(Town of Sullivan, NY – Feb. 2012) The town of Sullivan Parks & Recreation Department, combined with the Knights of Columbus will be holding their Annual Foul Shooting Contest on Saturday Feb. 11 at the Chittenango Middle School from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This program is open to all boys and girls ages 7 to 18 as of Jan. 1.

Registration is onsite beginning at 10:30 a.m.  Try your luck and test your skill.

Trophies will be awarded to the top scoring boys and girls in their age groups.  Parents, come cheer on the children.

For additional information, contact the Parks & Recreation office at 687-3471.

Duane Martinez, (left) Community Bikes volunteer coordinator, joins Scott O’Mara of Knight Hawk Transport and Derek Busher of Hamilton Village. Thanks to combined volunteer efforts, 75 bikes, helmets and locks along with medical supplies were shipped last week to St. Kitts and Nevis.

Submitted by Constance Mente

(Hamilton, NY – Jan. 2012) Community Bikes recently shipped 75 bikes, helmets and locks, along with medical supplies, to the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Scott O’Mara of Knight Hawk Transport in Canastota wheeled his truck into 44 Milford St. in Hamilton, home of the Community Bikes workshop in space donated by Ed Ray of Ray’s Wayside. Derek Busher of the Hamilton Village crew was on hand with a forklift made available by the Village.

Working together with Community Bikes volunteer coordinator Duane Martinez, the three loaded 75 bikes, helmets and locks, along with a pallet of medical supplies, onto the truck for transport to the air base in Niagara Falls.

From there, the shipment will be transported by the Air Force to St Kitts and Nevis as part of a program to develop a life habit of cycling among elementary school children, and encourage those with an interest in competitive cycling.  The program is being coordinated by the St. Kitts and Nevis Cycling Federation.

Community Bikes’ Chuck Fox said the humanitarian project would not have been possible without the help of community volunteers.

“We are extremely grateful to Scott and Paul O’Mara for donating transportation service to get the bikes to Niagara Falls.  The Madison County work crew, along with several local service groups, did a great job of cleaning and preparing the bikes, and the Village was very helpful in providing use of a forklift.”

Fox also cited Chittenango’s Dr. Cedric Francis, a St. Kitts native who donated medical supplies to be delivered to JN France General Hospital in St. Kitts. The bikes and supplies are scheduled to be delivered to St. Kitts and Nevis on March 9.

Community Bikes collects donated bicycles, refurbishes them and places them with families who cannot afford a bike.  Community Bikes has placed more than 800 bikes with families in Madison County and has partnered with Youth Policy Institute to help send 165 bikes to Malawi in Africa.

Fox said the pilot program in St. Kitts and Nevis has been enthusiastically endorsed by the US State Department and USAID program as part of their initiatives in the eastern Caribbean, and hopes to build off this initial effort.

Your Scholars

Local students named to Springfield College dean’s list

Springfield College has named the following local residents to the dean’s list for academic excellence for the fall 2011 term.

Daniel Patane of Canastota. Daniel is studying Undeclared.

Logan Aikins of Sherburne. Logan is studying Applied Exercise Science.

News from SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam Students Earn Spots on President’s List

The State University of New York at Potsdam recently named more than 900 students to the President’s List for the Fall 2011 semester in recognition of their academic excellence.

Among the local students who made the SUNY Potsdam President’s List were:

Allison Forth of Canastota whose major is Childhood/Early Child Education

Corey Hopkins of Canastota whose major is Music Education

Kali Jarvis of Canastota whose major is Childhood/Early Child Education

Rhimmon Simchy-Gross of Canastota whose major is Music Performance

Mary Whitcombe of Canastota whose major is Childhood/Early Child Education

Robert Taube of Cazenovia whose major is Music Education

Emilie Weinheimer of Cazenovia whose major is Psychology

Cortney Mayo of Hamilton whose major is Speech Communication

Caleigh Tuttle of Hamilton whose major is Theatre

Timothy Simmons of Sherburne whose major is Psychology

To achieve the honor of being on the President’s List, each student must have satisfactorily completed 12 numerically-graded semester hours with a minimum grade point average of 3.5.

Local Students Named to Clarkson University Dean’s List

The following students were named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2011 semester at Clarkson University.

Beth A. Schneider, a senior majoring in civil engineering from Bridgeport.

Matthew R. Ager, a junior majoring in engineering and management from Canastota.

Tristan R. Jones, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering from Canastota.

Jeffrey R. Merrell, a freshman majoring in civil engineering from Canastota.

Michael R. Tornatore, a sophomore majoring in innovation and entrepreneurship from Canastota.

Michael A. Blanchard, a junior majoring in chemical engineering from Cazenovia.

Ryan J. Eklund, a freshman majoring in aeronautical engineering from Chittenango.

Danielle K. Cuddeback, a freshman majoring in pre-physical therapy/psychology from DeRuyter.

David E. Revette, a senior majoring in civil engineering from DeRuyter.

Andrea M. Riedman, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering from Kirkville.

Nicole M. Verone, a freshman majoring in engineering studies from Kirkville.

Raeanne J. Clabeaux, a freshman majoring in university studies from New Woodstock.

Molly E. Ogden, a sophomore majoring in history/interdisciplinary social sciences from Earlville.

Mallory J. Carhart, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary social sciences from Hamilton.

Heather H. Munz, a senior majoring in biology from Hubbardsville.

Loren J. McNamara, a senior majoring in civil engineering from Leonardsville.

Rebecca R. Kirley, a senior majoring in global supply chain management from Madison.

Colin Maykish, a junior majoring in software engineering from Sherburne.

Dean’s List students must achieve a minimum 3.25 grade-point average and also carry at least 14 credit hours.

Local Students Named Clarkson University Presidential Scholars

The following students were named Presidential Scholars for the fall 2011 semester at Clarkson University.

Ellen M. Heenan, a junior majoring in engineering and management from Bridgeport.

Thomas F. Wilkowski, a senior majoring in electrical engineering from Bridgeport.

Alexandra B. Cameron, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering from Cazenovia.

Josh Bunce, a freshman majoring in civil engineering from Chittenango.

Sean P. Shea, a freshman majoring in aeronautical engineering/mechanical engineering from Chittenango.

Presidential Scholars must achieve a minimum 3.80 grade-point average and carry at least 14 credit hours.

Evans Named to Sacred Heart University’s Dean’s List

Kiley Evans of Cazenovia was named to the fall 2011 Dean’s List at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. To receive this honor, a student must achieve a 3.6 grade average, based on a 4.0 scale.

To the Editor:

(Chittenango, NY – Jan. 2012) A U.N. Resolution initiated by Jordon’s King Abdulla II has established the first week of February as World Interfaith Harmony Week, a call for all to promote understanding between peoples of different religions where love of God/good and love of neighbor is central and have interfaith discussions and an interfaith breakfast.

A few precepts of this resolution states that we are to be against the actions of misguided followers and that no religion is inherently violent and that all have the right of religious freedom. So I pray that King Abdulla II speaks out against the Islamo-Facism that is the majority of inter-religious killing and terror around our blessed earth; please hear the cries of the Coptic Christians of Egypt.

Islamo-Facism deserves “our anger” and our hearts need to walk the “straight path” of non-violence and human rights of all peoples.

I will be charting religious violence, threats and terror during the World Interfaith Harmony Week, and I will mail these results to King Abdulla II, CAIR and our local imam.

Let’s stop the hate and violence; peace and good will to all.

Have breakfast with me, a stoic philosopher; email –tompvecc@hotmail.com.

(The Monk of Athena) Thomas P. Vecchio, Chittenango

(Chittenango, NY – Jan. 2012) Dick Steinbach of the Chittenango Lions Club presents a check for $600 to the Midge Daviau of the Sullivan Food Cupboard.  This donation and others to other community organizations, including $400 to the local Boy Scout Troop and $100 to the Leo Club, are made possible by projects such as the Lions recent Christmas tree sale.

Submitted by Don Logan

(Chittenango, NY – Jan. 2012) Oxford Academy, was this year’s host to the 6th District American Legion Oratorical Contest. On Jan. 14, five students recited portions of the Constitution. They all spoke clearly and enthusiastically from just memory, it’s just amazing!

Pictured from left are Sam Aldridge from Milford, Karlene Becker from Chittenango, Nidhi Shah from Horseheads, Michael Freeman from Walton and Amanda Thornton from Marathon. After the judges had scored each student, Michael Freeman will move on to the Zone level, at Mohawk C.S. Feb. 4. Each student won a scholarship award.

(Chittenango, NY- Feb. 1, 2012) The Chittenango Police Dept is asking assistance from the public in helping identify the white male in this photo.

The subject used a credit card stolen from a residence in the Village of Chittenango on Jan. 7. The subject used the card to make a purchase inside the Nice N Easy Store on Route 5 in the town of Lenox at about 11:19 a.m. on Jan. 9.

The subject did get into the passenger side of late model gray colored pickup.

Anyone with information can contact the Chittenango Police Dept at (315) 687-3930 or (315) 687-3939.

(Chittenango, NY – Feb. 2012) This year, the village of Chittenango will celebrate its bicentennial. Town Historian Dick Sullivan, bicentennial committee chairman, and co-chairman Charlie Albee will be addressing the Greater Sullivan Area Chamber of Commerce to outline the many events that are planned to celebrate this historic occasion.

Chamber member and Ten Pin Restaurant owner Marrianne Finocchiaro will host the Chamber’s breakfast meeting Feb. 7 at 7:30 a.m.. This Chamber meeting is open to the public.

The breakfast buffet is $7. The Sullivan Chamber would like to invite everyone to attend this important informational bicentennial meeting.

(Town of Fenner, NY – Jan. 2012) A few tense moments ended in skilled rescue at Chittenango Falls State Park on State Route 13 Jan. 28. Sheriff’s deputies and state park police received a call reporting two hikers lost in the park just before 6 p.m.

Upon arrival, Deputies communicated with the Madison County 911 Center to get a better location of the hikers, as 911 Center personnel were in contact with one of the hikers via cell phone. Deputies drove their vehicles in the area with their emergency lights on until the hikers could see the flashes of the emergency lights, and made their way to the side of a sharp, steep hill that parallels Chittenango Creek, just north of the main park entrance.

Deputies established communication with the pair and provided instructions so they would remain safe. Chittenango, along with North Chittenango, Cazenovia and Lincoln Fire Departments responded when the call for a rope rescue was issued.

An aerial ladder truck from Chittenango Fire Department was deployed; rescuers extended the ladder over the very fast flowing creek. Rope rescue personnel crossed the creek and climbed up the hill on the other side, guiding the hikers across the ladder and to a waiting ambulance.

The hikers, Brian Abramowitz of Commack and Jenna Goldberg of Jericho, both 22, were evaluated on the scene by Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corp due to their prolonged exposure. They were not transported to a hospital as both refused further medical treatment.

The hikers had been trying to find their way out of the park for nearly three hours when they called 911 for help.

John Ball is undersheriff of Madison County.

The Erie Canalway Commission and Heritage Fund Board presented grant awards to Central New York recipients on Jan. 25. Pictured from left are

Christine O’Neil, Joan DiChristina of Chittenango Landing, Natalie Stetson and Dan Ward of the Erie Canal Museum, Judy Schmidt-Dean and Tom Blanchard from Erie Canalway and Liz Ayers of WCNY. 

(Jan. 2012) The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission, in partnership with the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, awarded $43,700 in grants to assist organizations with canal-related education, preservation, and tourism projects.

Seven organizations from Albany to Buffalo received funding, including three in Central New York: Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum (Chittenango), Erie Canal Museum (Syracuse), and the Public Broadcasting Council of Central New York/WCNY (Syracuse). Other recipients include: Albany Institute of History and Art (Albany), The Buffalo Zoo (Buffalo), New York Folklore Society (Schenectady), and the Schenectady Museum & Suits–Bueche Planetarium (Schenectady).

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum received $7,000 to complete a Cultural Landscape Report. The report will document critically-needed repairs and provide recommendations and strategies to preserve and improve Chittenango’s dry-docks and historic character.

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York, encompassing the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments, as well as more than 230 canal communities. Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission, in partnership with the National Park Service, collaborates with government agencies, communities and organizations to protect and promote the canal corridor for all to use and enjoy.  The Erie Canalway Heritage Fund is dedicated to charitable, educational, and civic purposes within the confines of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.