Monday, July 19, 2010

The British are coming!

As I have mentioned several times on this blog we have hired a world renown music act to help celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Uncle Sam Parade and Celebration... To further example the international harmony shared between the United States and the English we will be joined by Billy J Kramer and the Dakota's, the Hollies' Terry Sylvester (inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2010), and Badfinger's Joey Mulland as they present their Liverpool Invasion show. These three legendary stars will perform a show full of hits that include "Long Cool Woman," "Bus Stop," "Come and Get It," "No Matter What," "Bad to Me," and "From A Window" to name a few. This will prove to be a must see show and it's FREE!!! Prior to to this performance Donny "Elvis" will return once again this year along with Blue Hand Luke... Three acts... a day full of family fun and entertainment... Sunday September 12 following the 35th Annual Uncle Sam Parade and Celebration...



The Uncle Sam celebration is a two day event... On Saturday September 11th beginning at 10am The Veterans of Lansingburgh will conduct the Annual Uncle Sam Grave Side Ceremony in Oakwood Cemetery. This is a celebration of patriotism honoring those who serve and have served and the legacy of "Uncle" Samuel Wilson... Following the grave site ceremony the Parade Committee will host the Annual Citizen of the Year Brunch at the Veterans of Lansingburgh. Stay tuned for more information on the brunch and the 2010 honorees.

Side Note: The Parade Committee is currently conducting a ticket raffle. For a $100 chance you have the opportunity of winning a grand prize of $10,000 or one of our eight other prizes that range from $1,000 to $250.... Only 250 tickets will be sold.... if your interested or would like more information please email me at jgordon003@nycap.rr.com... All proceeds will benefit the 2010 Parade and Celebration.

Finally, last call for entrants for the Miss Uncle Sam Pageant. Alta Reynolds, director of the Uncle Sam Pageant, is now accepting applications from young ladies from Rensselaer County. The pageant will be held on Saturday, August 21, 10:00am, and conducted in St. Augustine's Hall located on the corner of 114th Street and 4th Avenue in Lansingburgh.

For brochures and more information please write to: Uncle Sam Pageant, Alta Reynolds, 8 Bank Street, Troy, NY 12180 or call Alta at 274-7294. Don't miss out on being named to the Miss Uncle Sam Court during this milestone 35th Anniversary Year!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Litter Bugs or should I say Slobs

I will never understand the human race. What is it within us that makes people live and act like animals? I am speaking specifically about littering. Everyone sees it on a daily bases, people just throwing their waste on the streets. Usually it’s something small in nature, but that still doesn’t make it acceptable.

The other night I was driving up 5th Ave. near the police department substation and noticed that there was an abundance of garbage strewn about the streets. Everything from cups, wrappers, chip bags, bottles… you name it. I thought to myself, “the nerve of these people doing this right under the nose of the police department.” Some people just don’t care about the conditions that they live in let alone the conditions they make others live in.

The following night I attended the monthly city council meeting. During the public comment period several people got up and spoke about individual’s civil liberties and how they are being violated in the city of Troy. Let me preface my thoughts by saying I am not dismissing the notion that certain individual’s liberties may have been violated or not. That got me to thinking, what about my neighbors and my civil liberties? We are the ones who are trying to uphold some level of decency in our community while there is an overabundance of people who wish to crap on it. Excuse my language but this upsets me. Drive through South Troy or North Central and tell me if the majority of the people that live there care about OUR civil liberties. While there are a few people in those neighborhoods that do care and do their best to improve them by organizing weekly cleanups and even spend their own money to buy and plant flowers just for those who could care less continue to litter and kill and steal the flowers. To continue to see these things happen and hear the stories drives me insane.

This brings me to today while I was traveling up River Street and just as I was passing Flanagan Square I saw a woman throw two empty soda bottles, an assortment of wrappers, and cigarette butts out her parked car window onto the street. I pulled up alongside her and asked, “What the hell are you thinking?” She ignored me. So, I asked again, “why would you choose to do something like that?” She answered by saying, “What the “f” are you talking about?”

At this point I noticed that she was an adult woman, not a teen, just and immature adult. “Why would you throw your garbage all over the street like that,” I asked. She replied by telling me to get the “f” out of her way because she had to go into her house. I then asked, “You live here? Why couldn’t you have brought all that into the house and thrown it away?” At that point she called me a few choice words. I then gave her two options. I said, “Mam, I don’t appreciate people who treat my city as a dump. There are people who work hard to make the place we all live the best that it can be. I am asking you to put your ignorance aside and pick up what I just watched you throw out your window that happens to be in front of the house where you live and if you choose not to you’ll have to explain to the police why you choose to make all of us suffer because you choose to live like a slob.” She thought for a moment, climbed out of her car and picked up her mess and then some. I thanked her for making the right decision and continued on my merry way.

This is OUR Troy, we own it trough our hard work, sweat, and taxes. We need to stand up and fight for what’s ours and protect it, if not us who will? No one. And if that happens we’ll just waste away.

Friday, July 9, 2010

From the Pools to the Powers Park Concerts!

Powers Park Concert Series

Hey guess what… the Powers Park Concert Series starts tomorrow night! That’s right… one of the most highly anticipated summer events in Lansingburgh, or should I say all of Troy returns with seven weeks of free entertainment in one of Troy’s oldest and historic parks. Vito Ciccarelli has put together another great season of entertainment that includes everything from rock to country to dance party music. This is a true family friendly event and if you haven’t been before there is no better time to start than now… Hope to see you there, shows start at 6pm and you are encouraged to bring you own lawn chair if not you’ll be sitting on the ground. For more information visit http://troyny.gov/visittroy/powersparkconcertseries.html

The 2010 Powers Park Concert Schedule
July 10 - Cryin Out Loud
July 17 - Al Bruno, Neil Diamond Tribute
July 24 -Blue Hand Luke, Classic Rock Party
July 31 - Renee’ Lussier & Branchwater, Country Night
Aug 07 - Four School, Teacher Rock
Aug 14 - Solid Smoke, Funk N Soul Night
Aug 21 - The Greyhounds, Retro Dance Party


IT'S POOL TIME


There has been a lot of hubbub lately on the news and in the papers about the delayed opening of the city pools… The South Troy and Lansingburgh pools have since been opened… But I don’t want to dwell on the he said she said; finger pointing and bickering that has surrounded this story. Instead I’d like to highlight some of the good city residents can gain from utilizing our public pools.

Most of the attention recently has been how the pools benefit the kids. Well other than the obvious, swimming (for free), they can also receive free swimming lessons, receive a free lunch on weekdays, and participate in swim clinics hosted by the Uncle Sam Swim team. But the fun can be had by adults too… The free evening swim programs offer a variety of ways to relax and enjoy the water. There are daily adult swims (no kids splashing about) and family events (probably a little less rowdy than open swim times). The pools are open every day of the week from 1pm to 5:30 pm... the evening swim programs are held weekdays only, from 6pm to 8pm.

Click here to download the City’s 2010 Summer Swim Program for more information. This is a great was to stay cool, have fun, and to enjoy the summer all for no or very little cost. So make sure you maximize your use of these facilities and remember safety first.