Years Ago
by Will Frank and Michael Parks
25 Years Ago
Twenty five years ago, a ride for cancer event took place in Syracuse, New York. Jim Terrinoni of Janesville orchestrated the event. The bike ride was a total of 950 miles starting from Syracuse, reaching Ballston Spa, heading north to Montreal, then down along Lake Ontario to Rochester through Niagara Falls and back to Syracuse. Riders could join in at any time and all donations would go to Camp Good Days who in turn would distribute amongst nonprofit organizations for cancer research. Nowadays we have an event called Ride for Alive. This event is a bike ride around the Finger Lakes totaling about 100 miles. This event is held in Syracuse in July each year. Participants can choose 10, 25 or 50 mile distances that will take them around the Otisco, Skaneateles and Owasco Lakes.
50 Years Ago
The Skaneateles Lions Club sponsored a circus. The Bartok Circus performed on July 18, 1967. A wonderful array of animals, such as elephants, llamas, goats and lions were displayed. Alongside these talented animals, there was unicycle riding, tightrope walking, acrobatics, and much more: all of this for a price a $1 for children and $2 for adults. This is no longer an event we can enjoy in our community. At certain times of the year, however, you can take a 25 minute drive to see a circus spectacle. The Shrine Circus at the NYS Fairgrounds performs in late March and early April.
75 Years Ago
On July 17, 1942, a statement went out in the Skaneateles Press indicating a shortage of doctors. Doctors were needed for the war effort given the increasing number of wounded soldiers and civilians affected. At the time the US Government was asking retired doctors and nurses to come back into the workforce to take over the practices of the younger men who owned or ran the business. Today this is not the case because the army has specialized training for army surgeons and medics. It doesn’t require civilians to step in.
100 Years Ago
On July 19, 1917, The National Bank of Skaneateles offered a 4 percent interest rate on savings accounts. Nowadays, this high of a rate is unheard of. Skaneateles is the home of several banks including Key and M&T. Both banks offer an interest rate of .02 percent. It may not seem like a huge difference but if a person deposits a large sum of money, the difference in amount of interest earned is extreme.
