Mohawk Valley Express Volume 4 Number 6 June 2024

Live Well Fitness opens second location

By Dave Warner

Kelly Daukontas has opened up a second Live Well Fitness location, this time in Little Falls at 299 Loomis Street. Her other location is at 661 County Road 120. That gives it a St Johnsville address, but it’s really only minutes from Dolgeville.

She said that the previous owners of the facility in Little Falls reached out to her to find out if they were interested in running and managing another gym. “Initially, we said no way because it’s a lot of work. But, he was really great at helping us make a smooth transition between his current members and us getting started.”

“With that being said, we knew this was a good opportunity, being closer to the City. Our other place is in the middle

of nowhere essentially, but we have a great gym there, and it’s a very busy business.”

Daukontas thought that if she took the same business model that had been working in Dolgville and brought it to Little Falls, which has a bigger population, “We’d be able to replicate the same success.”

The Little Falls facility has 10,000 square feet of air-conditioned space, compared to 3,600 square feet in the airconditioned Dolgeville facility. “We have a lot more space to grow and expand and bring more health and wellness opportunities to the City.”

The facility is open 24/7 for members because of a key fob system, so it’s convenient for whenever people want to work out. “We’ve added a lot of new

equipment and sold some old stuff and purchased some things we thought were necessary.”

Free weights, more squat racks and benches, as well as a leg press. “We still have plans to continue to weed out some of the old equipment and purchase new things,” she stated.

There are many weight machines, as well as some new classes being offered that aren’t in the

Shooting Sparks Metal Works has a sign for that

By Dave Warner

Jason Stock grew up in his dad’s garage (Stock’s Garage) and started welding at 16, but started cutting with a torch when he was only eight. So, naturally, as an adult, you figure you’d find him working with those same skills.

“I always had a mechanics background. But I went into construction for years, then started my own motorcycle shop and did that for ten years, and then decided to be just an employee for a while,” said Stock.

He worked for the New

York State Lottery for four years and then for his friend’s pool company for the last five years. “We do everything: above ground, below ground, and hot tubs.”

His friend’s company is called Tucker Backyard Pool & Spas, and they have just built a new

other space. Spin, Yoga on Sunday, and a Bar Fusion class are just some of the differences.

“We plan to add more group fitness stuff slowly, but to be honest, I need more help and instructors. I can’t do it all,” she said.

Daukontas is currently doing some private group personal training in the building. “That’s been really fun, and I’ve met a lot of new people.”

showroom in Clinton.

“He’s been a friend of mine for 30 years.”

Stock said that his father would have loved what he’s doing now—working with metal, and he feels like he just needs to build stuff.

“I built a coffee stand for our house, shelving, and honestly, I planned to build mixed wood and metal like my father used to do. He did the furniture stripping and the cars. So, I’ve grown up with both metal and wood,” he stated.

He said that he really didn’t know that he was an artist or designer until he started doing these pieces. “I’ve always been a fabricator, but I’ve also been a fly-by-the-seat-ofmy-pants designer.”

Stock said that he never had any intention of doing signs. But he built a huge garage to handle all of

When she thinks about the future, Daukontas considers some of the things that they have at the other location. “We have a sauna at the other location—that would be cool to have here eventually. And perhaps even a recovery room that has a cold plunge as well because that’s really popular.”

She said they’re in discussions to set up a

Please See FITNESS Page 3

their ‘toys and hobbies,’ and he really wanted to build wood and metal things. And, of course, the garage is his dream garage.

“There’s a million people who do wood and metal things, but I wanted to put my spin on it,” he said.

You would think that once he had the big garage, he’d figure out a business to go in there, but he said it wasn’t like that. “I wanted to build a fabrication table so I could work in my garage. More of a workspace.”

Next, he figured he needed a CNC plasma table, so he went hunting for that.

How did the business get started? His wife Corinne had him make a bunny for Easter, and she posted it on Facebook. “We ended up selling like

Please See SPARKS Page 2

Photo by Dave Warner - Kelly Daukontas adjusts some equipment at her new location in Little Falls.

Photo by Dave Warner - Jason Stock and his wife Carinne pose in front of the old truck and a Class of 2024 metal sign they created.

100 bunnies,” she stated.

Stock said, “That was the official start of our company. Then, Chickweed wanted flowers for her flower boxes, so the next thing you know, I’m cutting flowers. I’ve probably made 300 flowers since then. I bent metal stems and spray painted them all different colors.”

Having those items around got people asking him what else they could do. “A friend of ours raises beef cows, and I think they were our first real sign where I had to do design work. Now I had to teach myself how to do the computer design, so I flew by the seat of my pants and figured it out.”

“I have a background in IT, so I was able to guide us through it,” his wife said.

“My last business was kind of me - just run it and do it. But I said, if I’m doing another business, this is us. We’ve been together since we’ve been kids and married

20 years this summer. We work well together,” he stated.

Stock said that he really didn’t make it a real business until this spring.

“We decided it was a real deal, so we got our LLC.”

Last year, they had the old truck in the front yard and fabricated a Class of 2023 sign for their daughter. It became popular, with tons of students getting their picture taken in front of it.

“I’d see vehicles pulling into the driveway, and they’d have a preschool class that would sit on the truck and get their pictures,” Corinne stated.

How did they come up with the name? Corinne said their daughter does a lot of work with a vinyl cutter and crafts things.

“I threw some names out there, and that’s what the family decided on— Shooting Sparks.”

The flying pig? Stock said, “She said I could have another business when pigs fly, so we decided to use the flying

pig as our logo.”

Now, Stock said that they advertise mostly by word of mouth. “The best part of all of it is that I love working locally.”

If you look around the City, you can find some of his signage - Yoga and Wellness on Main Street and the Live Well Fitness Little Falls sign on Loomis Street are just a couple of projects that he’s finished.

“My father had a garage down below the Yoga and Wellness Center, so it was kind of humbling when I got all done and I looked back. It was nice. That’s just an iconic building,” he said.

Corinne said, “I love that all the businesses in Little Falls are supporting us.”

Stock said that if people want to know what they do, “It’s everything custom metal. We can do any signs for inside or outside—for your camp, baby shower gifts, holiday items, wedding guest book

signs, housewarming gifts, birthdays—the possibilities are endless.”

He also said they really love designing signs. “We really think we’ve found a niche with that, but we’ve done beer koozie holders, torch holders, candle holders, metal railings, even chimney caps—utilitarian items.”

In fact, if you’re looking for a customized hitch cover, they can also handle that.

If you think metal, think Shooting Sparks Metal Works and the flying pig. Visit them on Facebook if you want them to design and make something for you.

254th Summer Season Opens at Palatine Church

For several decades the historic Old Palatine Church has opened its doors during summer months featuring concerts that are open to the public. Built in 1770 by early settlers in the Mohawk Valley, visiting the original stone building is a vital lesson in history.

The opening summer concert ’24 will be presented on the pipe organ built by St.

Johnsville native, Robert S. Rowland. The guest recitalist, John Dixon, born in England in 1957, relocated to America in 1988. His music composing has flourished at Providence Presbyterian Church in Virginia where he served as organist and composerin-residence for twentytwo years. Dixon has over 800 compositions to his credit. In 2003 he was appointed Executive

HAMILTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE is seeking a lateral transfer candidate for a vacancy in the position of:

DEPUTY

SHERIFF Starting Salary: $55,993-$94,313* *Starting salary may be commensurate with experience To be considered for transfer, candidates must currently be serving in a qualifying competitive class position and must have completed their probationary period.

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Director of the Academy of Music, a community music school in Norfolk, Virginia. He currently serves as Treasurer and Councillor for Finance and Development of the American Guild of Organists. He holds seminars and recitals across America.

The doors of the Palatine Church will open at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 9th, with the concert starting at 4:00 p.m. where musicians and lovers of history will gather for the opening event. It is located on NY Route 5 between Nelliston and St. Johnsville, There is no charge for admittance, but donations which support the site’s summer concerts are welcomed.

massage therapist and are renting space in the downstairs area for mental health therapy.

“That’s been a great addition to this building.”

“It would be awesome to partner with some sort of physical therapist that would go hand in hand with the gym and all the different athletes that train here,” she stated.

Live Well Fitness has a contract with the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs, and she said it has been really cool seeing the baseball players work out in the facility. “We’ve been able to facilitate their athletic training.”

Other than that, she said they really haven’t had much time to flush out all of the ideas. “This happened so quickly for us. In February, we weren’t even thinking about opening another business; by April 1st, here we were.”

The business model is very similar to the other location, but now that they’re up, moving, and

growing, they can think of new ways to use the extra space.

Leading up to April 1st, they questioned their sanity in opening another location. “It was a lot of work. There was no rubber flooring here. We added an awesome turf floor, which is especially nice for the high school kids who utilize that a lot.”

They painted the facility, added a security system and a new key fob system, and then transferred the old computer system to a new one. “It was a lot of work. Luckily, my husband, who is a school teacher, was off for a whole week and was such an immense help just getting all those little details straightened out.”

“Now that we’re settled, I’m super happy to be in Little Falls. I think this is a great community. We’ve serviced a lot of Little Falls people at our other facility, and we have a lot of friends and family here, and we come to the City a lot. Now, I’m happy FITNESS From Page 1

to have a business here,” she said.

Daukontas said that some of the people from Little Falls who were going to Dolgeville love the convenience of having it here and have moved their membership to the City. She said that has actually helped the Dolgeville center because they had reached capacity.

“The ten to fifteen members who transferred to Little Falls kind of helped with that. Initially, we had been talking about building an addition to that location, but then, this happened.”

“I think it’s going to work out being here. It’s a bigger community than what we have there,” she said.

If you’d like more information, they are on Facebook and they’re also on other social media platforms - just search for Live Well Fitness Health and Wellness Center.

“We post class schedules, membership information, and pricing,” she stated.

Ilion Little Theatre presents ‘The Savage Dilemma’

Ilion Little Theatre is excited to present John Patrick’s sequel to The Curious Savage!

June 21st at 7:30 pm

June 22nd at 7:30 pm

June 23rd at 2 pm

June 28th at 7:30 pm

June 29th at 7:30 pm

June 30th at 2 pm

A limited number of tickets are available at the door on a first come basis even if online tickets are sold out.

Depressed and world-weary after extensive travels, the reputedly wealthy Mrs. Ethel Savage returns to the sheltered precincts of a private country club-like “sanatorium” called The Cloisters, seeking refuge among her former fellow patients.The Cloisters is on the verge of closing due to lack of funds, and as Mrs. Savage’s fortune is now in the control of

her greedy stepchildren, she is powerless to help. Until, that is, a young, grungy couple storm in bent on robbery – and Mrs. Savage persuades them to “kidnap” her, with her share of the ransom going to the sanitarium. From then on the plot twists and turns delightfully, as one hilarious event follows

another, leading in the end to a heartwarming lesson in the essential goodness that lurks somewhere even in the worst (and sanest) of us.

Purchase tickets at: www.ilionlittletheatre. ludus.com/show_page. php?show_id=200457191

City of Little Falls

June 4, 2024

Common Council Meeting

- Auditing of the bills: 6:30 pm Regular Meeting: 7:00 pm in City Hall.

June 7, 2024

Zoning Board of Appeals

- Orientation — 9 am Mayor’s Conference room at City Hall.

June 8, 2024

LF Pride returns for our FOURTH YEAR as Herkimer County’s firstever Pride. Youth and Family Center, partners with Little Falls Outreach for this event.

June 8, 2024

Opening Reception m- Vartan Poghosian, Ceramic Artist at the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts from 6-9 pm.

June 10, 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.

June 10, 2024

Recreation/HarborOrientation session 6:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.

June 10, 2024

Trail Town Placemaking Workshop - Little Falls Public Library - 6-7:30 pm - The Trail Town Placemaking Workshop will provide Little Falls’ residents and visitors with the chance to share their thoughts and ideas on what makes Little Falls a great destination for visiting cyclists along the Empire State Trail, and ways the trail user experience might be Little Falls. After a brief

introduction to the Trail Town program and what it means for Little Falls, PTNY staff will provide an opportunity for community members to engage in an interactive mapping exercise and identify Little Falls’ strengths and opportunities as a Trail Town.

June 11, 2024

Bike Around WorkshopStarting at Canal Place - 9:30 - 11:30 am - The Bike Around Workshop is an easy-paced bike ride with local leaders, committee members, and other stakeholders where we ride part of the trail through the community and stop and talk about challenges and opportunities along the way. It provides the group with a way to see the trail through a trail user’s eyes and help identify gaps in infrastructure and the potential of the area to be a destination for trail users. The bike ride itself should last 1.5 hours with plenty of stops, and then be followed by a debrief and lunch at a local business.

June 12, 2024

Golf Commission Meeting - Regular Meeting: 8:00 am at the Municipal Golf Course.

June 13, 2024

Cruise Inn by Mike - 5-8 pm - Rotary Park - If you head down to the marina for the show, you can expect to be able to get something to eat, listen to music, look at the cars, and talk to the owners. There will be 50/50 drawings and some prizes as well, including some special events that they’ll hold during the year.

June 14, 2024

Planning Board Meeting — Regular Session, 9 a.m., in the Mayor’s Conference Room in City Hall.

June 15, 2024

Jam for Joe Golf Tournament at Little Falls Municipal Golf Course12-8 pm. Valley rockers on the deck from 5-8 pm.

June 17, 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.

June 20, 2024

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

June 20, 2024

Cruise Inn by Mike - 5-8 pm - Rotary Park - If you head down to the marina for the show, you can expect to be able to get something to eat, listen to music, look at the cars, and talk to the owners. There will be 50/50 drawings and some prizes as well, including some special events that they’ll hold during the year.

June 27, 2024

Cruise Inn by Mike - 5-8 pm - Rotary Park - If you head down to the marina for the show, you can expect to be able to get something to eat, listen to music, look at the cars, and talk to the owners. There will be 50/50 drawings and some prizes as well, including some special events that they’ll hold during the year.

Little Falls Elks

June 23, 2024

The Little Falls Elks Lodge #42 Presents a Meet & Greet with the 2024 Diamond Dawgs, Sunday, June 23rd at 2 PM. Come meet the 2024 Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs. Get pictures, autographs and more. This event is open to the public.

Dolgeville

July 4, 2024

Dolgeville Community Band kicks off their season at Plowe Park 7 pm. The Dolgeville Community Band plays a wide variety of music. Attending a concert, you could hear patriotic marches, movie music, classic rock tunes, and beautiful ballads all in one night. With over one hundred songs in its repertoire, the Dolgeville Community Band continues to pique the interests of everyone in the audience.

Violet Festival Events

June 7, 2024

9am Village Wide Garage Sales

6:30pm Violet Festival Opening Ceremonies Welcome at Joe Condello Gazebo in Plowe ParkPresentation of Lyndon Lyon Community Award to Brenda Barton, Crowning of the Violet Festival King, Arthur “Art” Mayhew, House Decorating Contest Winners Announced 7pm Violet Festival Princess & Little Mister Pageant, Ages 5-8, 9-12, 13-17, InformationTaylor- 315-867-4928

7-11pm Whiskey Creek at Rustic Ties - No Cover Charge

7:30-9pm Dolgeville Community Band Concert at Plowe Park Gazebo

June 8, 2024

6-9am Vendors Set upMarilyn 315-429-9884

7-10am Pancake Breakfast at Dolgeville Firehouse

9am Village Wide Garage Sales

9am-4pm Dolgeville Manheim Historical Society open 10am Violet Festival Parade - Crystal or Don 315-527-9585

10am-5pm Featured Artist, Don Richards and Flower Show at *Masonic Temple

10am-5pm Through the Years Exhibit *Masonic Temple 10am-5pm Craft ShowFlea Market

12-2pm Minivans at Plowe Park Stage 11-done Boy Scouts Chicken BBQ at Auskerada Place Lower Level

12-4pm Free Kids Tie Dye T-shirts in front of Military Monument. Limited Shirts Available, Can Also Bring Your Own.

1-4pm DCS Student Art Show K-12 plus BOCES Pre-K & Dolgeville Pre-K at *Auskerada Place Basement

2-4pm Fritz’s Polka Band at Plowe Park Gazebo 4-6pm Cleen Street at Plowe Park Stage 5pm Brookfield Tractor Pullers at the Daley’s on Moore Rd, Free Admission, bring lawn chair

6-8pm Phil Arcuri at Plowe Park Gazebo

8-10pm Pine Ridge Mountain Band at Plowe Park Stage

10pm Fireworks Display From Summerhouse Hill

June 9, 2024

7-8am Registration/ Packet Pick Up “Run for Violets” 5K Run/Walk and 1K Kids Fun Run, Across Please See CALENDAR Page 5

Little Falls Public Library Calendar

JUNE 2024

from Firehouse

7-11am Pancake

Breakfast at Dolgeville Firehouse

8:30am Run for Violets 5K Run/Walk

USAT+F Certification

#NY13048JG starts across from firehouse. Some streets will be temporarily be closed for the safety of the participants and motorists.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. *New Route

9:30am 1K Kids Fun Run

- Free of Charge, Across From Firehouse

10-11am Ecumenical

Service at Plowe Park Gazebo

10am-12pm Utica

Zoomobile Main Street

10am-2pm Children’s Museum Van Main Street

10am-3pm Featured Artist, Flower Show and Through the Years Exhibit at *Masonic Temple

10am-3pm Craft ShowFlea Market

11-11:30am Poetry Contest at Plowe Park Stage - Joan Lein

11:30-1pm Greens & Beans at Plowe Park Gazebo

12-2pm Dolgeville

Cemetery Walking Tour

1-3pm Critical Path at Plowe Park Stage

1-3pm DCS Student Art Show K-12 plus BOCES

Pre-K & Dolgeville Pre-K at *Auskerada Place Basement

Ongoing Events

Saturday & Sunday

• Craft Show - Flea Market, Horticulture and Food Vendors on Main Street

• Garden Flower Show at Masonic Temple

• Featured Artist Show at Masonic Temple

• DCS PreK-12 Student Art Show at Auskerada Place Lower Level

• Raffle Ticket Sale for Tyoe’s Chainsawing Carving

• Themed Basket Tickets sold at Violet Festival Info Booth - Drawing Sunday about 3pm

• Bounce Houses on Softball Field

• Village Wide Garage Sales

German Flatts

June 8, 2024

Car and Truck ShowThe car and truck show is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park, located at 555 State Route 5S, two miles east of Mohawk, next to the Fort Herkimer Church. The event is free and open to the public. J&D Entertainment will provide DJ service. There will be a 50-50 raffle as well as door prizes and trophies. A Brooks Chicken Barbecue will run from noon until sold out. Tickets for the barbecue are $15 each. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and beverages will also be available for sale during the event.

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.

SENIOR MEALS FOR JUNE

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.

Jun 03 - Hamburger deluxe, macaroni salad, corn, cookie.

Jun 04 - Omelet, hash browns, sausage, muffin, fruit cup.

Jun 05 - Chicken and biscuiits, mashed potatoes, broccoli, frosted birthday cake.

Jun 06 - Ham and cheese cold plate, cottage cheese, three-bean salad, carnival cookie.

Jun 07 - Macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and zucchini, green beans, ice cream.

Jun 10 - Three-cheese penne pasta, Italian blend vegetables, garlic roll, chef’s choice pie.

Jun 11 - Salisbury steak, rice pilaf, squash, pudding parfait.

Jun 12 - Pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, cauliflower, watermelon.

Jun 13 - Roasted turkey with gravy, stuffing, Sonoma blend vegetables, fruited gelatin.

Jun 14 - Chicken salad cold plate, marinated broccoli salad, carrot raisin salad, peaches with strawberries.

Jun 17 - Hamburger cabbage casserole, green beans, applesauce, peanut butter cookie.

Jun 18 - Chicken marsala, rotini in sauce, Italian green beans, poke cake.

Jun 19 - Turkey divan, egg noodles, peas, pineapple.

Jun 20 - Egg salad cold plate, marinated beets, coleslaw, sherbet.

Jun 21 - Lasagna, tossed salad, garlic bread, brownie.

Jun 24 - Chicken broccoli alfredo, wax beans, carrot cake cupcake.

Jun 25 - Ham with plum sauce, scalloped potatoes, peas and carrots, vanilla ice cream.

Jun 26 - Tuna casserole, green beans, stewed tomatoes, apple crisp.

Jun 27 - Spanish rice, cauliflower, warm corn bread, pears.

Jun 28 - Roast pork with gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, chef’s choice dessert.

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.

Lynch completes Fire Department Supervisory School

By Scott Kinville

The life of a firefighter requires him or her to spend long hours away from their family and friends. To advance through the ranks in the fire service means even more hours away for schooling to become qualified to lead their department through anything that comes along. Second Assistant Chief Dakota Lynch of the Little Falls Fire Department (LFFD) has completed his Front Line Supervisor Training Program at Fort Totten in New York City after his recent promotion.

Lynch has been a Little Falls firefighter for over 15 years and was promoted to Second Assistant Chief

in December of 2023.

Before his promotion, Lynch completed his New York State Paramedic training, as well as certification in swift water rescue, trench collapse, and confined space, and is a SWAT team medic, among other qualifications.

When a Little Falls Fire Department firefighter is promoted to Assistant Chief, they are sent to the New York City Front Line Supervisor Training Program. The course is conducted by members of the FDNY, with both classroom and handson instruction. According to Lynch, about a dozen instructors from the FDNY taught at the school. Topics covered

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-Fire investigation.

The new assistant chief was able to take the accelerated program, as he already holds Fire Officer One and Training Officer One certifications. Lynch said he enjoyed his experience in New York City.

“They cram a lot of experiences and a lot of knowledge within that

short period of time,” he said. “And now they run like a well-oiled machine.”

Little Falls Fire Department Chief Robert Parese expanded on the importance of the Front Line Supervisor Training Program.

“FLIP school (as the program is sometimes called) is in New York State law,” Parese said.

“Once you get promoted to your first promotion,

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you’re required to go to New York and participate in their frontline supervisor program. We had a glitch back in the COVID days where nobody could get in, they downsized the classes, and then the waiting list became so long”.

Parese also noted what makes Lynch such a good firefighter.

“His activity, his participation, his knowledge in firefighting, his aggressiveness in firefighting, his ability to retain what he learns and be able to add that or take that and transpose it over into your hands-on stuff,” the chief noted.

Being away from his family for that long was certainly difficult, but it was an experience Lynch will never forget. He has nothing but praise for the FDNY and its Front Line Supervisor Training Program.

“The FDNY is a good program, and they take good care of you down there.”

Little Falls Fire Department Second Assistant Chief Dakota Lynch in front of Engine #111. Photo credit: Scott Kinville.

Car and

truck show to benefit

German Flatts schoolhouse

restoration project

By Donna Thompson

MOHAWK - The project

to restore the 1840s oneroom schoolhouse at the German Flatts Town Park will be getting a boost with a car and truck show and chicken barbecue Saturday, June 8.

The exterior of the schoolhouse has a fresh look and town officials are seeking funding to complete the project including the restoration of the interior of the building.

The car and truck show is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park, located at 555 State Route 5S, two miles east of Mohawk, next to the Fort Herkimer Church. The event is free and open to the public.

J&D Entertainment will provide DJ service. There will be a 50-50 raffle as well as door prizes and trophies. A Brooks Chicken Barbecue will run from noon until sold out. Tickets for the barbecue are $15 each. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and beverages will also be available for sale during the event.

Registration opens at 9 a.m. with a $5 entry fee for showing a vehicle.

Breakfast sandwiches will also be available early in the day, according to German Flatts Town Supervisor Peter Rovazzi.

The rain date for the car and truck show is Sunday, June 9, but the

barbecue will be held on Saturday only.

The schoolhouse was brought to the town park from its location on Shoemaker Road in December of 2011, and the following year, it was lifted onto a new foundation that had been constructed for it. Some work has been done in the years since.

“Over the course of time, the roof has been redone, and the flooring joists have been completely redone,” said Rovazzi.

It was just in the past year that the building lost its rough appearance when cedar siding was installed and windows restored.

“The windows were done by a professional restorer,” said Rovazzi, adding, “Everything is being done under restoration guidelines.”

A sliding barn door that had been installed in the rear of the building had to be removed and new windows and sashes put in.

While the appearance of the building’s exterior is greatly improved, there is still work to be done there including stonework to be added and work on the door.

And then there’s the interior, which is a work in progress. Water had been getting into the building for years, causing damage to the ceiling, walls, trim

and wainscoting, said Rovazzi.

Restoration of the crown molding involved taking the best piece and making replacement pieces identical to the shape of the original.

The tongue and groove flooring was largely intact, he said, but some had to be replaced. “We filled in with new tongue and groove flooring, especially in the entryway.”

Veteran contractors were needed for the project, said Rovazzi. “We had to find contractors who were most skilled

in this type of work. Numerous contractors looked at it and walked away. It required a lot of customization; nothing was really straight.”

Finishing the basement and adding lighting there is another part of the project that remains unfinished.

Please

A Car and Truck Show June 8 at the German Flatts Town Park will benefit the project to restore the 1840s schoolhouse at the park. The schoolhouse was moved from Shoemaker Hill to the town park in 2011. Photo by Donna Thompson

Grant money the town received for the school and improvements to the town park has helped fund the work done so far, with the town using in-kind services for part of the required 25% match, but more funds are needed to meet the goal of restoring the schoolhouse to its 19th-century appearance.

The town is seeking additional grant funding, Rovazzi said, and all proceeds from the June 8 car and truck show will go toward the project. Once completed, the schoolhouse will be available to schools for educational purposes and open during special events and by appointment, he said.

Little Falls Trail Town Placemaking public meeting and bike around scheduled

In addition to raising money for the schoolhouse restoration, Rovazzi hopes the event will draw attention to the town park, which has a large community building that can be rented for parties and special events and a gazebo. The parking lot has been paved, and work is underway to complete a restroom in the community center that will be accessible from the outdoors for the convenience of people using the park and the canalway trail that runs through it or visiting the cemetery at the Fort Herkimer Church next door.

a schoolhouse for local children from the 1840s until the late 1930s, when consolidation brought children from this and other rural schools to Mohawk.

The building was used for storage for a time, and the Reardon family eventually donated it to the town of German Flatts. Then-Supervisor Frank Spatto credited Peter Vercz with preparing the schoolhouse to be moved. The 23-footwide building was lifted onto a trailer and moved in one piece down Shoemaker Hill to Griffin Road and onto Route 5S as Time Warner Cable and Verizon employees worked to raise power lines so the 26-foot-high structure could pass beneath. BENEFIT From Page 7

The schoolhouse, which is labeled School No. 9 on a mid-19th century atlas map of the town of German Flatts, stood at the intersection of Shoemaker and Heath roads, where it served as

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A Trail Town Placemaking meeting will be held on June 10, 2024, from 6-7:30 pm at the Little Falls Library. The event will allow Little Falls’ residents and visitors to share their thoughts and ideas on what makes Little Falls a great destination for visiting cyclists along the Empire State Trail and ways the trail user experience might be enhanced for the City.

After a brief introduction to the Trail Town program and what it means for Little Falls, Parks, and Trails, New York staff will provide an opportunity for community members to engage in an interactive mapping exercise and identify Little Falls’ strengths and opportunities as a Trail Town.

On the next morning, there will be a Bike Around Workshop starting at 9:30

a.m. and running until about 11:30 a.m., with lunch at the Cafe at the conclusion. All cyclists are asked to meet at Canal Place in Sterzinar Park to start the tour.

The Bike Around Workshop is an easy-paced bike ride with local leaders, committee members, and other stakeholders. “We ride part of the trail through the community and stop and talk about challenges and opportunities along the way. It provides the group with a way to see the trail through a trail user’s eyes and helps identify gaps in infrastructure and the potential of the area to be a destination for trail users,” stated Erica Schneider.

The bike ride itself should last 1.5 hours with plenty of stops and then be followed by a debrief and lunch.