Years Ago

These moments in history were selected and edited by Massimo Capozza, Minne Carroll, and Veronica Walker who are enrolled in Kate 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

… Middle School students were getting ready for their performance of ‘Once Upon A Mattress’. It was a hilarious musical story of romance in a fantasy kingdom that was inspired by the fairytale ‘The Princess and the Pea’. The children presented the show at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, February 1st and 2nd, in the Skaneateles High School Auditorium. This year our middle school students are performing ‘Legally Blonde Junior’. A lot of time and effort goes into putting on the show and we encourage the community to support the kids and their hard work. 10 years ago, tickets would have been $4 for students/senior citizens and $5 for adults. Today, you can purchase your tickets at the door, which are $8 for students/senior citizens and $10 for adults. Come out to see ‘Legally Blonde Junior’ on Friday March 23 or Saturday March 24.

25 Years Ago

… an article was published in the Skaneateles Press explaining the newly implemented “homebase” system being used in the Middle School. In the original homeroom, students tended to sit quietly in desks while waiting for the day to begin. Homebase, was a time for interaction with peers and to build a stronger relationship with teachers. Activities ranged from playing jacks to talking and laughing with friends. The groupings of children were random, so kids could learn to interact with new people. Today, even though students are arranged alphabetically, they continue to spend their time in homeroom participating in fun activities. Activities include playing cards, listening to music, and joining in dodgeball and basketball. This helps students start out the day on a positive note.

50 Years Ago

… in the February 1st, 1968 edition of the Skaneateles Press, an ad was posted by Lemanna’s Market publicizing their food prices and coupons. In the ad it can be seen that the price of everyday products was more economical than they are today. Back then, a pound of bacon went for only $0.49 while compared to today it costs around $7. Surprisingly you could buy 4 loaves of bread for only $1, while today, only one loaf of bread can run for $5. Also during 1968, a half-gallon of orange juice would be $0.59, whereas today it is roughly $4. These numbers are even more shocking, considering that the average monthly cost for groceries now is around $300-$400 for one person. This article shows the vast increase in cost for food items over the span of 50 years.

75 Years Ago

… World War II was in full effect. Each week The Skaneateles Press released an article titled This Week in the War, highlighting major war events that had taken place each week. The January 29, 1943 article included details about labor boards, the war front, the size of armed forces, agriculture, and farm management. Information about the war spread via newspaper and radio, whereas now, big news stories are told minutes after they happen on major television networks such as CNN, or Central News Network. Current events, such as the false Ballistic Missile Alert in Hawaii and conflicts such as the Zimbabwe Coup, spread throughout the world within minutes because of this technology. Modern technology has brought great leaps in the advancement of the spread of information, from the past with weekly war updates to modern day articles appearing within minutes of an event’s occurrence.

100 Years Ago

…the first self-serving grocery store was successfully opened. Piggly Wiggly, an American supermarket chain based in the Southern and Midwestern US, founded the store on September 6, 1916. The owner later received a patent for the “self-serving” concept which became known as grocerteria. Prior to this self-serving concept, shoppers relied upon a delivery system. Nowadays, people are accustomed to the use of the self-serving grocery store. Interestingly, the use of modern day technology has allowed society to revert back to its old ways by having food delivered directly to people’s homes, through the use of delivery services such as UberEats, Grubhub and Wegmans. Consider using these services if you haven’t already!