Years Ago
These moments in history are selected and edited by Lani Byrne, Alex Aureden, and Sarah Brennan, who are enrolled in Mrs. Hardy’s tenth grade Honors English class. Thank you to the Skaneateles Library and the Historical Society for providing the Press Archives.
10 Years Ago
Ten years ago, the Skaneateles Press released an ad about Fright Nights at the Fair. It included three attractions: the Circus of Horror, The Creature, and a haunted house. This year, the fair includes a 3D Dead Pirate House, an Insane Asylum, the Chainsaw Massacre, the Haunted Mansion, and the Revenge of “IT.” It occurs in the beef cattle barn at the New York State fairgrounds every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. It starts on Sept. 29 and goes until the Sunday before Halloween, Oct. 29. It begins at 7 p.m. It is ten dollars to get into one of the five attractions and twenty-five dollars to go to all five. Throughout the years, Fright Nights at the Fair have always been open for friends and family to get excited for Halloween.
25 Years Ago
Twenty five years ago, an article notifying readers of a babysitting course, which was offered at the United Methodist Church by Moms and Kids, Inc. in Skaneateles, was published in the Skaneateles Press. This class was offered to fifth through eighth graders. It reviewed fire safety and first aid, along with a visit from the fire department and was taught primarily by mothers who brought their children. A similar course is offered today at the YMCA in Skaneateles for teens 11-15 years old. This course is five hours long and covers CPR, fire safety, and recommends AED training. The course cost $65 and was offered on Sept. 12 and 14. The YMCA has not released the dates for the next course, but be sure to keep a look out if you know someone who would be interested in becoming a babysitter!
50 Years Ago
Fifty years ago in the Skaneateles Press, an advertisement was published regarding one of the first available color televisions, sold by Zenith. The TV had a 21-inch screen and cost roughly $900. Today a 24-inch screen TV sells for less than $200! The Zenith television had no more than five channels, while today’s options vary from anywhere between 100 to 1,000 different channels, depending on your cable provider. LG, who is now Zenith’s parent company, just released a television that is 3.65 millimeters thick. It’s so light it can be attached to a wall by magnets! It is amazing to think that in only 50 years we went from TV’s that weighed hundreds of pounds to TV’s that are literally paper thin.
75 Years Ago
On Oct. 25, 1941 a Halloween Dance took place at the Borodino Grange Hall. It was advertised Oct. 17, 1941 in the Skaneateles Press. It cost 35 cents for men and 25 cents for women to attend. Proceeds went to Bundles for Britain, a British War Relief Society during WWII. Today, Grange Hall is used for dances, concerts and for public speakers to share their stories. Although there is no Halloween dance, events still take place at Grange Hall such as The Genesee Ted Band who just recently had a concert on October 14th. If you missed this, be sure to see The Cadleys, a male and female duo, performing ballads and acoustic arrangements at Grange Hall on October 20th from 7:30-9:30 p.m.
100 Years Ago
One hundred years ago, citizens of Skaneateles were buying and selling the fall apple crop advertised in the paper. Some of the varieties were Tallman Sweets and Greenings. Today, apples are still a staple for the fall season, and many families spend an afternoon apple picking at any of the several local orchards. In 1917, Beak and Skiff, a local orchard, had only been established 6 years prior. Although they began as a small company, Beak and Skiff is now one of the most popular local orchards, and was voted “Best Apple Orchard” by a USA Today poll in both 2015 and 2017. If you are interested in apple picking at Beak and Skiff in the next few weeks, they will be offering Red Delicious, Gold Delicious, and Ida Red apples.
