Years Ago

This column is a revitalized weekly addition to the paper.  The following moments in history are selected, researched, and edited by Skaneateles High School students enrolled in Kate Hardy’s 10th grade Honors English class. For the next school year they hope to celebrate the past and remember the days from years ago. Thank you to the Skaneateles Library and the Historical Society for providing the Press archives.

20 Years

… in 1998, the Skaneateles High School’s advanced Spanish class entered a video contest and won! Their video featured songs by the artist Shakira, specifically “Ciego Sordo Mudo”, and was broadcast world-wide. Their teacher, Susan Welch, still works at Skaneateles high school and uses Shakira’s music along with other artists as an educational tool in her classroom. By exposing her students to songs such as “Estoy Aqui” and “Mi Verdad”, Senora Welch is able to educate her students on different Spanish accents and immerse them in Latino and Hispanic culture that textbook learning can’t provide. In conclusion, these songs have proven valuable to teach Spanish since they help students better their pronunciation as well as enrich their vocabulary.

40 Years

… On November 15, 1978, a group of 30 people gathered in the Skaneateles Town Hall to discuss the following year’s budget. Participants were well informed and strongly opinionated, demonstrating a significant interest in the local politics of their town. Even those who didn’t speak felt it necessary to attend the meeting. Discussion mostly surrounded the financial decisions for 1979, and each participant offered their own unique perspective. Recently, our own national midterm elections took place. Voters turned out across the nation to impact how their country is governed. As can be seen, political involvement remains as important now as it was in 1978 and will need to remain so for the continuation of our democracy.

60 Years

… the Skaneateles Press published an article about the demonstration of a new device that would allow the blind to read print and type-write letters. This device had been designed under a contract with the Veterans Administration, and members were hoping to be able to distribute it to blinded veterans in the next few years. In today’s world, there are many new devices available to the public, such as ones that allow blind people to type a document using a braille keyboard, run it through a braille encoder, and print it. Blind people can even use a computer through use of new text-to-speech programs. Students at Stanford are even working on new technology that will allow the blind to use touch screen devices! Technology for the blind has greatly improved over the last 60 years.

80 Years

… a front page article summarized a weekend hunting party’s success. Nine Skaneateles residents returned home with six deer worth of venison and 43 total points on their antlers. Cecil Arthur, a name most residents recognize today due to the street alongside Waterman school, shot the prize deer of the weekend. Weighing in at 180lbs, a roast from the 10-point buck was going to be enjoyed by the group at a dinner the following Thursday night. The 2018 hunting season was underway as of October 1st for early bow. Regular season in the Southern zone begins this Saturday morning, November 17th. Hunters and hikers alike should take extra care to make themselves visible during this time.

100 Years

… Germany surrendered their troops and World War I came to an end. As the Allied forces celebrated, sellers and consumers both took advantage of the low wartime prices while they still could. Among these bargains, people were able to buy 50 acres with a house and barn for only $2,000. As the troops came back home, these opportunities made it possible for the men and women who served our country to make a living after the war.  Compared to today’s prices, $2,000 for 50 acres of land is unheard of. In Skaneateles today, a 41.8 acre piece of land costs $1,650,000 and houses along our lake are often sold for over a million dollars as well. As World War I impacted prices in Skaneateles, major events still impact the market today; however, it’s unlikely to come across post-WWI pricing ever again.