighborhood. They stand only four blocks down Ferry Street from the Stockade’s beloved Lawrence the Indian. The following Slideshow has a few perspectives on the new statues.

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Above: photos of Steinmetz’s first Schenectady home, 53 Washington Ave. in the Stockade (click to enlarge the images). 

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IMG_8112 p.s. That’s a cigar in Mr. Steinmetz’s hand, not a commentary on the folks taking over the site of the old ALCO site and claiming the legacy of GE and ALCO.

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edison-steinmetz-night-fwicks follow-up (March 26, 2020) See “Amid coronavirus response someone gives Edison and Steinmetz statues in Schenectady masks“, by Bill Buell, March 25, 2020). Photo to the left courtesy of Dr. Frank Wicks.

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Posted in Stockade Views, visits elsewhere

Posted by: David Giacalone | May 6, 2015

blossoms 2015: thin but lovely

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magnolias, the Mohawk & Binnekill – rear of SCHS – 28Apr2015

 Our too-cold and too-long winter has left us with one more insult: too few blossoms. Weekend hopes that the blossoms had not yet peaked, proved wrong. By Monday morning (May 4), it was clear that our Stockade cherry trees were already working hard sprouting green leaves, rather than producing blossoms.  All over town, there were fewer buds than customary on each branch of our cherry-blossom, magnolia, and pear trees, as well as forsythia bushes, yielding lovely but disappointingly thin or even scrawny displays. Nonetheless, I did capture what seemed at the time to be the early stages of our cherry blossom and magnolia arrays. Those “early pix” have allowed me to put together two Slideshows, one featuring Stockade images and the other taken at nearby locations, with photos from April 28 through May 4, 2015. Interspersed in the first Slideshow are scenes from 2013 taken at the same location, to contrast with images of 2015 “peak” cherry blossom displays.

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– above: more leaves than blossoms at 32 Washington Ave. (County Historical Society)

The following Slideshow has photos taken outside the Stockade neighborhood, with a street scene on Central Parkway, the weeping cherry blossoms at Congregation Gates of Heaven in Niskayuna, and the magnolia tree at the Scotia Library Branch on Mohawk Avenue.

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2015 . . . 2013

– above: trees between 10 & 16 Washington Ave. at peak: [L] 2015; [R] 2013 –

 If you are craving gorgeous cherry blossoms displays, click on these links to see Stockade blossoms celebrated over the years here at suns along the Mohawk:

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