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Going gaga
Scout builds gaga ball pit in Lonergan Park
By Ashley M. Casey Associate Editor Kids visiting Lonergan Park in North Syracuse can now go gaga thanks to Clayton Lukowski. The member of Scouts BSA Troop 157 built a gaga ball pit for his Eagle Scout project. Eagle Scout is the highest award in Scouts BSA. Between 4% and 7% of scouts make it this far, and more than 2.25 million scouts have achieved the rank of since 1912. Gaga is a “kinder, gentler version of dodgeball,” according to GagaCenter.com. The game, said to have originated in Israel and brought to Jewish summer camps
in the United States, is played with a foam ball in an octagonal pit. Lukowski, who will enter ninth grade this fall, learned about the game through Scouts and the YMCA. “My Eagle mentor and my parents and I brainstormed a bunch of ideas. I liked this one because I play gaga a lot,” he told the StarReview. “It’s a competitive game and it’s just really fun.” Lukowski approached Village of North Syracuse Parks and Recreation Director Tony Burkinshaw about the idea. “He was excited for the project,” Lukowski said. In the spring and early summer, Troop 157 rolled out a fund-
Submitted photos
Clayton Lukowski, a member of Scouts BSA Troop 157, built a gaga ball pit at Lonergan Park in North Syracuse for his Eagle Scout project. raising campaign for the gaga pit that included a video asking for donations as well as a bottle and can drive. Full Boar Craft Brewery and Tap Room held a few fundraising nights where bartenders donated their tips. SCout l Page 2
Film shoot pushes American High’s anniversary bash into the fall By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
After postponing its summer film festival, the American High film company instead scheduled a fifth anniversary celebration for Aug. 20. Then on July 25, Heath Cottingem – director of operations at American High’s Academy at Syracuse Studios – appeared before the village planning board on and announced that the anniversary celebration was being postponed to sometime in the fall, possibly October. In a telephone interview, Axelle Azoulay, co-director of the outdoor all-day birthday party, said she was disappointed but understood the reasons for the postponement. “We’ve got an important film shoot here this summer,” she pointed out. Last week, Cottingem presented the planning board with a 13-day shooting schedule for a comedy-horror film, from July 29 through Aug. 26. Cameras will roll Aug. 1, 2 and 3 at 412 Cypress St., and all subsequent scenes will be shot at the American High building at 800 Fourth St. That property, which American High CEO Jeremy Garelick purchased in 2017, includes 6-plus acres of land along with the former Liverpool High School building, constructed in 1929. According to this summer’s shooting schedule, the planned scenes involve special effects, pyrotechnics, stunts, prop weapons and child actors. While filming on Aug. 25 at 800 Fourth St., an animal wrangler will oversee the performance of a goat. Azoulay declined to name the film’s title or stars at this time.
Volume 130, Number 31
At the Library: Liverpool Public Library offers an ocean of possibilities. PAGE 2
sports: Hoops stars to take place in BCANY tournament.
CHICKEN DINNER
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Calendar ������������������ 11 death notices ����������� 3 Editorial ��������������������� 4 history ������������������� 5,11
letters ������������������������ 5 Obituaries ������������������ 3 PennySaver ���������������� 6 Sports ������������������������� 2
Summer Dinner TO GO ONLY Pitcher Hill Community Church 605 Bailey Road, North Syracuse
Saturday, August 13th from 11:00 am - Gone t ONLY $1100
Half Chicken, Salt Potatoes, BBQ Beans, Rolls and Dessert and a bottle of water
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