Canajoharie

Twenty Years Ago

Canajoharie’s appointed town Supervisor Robert McMahon offered the Town Board his resignation. “If you want my resignation, you can have it right now,” McMahon told the board after the council-members voted to accept a recommendation from the Town Planning Board on use permits, which would have to be reviewed every two years. McMahon had opposed the proposal along with several others offered by the Planning Board, the Planning Board’s consulting engineering firm, and the cost of the study. The supervisor said he believed he had a binding resolution a few months ago that the use permit provision in a local law adopted during that same meeting would be taken out the next time the Planning Board recommendations were reviewed.

Wendy Horender and Michael Ganey have been named Valedictorian and Salutatorian respectively for the Class of 1992. Horender is the daughter of Leonard and Judy Horender and Ganey is the son of Dr. Russell and Linda Ganey.

As a result of an accident recently, Canajoharie’s unique island stoplight, a fixture in this small Mohawk Valley community since the 1920s, was twisted almost a quarter-turn, causing some confusion for drivers approaching the intersection. Numerous Department of Public Works employees, along with Chief of Canajoharie Police David Wilday, managed to use crowbars to get the signal back facing the correct traffic flow.

Thirty Years Ago

Canajoharie, which has suffered perhaps more than any other Mohawk Valley community in the loss of retail business during the past two decades, happily is now bucking the recession years of the early 1980s with a rebirth of its downtown area. One national chain, McDonald’s, is building a brand new Big Mac, scheduled to open soon in the Dutchtown Shopping Plaza. Doris Holtz, president of the Canajoharie-Palatine Chamber of Commerce, noted that right now there’s only two vacant stores along Main and Church streets, one soon to be occupied by a greeting card and gift shop. “I can’t really explain this renaissance,” Miss Holtz said, “but I know the Chamber has been helpful in making information available to prospective new businesses. Our present shopkeepers and local financial institutions also have been most supportive in these efforts.” Mayor Mary Plank comments, “I think some it has to do with pride of our village’s people. They don’t like to look at empty stores any more than I do. Their encouragement of other local people to provide services that have not existed for a long time has been encouraging. Frankly, I’m overjoyed and speak for the entire Village Board when I say that we’ll help these new businesses to the best of our ability whenever possible.”

Forty Years Ago

Hundreds of children from Canajoharie and Fort Plain are expected to participate in “the Wonderful World of Children” activities coming up at Nellis Memorial field.

Students need not look for new rules and methods to be governed by, but should rather turn to the Ten Commandments, according to R. William Kallbaugh, head basketball coach at RPI and guest speaker at the annual Canajoharie Central School All-Sports banquet.

One of the largest crowds to witness an Ames Old Homes Day parade jammed into the village on a Saturday afternoon despite a chilling breeze.

Fort Plain

Twenty Years Ago

One of the greatest races ever to be held in the Mohawk Valley is set to happen soon. The Great Recyclable Boat Races between the technology classes of the Fort Plain and Canajoharie Central Schools is more an example of cooperation than competition between the two neighboring districts. Traditional sporting rivals, for years athletic events between the two schools have often packed gymnasiums and athletic fields with anxious spectators rooting for their teams. The boat races are somewhat different though, according to Canajoharie’s technology instructor Duane Heroth. He said the spirit of the competition surely will promote a healthy, good natured battle. But the races, he said, were never intended to be a ‘rival school against rival school’ situation. “What we’re demonstrating is that our neighboring districts are capable of cooperation, while we’re demonstrating the importance of making all the best uses we can of recyclable materials,” Heroth said.

Craig Phillips’ 300th baseball win put his Fort Plain Hilltoppers on the brink of claiming another Section II Class C title. The Hilltoppers worked their way into that final after posting wins over Stillwater, 7-1, and Mechanicville, 6-1, with the victory over Mechanicville giving the veteran Phillips his significant coaching accomplishment.

Thirty Years Ago

The Fort Plain Central School District Board of Education adopted a 1982-83 budget of $3,839,616.70 at its wrap-up meeting with the advisory committee. Finishing touches are expected to be placed on the document at the board’s monthly meeting. IT translates into an increase of five to ten percent over last year’s tax bills for the individual taxpayer if the new budget is adopted by district voters. District Superintendent Robert Brearey refused to be tied down to more definite figures. “It’s impossible,” he said, “when we have no idea yet on how much operating aid we will get from the state.” He noted that the budget as it now stands is up a little over ten percent. “If the Legislature comes through with something like the 14 percent increase in aid it had earmarked for us before the Carey veto it would pretty well cover our higher budget and what a new contractual agreement with staff will cost. Then our tax rate increase could be minimal.”

Tim Hudyncia hurled a no-hitter as Bob Hoyer’s Hilltoppers, the 14-15-year-old Fort Plain team in the Johnstown Babe Ruth league turned in a 7-0 victory over Fonda on the Hilltop diamond.

Forty Years Ago

An overnight stakeout at the Fort Plain High School building by Patrolman Richard Durfee and Special Officer Alan Howe surprised three Gloversville residents caught in the act of burglarizing the school.

School budgets were defeated by voters in Fort Plain and St. Johnsville, while Canajoharie voters approved theirs.

St. Johnsville

Twenty Years Ago

An important contribution was made to the future of this country at the St. Johnsville High School. Three visitors expressed their shock and concern over today’s increasing number of alcohol-related car crashes, and shared with the students the feeling of helplessness they experience when they are at a crash scene or working with someone who has been paralyzed or otherwise scarred for life after having a few drinks and hitting the road. The three special visitors were Tom Wolf, an emergency medical technician with the St. Johnsville Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps; Susan Everett, St. Mary’s Hospital, Amsterdam, coordinator of the Education for Safety Project, under the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee; and representing the local police department was St. Johnsville Police Officer William Farber. Also involved in the program, which stressed the question: ‘How to make safe choices,’ was District Health Teacher Lonnie Knizek and School Nurse Mary Ann VanGorder.

Governor Mario M. Cuomo announced plans to rehabilitate the Route 61 bridge over the Erie Canal system in the town of St. Johnsville. The project is part of Cuomo’s ongoing Rebuild New York Program, a multi-year, multi-billion dollar infrastructure initiative that will improve the movement of people and goods throughout the State.

Thirty Years Ago

Board of Education President Donald Klemme said he hopes school district voters will tell the board where they want cuts to be made in the proposed 1982-83 budget at the meeting in the high school. The proposed $2,264,845 budget was defeated 497-122 is one of the largest voter turnouts anyone could remember in the St. Johnsville Central School District. A total of 748 votes were counted in the election, which also saw incumbent board member Wanda Iacobucci defeat challenger, 568-150.

Voters in the Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School District approved the 1982-83 school budget by a vote of 191-144. Also approved was a proposition to purchase a van, 191-144, and a new bus, 183-141. Gerald Gray, an incumbent member and president of the Board of Education, was unopposed, receiving 300 votes. Cyrus Frasier, a former board member, defeated Peter O’Dell, 268-129 for a one-year term. Mary Ann Charon defeated Lewis Hastings, 207-128, for a two-year term. The total turnout was 423 voters.

The Licari’s Foodland women’s softball team recorded its first win, defeating Fulton County Bank, 14-1, at Meco.

Forty Years Ago

Rita Swartz and Joan Conboy were elected to the Board of Education.

The repaving of North Division Street from Main Street to the village line has begun.