Years Ago
This week’s column was researched and written by Mia Bigham, Emma Tidd, and Ben Wells.
10 Years Ago
… the School District had begun to explore the option of implementing hybrid buses. However, these vehicles could cost close to $300,000. This was an almost $200,000 price increase from standard buses. On June 18, 2008 the then superintendent of schools found that hybrid buses had a fuel efficiency of about four to five miles per gallon more than regular buses. The money saved on fuel wouldn’t nearly make up for the increased initial cost. To save on gas, D’Angelo explained that more athletic games and scrimmages were being scheduled with teams located in towns closer to Skaneateles. Field trips were planned in areas close by, and alternative field trip options were being explored. With access to the internet in schools, one option today includes virtual field trips, available online.
25 Years Ago
In 1993, Mike Gridley wrote a “Small Talk” column for the Press. Small Talk was about aspects of daily life that Gridley found interesting. For Gridley, this detailed his thoughts on donuts, a delectable sweet favored by so many. It’s no wonder that during the working hours, just seeing a box full for his co-workers could lead to a temptation that’s hard to hold back. As a brief review on the fundamentals of donuts with daily life and society, his conclusion summarized the main points he learned from the small talk he wrote, encompassing donuts as an influential figure to society at the time and how coming to terms with the relationship we have with donuts inevitably leads to the possibility of a better understanding of delicacies of human behavior.
50 Years Ago
As we prepare to celebrate Flag Day on June 14, citizens of Skaneateles were readying to honor our nation’s flag exactly fifty years ago. According to the Skaneateles Press from June 13, 1968, Flag Day is a day in which all Americans should take a moment to reflect on our great country as well as the brave and talented individuals that keep us secure every day. Our beloved American flag is a symbol of freedom from political oppression, and is a symbol, which people from all over the world have turned to for hope. Today, Americans often get caught up in politics or their own hectic lives, and forget the real meaning behind our flag, the flag which most of us have pledged to every morning in school. This Flag Day, make sure to take a moment to reflect on our beautiful country and how lucky we are to be here, just as Skaneateles did 50 years ago.
75 Years Ago
… Skaneateles Press journalist John W. Baker wrote about “The Problems of Youth”. The article discussed the difficulty of juvenile delinquency, as it had been increasing to the point of causing alarm to many. As this was 1943, at the time, the war was considered as a contributing factor as parents were working at plants or overseas, in turn affecting family dynamics. This publication also acknowledged the fact that there are necessary influences to guide children for their growth. In summary, the solution to this all is removing delinquency of any sort at home. “So long as there is ‘adult delinquency’ there will be juvenile delinquency.” How is your responsibility holding up at home?
100 Years Ago
Honey ice cream made a debut in stores, as sugar became less common in the diets of Americans. World War I had begun in Europe, therefore Americans at home had to ration their food, including sugar. Americans had to make do with what they could find to sweeten their foods, which, in this case was honey. According to the article, one-part sugar was combined with two-parts honey to sweeten the ice cream. A hundred years later, we are still finding and using sugar alternatives in our foods. In contrast to a hundred years ago though, there is no need to ration sugar, instead we are using these new alternatives for supposed health benefits including weight loss. Look in any supermarket today for sugar-free ice cream and you will have no trouble finding a descendant of this war time treat.
