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Fritters and fellowship
N. Syracuse begins new school year
CHA Fall Festival returns Sept. 17
Submitted by Laurie Cook NSCSD School Information Officer
By Ashley M. Casey Associate Editor Before the days of housing developments and bustling traffic on Route 31, Clay was a farm town. Each autumn, the Clay Historical Association reminisces about the town’s rural beginnings and celebrates the season with its fall festival. This year’s CHA Fall Festival takes place Saturday, Sept. 17, at Clay Historical Park (behind Immanuel Lutheran Church and before the railroad tracks). There is free admission and parking. CHA President Ruth Koch said the festival recalls a slower but more connected way of life. “It’s not like it used to be when the farmers and everybody would get together. They used to meet at church and there was socials and stuff like that, and there isn’t that anymore,” Koch said. Koch and her fellow CHA volunteers are hoping visitors will revive some of that community spirit by gathering to enjoy apple fritters, play games, meet local authors and see live demonstrations. Girl Scout Troop 10871 of Central Square will be doing face painting for kids. Karate John’s martial arts students will be showcasing their skills, and Civil War re-enactors will be on the scene as well. Margaret Currier will present a chair caning demonstration. Lt. Jonathan Anderson will host a display of the history of the Onondaga County Sheriff ’s Office. Festivalgoers are welcome to explore
T Submitted photo
Local vendors will be at the Clay Historical Association Fall Festival. the former Cigarville Railroad Station, Sellen-Weller barn, replica log cabin and the Visitor Center to learn about Clay’s history as a thriving tobacco industry town in the 1800s. The log cabin, a replica of the first built in Clay, contains furnishings and household items used by residents in the 19th century. Koch said there is a devoted group of festivalgoers who return each year. “They seem excited about seeing all the artifacts and so forth and they come back each year,” she said. The Clay Historical Association holds monthly open houses and frequent programs with area historians and local authors like Jim Farfaglia, who will be attending the CHA Fall Fest. A resident of Fulton, Farfaglia presented on his body of work at an Aug. 21 CHA program. He has written about the Blizzard of ’66, the former Nestlé factory in Fulton and the muck farms of Oswego County. Joining Farfaglia for the authors’ meet-and-greet is humorist Ermine Cunningham, who recently moved from Central New York to Colorado. Her most
recent book is “EVolution: Rose and Vera Save Mother Earth,” a mystical realism novel about two retirees who are tasked with saving the planet. Nearly 30 vendors have signed up to sell food and crafts, Koch said. Clay Historical Park’s next-door neighbor, Immanuel Lutheran Church, will be selling their famous apple pies. While the 2020 festival was canceled due to the pandemic, Koch said last year’s celebration was well-attended. Most festival fans are lifetime residents of Clay, like Koch, but CHA welcomes those who are newer to the community to discover the history and heritage of the area, too. “We’d like to get more people interested in history,” she said, adding that CHA encourages people to join and volunteer. By offering a look into Clay’s past, the CHA crew is hoping they can help save Clay’s future. “I’d like to see more conservation of the land. We’ve got only one farm left in the town,” Koch said.
he 2022-2023 school year began for North Syracuse Central School District students on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The district begins the year with a renewed mission and vision and a recommitment to be “Brighter Together.” These concepts have come out of the collective work of a Strategic Action Team, whose charge was to develop a vision, mission and goals to ensure the long-term success of the District. The collective work provides our school community with a renewed mission and shared goals to meet the needs of every student: To educate all students to the highest levels of academic achievement and prepare them to be productive, responsible, ethical, creative and compassionate members of society. This year there are many exciting things taking place and some new faces have been added to the district and its schools.
Elementary school updated
This year, the Karl W. Saile Bear Road Elementary School reopened its doors to its entire population of kindergarten-grade 4 students after more than two years of extensive reconstruction and renovation. Originally constructed in 1958, KWS Bear Road Elementary School had been in need of repairs when the NSCSD passed its first referendum for the project in 2016. That project was stalled due to higher than anticipated construction costs and shortages in the labor market. After a second successful referendum in December of 2019, construction was finally able to begin in May of 2020 but required the relocation of some students and staff. “The process of transforming this school into the model educational environment that it now is, has been long and difficult but it has absolutely been worth it,” Superintendent Daniel D. Bowles said. “We want to thank
North Syracuse tables public smoking restrictions
By Ashley M. Casey Associate Editor Smokers waiting for the village of North Syracuse’s proposed local law governing smoking and vaping in public will have to hold their breath for a bit longer. The village board of trustees decided to table the issue Sept. 8 after deeming the proposal too restrictive. Only one resident weighed in at the Sept. 8 public hearing on the matter. “If you had a smoke-free zone on village property, that’d solve all your problems,” resident Ken Ryan said. According to Mayor Gary Butterfield, the local law was drafted by Code Enforcement Officer Brian Johnstone. Village Attorney Robert Germain made some additions and revisions to Johnstone’s draft. Deputy Mayor Pat Gustafson called Germain’s revisions “a little too restrictive.” “I have a real problem with telling … a private citizen walking along a public street that they can’t smoke,” Gustafson said. “I’m not a smoker — never have been. That’s my right. It’s their right to smoke too.”
Trustee Christopher Strong thanked Germain for his additions but agreed with Gustafson. “I understand the spirit of [protecting] young kids at play, but obviously we’ve seen the turn of where New York State has gone recently,” he said. According to a letter to the village from Rachael Russell, a public health educator for Tobacco-Free CNY, New York State Public Health Law now “prohibits smoking and vaping of tobacco and cannabis products between sunrise and sunset at all playgrounds in New York when one or more children under age 12 are present.” As of Oct. 13, smoking combustible tobacco and/or cannabis products will not be allowed in public parks. This restriction does not include vaping and e-cigarettes. The law also allows municipalities to fine offenders $50. “The areas not covered by this law include the sidewalks immediately adjoining parks, squares, or public places; any pedestrian route through any park strip, median or mall that is adjacent to vehicular traffic; parking lots or roadways; theatrical productions; and any portion
of the park that is not used for park purposes,” Russell added. Municipalities will be required to post signage indicating smoking is prohibited; Tobacco-Free CNY can provide free signs and help with policy implementation. Butterfield said the village follows Onondaga County’s laws regarding smoking, but Strong noted that people were using cannabis at a concert he attended recently at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview. Strong suggested the village consult employee unions in crafting the local law, as it may affect workers who smoke. New York State Labor Law does not require employers to provide designated smoke breaks, but it requires unpaid meal periods and provides for optional but paid rest breaks. The village will revisit the proposed law at a future meeting. The next meeting of the North Syracuse Village Board of Trustees will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the North Syracuse Community Center, located at 700 South Bay Road. For more information, visit northsyracuseny.org.
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Motorcyclist dies in Salina crash
Antonio Vallejo, 27, of Syracuse, died after a motorcyle crash on Saturday, Sept. 11, according to Onondaga County Sheriffs. At approximately 1:20 a.m. sheriff ’s deputies, along with rescue personnel, responded to Court Street nearRoxford Road North for a fatal crash involving a motorcycle. Deputies investigating the crash reported that Vallejo, operating a Suzuki motorcycle, was traveling west on Court Street when he lost control of the motorcycle. The motorcycle left the north shoulder of the road where it struck the curb, causing Vallejo to be ejected from the motorcycle. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Court Street between Roxford Road North and Wayland Road was closed for several hours while members of the Sheriff ’s Office Accident Investigation Team investigated the crash. The sheriffs office reported that speed appears to have played a factor in the crash.
Cicero man faces charges for allegedly driving into Justice Center twice in one day According to Onondaga County Sheriffs a Cicero man has been charged with intentionally ramming his vehicle into the Justice Center’s Sally Port overhead door twice in one day. At 2:25 a.m. on Sept. 10, deputies monitoring the Justice Center’s security surveillance system observed an unidentified male operating a GMC Sierra pick-up, allegedly intentionally ram his pick-up truck into the Justice Center’s sally port
overhead door. The suspect fled from the area and was not immediate located. Later that day, at approximately 10:40 p.m., the same individual reportedly returned to the Justice Center and again rammed his pickup truck into an overhead door. The suspect vehicle fled the scene however, responding patrol deputies observed the on South Townsend Street. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the pick-up in the area of South Townsend
Street and East Adams Street. The driver reportedly refused to comply and entered Interstate 81North, where the driver accelerated the vehicle in excess of the posted speed limit. Air1 assisted ground units by monitoring the direction of the suspect vehicle as it continued northbound. As the vehicle approached the State Route 31 exit, deputies were able to successfully deploy stop sticks, which disabled the vehicle, allowing
for them to take the suspect into custody without further incident. The driver, Kevin Somer, 33, was charged with two counts of criminal mischief in the second degree, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, unlawful fleeing a police officer and was issued several traffic tickets. Somer is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center pending his arraignment.
Volume 130, Number 37 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
sports news: Liverpool, C-NS football off to quick starts.
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Celebrating God’s Story
library news: Alzheimer’s-related Storywalks offered.
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Calendar ������������������ 11 death notices ��������� 10 history ���������������������� 12 Editorial ��������������������� 4
letters ������������������������ 5 Obituaries ���������������� 10 PennySaver ���������������� 6 Sports ����������������������� 13
Yesterday, Today, and Forever MORE DETAILS
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