Years Ago
This column is a revitalized weekly addition to the paper. The following moments in history are selected, researched, and edited by Skaneateles High School students enrolled in Kate Hardy’s 10th grade Honors English class. For the next school year they hope to celebrate the past and remember the days from years ago. Thank you to the Skaneateles Library and the Historical Society for providing the Press archives.
20 Years Ago
… the village of Skaneateles hired two local teens to help the village update their computer system in order to combat the Y2K problem. For those who do not know, Y2K was the scare that caused mass panic and hysteria across the nation. Citizens of the US were afraid that once the year changed from 1999 to 2000, it could cause the collapse of many computer programs in governments and banks, which could potentially lead to a world apocalypse. To prevent this potential crisis, the two teens had to input every payroll and town meeting in that year twice. Even in Skaneateles, people were still panicking. A former mayor came into the office and asked, “Are you ready for Y2K?” and one of the people working on a solution said “No, we’re drowning.”
Today, Y2K is largely seen as a global example of mass hysteria. When I asked a resident who remembers the fear people experienced, he said he was never convinced of any kind of danger. “To me, it was just a nuisance that bumped important news off the TV…I trusted that computers weren’t so freaking stupid,” a reasonable stance, which were, as he told me, hard to come by.
The only real thing about Y2K was the larger problem it represents, a problem that, like Y2K, has festered with the proliferation of computers: mass misinformation. The spread of fake news on social media platforms and other internet sources has become increasingly relevant, from digital deception doing a detriment to democracy, to hate speech inspiring violence and bigotry through the screens of our phones. Twenty years ago, in 1999, people around the world thought our computers were endangered. I wonder if they thought, twenty years later, if our computers could endanger us and our human consciousness.
40 Years Ago
… The Press-Observer published an ad for the upcoming New York State Fair. In 1979, the fair ran from Aug. 25 through Sept. 3. There were many great attractions, including agriculture and livestock competitions, a preview of the Olympic Village for the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, a circus, the midway, a pioneer village, many demonstrations, and a Cinesphere, which was a 180 degree IMAX screen. That year’s entertainment highlights included Kenny Rogers, Steve Martin, Shaun Cassidy, Bob Hope, Charlie Daniels, and many more. This year, the fair will run from Aug. 21 (today!) through Sept. 2. Highlights of this year’s fair include great food, entertainment, rides, shows, competitions, as well as the classic fair attractions such as the famed butter sculpture. Be sure to stop by!
60 Years Ago
… Although the Years Ago team published a column on the annual Antique Show a few weeks prior to today, we would like to follow up with some names associated with the event. An article published in the Skaneateles Press in 1959 presented the upcoming Third Annual Slate Antique Show and Sale. The show was sponsored by the Women’s Association of the First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles. The show took place on the 22, 23, and 24 of July. Two members of the Women’s Association, who were serving as co-chairwomen at that time, were Mrs. Rodrick Walker and Mrs. Ralph Wintersteen. More members of the association at the time were involved and were serving as chairmen under Walker and Wintersteen, such as Mrs. Elliot Hooper and Mrs. Worth Donaldson. The president and advisor of this association and group was Mrs. H. Garrett VanderVeer. Sixty years ago, tickets were able to be purchased at the door of the show and can still be bought that way today. The Annual Skaneateles Antique show this year was held at the Austin Park Arena and has been at this location for over 16 years. According to Skaneateles Antique Show website, many hand crafted artisan-made goods are sold, including handmade quilts. If you didn’t make it this year, you can attend next year’s show for the opportunity to purchase handcrafted antiques.
80 Years Ago
… the country club was celebrated its 23rd birthday with several large dinner parties. The Skaneateles Press published an article about the celebration and went on to discuss how the Country Club promoted “progressiveness” in the community. The Country Club has undergone a number of revelations since the 30s; however, The Club is still just as prominent in the community today as it was 80 years ago and has now been open for over one hundred years. The Country Club provides a place for members of the community to relax, socialize, enjoy the lake, and work on their golf game.
100 Years Ago
In 1919, thousands of abandoned cats from workers in the Belconville munition plants began terrorizing New Jersey. They gradually became more and more feral, attacking rabbits, birds, and small game. In an effort to combat this, guards were recruited to shoot the cats on sight. Though this is a particularly extreme example, it mirrors the larger realistic problem of invasive species. In a world that is increasingly reliant on global exports and imports, dangerous species disrupt environments which they’re not native to. For instance, the infamous stink bug pestering homes across the nation was not always here. The first stinkbugs arrived here from Asia in 1996. Because their only natural predator, a parasite wasp, lies in Asia, stink bugs have no natural predators in The United States, allowing the species to multiply rapidly. Like the cats, extermination is the only way to get rid of these animals.
