On The Sly

I like Paul Sands. He's the President and General Manager of WPTZ - Channel 5 in Plattsburgh and, I guess I have to say it, Burlington. I think I'm correct when I say that he's the first general manager of WPTZ to be on the air and to broadcast editorials. I like his editorials, even though sometimes I disagree with his opinion. But he is a man who is willing to take a stand on issues of concern in our region.

I have loved Channel 5 since I was a kid. I have enjoyed news people like Bird Berdan, Al Hill, Lenny Kane. I even appeared on "The Dusty Boyd Show," a live dance program hosted by the big cowboy himself. My dance partner that day was my seventh-grade classmate Valerie Larocco, even though she was about a foot taller than I. My mother decided that day that Valerie would be the girl I would marry. I guess she figured that I'd grow another foot by the time I hit marrying age. I didn't.

Anyway, I have always been a regular viewer of Channel 5, especially for its coverage of local news, sports and weather. I like their expanded coverage over the past few years, adding the lighter news programs "First at Five" and "5:30 Now" before the "Newschannel 5 at 6pm."

But there is one thing they've added that I don't care for. It's their signature closing: "Thanks for making us part of your family." When did that happen? When did they decide to join the Gagnon clan? I like Tom Messner and I've known him for many years. Even downed a few sodas with him elbow to elbow. But he never told me he wanted in on my family.

And videographer and backup sports guy Ken Drake has worked for my North Country Cable Network, but he has never stopped in for a meal. And I think Gabrielle Komorowski is great every morning. I even wake up early just to see what she has to say, but I notice that even though it would be shorter and time-saving, she hasn't started calling herself Gabrielle Gagnon.

It's not that I wouldn't want the Channel 5 guys and girls to be a part of my family. It's just that I was never asked about it. All of sudden I found out one day that they were all a part of my family. In that case, I can hardly wait for Christmas. I'll save some room under my Christmas tree for gifts from Stephanie and Thom and Gib and Matt and any of the others at Channel 5 who want to buy something for cousin Foxy.

And being a bachelor I'd love to have some family member to cook for. I'd like to tell Erin and Mia and Michelle that I make a great batch of hamburg surprise. You'd love it. And if you love steamed clams, that's become my new specialty. I wonder if that would tempt my family members like Erik or Kelly or Jim.

I'd like to know whose idea it was that everyone at Channel 5 would become a part of my family. I sure would like to thank that person. I'll be doing fall housecleaning this week, and I sure could use some help from my family members. My brother Goose already told me that he could spare about ten minutes this week. He's been put in charge of knocking down cobwebs in the kitchen.

I've got a long list so you might want to sign up early. As they say, first come, first served, and the last to sign up will probably get stuck with latrine duty. Maybe even the head honcho himself, Paul Sands, will come over and give me a hand.

That's my opinion. What's yours?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I have long been an observer of local politics, and in my memorabilia collection are bumper stickers, brochures and pins and even a few ink blotters advertising a candidate for one office or another.

Names like "John P. Flynn for County Clerk" and "Arthur Lefevre for Supervisor - Town of Plattsburgh." Remember when matchbooks were a popular item to pass around as a campaign gift? I have matchbooks with "Re-Elect Your County Clerk - Halsey J. Stark" and "Bob Garrow for State Assembly."

I've never been able to resist getting some of the items autographed. On my "Wall of Fame" in my den is an signed photo of "Mike Haley for Legislator - Area 9" and "Melissa Penfield - Councilor Ward 4." This year at the Clinton County Fair I picked up a unique item: a "Joe Giroux for County Treasurer" nailfile. I haven't asked my longtime friend to autograph it yet.

But those little trinkets are minor compared to the problem I see in our city today. I think it might be time to put a limit on how many signs a candidate can put up. Or, maybe a limit on how many signs one piece of property can have. Just take a little ride around our beautiful city and you'll see what I mean.

During last year's special election for mayor the size of signs became an issue. This year, though, it seems we have a large number of signs around Plattsburgh. Both inside and outside of our city boundaries. In a random survey conducted on Monday afternoon this week I drove down four city residential streets and counted signs.

In Ward 4, where Irving Breyette, Jim Calnon and Steve Krieg are courting voters, I counted 13 signs when I drove on Lafayette Street and Montcalm Avenue. I think that's plenty for two rather short streets in family neighborhoods. The breakdown: Breyette 7, Calnon 6, Krieg 0. Krieg signs are more prolific in my neighborhood, more west of those streets.

I then drove over to my old stomping grounds, Fox Hill in Ward 2. In this ward Andrew Brockway, Mike Kelly and Steve Williams have put up signs. On Monty Street I counted 14 signs, Williams with 7, Brockway with 5 and Kelly with 2.

But it's on Johnson Avenue where politics seems to be out of control. If only as many houses decorated at Christmas time we'd have quite a beautiful sight. On Johnson Avenue, as of Monday morning, there were 43 signs! Yes, 43! And how many houses are on Johnson Avenue -- maybe 80?

I know one home owner who has four signs on her property, one each for two of the candidates and two for a third. The Johnson Avenue breakdown was: Williams 27, Kelly 13, Brockway 2 and Kleist for Treasurer 1.

Do we really need this many signs to remind us who is running for election or who to vote for? Could the candidate's money be better spent in some other way?

I have nothing but praise for the willingness of any of the candidates to serve the city in some capacity. And I'm sure that serving as a city councilor is a thankless job with not enough salary to pay for the money spent on signs. It seems as though it's obligatory to put up campaign signs simply because your opponent does or simply because it's the thing to do.

But I think we've reached the point where it's out of control. One local political observer has suggested that each ward set up an area where signs may be put. If a voter wants to see who is running in your area, just check out that spot. Another local political observer has suggested that each candidate should be limited on the number of signs placed in a certain area.

I asked that lady with four signs in her front yard, "Ma, why do you have so many signs in front of your house?" She replied, "Because they all asked me." Oh.

A friendly handshake and a look in the eye says a lot more to me than some sign that the wind might blow down. I'm voting for the candidates who tell me that next election there will be a limit on the number of signs I have to see when I drive down some city street.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Not very many residents of Keeseville, Ausable Forks and even Jay stayed home last night. That's because most of them were at the Ausable Forks American Legion Post 504 for the second annual Ausable Valley Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. I never would have thought that 2000 people could fit into the building. But it seemed as though that many people were in attendance.

The pre-game "Happy Hour" was indeed just that. Lots of happy memories of the days when our waistlines were trimmer and our hair was thicker. Lots of old newspaper clippings of Keeseville High School and Ausable Forks High School sporting events. Lots of stories about coaches, umpires, basketball officials and fans. I was there at the invitation of the Hall of Fame Committee in order to document the event on videotape.

This year's inductees reads like a who's who of great athletes south of Plattsburgh: John Dennett, Robert Devins, Bob Meconi, David Ghiloni, Gary Finney Jr., Marty Snow, Mike McCormack, Jamie Douglass and John Nixon. At gametime, each inductee was introduced by a speaker they had selected. The presenters included brothers, teammates and coaches.

As you might guess the speeches were nostalgic, humorous and oftentimes poignant. The most touching moments were when Joey Nixon introduced his brother Johnny. As many people know, Johnny, the youngest of the inductees, is battling Lou Gehrig's Disease, and he was present, along with many family members, including Johnny's infant daughter.

Joey's presentation was straight from the heart and it touched most of us in the room. Joey made us happy, proud and sad all at the same time. And then ten-year-old Meghan Strong, a Nixon family relative, sang "Wind Beneath My Wings." She sang it beautifully and proudly, but towards the end she was overcome with emotion.

And so were most of us there. The crowd erupted into a standing ovation for Meghan and the Nixons. I have to admit that the Nixon fifteen minutes were the most touching moments in my 17 years of videotaping North Country events.

Other schools in the North Country have had Sports Hall of Fames or similar recognitions for many years. Ticonderoga and Saranac Lake may have been the first, followed by Plattsburgh High School and Seton Catholic, whose Wall of Fame recognizes members from Plattsburgh's parochial schools through the years.

And now Ausable Valley has theirs. And it's a good one! Last year the committee inducted twelve charter members: Eddie Yelle, Duke Latourelle, Poppy Rock, George Kurz, John Konowitz, Maurice Hickey, Danny Hoey, Paul Savage, Ed Barrie, James "Ned" Hoey, Billy Hackett and John Steffy. Many of them were at last night's festivities.

It was clear to this "city boy" that growing up in a hamlet like Keeseville or Ausable Forks has its advantages. Throughout the entire evening, through the laughter and the tears, it was so clear that people in that room had love and respect for each other. And the teenagers present saw that. I have a feeling that those are qualities that will never fade in this community.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I had dinner last week at Appleby's with Ken Hoeltzel. I took Ken's Tests and Measurements graduate course at Plattsburgh State sometime in the 1970s, as did a cast of thousands. It was known as one of the most fun and informative classes on campus. But that's not how we became such great friends in the 1980s.

Our friendship started over the love of opening a pack of baseball cards. Through a roundabout route Ken came upon the hobby of collecting baseball cards and, once found, it became a passion. A Cleveland Indians fan since birth, Ken was unique in the North Country. In the 1980s, from one phone call to another, Ken organized a grassroots meeting of baseball card lovers. The first meetings were attended by Ken, Darry Norcross, Jim Amorelli and Foxy Gagnon, who was the faculty advisor for the Plattsburgh Middle School Card Collectors Club.

After a few meetings to organize some ground rules and meeting spots, the North Country Sports Collectors Club was formed with Ken as its lifelong president. It was 1982 and throughout the Eighties it grew into a group of adults and youngsters who enjoyed various aspects of sports collecting. Ken's passion was older baseball cards, mine was autographs, Jim's was completing baseball card sets and collecting Sports Illustrateds, and Darry was working on getting Perez-Steele's autographed.

We would meet once a month at Plattsburgh's Stafford Middle School and trade cards and stories, and find out what's hot and what's not in the hobby. It was a great place for making lasting friendships. A lot of people I see in my day-to-day travels were members of the club. The list is long: Craig Mathews, Andy Morelli, Davey Richard, Jack Baroody, Scott Aley, Dave Drown, Butch Hodil, Mike Settevendemio, Joey Allen Jr., John Roberts, Rick Knowles, Mark Papa, to name a few.

We all knew the same thing: the thrill of opening a pack of baseball cards and finding your favorite player. It started for me when I was six years old. It was 1954 and the 1954 Topps baseball card remains my all-time favorite. The Jackie Robinson card has a yellow background, and Duke Snider's background is green. I would buy my cards at Burdo's Market on Johnson Avenue. One penny bought you a pack of one baseball card and one stick of delicious bubble gum. A nickel bought you five cards and a stick of gum.

I still remember opening a pack of cards and finding Henry Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves. I had never heard of him. The little bio on the back said that he had been the 1953 Most Valuable Player in the Sally League. He hit .362 with 22 home runs and 125 runs batted in 137 games. I kept that card. Later I found out that this was his rookie card and that card today is worth about $1800.

Ask any former member of the North Country Sports Collectors Club and they'll talk to you for hours with similar tales of rare finds and nightmare tales of how their mother threw out their entire collection when they went off to college.

The club grew from just Plattsburgh area members to others who were willing to travel long distances to be a part of the group. Like Keith and Nancy Brannock from Ticonderoga, as well as Bill Barnhart, who is a football coach at Ti. Or the Malone crew, like Bob Fraser, who eventually opened a card store, and Chuck Dievendorf. There was Tom Mays, who would drive over from Vermont, and even some members from Quebec.

And then there are collectors who I haven't seen in many years. Derek Zuckerman and Steve O'Brien are in Massachusetts. Steve opened a card shop on his front porch on Johnson Avenue and become one of the "go-to guys" for our baseball card habit.
And I remember Mike Brown, who went into the TV business, and Dave Moulton, who probably still has the 1955 Bowman Mickey Mantle I traded him. And Gary Rock, who was buying cards by the case. And Wally Darrah. And Ron Brown from Chazy. And Jan Davis, who proved that females could love card collecting, too.

A Johnson Avenue kid named Mike Burdeau, Arnie and Pearl's kid, used to partner with me for a trip to Bill Dod's baseball card show in Nashua, New Hampshire. Mike ate a dozen Dunkin' Donuts on one trip. OK -- he ate 10, I ate 2.

The 1980s was quite a time in the card collecting hobby. There was the introduction of Fleer and Donruss and, later, Upper Deck to challenge the granddaddy, Topps. There were card shows in Plattsburgh at the Holiday Inn and in Albany at the Polish Community Center. And several places in between. Matt Hicks brought Johnny Podres, Catfish Hunter and others to Plattsburgh for autograph signings. And a pack of baseball cards cost only 50 cents.

The club lasted about ten years, maybe a little more, and some became disenchanted when the market was flooded around 1988. The value of a card became devalued, and card companies started looking for gimmicks to get us to keep buying.

But Ken's idea of a club for the North Country grew into one of the biggest sports collecting clubs in New York State, with over 200 members. Maybe today he's enjoying retirement in Florida and doing a lot of golfing, but don't wave an unopened pack of baseball cards in front of his face.

And that's true of many of us. We might be called senior citizens in some restaurants, but there is still a lot of little boy in us. We still don't mind plopping down a few bucks for a pack of cards in hopes it'll have a Piazza, a Jeter, a Suzuki or a Matsuzaka rookie card in it.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

In the previous blog I listed five of my top ten favorite sports movies. Listed chronologically, they are: Brian's Song (1971), Breaking Away (1976), Rocky (1976), The Natural (1984) and Hoosiers (1986).

At the risk of disappointing some people, here are the next five:

(6) Major League (1989) - Perhaps one of the funniest baseball movies ever and characters like Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes) and Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert) steal the show. The Bob Uecker role as announcer Harry Doyle is great! A great movie to watch with your kids!

(7) League of Their Own (1992) - The story of the Women's Professional Baseball League. And I'm sure there really were such wild and crazy characters blazing the trail for women's sports, long before the advent of Title IX. The cast of characters is like a Hollywood Who's Who of zaniness: Madonna as Mae Mordabito, Rosie O'Donnell as Doris Murphy, Geena Davis as Dottie Hinson. And with Tom Hanks as manager Jimmy Dugan this movie has just the right recipe! "There's no crying in baseball!" shouts manager Dugan. But there is plenty of laughing!

(8) Blue Chips (1994) - Some remember this movie as the acting debut of the legendary Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, as the coveted basketball player known as Neon. The movie gives a glimpse into the underworld of college recruiting and Nick Nolte as coach Pete Ball plays it to the top. If Gene Hackman is the best at shouting in an angry emotional scene, then Nick Nolte gets the runner-up spot. Plus, there's a great foul-shooting scene with NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, one of my childhood favorites.

(9) The Fan (1996) - This sports movie is more about the fan (as in fanatic) than it is about the sport of baseball. But Robert DiNiro is his usual spooky self in his portrayal of tough-luck loser Gil Renard, a guy who gets obsessed with the San Francisco Giants' Bobby Rayburn, who could remind you of Barry Bonds. Throw in the beautiful Ellen Barkin as Jewel Stern and you've got a spellbinder in more ways than one!

(10) Kingpin (1996) - By now you probably have got the point that I love comedies. And the movie Kingpin somehow combines the competition in the world of professional bowling with the comedic acting talents of Bill Murray and Woody Harrelson. Harrelson is Roy Munson, a one-armed bowler, and Murray is Ernie McCracken, the all-time bowling champ. The climax of the movie keeps you laughing on the edge of your seat. The movie soundtrack includes a great song, "Showdown," by Electric Light Orchestra (remember ELO?) Plus, I bet my friends the Munsons over at North Bowl Lanes love this movie. It can make you fall into the gutter with laughter.

So, that's my list. A few surprises, huh? And I left out the movie SANDLOT, a real good one, a throwback to the days when we all used to play sandlot baseball. I even could have included THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY, which actually featured the Brooklyn Dodger trailblazer, Jackie Robinson, showing his real talents were on the diamond, not the stage. And then there's the movie ROOGIE'S BUMP, which featured many Brooklyn Dodger players showing that they can't act, either.

Did I leave out your favorite?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

As the cooler weather approaches, our thoughts turn to sitting in front of the fireplace to watch a good movie. Maybe this fall and winter I'll revisit some of my favorite sports movies. There are many to choose from, but here's my top ten list in chronological order:

(1) Brian's Song (1971) - Jim Murray and I used to include this film as part of our eighth grade English class curriculum. It made for great class discussions on several topics not even related to sports. It's the story of Gale Sayers, the Chicago Bears' outstanding running back, and his teammate Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer at the age of 26. It's a tearjerker, but also has some funny scenes and great NFL footage of Sayers' long runs.

(2) Breaking Away (1976) - I never would have seen this movie had it not been for Jan Stanley, seventh grade English teacher, who added it to her curriculum. It's the story of a teen boy from Bloomington, Indiana, who loves racing bicycles. It's the story of the "townies" versus the "college kids" and the competition that results. It's an inspiring story, listed eighth on the "List of America's 100 Most Inspiring Movies" compiled by the American Film Institute in 2006.

(3) Rocky (1976) - Sylvester Stallone as the ultimate hero, Rocky. The sound track alone can get your blood pumping. If you watch this movie, you'll want to go downtown Friday night and punch somebody! Instead, wait till Saturday morning, put the sound track on your boom box, and run up and down the City Hall steps! It'll make you feel like Rocky. Plus, the movie includes Talia Shire, a cutie, and Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed. There have been five sequels, but I only care about the original.

(4) The Natural (1984) - This would be my son's all-time favorite sports movie. It's not my fave, but it's on my top ten. Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, an overage baseball player who becomes a hero. It's like Don Mattingly suiting up for the 2007 World Series and hitting the game-winning home run in Game 7. Any of us who love baseball has dreamed of being a baseball hero at least once. Part of the lure of the film is the 1930's setting. One of the movie's characters resides in my home. It's a plywood cutout of a 1930's character, who sat in the bleachers during the baseball game scenes. To cut down on the use of extras, these plywood characters were interspersed among the live extras to fill out the crowd at the games.

(5) Hoosiers (1986) - Ah, Gene Hackman as basketball coach Norman Dale. Nobody can play an anger scene like Gene Hackman. This captivating movie was recently selected by the readers of USA Today as "the best sports movie of all-time." Dennis Hopper won an Academy Award as best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of Shooter, the town drunk. And the closing scenes -- all of us want to play in a big championship basketball game and be the hero.

ON SUNDAY: the rest of the list -- Foxy's Favorites from 1989 to the present.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

In my younger years I could make it through an entire year without having to attend a funeral. Nowadays I can't make it through a month. When I mentioned this to a few people recently, one friend said, "Don't complain as long as it's not your own!"

Sitting in a church waiting for the funeral to begin gives one more than ample time to consider one's own life. And death. I've had time to reflect upon the many ups and downs that have taken place in my life. And the years that have presented me with great happiness or great sadness: 1966, 1969, 1970, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1993, 2000, 2004 and March 18, 2005.

At each funeral ceremony it is now common practice for a family member or friend to reflect upon the life of the deceased. Sometimes I wonder what someone will say about me and what I would want them to say. I think about what songs I'd like played at my funeral. My Dad had requested that "Time In a Bottle" be played at his funeral, and I have never forgotten those quiet moments when his wish was granted.

There was a time, for several reasons, that I thought I'd die at the age of 48. That benchmark well behind me, maybe it's 84 instead. But I do know that I cherish each day, and, each day upon awakening, I say a silent prayer, grateful for another day. I try to find some reason to smile every day, or, at least, to make someone else smile.

It's sad that people quietly step out of our lives, by death or otherwise. But they have left their impressions on our heart forever. Their memories stay alive. As Ray Bradbury has written, "No person ever died that had a family."

But for now there's videotaping of soccer and football games and things to sell on eBay and friends to visit with at night and baseball games to watch and a big screen TV to buy and a bucket of wings to eat. No time for anything else just yet, Lord! I'm too busy to die.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

You can look it up: that luncheon meat I knew as a kid is spelled "bologna," but the more informal spelling of "baloney" is also acceptable.

No matter how you spell it, I have rediscovered bologna, and I think it's my brother's fault. I went years without enjoying bologna, but lately I kept hearing him say about his lunch, "I just grabbed some bologna and made a sandwich."

Hearing that several times apparantly put the seed of thought in my head and this week I stopped at a deli and ordered, "A quarter pound of bologna, please." On the way home in the car I kept smelling that bologna sitting in the front seat. It took no more than three traffic lights and I had to reach over and open the package and sample a slice.

Oh, my, what a great taste! When I arrived at Saratoga Court, I immediately made my first bologna sandwich in a long time. I think bologna might be considered like the poor cousin of finer meats such as roast beef or honey ham. But that was one darn good sandwich.

My handy dictionary defines bologna as, "a large seasoned sausage made of finely ground meat, usually beef and pork, that has been cooked and smoked." I'm a non-smoker so I've never tried smoking it. I'll leave that to some of my friends.

I think my Dad used to like fried bologna, but I've never been into that. I hear that Bobby Hall makes a great fried bologna sandwich over at Bobby's Lounge, but I've never tried it -- and won't. Give me the original. A good old regular bologna sandwich.

My way of making a bologna sandwich is to put butter on the top bread, toss on three or four slices of bologna and add mustard as the condiment. I've seen people put ketchup on their bologna sandwiches, but I can't buy that one. I need mustard, and, preferably, French's.

I ate a lot of bologna sandwiches as a kid. It seemed like it was a good companion of a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I remember eating lunches at the Prentices, our next door neighbors, and it seems like Mrs. Prentice served up chicken noodle soup and bologna sandwiches every time.

But it doesn't have to always be in a sandwich. I think bologna, especially garlic bologna, tastes real good just rolled up and eaten as a snack.

Lily -- that's my cat, not my girlfriend -- loves bologna, too. Especially when I rip off a little piece and toss it across the kitchen. She'll chase it down and scarf it up. And give me those begging eyes for more! Who can say no to Lily when she gives that look?

My research shows that bologna has been around since the 1500s, so there must be something good about it. I've decided that bologna will no longer be a stranger in my refrigerator.

Now some people might feel that this blog is just a lot of baloney, but I say give a bologna sandwich a try for lunch today. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Students reported back to school around the North Country this morning, and I'm sure most arrived with optimistic smiles, anxious to see their friends and curious about their teachers.

This is the third opening day of school that I haven't attended. I'm not saying I miss it, but having done something for thirty-five years it does become an important part of you. And last night I had a dream about my old second home, Stafford Middle School.

I dreamed that I walked into the front door and heard the booming deep Greek voice of Al "Mr. Z" Zaferakis. I went down the hallway to his classroom and it was still full of plants hanging from the ceiling and decorating the windows.

Down another hallway I saw Sal Righi sitting at his desk, surrounded by sixth graders as he drew a caricature of one of the students. The students were all smiling, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of his classroom. And next door there was Dick "Mr. T" Trombly reaching into his sport coat pocket for a candy to hand to a student in the front row while telling the students about the Comics Club meeting today after school.

At the nurse's office Georgianna Dyer was quietly talking with a seventh grade girl while other students waited patiently in line. Down another hallway I saw math teacher Bob Lewis counting and rolling pennies at his desk during his free period, a stack of tax forms just to his right. Math teacher John Pelkey was at the mimeograph machine running off a test and telling someone about growing up on Fox Hill.

I strolled towards the faculty room and, as I turned the corner, I saw Ray Lalonde, headed in the same direction, carrying a Sports Illustrated. We talked about how Ron Guidry might win 20 and how hot Thurman Munson's bat was. Ray was happy. The Yankees were in first place.

The faculty room was full of chatter. Tony Breyette was telling stories about attending Mount Assumption Institute and being taught by "doze brudders from MAI" and Sam Theusen was telling about his summer expedition to Alaska. Jack Stewart was sitting in his favorite seat telling one of his favorite stories and punctuating it with a clenched fist to the table and the word "Ka-boom!"

And then all eyes turned to the art teacher, Charlie Rust, as he removed what looked like a sandwich from his brown paper bag. Charlie took a big bite of his lard sandwich and then broke into a story about how last night he chased a porcupine out of his bedroom on Rand Hill.

As I left the faculty room, I passed by the science rooms. I stood in the doorway and saw Maynard Jubert and John Haubner wearing their white lab coats, explaining the scientific theories of the Van de Graaff generator, much to the delight of the happy eighth graders.

And further down the hall I heard Arnie Burdeau telling about American Revolutionary heroes, while next door a young Mal Cutaiar, sporting a full black beard, discussed the political cartoon assignment.

In the shop area Jerry Taylor had a roomful of boys busy at work with their safety goggles on. He was telling one boy about the Pantera he had just added to his car collection. And next door Luther Weisman, his sweater half-covered with wood chips, was joking with a couple of students.

The home ec rooms were busy with Terri Jensen and Jo-Ann Rascoe and Jan Dingman keeping the girls busy making sugar cookies to bring home. And the art room was active as Barb Rittershausen and Ann Mitchell reminded students, "We are firing these pieces on Friday."

The gymnasium echoed the bounce of basketballs as John "Mr. Nick" Nicotera blew his whistle during a four-on-four basketball game. And a young Vicki McMillan strolled by with a bagful of softballs, followed by a stream of giggling girls headed outside for a game.

Walking near the principal's office I saw Fred Kirk and then Dick McTigue patrolling the hallways. And then attendance supervisor Mike Haley came out of his office, a smile on his face, ready to tell about what happened today when he knocked on the door of a house on South Peru Street, searching for truant eighth graders. Near the library Paul Dingman was telling a Little League baseball player about his pitching days at Plattsburgh State when he "could throw a fastball through a car wash without it getting wet!"

In the guidance office Pete Jock and Marion Herrmann were telling students, "No, you can't change out of Foxy's class. He's only this mean on the first day of school."

Finally I walked to the English department hallway where Jan Stanley kept her "Stanley's Stars" busy writing newspaper articles and poetry. Then Skip Zatonski's hearty laughter filled the classroom. Skip was telling his students how much he had enjoyed the teachers' weekend deep-sea fishing trip to Maine.

Nearby, Betsy Lynch was giving a dramatic reading of one of her favorite stories, and next door Foxy Gagnon, wearing a baseball jersey and baseball cap, was in the middle of his rendition of "Casey at the Bat."

All was well at Stafford Middle School. I know that the 2007-2008 school year will be a great one for the students of Stafford Middle School. The memories of the past blend with the enthusiasm of the present to continue to make Stafford Middle School "the unique place to be!"

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Classes have already begun at Plattsburgh State and in a few days younger students will be walking to and from school. Hopefully we will all be driving carefully. One thing that really irks me is when drivers don't follow the 20-mile-per-hour limit in school zones.

Even worse is for me to be driving along in a school zone at 19 miles per hour and a driver goes zooming by me in the other lane, while talking on a cell phone. Nothing can bring out my road rage more than that.

But as any veteran driver of Broad Street or Rugar Street will tell you, there are more dangers out there than speeding or cell phone talking. I'm talking about tanning on the roofs on Broad Street and those halter tops and short skirts on Rugar Street.

I'm sure that the city police have records on the increase of fender-bender accidents during this time of year. Let this blog serve as a warning to any drivers who may be tempted to gawk at those rooftops where bathing beauties are studying biology while enjoying the beautiful September sunshine.

Oh, I must admit I take a glance just to be observant of my surroundings, but no gawking from me. I haven't had a fender-bender since 1967, and I don't intend to have one in my old age. But I do notice other drivers slowing down and gawking on Broad Street.

And, yes, you have to be alert while driving on Rugar Street nowadays, what with all those pedestrian crosswalks. Keep your eyes on the crosswalks, not on the sidewalks where students in short skirts or halter tops may be hurrying to class.

I'm sure that the city police are well aware of problem drivers on this street, because I have noticed an increase of patrol cars up and down Rugar Street during the morning and afternoon hours. I'm happy that they are on the job, ready to pull over careless drivers who may be gawking more than driving.

The college students themselves should be forewarned that drivers have some rights, too. The busy intersection of Broad Street and Beekman Street can sometimes look like Times Square. Cars in every direction, students on all four corners! There's an accident waiting to happen.

But not if everyone follows the signs. If drivers follow the green and red signal, and students wait for their turn to cross safely, there will be no problems. But if students are going to try to race across amidst traffic, even though that orange hand is raised telling them "not yet, dudes," there could very easily be an injured pedestrian.

And while I'm mentioning students crossing the street, let us all be aware that there is no longer a crosswalk on Broad Street where the student walkover is located near Hudson Hall. There used to be a crosswalk there and traffic would stop while a stream of students went back to their dorms.

Please note that there is no crosswalk there and, therefore, students will have to wait until traffic clears before crossing.

I guess this is just a little public-service blog to protect all those students carrying books and cell phones and mp3s and laptops. And to protect us drivers who have to get to our destinations while glancing or gawking at the student population.

Maybe it would just be better to avoid Broad Street and Rugar Street at this time of year, but I've always been one to enjoy the scenic route when going on a trip.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)