Canajoharie

Twenty Years Ago

The joint study committee for the proposed reorganization of the Canajoharie and Sharon Springs central school districts has completed its tenth weekly meeting. The most recent session was held recently in the East Hill Elementary School cafetorium. Consolidation consultant Jack Nagle noted that he felt the committee is getting a good sense of what a new school district would look like. Although the respective boards of education have not decided whether to go with a merger or an annexation.

All of the 1992 presidential campaign catch-phrases leaped from the Canajoharie High School auditorium stage as members of the senior class donned the facade of the candidates, and slugged it out in a mock debate. It was all part of Time Magazine’s annual National Student/Parent Mock Election, and the students really got into the act.

Eric Smith, a senior at Canajoharie High School, was recently named as the sole nominee to the 1992-93 U.S. Senate Youth Program. Sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, in cooperation with the United States Senate and the education departments of all the states, the U.S. Senate Youth Program selects two students from each state to visit Washington, D.C. to travel, all expenses paid, to engage in a series of seminars and briefings with Senators and members of the House of Representatives and meet officials of the executive and judicial branches of government. Smith is the son of Donald and Laurie Smith, of Palatine Bridge.

Thirty Years Ago

The Canajoharie-Palatine-Root Community Chest campaign is now underway, according to the chairman, Mrs. Ethel Conroy, who announced that a goal of $28,950 has been set.

A fire of suspicious origin is currently under investigation by the Montgomery County Arson Squad. Fire was reported by a neighbor of an unoccupied dwelling on First Street, off Shaper Avenue, which reportedly broke out in several places and crept into the attic of the building, which received considerable damage.

Gail Shaffer, Democratic candidate for re-election to the 105th Assembly, was a guest speaker at the Canajoharie Senior Citizens meeting held at the American Legion rooms. She spoke about the rights of the elderly and help for the senior citizens.

Forty Years Ago

George M. Perry, president of Beech-Nut, Inc., announced that the company has reached an agreement in principle with J. Lyons and Co., a leading British food company, for the sale of Beech-Nut’s beverage operations to Lyons. The businesses to be sold are Tetley Tea and Martison, Beech-Nut and Bustelo coffees in the United States, Tetley Tea Company Ltd. (United Kingdom) and Robert Timms, Proprietary, Ltd. (Australia).

About 1,700 customers were left without power for about an hour-and-a-half when a dead elm tree being felled by a resident of Old Fort Plain Road, just west of Canajoharie, toppled onto a 13,000 volt primary transmission line of the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.

Fort Plain

Twenty Years Ago

A day after losing the use of its River Street, Nelliston facility to fire, Nelliston Postmaster Betsy Baker remained in good cheer while temporary operations were being conducted in the Fort Plain Post Office. The Nelliston Post Office, which serves 325 post boxes, was forced to move to a temporary location after a fire broke out in one of four apartments in the two-story brick structure in which the post office is located. Baker said she really doesn’t know when — or even if — the Nelliston Post Office will be reopened. The building is owned by Samuel Zappia, of Herkimer.

A surprise 25th wedding anniversary was tendered at the Canajoharie-Fort Plain Elks Lodge in Nelliston for Warren and Rosanne Hoffman, of Fort Plain RD. The party was given by the Hoffmans’ respective families, and music was provided by “The New Country Band.” The couple was married Oct. 21, 1967 at the Fort Plain Reformed Church by the Rev. Hillabrandt.

Capt. Gerald (Butch) R. Diotte, Jr., was promoted to his present rank at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he most recently served as the Executive Officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 7-101 Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

Thirty Years Ago

About 300 youngsters took part in the annual Halloween parade sponsored jointly by the Fort Plain Girl Scout Service and the Fort Plain Volunteer Fire Department.

Students in the Harry Hoag Elementary School took part in a straw poll conducted by their social studies teachers, Tom Murray and Terry Collins. The poll was in conducted in conjunction with the study of the 1982 elections, focusing on the races for New York state governor, U.S. Senate, the Congressional race for the 25th District and contests for the state legislature. Results are as follows: Governor, Lew Lehrman 147, Mario Cuomo 55; U.S. Senate, Daniel Movnihan 131, Florence M. Sullivan 45; representatives in Congress, 25th District, Sherwood Boehlert 84, Anita Maxwell 70; State Senate, 44th District, Hugh T. Farley 136, Guido A. Loyola 40; member of Assembly, 105th District, Gail Shaffer 147, Bernard Waldron 32.

Many people in the Fort Plain area will be along for Thanksgiving and a concerned group of senior citizens from the Fort Plain Senior Citizens Center would like to sponsor a noontime Thanksgiving dinner for those in the community who will be alone for this holiday. “This will be for everyone, not just senior citizens,” noted Holly Rhodes, center director.

Forty Years Ago

The political race is heating up, generating considerable local interest in the two candidates vying for a seat in the new 44th District. Running for the seat are Assemblywoman Mary Anne Krupsak, Democratic-Liberal and Republican-Conservative Robert E. Lynch.

A meeting was held for landowners in the Canajoharie-Fort Plain area to discuss steps involved in the formatting of agricultural districts.

St. Johnsville

Twenty Years Ago

St. Johnsville High School students learned the fine art of running an election campaign, thanks to some modern computer hardware and the efforts of teachers and adults. The more than 30 senior students gathered into groups of five or six in agriculture teacher Ben Conte’s room, and assumed the identities of a number of freshmen congressman in the New York State Farm Bureau’s Congressional Insight computer program. According to Kelli Owens, NYFB field advisor and state coordinator for the bureau’s political action committee, the students then became these freshman congresspersons. She said the computer program follows these first-term congresspersons through their first two-year terms and into their reelection campaigns. The NYFB uses to educate farm groups, civic groups and school classes about the workings of the political process. “This gives [participants] a greater appreciation for what an actual legislator goes through,” Owens said, “not only politically, but personally.”

The staff, students, parents and administration of the D.H. Robbins Elementary School are seeking donations to be sent to one of the areas of Florida recently devastated by Hurricane Andrew under the Adopt-A-School program. Each Wednesday for the last four weeks, a bake sale has been held at the school, with the help of several volunteer parents and members of the Parent Teachers Organization.

The St. Johnsville High School sophomore class pulled out all stops as the young people offered the young people of the village an indoor Halloween, which was held in the school’s cafeteria and gym.

Thirty Years Ago

Mischievous youths in the village will think twice next year about making a mess out of Police Chief Carlo Polidori’s streets on Halloween. Polidori knows how to get revenge. Residents of the village, who saw some 15 youngsters mopping, scrubbing and generally cleaning a section of Main Street probably did not know that the youths were cleaning up a mess they had created the night before.

Dawn Lamphere, director of the Margaret Reaney Memorial Library, attended the 89th annual conference of the New York Library Association in Albany.

Forty Years Ago

General Telephone has a new switching center on the corner of West Main and Mechanic streets.

Chris Green won the grand prize at the annual Halloween party sponsored by the St. Johnsville Volunteer Fire Department. He was dressed as a knight in armor.