55 Plus CNY, #116: April-May 2025

6 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU UNRETIRE P.60 3 IS A REVERSE MORTGAGE A GOOD IDEA? 3 MEET ‘MR. MONTEZUMA’ 3 WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR IN THE WORLD OF DRUGS

Issue 116 April - May 2025 For Active Adults in Central New York

cny55.com

GARY LEWIS

About to turn 80, son of legendary comedian Jerry Lewis, a Rochester-area resident, talks about his career, his addiction to drugs and alcohol, his upbringing and his relationship with his famous father. ‘My dad was a narcissistic egomaniac,’ he says. P. 32

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Gary Lewis: ‘I just like being a regular guy.’

APRIL / MAY 2025

CONTE N TS Features

32 Cover

18 Legacy

37 Baseball

Former publisher of The Auburn Citizen has a new book that focuses on nearly 10 decades as a member of one of Auburn’s most historically significant and affluent families.

22 Second Act

Former ad professionals now enjoy running their own farm.

26 Ping Pong

Meet the players at DeWitt Community Center.

6

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

Gary Lewis, son of legendary comedian Jerry Lewis, is a Rochester area resident: “I just like being a regular guy.”

New book details how Tex Simone nurtured baseball in Syracuse.

40 Longevity

At the age 99 Rose Anthony still puts in full days at work.

44 Gardening

Tomatoes, pepper, blueberries, cucumbers are just a few edible plants you can grow at home. This is the time to do it.

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APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

7

Columns

More Contents 47 Day Trips Why spend thousands on foreign tours when you can spend a day or more touring our own region?

10 Savvy Senior

48 Take a Hike

11 Social Security Q&A

Is a reverse mortgage a good idea?

CNY abounds with pleasant places for enjoying a fine spring day.

Answers to readers’ questions.

50 Music Oswego musician Barry James McCaffrey honoired posthumously.

14

12 Gardening Catch the magic of spring.

14 Dining Out

52 Mr. Montezuma

Elephant and the Dove — Elegant but casual Mexican joint delights in Skaneateles.

For Chuck Gibson, a wildlife refuge in the Finger Lakes has refreshed his life.

56 Estate Planning

30 Aging

Nobody gets off planet earth without dying, yet only 32% of Americans have a will.

Marilyn Pinsky: Memories of a European vacation.

60 Unretirement

58 Your Health

Six questions to ask yourself before you unretire.

What’s new this year in the world of drugs.

26 On the Cover 6 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU UNRETIRE 3 IS AM RADIO DEAD IN CNY? 3 MEET ‘MR. MONTEZUMA’ 3 WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR IN THE WORLD OF DRUGS

Issue 116 April - May 2025 For Active Adults in Central New York

37

62 Life After 55 How sweet it was: Childhood memories fueled by sweet treats you rarely see today.

64 Druger’s Zoo One in 4 people over 65 in the U.S. fall each year.

cny55.com

GARY LEWIS

About to turn 80, son of legendary comedian Jerry Lewis, a Rochester-area resident, talks about his career, his addiction to drugs and alcohol, his upbringing and his relationship with his famous father. ‘My dad was a narcissistic egomaniac,’ he says. P. 28

Gary Lewis, son of the late comedian Jerry Lewis, during a performance with the Gary Lewis & the Playboys. Photo provided 8

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

Story ideas? Email editor@cny55.com or call 315-342-1182.

To subscribe to the magazine, look for coupon inside.

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9

savvy senior

By Jim Miller

Is a Reverse Mortgage a Good Idea?

F

or retirees who own their home and want to stay living there, but could use some extra cash, a reverse mortgage is a viable financial tool, but there’s a lot to know and consider to be sure it’s a good option for you.

Let’s start with the basics.

A reverse mortgage is a unique type of loan that allows older homeowners to borrow money against the equity in their house (or condo) that doesn’t have to be repaid until the homeowner dies, sells the house or moves out for at least 12 months. At that point, you or your heirs will have to pay back the loan plus accrued interest and fees (usually by selling the home), but you will never owe more than the value of your home.

It’s also important to understand that with a reverse mortgage, you, not the bank, own the house, so you’re still required to pay your property taxes, homeowners’ insurance and upkeep. Not paying them can result in foreclosure.

To be eligible, you must be 62 years of age or older, have at least 50% equity in your home, and currently be living there.

You will also need to undergo a financial assessment to determine whether you can afford to continue paying your property taxes and insurance. Depending on your financial situation, you may be required to put part of your loan into an escrow account to pay future bills. If the financial assessment finds that you cannot pay your insurance and taxes and have enough cash left to live on, you’ll be denied.

Loan Details More than 90% of all reverse mortgages offered are Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM), 10

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

which are FHA insured and offered through private mortgage lenders and banks. HECM’s have home value limits that vary by county but cannot exceed $1,209,750 in 2025.

How much you can actually get through a reverse mortgage depends on your age (the older you are the more you can get), your home’s value and the prevailing interest rates. Generally, most people can borrow somewhere between 40% and 60% of the home’s value. To estimate how much you can borrow, use the reverse mortgage calculator at ReverseMortgage.org.

To receive your money, you can opt for a lump sum, a line of credit, regular monthly checks or a combination of these.

But be aware the reverse mortgages aren’t cheap. You’ll have to pay an origination fee, which is the greater of $2,500 or 2% of the first $200,000 of your home’s value plus 1% of the amount over $200,000. HECM origination fees are capped at $6,000.

You’ll also be charged an initial mortgage insurance premium, which is 2% of the loan amount, along with closing costs that will likely run several thousand dollars. Any amount you borrow, including these fees and insurance, accrues interest, which means your debt grows over time.

To learn more, see the National Council on Aging’s online booklet “Use Your Home to Stay at Home” at NCOA.org/article/use-your-home-tostay-at-home.

Also be aware that because reverse mortgages are complex loans, all borrowers are required to get counseling through a HUD approved independent counseling agency before taking one out. Most agencies charge between $125 and $200. To locate one near you, visit Go.usa.gov/v2H, or call 800-569-4287.

cny55.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto Associate Editor Stefan Yablonski Writers & Contributors Deborah J. Sergeant, David Figura Stefan Yablonski, Mary Beth Roach Margaret McCormick, Tom McGuire Tom Caraccioli, Jerry Caraccioli John Addyman, Richard Eisenberg Columnists Marilyn Pinsky, Jim Sollecito Marvin Druger, Michelle Reed, Jim Miller, Julie McMahon Eva Briggs (M.D.) Advertising Amy Gagliano Pamela Roe Office Manager Mary Trapasso-Ayers Layout & Design Angel Campos-Toro Cover Photo Chuck Wainwright

55 Plus: A Magazine for Active Adults in Central New York is published six times a year by Local News, Inc. at 185 E. Seneca St. P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $30 a year; $40 for two years © 2025 by 55 Plus: A Magazine for Active Adults in Central New York.

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher.

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126

Phone: 315-342-1182 Fax: 315-342-7776 Email: editor@cny55.com Editor@cnyhealth.com

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Q: Do we have to withhold Social Security taxes from our housekeeper’s earnings?

A: It depends on how much you’re paying the housekeeper. If you pay a housekeeper or other household worker $2,800 or more in cash wages throughout the year, you must deduct Social Security and Medicare taxes. This holds true for a cleaning person, cook, gardener, babysitter or anyone else who provides services for you. In addition, you must report these wages once a year. There are exceptions, for example, when you are hiring a company or independent contractor and paying them a fee for services instead of wages to a person.

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11

gardening

By Jim Sollecito

Catch the Magic

Our new redbud varieties explode with vibrant spring color.

I

cannot wait for this new planting season, particularly after such a challenging winter.

Every year is different; that is part of the charm. And now I believe we are all ready to catch the magic of spring, to create breathtaking wonder in our own yard.

Normally, we lean toward the inspiration of big blooms, lots of color, ease of growth and reblooming plants.

That being said, we sometimes get in a rut. Or because we have experienced unsatisfactory results, hesitate to try again.

Have you felt this? Do you suffer from…yourself? Well, I have some good news.

Mistakes are an inescapable part of 12

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

being human. We all make them. And maybe the No. 1 lesson is that bargain plants cost more than you think. You invest funds, time, effort and care to result in failure because the poor plants honestly don’t have it in their DNA to perform in our less-than-ideal growing challenges.

Changing weather patterns cause earlier bud break, but hard frost risk doesn’t decrease. Actively growing tissue has a much higher water content than dormant wood, so early-popping buds might be destroyed and never open to full flower. In a few short weeks the strain of the previous winter on non-hardy plants will show you how truly non-hardy they are. So, it’s time to consider new varieties that will

withstand these conditions.

Tr u s t m y o w n d e c a d e s o f experience, failures and successes.

Don’t waste any more time on plants that appear sick and weak, including those in your own yard that are struggling.

Put them out of your misery.

There are far better, improved varieties available now than there were even five years ago. Start with robust specimens that assure outstanding outcomes.

You say you like pink? So do I. Explore the newer varieties of reblooming weigela such as stunner, peach kisses or sonic bloom pure pink to replace whatever didn’t perform as expected.

There are at least five new varieties of compact redbud that will flower every year, followed by bountiful happy bright clean foliage that turns a gorgeous rainbow of fall colors.

Compare that to your old crabapple that loses diseased leaves to apple scab every August.

And please, please, please, don’t depend on your neighbors for guidance on what you should plant unless they are certified master gardeners. Really, does this person’s opinion enlighten the plant science conversation? Seek horticultural advice from trusted sources. You can rely on NYS certified landscape professionals.

Time moves more slowly when we’re young because life, still new to us, is a process of discovery. With less sand in the hourglass, don’t waste a minute. Let’s make the most of every changing season. Go outdoors and get your first taste of that spring-time air with a fresh perspective. Consider opportunities for improvement and enjoyment.

Planting and nurturing ornamentals are acts of caring that benefit you, the people around you and your natural environment. If you have plant concerns or merely want to know more, let’s connect. Spring happens once a year. Create some magic.

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in New York State. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 315-468-1142 or jim@sollecito.com.

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T

ossing and turning more as you age? You’re not alone — and experts think they know why.

Shelby Harris, a sleep psychologist in White Plains, explained that stress, sleep structure and hormonal changes can impact sleep as people age.

“As we start to move into our 60s, 70s, you have more issues with the depth of your sleep, so your sleep is just lighter in general,” Harris told CBS News. “There’s sleep disorders, like insomnia, that happens, and then you have to go to the bathroom more at night.”

Research shows up to 70% of people 65 and older have chronic sleep problems, and hormonal shifts play a big role in that, especially for women.

“We have more hot flashes, night sweats. You actually have more sleep apnea in women as well, and just more insomnia too,” Harris said.

There may also be some evolutionary reasoning behind why older adults get less deep sleep, Harris added.

“The deepest stage of sleep is where your muscles are repairing, you’re growing — and as you’re getting older, you don’t need that ideally as much as you do when you’re younger,” Harris said. “[Older adults] just wake up a lot more because of pain and movement and having to urinate,” she added.

Along with keeping a cool, dark and quiet sleep environment, she offered these tips: • Meditate during the day. “If you have a busy brain, meditating five minutes during the day can help to actually ease your brain more at night,” Harris said.

• Limit daytime sleep. To try and get better sleep at night, you can also try spending less time in bed during the day, Harris added. That means reducing naps.

• Stick to a regular bedtime.

If sleep issues last more than a few weeks, it’s important to talk with a doctor, Harris urged. “We have lots of [treatment] options,” she said.

315-634-1100

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Why Sleep Gets Harder With Age and How to Sleep Better

APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

13

Dining Out - RESTAURANT GUIDE

ELEPHANT AND THE DOVE Elegant but Casual Mexican Joint Delights in Skaneateles

By Julie McMahon

U

LEFT: The beans were classic Mexican refried frijoles, and the rice came spiced with a fullbodied flavor.

MIDDLE: Nachos: A full four inches high of crispy corn tortilla chips, queso, pickled peppers, guacamole, pico de gallo, crema and cilantro.

RIGHT: Mexican street corn side dish. The corn was yummy and charred with the classic flavors of elote, and came served off the cob, which made it easier to eat.

pon entering Elephant and the Dove, a friendly server as well as a chic, bohemian atmosphere awaits, and the restaurant promises great cocktails and tasty Mexican morsels.

We walked in and were seated within 10 minutes on a snowy Thursday evening. Thus, our night started off on a great foot.

We noted the really solid cocktail and beer program — beers included a good selection of local craft and imports from Mexico. The cocktail list featured “originales” (specialty items created by the bar) as well as “classicos.”

We went for the “classico” Mexican mule (a spin on the classic ginger beer drink made with tequila cashing in at $10) as well as a margarita made with guava and sugar around the rim ($11).

The cocktails were great; we ordered a second round. With both, we enjoyed the strong flavor of tequila balanced with the flavors of the drinks. They weren’t watered down at all and even as the ice melted, they retained their flavor. We both remarked on how much we liked our drinks.

After much discussion over the menu — it featured appealing appetizers, a wide variety of tacos, some burritos, as well as soups, salads and entrees. We wanted to get a decent spread — we opted for nachos ($15) to start.

They came out almost immediately and towered a full four inches high of

crispy corn tortilla chips, queso, pickled peppers, guacamole, pico de gallo, crema and cilantro.

The queso and guacamole were the stars of the dish. The queso was warm and an almost sweet cheesy layer amid the veggies and chips. A large dollop of guacamole topped off the huge platter and tasted of garlic and cilantro, a nice cooling element to the nachos. There was enough of each topping to get a good bite every time.

However, we decided this plate of nachos was far too big for two people and should come with a warning. At the price tag, this made sense, but this one is best for a table of four or more.

Waiting a short time for our entrees to be delivered, we appreciated the feel of the joint, which occupies a large space on East Genesee Street in Skaneateles that feels cozy and warm.

The seating is spacious. Our table of two could have easily fit four.

The aesthetic of the place is beachy and bohemian. It’s beautifully decorated, with large unique mirrors and pieces of art. From the pillows and cushions on the seats to the lighting, you can tell a lot of thought went into the décor.

As Latino music plays on the speakers lightly, you may even feel transported.

For our entrees we ordered bang bang shrimp tacos ($17), which came with three on a plate, and the chipotle chicken quesadilla ($16), which was APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

15

Bang bang shrimp tacos ($17), came with three on a plate.

The aesthetic of Elephant and the Dove in Skaneteles is beachy and bohemian.

It’s beautifully decorated, with large unique mirrors and pieces of art.

generously topped with frizzled onions.

The bang bang shrimp tacos were not too spicy but were nonetheless doused in a flavorful sauce that mixed nicely with the crema served on top.

The shrimp were breaded and fried to a nice temperature and texture, and the tacos were layered with a cabbage slaw that added a good crunch and flavor to the soft taco shell. Each bite was full of texture and flavor. Three tacos were plenty filling with the appetizer.

The quesadilla came stuffed with breaded and fried chicken tenders doused in a chipotle sauce and melted with cheese and crunchy onions within the shell. The smoky chipotle flavor jazzed up the chicken tender with a medium level of spice and left us licking our lips. It was served with a crema to cut the heat. This dish was also a decent size and we walked away with some leftovers to boot.

We also ordered a few side dishes that were noteworthy. We got rice, black beans, and Mexican street corn, which all came in decent sized bowls.

The beans were classic Mexican refried frijoles, and the rice came spiced with a full-bodied flavor. The corn was yummy and charred with the classic flavors of elote, and came served off the cob, which made it easier to eat.

By the time we’d made it through half our entrees and dipped into the sides, we started to lean back and set down our forks and knives.

Satisfied, we were convinced that Elephant and the Dove delivers a unique dining experience to Central New York with bold flavors and hearty portions.

Elephant and the Dove 315-685-2123 9 E. Genesee St. Skaneateles, N.Y. 13152 Monday, Thursday, Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

(Closed Tuesday and Wednesday) https://elephantandthedove.com

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55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

NEARLY 20 YEARS

OF CELEBRATING LIFE AFTER 55 LK SH RADIO TA

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JIM REITH

ON RETIR

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Issue 108 ary 2024 2023– Janu December Adults in For Active York Central New

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NEST HATCHES THE ROBIN’S MEMORIES QUILTS — AND

Subscribe today to 55 Plus, the only magazine serving active adults in CNY, and get it right to your front door!

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17

Rowing is one of the passions of Erik Osborn since his days at Harvard when he participated in competitive rowing. For six days each week, Osborne hops on his Concept2 rowing machine upstairs at his Auburn home and rows 40 to 60 minutes before dinner.

18

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

legacy A BOOK FOR HIS GRANDCHILDREN KEEPS THE OSBORNE LEGACY ALIVE

At 98, Erik Osborne publishes a new memoir. He is a member of one of Auburn’s most historically significant and affluent families — and a former publisher of The Auburn Citizen

By David Figura

A

t 9 8 , F re d e r i k “ E r i k ” Osborne is still rowing strong.

For six days each week, Osborne hops on his Concept2 rowing machine upstairs at his Auburn home and rows 40 to 60 minutes before dinner.

“He also plays poker once a week and bridge twice a week — along with having weekly Zoom sessions with his children,” said Sheila Vorreuter, his second wife.

Osborne, who listens to audiobooks while rowing, credits h i s l o n g e v i t y t o re m a i n i n g physically, mentally and socially active.

His recently released book, “Erik’s Story, Life in a Changing World,” is an overview of nearly 10 decades as a member of one of Auburn’s most historically significant and affluent families.

In his memoir, Osborne, shares anecdotes from his childhood; his secondary education at Deerfield Academy, his six years at Harvard University and his work career as a reporter, editor and eventually publisher of The Citizen, then a familyowned newspaper. Osborne also started Auburn Cablevision and owned several radio stations. After selling the newspaper, the radio

stations and finally the cable company, he retired at age 77 and turned to writing.

The book also features family stories, including those contributed by Osborne’s seven children from his first marriage with May Minturn Sedgwick.

Each of the children related memorable events during their “growing up years.”

After 48 years of marriage, May died of cancer in 1999. He married Sheila in 2002.

Why this book? Why now?

“I wrote it for my grandchildren,” he said during a recent interview in the kitchen at their Grover Street home in Auburn. “I wanted them to know what happened.”

He and Sheila, 82, live with Beau, the couple’s playful Labrador retriever. Their brick home, built in 1824, has a museumlike feel. Numerous paintings, antique furniture and artifacts are throughout.

The self-published book is the latest of several Osborne authored after he retired. His first was a children’s book, “The Adventures of Tilly” about a young girl who loses her doll, Tilly, after it is caught in a closing door of a New York City subway. The doll then has a series of adventures before it is returned to its owner.

Other books include three, short murder-mystery novels. He also edited and published the memoirs of his fathers and father-in-law.

The local, state, national and even international impact of the Osborne family throughout the years, both economically and historically, is APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

19

Statue of Thomas Mott Osborne — Erik’s grandfather — in front of the Auburn Police Station. Thomas achieved greater fame as a prison reformer.

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55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

noteworthy.

Osborne’s great-grandfather, David Munson Osborne (18221886), founded a farm machine manufacturing company that sold equipment all over the world. It eventually merged with International Harvester. David Munson Osborne became the first of three generations of Osbornes to serve as mayor of Auburn.

He married Eliza Wright, a women’s suffrage activist and the daughter of Martha Coffin Wright, an organizer of the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls.

Erik’s grandfather, Thomas Mott Osborne (1859 – 1926), followed in his father’s footsteps as a businessman and mayor of Auburn. Then he achieved greater fame as a prison reformer. He was warden at Sing Sing and commanding officer at the U.S Naval Prison in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His statue is in front of the Auburn Police Station.

Erik Osborne’s father, Lithgow, (1892-1980), was a career diplomat, the husband of Lille Raben-Levetzau, a Danish countess. Among his assignments was as private secretary to Ambassador James W. Gerard at the U.S. embassy in Germany leading up to World War I. He kept a detailed diary of the historic developments, which later Erik edited and published in his book, “Wandering into World War One.” Other jobs with the State Department followed. Back home, Lithgow Osborne was appointed commissioner of conservation for New York state, a position he held for 10 years. President Franklin D. Roosevelt tagged him to be the U.S. ambassador to Norway from 1944 to 1946.

Erik Osborne wrote in his book that growing up as an Osborne in Auburn gave him “a skewed idea of life.”

“The Osborne Machine Company employed 5,000 people at its height in Auburn. After the business was sold, the family still owned the newspaper, the biggest hotel in town and the firstrun [movie] theater,” he wrote. “As a child I can recall going to the theater and not buying a ticket. I would simply say Osborne and my friends and I would walk right in.”

The Osborne family donated to the city the building that is Auburn City Hall.

Following a 15-month stint in the

Erik Osborne at his Grover Street home office in Auburn. military, Osborne attended Harvard University, for undergrad and two years of graduate study in public administration and business.

It was at Harvard that Osborne became a serious backgammon player.

He often played for money against individuals and in tournaments. Over the years, he kept track of his winnings, investing them in the stock market.

Today, that fund totals $144,000, he said.

Harvard was also where he joined the university’s crew team, beginning what developed into a life-long passion for competitive rowing, both outdoors and indoors.

Osborne, who stands 6 feet, 7 inches, concedes that he was an “enthusiastic, but not very good athlete.” At one point, though, he held two world records for indoor rowing in the 70- and 80-year-old categories.

(Both records, for 2,000 meters, have since been broken, he added.)

Asked of what accomplishment he is most proud, Osborne cited decisions made as a board member for the Osborne Association, which was founded by his grandfather, Thomas Mott Osborne, as part of his effort to reform North American prisons. When Osborne first joined the board, there was talk about shutting the association down as it only had three employees and one program.

Osborne instead backed merging with the Correctional Association of New York and hiring a new program director who later vastly improved things. He served on the board for 50 years.

Today the Osborne Association, which eventually parted ways with the Correctional Association, is headquartered in the Bronx with total

of seven community offices across New York state. It continues to offer helpful programs for inmates and exinmates with its budget of $42 million and 350 employees.

“They’re a real force in the field,” he said.

Osborne is working on yet another book, a compilation of letters from his first wife, May, who one summer rented a camper and took off on a sixweek, cross-country trip by herself with their seven children, visiting relatives in California and making various stops along the way.

Another goal involves Osborne’s indoor rowing machine.

“I’d like to set the new world record for 100-year-olds,” he said.

Osborne’s latest book, “Erik’s Story, Life in a Changing World” is available on Amazon.com.

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second act Joanne and her husband Dave Lenweaver own the Clean Slate Farm near Tully. At one time, the Lenweavers were partners in Lenweaver Advertising + Design, a local ad agency.

ADVERTISING PROS NOW ENJOY RUNNING THEIR OWN FARM Dave and Joanne Lenweaver started devoting full time to their farm after they retired in 2019. Today, the business sells gourmet specialty food products, including olive oils, blended balsamic vinegars and spice rubs

By Margaret McCormick

F

or some people, retirement means leaving their jobs, moving to a sunny state, playing golf and walking on the beach.

For others, retirement means putting their “side hustle” on the front burner and tapping their entrepreneurial spirit, while enjoying the perks of not being tethered to a full-time job.

Dave and Joanne Lenweaver, age 70 and 73, respectively, are in the latter category.

The Lenweavers, who live near Tully, are the founders of Clean Slate Farm. Their micro-farm traces its roots to 2009, when the couple left their longtime home in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood and wiped the slate clean, so to speak, to embark on a new life in the countryside south of Syracuse.

One of the first things Dave did was to establish a series of raised garden beds to allow them to grow more of their own food, including tomatoes, squashes, corn, herbs and garlic. Later, they added an apiary (for honey), chickens for eggs, and some goats.

Over time, Clean Slate Farm has evolved into a brand of gourmet specialty food products, including

olive oils, blended balsamic vinegars and spice rubs. They also make hand and lip balms using beeswax from their own hives.

They call themselves a “small team with a big dream,’’ and are fixtures at local markets like the Fayetteville Farmers Market and Cazenovia Farmers Market, in season.

They also pack up their tables, business banners and products and take part in special events, like the Little Falls Cheese Festival, the Junior League of Syracuse Holiday Shoppes, the Night Market at SKY Armory in Syracuse and the Great New York State Food & Wine Festival in Clayton. Their products are available at select retail locations in Central New York, including 20/East in Cazenovia, Epicuse in downtown Syracuse, and Rhubarb in Skaneateles.

When you consider Dave and Joanne’s professional backgrounds, the Clean Slate Farm brand makes perfect sense.

At one time, the Lenweavers were partners in Lenweaver Advertising + Design, an advertising and marketing company that served clients like The Stilton Cheesemakers Association, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, the Vermont Cheese Council and others.

In 2002, Dave shifted gears and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of

America in Hyde Park. Following graduation, he worked at several fine dining restaurants in Central New York, in both kitchen and management positions. He retired in 2019.

Joanne went on to serve as director of the WISE (Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) Women’s Business Center in Syracuse. She spent a decade there, helping women envision, launch, grow and promote businesses through a program of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Whitman School at Syracuse University. She retired in 2019.

Dave has always spent much of his leisure time cooking, canning and freezing using the bounty from his garden. He started adding ingredients like Black Mission figs and their own homegrown garlic to balsamic vinegar and friends who tasted it loved it.

“They said, ‘oh, this is good.

How can I get some?,’’ Dave recalled.

“Everything sort of grew organically from there.’’

The Lenweavers found a source for balsamic vinegar and began buying it in bulk. They started out small, adding figs and garlic to small barrels of the vinegar and letting it macerate for several months. Over time, the fruity, dark vinegar absorbs the flavors of the ingredients added to it. The vinegar APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

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LEFT: Line of products that Clean Slate Farm offers. It includes small batch gourmet flavored balsamic vinegar, olive oils, spice mixes and more.

RIGHT: Glazed Onion Balsamic Vinegar is one of the products available at Clean Slate Farm. is then strained, bottled and labeled.

Before long, they added ginger balsamic vinegar and maple balsamic vinegar, infused with local maple syrup, to the Clean Slate lineup. Olive oils seemed like a natural complement to the vinegars. They found a producer in California who adds ingredients like basil leaves and lemons to the olives at the time of crushing.

Clean Slate Farm now offers six flavors of premium infused olive oils (garlic, basil, lemon, Italian herb, rosemary and sage), plus marinades/ dipping oils, spice blends, a popcorn seasoning, and CinnaMaple, a blend of cinnamon and granulated maple sugar that’s at home on toast, French toast and fresh fruit and in baking.

“All of our products are made with all-natural ingredients,’’ Dave said.

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“It’s all small-batch stuff.’’

The Lenweavers love the creativity that goes into their products, their collaborations with other local producers and the personal connections they make at markets and events, where customers can sample their oils and vinegars.

They aren’t sure if they’ll introduce any new products this year, but they’re always thinking about product development. Customers have asked for a hot chili oil, for example, and they might introduce a new balsamic vinegar. Peach is a possibility.

Dave is the brand’s “big picture” person, and he recently introduced Clean Slate Farm Kitchen, a private group on Facebook where members can discuss food and cooking and CSF products — and share recipes.

Recipes and cooking instruction can also be found on the Clean Slate Farm YouTube channel. Joanne is always on the lookout for new markets and events for them to set up shop.

One thing the Lenweavers want to do this year is boost Clean Slate Farm’s digital presence and sales. Most of their sales are through markets, events and retail gourmet shops, but some customers find them online.

Dave recently asked a customer from Georgia how he found them.

“I searched for specialty oils and vinegars,’’ the customer replied. Boom.

“This has grown into something so much more than we ever thought it would,’’ Dave added.

For more information about Clean Slate Farm, visit www.cleanslatefarm. com.

pets

Playing With Dogs Relieves Stress in Humans and Canines Alike

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laying with a dog for just 15 minutes can significantly reduce a person’s stress, a new study reports.

Stressed students who interacted with a friendly dog reported less stress, had a reduced heart rate and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva, researchers said in the journal PLOS One. The experience also appears to be beneficial for dogs, researchers added.

Fecal tests showed that canine cortisol levels were lower a week after hanging with a human.

“Even brief interactions with dogs can significantly reduce stress levels among university undergraduate students,” concluded the research team led by senior investigator Jaruwan Khonmee with Chiang Mai University in Thailand.

For the study, researchers recruited six friendly dogs 3 to 6 years old to interact with college students. They

included five chihuahuas raised by veterinarians and a Shetland sheepdog raised by a psychologist.

None of the dogs were certified for therapy work, researchers noted. This was the first time they’d participated in any sort of canine-assisted intervention, and they participated without the presence of their owner.

In the main library of Chaing Mai University, 122 students completed a stress assessment questionnaire, had their blood pressure and pulse taken, and provided a saliva sample for cortisol testing.

They then were given 15 minutes to play with a dog after being told the pooch’s name, personality traits and preferred interactions.

The students could do whatever they wanted — look at the dog, pet it, give treats, hug it, play with it.

Afterward, they went through another round of tests to assess their stress levels.

The dogs provided fecal and saliva samples before and after their time with students, to see whether the play benefitted them as well.

Students showed self-reported and physical improvements in stress following their 15 minutes with a dog, results show.

“Compared to immediately before, students’ self-reported stress levels decreased by 33.5% after interacting with the dog,” researchers reported.

The students also had improvements in their pulse rate and cortisol levels, researchers noted.

There were no changes in salivary cortisol in the dogs on the day of play, but their fecal cortisol levels were lower a week after they spent time with the students, researchers said.

“Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the beneficial impact of human-dog interactions on human stress levels and highlight the importance of addressing stress in both humans and animals during targeted interventions,” researchers concluded.

“In contexts where certified dogs and handlers are not readily available, non-certified dogs could still offer mental health benefits,” the team added.

APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

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activities PING PONG: MEET THE PLAYERS AT DEWITT COMMUNITY CENTER

Earn your ping pong nickname and paddle yourself on the back

By Tom Maguire

I

f Tom the Talker can mix it up with the table tennis seniors then so can a less bombastic player like you.

I earned that nickname at Monday ping pong at the DeWitt Community Center (see sidebar). Bigword-loving legend Howard Cosell co-wrote a book called “I Never Played the Game” but I do, so I’m entitled to blab while I’m playing.

You’ve got to join us and experience the intensity of, for example, the player I call Die Fledermaus, Averell. She loves bats, hence the nickname based on the operetta. She hits a slappy kill shot and she’ll try to sneak a fast serve down the middle too. And now she even has a trophy, which we’ll get to later.

We often forget the score and who serves to whom, resulting in scenes like, OK, wait, Die Fledermaus just served to “The Hammer,” so now it 26

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

must be Guam Dave serving to Pete the Heat.

And if The Hammer, Susan, is your doubles teammate (we change teams; we play singles too) or your opponent, you will marvel at her all-around game. She has won her age category perhaps four times at the NYS Senior Games, never less than a silver and she is aiming for the nationals! I asked some of the players about their favorite shot and why they play table tennis.

The Hammer said, “My favorite shot would be my forehand shot, ’cause I can nail it and I love table tennis because it makes me laugh and I grew up playing.”

Here are some other splendid ping pong personalities who compete; we agreed to use only first names or nicknames: • The Big O: Otis is sort of fakevociferous. He disputed a serve one

time; later, a friendly fist-bump with the opponent in question. And against a novice-level player The Big O will magnanimously powder-puff his serves. Of course, against a good player he’ll throw in every rotten sidetwister that he can. Oh, and The Big O gave The Hammer her nickname when she was killing me in singles one time at the Syracuse Table Tennis Club (sidebar).

• Phil the Thrill: Our host, the beaming, soft-spoken impresario who transforms the DeWitt Community Room into our ping pong room and serves not only as our poet laureate (see below) but also our poet scoreate. Games are to 11 and as the score changes he’ll say things like “10-4, good buddy; “9 to 5, gotta make a livin’”; “7-up, the un-cola”; and “9-9, Herman Cain” (remember Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan?).” I like Phil’s game because

Phil the Thrill: “My favorite shot, it has to be my forehand offensive stroke,” he says.

he knows that many points in doubles are won through steadiness, not a Beijing slam and he can read backspin and return it in kind. This un-cola guy knows his fizz. “My favorite shot, it has to be my forehand offensive stroke,” he said, “and the reason I play is that, first of all I’ve played all my life, my entire life and it’s a game where you can play all your life and I get good exercise from it.” Oh, and he even spoke on the phone with hardbat ping pong legend Marty Reisman.

• Amer the Kidder: Powerful guy and playful. One time I hit a topspin backhand that clipped the net and went over to win a doubles match.

Amer said to me, “You had to use the net. Shame on you.” His torso, if not the whole room itself, shudders with the power of his risky flick shot: If it’s on, it’s probably going to win the point.

The forehand topspin is his favorite stroke. “I play ping pong,” he said, “because it keeps me going” and it’s a sport that you can play for life.

• Guam Dave: Like Phil the Thrill, he’s a retired electrical engineer. The big key for Dave is his risky flickWHAM backhand. A good idea is

not to hit anything to his backhand.

Compensating for Dave’s all-ornothing attack is a terrific poker face; you never know what he’s thinking, but it could be something flicky.

• Pete the Heat: Like Phil the Thrill, Pete remembers speaking on the phone with hardbat master and entertainer Marty Reisman. Pete even has an autographed copy of Marty’s book!

Pete paces and he also grins and why not: He’s got a flick-backhand that he finishes with a high paddle like “Olé on you, sucker!”

• Mirth-master Randy: Rivals Pete the Heat for best grin. A two-time winner of the Most Improved Player award, powerful Randy goes for vicious shots off both wings. You can’t match his power or his comical expression.

• Roni the Robot: Very polite, very ready to kill. Like The Hammer, Roni has won multiple titles at the NYS Senior Games. She has these nasty slap shots that suggest some kind of oil inside her wrist. And she loves to throw in oblique dink-serves that make you go diving. Roni shows her steadiness Sundays at the Syracuse Table Tennis Club where you can

witness some good pong from various players.

• Tom the Talker: I am honored they have given me TWO nicknames. My other one is Tom Cat because of my incredibly fast feet. I can out-backspin some people but if you tempt me I’ll unload a topspin forehand on you.

In the DeWitt Community Room, if someone is worthy in a particular year, the Most Improved Player award is presented by Phil the Thrill. At the January 2025 ceremony honoring 2024 winner Die Fledermaus, Phil recited his poem: The person who won this award Has a name that one must be careful to spell.

She has been taking table tennis lessons, That is obvious from our Monday sessions, So the choice is as clear as a bell, That the Most Improved Player award goes to Averell!

Phil said that the winner’s little trophy adorned with names and photos is, after the Lombardi trophy, APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

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Roni the Robot (rear) plays against the player I call Die Fledermaus.

the “most coveted trophy in all the world.”

Die Fledermaus noted that her table tennis coach at The Rock Center (sidebar) has taught her to get low in her stance “at the cost of my knees.”

She said the trophy “will go in a place of pride in my home.” She added later, “I am deeply honored and proud and this Monday table tennis has been the highlight of my life in Syracuse.”

The award committee consisted of Phil the Thrill and Pete the Heat, who blew a horn to honor Die Fledermaus.

And right there Pete added me to the award committee. So now I’m also The Committeeman!

I just had to demand “balance” from Phil, so I asked who wins the Least Improved Player award. He laughed and said, “The least improved player would probably be the best

player.”

And the best player has to be Agreeable Robert, who also plays at the Syracuse Table Tennis Club. His favorite shot is the backhand loop, even though he claims he’s not great at it. He can say that but he’s beautiful to watch. He’s a NYS Senior Games veteran who figures he may have won doubles gold there. I guess it’s hard to remember everything when you’re that good. Robert said he plays “to maintain my health. And it’s good from a mental standpoint too. It keeps you sharp, ’cause you have to think fast on your feet.”

His ping pong tips: “You just have to stick with it. You have to be passionate about it and you’re gonna lose and you’re gonna lose and you’re gonna lose and eventually you’ll win one and you just keep going from there.”

Tom Maguire once attended the U.S. Closed table tennis championships at his alma mater, Hofstra University.

A competitor got mad and broke his paddle and Tom seems to recall he picked up that paddle or part of it, as a souvenir. Contact Tom with ping pong-group questions at tpmaguire1@ gmail.com

Engineers Built Foundation for Local Ping Pong

Ping pong players who can’t move get splattered, but unlike with statues, the ball leaves no mark. Like a good mobile player, then, the game of ping pong has bounced around the Syracuse area, orchestrated initially by some nimble engineers.

Organized pong started locally in the early 1970s, said retired General Electric electrical engineer Phil the Thrill, leader of the senior ping pong group that meets Mondays at the DeWitt Community Room in East Syracuse. Another engineer put an ad in GE’s in-house newspaper, and after that Phil and one other GE engineer played in private homes.

Also, an O’Brien & Gere engineer from Ireland “was a tremendous player” who came in very early and “was definitely a driving force in moving the club forward,” Phil said.

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They started to form an association that played at the downtown YMCA in Syracuse.

Teams from about eight companies played there in an industrial league and after that the Syracuse Table Tennis Association moved to many different places, Phil said, “to find a good home for the club.”

Sites included the downtown YMCA, the Clubhouse in DeWitt, the Camillus Town Hall, the Armond Magnarelli Community Center in Syracuse, the Polish American Citizens Club in Syracuse and Shoppingtown Mall in DeWitt.

At one point the association had probably 30 members and held two major table tennis tournaments that each had more than 100 players from around the United States.

Today, age-50-plus pongsters

play on Mondays at the DeWitt Community Room and Syracuse Table Tennis Club participants play Sundays at the Pastime Athletic Club in Syracuse and Thursdays at Elevate Fitness in Liverpool. And if you want to be astonished, watch the amazing players Mondays and Wednesdays at The Rock Center in Syracuse.

When pongsters played at the Town Hall in Camillus, a boy named Matt Simon came to play. Phil never met him but he said Simon became one of the best players in the United States. Simon went on to become a doctor and online information says that at the 19th annual Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2013, he was on bronze-medal-winning Team USA. “He would be better than anybody I mentioned,” Phil said.

Grandparents and Grandkids: Poll Shows Them Helping Each Other

G

randchildren are a true blessing for older Americans, helping them avoid loneliness and keeping them on their toes, a new poll reports.

Overall, 72% of people with grandkids say they hardly ever feel isolated, compared with 62% of those without grandchildren, according to results from the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging.

People without grandchildren also are more likely to say their mental health is only fair or poor — 13% compared to 9% with those who have grandkids.

“For many older people, becoming a grandparent is a major milestone in their lives. Our findings show there are many dimensions to grandparenting, and possible positive effects of grandparenting, some of which may not be widely recognized,” researcher Kate Bauer, an associate professor of nutritional sciences in the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said in a news release.

About 60% of adults 50 and older have at least one grandchild, including 27% who say they have five or more.

Seniors older than 65 were more likely than those in their 50s and early 60s to say they have at least one grandchild, 76% versus 46% The survey also found that: • About half (49%) of grandparents provide care at least once every few months for grandchildren under 18.

• About 18% of grandparents see a grandchild once a day or nearly every day, versus 23% who see them once a week, 23% who see them once or twice a month, and 36% who see them every few months or less.

• Three in five (61%) say they've shared at least one meal with a grandkid in the past month, about half (47%) said they prepared or bought food for them, and 36% baked or cooked with their grandchildren.

“Eating, and especially cooking, w i t h g r a n d c h i l d re n c a n b e a n opportunity for older adults to make important social and cultural connections, such as passing down

About half (49%) of grandparents provide care at least once every few months for grandchildren under 18, says study. knowledge and recipes,” Bauer said.

“Given how many grandparents are frequently engaging with their grandchildren around food and eating, it is important that they relay positive and healthy messages about nutrition and body size.”

Grandparents who saw their grandkids more often were less likely to feel isolated or feel a lack of companionship, the poll found.

For example, 78% of grandparents who see grandkids nearly every day or every day said they hardly ever feel isolated, compared with 65% who see their grandchildren every few months or less.

And 70% of grandparents who see their grandkids more often reported hardly ever feeling a lack of

companionship, compared with 57% of those who see grandchildren every few months.

“Health care providers should consider asking their older patients whether they are active in their grandchildren's lives, and perhaps encourage more involvement among those who are struggling with loneliness or depression, even if they live far apart and need to connect virtually when they can't be together,” poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, said in a news release.

The poll included a nationwide sample of 3,486 adults 50 to 94 who were surveyed online and via phone in August.

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aging

By Marilyn L. Pinsky

Memories of a European Vacation

s d n e i r F h t Travel wi

O

n Sept. 5, 2024, the working title of this article was: “Upcoming Almost MonthLong Trip with Five Women I Hardly Know. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”

On Sept. 25, 2024, the new title after the trip was: “Don’t Ask!” For the past 14 years I have been traveling solo with group tours.

On the majority of the tours if there was not another single woman to hang out with, couples were usually welcoming to a woman traveling alone. Sometimes couples went out to dinner by themselves and I felt a little 30

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lonesome, but that’s to be expected.

Then a few trips back I met a woman whose husband didn’t want to travel anymore and we went on four interesting trips together. She was very adventurous and planned great side trips, like running from white water rafting to a helicopter ride over the mountains in one afternoon.

On one of these trips, to South America, we met a woman from Chicago who was also traveling solo.

As we all seemed to get along so well, having bonded over shopping for pocketbooks in Medellin, Columbia, we decided to do other trips together.

Trying to find places that we all hadn’t gone to, or ones that we would revisit again, was a little challenging.

Most recently, we had given a deposit for a trip to Saudi Arabia but I got cold feet when that part of the world seemed to become a little too dangerous. Three deposits down the drain.

Then came this trip to Central Europe.

Even though we had all been to some of the countries on the tour, it had been a while and we were willing to go back.

The first friend invited two other women she knew from her art class in New York City and said we’d love them. OK, I was prepared to love them.

The four East Coast people had all made our flights through a consolidator my friend recommended. The day before as we were checking in online, one of the women and I discovered we weren’t on the same flight as the other two women, which threw off our arrival plans. Slight panicky moment but the agent was responsive and worked it out. The other woman was not happy and was ready to cancel.

She didn’t.

I met the three women in the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and we flew together to Amsterdam to spend a few days on our own before catching up with our Chicago friend and the tour company in Warsaw. As the rest of the women were much younger than me and all fast city walkers, I was concerned that I not hold them up. When we landed I grabbed my backpack and raced off the plane. I was making great progress fast walking down the concourse heading to immigration but thought I’d better touch base with the group as I didn’t see anyone around me. I reached for my phone in the fanny pack around my waist that also held my credit cards and passport. Panic moment number two — I had left it on my plane seat along with my hat and scarf.

So much for not holding them up.

I raced back to the gate arriving just when the crew was disembarking but the gate agents wouldn’t let me go back into the plane to retrieve my

belongings. I begged them to go and look, told them my seat number and where I had left it and finally, after much discussion among themselves, in Dutch, someone went to look. The guy they sent came back and said nothing was there, after which I started to cry.

By then my friend had found me and the two of us begged them to look again as without a passport I was a person without a country. Finally, after a lot more discussion among themselves, in Dutch, someone went back and found my fanny pack with my phone and passport; no hat and scarf, but at that point, who cared?

Finally we were on to our first stop, the hotel. One of the women, the one who was going to cancel because of the plane snafu which should have been a clue, was not happy with her first hotel room or, as it turned out, any of her subsequent rooms on the whole trip.

She didn’t like any of the restaurants that had been chosen — after much research. Between asking for the menu to be explained three times and discussing what appetizers we could share as none of us ate the same food, each meal took 20 minutes to order. I don’t know why the wait people didn’t just dump the food on our heads.

Every day on the bus the tour guide would give us three options for the next meal so she could call ahead to the restaurant and have everything ready when we arrived. Most everyone in our group of five changed their order two times before the guide even got back to her seat to make the call.

For some reason we were not all that popular with the rest of the tour group.

After Poland we headed to Hungary. When we arrived in Budapest, the driver of our overly large bus realized a little too late that to get to the street our hotel was on required an extremely tight turn on a very steep hill. The bus got stuck halfway through the turn, holding up traffic in three directions. This resulted in our spending an hour in the bus which was at an angle, which felt like hanging off a cliff.

Finally a couple of drivers got out of their cars and cleared the streets by having the other cars back out down the hill so we could make the turn.

Having been in Budapest years ago, one of my best memories was going to the public baths. I had

convinced four of the women to go with me but as the time got closer, one didn’t want to mess her hair, so she dropped out and the other two wanted to go shopping. So one adventurous woman went with me and we had a ball. Just maneuvering the steamy co-ed locker room with the wet floors while searching for a locker was a hoot.

We went from the salt water pools to the thermal pools, to the sauna and then the steam room. We had great conversations with people from all over Europe who were in Budapest for various reasons but mostly because it was a beautiful city to visit.

As we were leaving Budapest and heading to Vienna, everyone’s cell phones were going off with emergency weather alerts but because they were in German we had no idea what was happening. Finally our guide, who had been on frantic phone calls with her home office, told us that Central Europe was having a 100-year flood and she had to rearrange our schedule.

Driving out of the city, the streets were closing all around us. Because of the risk of bursting dams, Black Hawk helicopters all around us were dumping sandbags on Budapest. The operative sentence from our guide, given possible road closures on our route to Vienna, became “we’ll see how it goes.”

There were really fascinating moments to this trip. In Prague we had been told we had to eat at this beautiful restaurant on the water and as it was hard to get reservations, our friend made them months in advance. When we arrived they looked at us a little too carefully but finally sat us at a beautiful table on the water. Two minutes later a group of Korean men sat down at the table near us and when we asked our waiter what was going on with all the security standing around, we found out we were eating next to the President of South Korea. (I’m not sure why they impeached him; he seemed like a lovely guy from where we were sitting.)

I have skipped over what a memorable trip this was in all respects.

We visited the major Holocaust memorials that left us all feeling shaken as many of us had family who had been killed in those countries.

I would do the trip again without hesitation just maybe not with all the same people.

Museum Open Daily May through December 23rd 1-5pm July and August 10-5pm Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival Sat.,May 17th, 12-4pm

Lighthouse Boat Tours - June thru Sept.

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cover Gary Lewis: ‘I Just Like Being a Regular Guy’

About to turn 80, son of legendary comedian Jerry Lewis — and Pittsford resident — talks about his career, his addiction to drugs, his upbringing and his relationship with his famous father

By Tim Bennett

G

ary Lewis, of Gary Lewis and the Playboys and son of the famous comedian Jerry Lewis, achieved what few singers do at 19 or any age — reach No. 1 on the pop charts with his first recording (“This Diamond Ring” in 1965) and then churn out another six consecutive top-10 hits.

Lewis’ other hits include “Everybody Loves a Clown,” “Count Me In,” “She’s Just My Style,” “Sure Gonna Miss Her,” “Save Your Heart for Me,” and “Green Grass” In all, Gary Lewis and the Playboys had eight gold singles, four gold albums and 45 million records sold worldwide.

At the pinnacle of his success, in 1967, Lewis was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent time in Vietnam and South Korea.

While Lewis was overseas, the music industry changed.

The light, innocent tunes of the ‘60s morphed into the hard rock anthems of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

When Lewis talked with his record producer, Snuff Garrett, about his future, Garrett said bluntly, “There’s no place for your type of music anymore.”

Fearing he had nowhere to go after the military, Lewis sought comfort in alcohol and drugs that plagued him for decades.

Being a die-hard musician, however, Lewis had to play somewhere so he chose the nomad existence for years playing in small city clubs all around the country and

sleeping wherever he could lay his head.

Lewis took time off in 1972 to open a music store in the San Fernando Valley, just outside of Los Angeles. In 1984, a music agent called and said the ‘60s music was back. Ever since, Lewis has been busy doing nostalgia shows throughout the U.S. — often with other ‘60s groups.

Yet, it wasn’t until the late 1990s, when he met his wife-to-be, Donna Grow, that he finally confronted his addictions. Today, celebrating 21 years of sobriety and a successful marriage equally as long, Lewis said he enjoys life more than ever and still loves playing his hits to live audiences.

This interview was conducted via telephone on Dec. 21, 2024.

Q: I was surprised to learn that you lived in the Rochester area. How did you end up here?

A: Actually, I was born in Manhattan in 1945. Then my travels took me to many states to live. I grew up in Los Angeles.

In 1997, we did a gig in Rochester at the Eastman Theater where I met my wife.

They had a radio station party after the show and my wife was there with a girlfriend. I saw her and we started talking. Then we dated for a little bit and when it came time to go home or stay, I just stayed.

Q: How do you like the Rochester area?

A: I like it so much more than LA. It’s

Gary Lewis in concert in Deadwood, South Dakota, 2012. Photo provided

Gary Lewis' band,, "Gary Lewis & the Playboys." From left: Nick Rather, bass; Willy O’Riley, keyboards; Gary Lewis; Mike Gladstone, guitar; and Todd Bradley, d.rums. incredible. Of course, there is snow and all, but it is a big enough city to have everything I need, but small enough to feel like a small town.

Q: What was it like growing up with a famous comedian for a father?

A: The first thing I want to say before talking about him is that I am not purposely out to badmouth him. I also do not want to lie. Having said that, the truth is, my dad was a narcissistic egomaniac. He was so consumed with himself he had no time for anyone else in the family — my mom, my brothers or me. Whatever happened in his life to make him that way must have been horrific. I don’t know what it was because he never talked about his upbringing. All I know is he always said he hated his parents. To give an idea of what it was like in our home, my mom would often tell us, “Go to your rooms, your father is here!” That was because he was always in a rotten mood and it is too bad. After I got sober, I felt sorry for him. He was always looking for external things to fill that hole within him.

Q: Could you talk about your mom and how she influenced your life?

A: I loved my mom. One good thing she did was take all six of us to church. She would say, “I’m taking 34

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you guys to church because your dad won’t take you to the temple.” Though my dad was Jewish, I don’t think he ever saw the inside of a temple so there wasn’t much chance of that happening.

She would always tease us, “I’m not going to raise a bunch of heathens.” As a kid, it didn’t really make much of an impact on me. When I finally got clean and sober, though, I realized that she had laid a really good foundation for me. Unfortunately, when I was using drugs and alcohol to cope, I never prayed or talked to God. All I felt was desperation.

Q: What songs were you and the Playboys playing at Disneyland when you got discovered by Snuff Garrett, the Liberty Records producer?

A: We played everything that was popular at the time, mainly the Beatles and all the surf music.

Q: What was it like at 19 to have a No. 1 record just coming out of the gate?

A: Isn’t that the way everybody wishes it would happen? We were so excited and thrilled we couldn’t contain ourselves. Snuffy Garrett, our producer, put a damper on our enthusiasm when he said, “Calm down, guys. Do you know how many one-hit wonders there are in the world?

We have to concentrate on number two and number three. If we get those, we

could be on our way.” When our next six records made the top 10, radio DJs would always tell me, “You guys and the Lovin’ Spoonful were the only ones to ever do that.” Looking back, I realize it was God who blessed me with this talent. He was with me, even though I may not have known it at the time.

Q: You were drafted in 1967 after cranking out many top hits. Were your parents against you going into the Army during Vietnam?

A: Sure they were, but there was no choice. Even though I didn’t want to do it, it was the best thing I could have done in my life because, believe me, you grow up quickly in the Army.

And, you learn to rely on your friends and the others in your platoon.

Q: Did they treat you like a regular guy?

A: They all knew me. But they did treat me like a regular guy because I was a regular guy. I wasn’t about to be a big shot, no way, not when you are living with 50 other guys.

Q: They didn’t ask you to sing your hits to them?

A: No. I went to a military school growing up so when I got in the Army and they found out that I knew a lot of the military stuff like how to march and do the manual of arms, they made me a squad leader, which meant

Lewis during a "Flower Power" cruise in 2024 — from Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean.

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I had status.

Q: Most of your hit songs were innocent, teenage love songs. Do you think your fan base lost their innocence when you were in the Army and, therefore were no longer interested in those types of songs anymore?

A: Exactly. The music went to much harder rock and people started stating their opinions in music. The ‘70s were definitely not very kind to ‘60s artists. That’s when I bought the music store.

Q: Did you really have to work? You had seven top 10 hits! Where were the royalties?

A: Well, I was playing all around the country so I didn’t have a permanent address. This made getting royalties difficult. It wasn’t until much later, when I settled down in Rochester and had a permanent address that I got all that straightened out. My wife, Donna, took charge of my business dealings, made all the right contacts and finally all the royalties started coming in, which was significant. Before that, I was just playing music, doing drugs and alcohol and trying to survive. At one point, I was an inch away from homelessness.

Q: So did you play with the original Playboys?

A: No. The original Playboys disbanded after I got drafted in 1967 into the Army and they had to go and find other jobs. I asked them before I got out of the Army if they wanted to pick up where we left off, but they said no. So, there have been different sets of Playboys all during my career.

Q: Folk rock was popular in the ‘70s.

Did you ever consider doing songs like James Taylor and Cat Stevens?

A: No. I have rock and roll in my bones.

Q: How about the bigger venues? Did you think that was over?

A: Yes. I thought that was it. But in 1984, I got a call from this agent in Indiana and he said, “Hey man, the ‘60s are coming back.” I said, “Who the hell is this?” I thought it was a prank call. He said, “No. No. I am an agent and I can book you 60 to 100 dates a year.” Sure enough, that’s what happened and I’ve been doing gigs 36

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ever since. Not as much now, of course.

I’ll be 80 in July.

Q: Will you be writing a memoir or will a musical come out on your life like they did with Frankie Valli and Carole King?

A: No. I don’t think so. I’d rather not have to dredge up everything I went through growing up.

Q: When did you first get heavily involved in drugs and alcohol? Was it while you were in the Army?

A: Yeah, I did drink and do drugs then but it wasn’t until the ‘70s that I really got into it heavily. The ‘70s brought much harder rock and roll.

When my producer told me my recording days were over, I was devastated. At first, it was just alcohol but then I found out that playing gigs that required four or five sets a night

Gary Lewis On….

• Dean Martin: “My dad loved him and I did, too. He was always so calm and talked slow.

I know his daughter Gina Martin and she always told me he was such a good father and such a quiet peaceful guy. He didn’t like to go out and party. He just liked to sit at home with his family and I loved that about him.”

• On his mom, Patti Palmer (who was a big band singer for the Tommy Dorsey Band and The Ted Fio Rito Orchestra): “I adored my mom. I really loved her. She always made sure to give us all individual time. She was great—an Italian Catholic mom, always putting a positive spin on things.”

• Buddy Rich: “To tell the truth, I just thought he was just a friend of my dad’s. Every time he came over to the house he would say to me, “Hey kid, let’s go out to the drums.” That took place from when I was 5 to 12 years old. When I found out he was Buddy Rich, the famous drummer, I was floored.”

are hard when you are drunk. So I started taking pills that would perk me up. But then I became a yo-yo. I’d be perked up and then I would have to take something to sleep. So it was always up down up down. It was terrible.

Q: In other interviews you say your wife, before you got married, influenced you to stop taking drugs and drinking. What convinced you it was time to stop?

A: Well, Donna wrote me a fourpage letter. The whole first page was great. She said, “I love that I met you.

I love being with you. You have a good heart. I can tell you have a good soul.”

All love. Page two, however, started out with this: “But, I can’t really take this and I can’t really live like this.

You really should think about getting some help for this problem.” When I read that I thought, “Oh no, here we go.” When I got that letter in 1998, I didn’t do anything about it until 2003. But the seed had been planted and it germinated during that period.

I finally said, “OK” and I checked myself in for detox for five days and then rehab for a month.

Q: How have you been able to maintain your sobriety since 2003? Do you still go to AA? A: Absolutely. And, I never want to go back to that despicable desperation again. That is so strong in my mind and in my soul now. No matter how bad something is, you know, like receiving some really bad news or like my mom dying, I never think about taking a drink. It just doesn’t even enter my mind anymore. That’s just who I am now.

Q: What do you like to do when you are not performing?

A: Even though it is winter, I like to do normal things like going to the stores and getting what I need. I like to go shopping at the market because my wife doesn’t enjoy it.

Q: Do people recognize you?

A: Yeah. It’s great and I am appreciative of that. The fans put me where I am so if they want to talk, I’ll talk with them. I just like being a regular guy. That’s what AA has done for me. Given me that humility, my faith in God. It gave me so much. AA and my wife actually saved my life.

Tex Simone with Deion Sanders, one of his old players and now the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

baseball THE MAN WHO SAVED BASEBALL IN SYRACUSE New book details how Tex Simone nurtured

F

or Syracuse baseball fans of a certain generation, there is one name that is synonymous with the sport.

Tex Simone.

The Syracuse Chiefs, like all teams, has an ever-changing roster. It’s gone through several name changes and major league affiliations. And the Chiefs’ home, the one-time MacArthur Stadium, was replaced by a new stadium, which has also had different names since it opened in 1997. But, yet, there remained one constant.

Tex Simone.

The North Side native stayed here in his hometown, despite offers

By Mary Beth Roach

to advance in the baseball business and he brought the sport to local fans season after season for more than five decades.

Now, Tex’s two children — son John Simone and daughter Wendy Simone Shoen — along with author William Humber, tell his story in “Tex: The Man Who Saved Baseball in Syracuse.”

In the book’s introduction, the authors write that “this is a celebration of his commitment to his city and its teams and of an era in baseball increasingly seen in the sport’s rearview mirror.”

It chronicles Tex’s (christened

Anthony) early years as one of seven kids growing up in a large Italian family and as an athlete at the former North High School.

It goes on to detail his formative years in the Army; his brief stint as an accountant; and his career with the Chiefs, starting as a groundskeeper in 1961 and moving up through the ranks, to trainer and traveling secretary before becoming general manager in 1970 and then executive vice president chief operating officer in 1996, when son, John, took over at GM. Tex left the organization in 2013, when the then-board decided to move in a new direction and he was named APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

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vice president emeritus.

The book has been years in the making, according to John. He and Wendy had been working on it with Tex, but they were not able to complete it due to their father’s Alzheimer’s disease. Tex died in 2015 at the age of 86.

Following Tex’s death and while the siblings were trying to find a writer to help them complete the book, John said they received a letter from Bill Humber. He is a writer, an historian on Canadian baseball and a longtime friend of their dad’s, who had interviewed Tex on several occasions over the years.

“It was such a moving letter, I said to Wendy, ‘there’s our author,’” John said.

The siblings contacted Humber in 2017 and they almost had the manuscript done when COVID-19 hit. Humber had wanted to travel to Syracuse from his home in Canada, walk Tex’s old neighborhood and talk with some of his friends and colleagues. But with the pandemic and travel restrictions, Humber couldn’t make the trip and the book got put on hold.

But once the pandemic and travel bans lifted, work on the book intensified the last two years, John said.

Collaborating on the project was something that John said he and Wendy enjoyed immensely, bringing up the old stories and then getting it in print.

“I did it so my kids and my grandchildren, someday, could know who their grandfather was. But more importantly, so the community knew he was other than just the guy at the ballpark,” John said.

The one thing that John wanted to make sure of was that his father’s love of Central New York came through.

The love he had for his hometown, his family and baseball motivated Tex through his long career, John said. “It was his town. Baseball and the history of it in the community were important to him.”

So important that Tex even turned down jobs with major league baseball to stay here. John believes that a big reason for that was his family, explaining that he refused a job in Toronto because he didn’t want to leave one of his brothers, who was dying of cancer.

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LEFT: Cover of a new book about Tex Simone. It’s available at local bookstores and on amazon.com, among other places.

RIGHT:Tex with Cecil Fielder, Lou Thornton, Fred McGriff and Otis Green.

The book’s title, “Tex: The Man Who Saved Baseball in Syracuse,” speaks to what John believes are his father’s greatest accomplishments — keeping the team together in 1969-70, when it faced financial troubles and spearheading the construction of a new ballpark to replace the old MacArthur Stadium, which was built in 1934, but by 1990, was showing signs of its age.

As John noted, “Early on, it was keeping the team afloat in 1969-70.

That was very important. Equally important was building the stadium.

He knew he would lose baseball again

if we didn’t do something with that old stadium.”

Today, one of the roads leading into the stadium is named for Tex, and a bust of the legend is in the ballpark.

Baseball fans will love the pages full of details, photos, memories and quotes from friends and Tex himself, many of which came from research Humber had done, scouring newspaper stories and from drawing from his own conversations with the local baseball icon over the years, John explained.

An added feature is the section

that contains passages from letters that Tex wrote home to his older brother, Archie, while he was with the Army.

John said they found the letters by accident and determined they needed to be in the book. In the chapter, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ball Park,” the authors share memories that some former Chiefs players and former general managers of the Toronto Blue Jays, had of Tex. John said he hopes that his dad would have enjoyed it. “It told a story of his life from his early days until the end. He was proud of his journey

and his love of his family, service to his country and to his community,” he noted.

The book has found fans not just in this area, but throughout the country, John said, and it is also promoted on texsimone.com.

Those interested can find the book in the three area Barnes and Noble stores — Dewitt, Cicero and Destiny USA. There will also be a book launch with the publisher, author and former players at the NBT Bank Stadium on May 2, with the Syracuse Mets play the Scranton Railriders.

And John, now 64, is working on another book about his experiences with the Chiefs as a youngster. When preparing the manuscript for his dad’s story, John said he started jotting down stories about his early years with the team, as a bat boy, in the dugout and on road trips. The publishers had asked to see John’s notes that he had made and once they did, they realized they had the potential for another book.

So, baseball fans, get on deck for that one.

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Rose Anthony stands behind the bar at her Rosie’s Tavern in Granby Center. She turned 99 in February but works every day of the week.

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At the Age 99 Rosie’s Still Putting in Full Days at Work Rose Anthony, the owner of Rosie’s Tavern in Granby Center, does it all: Plow the driveway, do the cleaning, the ordering.

At 99 years of age, she works every day of the week.

By Stefan Yablonski

P

resided over by preeminent But after a while though, the I just bought this business from my barkeep, Rose Anthony, mother and father didn’t want to stay. partner and now I have a 9-month-old Rosie’s Tavern is a classic — “So I quit GE and came here and baby to raise. I still got her. He never a landmark and a fixture in was her partner. I was her partner for raised her. She is going to be 50 in Granby Center. eight years,” she added. “I didn’t want March. I raised her here. She went to “I was working at GE and GE to be partners no more. I couldn’t ever Hannibal schools and then she went to was going to move. I had just gone take a vacation.” college and now she lives in Florida. through a divorce five years before Rosie asked her to buy her out or She is married and has a child of her that,” she said. “So I said if they are she’d buy Rosie out. own.” going to move, I am going to open up “She wouldn’t buy me out, so I COVID-19 impact a little business — like a card shop or bought her out,” she said. “In 1975, I something.” bought her out.”

It was a good business, “a real Someone told her she should open They rented the place originally. up a tavern.

“We didn’t buy it. We rented it good business before COVID,” she “I said no. I don’t drink and I’m from Tommy Vescio — a big builder, added.

“Before COVID, this bar used to not interested,” she said. “But be packed during the day another lady said she was with retired men. It was their going to go into business; so social gathering place. Old why don’t we go look at it [the retired men, this use to be tavern] and we will see what Rose Anthony is the oldest their hangout. They are all it is and maybe we’ll go into a owner-operated establishment gone now, they’re all gone,” partnership. she said. “My day shift is “We came to look at it in Oswego County and possibly quiet now, everybody is quiet. and this was empty — dirty, the state.

Most bars are opening at 3 terrible. And I said no. The or 4 o’clock in the afternoon landlord who owned it said he now. I open up at 11 every day would clean it up and all that. except Sunday, Sunday I’m And I still said no.” closed. I’m carrying the whole The lady said they’d be partners and her mother and father construction worker,” she said. “I load myself. I do all the ordering. I do would move in with them and Rosie meant to open a card shop or something all the cleaning. I do it all,” she said. would be a silent partner. like that — something small. But I She turned 99 in February. She has an “I said that would be good — a ended up with this. Three years after employee, Jean, who has been with her for more than 20 years, she added. silent partner,” Rosie said. buying her out, I bought the place.”

“I plow my own driveway, mow So GE shut down for three weeks But 1975 was a bad year for Rosie. and they worked on a partnership.

“I bought her out and my nephew my own yard. I plowed this morning “Her mother and father lived come to see me. He had a problem. His — you better put that in my article! in Lakeport. We decided to go in wife was from Taiwan; he married her ninety-nine and still plowing my partnership,” she said. “I was supposed there and brought her here and they own driveway, get the horse shoe pits to be just a silent partner. Her mother had a 9-month-old baby,” she said. ready for the horse shoe players. You and father moved in upstairs and “She went back to Taiwan and left him better put this all in my article, too. I business was good — it was a good with a 9-month-old baby and he asked put up guards so snowmobiles don’t business.” me to help him with the baby. Now run over the stakes. That wouldn’t APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

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high the taxes were in Granby.

“We were the second highest in the county. I thought it was unfair, so I called Albany — before I was actually on the town council. They said take pictures of properties and then check their taxes to see how they are equal,” she said. “I did that for a whole summer. I drove myself to Albany and they said, ‘you need help in Granby.’

They couldn’t come to Granby unless the town council OK’d it.

“So I rented the War Memorial out of my pocket and the town council had a meeting there so the whole town could come and hear it. And the town board turned it down,” she added.

“So the next year the Democrats in Granby come to see me to see if I’d run for town council,” she continued.

We Democrats ran for councilor, supervisor and we won. The first thing I did was get Albany here — and today, because of what I did, today we are the second lowest tax-wise. I’m proud of doing all of that, what I did. And I still look out for the people.”

Still playing pool Rosie playing pool at her Rosie’s Tavern. “She plays a mean game of pool and can beat many of the younger players,” says Amy Gagliano, who is a regular at Rosie’s. be good. I keep them covered so the snowmobilers don’t hit them; that would really damage their snowmobile,” she said. “I want the people to know I do this. This is what keeps me young — always doing something, always working. My whole family was long lived. My brother just died last year [2023] at 99. My mother and father died at 85 and 86. I had a sister that died at 92.”

A lot of businesses in the Fulton area are gone and nobody’s replaced them, she lamented.

“The city of Fulton has gotten smaller as far as retirees, you know.

I’m still here. I was born in 1926 in Solvay — grew up in Solvay — went to Solvay school,” she said. “My parents made me work when I was young.

My parents came from Italy. My father had a farm. I was maybe 13 years old and he had a flatbed truck; him and my uncle would pitch hay up on it.

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I couldn’t reach the gas pedal … but that’s how I learned how to drive. I learned to drive on a standard.

“I worked hard. I’m glad that they brought me up like that. My father bought a farm in Camillus, that’s where I was born, but I grew up in Solvay. A while after I was born my mother didn’t want to live on a farm anymore. So my father moved us to Solvay.”

Retirement isn’t an option “I’m going to finish my life here,” she said. “The girl I raised, my daughter — I call her my daughter — wants me to sell everything and move to Florida.

Why should I disrupt my apartment upstairs, which is very beautiful, just for the next what three years maybe?

How long do you think I’ll last?

In the late ‘90s, she was served on the town council. She found out how

Bob Phillips said he “has been coming to Rosie’s 40 some years. She’s just amazing. A lot of the guys would stop here after work; a lot of the retirees hung out here, too.”

Does Rosie have any hobbies?

“Plowing her driveway, mowing her lawn,” he quipped, adding “she can beat most of the people in here playing pool.”

“She plays a mean game of pool and can beat many of the younger players,” added Amy Gagliano, another of Rosie’s patrons. “The best part is her pool stick; she bought it many years ago for about 50 cents.

She says it’s crooked, bent and old like her.”

“I still play pool, just fool around with it. I have a $1 cue stick. It’s cracked; got it years ago at a yard sale.

Some guys come in with their $200 stick and I have a dollar stick,” Rosie said with a laugh.

Like family Some patrons that go to Rosie’s Tavern today are three to four generation families that have been there for years.

“This is just a neighborhood saloon. The people that come in here

are like my family, my friends — my family. I know them and their parents and sometimes even grandparents,” Rosie said.

“One young guy come in here one day and he said, ‘you don’t know me, but I use to come in here with my grandfather and I sat right at that table and I watched you and my grandfather shoot pool.’ And he told me his name and I said, ‘oh my God, I remember.’

The generations go down and they come in and they tell me stories. I love it when they come in and talk like that; when people come in like that it does me great.”

OVER 20 YEARS OF CELEBRATING LIFE AFTER 55 WEEKEN D TRAVEL

THE ULTIM ATE ROAD TRIP: RO UTE 5 & 20

Tomboy Her brother asked her to come watch him play ball at a diamond in Syracuse years ago.

“I’m sitting in the bleachers and he comes over and says, ‘Rosie we got a problem. We’re one man short and we don’t want to give up the game.

Would you come and play?’ I was the first woman to play under the lights at that field. They put me in right field,” she said. “I was a tomboy. I don’t remember my batting average.

I love baseball. I don’t like football or anything like that. But I love baseball.

I’m a Mets fan.”

Rosie is also a unique joke teller, Amy said.

“Over the years, Rosie has told a collection of jokes with anybody that stops in her establishment. It is a place you do not walk out of without laughing — especially when she gets on a roll of telling them,” she said.

“She always said, ‘if you can’t laugh at them, you have no humor in your life.’

Rosie has a group of patrons that come from Rochester several times a year specifically see her for her jokes and a warm atmosphere. The men come in first and their partners follow while passing through, heading North, for their vacations.

“It’s a true family-oriented atmosphere that makes it a true tavern atmosphere. Everyone is treated the same, whether it is your first time being there or a regular patron.”

Rosie’s Tavern was established in 1967 and is located at 435 county Route 3 in Fulton. Rosie lives upstairs from the bar and works every day of the week.

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gardening

Vegetable garden on a terrace. Red, orange, yellow, black tomatoes growing in container. Stock photo

Consider Edible Landscaping

Tomatoes, pepper, blueberries, cucumbers are just a few edible plants you can grow at home. This is the time to do it

Y

ou don’t have to own a farm to grow food.

If you have a bit of land or even a porch or patio, you can grow a few things that are edible — and that look good with your current landscaping.

“Technically you could plant a corn stalk in a large enough pot, but it’s not going to blend in with landscaping,” said Jim Sollecito, owner of Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse and the state’s first lifetime senior certified landscape professional. “But a few 44

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By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant green pepper plants wouldn’t look weird. Or red raspberries would look nice, if kept pruned and trained onto a fence.”

Just as with any other planting, growing plants for food requires learning about how large the plants will become and what other needs they may have such as a trellis or fence for training vines or canes.

It also helps to use attractive mulch around them to suppress weeds, help retain moisture and make it easier to mow around them.

Shrubs that bear fruit are an easy choice for Mike Nolan, owner of Green Acres Garden Center in Liverpool.

“There are a lot of different varieties of blueberries and some are evergreen and would look similar to a boxwood,” he said as an example.

“Some are deciduous. Their leaves turn a pretty red in the fall. I have quite a few at home.”

Nolan warned that deer like to eat the bushes, so planting blueberries closer to the house may help ward them off. But allow space on all sides

of the bushes so you can harvest all the fruit. That’s tough if the bushes are flat against the house.

Consider fruit trees instead of ornamentals. However, note if the trees are self-pollinating or require male and female trees to bear fruit.

Follow the nursery’s directions for fertilizing, pruning and spraying for pests. It also helps to promptly pick up any dropped fruit so it does not attract pests and disease.

Nolan also likes planting strawberries, as their foliage is pretty and as perennials, you can expect to harvest fruit from them for about three seasons. Strawberries can grow in containers or hanging baskets. However, Nolan warned that chipmunks and birds can still help themselves unless you cover the containers with material such as chicken wire.

Plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers look good in landscaping, especially if you use fertilizer that includes calcium. Nolan also recommends horticultural oil to help prevent blight and powdery mildew, since these plants are very prone to these diseases.

Many herbs can become invasive so it’s wise to harvest them often. You can always dry it if you can’t use it fast enough as fresh. Or give it away.

“Thyme is a pretty ground cover,” Nolan said. “It’s easy to grow.

Rosemary has a nice smell. Chances are, you’ll grow more than you’ll need. Basil is probably everyone’s favorite. It’s not as easy to grow. Keep the flowers off it and keep up with it.”

Otherwise, it can become too woody.

Before cultivating food plants, have the soil checked for lead, especially if near buildings. Root crops such as carrots, potatoes and turnips are especially prone to lead contamination if the soil has unhealthy lead levels. Don’t use salvaged wood for creating raised beds, fences or trellises around food plants. These may be contaminated with lead.

To find a lab to test soil for lead, visit https://apps.health.ny.gov/pubdoh/ applinks/wc/elappublicweb. You can also excavate and bring in purchased garden soil that’s safe for growing food to use in the areas where you plan to grow fruit and vegetable plants.

Red bell pepper growing on a green plant. Stock photo

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gardening Top Tips for a ‘Green’ Lawn

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Y

ou may have a green lawn, but is your lawn environmentally green?

If you’re concerned about the effects of your lawn on the environment, you can keep it weedfree and reduce water use with a little planning.

A s c r a g g l y, w e e d y l a w n i s definitely unattractive. However, drenching it with weed killer can harm beneficial pollinators and contribute to runoff that harms waterways.

You don’t have to let weeds grow to feed pollinators. Consider planting butterfly bush, a wildflower area and other plants that attract pollinators.

As for weeds, Jim Sollecito, owner of Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse and the state’s first lifetime senior certified landscape professional, prefers to address weed issues only as they arise.

“If you do find a weed here or there, using a ready-to-use spot product, either organic or conventional, should clear things up,” Sollecito said. “But remember, these products work best on a sunny day in the heat of the day when plant growth is most active.”

Some areas of the country struggle with a low water table and must institute watering bans to make it through the summer. Typically, CNY 46

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is cool and rainy enough during the summer that watering isn’t a big issue.

But drought years sometimes can mean watering is necessary to keep the grass green.

“A lawn can be kept very acceptably green looking by just making sure it gets one inch of water twice a week throughout the growing season,” Sollecito said. “I overlap my oscillating sprinkler so it also irrigates my landscape and everything is much happier when hydrated.”

Timing matters when it comes to watering the lawn. Mike Nolan, owner of Green Acres Garden Center in Liverpool, advising watering during the first part of the day so that the lawn isn’t wet overnight.

“You can get more diseases that way, especially when it’s in the heat of summer,” he said. “If it gets a disease, you may need to treat it with chemicals.”

Watering early enough also prevents excessive evaporation, which wastes water.

If you’re starting a new lawn, select grass varieties that resist drought.

Nolan suggested Black Beauty, a fescue variety “which can get really deep roots. It’s the one of most drought resistant varieties.”

The roots can reach up to four feet

deep, although in harder soil types, the roots may not go that deep. Typically, Black Beauty reaches deep enough into the soil that the grass can survive without much rain or watering.

How much grass seed you sow can also make a difference in how many weeds grow in your lawn. Nolan said that the thicker the lawn, the more likely it will choke out weeds and crabgrass. Err on the generous side when planting grass seed.

Mowing the lawn too short is not good for the environment. It requires more frequent mowing and thus more opportunities to generate lawnmower emissions. If yours is a small plot, consider investing in a reel mower.

Frequent mowing also means the grass is so short that it requires more watering.

“Try keeping it at 3.5” to 4” long,” Nolan said.

At that length, the grass can hold moisture better.

Using fertilizer can help feed a fledgling lawn. Nolan recommends Milorganite, an organic fertilizer that “works well to get the lawn thick,” he said. “You need to use a decent amount of it. It won’t burn like other fertilizers.”

Always follow package directions when using any lawn amendments.

and memorable experience.

day trips

Syracuse Pedal Tours.

www.theanimaladventurepreserve.com

• Howe Caverns in Howes Cave brings out the spelunker in any adventuresome visitor. Explore caves via guided tours, 156 feet below the surface, including 1.25-mile walk with a 0.25-mile boat ride. The cave tour includes 139 stairs. Wear a jacket, as it’s typically around 55 degrees F., even on hot summer days. Check the website for additional tours, including spelunking, private tours and lanternlit tours. , https://howecaverns.com • Adirondack Scenic Rail Bikes offers railbike rides on decommissioned railroad tracks in Old Forge at Thendara Station and Tupper Lake.

The rides last about two hours and each railbike accommodates four.

Anyone capable of pedaling a regular bicycle is up for the challenge. https://adirondackscenicrailbikes.com • Adirondack Railroad in Utica, offers a variety of leisure trips including beer and wine rides and scenic rides. Check the website for holiday themed events as well. https://adirondackrr.com

Tour CNY

Why spend thousands on foreign tours when you can spend a day or more touring our own region?

C

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

NY offers numerous options for guided tours that engage, entertain and enlighten.

However you want to explore the area--land or water--CNY tour leaders have an option for you.

• Erie Canal Cruises in Herkimer as its name denotes, cruises the Erie Canal. Using a United States Coast Guard Certified vessel, the cruise has received more than 1,000 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor. https://eriecanalcruises.com), • Syracuse Pedal Tours in Syracuse requires six to 13 passengers and a

sense of adventure to power a bike around the city. Book for a pub crawl, architecture tour, progressive dinner or dream up your own itinerary of what you want to see and do in the Salt City.

The pedal-powered vehicle includes a bench for resting or for a member of the party who can’t pedal. www.syracusepedaltours.com • The Preserve at Animal Adventure in Harpursville allows visitors to drive their own vehicles on a three-mile trail through 100 acres of themed areas: Aussie Eurasia, The Americas, Africa and Giants of Africa. Bring along the grandkids for an up-close encounter

• Glimmerglass Queen in Cooperstown operates from the Lake Front Hotel on Ostego Lake. The guided tour includes tidbits on local history and views of Otesaga Hotel, Clarke Tower and other historic sites. www.cooperstownlakefronthotel.com/ boat-tours • Cooperstown Trolley, also in Cooperstown, to area attractions, like the National Baseball Hall of Fame, a block away from the Lake Front Hotel and Glimmerglass Queen. www.cooperstownny.org/trolleysystem • Erie Canal Bike Tours in Syracuse and other locations books national bike tours, but also local trips. Cyclists can select from the Full Erie cycling the entire 363 miles from Buffalo to Albany in 12 days or the Half-Tour of either Buffalo to Syracuse or Syracuse to Albany, all while supported by a tour guide and crew. www.cycletheusa.com/post/theincredible-erie-canal APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

47

springtime

TAKE A HIKE!

CNY abounds with pleasant places for enjoying a fine spring day

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

W

hether you’re an avid hiker or occasional stroller, getting out to experience nature provides many benefits. Central New York offers plenty of venues to walk.

Here are some options: Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville offers 15 miles trails around its meromictic lake. It’s also home to some of the prettiest scenery in CNY. Take time for a few photos.

• https://parks.ny.gov/parks/172/ details.aspx Clark Reservation in Jamesville stands out for its varied terrain, including forest, wetland and meadow and a variety of plant species — around 300.

Slow down and enjoy viewing the 48

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vegetation.

• https://parks.ny.gov/parks/126/ details.aspx

• https://eriecanalcamillus.org

Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool offers eight miles of walking along the lakeshore. Bring along your furry pal to play off-leash at Wegmans Good Dog Park. Continue on the 2.6-mile Onondaga Creekwalk and you’ll walk right to Armory Square.

• https://onondagacountyparks.com/ parks/onondaga-lake-park

Charlie Major Nature Trail in Skaneateles follows the former Skaneateles Short Rail Line for one mile. Young grandchildren would enjoy the playground near the Mottville trailhead. Snap a few photos of the vintage wooden bridges that span the creek.

• www.townofskaneateles.com/ departments/parks/charlie-major-naturetrail

Camillus Erie Canal Park in Camillus includes a trail that is part of the 750mile Empire State Trail from Buffalo to Albany and New York City to the Canadian border. This snippet lies alongside the Erie Canal and includes a forested trail.

Highland Forest in Fabius provides 20 miles of hiking trails and views that earned the nickname the “Adirondacks of Central New York.” Dogs are allowed, so bring yours along.

• https://onondagacountyparks.com/ parks/highland-forest

Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, is comprised of 670 acres centers around a 200-acre glacial lake. Its 10 miles of hiking trails wind through bog, meadows, wetlands, deciduous climax forests, conifer stands and transitional shrub-forest areas. Check out the artifacts and displays in the nature exhibit building.

No dogs are allowed.

• https://beaverlakenature.org Nelson Swamp Unique Area in Cazenovia, sprawls for 979 acres. The area is home to more than 400 species of plants and a large variety of birds, so bring along the binoculars to spot them.

• https://dec.ny.gov/places/nelsonswamp-unique-area Rice Creek Field Station in Oswego features five miles of trails winding through varied habitats, including woodlot, orchard, plantation, clearing,

herb garden, creek and pond. Find a detailed map on the website. Leashed dogs are welcome.

• ww1.oswego.edu/rice-creek/trailsoverview Verona Beach State Park Rail Trail in Verona offers 13 miles of woodland and lakeside hiking trails for you and your canine companion near Oneida Lake.

• h t t p s : / / p a r k s . n y. g o v / p a r k s / veronabeach/details.aspx Fair Haven State Park in Fair Haven includes a sandy beach along Lake Ontario and more than 2.5 miles of woodland hiking trails. Dogs are permitted. https://parks.ny.gov/parks/12/details. aspx Plan your hike by knowing each trail’s rules. Some allow dogs, for example and some don’t.

Prepare by wearing weather-

appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes. If you want to bring your grandchildren, think about their age and fitness level compared with the length of the trails.

Beaver Lake Nature Center, for example, has a few shorter trails and many interactive exhibits. Consider wearing a hat, sunglasses and SPF 30 sunscreen to protect you from UV rays.

Apply bug repellent after applying dried sunscreen. Check your clothing for ticks and shower after hiking.

Staying on the trail can help you avoid ticks, as typically they wait on vegetation for potential hosts. Pay attention to any “trail closed” signs, as these are erected for your safety.

Bring along water and a charged cell phone. If you hike alone, let someone know where you will be hiking and how long you expect to be gone. This is especially important if the venue has poor cell phone reception.

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Barry McCaffey (I) and his brother Tommy (r) helped form “The Barry James Band” in the 1970s

Posthumous Honor Bestowed Upon Legendary Oswego Rocker

By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli

“

He had a presence about him,” former Barry James Band and current Frostbit Blue drummer John Bletch said as he describes his friend and former bandmate.

“He also was one of Oswego’s greatest musicians and nicest people you would ever want to meet. All the bands starting out in Oswego at that time looked up to the Barry James Band.”

Local legendary musician Barry James McCaffrey headlined the list of this year ’s inductees into the Oswego Music Hall of Fame when he posthumously received the Joseph P. Spereno Hall of Fame Award in ceremonies that took place at the Oswego Elks Club on March 23.

Established in 2017, the Oswego Music Hall of Fame honors local musicians “who have kept Oswego dancing, singing and smiling for years.” McCaffrey, the renowned singer-songwriter and leader of the

Barry James Band, becomes the eighth local musician honored with the Joseph P. Spereno Hall of Fame Award.

He was among 47 other musicians, teachers, technical people and bands recognized by the Hall of Fame for their dedication and love of providing entertainment and music in the Port City.

Beginning in 1975 as Mind’s Eye, Barry, his younger brother, Tommy, bassist Tim Smith, drummer Scott Columbus (later, of heavy metal “Manowar” fame) and keyboardistsinger Bill Feeney evolved into the Barry James Band featuring a melodic rock-style that the band is still remembered for today.

Fifty years later, McCaffrey’s music continues to be heard when Bletch and his mates introduce original BJB songs including “Lake Ontario Twilight,” “West Seneca St Theme” and “Elevator,” to the delight of the knowingly enthusiastic crowds.

“Oswego somehow became a special place in the musical world,” Tom McCaffrey said. “With the level of talent and what was happening with all the different bands, we were all inspired to play like the people we saw. Barry was a big part of it back in the ‘70s.”

Founding member and president of the Oswego Music Hall of Fame Nancy Spereno sees it as a way of remembering parts of peoples’ lives that may have otherwise been forgotten.

“All musicians give parts of their lives up performing to make people happy,” Spereno said. “They never seem to get the recognition or thanks they deserve. We wanted to make sure that all the musicians that entertained us would be remembered in our little musical history and not be forgotten.”

The Oswego Music Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization that was created to celebrate the rich

rry McCaffrey (l) and his brother Tommy (r) helped form "The Barry mes Band" in the 1970s.

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music traditions of Oswego. Funds raised through ticket sales of the annual Oswego Music Hall of Fame Induction event provide life-changing opportunities to children who might not otherwise have the chance to “scratch a creative itch” that develops as a youngster.

The organization endows scholarships for area high school seniors wanting to pursue careers in music (the prestigious Joseph P. Spereno Scholarship), finances student lessons at Oswego County music schools, fund the purchase of musical instruments for local elementary school-aged children and classes and honors the musical talent of area musicians.

“The Hall of Fame recognition is a way of giving back to local musicians after all the years they have, some very unselfishly, contributed and performed to make people happy,” Hall of Fame treasurer and board member Melissa Klefbeck said. “This is really the heart of what we’re doing.”

Like other legendary musicians of a bygone era, the end of McCaffrey’s life came to an end too soon. The Barry James Band founder and leader died in a tragic car accident in 1984 at 30 years old. More than 40 years later, McCaffrey receives the musical recognition all of his Oswego peers thought he had already been awarded.

“The Hall of Fame is so wonderful for the community,” Tom McCaffrey said. “I do believe Barry deserves this honor. His songwriting was unique.

Around this area if you say the title, Lake Ontario Twilight, many, many people know the song. He touched this musical community in a special way that is still being felt today.”

Along with McCaffrey, other 2025 Hall of Fame inductees included: Dam Dog, Joseph P. Spereno Award; Mike Shiel, Entertainment Award; Dirtroad Ruckus, Entertainment Award; James J. Dillabough, Enrichment Award; Pat Hillman, Enrichment Award and Joe Trionfero, Educator Award.

Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored two books: “STRIKING SILVER: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team” and “BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”

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51

Chuck Gibson has been part of the wildlife landscape at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge for decades.

When you see him first thing on a Friday morning at the visitors' center there, he's already been at work for hours, getting ready for to guide visitors.

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HE’S ‘MR. MONTEZUMA’ For Chuck Gibson, a wildlife refuge has refreshed his life

By John Addyman

P

ick a Friday morning, anytime from April to November.

Arrive around 8 a.m. — and watch carefully.

You’ll be refreshed by the clean air, a big sky and the sounds and sights of wildlife all around you.

The one thing that doesn’t fit the picture is the lone car, slowly driving and occasionally stopping at the end of a scene that lies out as far as you can see.

Far away you can see the New York State Thruway, vehicles gliding by soundlessly because they’re so far away.

Closer to you are areas of cattails, open water, grasslands and brush.

And birds. Waves of birds. Ducks.

Geese. Owls. Herons. Gulls, bald eagles. Coots and harriers and osprey and Plovers and Mergansers and wigeons and teals and swallows and blackbirds.

Your perspective from here, the Visitors’ Center at the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, is of a vast, relatively flat area that touches Wayne, Seneca and Cayuga counties.

Scanning the horizon, you see that single car turning toward you from far away and you wonder, “What’s that guy up to?”

A meteorologist does his homework to predict the weather for you.

Reporters do their homework to tell you what’s new.

Chuck Gibson, 85, is about to tell you exactly where you can find the birds you came all this way to see.

He’s in that car. He’s known as “Mr. Montezuma.”

“On my day of work, I come in about 8 a.m.,” Gibson explained. “I do a tour of the property, see what’s going on, what birds are available at that time, check three or four locations throughout the complex and then at 10 a.m. we open the visitors’ center and I have some knowledge of what’s available to pass on to the visitors as far as what wildlife is out there. Most basically, it’s ducks and geese.”

For a birder who has come to Montezuma, Gibson — and the other volunteer service center representatives who work there — is an invaluable resource. He is the guy who knows, who can go through your want-tosee list and tell you where to spot the refuge’s abundant wildlife.

He has a little more to offer because he started his work life a long time ago on the Erie Canal, which borders part of Montezuma. He knows the history of the canal because he’s lived through part of it, when major commercial traffic glided through the locks and waterway.

Those canal days were “interesting times,” Gibson said. “I drove a small boat with a kerosene tank on top of it, a gravity feed, and I went around and filled the kerosene lanterns on the bridges and cleaned the lenses if they

got smokey. I trimmed the wicks so the lamps stayed clean.”

In those days, commercial traffic on the canal was 24 hours a day. He graduated from that job to lockmaster.

“I worked out of Lock 27 in Lyons,” he said, “covering three locks, one in Lyons and two in Newark. You never knew what was going to happen: I’d get a call from my compatriot in Newark that there’s a boat coming and I had to go meet that boat and follow it through, then I would call ahead to the next lock and let them know they had traffic headed their way. This was commercial traffic, of course.”

He went on to a career as the head custodian at Lyons Central High School. With job experience on the canal and in Lyons, he hit retirement age and pulled the plug on work.

“I said ‘good-bye. I’m not going to do this job anymore,’” he said.

That was August 2000.

“The first day of school the next month, I went down to the local coffee shop and watched everybody go by on their way to work and said, ‘Thank God I don’t have to do this anymore,’” he added.

Gibson and his wife came to Montezuma in 2005 to enjoy some of the activities there.

“We got acquainted with the place and programs. We went out one night to celebrate our anniversary,” he said.

“About 2 a.m., she woke up screaming, ‘There’s something terribly wrong!’

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53

The view from the sunroom at the Montezuma visitors' center, a panorama of the refuge.

She had a brain aneurysm, which was like turning the lights off: all of a sudden, I was a widower.

“After her funeral I said to myself, ‘What the hell am I going to do now?’

So, I went over to Montezuma, talked to Andrea VanBeusichem, the visitor services manager, about donating one day a week and it progressed from there. That was 2008.”

One of his first projects was trapping and putting transmitters on two short-eared owls, one a mature bird, the other a juvenile.

“Almost immediately, one of the birds, the adult bird, got predated by maybe a red-tailed hawk or an eagle.

We found the transmitter and a few scraps of that bird. The juvenile bird had wanderlust. We’ve been tracking that bird halfway down Cayuga Lake,” he said.

The younger bird came back to Montezuma and made a hummock in a cattail swamp — a place that’s somewhat snow-free — where he spent the winter. “We knew he was healthy and we left him alone after that,” Gibson said.

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As Gibson settled in on Fridays at Montezuma, he was pressed for a higher level of service. He became a member of the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, joined the board and eventually served as president for seven years. He has now been a familiar face at the visitors’ center and the Audubon Center on the other side of the refuge for 17 years.

Montezuma is growing The Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge was born in 1937 when the federal Bureau of Biological Survey bought the land. The Civilian Conservation Corps began work there the next year. Today Montezuma has 18,000 acres of protected land, roughly a 3.5-mile square park. 10,000 of those acres are federal land, 8,000 belongs to the state. The state Department of Conservation has a working office on the site.

And the acreage isn’t static.

Montezuma is growing slowly.

Gibson explained: “Whenever land becomes available, we try to

purchase it. We have to pay market price, of course, but we have a unique situation where Ducks Unlimited and a couple of other organizations that have deep pockets can buy the land today and they’ll hold it for us until the federal or state government acts to set money aside to pay them back and take control. Then they’ll use that money to purchase other properties. It’s a symbiotic relationship, you might say.”

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the road that circles around the property in 1937 and also replaced farmland on Howland Island with a building site that was eventually used in World War II to house German prisoners of war.

Gibson’s knowledge of the canal spills into what he learned at Montezuma.

“When the Erie Canal was dug, originally it was four feet deep and 40 feet wide. Then it was deepened to seven feet and when they put the barge canal in, the Erie Canal was 12 feet deep and they rearranged the path,” he explained.

“What we’re sitting on now,” he

LEFT: These birds are part of the specimens displayed at the Montezuma Visitors' Center.

RIGHT: Chuck Gibson at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

said, speaking from the Montezuma Visitors’ Center, “this is all spills from the building of the canal. Our Wildlife Drive borders the canal for at least two miles, then it borders the Thruway, which was cut through the refuge back in the 1950s.

It’s the birds How did Chuck Gibson get hooked

by Montezuma?

It’s the birds.

“When I was a Boy Scout going through summer camp, I got interested in birds that showed up in the woods and it kind of snowballed from there.

I’ve probably been birding for 60 years, anyway,” he said. “Birds are fascinating to watch and to track and understand where they fit in the ecosystem. And Montezuma is a great place to see birds. That’s what this place is all about — a resting place on the migration path. Twice a year we have an influx of ducks and geese and other birds who are going from the south to the north, then back from the

north to the south.”

“Chuck is very much at home at the refuge,” said VanBeusichem, the visitor services manager. “But not only the refuge but the Audubon Center and state conservation area — the wetlands complex. He knows the land, the people, he’s knowledgeable about the work we do, he volunteers; he does whatever we need.

“He’s been a great spokesperson, too, out in the community. Talking to people about his time at Montezuma is a big part of his life. His passion and his knowledge about Montezuma come through.”

From the dead of winter, Gibson is looking forward to spring and some of the changes being planned in the refuge and those who will come to view them.

“You meet a lot of very interesting people from all over the world,” he said. “You never know who’s going to walk through that door or where they’re from. They are all on their best behavior. They’re all interested in the wildlife, what we’re doing here and

how we do it, what’s available.

“We don’t know what’s going to show up this coming year. We know the eagles are going to be here on the Seneca Trail, which is closed while they’re nesting.

“And this year, there will be more aggressive mowing along the shoulders of the wildlife drives to open up some of the viewing that’s been obscured by cattails, to give people a better view of the wildlife without needing to get out of their cars and disturbing wildlife. I think that’s a good move.”

The visitors’ center is a federal building, due to be enlarged to house some federal employees from Cortland.

Gibson is concerned that may mean losing the Friends of Montezuma store and a lovely viewing room. But things aren’t certain and time will tell.

He’ll be there to keep an eye on things.

“I plan to live to 100,” he said. “It’s nice to have a plan.”

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55

planning

Final Planning

It’s more than writing a will

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

N

obody gets off planet earth without dying, yet only 32% of Americans have a will, according to the 2025 Wills and Estate Planning Study by caring. com.

In addition to this important document, it’s vital to have additional plans in place not only in case of death, but also in case of a short-term or longterm incapacitation.

Suppose you become ill and spend a few weeks in the hospital? What happens then?

Randy L. Zeigler, certified financial planner and private wealth adviser for Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Oswego, wants people to keep their will, healthcare proxy and living will up-to-date to “legally express your wishes with your health care decisions and ultimate asset distributions after death,” he said. “Have a durable power of attorney arrangement in place with a trusted agent, to collect mail and pay your bills. Elder financial 56

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abuse is a major problem right now in our country, so a trusted, capable agent is critical.”

These legal instruments can both protect your assets and the wellbeing of those you leave behind as well as help ensure that your wishes are carried out.

Zeigler added that there’s a rise in credit theft from recently deceased individuals. To prevent this, ensure that your power of attorney will freeze your credit should you become incapacitated or deceased.

“People should also remember that when someone dies it is important to shut down their social media accounts, online banking services and other internet-based travel and website accounts like frequent flyer accounts and investment brokerage trading,” he said.

Record in hardcopy account numbers, IDs and passwords to these accounts and keep this with legal documents.

Mary Koenig, vice president of impact and mission integration at Loretto in Syracuse, encourages everyone to take these steps early.

It’s also important to ask people if they want to serve in roles such as the healthcare proxy or power of attorney.

“Don’t have these financial decisions be ‘hush-hush,’” she said.

“The earlier you start talking, the better. You should continue those conversations, as they’ll change over the years.”

If you designated your son-in-law as your healthcare proxy years ago and he and your daughter divorced, you would obviously need to talk with your family as to who should take that role and to legally change your information.

People who run a business should cross-train employees and create a contingency plan for when they cannot operate the business in both short-term and long-term scenarios.

“Thinking about it when it’s not

Mary Koenig is vice president of impact and mission integration at Loretto in Syracuse.

Randy L. Zeigler is a certified financial planner with Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Oswego.

happening is better than in a crisis,” Koenig said.

The softer side of final planning includes your personal effects of little monetary value but high sentimental value. Koenig encourages making a list of these items and who you would like to receive them.

“Organize pictures and share them,” she added.

If you’re close to when you want to downsize, offer home furnishings you no longer want to young adult grandchildren furnishing their first

place. Or perhaps you have friends whose grandchildren need items.

Donate items to a homeless or domestic violence shelter. List items for free through https://buynothingproject. org or on Facebook Marketplace.

If your plan is to remain in your home, begin building these features into your home any time you remodel.

For example, make sure renovations meet ADA guidelines. Plan for a firstfloor bedroom and full bathroom.

These types of changes can help you stay in your home longer. Let your

family know you want to age in place.

Who will care for your pets if you’re unable to? Ask friends and family members for their commitment and make sure that your healthcare proxy and power of attorney know who will step up to take on your pets.

The same goes for watering your plants or picking up your mail. If you’ll be in the hospital a few weeks, who will stop by your house to take care of things?

In the event of your death, your loved ones will have dozens of decisions to make.

“One thing we encourage is for people to make any funeral arrangements,” Koenig said. “If they can pre-pay or even just make the arrangements.”

She has known people who even wrote their own obituary.

Overall, organizing your key information and getting all in one place will make things easier for your family.

Many websites offer templates to download. Or you can make a binder of all the important information.

“If something happens to a loved one and they’re incapacitated and the family has to apply for Medicaid, the family has to go back in finances five years,” Koenig said. “Whatever you can do to stay organized and let people know where things are and what your thoughts are on what you want to happen, will help.

“Don’t be afraid to talk about final planning with other people. They will appreciate it and it’s an opportunity to connect and it will give them resources they need.”

Reach thousands and thousands of local readers ADVERTISE YOUR SERVICES AND PRODUCTS in 55 PLUS Request a free media kit with demographic information, rates and sizes. We will design your ad at no charge. editor@cny55.com

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57

your health

By Eva Briggs, M.D.

WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR IN THE WORLD OF DRUGS

By Eva Briggs, M.D.

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very year new medications or new formulations of existing drugs gain approval from the federal and Drug Administration.

Here’s a roundup of a few of these new drugs from 2024.

Because these drugs are new, they are likely to be expensive and therefore often not covered by insurance. But it’s still interesting to know about them. Those that are found useful may eventually become more affordable or available as a generic and perhaps covered by insurance.

The first category of drugs treats dermatologic (skin) problems.

Berdazimir gel treats molluscum contagiosum, a common viral skin infection that causes small bumps.

Children are particularly susceptible. It can be applied at home, which is a plus, because laser therapy and certain other topical medicines must be applied in a medical office. But molluscum is a benign condition that usually goes away on its own although that may take months. The benefit of this expensive medicine may therefore be limited.

Lebrikizumab is a new monoclonal antibody for moderate to severe eczema in patients aged 12 or older.

It’s administered as an injection, every 58

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

two weeks to start and then every four weeks. It’s expensive, costing $3,500 per month. The syringe it’s supplied in contains breakable glass parts so if it’s dropped accidentally, the patient must throw it away.

Sofpironium treats excessive armpit sweating. Alas it is also expensive and benefits only about one in six patients.

There are also some new antibiotic medicines. Pivmecillin, in the penicillin family, treats uncomplicated urine infections in adult females. It’s actually been available in Europe for years. An advantage is the ability to treat some multi-drug-resistant bacteria. Downsides are cost, the need to take it three times per day and certain drug interactions.

Cefepime-enmetazobactam combines the cephalosporin antibiotic cefepime with a chemical that protects the antibiotic from being broken down by some bacteria.

It treats complicated urinary tract infections, those with fever or involving the kidney. It’s administered via IV. Downsides include the administration time of hours to infuse and the need to combine each dose with a large volume of fluid.

A third newly approved antibiotic for urine infections is sulopenem etzadroxil plus probenecid. This drug treats uncomplicated urinary tract

infections in adult females. Probenecid is a compound that prevents the antibiotic component from being metabolized and excreted too quickly.

It’s the first oral antibiotic in the class called carbapenems.

It can treat drugresistant bacteria. But it is a wide-spectrum antibiotic increasing the chance that it will interfere with good bacteria in the body. Other potential side effects are the risk of causing gout to flare and increasing the risk of uric acid kidney stones.

A new maintenance medicine for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is ensifentrine. It’s given daily via nebulizer. It acts to open small airways. It is a maintenance medicine, not a rescue medicine for acute respiratory symptoms of COPD. It can’t be mixed with other nebulized medicines.

Possible adverse reactions include back pain, elevated blood pressure, diarrhea, mood changes and suicidal thoughts.

This is a sampling of some newly approved medicines. In 2024, new dosage forms of some existing medicines were approved. The psychiatric drug aripiprazole, used for schizophrenia, major depression, Tourette’s syndrome and autism, now comes as an oral film. Budesonide, a steroid, now comes as suspension to treat a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis. Femlyv is an oral contraceptive that comes as an orally dissolving pill. Alas it costs about three times as much as traditional contraceptive pills. Entresto, which treats heart failure, is now available in sprinkle tabs for use in children as young as 1 year old. This makes pediatric dosing easier. Clonidine ER (extended release), used for attention deficit d i s o rd e r h a s b e e n released in an oral suspension. Because the tablet form can’t be crushed or split, this will facilitate dosing for individuals unable to swallow tablets. Epinephrine (the medicine found in an Epi-pen) is now available as a nasal spray. Although it avoids the need for injection, it’s much more costly than a generic Epi-pen.

Still Taking a Low-Dose Aspirin Every Day?

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any Americans don’t see anything wrong with taking daily lowdose aspirin, even though experts have concluded its risks outweigh its benefits, a new survey has found.

Nearly half (48%) of people incorrectly think that the benefits of taking low-dose aspirin daily to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke outweigh the risks, according to the survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

“Habits backed by conventional wisdom and the past advice of health care providers are hard to break,” Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the center’s director, said in a news release.

“Knowing whether taking a lowdose aspirin daily is advisable or not for you is vital health information,” she added.

For years, healthy seniors were advised to take low-dose aspirin to reduce heart attack and stroke risk.

The rationale was that aspirin acts as a blood thinner, reducing the risk that a blood clot could cause a heart attack or stroke by clogging an artery.

But in 2019, the leading heart groups — the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association — reversed that recommendation in a set of new guidelines.

The groups concluded that daily aspirin for healthy seniors 70 and older wasn’t worth the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. “ I f y o u ’ re o v e r 7 0 , t a k i n g

aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke could do more harm than good,” the AHA now says on its website.

Aspirin still is recommended for people with diagnosed heart disease who don’t have an increased risk of bleeding.

This updated guidance has failed to break through decades of advice supporting daily low-dose aspirin, the poll found.

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults who have no personal or family history of heart problems report routinely taking low-dose aspirin. According to survey results: • 10% say they take it “basically every day.”

• 6% take it “a few times a month.”

• 2% take it “a few times a week.”

Younger adults were more likely than older folks to correctly report that the risks of aspirin outweigh the benefits, the survey showed.

About 29% of 18- to 29-yearolds with no personal or family history of heart disease correctly said the risks of daily aspirin outweigh benefits, compared with 11% of those 40 to 59 and 7% of those 60 and older, researchers found.

That’s likely because the younger folks haven’t been exposed as much to the outdated guidance supporting aspirin use, researchers said.

The survey involved 1,771 people polled Nov. 14 to 24, 2024, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

59

Happy Unretirement Un retirement

6 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU UNRETIRE If you’re thinking about working part-time in retirement, be sure to think these things through

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aybe you're contemplating closing the chapter of your life where you're employed full-time, but you don't want to stop working altogether. If so, the idea of "unretiring" — working part-time in retirement — may sound enticing.

But don't take the plunge without first asking yourself some essential questions, retirement experts advise.

"I think many people say, 'I'll figure it out' once I retire," said Kerry Hannon, author of "In Control at 50+" and a senior columnist at Yahoo Finance. "They're so busy wrapping up the chapter with their full-time job, they don't stop to think about the next chapter."

Unretirement Is a Big Step The Retirement Saving & Spending Study from the financial services firm T. Rowe Price found that 20% of retired Americans are working these days. But many people "just step into" unretirement, said Judith Ward, the firm's thought leadership director.

"They retire and say, 'OK, what am I going to do?'"

Calling unretirement "a serious undertaking," the "I Used to Be Somebody" podcast host Carl Landau said: "Anyone who doesn't think this 60

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

By Richard Eisenberg is a big change in their life — they're fooling themselves. It's a huge change."

To help decide whether to unretire and how to do it, here are six key questions to answer.

1. Why do I want to unretire?

Another way to put this is the question often asked in acting class: "What's my motivation?" Hannon urged people in their 50s and 60s to "really do that soul-searching."

One answer may be financial, the reason given by half of unretirees in T. Rowe Price's study.

You may want to work part-time in retirement just to fend off boredom if you have no hobbies, travel plans or nearby friends or family.

If boredom is your motivating factor, said Teresa Amabile, a professor emerita at Harvard Business School and co-author of "Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You," the job you look for in retirement "should provide a stimulating challenge and a regular schedule."

Another reason you may want to work in retirement, particularly in the same field you've been in, is because your identity is so tied to your career.

"That may be more reason for some people to want to continue doing some kind of work in retirement

because they might find themselves lost without it," said Hannon.

Think, too, about how much you value the social interactions from working. "Some people don't realize that when you're done with a job, the emails stop, the phone calls stop, people stop asking you for your opinion that was sought after for all those years," said Landau.

Do What You Love, on Your Schedule Cathy Buday, managing editor at EIX.org at the University of St. Thomas' Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, said you may find there's another motivating factor to keep working in retirement: work brings you joy.

"When you have work that you love, it energizes you," said Buday.

Unretirement can offer an opportunity to continue doing the work you love — just when, where and how you want to do it.

"I wish I had unretired earlier," said Landau, who previously ran an events-management company. "I didn't realize the fatigue I was feeling. Until I actually got away from it, I hadn't realized it had taken a toll on me."

However, if you don't need extra income in retirement and can't think of any type of work you'd like to do,

you might be better off retiring the traditional, relaxing way, rather than unretiring.

2. Am I healthy enough to work in retirement?

Your physical and cognitive health are vital determinants in whether you'll be able to keep working in retirement.

Said Ward: "If you think you want to work at a retail store, are you going to be able to stand for two to three hours at time?"

Amabile said knowing your physical and cognitive abilities is the caveat to any question you ask yourself about working in retirement.

3. How much extra money do I need in retirement?

The answer to that question could help you see whether unretiring could bring in enough money or whether you'd be better off working longer, fulltime for higher earnings, if you can.

You'll want to run the numbers comparing your expected expenses in retirement with income you'll have from savings and investments, retirement plans and Social Security, depending on when you'll start claiming.

A financial advisor can help through software that shows your likelihood of running out of money at different ages.

"I'm a big believer in working in retirement as a safety net," said Hannon.

Working part-time in retirement can not only put money in your bank account, but it can also let you afford to continue saving in retirement and put off retirement-plan withdrawals.

"It helps that you don't have to start tapping into your nest egg," said Ward.

The employment income can also allow you to delay claiming Social Security benefits, potentially increasing the size of those checks when they do come.

How Social Security Fits In Social Security increases benefits by 8% every year you postpone collecting them from your full retirement age (around age 67 these days) until 70.

Conversely, if you start claiming at

62 — the earliest age allowed — you could see a nearly 30% reduction in Social Security benefits compared to claiming at full retirement age.

Keep in mind, though, that if you start claiming benefits before full retirement age, Social Security will withhold $1 for every $2 you earn above a certain threshold ($22,320 in 2024). You'll get that lost money back gradually after full retirement age.

A combination of robust employment earnings and investment returns during retirement could also catapult you into a higher tax bracket than when you had a full-time job.

Should you determine that parttime work in retirement could be beneficial, Amabile advised: "Find the best-paying job you can where the work demands fit your current physical and cognitive abilities."

4. Will I have enough time to work part-time in retirement?

Be realistic about other responsibilities you'll have, such as caregiving, and the amount of time that will take.

But don't be churlish about granting yourself time for fun, friends and family.

The underlying question, said "Revealing Your Next Season" coauthor Leslie Braksick, is: How busy do you want to be in retirement?

"When you have work that you love, it energizes you."

You likely won't know exactly what your days will look like in retirement, but Landau recommended trying to figure out a rough schedule to see how work would fit in. "Don't get sucked into work in retirement that becomes a full-time job," he said.

He speaks from experience. When he first unretired, Landau recorded the podcast and wrote its newsletter weekly. "Then I realized one of my loves was playing pickleball and I was trying to fit that in," he recalled. "So, I reversed everything and changed from a weekly podcast and newsletter to monthly. Once I made that change, I felt I was on the right track."

5. Is my partner on board with me working in retirement?

If you're married or have a partner, experts say, make sure you discuss

with that person your unretirement plans.

You may find they conflict with the vision your spouse or partner had for the next chapter in your lives.

6. Will working in retirement help me find meaning and purpose?

Many people find that the "un" in unretirement provides them with a sense of meaning and purpose later in life. In fact, 40% of the unretirees T. Rowe Price surveyed said they're working for meaning and fulfillment.

"I think for many of us, this is a stage in life where you turn around and have that self-realization of 'What have I accomplished? What has my life on this earth meant and what kind of impact have I had?'" said Hannon.

If your primary reason for wanting to work in retirement is for meaning and purpose, said Amabile, "I would advise searching for a job that would allow you to live out an important value or give you a keen sense of accomplishment — regardless of the pay."

Richard Eisenberg is the former senior web editor of the Money & Security and Work & Purpose channels of Next Avenue and former managing editor for the site. He is the author of "How to Avoid a Mid-Life Financial Crisis" and has been a personal finance editor at Money, Yahoo, Good Housekeeping, and CBS MoneyWatch.

This story was previously published at www.nextavenue.org.

An Important Thing to Remember When deciding whether to work part-time in retirement, keep in mind that you can change your mind during retirement.

You could, for example, work for the first few years but not beyond that.

"There's no one telling you that you've made this decision and it's forever," said Hannon.

APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

61

life after 55

By Michele Bazan Reed Email: bazanreed@hotmail.com

How Sweet It Was!

Childhood memories fueled by sweet treats you rarely see today

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ne day I ran into a neighbor about my age, who greeted me with a big smile, saying, “My friend brought me a special treat. Let me share it with you.”

He reached into his pocket and poured an overflowing handful of root beer barrels and butterscotch drops into my outstretched hands.

Suddenly I was reflecting his happy grin. I hadn’t seen those in years. No, decades!

Soon, the instantly familiar taste and aroma of a root beer barrel were filling my mouth and nose, sending waves of nostalgia for tastes gone by.

“Wherever did you get these?” I asked, and he replied that his friend had gone to a Mennonite store in Seneca Falls, returning with the treasured sweets and another blast from the past: whoopie pies. He handed over two soft circles of chocolate cake filled to bursting with marshmallow fluff.

That brief encounter and my new stash of vintage sweets got me reminiscing about the flavors of my childhood. Excited, I called and texted 62

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family and friends and though we all had different favorites, we shared one thing: childhood memories fueled by sweet treats you rarely see today.

Some favorites were pure sugar, like candy buttons, little multicolored dots of crunchy candy stuck to a strip of paper. They came on a roll and the shopkeeper ripped off the amount you wanted. I bit them off and so always got as much paper in my mouth as candy. Another variety came as a necklace of candy beads strung on elastic, so you could look good and snack while you were at it.

Then there were the Pixy Stix, paper straws of colored and fruitflavored sweet and sour powder. You ripped or bit off the end and tipped the straw into your mouth for a rush of pure sugary delight.

I thought this next one was banned but was surprised to learn they still make candy cigarettes. They’ve been around since the late 1800s. Most were white sticks of a chalky, sugary base with a red tip, in boxes made to look like cigarette packs of different brands.

Some were packed with a powdery sugar coating in the paper liner, so if you blew, they would simulate smoke.

The candy cigarettes also include bubblegum and chocolate versions.

They were briefly banned in 2009, but came back minus the red tip.

Pastel-colored bubblegum cigars wrapped in cellophane with the familiar band around them were popular back in the ’50s as well as now. And chocolate cigars still come wrapped in gold foil.

Circus peanuts were invented in the 19th century, too and the orangecolored banana-flavored marshmallow candy was popular among circus goers and at penny candy counters.

Remember spearmint leaves and orange slices? Those juicy, chewy gelatin-based candies coated with crystallized sugar were popular as an after-dinner treat. My mother loved the spearmint ones and just the smell of them reminds me of her.

One of my favorites growing up was the three-color Neapolitan coconut slice. In fact after finding out the

pink, white and brown bars flavored strawberry, vanilla and chocolate, still existed as I was researching this column, I wasted no time and ordered a few slices.

They also came in a pink and green watermelon slice flavored with summer’s favorite fruit.

I grew up in Amsterdam, near Albany, and Life Savers candy was made by BeechNut in nearby Canajoharie. My mother worked for a plumbing wholesaler and when the buyer from BeechNut came in, he always brought a lot of little sample packs of gum and Life Savers, my mom’s favorite. I loved to visit her office and rummage through the bottom drawer of her desk, to find my favorite flavors — butter rum and cryst-o-mint.

And do you remember the best stocking stuffer ever? The Life Savers Sweet Storybook? The original version of the Christmas classic featured 12 rolls of the candy in all its iconic flavors: pep-o-mint, spear-o-mint, butterscotch, orange, lemon, wild

cherry, wint-o-green, clove, stik-opep, butter rum, cryst-o-mint and five flavor, along with a story and holiday-themed craft ideas or games.

Over the years the size shrunk to 10 rolls, then eight, then six. The current version features just five rolls, all in the five flavor variety. It’s the subject of an internet petition to bring the original back.

Hard, chewy sweets that must have given dentists nightmares — or at least a lot of extra business — include Sugar Daddy lollipops, oblong blocks of hard caramel on a stick and Sugar Babies, small pea-sized versions of the confection, both sold in iconic yellow and red packaging. Sugar Daddy’s name, dating from 1932, was meant to connote “a wealth of sweetness.”

A real filling-puller was Jujubes candy, tiny hard, gummy candies in flavors like violet, lilac, lime, wild cherry and lemon. It was discontinued in 2012 and folks are circulating an online petition to bring back those as well.

My research for this story surprised

me. I expected to write a column lamenting all the late, great candies of our childhood. But as I delved deeper into it, looking up the correct names and history of half-forgotten treats, I discovered that you can get almost anything if you look hard enough.

That’s good news if your sweet tooth has been teased by this story.

And more good news — there are so many nostalgic sweet treats out there that this column barely whets the appetite.

In the next issue, we’ll explore some bulk candy favorites, regional treats and chocolate confections.

Did I miss any of your favorite flavors? Have a special memory about a yummy candy? Send me an email at the address above. I love to hear from readers and your favorite confections may end up in print.

Until then, keep enjoying the sweet life.

APRIL / MAY 2025 – 55 PLUS

63

druger’s zoo

By Marvin Druger Email: mdruger@syr.edu

Falling

One in 4 people over 65 in the U.S. fall each year

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lder people tend to lose their balance and falls are not uncommon. Indeed, falls are the leading cause of injuries for older people.

Studies have shown that 1 in 4 people over 65 in the U.S. fall each year.

Many falls go unreported, but we often hear about some elderly person falling and breaking a hip or some other bone.

Oftentimes, the fallen person may escape serious injury, but the fallen elderly person has difficulty in getting up. A friend of mine had a fall and couldn’t get up. He crawled to a closet 64

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and obtained a coat. He lay on the floor for several hours until his son came home from work and assisted him.

In an old-age exercise class at the health club, we often did exercises on mats. Then, the instructor would command, “OK, everyone. Hop up!”

This command was followed by moans and groans as the people struggled to their feet. I discovered firsthand that, if older people fall, they have difficulty getting up.

I have experienced several memorable falls: Once, I was climbing a ladder to

saw off a limb on a tree. The ladder was tilted and it slipped. I fell to the soft ground below and, fortunately, was not injured. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The actual fall felt like it lasted forever. As I fell, I recall thinking, “What do I do now?” Then, plunk! I hit the ground.

On another occasion, I was standing on a steep hill trying to pull a stubborn vine from the ground.

Suddenly, the roots pulled out and I went rolling down the hill. Again, it seemed like an eternity, and I thought to myself, “Will I get hurt?” Again, plunk! This time, I injured a rib that must have hit against a rock. I checked the rest of my body and it seemed uninjured.

A third memorable fall was when I was riding a bicycle for the first time in many years. I started down a steep hill and I thought to myself, “I’m going too fast. I’d better apply the brakes.”

I pushed back on the pedals, but the bicycle kept rolling down the hill.

I forgot that the brakes on modern bicycles are on the handlebars, not on the pedals. I suddenly squeezed the handlebars and the bicycle stopped abruptly. I tumbled over the handlebars headfirst, again experiencing the mental time perception of a fall. This time, I only had a few bruises and a scraped knee.

Another time, I fell at my lakehouse in deep snow. I had no leverage and I couldn’t get up. I started laughing. I had a vision that someone would come along and find my frozen body in the snow. I escaped injury and I crawled to the corner of my house and was able to stand up.

Another time, I had just returned home from some surgery at a hospital.

I tripped on a step and tumbled down 13 steps on the staircase. Again, the fall seemed like an eternity. Fortunately, the steps were carpeted and I wasn’t injured, just embarrassed. I had banisters installed on all the staircases in my large, colonial house.

Finally, I recall a fall that marked the transition in my life from a youngster to an adult. I was hiking and I came to a stream with a flat rock in the center. As a youth, I thought that I could easily jump onto the rock and

hop over the stream. In the middle of my jump, I suddenly thought, “I could fall and get hurt.” Splash!

There I was in the water, transitioning from the invincibility of youth to the susceptibility of an older adult.

Steps to minimize falling There are many reasons why elderly people may be at risk for falling, such as lower body weakness, vitamin D deficiency, difficulties with balance and walking, poor footwear, vision problems, tripping hazards in the home and use of certain medications.

Falling is not fun, but steps can be taken to minimize the risks.

Many elderly people use walkers, canes, wheelchairs and other mobility devices. I have a cane, but I am delaying using it until I get older and am obliged to use it. I sometimes carry the cane with me, just in case I may need it. The cane also gets me lots of sympathy. Strangers help me with routine tasks, probably because they see this older man who can’t walk well.

I had my cane with me when I was at the airport. The cane was splotched with brown shoe polish where the outer covering had worn off. A lady came over and remarked, “Is that a shillelagh cane from Ireland?” I replied, “No, it’s a crappy cane from my attic.” However, it does resemble a fancy shillelagh cane.

I once visited a friend in the hospital who had just had back surgery. I was walking in the hallway toward his room. Suddenly, he ran out of his room into the hallway, waving a walker over his head. He yelled, “What’s this for?” I guess he didn’t want to have anyone see him using a walker. Many people probably simply avoid using any device that points toward old age.

At the time of this writing, my companion, Victoria, fell on her household steps and broke her humerus. (This wasn’t very humorous.)

She had surgery and is now recovering.

After a fall, the individual may develop a fear of falling again. Stooped posture and an awkward way of walking may result. The individual may become angry about the fall.

“Why was I so stupid?”

The only fall that I can think of that is enjoyable is falling in love. Be careful.

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last page

By Mary Beth Roach

Dennis Connors, 73,

Former executive director and curator at the Onondaga Historical Association writes a new book featuring some of the mansions that once graced James Street in Syracuse

Q: Can you give our readers an overview of your new book The Gilded Age on Syracuse’s James Street?

A: There were about 20 houses that were on James Street, a couple of which are left but most of which are gone.

Also, there’s photos, an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction is an overview of the history of James Street —how did it go from being really out in the country to this boulevard of mansions to a commercial strip that it is pretty much now. What were the forces and the decisions that were made over the years that that drove all those changes? And then besides an historical overview of the houses and people that live there, there’s what I call architectural observations, where I discuss the style of the house, what makes it particularly interesting or unique or what makes it of a certain style. Each house is its own chapter.

Q: What are some of the names of the families that owned the houses that 66

55 PLUS – APRIL / MAY 2025

our readers would recall?

A: The Barnes Mansion, sometimes called the Barnes-Hiscock Mansion, eventually became the Corinthian Club. That is one of the mansions that survived. Judge Hiscock was judge of the Court of Appeals, a fairly famous lawyer and jurist in the Syracuse area.

Some of us know the Hamilton White House on Fayette Park and the White Memorial building. Those are both related to the extended White family and they were involved in a couple of the houses on James Street. Everson — people associate Everson with the museum, but there’s two buildings that used to stand on James Street that are both related to the Everson Museum, directly or indirectly. One is the home of Helen Everson, whose bequest is what eventually generated the present Everson Museum. And the Lynch Mansion stood on James Street. That was where the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts was located for many, many years. The Syracuse

Museum of Fine Arts, which was kind of a predecessor to the Everson, was located at a large mansion on James Street, at the corner of State and James.

Now, it’s the site of a gas station.

Q: What was it that sparked your interest in James Street as opposed to another neighborhood in Syracuse?

A: When I came to Syracuse, I would explain I’m the director of the Preservation Association. We’re trying to save old buildings. Invariably, somebody would say, ‘Oh my gosh, you should have seen James Street back in its heyday.’ It seemed to be something that permeated through the psyche of people in Syracuse, especially ones that were old enough to remember when it was in its heyday.

From my research, I knew that there were mansions on West Onondaga Street and Genesee Street, a lot of around Fayette Park. It was clear that in the memories of people in Syracuse, James Street stood head and shoulders above the other streets.

Q: Was there anything in your research that surprised you?

A: A lot of houses that had these elaborate gardens. The Barnes-Hiscock Mansion had probably one of the most elaborate on James Street, probably one of the most elaborate in Central New York. Other mansions also had greenhouses, orchards in their yards and some of these houses had three to four acres of land around them. There’s a whole sort of landscape horticultural history to James Street. We touched on it to a certain extent.

Q: What is it that fascinates you about local history and keeps you coming back to it and keeps you involved writing about it even after you’ve retired?

A: I’ve always had an interest in that goes way back to when I was in high school. Maybe I got it from my mother who used to tell family stories.

And she would tell stories that her mother, my grandmother, told her.

“The Gilded Age on Syracuse’s James Street” is expected to be published in midApril. Those interested can pre-order it through the Syracuse University Press (press.syr.edu) as well as Amazon.com and thriftbooks.com.

WHEN SHOULD YOU GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM? Here are the conditions professionals say should always be directed to the ER. Upstate has a dedicated senior emergency room at its Community Hospital and the area's first Comprehensive Stroke Center at its Upstate University Hospital.

This list is a guide only and is not individual medical advice. For any life-threatening concerns, call 911.

If you are not certain you are experiencing a medical emergency, you can be assessed at any emergency room.

VISIT THE EMERGENCY ROOM

VISIT URGENT OR PRIMARY CARE

• Allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock)

• Ear infections

• Breathing problems:

• Colds

severe respiratory distress

• Coughs

• Bleeding you can’t stop

• Diarrhea

• Burns: severe or smoke inhalation

• Flu, Cold or mild COVID symptoms

• Choking

• Insect bites

• Drowning or near drowning

• Minor cuts or lacerations that require

• Electric shocks

stitches or glue

• Eye Injuries

• Rashes

• Head trauma with loss of consciousness

• Skin infection

• Abuse (domestic, child, elderly)

• Heart attack, chest pain, or chest pressure • Losing consciousness • Suicidal thoughts or severe psychiatric complaints • Seizure • Severe cuts (lacerations) • Severe pain • Sexual assault • Stroke symptoms • Trauma with significant injury

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• Burns: minor

• Sore throats • Sprains and strains • STD (sexually transmitted disease) treatment • Vomiting

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Enjoy classes in the arts, history, languages, science, health and fitness, technology, travel and more!

Learn something new in a friendly environment.

Oasis also offers online classes for those with health or transportation issues. Start anytime.

UPSTATE.EDU/OASIS Oasis, 6333 State Rte 298, East Syracuse, NY

AN OASIS GIFT CARD IS A GREAT GIFT!