Posted by: David Giacalone | October 20, 2011

Stockade Home Market is coming soon [update: is open; then, gone]

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 – the venerable Arthur’s Market sign was replaced today (Oct. 20) with a handsome new one for the Stockade Home Market at the Lawrence Circle and Polachek Square –

(update: Oct. 24, 2011): they’re open for business . .

Sunshine replaced pouring rain this morning just as the new Stockade Home Market sign was hung outside the former Arthur’s Market, across from Lawrence the Indian.  A lot of us have been waiting a long time, it seems, for a new market to open at 35 N. Ferry St. in the Schenectady Stockade — the location that has been a market and community gathering place almost continuously since 1795. [click for the Google Map page]

  . . .

– while Guiseppe of the Sign Studio in Troy was putting up the new sign, Maein was helping workmen prepare store fixtures –

  Maein Nagi, the friendly young manager of the new market, is working hard to put all the facets of a modern market and convenience store in place in time to have his Grand Opening on Monday morning, October 24, 2011. Thanks to an interview yesterday with Maein by the tireless Stockade Spy editor Sylvie Briber, I learned that Maein came to America from Yemen 8 years ago, and has five years’ experience with grocery and deli stores.  He plans to open the market daily from 6 AM to 9 PM.

As you can see from the photos in the following Slideshow (repeated in the Gallery below, where you can click on an image for a larger version, or scroll over it for a description), the Stockade Home Market will have fresh fruit and vegetables, a coffee bar, a deli counter and grill, lots of cold beverages (no beer), an ATM machine, snacks, and a nice supply of groceries.  Maein has already placed a large envelope at the fruitstand that he hopes visitors will use to give him requests and comments to make the store better, and he told me he’s looking for someone to hire to make homemade soup, sandwiches, etc.  Sylvie will have more details in the November Spy. As I learn more about the store and its services, I will update this posting.

update (Oct. 25, 2011): The Gazette gave the market’s opening a nice spread in today’s newspaper.  (Kathleen Moore, “Reopened Stockade market sells basics,” online by subscription).

 . . .

– deli counter & fresh produce stand –

follow-up (Friday, October 28, 2011): My visit this afternoon to the Market found an optimistic and grateful Maein, plus a well-filled deli-counter and fresh fruit and vegetable stand.  Click to see the fresh produce price list, the list of subs and coldcuts, and a portion of the deli display.  I even got to have a cup of coffee ($1.00!) and a muffin with Sylvie, who brought over the November Spy, which features the new Market on the front page.

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  I send Maein my best wishes and hope to see him often and for many years at a spot that becomes a new Stockade tradition — a focal point for neighbors to meet and a convenient source of necessities, staples, treats, and community cheer.

. . . You can share this posting using this short URL:

http://tinyurl.com/StockadeHomeMarket

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 . . The above photos can be seen in the following Gallery.

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Posted in Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | October 3, 2011

an embarrasment of banners

– too much of a good thing? 

 . . .

– four of the new “Welcome to Stockade Historic District” banners on S. Church St., seen heading out of the Stockade toward State St. –

– Click on a photo for a larger version –

– 2 of the 3 banners placed on the south side of the short first block of Union St. looking east toward Church St. –

  . . . If you’ve driven or walked up Union or S. Church Streets lately, you’ve surely seen our banner crop of handsome Welcome to the Stockade banners.  With apologies to those who worked on and funded this project in an effort to improve the neighborhood, I feel compelled to say: there are far too many of them.

How many banners?   Thirty-one in total, I am told, located solely on Union St. and S. Church St., corresponding with the geographic jurisdiction of the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation [“DSIC”], which funded the project.  Every lamppost on Union St. from Erie Blvd. to Washington Avenue has a banner, and so do several other Union St. utility poles. Every lamppost on S. Church also has a Welcome Banner.  The block of Union St. from N. Ferry to College St. has a dozen or more Welcome banners, and there are two more at Union and Erie Blvd.   Even with the leaves still on our trees, there are many spots from which 4 or 6 or more of the banners are visible when looking in a single direction.  There are simply too many banners.

 . . .

– 6 or more banners can be seen from midblock on Union St., looking east toward College St. –

The Stockade is not a downtown commercial district, much less an amusement park, used car lot, or ongoing festival or special event.   It is a functioning, historic residential neighborhood, filled with people who love its historic charm and protected streetscape.   Although the banners have a good-looking design, the overabundance of banners is exactly the kind of visual clutter our neighborhood association should be vigorously fighting.  Instead, the Stockade Association has been working with DSIC to have the banners designed, made and installed — using DSIC “beautification” funds.

. . .  It does indeed make sense to have a welcome banner at the various entryways to the Historic District, aimed at both intentional visitors to the district, and accidental or inadvertent visitors or through-farers.  But, it’s rather difficult for me to fathom why anyone would want these banners on virtually every lamppost of our high-traffic blocks once you’ve entered the Stockade — unless, perhaps, you truly believe the banners do “beautify” our neighborhood; or, with a bit of irony, that they might help remind some scofflaw homeowners this is indeed a specially-protected historic district.  And, what will the banners look like after they’ve been through a couple years of our weather extremes?

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Posted in opinion-advocacy, Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 28, 2011

a special sunset after the Walkabout

While sorting through my Walkabout 2011 photos Saturday evening (see “walking into history,” September 24, 2011), I glanced out my bay window to see some promising sunset colors reflected in the Eastern sky.  Since I’ve been neglectful of Stockade sunsets this year, I took my camera outside for the fourth or fifth time that day.  A fiery tree on the riverbank in our backyard first grabbed my attention, and then the entire western sky and its reflection in the Mohawk.

The photos in this webpost were taken from the sidewalk between 10 and 16 Washington Ave., near Cucumber Alley, and from the rear of 16 Washington Avenue, near Cucumber Alley.  I only took 6 pictures, and liked 5 of them enough to share here.  The colors have not been intensified.  It was a very special ending to a historic Walkabout kind of day.

 . . .

– as always, click on a photo for a larger version –

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Posted in Mohawk sunrise or sunsets

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 25, 2011

walking into history

 . . .

– doff & curtsy for a classy Stockade Walkabout –

. .    . . September 24, 2011

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  The 52nd Annual Stockade Walkabout offered “A Walk Through History 1661-1795” as a way to celebrate the 350 years of Schenectady’s evolution from a Dutch colonial village to an American City.  I didn’t make it to every Tour or History Stop, church, or watering hole [see the Map], but I took quite a few photos, and you can see the ones I like the most in the Slideshow below.  As always, I apologize for not knowing everyone’s name.

Sincere thanks goes out to all of the people who worked hard on this special Stockade event — including organizers, directors, actors, storytellers, musicians, volunteers — and to the sponsors who helped make it happen.

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 . . .

– click to see a list of Walkabout sponsors & partners (L) and the Map of Tour & History Stops –

– for more Walkabout fever, see “Walkabout 2010 shines” and check out our connection to WMHT’s Our Town Schenectady–

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 You’ll find almost all of the pictures above in the following Gallery.  Click on an image for a larger version.

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Posted by: David Giacalone | September 22, 2011

foggy doggy morning

 . . . Heavy fog had me rushing out the door with my camera yesterday a little after 7 AM.    As far as I can tell, catching the fog at just the right stage to make interesting photos is a matter of luck and patience; I had more of the former than the later yesterday.  My first stroll in the neighborhood found Lawrence the Indian already clear-headed.  So, I hurried down to Riverside Park, where the Mohawk River was still totally-obscured, with the Park itself being revealed eerily as the fog lifted.

  . .

As has happened before (see this photo and that one from a webpost exactly two years ago today), the playlot critters and structures helped me show just how “disappeared” the River was around 7:30 AM.  Only a few neighbors, including two dog-walkers, got to view the fog curtain over the Mohawk while I was there, so I’m sharing a few shots with you here at suns along the Mohawk..

 When I returned around 8:30, after enjoying a a second mug of coffee, I was a bit late, and the River had only a slight mist over it, leaving little to work with for creating photographic magic.

In this Slideshow, there are a dozen images from my foggy photo-shoot on the penultimate day of summer.   I’ve put the same photos in a Gallery at the bottom of this posting; scroll over any image in the Gallery for a description, and double-click on it for a (more revealing) larger version.

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  . . . 

– compare the view of the River and slide on Sept. 8, after tropical storm Lee (L), and Sept. 21, 2011 –

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Posted in river seasons, Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 17, 2011

golf balls rain again for FCSS

– click here for our 2013 Golf Ball Drop post –

– images from the Family & Child Service of Schenectady 2011 Golf Ball Drop (middle photo taken by Jeremy Noble; click for a larger version) –

  . . . Our Stockade neighbors Family & Child Service of Schenectady held their 6th Annual Golf Ball Drop — their signature fundraiser — last night at Stadium Golf Club, in Schenectady.  Once again, 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 owners of the three balls closest to the pin won the following grand prizes:

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Posted in visits elsewhere

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 11, 2011

showing off artfully in the Stockade

     . . . 

 – the judges at yesterday’s 60th Annual Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show liked Linda Kollar’s depiction of the special window at 29 N. Ferry St., as do Ernie the Muppet, Lawrence the Indian, and I.  (In yesterday’s post we have over 30 photos of the winning art and artists.) –

. . . click for the list of winners (pdf. version) :  

  As usual, I took a lot of photos yesterday, strolling, schmoozing and snapping shots for over 6 hours before and during the annual Stockade Outdoor Art Show.  Despite our recent weather woes, the Stockade neighborhood and architecture played their traditional role as a beautiful outdoor art museum for this special event.

 In the body of this post, I’ve featured over sixty photos of art, sights and people that caught my eye; three dozen more are also included in the Gallery beneath the fold, depicting additional artists and exhibits.  Click on any of the photos in this post for a larger version and scroll over it for a description.  Please let me know with a Comment or email if I’ve misidentified anyone; I’d also very much appreciate receiving any names that are missing for artists or volunteers.

 – you can share this post using the short URL: http://tinyurl.com/StockadeShowoff

It was a treat to have nonagenarian and native Stockadian Frank Duci, the legendary former mayor of Schenectady, at this year’s Outdoor Art Show.  We know Frank Duci is a man of many talents and interests, but it was a nice surprise to see that one of those talents is sketching portraits of famous people:

  . . . 

With Arthur’s Market gone, Gwendolyn Lett set up shop across the front of the old store, right behind the Duci Exhibit. Ms. Lett told me some people have called her an undisciplined artist — and it’s taken her many years to achieve that status:

 . . .

. . Catercorner to Arthur’s Market, Alec Acevedo set up his tent:

 . . .

 Roxy Becofsky and Jacob paid Alec a visit  . . .

 Around the corner from Acevedo, on Front St., I found not only Barry K. Tinkler‘s exhibit, but a row of impressive wooden sculptures, and other artists with paintings and more:

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. . . west of the Circle on Front St., I discovered, among other treasures:

– Sally Walker’s barns and flowers –

– Carolyn Taylor‘s tent-full of art in front of 39 Front St., along with

 smiling photographers Molly Biggers [R] & Sandra Gray


and, Linda Biggers‘ eggshell mosaics:

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. . . plus Jim Miller‘s tent and more . .

. . . .   Faces in the crowd – whether of strangers or friends — always attract my eye, and there were quite a few interesting ones around Lawrence Circle during the award ceremony:

 . . .

– artists Emma Boers (L) and Nancy Magnell and Eric Laffer –

 . . . 

– Lydia Eis (L) and faces I don’t recognize (R) –

– two winners-circle regulars: smiling Robin Rosenthal and stoic Lawrence the Indian –

 . . .

– Nancy Denofio and others  (L), and neighbor Mike Vallely and friend (R) –

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. . . and honorably mentioned artists . . .

L to R: Rear: Hana E. Panek, Bonnie White, John Elliott

Front: Sandra Gray & Linda Biggers

 . . . .

L to R: Rear: Barry Tinkler & Mabel Leon

Front: Betty Bumgarner, Marjorie Ward, Tony Murray

–  and Bonnie White away from the winners’ circle –

  Before the judging tent was emptied, I captured green eyes by Meg Phoenix, and a green dress by Gwendolyn Lett:

. . .

  . . .  Of course, in addition to Steve Kowalski and his shapes, I saw a lot of art and a gaggle of artists while strolling the Show:

– Nancy Magnell‘s exhibit stopped a lot of traffic –

Lawrence seems to attract winning art:

 . . .

On N. Ferry St, I stopped to snap:

. . .

– photographer Natalie Cartz (L) and the artist-proprietor of Kilaarts – 

  . . .

– the art of Linda Kollar (L) and William Haney at St. George’s –

 

– and winning corn chowder, too –

. . . plus, Peggy Schindler’s painting, and more:

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Meanwhile, despite appearances, my rusty mediator skills were not needed when art show organizers Connie Colangelo and (son-in-law) Matt Volks started pointing fingers at eachother (at my request; with apologies to Michelangelo):

. . . and I had fun bumping into friends and their occasionally fussy dogs:

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  From start to finish, the sun gave us a palette of bright light and shadow:

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   Thanks for stopping by suns along the Mohawk. Click here to see our coverage of last year’s Outdoor Art Show.

Sharing: Artists are free to use any of the photos in this posting, and others may use them for any noncommercial purpose, with an attribution to “suns along the Mohawk” and the photographer, David Giacalone.

The Gallery below contains the above photos, plus two dozen additional pictures of art and artists.  Scroll over each for a description and click on it for a larger version.

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Posted in Outdoor Art Show (Stockade), Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 10, 2011

a Stockade flood of art and sunshine

– Robin Rosenthal‘s The Things We Carry won 1st place at today’s 60th Annual Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show –

  On a day that started with a lovely sunrise, blue skies, and gauzy clouds, you could almost forget that the Stockade had two floods in the past dozen days (see our coverage, starting here).  As art fans had hoped all week,  the 60th Annual Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show went on as planned, with artists, visitors and volunteers sharing goodwill and relief over the good weather and good art.  Tonight, I want to spotlight the winning art and artists in the Slideshow below.  It is followed by a Gallery of the same photos, which can be clicked on for a larger version and scrolled over for a description.

You’ll find about 100 additional candid photos of the Art Show in our posting “showing off artfully in the Stockade“.  And, lots more at the Art Show’s Facebook page.

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  . . . .  

– Kate Mindel’s Kallitype photo won 2nd Prize (above, L) and Roxy Becofsky sculpture won 3rd prize –

. . . click for the complete list of winners:  

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Sharing: Artists are free to use any of the photos in this posting, and others may use them for any noncommercial purpose, with an attribution to “suns along the Mohawk” and the photographer, David Giacalone.

As always, many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make this year’s Stockade Outdoor Art Show a success, including Deb and Matt Volks, Connie and Marty Colangelo, Jennifer Wells, Meredith Anker, Zoe Oxley, Stacey, and Brett Lauren-Kennedy, and many more volunteers.

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. . share this post with this short URL: http://tinyurl.com/StockadeArt2011

. . . don’t miss our randomly candid, and hopefully more artsy, look at the Outdoor Art Show in Sunday’s posting “showing off artfully in the Stockade“, which has over 100 photos . . .

– and click here to see our coverage of the 2010 Outdoor Art Show –



Below is the complete list of 2011 Stockade Outdoor Art Show Winners (click on it  to enlarge it; also, click here for a pdf. version)

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Posted in Outdoor Art Show (Stockade), Stockade Views

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