September is going to be a stinkin’ good time!
By Dave Warner
It’s that time again: the air in Canal Place Little Falls will be filled with the smell of the 21st Annual Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival on September 14, 2024, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The organizers say, “Rain or Shine, it’s always a stinkin’ good time.”
The Mohawk Valley’s climate and soils are ideal for growing garlic and herbs, which is why there are so many local producers. The festival is a non-profit agricultural group that aims to provide information to area would-be farmers and gardeners about the benefits of growing these crops.
Ready to shop with
us? There are ninetythree vendors this year, including three new garlic growers, new artisans, new food producers, and new festival cuisine vendors.
One of the founders, Julie Webster, stated, “We have great music this year, which we always like to say, spread the wealth. We’re getting local bands that create a party background. There are several different genres of music. We also have two sets of wandering minstrels, which means we’ll have music at Benton’s Landing while you’re waiting for the horse and carriage, which is awesome.”
Leslie Kubica has a new six-piece bluegrass band called Poverty Hill that
will be playing. “It’s a great music lineup that will be fun for everyone.”
“We have some new food vendors, a couple more artisans, and food products, including cheese. Lots of garlic and good stuff,” she stated.
Webster said they’re also focused on getting more children’s activities going. They’ll have make and take, and a beehive
MV Gives Campaign kicks off September 20th
By Dave Warner
The third annual “Mohawk Valley Gives” campaign will be held on September 20, 2024. It’s a 24-hour community-wide giving day to benefit nonprofit organizations serving the Mohawk Valley.
During last year’s Giving Day, the community raised more than $2.4 million, benefiting over 250 local organizations.
Participating nonprofits can promote their mission, raise unrestricted dollars to support their organization’s needs, and be entered to win several prizes and incentives throughout the giving day.
Donors can engage with local causes they care about by sponsoring
prizes, starting a fundraiser to share with friends, family, and colleagues, or simply donating to one or more participating organizations.
We spoke with Kristen Smith and Kayla Ellis from the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida County, which has existed since 1952. They provided more details about the upcoming campaign.
Kristen is a Boston native who moved here about six years ago. Her background is in nonprofits and higher education. “When my husband and I had an opportunity to move here, we snagged it.” She is a fund and systems strategist for the organization.
When asked about the Mohawk Valley Gives Campaign, Smith said, “It’s an online-focused day of giving to benefit any and all nonprofits in our Mohawk Valley. It’s an opportunity for nonprofits to raise unrestricted dollars for their organizations at no cost to them.”
Kayla was born and raised in the Utica area and, after graduating from college, started working in marketing. She’s now the foundation’s business communications manager.
for the kids to see.
What’s your favorite variety of garlic? And why? Here’s a hint of the varieties available on September 14th. German White, Music, Turkish Red, German Red, Italian Purple, Vietnamese Purple, Chesnok Red, GSF65Asian, Tempest, Purple Glazer, Bavarian, Kitab, and many more.
Every year, Webster says they get asked a couple of questions about this time.
She said, “We’re not just a grantmaker, but more of a partner for our local nonprofits. We’re also taking on larger, more impactful initiatives that are going to help this community for years to come.”
Here are the answers: Why can’t I bring my dog? “We are a unique festival held in a closedin area of Little Falls. We have thousands of visitors milling around the area during the day. We have had some very unruly dogs create
She gave a couple of examples: the neighborhood revitalization efforts and the Cornhill project, which is a $75 million initiative with a thirty-year commitment.
“We’ve been working on this for a number of years,” she stated. “It’s really a collaborative effort to bring two impact
Please See GIVES Page 3
Photo by Dave Warner - The Mohawk Valley Garlic & Herb Festival held its 20th outing in 2023 and, by any measure, broke attendance and satisfaction records with more than 5,000 people visiting. Please See GARLIC Page 3
Is Herkimer really the home of basketball?
By Dave Warner
The Herkimer 9 Foundation has made significant strides in the last four years, establishing Herkimer as the birthplace of basketball. It’s been a couple of years since we last talked with Scott Flansburg about it, so it was time for an update.
We wanted to know why Flansburg, who got the ball rolling, so to speak, became so focused on basketball and Herkimer. We also wanted to know if there was an ‘ah ha’ moment that really told him he was onto something big.
Flansburg is from Herkimer and has been
recognized as the Human Calculator. He’s also the owner of the Herkimer Originals American Basketball Association (ABA) semi-pro team, and he stated, “It’s been a dizzying last four years.”
For the last 33 years, he has performed at schools, colleges, and corporate events in front of more than two million students. He has also appeared on Oprah and Ellen and has been in the Guinness Book of World Records for over 20 years, performing in front of celebrities and royalty alike. “It’s a dream come true,” he said.
While living in Arizona, Flansburg was introduced to a book called ‘I grew
up with basketball,’ which was published in 1952.
“I read that book, and I just started laughing. What are the odds that basketball was invented in my little hometown?”
Flansburg thought that if he could prove that this was true, Herkimer could become like Cooperstown, but for basketball.
“The book goes through all the evidence, including an affidavit signed by Lambert Will, the kid who invented basketball, listing off how it happened,” he said.
When he returned to Herkimer during Covid, he had plenty of time on
his hands and discovered that the first basketball team ever was called the Herkimer 9. “It was a baseball team of nine people from the Herkimer YMCA, and they were just trying to figure out how to stay in good condition during the winter. That’s how basketball really became a sport,” Flansburg stated.
He walked into the Historical Society in Herkimer, thinking that he could disprove this in an afternoon. As he did more research, he continued to find evidence to support the book’s position.
“The first month was most surprising because I just kept finding more evidence to support the book, and felt this is worth my time to go deeper,” he stated.
The ‘ah ha’ moment came when he was doing his research, and he said, “Instead of looking at Herkimer’s evidence, and Lambert Will’s evidence, and Frank J. Basloe’s evidence, I looked at the Springfield evidence to see how their story was told.”
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“The first picture I ran into was the original thirteen rules of basketball that was displayed on the wall of the first game in Springfield Massachusetts YMCA, claiming to be the first ever game. That document was auctioned off at Sotheby’s in 2010 for over four million dollars. It now resides in a twenty million dollar wing at the University of Kansas, where Naismith coached. He’s also buried in Kansas.”
Flansburg said, “When you look at that document, on the bottom, the date of it says December 1891, which is really close to the timeline we’ve been discovering about the Herkimer timeline. But what’s crazy was, if you look really closely at that date, it had been changed. You can see the shadow of the original writing, and it said clearly February 1892. Somebody changed it to December 1891.”
He said, “The picture that’s in the Basloe book is the picture of the Herkimer 9 and these kids are holding a basketball that says 1891-1892. If Springfield introduced basketball in their newsletter of January 1892, what would these kids be doing with a basketball that says 1891?”
Flansburg said that he called Brion Carroll and said, “Look at this, and we flipped out over it.”
They found two brothers, George and Darril Fosty, who had written a book called ‘Black Ice’ that had rewritten the history of ice Please See BASKETBALL Page 11
centers to the Cornhill neighborhood.”
Kayla said, “We started the Mohawk Valley Gives Campaign in 2022. We were just looking for a different way to support the fundraising needs of nonprofits. It also happened to be our 70th anniversary that year, so we were like, what could we do to kick this off with a real cool and unique idea.”
They both said it was a time when we were coming out of COVID-19, and people were starting to dip their toes in the water of doing social things again.
“It felt like there was a need for an engagement opportunity to bring some folks together,” Kristen stated.
They both said that the program has been improved each year, with plenty of pleasant surprises.
“The first year going into it, it was almost like we were going in blind because we didn’t know how the nonprofits would react or how donors would interact with the date. It was new and didn’t have that brand recognition,” Kayla said. But, “We were shocked.”
Kristen said, “We were joking in the office whether we’d have 20 or 25 organizations register.”
That first year, they had 137 registered nonprofits and raised $630,000. “We were like, wow, that’s great. Next year, we need to try and hit a million,” Kayla said. “That was our goal.”
They far exceeded that goal in 2023 and hit $2.5 million raised with 255 organizations participating.
“I think a lot of that can be attributed to matches and challenges that were handed out by great partnerships with UpMobility Foundation and others,” Kayla stated. This year, more than 320 organizations are participating. “We’ll see the $3 million mark, is what we’re thinking, but who knows?” Kristen
said.
The Community Foundation has partnered again with the UpMobility Foundation, which is serving as a host. Both are really utilizing the platform and structure in place to further build the capacity of nonprofits through the program.
There is a quiet early giving phase that begins September 16, 2024 and ends September 22, 2024. But the best bang for your buck is to give on the day of giving, September 20, 2024.
“We have around $80,000 of prize money that will be offered to the nonprofits on the 20th. While we really want to encourage giving on the 20th, we don’t want to turn someone away who just happens to get on the website two days before,” Kayla stated.
They both wanted to let us in on a little secret about the 20th, stating, “We are actually going to be bringing back something that The Community Foundation had done a few years back in 2018/2019. We did something called the Community Choice Awards, where we went out on our prize patrol bus and delivered big checks to nonprofits. So, have that concept in your head and think MV Gives. That is what we will be doing for a good portion of the day on the 20th. That’s all I’m going to say,” Kayla said.
“It’s going to be a very busy but fun-spirited event,” Kristen said.
They group will be doing news pieces during the day, Facebook live events, and will be working with other sponsors during the day.
“We want to make sure that all of the organizations benefit from this. We love to watch that leaderboard and see the organizations all shift. Being able to see that even the ones that are at the bottom have earned something is always just fantastic,” Kayla stated.
They both believed that the campaign has already had a really positive start.
The Creative Outpost, Inc., My Little Falls’ parent nonprofit, is participating in the campaign. To donate to us, visit givemv. org/organizations/thecreative-outpost-inc. To find out more about the entire campaign, visit givemv.org.
GARLIC From Page 1
serious problems in the past. As is often the case, the “bad apples” in the lot cause problems for the “good apples.” The safety of our visitors is our priority.”
Why do you charge admission?
“We don’t. We ask for a small $5.00 suggested donation for individuals and $15 for families and groups. Because of your donations, we can fulfill our mission of promoting local farmers and local trade by spending thousands of dollars on advertising, etc.
We bring together the best garlic vendors, herbalists, artisans, and more in
an amazing shopping environment. Our longstanding tradition of a donation/admission means we don’t have to ask the Little Falls business community or other sponsors. We are patterned after other garlic festivals that charge admission. The Saugerties, NY, festival charges an admission fee and higher vendor fees. We keep our suggested donation and vendor fees low to maximize our vendors’ earnings.”
Check out this year’s vendor list at mvghf.com. There will be unique products for sale in a unique market setting.
Photo by Dave Warner - The Mohawk Valley Garlic & Hefb Festival continues to grow in Little Falls New York. It will be held on September 14, 2024 from 10 am until 5 pm.
City of Little Falls
September 3, 2024
Common Council Meeting - Auditing of the bills: 6:30 pm Regular Meeting: 7:00 pm in City Hall.
September 9, 2024
Police and Fire Board Meeting - Bills 8:30 am and Regular Session 9:00 am in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.
September 14, 2024
Mohawk Valley Garlic & Herb Festival 10 am5 pm, Canal Place. The Mohawk Valley’s climate and soils are ideal for growing garlic and herbs, which is why we have so many local producers. Ours is a non-profit agricultural festival; we aim to provide information to area would-be farmers and gardeners pertaining to the benefits of growing these crops.
September 16, 2024
Board of Public Works Meeting — Bills 6:30 pm and Regular Session 7:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.
September 17, 2024
Planning Board Meeting — Rockton Plaza Project, 6 p.m., in the Mayor’s Conference Room in City Hall.
September 18, 2024
Golf Commission Meeting - Regular Meeting: 8:00 am at the Municipal Golf Course.
September 24, 2024
Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting - Rockton Plaza Project 6 pm Mayor’s Conference room at City Hall.
September 25, 2024
Urban Renewal Board Meeting - Regular Session 8:00 am in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.
September 25, 2024
Planning Board Meeting — Zaida Project, 6 p.m., in the Mayor’s Conference Room in City Hall.
Dolgeville
September 7, 2024 Farmer’s Market is every Saturday in September from 9 AM - 1 PM at Plowe Park.
September 15, 2024
Chinese Auction to benefit the Dolgeville Forward C.A.T. Project. All proceeds will be matched by the Staffworks Save a Life Campaign. Dolgeville Rod & Gun ClubSunday - Sept. 15th. Opens at 11:00 drawings at 2:00 p.m.. For more information, call Penny @ 315-717-5823. A wide variety of baskets, gift cards, and items.
September 19, 2024
Dolgeville Forward Meeting - 6:30 PMPlowe Park.
Ilion
September 14, 2024
The Alpha Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International, a nonprofit organization of professional women educators, is holding a garage sale fundraising event on Saturday, September 14th (9 AM-4 PM) and Sunday, September 15th (9AM-2PM) at 14 Marshall St. in Ilion.
Herkimer
Arc herkimer Farmer’s
Market - The pop-up market will be open every Wednesday from May 15 through October 16 at the Gail W. Brown Center, located at 411 Folts Street in Herkimer. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities supported by Arc Herkimer will oversee the market, which will be open to the public from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm each Wednesday.
St Johnsville
September 14, 2024
The annual benefit
activity “Evening at the Tavern”, to be held at the historic Nellis Tavern, on Route 5, St Johnsville, is slated for Saturday, September 14th, from 4 to 7 pm.
This event features period music, performed by Liaisons Plaisantes as well as well as craft beer supplied by Eisenadler Brauhaus, of Palatine Bridge. Also included are homemade stews, homemade bread and desserts, made by members of the Palatine Settlement Society.
Tickets are $25 each. Reservations are highly suggested as there are a limited number of tickets available. Please call Judi at 518-568-2997 for your tickets; leave a message if there is no answer.
All funds go toward the continued restoration and preservation of the 1747 historic Nellis Tavern and the restored St. Johnsville one-room Schoolhouse #8, located on New Turnpike Road. Please visit our website at palatinesettlementsociety.org.
Huge Garage Sale Fundraiser
Ilion - The Alpha Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International, a nonprofit organization of professional women educators, is holding a garage sale fundraising event on Saturday, September 14th (9AM-4PM) and Sunday, September 15th (9AM-2PM) at 14 Marshall St. in Ilion.
Most of the items will not be pre-priced. Customers are asked to generously donate whatever they wish at check-out. Special items
will be sold as priced.
The wide variety of sale items will include, but not be limited to: housewares, collectibles, small kitchen appliances, humidifier, baby strollers, cribs, home decor, toys and games, sporting equipment, iPod and sound dock, Mikasa dinnerware, jewelry, artwork, triple buffet warming tray, and much more.
There will also be a bake sale on both days, featuring a variety of
homemade baked goods, canned goods, and snacks.”
All proceeds from this fundraiser will support Alpha Chi’s scholarship program, community service projects, and charitable donations. Delta Kappa Gamma is an international honorary society with the mission to “promote excellence in education and the professional and personal growth of women educators.”
Mohawk Valley Choral Society Begins Rehearsals
Under the direction of David Kolb, the Mohawk Valley Choral Society will begin rehearsals for its December concert on Monday, September 9, 2024, at the Mohawk Reformed Church, 20 South Otsego St. in Mohawk.
will be singing at this concert are André Thomas, Moses Hogan, John Rutter and Dan Forrest.
to the weekly two-hour rehearsals is invited to join their neighbors and come sing with the Mohawk Valley Choral Society.
More information can be obtained by emailing the Mohawk Valley Choral Society at mail@ mvchoral.org.
The Choral Society is eager to invite both professional and amateur singers to join this nonaudition choral group. Rehearsals will continue every Monday night until the concert on Sunday, December 8th, 2024.
Among the composers that the Choral Society
Founded in 1982, the self-sustaining non-profit Mohawk Valley Choral Society, with members ranging in age from teenagers to those in their 80’s, presents concerts of classical and lightclassical vocal music throughout the Mohawk Valley at its semi-annual concerts.
Anyone with an interest in choral singing, who has Monday evenings free, and is willing to commit
Little Falls Public Library Calendar
Connections
September 3 - September 27, 2024
A Photography Exhibition by Alice Batson Laurenson
UTICA: CONNECTIONS, an exhibition of forty photographs by Alice Batson Laurenson, is on display in the Gallery of Utica Public Library, 303 Genesee Street, from September 3 - 27, 2024.
The Artist Reception and Gallery Talk will take place from 4 - 6 pm, Wednesday, September 11. Laurenson will give a Gallery Talk on the stories behind her photographs at 5 pm.
By capturing images on film of children and adults in their daily life in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America, Laurenson offers a stunning display of the universal bonds that connect us all.
Laurenson is a former Little Falls resident and co-founder of the Little Falls Cheese Festival.
For more information, or to verify Gallery hours, please call the Utica Public Library, 315-7352279.
Selected images from the CONNECTIONS Collection, will be on display at the Little Falls Library, 10 Waverly Place, from October 1November 15, 2024.
The Artist Reception and Gallery Talk is Tuesday, October 1, from 4 - 6 pm.
Please call the library at 315-823-1542 for more information.
From
Nova Scotia - Cassie & Maggie MacDonald in Concert
Please join us at the H.A.R.P. Museum in the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley on Friday, September 13 7 PM for what promises to be an exciting evening of music in the Scots and Irish traditions of Nova Scotia.
Cassie and Maggie have been lighting up the world with their unique blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic instrumentals and vocals. Appearing on stages across North America, the UK, and Europe the sisters have enchanted audiences far and wide
Please See CONCERT Page 8
SENIOR MEALS FOR SEPTEMBER
To reserve a meal, call the Herkimer County Office for the Aging at least one business day in advance, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 315-867-1204 or 315-867-1634. If you will not be home for meals, call 315867-1204 at least a day in advance. All sites are handicapped accessible.
Sep 02 - Closed for Labor Day.
Sep 03 - Turkey cold plate, cottage cheese, marinated beets, Kaiser roll, oatmeal raisen cookie.
Sep 04 - Chicken and biscuits, mashed potatoes, peas, fresh fruit.
Sep 05 - Macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and zucchini, green beans, pudding.
Sep 06 - Beef stroganoff, cauliflower, apple crisp.
Sep 09 - Ziti with meatballs, tossed salad, garlic knot, brownie.
Sep 10 - Chicken stir fry, rice, Japanese blend vegetables, Mandarin oranges.
Sep 11 - Roast turkey dinner with gravy, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, sugar cookie.
Sep 12 - Egg salad cold plate, macaroni salad, marinated broccoli salad, Kaiser roll, frutied gelatin.
Sep 13 - Goulash, squash, corn, chef’s choice cookie.
Sep 16 - Sweet sausage with peppers and onions on a roll, German potato salad, three-bean salad, pears.
Sep 17 - Beef stew, biscuit, peanut butter cookie.
Sep 18 - Chicken broccoli alfredo, red cabbage, dinner roll, pudding parfait.
Sep 19 - Spanish rice, wax beans, Brussels sprouts, tropical fruit cup.
Sep 20 - Roast pork with gravy, stuffing, applesauce, frosted birthday cake.
Sep 23 - Coconut pineapple curry on chicken, seasoned noodles, Sonoma blend vegetables, chocolate chip cookie.
Sep 24 - Omelet, hash browns, muffin, sausage, fruit cup.
Sep 25 - Baked fish in lemon sauce, confetti rice, spinach, pineapple tidbits.
Sep 26 - Lasagna, tossed salad, garlic bread, frosted cupcake.
Sep 27 - Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, cauliflower, no bake cookie.
Sep 30 - Pepper pineapple pork, rice, zucchini, pudding.
All meals are served with 8 ounces of milk, a slice of bread, and margarine. Desserts have no concentrated sweets. The suggested donation is $3. Mail donations to Herkimer County OFA, 109 Mary St., Suite 2501, Herkimer, NY 13350. Envelopes are available from drivers.
Photo by Alice Batson Laurenson - Market Vendor, Myanmar.
Nova Scotian sisters
The History of the Little Falls Fire Department - The Apparatus Becomes Motorized and a New Home
By Scott Kinville
The world was undergoing rapid change in the early 20th century, and so was the Little Falls Fire Department. When the department became a paid force in 1899, it had four horse-drawn hose carts, a ladder truck, and a team of horses named Tom and Jerry. It stayed that way until 1914, when the LFFD received an Overland Fire Chief’s car – its first motorized apparatus.
The Overland car was equipped with four fire extinguishers and proved to be quite effective in getting to emergencies more quickly than its equine brethren.
The department continued its apparatus upgrade in a big way in 1917 when it took delivery of a motorized Mack “shovelnose” fire truck. This was a major addition as it was considered to be a “fire department in itself.” It carried 2,000
feet of hose, 40 gallons of firefighting chemicals, multiple ladders ranging in size from 12 to 30 feet, as well as other equipment.
Although it was considered to be state of the art at the time, the shovelnose lacked two things you would find on a modern fire engine. The first thing is it lacked a pump, as it was deemed unnecessary due to the above-average water pressure in Little Falls.
Water was run directly from the fire hydrants through the hose off of the truck or hose carts. The other thing missing on the shovelnose was airfilled tires. Its hard rubber tires made steering the rig very difficult (plus, this was before power steering). Paving of the streets in Little Falls did not begin until 1915, and they weren’t plowed in the winter until 1923 – which made driving this truck through the snow nearly impossible. It was for this reason that the hose carts and their sleighs along with Tom and Jerry (these were new horses as the originals had been replaced by 1917) remained in service until 1929.
Even the city ambulance, which had been horsedrawn since its inception in May of 1904, became motorized – although, in doing so, it became a dual-purpose vehicle. It is unclear when exactly the new vehicle was purchased, but by 1917, a combination ambulance and police paddy wagon was being stored in the fire station. The ambulance was much different back then, if it was needed a city
employee would drive it to where it had to go and a doctor would meet them to provide patient care. Imagine if the ambulance and police paddy wagon were needed at the same time!
The transformation to a completely motorized fleet continued throughout the 1920’s. In 1922, a DodgeGraham was purchased. It was smaller than the Mack shovelnose and was stationed at the Southside Hose House.
With the arrival of the Dodge-Graham truck, the ladder cart was all that remained that needed to be motorized. It was actually considered a joke from the beginning, as it was always late getting to fires. This was due to the fact that it was not stored at the fire station. Instead, it was housed in a barn at 20 Furnace Street owned by Sheldon F. Jones, a coal dealer in the city who was also contracted to provide a driver and team of horses for the cart. Although a fire alarm gong was installed in Jones’ barn, it appears the drivers he hired were not as expedient in getting to
Please See FIRE Page 10
Cardiff Giant
Famous hoax recalled by the death of his maker
Saturday, October 25, 1902
Over Ten Feet High and Apparently a Petrified Man, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Emerson, and Others Believed it Genuine
The Cardiff Giant, the most famous hoax of the 19th Century, is recalled by the death Tuesday at Binghamton of George Hull, who gave the thing prominence and gained notoriety for himself by means of it. The whole country was duped. Oliver Wendell Holmes and Ralph
Waldo Emerson believed in the thing. Judge William C Ruger said: “No one can look upon that calm, grand smile of mingled sweetness and strength without being convinced that the giant once lived and had a being.”
Cardiff, where the giant was found, is in Onondaga County, this state, a few miles from Syracuse. Nearby is a depression in the earth known as Onondaga Hollow. In this hollow are to be found petrified fish and reptiles. Geologists say this hollow once formed the bed of an ocean.
It was here, on the Newell Farm, that the giant was ostensibly discovered on October 16, 1869, while William Newell, nicknamed “Stub” Newell,
and his men were digging a well. To attest to the authenticity of the find at the time, Newell, Gideon Emmons, Henry Nichols, John Parker, and Smith A. Woodman solemnly made an affidavit to the circumstances in order to be able to meet any possible charge of fraud.
MADE A FORTUNE OUT OF IT
The news of the discovery of the giant spread across the country in an incredibly short time, and soon, vehicles of all sorts were headed for the pit, loaded with people curious to look upon the face of this wonder, this prehistoric giant. With admirable promptitude, Newell erected a tent over the pit and charged an admission fee of 50 cents ($19 in
today’s value). In this way, he made over $7,000 ($264,967 in today’s value) in a few weeks. He sold a three-quarter interest to some Syracuse men, one of whom was Dr. Westcott, father of author Davis Harum. It is said that Newell got $30,000 ($1,135,573 in today’s value) for his three-quarter interest.
It wasn’t long before the giant began to attract the attention of the eminent scientific men. One of
the first to view the giant was Prof. Hall, the New York State geologist, who proclaimed it to be the petrified body of a man. The newspapers and magazines of the country went into a learned discussion of the subject. Heated arguments between scientists were published, some declaring that the giant was a petrifaction, others denying this but asserting it to be an image of great
Please See GIANT Page 9
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From Page 5
with lively fiddle, piano and guitar arrangements, stunning sibling vocal harmonies in both English and Gaelic, all complemented by their intricate and percussive step-dancing style.
The H.A.R.P. Museum located on the second
floor of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, 623 Columbia St, Utica and is wheelchair accessible. Advance sale tickets are $20 available online at https://bit. ly/45oXz0s or leave a message at 315-7334228 ext.6. Tickets will be $30 at the door.
Helena
Byrne - Tales & Tunes from Ireland
Please join us at the H.A.R.P. Museum in the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley on Wednesday, September 25 7 PM for what promises to be an enchanting evening of stories and songs from Ireland with seanchaí Helena Byrne.
Irish storyteller and singer Helena Byrne returns to Utica for a magical evening of Ireland’s tales and tunes. Helena was last physically in the area September 2016 and virtually via Zoom May 2020.
With stories of Irish
Fairies and ghosts, heartwarming memories of growing up in Ireland, combined with some of Ireland’s best loved folk songs, Helena is sure to carry our imaginations across to Irish shores with this enchanting performance.
Seanchaí were traditional Irish storytellers and the custodians of history for centuries in Ireland. As they traveled from town to town they regaled the public with tales from the past and news of the present.
Helena’s role as a modern day seanchaí is to keep
that tradition alive.
The H.A.R.P. Museum located on the second floor of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, 623 Columbia St, Utica and is wheelchair accessible. Advance sale tickets are $25 available online at https://bit. ly/3zI6y0C or call 315733-4228 ext.6. Tickets will be $35 at the door.
Lunch & Learn - Charles Stewart Parnell – the Uncrowned King of Ireland
Join us at The H.A.R.P. Museum at the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 11:00 am for a presentation on Charles Stewart Parnell – the Uncrowned King of Ireland. After the program you can enjoy a delicious lunch in the beautiful Five Points Pub designed and built by Dublin craftsmen.
Picture this: a prominent politician – perhaps the most powerful in his country – has an affair with the wife of one
of his followers. His opponents seize upon the resulting scandal to force him out of power and clear the way for the implementation of their agenda of controlling the entire country.
20th Century politics at its worst? Network TV show? No, not exactly. It’s actually the story of 19th Century Irish leader Charles Stewart Parnell, known as the Uncrowned King of Ireland.
Explore the history of one of Ireland’s greatest
figures when the Irish Cultural Center’s Lunch and Learn program presents “Charles Stewart Parnell – the Uncrowned King of Ireland” in the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley on September 11 at 11:00 am.
The program will be presented by well-known local writer and musician Mark Sisti.
A $20 registration fee will cover the program and lunch; meal tax and gratuity are included. A menu will be sent along with your registration. Please register at this link, https://bit.ly/46JCezn, or leave a message at 315733-4228 Ext 6.
You can attend this presentation at the H.A.R.P. Museum located on the second floor of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, 623 Columbia St, Utica. All are welcome to attend this program and the museum is wheelchair accessible.
Please Help Support The Creative Outpost, Inc. on September 20, 2024. #mohawkvalleygives
Nova Scotian sisters Cassie and Maggie MacDonald in Concert, September 13, 2024 7 pm.
antiquity. Among those who held to the latter theory was a committee from the Geological Society of Boston, composed of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Prof. Jackson, and others.
Judge Ruger gave the delightful testimonial already quoted. Powers, the sculptor whose statue, The Greek Slave, is known all over the world, declared that no chisel could have carved such a man.
FAMILIES QUARRELED OVER IT
It is said that in Central New York, families were virtually disrupted by the aggressiveness of the discussions over the genuineness of the giant. It is doubtless true that the four or five men who became the owners and exhibitors of the giant were as badly deceived as the public, the originator of the bug having in that way made a master stroke.
One of these was Dr Wescott. Dr Westcott was a gentleman of the highest respectability in Syracuse, and when the giant was finally shown to have been a fraud, his health gave way, and he died shortly after, it is said of a broken heart. He felt the world would never believe him innocent of an intention to hoodwink it.
At the time the giant flourished, P.T. Barnum had a museum in New York, and he recognized the worth of the giant for his show. He offered $6,000 ($227,114) for it for three months. This offer was rejected, but Barnum was not to be defeated thus easily. There was a chemist in Syracuse named Otto who knew something about modeling. Barnum commissioned him to make a past giant as near to the original as possible. Otto produced a duplicate giant copy
made of plaster on a wire model and weighted with iron to give the weight of the original. The imitation Barnum exhibited in his museum, and many who saw it, wondered how such a composition could deceive the learned men even for a moment.
Meanwhile the original giant was shown in different cities, causing no end of wonderment.
On one day in Syracuse 4,000 people paid 50 Cents apiece to see it. The mayor and all the public officials of Rochester made an official journey to Syracuse to see it.
Trains On the New York Central Railroad stopped 10 minutes at Syracuse to afford passengers an opportunity to run across the street to see it. Eventually, the fraud was discovered, and then Hull made a confession that he was the originator of the gigantic “fake.”
THE IDEA OF THE CARDIFF GIANT
Hull got it from an argument he had with a Methodist minister, in which the minister claimed the earth was at one time populated with giants, as the Bible says. His resourceful mind grasped the idea of a great and grand sell, and he at once set to work to materialize it. After a long search for the proper kind of stone, he had at last found one to answer his purpose at Fort Dodge, Iowa, in a gypsum bed. After many difficulties in transporting the very heavy stone over 45 miles and across the Des Moines River to a railroad, he finally succeeded in having it secretly housed in an out-of-the-way place in Chicago. He then secured G Fabrisco Lala, an Italian sculptor, to carve a gigantic figure of a man apparently in the throes of extreme pain. The marks of the chisel were removed, and the figure was treated with a
836-2885 | shultsagency.com
wire brush and acid to give it an old appearance. He then securely packed it and shipped it marked “Machinery” to Union, New York, in the fall of 1868.
From there, it was taken by wagon in the night to Cardiff, near Syracuse, where “Stub” Newell, a cousin of Hull, had a farm. They had fixed it up between them to bury it, which they did, and planted a crop of grain over the spot. The next year, Newell had some neighbors dig a well on the spot, and they discovered the giant. Then, the fun commenced.
The giant weighed 2,990 pounds and was about 10 feet and 4.5 inches long. The cramping of the body and the apparent erosion of parts as if produced by the process of petrification were the features that most puzzled the scientists. After the fraud was detected, the giant lay for years in the
freight yard at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, until resuscitated to do service at the Pan-American exposition.
George Hull had had a wide and varied experience during his life. He was born in Suffield, Connecticut, on April 26, 1821, and spent his early life on the farm. His first business venture was the cigar business. He had grown tobacco all over the country for the best part of his life. While yet a boy, he invented the now common buckle snap used on a harness and through lack of funds to develop the invention, he sold out parties who have since made millions. He made and lost several fortunes and died a poor man. He was the last of a family of nine children and is survived by two daughters - Mrs. Charles Gates of Maryville, California, and Mrs. A.C. Wilcox of Binghamton, at whose home he died.
Herkimer County Office for the Aging/NY Connects is launching “Blooming Health” a new communication service for you to receive timely information and alerts about our programs and activities.
▪ These messages will be sent either to home phone via Voice message, a text message to your cell phone, or an e-mail.
▪ If you would like to sign up it is easy. Just provide: Name, Phone Number or E-Mail, Language, & your preference of communication.
▪ Once you provide your information you will begin receiving communications from Herkimer County Office for the Aging from the following numbers: 315-860-0271 & 315-860-0272
RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS OF UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS OF PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE OFFICE FOR THE AGING PARTICPATE IN SURVEYS TO TELL US HOW WE ARE DOING AND WHAT THE NEEDS ARE IN THE COMMUNITY
scenes as quickly as the firemen were.
The original ladder cart was rather impressive, as it carried ladders of all sizes that would have been useful – including a 60-foot “Bangor” style ladder.
For several years, Chief Cooney requested a motorized ladder truck from the Police and Fire Board and Common Council. Leery of the costs, his requests were repeatedly denied, until finally in 1929 a new motorized ladder truck from the Buffalo Fire Apparatus Company was purchased. It was just in the nick of time, as the stock market would crash in October of that year bringing the severe economic hardships of the Great Depression.
A NEW STATION
The apparatus wasn’t the only thing that was being replaced in the Little Falls Fire Department. On May 25, 1918, the department moved from its old station at the southwest
corner of Albany and Second Streets and into its quarters in the then brand-new City Hall complex at the corner of Main and William Streets. Chief Cooney had been staying at the new building since March to keep an eye on the fire alarm and whistle system that had been moved from the old headquarters.
Little Falls firefighters were quite familiar with this location, as this is where the Star Academy stood. You’ll recall the Star Academy served as the temporary headquarters for the department when it was reorganized into a paid force in 1899. In fact, it was torn down to make way for City Hall.
For the first few decades, the fourth floor, or attic, of City Hall served as the Fire Department’s quarters. The firefighters’ sliding poles were used to get the men down to the apparatus floor (just like in the old movies and television shows). Remnants of those quarters are still there to this day.
On the night the station opened, the Little Falls Fire Department had a dinner there for Albert Bean and Cletus Kearns, two call firemen who were leaving the next day for service in the United States Army. Its first alarm in the new station was on May 27th for a fire in the house of Alderman George Boyle on German Street (as today’s Flint Ave. was known then).
The LFFD successfully stopped the blaze and saved the house. In appreciation, Boyle gave the firefighters a box of cigars.
To put into perspective how long the current station has been in operation, consider that when it opened:
* World War One was still in progress.
* Prohibition had not yet happened.
* No one had heard of “television” yet.
* The original Yankee Stadium had yet to be built.
City of Little Falls Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI)
On December 16, 2021, the Federal Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) went into effect. The revised rule requires every federally defined community and nontransient, non-community water system to develop a service line inventory. By 2024, all water utilities are required to determine where lead pipes exist in their systems, including the pipes on the customer side that connect to the public system.
How does lead get into my drinking water?
Lead is rarely found naturally in our source water or in the treated water flowing through the distribution system. More commonly, lead leaches into water over time through corrosiona dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction
between water and you’re plumbing. Lead can leach into water from pipes, solder, fixtures, faucets (brass) and fittings. The amount of lead in your water depends on the types and amounts of minerals in the water, how long the water stays in the pipes, the water’s corrosivity, and water temperature.
Is my home at risk for lead plumbing?
The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. In 1986, Congress enacted the “lead ban,” which stated that not only public water systems, but also anyone else who intends to install or repair drinking water plumbing connected to a public water system, must use “lead free materials.” As a result, homes built in or after 1986 are far less
likely to have lead pipes and solder.
How will I know if my drinking water has lead in it?
As the State regulations require, the City of Little Falls routinely tests your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include: total coliform, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, radiological and synthetic organic compounds.
If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or at http://www.epa.gov/ safewater/lead.
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community,
Chief Cooney (driver’s seat) and Amos Clark in the 1914 Overland Chief’s Car. Photo courtesy of the Little Falls Historical Society.
Amos Clark at the wheel of the 1917 “shovelnose” Mack fire truck.
Photo courtesy of the Little Falls Historical Society.
The 1929 motorized ladder truck. Photo courtesy of the Little Falls Historical Society.
The 1922 Dodge-Graham truck. Photo courtesy of the Little Falls Historical Society.
A picture of the Little Falls Fire Station taken in 1923. From left to right: the police paddy wagon/ambulance, the 1922 DodgeGraham truck, the 1917 Mack “shovelnose” truck, and the Ford car that replaced the Overland car. Photo courtesy of the Little Falls Historical Society.
Never again...
A Column By Ray Lenarcic
The other day, I was listening to the best dang gospel singer ever, Alan Jackson, performing Amazing Grace. Every time I hear that renowned classic, I think of my daughter Jennifer’s rendition at the McCleod children’s funeral at the iconic St. Mary’s Catholic Church in my hometown of Little Falls. Douglas, Jonathan, Daniel, Kelly, Christopher, and Shannon Rose, aged 10 to 2, perished in a housefire on December 22nd, 1991. A pile of newspapers stacked near a space heater had ignited.
The kids could have been poverty’s poster children, having to endure regular taunts from their peers because of how they were dressed. Despite the fact that their single mother did the best she could to provide, the McLeod’s were “poor as church mice.” That fatal night, the children were babysat by a 14-year-old neighbor. Their mother herself, as a gesture of goodwill, was babysitting for friends so they could attend a Christmas party. In a cruel twist of fate, when he discovered the fire, the babysitter couldn’t call for help-he had to run next door. The McCleod’s didn’t have a phone.
While the children might have been lacking in material possessions, they certainly were not in terms of moral character. The kids never missed Sunday mass, and the three oldest boys were cast to play the Three Wise Men at the Christmas Eve play. As a poignant example of character, the oldest boy, Douglas, worked odd jobs during the summer and instead of spending the earnings on himself, he bought pizzas for the lifeguards at the city pool (including Jennifer) because they were so nice to him. In perhaps the bitterest of ironies, the presents, including new clothing, coats, and their special gift of choice provided by sponsors of the Kris Cagwin Volunteers’ Adopt-A-Child Program at H.C.C.C. and stored in the cellar, escaped the fire’s ravages. In the wake of the tragedy, KCV students organized a charity in the children’s memory. They named it “Never Again.” Its goal was to raise enough money to purchase Sparky the Firedog, one of the most effective means of educating children regarding fire safety. They had a special
Christmas ornament created, The Six Angels of Christmas, pounded area pavements, and achieved their goal. Sparky still “lives,” maintained by the Herkimer Fire Department.
The second fire tragedy, also at Christmastime, to effect the Falls was personal for me. Almost three years earlier, December 23, 1988, three former Little Falls residents, Kris, Joshua and Jennifer Cagwin died in a fire at their home. Kris had been one of my favorite students at HCCC. His mom, Valdean, graduated with me. To say that he was unforgettable would be an understatement. Bright and personable, the Brad Pitt look-a-like was the quintessential b-buster. Upon entering my office one day, I noticed written on the blackboard –“God thinks he’s R.J.” Another time, I was reading his exam essay and in the middle of a sentence were written three expletives. I called him in and asked for an explanation. His response-“Just wanted to see if you really read these.” In his memory, we renamed my community activism club, Students for a Better World, the Kris Cagwin Volunteers. In the years that followed, the students contributed to the betterment of Valley communities in more ways than I could possibly identify in this article. Recently, I ran into Vietnam combat vet Dave Davis. While catching up, he reminded me of our march protesting cuts in the VA budget back in the mid80s; 150 students, myself and the late Prof. Gary Ruff, with 6 Nam vets, including John Frazier, “ walking point” from the campus to Eastern Park in the Falls. Heading up the big hill outside of Herkimer, Dave’s little son Dewey was getting
tuckered out. A student bent down, picked him up, and carried him on his shoulders the rest of the way. Kris Cagwin. HCCC art teacher Guy Corriero’s drawing of Kris and Dewey became the organization’s symbol.
With school just beginning, I’m appealing to the parents and grandparents of area elementary school children to honor the memories of the McCleod and Cagwin children by doing the following on the 22nd and 23rd of every month:
On the 22nd: Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you don’t have one of the other or both, contact your local fire department.
On the 23rd: Practice your fire exit plan. If you don’t have one, create one.
And teachers. Make a large poster of the above and display it in a place where the children can see it EVERY day. Also, ask the children to bring in a copy of their exit plans.
Finally, for the parents. If you can imagine for a second what Mrs. McCleod and the Cagwins went through, then you’ll follow my advice. Don’t think for a minute, God forbid, that it couldn’t happen to you. It’s been said that little things mean a lot. Taking these fire safety measures seriously is a classic example of the saying. In the process, you’ll be doing your part to guarantee that tragedies like these will never happen again and that Douglas, Jonathan, Daniel, Kelly, Christopher and Shannon Rose and Kris, Josh and Jennifer will not have died in vain.
BASKETBALL
hockey. “They had been working on a book about the Herkimer origin story but were threatened— they lived in Kansas and were getting blackballed and threatened by the Naismith family to not work on that book.”
They ended up setting it aside in storage until Flansburg contacted them. “I said, here’s the evidence we’ve found locally. They had boxes full of evidence they had been working on. So we combined all that, and they put out a book called ‘Nais-Myth, Basketball’s Stolen Legacy.’”
Flansburg said, “That book does two things. It puts all the evidence that shows that Lambert Will did have something going on in Herkimer before Springfield, and then the other half of the book is about all the things that Springfield and the Naismith family have done to suppress this story.”
“I went all in at that point, and this is coming up on four years of my life spent on it.”
Flansburg started the Herkimer 9 Foundation based on the team’s name in September 2020, and he said that an amazing group of successful local people stepped up to the plate to support the idea by jumping on the Herkimer
9 board. “It’s been a tenuous, frustrating experience, but at the same time, it’s all been worth it.”
You can listen to the full interview wherever you get your podcasts by searching for the Studio 25 Podcast Network. It’s Small Town Life Episode 0023. You can also find it on YouTube if you’d like to watch the video @ mylittlefalls.
In it, Scott details some of the progress the Foundation has made when it comes to the Quackenbush building, the Herkimer Originals basketball team, the Lambert Will legacy and his entry into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame, and the NYS State Assembly Legislative Resolution #1052 that stated:
“Recognizing HERKIMER, New York, as the BIRTHPLACE of BASKETBALL, LAMBERT WILL as the game’s INVENTOR, and the Mohawk Valley as the game’s principal influence in the game’s initial adoption.”
He also goes over the Herkimer Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and their participation, what’s next for the team, and the Foundation’s continued push to set the record straight.
because of materials used in customers plumbing components.
The City of Little Falls is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in a customer’s plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.
Service Line Survey
The City of Little Falls has records of underground infrastructure, which helps manage
maintenance and prioritization of repair and replacement. The City needs the cooperation of our customers to help complete the Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) assessment, showing all public and private service line connections.
The information provided
by you will help us meet regulatory requirements, as well as apply for infrastructure grants available in the future.
Please complete our online Service Line Survey by scanning the QR code below or by going to surveyking. com/w/hqhd1o7 to inform us of your service line material coming onto your property.
