Mohawk Valley Express Volume 2 Number 11 November 2022

Broadway has solid link to Little Falls

by Dave Warner

Denise Gregorka grew up in Oppenheim, and her father was a technician and an incredible mechanic. One of his loves was vintage cars, and there were plenty of those around for her to fall in love with.

“He instilled that same love in his kids for vintage things, which spilled into what I love now, which is vintage things. I used to help him paint his cars, and I helped him paint my first car,” she said.

There were only 32 graduates in her senior

class, and she says the area was a great place to grow up in. “You never felt like you were a little nobody in the great scheme of things because you were in a much smaller environment.”

Gregorka was involved in every school sport and the typical art things and wasn’t interested in cameras because of the high equipment cost and the film.

“We didn’t have much in the way of plays or shows that many schools put on because of our size,” she stated.

She couldn’t find anything that she was that interested in going to college for, but she wanted to be a State Trooper. “I put that in the back of my mind and didn’t pursue anything heavy-duty.”

However, when she was twenty, she got a job at Coleco Industries as a quality control inspector. “I was so good at the job that I would shut down huge production lines. They were putting out thousands of things a day. At the time, it was the Colecovision video games.”

“They loved me because I found the flaw, and the game wouldn’t have worked properly if I hadn’t found it. It was a love/ hate thing,” Gregorka said.

She moved up to a supervisor position where she had more than 150

employees working for her. “It was high-volume production of 80,000 video games per day.”

Gregorka did that for several years, moving around to other job positions within the

Page

by Dave Warner

You may not know it, but this year is the International Year of Glass, and the story behind how that happened, begins at Spruce Lake, which is technically Salisbury, but

which has a Little Falls mailing address.

On May 18, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly formally approved a resolution declaring the year 2022 “The International Year of Glass.” This is a

seminal and celebratory moment for the global glass community. It is noteworthy that this is the first time that the United Nations has accorded such recognition to a specific material and represents an

Denise Gregorka stands before a sketch by Carrie Robbins from Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

David Pye in his workshop at Spruce Lake, choosing his next piece of glass to work with.

United Nations ‘International Year of Glass’ has roots in Little Falls

acknowledgment of the vital role glass has played and will continue to play in the advancement of human society.

The vision for the International Year of Glass originated during a phone conversation in 2018 between L. David Pye (ICG president, 19972000) and Charles R. Craig (Sr. Vice President, Corning Incorporated).

Pye is a long-time Spruce Lake resident and is known to many in the Little Falls community for his work with the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (MVCA).

He is a Dean and Professor of Glass Science, Emeritus at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Pye is an honored teacher, scholar, and researcher and has served as President of the International Commission on Glass and the American Ceramic Society (ACerS). He is a Distinguished Life Member of ACerS, an Honorary Member of the German Society of Glass Technology, and an Honorary Fellow of the British Society of Glass

Technology - one of eight American citizens to receive this honor over the last century.

Growing up

Pye grew up in Dolgeville, and because he grew up with a single mom, he ended up doing a lot of things by himself over the years. “I delivered newspapers, mowed lawns, shoveled driveways, delivered mail, and everything.”

His English teacher in high school heard that he wanted to study chemical engineering, and she asked him to take a look at ceramic engineering. “I asked why that, and she said that all her classmates, who were ceramic engineers, were richer than hell.”

He said that at 17 years old, nothing else had to be said, even though he had thought of trying for West Point. “I enrolled in Alfred University, which was a state-supported school at that time because there was no tuition. I was able to work my way through with all sorts of odd jobs.”

When he graduated from Alfred, he had several job opportunities. “One of them was with the Pittsburg Plate Glass Company working in

their research and development laboratory.”

He accepted the position, and what he learned there was how to make glass. “This was back in the 50s and 60s, and everybody had a military obligation, so I had to go into the Army as a second lieutenant as well.”

After serving, he had an opportunity to work for Bauch & Lomb in Rochester, where he could get into the structure, properties, and applications of glass. “It was much deeper than what I’d been involved with in Pittsburg.”

Pye got his Master’s and then his Doctoral degrees. “I received my Ph.D., and in March of 68, I got a call from the head of the laboratory, and he told me Bauch & Lomb was getting out of glass. That was the first part of the week. In the middle of the week, I got a letter from Corning Glass to come on down for an interview, and at the end of the week, the Dean of Alfred College asked me if I would consider staying on and teaching there.”

“We chose to stay at the school. It’s a small school, but there were

Some of L. David Pye’s awards and achievements are on the wall in his office.

Some of Pye’s work

Noting the support of the International Commission on Glass, the Community of Glass Associations and the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Glass to promote the International Year of Glass, 2022, gathering more than 1,300 endorsements from the sector in 78 countries, the UN decides to proclaim 2022 as the International Year of Glass.

company, but she realized that she was getting to a burnout state. “I learned early that money is not everything, so I decided to find something else to do.”

Needing Change

She met Craig Gregorka and worked in the Rennaisance for many years. “That was his camera shop and his father’s camera shop before that. I did videos while he did the stills at weddings.”

When they sold the Rennaissance, she bought a business in Herkimer called ‘Coming Around Again.’ at the corner of Main and Mohawk Streets. “It was a consignment shop, and it had a lot of vintage jewelry, clothing, hats, and accessories.

“1998 is when I moved into that. People would come off the throughway and drive down that street until they got to the stop sign to figure out which way to go, and they’d see my shop. Our windows were always very well done, and it would attract a lot of people,” she said.

Once they found the place, they continued to come back. “It was just a place that people loved to come to. They loved the vintage stuff, but they also loved the good-

quality consignment items that I had. This was before Goodwill and Walmart.”

The Broadway Con nection

That’s where the costume people from Broadway found her. “I was in my shop, and Carrie Robbins was doing ‘Death in Venice’ at the Glimmerglass Opera. Her team was there looking for vintage pieces to use on stage along with the costumes that they had made.”

“They stumbled across my shop and just loved it. This was long before eBay, and everything was online. You couldn’t find things as easily. They bought a bunch of stuff, and she was in the City at the time, and they told her you have to see this place,” she stated.

Robbins jumped on a train from the City and came up to Gregorka’s shop. “She bought tons of stuff. They were starting to work on Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. She was looking for items for that production.”

This chance first meeting has evolved into a more than eighteenyear relationship that has survived to this day. “We’re still going,” Gregorka stated. “It’s been hard, hard work,

but so much fun too.”

Who is Carrie Rob bins?

She is a designer whose work features 30+ Broadway shows, including Class Act, Grease (original), Agnes of God, Yentl, Octette Bridge Club, Sweet Bird of Youth (Bacall), Frankenstein, Happy End (Streep), Boys of Winter, Cyrano (Langella), & Shadow Box (Ruehl).

Robbins’ costumes for the Irving Berlin musical White Christmas were worn in major cities in the USA, Broadway, & Great Britain. Her regional work includes M. Butterfly and On the Verge for director Tazewell Thompson (Arena Stage) and the Gershwin musical American in Paris by Ken Ludwig for director Gregory Boyd (Alley Theatre, Houston), as well as The Tempest (Anthony Hopkins as Prospero) & Flea in Her Ear (director Tom Moore at Mark Taper Forum), many productions for the Guthrie (MN), Williamstown, and many others from Alaska to Buffalo.

Robbins recalls, “I was interested in creating a clear difference between the on-stage “costumes” of the 50s TV showswithin-the show, the back-stage rehearsal

clothes of the time, & the “real clothes” worn when the players were coming from other parts of their lives.”

“I decided that one of the best ways to show this difference was to custommake the “costumes” and to try and locate and purchase vintage

clothing for the backstage rehearsal togs (as they called them then) and the other “real clothes.”

“I was lucky to contact Denise, who not only knows her vintage pieces extremely well but who knows other people who also know this world. With

A spring storm dumps snow in front of Gregorka’s shop.

Two photos above - Carrie Robbins puppets and actors for her latest play ‘For the Lost Children of Paris.’

CITY OF LITTLE FALLS

November 1, 2022

There will be a public hearing of the Common Council, regarding local laws 3 & 4 at 6:55pm. Common Council Meeting - Bills 6:30 pm, Regular Session 7:00 pm in the Common Council Chambers in City Hall.

November 10, 2022

Golf Commission Meeting - 8:00 am in the Mayor’s conference room at City Hall.

November 14, 2022

Police and Fire Board Meeting - Bills 6:30 pm and Regular Session 7:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.

November 15, 2022

Recreation Committee

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - NOVEMBER

at 6 pm in the Mayor’s conference room at City Hall.

November 16, 2022

Urban Renewal Agency Meeting - 8:15 am in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.

November 17, 2022 Tourism Meeting - 8:30 am in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.

November 21, 2022

Board of Public Works Meeting - Bills 6:30 pm and Regular Session 7:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.

November 23, 2022

Annual Thanksgiving Pie and Pumpkin roll sale, Emmanuel Episcopal church from 9 am - 2 pm.

Pre-order suggested. Please call 315-7414672 for more info and to place an order.

LITTLE FALLS PUBLIC LIBRARY

November 4, 2022

Friday Morning Playdate10am, Thank a Veteran Card program- 3:30pm Online Fraud & Scam Prevention- 4-5pm

November 5, 2022

Knitting & Crochet Group11am, Civil War Class1pm, Leatherstocking Spinners Meeting- 1-3pm

November 7, 2022

Creative Writing for Teens-5pm, Railroad Group- 6:30pm

November 9, 2022

Toddler Time -10am, 11:15am Flash Fiction –6pm

November 11, 2022

Friday Morning Playdate10am, Parents & Kids Paint & Sip-10am

November 12, 2022

Knitting & Crochet Group11am, H.A.L.O Holiday Pet & Family Photo Session- 11am-2:00pm

November 14, 2022

Creative Writing for Teens-5pm

November 15, 2022

Hiscock Legal Aid Society from Syracuse at 12pm to give a presentation on Ukraine, and Laurie’s Make & Take-3:305:30pm

November 16, 2022

Toddler Time -10am, 11:15am, Flash Fiction –6pm

November 17, 2022 Cookbook Club- 6pm

November 18, 2022

Friday Morning Playdate10am, Bracelet Class3-4:45pm

November 19, 2022

Knitting & Crochet Group11am, Civil War Class1pm, Kids Craft w/ Jess1pm

November 24, 2022 Closed for Thanksgiving

November 25, 2022

Friday Morning Playdate10am

November 26, 2022

Knitting & Crochet Group11am

November 28, 2022 Creative Writing for Teens-5pm

November 29, 2022

Christmas Wreath Program, Social Security Information Program-67pm

November 30, 2022 Toddler Time -10am, 11:15am Flash Fiction –6pm

DOLGEVILLE

November 3, 2022

Dolgeville Methodist Church - Holiday Paint & Sip to Benefit Community Spaghetti Dinner in December. More information - 315429-8660.

November 3, 2022

Regular Committee Meeting of Dolgeville Forward - 6:30 PM, George Ward Memorial Library

November 4, 11, 18, 2022

The Dolgeville Library is offering a program designed for children from 18 months to 3 years old on Fridays from 9:3010:00. Stories, songs and crafts are offered to

the children each week. November 13, 2022Masonic Temple - Basket Bingo - 2-4 p.m.

November 13, 2022

Dolgeville Manheim Public Library - The Friends of the Library are holding a Sunday Salon featuring Susan Perkins. Sue will show you how to record your genealogy and give you the resources available to get you started. The presentation starts at 2 pm.

November 25, 2022

Holiday Indoor Yard Sale to Benefit the Dolgeville C.A.T. Project - 9 AM - 3 PM, George Ward Memorial Library

November 26, 2022

Small Business Saturday - Christmas on Main in Dolgeville, Dolgeville Manheim Public Library - Visit with Santa, treats and make and take holiday crafts - 2-4pm.

Violet Festival Fundraiser at Auskerada Place (on basement level) - “Paint and Snack”, Children’s class at 10am - $30/ per person, children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult, Adult class at 3pm - $35 per person. Presale Tickets Only. Seats are limited. Call Crystal at 315-527-9585 or email dolgevillleparades@ yahoo.com to reserve seat.

Christmas Parade with Santa and Tree Lighting - North Main Street to Plowe Park - Parade Starts at 6 pm.

good opportunities there. I was able to do an awful lot of things there.”

He became Dean of the College of Ceramics at Alfred and stayed for several years until returning to Spruce Lake.

Why was he drawn to glass?

“It’s been described as the most transformative material in the world. As you look back on the history of glass and the things that it’s done, it’s really quite remarkable,” he said.

Pye stated, “Take stained glass, which kept the heat in buildings and let light in, or the lightbulb and now fiber optics.”

How did the UN Resolution happen?

After retiring from Alfred, Pye became President of the American Ceramics Society. He started the Journal of Applied Glass Science and became the founding editor. He turned it over to someone else after about eight years, but during that time, he found a reference to the United Nations declaring an International Year of Light.

“I’m not sure who was the first one that talked about a year of glass, but I was meeting with some people from Corning and that came up in a conversation that maybe we should have a year of glass.”

Pye got in touch with a good friend that was the President of the International Commission on Glass and told him about the idea. “He said

send me a resolution, and I did.”

Some political posturing had to take place, and allies had to be accumulated to support the idea. “We were able to connect the science and the art, and they all said to go for it,” he stated.

“Fortunately, the new President of the International Commission on Glass agreed to take on the task of trying to put this thing together.

It so happened that her good friend was an Ambassador from Spain to the United Nations.”

Pye said, “If you think getting things through Congress is tough, try going to the United Nations with 193 member countries. We were warned a couple of times not to do it.”

He said that they ended up visiting the UN and talking with people there. “It was not easy, though. You had to sell this idea

to them, not only to the United States but across the world. In the end, we received like 2,000 letters of support from 70 different countries on five continents.”

That gave the Ambassador from Spain something to work with. “Politically, we had to match the goals of what they were interested in with the goals of the United Nations. Sustainability, equity, and things like that. You have to play that field pretty well, and we did.”

This year there have been meetings worldwide to celebrate the Year of Glass. “It took almost three years to get it through,” he said.

The Future

“It’s going to be challenging because if you take medicine, glass has played a considerable role already, and there are some real stories there,” “Pye said.

There are applications for treating cancer, building bones, and even optical computing.

Bioactives glasses are the first synthetic material found to bond with bone. They biodegrade, leaving no trace, and release ions that stimulate cells.

Some of the future uses of glass include using it as a reservoir and delivery vehicle for active ions, like antibacterials, reducing the reliance on antibiotics, wound healing by stimulating blood vessel growth, osteoporosis treatment, and use in knees, helping cartilage regeneration.

Today, Pye is an aspiring stained glass artist, hoping to be part of the revitalization of that area when it comes to the arts.

“In stained glass, it used to be that it was done mostly for churches and places like that. That has kind of dried up. The one that’s starting to emerge now is architecture and

glass. The architects are going nuts because you can now have whole windows of different colors of glass.”

He said that there are a lot of opportunities on the art side, as well as the challenge of making glass thinner and stronger. The reusability of glass is another area that’s being researched. “That’s been going on for a long time now, and the Germans are pretty far down that road.”

“I think glass is the quintessential nanotech material because you can do some wonderful things with it,” he stated.

Pye said, “I attribute the many good things that have happened to me over the years to my family; to faculty, staff, and students of Alfred University; and to mentors across the globe.”

very little explanation, Denise absorbs the story and the characters, knows what it means to have to also sing and dance, and with a rough set of measurements, can come up with an amazing amount of clothes that are almost perfect without any adjustment,” Robbins stated.

Today’s Challenge

Gregorka is working with Robbins on a production called ‘For the Lost Children of Paris,’ where Robbins is now the Playright as well. In Paris, 1942-1944, the Nazis, with the help of France’s Vichy Government, gathered up all the Jewish children they could find & took them to Auschwitz. In total, they

collected 11,400 children.

In 1945, at the liberation, with the aid of excellent German record-keeping, 200 children were found alive. The play is about one classroom’s collection day and its aftermath.

“If you’re looking for period clothes, a lot of times the shows for some reason have been 1940-1950s shows. The clothes that were made back then were tiny. The actresses these days, even thin actresses, you don’t find them that small,” Gregorka stated.

She said that by the time you find the correct period clothing, material, and color that you want, you have to worry about the size. “That’s for one

actress for one scene. Multiply that times how many times that actress is going to change and her size, and then go to the next actor or actress and do the same thing.”

To complicate things in the production of ‘For the Lost Children of Paris,’ she also has puppets to dress.

Robbins stated, “Again, her sharp eye and knowledge of the various periods, plus her own extensive collection & that of her friends, has allowed me to dress almost my entire kindergarten class.”

“The little puppets are the children, and they have handlers. The puppets and the handlers are dressed similarly to show

what the children might have looked like grown up. They speak for the puppets, and they move them,” said Gregorka.

Not only do the actors and actresses have clothing changes, but the puppets do as well.

She said that Robbins is still having some puppets made, so she has more work to do. “It isn’t something you do in a month or two. It’s probably been two years that we’ve been working on this show.”

Everything that Gregorka comes across that is not used on stage is sold online. “So, there’s no waste. Last year I sold a fabulous 1950s party dress to the costume department of a high school somewhere in the midwest. They were so

excited to get what they were looking for,” she said.

“I gave them a good deal because I have a soft spot for the high school shows or any with real budget constraints. They sent me a thank you and told me how excited they

Denise works a video camera at a wedding back in the day.

Creating Jobs & Fighting To End The Inflation Crisis

Supports Upstate small businesses & manufacturers Opposes reckless government spending causing inflation.

NEVER voted to raise taxes

Fighting to stop Joe Biden’s war on American energy & lower prices of gas, heating bills, & utilities. Leading to save family farms from Albany's assault on rural New York

Supporting Troops & Veterans

The chief advocate for Fort Drum. Delivered $5.5 million in owed VA benefits to NY 21 veterans. Wrote & passed the largest pay raise for our troops in a decade.

Lowering Energy Prices & Supporting Upstate Farms Improving Access & Lowering Healthcare Costs

Secured over $100 million funding for rural hospitals & health centers. Delivered $4 million in recovered Social Security & Medicare benefits to Upstate & North Country seniors

Backing the Blue, Opposing New York ‘Bail Reform,’ & Securing our Southern Border

Elise wrote legislation to end dangerous “Bail Reform” & has fought to oppose Kathy Hochul’s failed policies. Fighting to stop the historic border crisis and secure our southern border. Elise is endorsed by every local & state police union

Herkimer Originals set to kick of their season

by Dave Warner

Suppose you don’t know who the Herkimer Originals are. In that case, they are a minor league basketball team playing in the Northeast division of the ABA (American Basketball Association), and owned by Scott Flansburg.

Flansburg is better known as ‘The Human Calculator’ and is the Guinness World Record Holder for the ‘fastest

mental calculation’ after adding the same number to itself 36 times in 15 seconds. He is also an annual host and founder of The National Counting Bee, a fast-paced annual competition to find the fastest human counters.

The books

Flansburg said that when his foundation, the Herkimer 9 started researching the Frank J. Basloe book called ‘I

Grew up with Basketball,’ he ran across an article by two brothers named George and Darril Fosty, who wrote a book called ‘Black Ice’ that rewrote the history of hockey.

He said the pair had been threatened in the early 2000s not to write a book about the origins of basketball, so it had been put on a shelf.

With the help of Flansburg, the pair

the game of basketball spread along a fixed route across the four states of New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This ‘Basketball Road’ began in Herkimer and moved east to Little Falls, Amsterdam, Albany, Troy, Holyoke, and eventually Springfield. It also moved west to Mohawk, Ilion, Utica, Syracuse, Ithaca, and Rochester, ending at Cornell University and the University of Rochester,”

basketball, instead stating that it had begun in the Village of Herkimer,” Flansburg stated and that “Lambert Will was the one that invented it.”

published their book, ‘Nais-MYTH: Basketball’s Stolen Legacy.’

“From 1890 thru 1893,

the brothers said.

“Their book questioned the origin City of Springfield (Massachusetts) for

The writers said, “For many Herkimer and Lambert Will supporters, having basketball’s creation credited to Springfield and Dr. James Naismith is akin to a stolen legacy and a disservice to the historical record. These critics of the Springfield and ‘Nais-Myth’ narrative view the HerkimerSpringfield basketball debate as one that demands resolution, and this book is the historical analysis that demands a verdict, and the verdict is to correct the official record by proving that it was Lambert Will who invented Basketball, and the Village of Herkimer, with the support of surrounding communities that formed the game of Basketball.”

Flansburg said he traveled to the Basketball

Scott Flansburg is the owner of the ABA basketball team called the Herkimer Originals. He is also known as ‘The Human Calculator.’

LINK From Page 6 Frank J. Basloe Library to Offer Free Social Security Information Program

were and how much they appreciated the deal they were given. They said it would be used for the Grease production that they were doing at the school,” she stated.

Gregorka just smiled to herself because it put things into perspective for her. “All of these schools, all of these years, all over the country, putting on Grease productions, and here I have the luxury of working with the costume designer for the original Grease on Broadway. How cool is that?”

She said that she and Robbins have become good friends and her drawing skills are incredible. “There’s a book of them with her life’s story, and it’s so amazing. The people that she’s dressed goes on and on. She’s amazing. The Lord has blessed me in such ways, and I feel so grateful.”

Gregorka said she always looks for vintage jewelry, old hats, and vintage clothing. Anyone who has those items can

Herkimer, NY – The Frank J. Basloe Library is offering a free Social Security Information program on Tues day, November 15 from 6:00-7:00 PM for individual’s ages 55-70. This one-hour financial education pro gram is designed to help attendees learn how to max imize their Social Security benefits prior to collecting them.

Get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions such as:

When is the best time to collect my Social Security

benefits? Does it make sense to take benefits sooner rather than later? Can I still work and collect benefits? What happens to my benefits if I should die too soon? Is my spouse able to collect benefits while working?

The event is being presented as a community service by Guest Speaker John Kalil, a Social Security Claim ing Strategist and the President of Retirement Solu tions, LLC. The program is open to the public and free to attend. Due to COVID restrictions, seating is limited and advance registration is required. To RSVP, please contact the Library directly at (315) 866-1733.

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Gram Lorraine Children’s Christmas program needs sponsors

For nearly 30 years, the Gram Lorraine Program has provided thousands of deserving children in the Mohawk Valley with four clothing items, a toy, a book or game of choice, and winter coats.

Participating schools include Benton Hall (LFalls), Owen D. Young, Frankfort, CVA, Mt. Markham, and BOCES. Deserving families are designated by school personnel. Sponsors are generous people, organizations (e.g., Greater Herkimer Lions; Frankfort Kiwanis),

corporations (e.g., Feldmeiers; Lexington), HCCC athletic teams/ faculty, etc.

Sponsors are given assignments in early November and, in December, drop off their gifts at designated sites. Deserving families pick up their gifts later that week. The age group of recipients varies, with some schools covering newborns through 6th grade while others do Pre-K through 6th.

If interested in becoming a sponsor, send a note

including your email address and phone number to HCHC, PO Box 622, Herkimer, NY-13350, and we’ll get back to you.

Donations are also accepted (make out to HCHC-Gram Lorraine). Your donation is tax-deductible. By participating, you’ll be helping the local economy (sponsors spend c.$80$100,000 annually) and guaranteeing that an area child will have a truly Merry Christmas.

Questions - call 315-8667765.

Herkimer County Music Educators Association Fall All–County Music Festival

The Herkimer County Music Educators Association announced the selection of around 300 students to the HCMEA Fall All–County Music Festival. The students will participate in one of three ensembles, Elementary Chorus, Jr.

High Band, and High School Chorus. Each ensemble will rehearse for two days with a guest conductor, culminating with a final concert on Saturday, November 5. Frankfort-Schuyler Central School will host this year’s festival.

The festival concert is Saturday, November 5, at 3:00 PM. Tickets will be available at the door beginning at 2:00 PM on Saturday. Admission is $3.00. Frankfort-Schuyler Jr./Sr. High School is located at 605 Palmer St., Frankfort, NY.

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Local Lady’s Interest in Getting Out the Vote Provides Subject for Associated Press Feature Article

An Evening Times Headline & Story from our archives

(Editor’s Note: The Get Out the Vote campaign in LF has attracted nation-wide attention…. Evidence of the attention is to be found in the following article clipping from the Roanoke WorldNews, one of many such articles distributed by the AP)

Little Falls Woman Helps Get Out the Vote by Dorothy Roe

Meet Cornelia P. Burrell, of Little Falls, NY

For most of her 70-odd years she has left politicking to the menfolk and concentrated on other good work, such as the Pine Crest Sanitarium, the Presbyterian Church and the PTA.

This year however, Mrs. Burrell has made it her personal responsibility to see that every (eligible) citizen of Little Falls goes to the polls next Tuesday. For the last few months, she has been making speeches, leading rallies, heading discussion groups, ringing doorbells, and spending hours on the telephone urging her friends to get into the big push.

So successful has she been that the community of Little Falls has been spotlighted as a national model by the American Heritage Foundation, an organization dedicated to the same job on a national scale.

Of course, many LF citizens have taken part in the campaign to pile up a record vote, but Mrs.

Burrell has helped spark the whole thing and she’s been having a whale of a good time doing it.

Asked how she happened to jump into the campaign with both feet after a lifetime of “ladylike detachment” from the political scene she said:

“Because it was brought to my attention as never before, that so small a percentage of eligible voters had cast their vote in previous elections.”

“Because we, women and homemakers, certainly have not only a greater percentage of the vote

but have in our hands the molding of future citizens for whom we desire so greatly an America for which we and they can be justly, honestly proud.” “If good citizens fail to express their beliefs and are indifferent to the quality of those who are elected to office, how can we expect to promote good and honest government?”

The following photo was not included in the original article by AP, however, this was in the archival material that the Historical Society has obtained about the 1952 Get Out the Vote campaign.

NOTE: The Little Falls Historical Society Facebook Page has highlighted the above noted campaign over the past month, as has the Little Falls Historical Society website in its “This Day in History” section, which changes daily.

Links to each: https:// littlefallshistoricalsociety. org/

Readers can link directly to the Facebook Page from the website or go to: https://www.facebook. com/littlefallsNYmuseum

Little Falls Historical Society Where Community History Lives

SEASON From Page 8

Hall of Fame, and not a thing is mentioned about Herkimer. “In 1956, Springfield and Herkimer battled in a room with representatives from everywhere to determine where the hall of fame should be.”

“In the end, Herkimer

didn’t have enough money, even if we’d won it.”

He said, “There’s a picture that came out of a basketball team, a group of kids from the Herkimer YMCA with a basketball with 1891-92 on it. If Naismith didn’t introduce basketball until

the beginning of 1892, what are these kids doing with a ball in 91?”

As they continued to investigate, they found holes in the Naismith story and physical evidence to support the claim that basketball started here first.

“For eighteen months, we did nothing but work on this. We have more evidence for our first game than Springfield does,” he said.

Starting a team

The Fosty brothers were in a meeting with Flansburg discussing the book and told him about the ABA and suggested he get a franchise to continue publicizing the story of basketball’s origins.

“I reached out to the owner of the ABA named Joe Newman. He’s been there for over twenty years, restarting it in 2000,” Flansburg said. “Now there are almost 200 teams in this league across the country.”

The name Herkimer Originals and its “hooped” logo were thought up by rock star and long-time friend of team owner Scott Flansburg, Alice Cooper, while they were playing golf. “He said you’ve got to call them the Originals. Then he hits his shot and walks over to the scorecard and

writes Originals down and makes the O look like the rim of a net.”

Cooper said, “There’s your name and your logo. You’re welcome.”

Flansburg said that at first, he wasn’t sure about it, but it grew on him very quickly, and he brought it to the Herkimer 9 board, where they voted unanimously to adopt the name.

“Our nickname is the OGs, and it has really captured the essence of the story. The name and the logo say more than a picture that is worth 1,000 words,” he said.

The most exciting thing for Flansburg is to watch the players get involved in the community in the off-season. “They have basketball camps and are at different events promoting the team, the story, and just getting kids out there shooting baskets.”

“The ABA is all about entertainment, education, and the community, so we hope to put on some great games, but we know we’re having an effect on the community with the sport we love,” he stated.

Flansburg says that the Mohawk Valley has a ton of fantastic basketball athletes. “These guys are from local colleges and high schools. Almost the

entire team is from the Mohawk Valley.”

Last year the team made it to the semi-finals, tied with two minutes to go, and lost to the team that almost went all the way. “It was a really great first year.”

This year

This year they’ve added several high-level ball players, so they have higher expectations for the team.

“Our goal with the Herkimer Originals as a team is to create a great product that the community celebrates. Celebrating local heroes in basketball. It’s tough to get much better than that. It brings out the families and friends and helps connect the whole community,” he said.

The November 5, 2022, game pits Springfield against Herkimer, and the historical significance of that is not lost on Flansburg. “This is the best rivalry that could exist,” he stated. “For the people who know what we’re trying to do, that’s as cool as it can get.”

The Springfield team will visit again on February 11, 2023, which is the week of the anniversary of the first game in Herkimer in 1891, a full year before Naismith.

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“Springfield will be in Herkimer that week to help us celebrate the Lambert Will family and his invention. It will be quite historic,” stated Flansburg.

This year, the team is ranked within the top 25 in the country.

Governor announces home heating assistance available for eligible New Yorkers

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New Yorkers needing help paying their heating bills can begin applying for home heating assistance on Tuesday, November 1. The Home Energy Assistance Program, also known as HEAP, can provide up to $976 this winter to help lowand middle-income households and senior citizens keep their homes warm and help defray high energy costs.

“We remain committed to ensuring our most vulnerable New Yorkers have access to assistance and programs that will help address rising costs for heating their homes this winter,” Governor Hochul said. “The Home Energy Assistance Program is a vital lifeline for countless New York families, and I encourage all who are eligible to apply for these benefits, which will provide muchneeded financial relief.”

The program, overseen by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, is federally funded. Eligible households can receive one Regular benefit per season and could also be eligible for an Emergency benefit if they are in danger of running out of heating fuel or having their utility service shut off. Applications for emergency benefits will be accepted beginning January 3, 2023.

Eligible homeowners and renters may receive up to $976 in heating assistance, depending on their income, household size, how they

heat their home, and if the household contains a vulnerable member. A family of four may have a maximum gross monthly income of $5,485 or an annual gross income of $65,829 and still qualify for benefits.

The value of the Regular HEAP benefits has been increased due to the higher heating costs forecast for this winter. The benefit was increased by 33 percent for households that heat with oil, kerosene, or propane; 21 percent for households that heat with wood, wood pellets, coal, or corn; and 14 percent for households that heat with electricity or natural gas.

New Yorkers who receive HEAP assistance this season and continue to fall behind on their utility bills or are running short on heating fuel may also qualify for a one-

time Emergency HEAP benefit. Applications for Emergency benefits will be accepted starting January 3.

Help is also now available to assist eligible homeowners if their primary heating equipment is unsafe or not operating and their furnace or boiler must be repaired or replaced. Benefit amounts through the HEAP Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement program are based on the actual cost incurred to repair or replace the essential heating equipment - up to $4,000 for a repair and $8,000 for a replacement.

Eligible homeowners can also now apply for a HEAP Heating Equipment Clean and Tune benefit to keep their home’s primary heating source working at peak efficiency. Call 315-8671195 to apply.

The Creative Outpost, Inc., has the next of its combined workshop/ community presentations planned for Rock City Centre. Matt Powers will be the presenter for both events and will have a “Stories of Little Falls” focus, with “Scriptwriting for Cinematography.”

If you don’t know Matt, he’s a resident of Little Falls, and he’s a professor at Herkimer College, where he teaches writing, acting, film, literature, and sometimes poetry.

His love for all these

things started way back when he was in second grade. “I went to Herkimer Elementary School, and they put on a really simple play. There was this messenger position, and I auditioned and didn’t get the part. The day before the play, the person who got the part got sick, and they said Matt, can you do it – and I said, heck yeah, I can do it!”

He said his line and had a great time, and it inspired him. “From that point forward, I realized the power of theater, the power of story-telling,

and different mediums.”

Powers doesn’t want the workshop to be too restrictive for the attendees, but he wants them to set whatever story they want to tell briefly in Little Falls.

“Every scene has to be in Little Falls in some capacity. They can choose a genre or a veneer over it as Quiet Place did. I love that shot going up Main Street. We see it’s Main Street, but it’s post-apocalypse. That is awesome.”

He wants to get the

attendees to visualize different situations in different ways. “If Little Falls was part of a fantasy setting, what would that look like? If it were part of a science fiction movie, what would it look like? I’m going to require that they all do that.”

For the Community Presentation, Powers wants to summarize what the workshop was in miniature. “I want to talk about storytelling and how characters drive story and what defines a character and how that character defines different elements.”

location is interesting for photographic or cinematic reasons, but the nature of the location helps give it more depth to that moment you’re experiencing.”

Space is limited to 50 people for the community presentation and 15 in the workshop. Both are free. To register, please visit https://creativeoutpost. org/course-list/.

About The Creative Outpost, Inc.

Free Community Presentation & Workshop

Join Matt Powers as his class will have a “Stories of Little Falls” focus In addition to teaching the basics of writing for film, Matt will send the participants out and about Little Falls to set their short films up The community presentation will go over the days events

Class 9

November 12, 2022

Powers says that he runs around Little Falls (literally) and has built a slide presentation of locations that he thinks are interesting for scenes.

“I’ll go through my slides and say I find these locations dynamic for these reasons. Not only because each

The Creative Outpost is a non-profit 501c3 organization focused on creative content, film, and media education. It is dedicated to teaching the art and craft of filmmaking and media development. It also focuses on establishing the Mohawk Valley as an international destination for media leadership and production. More information can be found at creativeoutpost.org

Paidraig Cundun - Mohawk

Valley’s 19th Century Irish Bard

The Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley wants you to join them as scholar Tony O’Floinn from Limerick Ireland presents his research findings on Mohawk Valley’s 19th Century bard Padraig Cundun.

Eileen, Kathleen, and Margaret.

5

7 pm

City Centre 690 E Main St, Little Falls, NY 13365

Grab your free ticket now!

Pádraig Phiarais Cúndún, born 1777, was an Irish language poet who emigrated to the United States from Ballymacoda, Co. Cork Ireland in 1825. Having relatives already settled in Deerfield New York, he settled there along with his wife Margaret, son Pierce, and daughters

Padraig never learned the English language but would write letters, in Irish, some in poetic form, back to his friends in Ireland. These letters were often an expression of his longing for Ireland as well as expressing his fondness for his new found home. Many of the letters describe what it may have been like for the Irish immigrant during the mid 19th century in our area.

Scriptwriting for Cinematography course and community presentation set for November 12th

IRISH From Page 14

Our presenter, Tony O’Floinn is a lecturer at Mary Immaculate College, Thurles campus. He has done extensive research on Cundun and will discuss Cundun’s life in both Ireland and Utica, Cundun’s view on his life in the United States, and the significance of his writings.

If possible, program organizers and Dr O’Floinn would like to connect with any of Cundun’s descendants.

Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 at 4 pm. The program is free, however it will be a hybrid live and online presentation. Both

will require registration through Eventbrite. To view from the ICC, please register at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/paidraig-cundunmohawk-valleys-19thcentury-irish-bardtickets-437345059847

For the online presentation https://www.eventbrite. com/e/online-paidraigcundun-mohawk-valleys19th-century-irish-bardtickets-439179948047

Design Your Own Christmas Cards

The Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley is pleased to invite you for

an afternoon to make your own Christmas cards on Sunday November 13th from 2:00—5:00pm. The ICCMV will provide cardpaper and envelopes, stencils, stampers, markers, crayons, etc. for each attendee to make his or her own Christmas Cards. This is open to all ages. Make 5 cards for free; you are welcome to make more than 5, at 50 cents per card. Stop in any time from 2:00—5:00 and stay as long as you want to create your own cards! Please sign up via Eventbrite to ensure that we have enough supplies for all. Refreshments will be served.

Thanksgiving Buffet TakeoutandDinners

For every meal purchased we will donate a dinner to someone in need.

Buffet Menu:

• Virginia baked ham carving station with roasted pineapple demi glace.

• Slow-roasted white and dark meat organic turkey

• Green beans with button mushroom ragu & fried onion strings.

• Garlic whipped Yukon gold potatoes.

• Sleepy Bear Honey glazed butternut squash.

• Nutmeg & cinnamon spiced baby carrots.

• Sausage, apple & walnut stuffing

• Rosemary scented gravy.

• Maryland blue crab stuffed haddock with basil lemon beurre blanc sauce.

• Vegetable Jasmine rice.

• Apple & pumpkin pie with vanilla bean whipped cream.

($45 per person)

Takeout Meals Menu:

• Slow-roasted white and dark meat organic turkey.

• Sleepy Bear Honey glazed butternut squash.

• Rosemary scented gravy.

• Green beans with button mushroom ragu & fried onion strings.

• Apple pie.

($25 per person)

Call (315) 823-1170 to make reservations or arrange your pickup time!

www.canalsideinn.com