I rarely ever have the opportunity to spend time in the city during weekday working hours. I currently work outside the city, I leave home around 6:30am and return around 4:30pm. I miss out on the flurry of day-to-day city life. Last Friday, I took off from work for a little R&R with my wife, Melissa. Before we headed out for the day I had an appointment downtown in the AM. The amount of traffic and activity I found myself immersed in was incredible. People coming and going from the restaurants, office buildings, the post office.... Now, I've lived in Troy my entire life and have been apart of the downtown hustle and bustle before, but it had been awhile. For the most part my exposure to downtown Troy is nights, weekends, and special City sponsored events. The atmosphere is completely different between working hours and non-working hours. That morning there was an energy that can't be felt during off hours. Troy was alive. Store fronts were lite and the doors were open, people coming and going. Then I thought, "where do these people go between the hours of 4:30pm and 7am?" Are they all day zombies and at night they fade into the building walls? All joking aside, what will it take to have the streets busy with activity off-hours and on the weekends?
The City and Mayor Tutunjian deserve a great deal of credit for doing a great job of promoting the city and having the many municipal festivals we hold year round. Now, due to previous successes, we are experiencing major infrastructure improvements which include outside investment and private development. With the addition of Dinosaur BBQ and the revival of the Congress/Ferry Street corridor, new and unique attractions will soon be opening that include a much in demand movie theater and retail. Additionally, all the "little" projects such as the new street signals and improvements to the sidewalk corners improve the look, feel, and safety of downtown and bigger projects such as the redevelopment of Riverfront Park and the old city hall site will all add a certain something that has been missing over the recent years. Put all these projects together, with those downtown development projects that have been previously completed, and you have something special that will draw people to Troy and give them something to do, and will draw future developers and businesses because they will see that Troy is a city on the move and is a great place to live, work, and play.
Downtown has many positive things happening in and around it. It is our economic center and home to city, county, and some state governmental offices, but it also now has the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District to serve as its stewards moving into the future. A more consistent, busy city life will return, how much of it, I don't know, but for all of Troy to be successful we need a successful downtown. We are an urban city and our downtown is where the majority of our commerce will happen (tax dollars generated). Now that downtown has been stabilized and is growing positively now the attention needs to be heavily focused on our residential neighborhoods, especially areas in Lansingburgh, South Troy, and sections of Albia, and Sycaway. This will be the focus of my next blog... Neighborhood Rebirth.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
The Count Down Has Begun!
We are less than one month away from the 35th Annual Uncle Sam Parade and Celebration... However the festivities are set to get underway next Saturday August 21st with the Miss Uncle Sam Pageant.
This is the 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!
This year's parade will feature a number of new bands and participants and there is a rumor that the US Air Force may make a quick but special appearance to mark this very special year. A fun time is guaranteed for all.
The following is a list of events leading up to and including the 35th Parade:
1. Uncle Sam Jam and Power in the Park Car Show
at Powers Park on Saturday August 28 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm
2. Annual Uncle Sam Grave Side Ceremony conducted by the Veterans of Lansingburgh.
at Oakwood Cemetery Saturday September 11th beginning at 10am
3. Annual Citizen of the Year Brunch conducted by the Uncle Sam Parade Committee
at the Veterans of Lansingburgh Saturday September 11th following the Grave Side Ceremony. For tickets call me, Jim Gordon, at 365-2270.
This year we honor John Murphy the owner of Snowman ice cream of Lansingburgh as our Citizen of the Year. We will honor our Grand Marshal Mayor Harry J Tutunjian and our Humanitarian of the Year David Hamilton.
4. 35th Annual Uncle Sam Parade
5th Avenue from 125th to 106th Streets in Lansingburgh. Parade marches rain or shine.
5. Uncle Sam Celebration
at Kinickerbacker Park, live music featuring THE HOLLIES, BADFINGER, & BILLY J KRAMER and THE DAKOTAS with Blue Hand Luke in one of their final shows together and Donny "Elvis", an international food court, rides and games for the kids, and FIREWORKS! Beings at the conclusion of the parade.
Finally on a 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.
This is the 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!
This year's parade will feature a number of new bands and participants and there is a rumor that the US Air Force may make a quick but special appearance to mark this very special year. A fun time is guaranteed for all.
The following is a list of events leading up to and including the 35th Parade:
1. Uncle Sam Jam and Power in the Park Car Show at Powers Park on Saturday August 28 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm
2. Annual Uncle Sam Grave Side Ceremony conducted by the Veterans of Lansingburgh.
at Oakwood Cemetery Saturday September 11th beginning at 10am
3. Annual Citizen of the Year Brunch conducted by the Uncle Sam Parade Committee
at the Veterans of Lansingburgh Saturday September 11th following the Grave Side Ceremony. For tickets call me, Jim Gordon, at 365-2270.
This year we honor John Murphy the owner of Snowman ice cream of Lansingburgh as our Citizen of the Year. We will honor our Grand Marshal Mayor Harry J Tutunjian and our Humanitarian of the Year David Hamilton.
4. 35th Annual Uncle Sam Parade
5th Avenue from 125th to 106th Streets in Lansingburgh. Parade marches rain or shine.
5. Uncle Sam Celebration
at Kinickerbacker Park, live music featuring THE HOLLIES, BADFINGER, & BILLY J KRAMER and THE DAKOTAS with Blue Hand Luke in one of their final shows together and Donny "Elvis", an international food court, rides and games for the kids, and FIREWORKS! Beings at the conclusion of the parade.
Finally on a 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.
Monday, August 2, 2010
National Night Out
Tomorrow residents across the city will be out celebrating National Night Out (NNO). NNO is an annual celebration sponsored and created by the National Association of Town Watch and designed for community members to get out into their community and show a since of unity and create a heightened awareness for crime and drug prevention ; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
The North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch is one of the many neighborhood goups that will be celebrating the event in their community. Specifically, the NLNW will be gathering at the 112th Street Gateway Park that they were instrumental in the development of. The group work with Mayor Tutunjian to design and then build the riverfront park. While the park is currently waiting for phase two of construction the group plans to meet and do some minor park maintenance and landscaping while enjoying a bar-b-que cookout.
Additionally, the group is pleased to once again welcome Pastor Willie Bacote and the Missing Link Street Ministry. Last year the group "marched against violence" from the Harry Dahl Firehouse at 115th Street and Fifth Avenue and ended in Powers Park with a cookout.
The group is asking for plant donations to be added to the plant beds. We are also asking that you bring a friend with you. Lets use this informal setting as an opportunity to "recruit" new members for our group. Strength is in the numbers when it comes to neighborhood watch's. The more people we have scanning the street and reporting activity the greatly increase our opportunity for success.
If your free and would like to stop by our or any other groups NNO celebration, please do. For an outline of the evening events citywide, click here.
The North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch is one of the many neighborhood goups that will be celebrating the event in their community. Specifically, the NLNW will be gathering at the 112th Street Gateway Park that they were instrumental in the development of. The group work with Mayor Tutunjian to design and then build the riverfront park. While the park is currently waiting for phase two of construction the group plans to meet and do some minor park maintenance and landscaping while enjoying a bar-b-que cookout.
Additionally, the group is pleased to once again welcome Pastor Willie Bacote and the Missing Link Street Ministry. Last year the group "marched against violence" from the Harry Dahl Firehouse at 115th Street and Fifth Avenue and ended in Powers Park with a cookout.
The group is asking for plant donations to be added to the plant beds. We are also asking that you bring a friend with you. Lets use this informal setting as an opportunity to "recruit" new members for our group. Strength is in the numbers when it comes to neighborhood watch's. The more people we have scanning the street and reporting activity the greatly increase our opportunity for success.
If your free and would like to stop by our or any other groups NNO celebration, please do. For an outline of the evening events citywide, click here.
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!
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Riverside Steak Roast at the Boat Club
One of everyone's favorite summer past times is spending time in and around water. Obviously, Upstate NY offers a variety of options for everyone; beaches, lakes, rivers, ponds, and we're not too far from the ocean. One of my favorite things to do is relax and cookout by the water and enjoy a nice boat ride. If this is something that you enjoy as well, I would encourage you to set sail and lower anchor at the Troy Motor Boat and Canoe Club this Saturday for their Annual Steak Roast.
The "Boat Club" has been in existence since 1910 and overlooks the Hudson River in Lansingburgh. Located at 763 1st Ave the Boat Club offers commercial marine dock space, a rental hall, full bar, and weekly take-out dinners. With many special events happening throughout year, the club has long been a favorite watering hole for those in and around the Capital Region and the occasional water way traveler.
The Annual Steak Roast Party is sure to be a great time. Dinner will be served at 6pm on July 3rd and is $12 per person. There will even be fireworks at dusk. Stop by anytime! For more information or to reserve your steak please call 470-2929 and for more information on the Boat Club and their upcoming events visit www.troyboatclub.com
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