There’ve been plenty of friendly sailing excursions at the Onondaga Yacht Club this summer including a rare visit by nearly 30 young Sea Scouts from across the Northeast. They were here participating in the first-ever Erie Canal Flotilla Sea Scout Regatta Aug. 1 through 3, on Onondaga Lake.
Between races, the kids from Sea Scout Ships camped out in tents on the lakeside lawn of the historic local Yacht Club at the base of Sycamore Street. The event was organized by Rob Stone, the skipper of Ship 876 hosted by OYC, and his son, Sam Stone, the ship’s boatswain.
In order to make the grassy expanse clean and comfortable for the sleeping scouts, club member Tom Ogden, who lives in Liverpool, loaned the club his lawn-sweeper, which other members used to clean up the droppings endlessly deposited by hordes of Canada geese.
That stinky situation has long plagued Onondaga Lake Park, including the Yacht Club. Near the clubhouse doors a small sign reminds all club members to check their feet before entering because, if they don’t, some unlucky club members get stuck sweeping up the bird poop.
Anyhow, several club members helped in happier ways with the Sea Scouts event by cooking breakfast, directing activities and readying the fleet.
Tess Freedman is the club’s current commodore, while former commodore Diane Knowlton serves as dinner captain. On Aug. 8, Knowlton helmed a club fish fry with sandwiches catered by Liverpool’s own Fish Company, located at the old Ponderosa Plaza.
The Onondaga Yacht Club was founded in 1883 and chartered Feb. 3, 1886, making it one of the oldest boating organizations in New York State. For info, visit cnyoyc.org, or call 457-9786.
Juliano benefit Sunday
One of Liverpool’s most ambitious young businessmen, Tommy Juliano, beat a battle with myelofibrosis a dozen years ago, and now he’s fighting the blood cancer again.
The thirty-something general manager of Liverpool Properties LLC, needs another bone marrow transplant. To that end, his wife, Debbie, has scheduled a benefit from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, at the White Water Pub, 110 S. Willow St.
“Many steps need to be taken before a bone transplant can happen,” Debbie recently wrote on her Facebook page. “First and foremost we need to see if Tom’s body can handle the aggressive chemotherapy. Then, if we get the OK, the next step is finding a bone marrow donor. Some of you already know Tom had a bone marrow transplant 12 years ago and it took a while for a donor to be found then. Keep the prayers coming!”
Debbie has also started a Caring Bridge website which can be found by searching Tom Juliano at caringbridge.org.
The father of three sons and one daughter, Juliano is the grandson of longtime Liverpool businessman Val Lamont, who owns Liverpool Properties LLC.
Lively double date
One of the Syracuse Chiefs newest starting pitchers, big Mitch Lively, celebrated his Aug. 7 victory over the visiting Louisville Bats with a double date dinner at The Retreat. Mitch and his girlfriend were joined at the village hotspot by rookie hurler A.J. Cole and his date.
Lively, a barrel-chested 6-foot-5 right-hander, was recently acquired by the Chiefs’ parent club, the Washington Nationals, from the San Francisco Giants organization for whom he’d pitched for seven seasons.
The Chiefs hung on to first place in the International League’s North Division after Lively beat the Bats by throwing six shutout innings. Reliever Rafael Martin, another Retreat regular, shut the door on the Bats with a scoreless ninth for his fourth save with the Chiefs.
No wonder the Chiefs are winning: they’re fueled by the good food served at Liverpool’s premier restaurant. Stuffed salmon, Buffalo wings, gourmet pizzas and salads seem to be team favorites. In any case, The Retreat kitchen serves delicious dinners that make the post-game pasta doled out for players at NBT Bank Stadium look like chicken-feed.
Benetti onward and upward
Broadcaster Jason Benetti, who lives in Liverpool, called his final game for the Chiefs on Aug. 10. He’s leaving to prepare for two national jobs, one covering major college football and basketball games for WestwoodOne Radio, beginning with an Aug. 30 gridiron contest between Wisconsin and LSU. The second gig is as-yet-unidentified national television opportunity.
Benetti has been the team’s radio and television play-by-play man since 2009.
Post-Standard sportswriter Lindsay Kramer, a Baldwinsville resident, predicts a great future for Benetti, who’s a graduate of Syracuse University.
“This is well deserved,” Kramer wrote. “Jason’s a good broadcaster and an even better person. Very soon he will be well-known on a national stage.”
