Fact Finder vol. 2, issue 24, June 23, 2012

THE PORT HENRY FACT FINDER

Reporting the News and Needs of Port Henry and Vicinity

vol. 2, issue #24 June 23, 2012

This issue has been made possible by the generous support of the following:
Frank Martin, Walt's Used Cars, and Ticonderoga Federal Credit Union

BOARD NOTES
The monthly meeting of the Village Board was held Monday, June 11th at Village Hall. On May 3, 2012 the Village received a letter from the State Office of Emergency Management (SEMO) indicating that FEMA has deemed the beach portion of the Campground Restoration Project ineligible under the Public Assistance program. The Village is in the process of appealing this decision.

A Sump Pump Connection Survey letter has been mailed to Village property owners with the 2012 Village Property Tax Bills on May 31st to notify property owners of the required (a mandate from the State) survey and to provide advanced notice that the Village will begin the survey in the very near future.

A discussion was held on what to do, and how best to do it, to solve the College Street sewer problem. The old sewers will probably just be abandoned as they are buried 30 to 40 feet in the ground. Until this problem is remedied, College Street is closed to thru traffic at the intersection of Grove Street.

Now we come to possible "zoning" for Port Henry. "Zoning" is not a dirty word nor is it a "Big Brother" word, it is just a word in the dictionary, derived from the word "zone" which is defined as "any encircling band, stripe or girdle and then more specifically under City Planning: To partition (a city, etc.) by ordinance into zones reserved for different purposes, as residence, business, etc." according to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary of 1951 (do not laugh, I've been using it since it was published, where "who" was still a subject differentiated from "whom" an object). This is not a new subject of discussion among villagers, it has been broached in varying degrees before. The Board had wished to zone only Main Street from south to north and up Broad Street to College Street, but it seems that there is a law which does not allow this. It is be "zoned" either all or nothing. It is well worth studying the pros and cons of being zoned or not being zoned and making an informed choice when voting. The Board will be soliciting, a group of Village residents/taxpayers, on a voluntary basis, to serve as members of a "Zoning Commission." From this group of volunteers, the Mayor, with approval of the Board of Trustees, will appoint members of the Zoning Commission. The Zoning Commission is a separate body, set apart from the responsibilities of the Village Board. This will allow the Commission to focus solely on its limited mandate to prepare a draft of zoning regulations. Members of the Board may not serve on the Commission. The Commission will be studying the existing zones and dynamics of village life and how zoning could be an improvement or an intrusion. If you feel strongly about zoning, volunteer for this commission and help prepare an informed ordinance upon which fellow villagers may vote. To be considered for this volunteer commission, a request must be in writing and sent to the Board at Village Hall.

The pH7 Committee presented, for Board approval, the following proposed activities for the summer quarter of 2012:

"1. We would like to provide two orange cones with "Visitor Parking" on them to be placed by the first parking space by the information booth. The cones would be put out during the hours that the info booth is open. We want to have a place fore visitors to park so they can obtain the information they need. We will provide the cones.

2. We would like to place three planters along the strip in front of Mac's. The planters would be 30"x 25"x 22" (high). The committee will provide the planters and put in the plants (hopefully to be purchased by the village if there is still money in the fund) and we will maintain them. These planters are of the same design as those placed in front of the new Johnny Podres sign. They are relatively low and will not obstruct any views.

3. We plan to have the information booth open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning June 22nd and continuing through Labor Day weekend. The hours will be 10 am - 2 pm on these days. The booth will be staffed by one pH7 committee member and one RSVP volunteer

4. About every other Saturday until Labor Day we plan to offer "Art in the Park" where everyone will be invited to take part in a series of art activities. The first session is to be Jun 23rd and will be "Paint a Pot." The next activity will be on July 7thwhere people can have their picture taken with Champ and do a Champ craft.

The committee would also like to mention some beautification efforts which have been made recently during the Spring quarter: cleaned the information booth and placed a "Port Henry" sign above its entry; planted a sun and shade garden in the park; planted flowers in boxes and the Oval; installed a piece of art work in the form of a 'directional sign' in the boat launch area and currently is stabilizing and painting the interpretive sign at the front of Mac's parking lot."

JOHNNY PODRES SIGN DEDICATION

- as reported by Linda SmythWilly Grant, of Impeccable Signs, has created a finely crafted large and colorful new sign (designed by mega fan Pat Salerno, Jr.) that was unveiled in the Town of Moriah, June 9th. As you enter from the south of town you can see our local hero, Johnny Podres, against a scenic back drop of Lake Champlain. Tom Scozzafava gave the dedication speech. He praised the two-and-a-half year undertaking by Pat Salerno Jr. Pat has an unparalleled respect for Johnny Podres. Tom Scozzafava stated that Pat has the most extensive memorabilia of the Dodger baseball pitcher of anyone in the world. The pitcher truly had an affect on the young Pat Salerno Jr. Johnny Podres introduced Pat to many famous ball players. Present at the ceremony were Mrs. Joni Podres, Joan, her two daughters in-law and four young grandsons. The supervisor of Queensbury, Dan Steck, was also in attendance for the ceremony. It was a good sunny day for the town and a good day for the famous pitcher, Johnny Podres of Witherbee, New York.

The following excepts of Johnny Podres history were written by Lohr McKinstry for the Press Republican, Monday June 18, 2012 issue:

"Johnny grew up in Moriah's Witherbee hamlet and was an acclaimed Major League Baseball pitcher....He helped win the 1955 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers when he pitched an eight-hit shutout against the Yankees in game 7, so the Dodgers could prevail, 2-0. He was 23 years old at the time...."He was the greatest athlete from our little part of the Adirondacks," Salerno said. "Johnny is in the (Sports) Hall of Fame in Lake Placid, Albany and Glens Falls, and there's a beautiful bronze statue of him at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown."....Most of the 50 people in attendance cheered when Mrs. Podres pulled the cord to reveal the display. "It's a great honor," she said before the unveiling. "I just appreciate it so much, supporting John in what he did. Will Grant did a beautiful portrait." ....After he was signed, Johnny pitched his first game for the Dodgers on April 7, 1953. ....Johnny Podres died Jan. 13, 2008, at age 75, from complications following surgery. He is interred at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Moriah. ....He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1955 World Series, receiving the Babe Ruth Memorial Award. He led the National League in earned-run average and shutouts in 1957....In his 15-season career, Johnny compiled a 148–116 record, with 1,435 strikeouts. ...When he retired from the mound, he served as pitching coach for the San Jose Padres, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies, until his retirement in 1996."

A SPECIAL THANKS

Port Henry owes a special "Thanks" to Mountain Lake Services and particularly to the people of the Day Habilitation Helen F. McDonald Champlain Room for the wonderful care they are giving all the plantings around the Village. Everyday (except of course when it rains), they go about watering and caring for all our colorful "green people." That means the seven wooden planters, the Oval, the Park, the Library, down to the south bridge and on to the Johnny Podres sign, back to the foot bridges opposite Boyea's and finally to the north bridge. That is a lot of dedicated work! Again, thanks from the Village.

JANUS NOTES
The June 20th EDGe meeting was postponed until June 27th because of the heat. It will be held, as usual at the Town Court House.

The Port Henry Information Booth will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 2 pm, June 22nd through Labor Day.

Beginning June 23rd, the first Art in the Park event, Paint a Pot, will be held and everyone (all ages) is invited. The next activity will be on July 7thwhere people can have their picture taken with Champ and do a Champ craft.

Of special note: Port Henry's own Farmers' Market will be opening Wednesday, June 27th from 9am - 1pm, the same location as last year, Boni's Bistro parking lot.
VAUDEVILLE AT THE WHALLONSBURG GRANGE HALL

On Saturday, June 30, at 7:00 p.m. Literacy Volunteers will hold its second Annual Vaudeville fundraiser. The evening will offer local talent, to be introduced by Master of Ceremonies Bob Harsh, which includes The Wannabes, Steven Kellogg, Ted Cornell, George Davis, Jim LaForest, the Meter Maids, and many more talented people. The price per ticket, which includes refreshments, is $10 for adults; $5 for children 12 years and under. You may purchase your tickets at the door or order in advance by mailing your check to Literacy Volunteers, 3265 Broad Street, Port Henry, N.Y. 12974. For more information, call 546-3008 or 963-7216. Come and enjoy an evening of fun.

The Lake Champlain Bible Fellowship Church will be hosting a mission team from Arkansas who will be donating their services the week of July 23rd - July 27th to perform small jobs (carpentry, cleaning, painting and yard clean-up) around the community for the elderly and people who have no means of doing the work. Work materials are to be supplied by the person(s) requesting the work, but the labor is free. For further information or to sign-up, call 546-7296 or 546-4200.

The Oval now has a real fountain with real water pouring out of it's lion's mouth, thanks to its being donated by Debbie and Ernie Guerin.

SHOWCASED BUSINESS

It is not technically in Port Henry but coming from the south it is the first business a traveler encounters upon seeing Port Henry a few seconds away. Also, it has been a part of village life since it was built in the 1920's and was called Morning Side Inn. It became the Collins Motel when Ben Collins, recently out of the service, bought it in 1946. It played a major role in Rita becoming Mrs. Ben Collins. Rita, born and raised in Mineville, was working there at Grover Hills Federal Housing Project when her sister came to visit her. Her sister remembered Morning Side Inn, that she liked it and she wished to go there. They did not know the ownership had changed, but they went into the dining room and was served by the owner as it was slow that evening. He even sat with them and talked and everyone had a very nice evening. In fact it had been so pleasant Rita and her sister returned the next night but this night it was very crowded and people were dancing. At one point Ben danced with her and said after closing that he and a friend were going up to the VFW (originally the Witherbee Mansion) and asked if they would consider going with them. Rita said, "No." Obviously, this was not the end of the matter and they dated for about 2 ½ years before they were married in 1950 and the Collins Motel became business and home of Ben and Rita.

The Collins Motel of the late 40's and early 50's was not the Collins Motel of today. The original motel had five small rooms in the front and five small rooms in the back with a chemical toilet at the end of each set of five rooms. Each room was equipped with a pitcher and washbowl on a rustic table. Where the cabins are today there was an ice house. Ben built the double cabin in 1948 and the two smaller cabins in 1953. Also in 1948 the back room and patio was added and on Saturday nights they hired a band - Johnny Murphy on the piano, drums, Tom Considine and the sax was played by Mr. Dowd, the Mineville music teacher. There was a vocalist, but Rita could not remember his name. These Saturday nights remained in full swing until TV and I Love Lucy began to keep people at home.

The Motel's 20th Anniversary was shared with, not only Ben's and Rita's family and friends, but with a part of the Air Force. That year the Air Force had decided to do some type of testing and chose to place themselves and their work train and live-a-boards on a side rail for six months right below the Collins Motel. Of course, Collins became the place to go to get away from the train.

The long bar room of today was two small, rather dark rooms until 1950 when they applied for a permit to remove the wall between the two small rooms, move the 'Men's Room', create a 'Ladies Room' and install the bar that exists today. I asked from whom they had to get a permit and Rita said, "The State Liquor Board." Evidently, if you sell liquor, everything you do comes under their jurisdiction and they are very strict about everything, even remodeling. Also, there was a time frame within which they had to complete these renovations - the week between Christmas and New Year's! The bar had been ordered earlier and was made in sections to be installed when the other work was completed. Rita said she didn't know what they would have done if the permit had not come through.

The kitchen has been enlarged twice, once in 1953 and again in 1955 to accommodate the large number of meals they were serving at the time. Ben was the cook and Rita waited tables and did the bar, something she still does to this day. She still cleans the rooms as she always did (a friend, who stayed in one, said they are spotlessly clean), except she does have help from her daughters, son and daughter-in-law. Yes, Rita and Ben had four children to see to as well as their business. I was tempted to say in the above sentence that "now" she has help, but their children were always a part of their business life as well as their family life. As each child became old enough, each was given a job appropriate to their age and they were expected to do it, without complaint and without an allowance. If ever there were small rebellions and the order of things questioned, they were reminded they were a part of the family and when they needed something they got it and when they wanted to go to a movie or buy a toy, they were allowed to do this.

I was extremely fortunate that when I decided to try for an interview, it was a very quiet afternoon at Collins. But even on this quiet afternoon, a cyclist headed for Montreal and home, came in hot and hopeful, looking for a room for just himself and for just one night. After some halting requests from him in English and some slowly enunciated responses dotted here and there with a hopefully helpful French word, arrangements were completed and Rita showed Daniel to his room. It is interesting what you learn of complete strangers whom you shall probably never meet again. Daniel had been born in Corsica, but immigrated to Montreal. I believe he said he had cycled from New York City, but that I could have misunderstood and I hope I did, for cycling that far is more than I can fathom even if I were still in my twenties. Emil who used to own the Michigan Stand, stopped in for a cooling drink and conversation. Rita and he were neighbors growing up in Mineville. Rita's son stopped by on his way to work and his wife dropped in to water the plants. This mix of business and family has made the Collins Motel a welcoming place for local people and passing travelers and, seemingly, was a benefit to Ben and Rita themselves, beyond being their livelihood. One of their children once asked, "Why don't you and Daddy ever fight? Other people do." Maybe, it was because everyday they were allowed to see the best of each other through the relationship each had with the customers.

A post script to this interview: when I checked back with Rita to be sure I had all the dates correct, she told me that after I had left bikers had stopped by, thirteen to be exact and one of them said, "I told you they had the coldest beer in town." Evidently he was a returnee - bringing a dozen friends! It just proves that the best advertising is still "word-of mouth."

Look for the next issue of the Fact Finder on Saturday, July 7th at Adirondack Hair Associates, Macs, Moriah Pharmacy, Celotti's Wines and Spirits; also you may find copies to read at the Sherman Free Library.