suns along the Mohawk

  Most of the vehicles at yesterday’s 2nd Annual Ugly Car Contest were far from ugly.  Sponsored by the Schenectady Kiwanis to help support their youth services grant programs and M.A.D.D., this year’s show featured 50 vehicles (twice as many as the first show last year), which were judged in 14 categories.  For more details, click here to see the flyer for the event.

Fair weather and a blue sky mottled with puffy white and gray clouds were the perfect backdrop for the event, which was held in a parking lot at Nott Terrace and Liberty Street.  The Schenectady Sunday Gazette covered the event, at page B2 of today’s newpaper, and offers 13 photos of the Ugliest Car in this online article (with subscription).

I didn’t get there in time to see or photograph most of the cars, but the following collages can give you a sense of the vehicles on display.  Click on either for a larger picture.

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. . . entry was free for spectators . . .

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My hard-working friend and event volunteer Doug McPhee told me that the 2nd Ugly Car Contest was a big success, and it sure looked that way to me.  Next year it will be held on September 20, and the third Saturday of September will apparently be the date for future Ugly Car Contests.

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– click here for our 2013 Golf Ball Drop post –

Family & Child Service of Schenectady‘s 7th Annual Golf Ball Drop was held yesterday evening (Friday, September 14, 2012) at Stadium Golf Club in Schenectady.  The event is the signature fundraiser for the not-for-profit organization, which has worked to make families stronger from its headquarters at 246 Union St. in the Stockade for over sixty years. Nearly a thousand numbered golf balls that had been “purchased” for $10 each were dropped from a helicopter, which was flown by Bruce Mowery of North Country Heli-flite.  The three balls closest to the pin won this year’s grand prizes.

 The winning golf balls, and their owners, were:

1. Ball #576: Jodi Lawson won two round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines and some traveling cash.
2. Ball #627: Bill Offenbacker won a custom-designed jewelry piece courtesy of Sondra’s Fine Jewelry
3. Ball #4: Frank Privaterra won a “Wicked” night out on the town in Schenectady, with the Proctor’s show, dinner, and more.

. . .    . . .  The following slideshow has highlights from the ball-dropping portion of the gala evening.

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You can click on the following images for larger versions of each:

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– Toni [R] and Jeanette –

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 – Trevor Alling entertained and charmed all evening –

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– it was easy to get the FCSS staff to smile –

– Dave and Michele wait for the helicopter to arrive at the 9th hole –

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Many Board members and staffers, and other volunteers made the 7th Annual Golf Ball Drop a success.  And, many sponsors provided financial support and donated for the live auction and raffle prizes.  105.7 Crush FM was the honorary media sponsor; Fennimore Asset Management Inc (FAM Funds) was the Birdie Sponsor.  See the FCSS website for a full list of sponsors.   Radio personality Ric Mitchell was the emcee for the gala event.

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– Board President Chris LaPorta [R] and Executive Director Bob Vanzetta gave thanks –

   Click to see our coverage of the 2011 Golf Ball Drop, the 2010 Golf Ball Drop, and the 2009 event.

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– click to see the 2013 Zoppé tent in Schenectady –

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 The old-fashioned Zoppe Italian Circus has taken over the lot at the corner of Broadway and Hamilton Street, for its 4-day Proctor’s run (August 9 to 12, 2012).  A teaser in today’s Schenectady Gazette got me out around 11 A.M. to the corner of Broadway and Hamilton St. under a blue sky to see the European-style big-top tent, which is 56 feet high and seats 500 people. (See “Big top goes up as Italian circus prepares for weekend visit”, p. B5, by Terance Haight, Aug. 8, 2012)

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  Click here for more information about the Proctor’s presentation. The Zoppe website has many pictures, links to articles, and information on a documentary video about the family and its circus, which began in 1842.

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 . . . my return at sunset . . .

– above: new Schenectady County Public Library addition seen from Liberty Street  –

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   The new Children’s Wing of the Schenectady County Public Library was opened on July 30, 2012, and has been getting rave reviews. (See, e.g, a Gazette article about the opening, and an admiring editorial from a prior skeptic; subscription needed to view articles.).

    Below this collage of photos of the new addition is a Gallery with more photos; you can click on each of them for a larger version. And, use this short URL to share this posting:

http://tinyurl.com/SCPLwing

– outdoor photos taken just before sunset, August 2, 2012; interior shots taken Aug. 1, 2012 –

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 Thanks go out to Friends of the Schenectady County Public Library for their many contributions to the success of the Library’s new addition project — from over $300,000 in donations, to advocacy that kept the main branch open during the renovation and construction.  I’m very pleased to say that the Friends’ website is currently using a collage of photos seen in this posting in its masthead. (Click here to see my passionate reaction in May 2008 to the County’s inane “plan” to close the main branch for 18 months in order to implement the expansion project.  The outrage and advocacy of the Friends group greatly helped organize a public outcry and applied pressure and persuasion that quickly achieved a far more palatable “compromise.”)