Our Town of Rochester’s events and activities are diverse, exciting, fun, colorful, educational, wonderful, intriguing, full of joy… If a photo is worth a thousand words, allow me to save a few thousands words by posting from the photos I took at each event.
Blue Stone Press is graciously hosting more photos on their website. Please visit and enjoy.
Manuela Michailescu
… led by Rich Miller for the after-school program.
Our Town of Rochester’s events and activities are diverse, exciting, fun, colorful, educational, wonderful, intriguing, full of joy… If a photo is worth a thousand words, allow me to save a few thousands words by posting from the photos I took at each event.
Blue Stone Press is graciously hosting more photos on their website. Please visit and enjoy.
Manuela Michailescu
Our Town of Rochester’s events and activities are diverse, exciting, fun, colorful, educational, wonderful, intriguing, full of joy… If a photo is worth a thousand words, allow me to save a few thousands words by posting from the photos I took at each event.
Blue Stone Press is graciously hosting more photos on their website. Please visit and enjoy.
Manuela Michailescu
Blue Stone Press – September 6, 2013, p.15
To the Editor:
Thanks Blue Stone Press for your generous coverage of Rochester’s Recreation/Youth Department and its summer program (August 16, 2013 issue, pages 2 and 19: “Live well, laugh often” and “A summer like no other for Rochester youth”). It helped the readers become aware of the department’s goals and the amazing variety of activities included in this year’s summer program.
I participated to most field trips as well as many other activities of the summer program, and I can confirm that the way it was organized deserves admiration. I truly believe Rochester’s could be the best such program in the County!
There was a record number of kids registered for the program (75), with up to 40 participants per week. That made the job of MaryAnne Gates, program director for over 10 years, more challenging than ever. She described the program for this paper’s readers and praised the people who helped her. Now it’s time to say a few words about her being simply phenomenal!
MaryAnn Gates was always the first and last to check on everything, from all kids’ names read on the bus to picking up left-behind backpacks, clothes, or even shoes! Her actions and reactions show dedication, passion, loving care, attention to details. She was firm but also very kind… For all the kids MaryAnne Gates was a mother and a nurse, and they ran to her for advice, medicine, food, hugs, breather, towels, sun-protection lotion, or scissors. She confessed on Facebook that she hears her name called when she sleeps!
I loved being part of this summer program. As in the previous years, it included the weekly super-delicious “Lunch with Tana,” but also new programs like Richard Miller’s “Good Guys” presentation. It’s hard to describe the joy of watching the kids discover, explore, learn, play, have fun.
Among the most memorable scenes I recall: the kids learning how the locks worked while visiting the D & H Canal Museum; watching trains and boats from the Walkway over the Hudson River; transforming a counselor in a Mer-man while burying him in the sand at Lake Taghkanic; riding a boat in the Howe Caverns; building castles on the Ulster Landing beach… All of these and many other moments were made priceless by kids’ authentic reactions.
While making my feet disappear under wet sand at Ulster Landing, one of my new little girlfriends said “This is magic!… Who doesn’t like magic?” Congratulations and thanks to all involved for a superbly organized summer program! Let’s continue to create magic for our children.
Manuela Michailescu
Despite missing some of the fun in the morning – as I was getting ready to leave for a weekend trip to New York City – I still had plenty to enjoy this last day of the Summer Program at the Recreation/Community Center… Games and music with DJ Eric, lunch and especially watching excited kids waiting in line to get their turn at jumping inside the inflatable “house.”
Being appreciated by the director of the Youth Department, Carol Dennin – and her new assistants Rita and Angie – for my participation and help to this summer program simply brought tears to my eyes… Thanks and congratulations to all, you did an amazing job!
Manuela Michailescu
This last day trip best exemplifies that we can always discover new beautiful places in our area… A perfect day to be on the shore of the majestic Hudson River! The time spent on the Ulster Landing beach was wonderful and very relaxing. Low tide, then brick and sand castles covered by the water, even unexpected waves created by passing boats…
The Ulster Landing beach also offered me some summer “magic moments” when little Sophia (one of my favorite among the little girls), covering my feet with wet sand said: “This is magic!… Who doesn’t like magic?!” Without having any idea whatsoever, she just offered me the ending to a letter to the editor I’m writing: Let’s continue to create MAGIC for the children.
The day ended perfectly at the Recreation/Community Center with the now “traditional” launching of balloons, anxious to find out how far Rochester’s messages fly…
Manuela Michailescu
Sandwiched between outdoor activities and moments of relaxation lead by Tana, the last weekly “Lunch with Tana” on Monday, August 19, 2013 was not only colorful and super-delicious, but emotional too… Thanking Tana Miller and her helpers for all their dedication, great food and cooking, kids sharing what they most enjoyed about the summer program and then… saying ‘good bye’ until next year!
Manuela Michailescu
Cancelled on a rainy day, this trip was rescheduled for August 15, a day with perfect weather… I’m so happy I didn’t miss it as nothing is more amazing than seeing little ones stepping back into history and discovering how things used to be…
“The D&H Canal Historical Society was established in 1966 to preserve, protect and perpetuate the unique history of the Delaware & Hudson Canal, particularly in Ulster County.
As part of fulfilling its mission, the Society operates a museum and maintains the Five Locks Walk, a National Historic Landmark.”
From the video presentation done by John Motzer to actually seeing how the locks and the boats worked, from listening to Ms. Grace Schoonmaker’s explanations to looking for pieces of coal in the grass and proudly showing the large(st) ones to everybody, the excitement generated by this trip was palpable. The kids were divided in two age groups. I was with the little ones, as you can tell from my pictures.
Educational and informative, but also very pleasant and relaxing, this trip fascinated us all.
Manuela Michailescu
After spending 33 years in New York State without visiting the Lake Taghkanic State Park, it just happened that I went there twice in two weeks, first time with friends, then on August 14 on a Rochester Summer Program field trip; it is a wonderful place, offering plenty to enjoy…
My group was triple A plus: Alex, Aiden, Aramis plus Elena.
The weather was not exactly the “friendliest” on August 14 – the night before has been extremely cold, with temperatures in the upper 40s, clouds were too often stopping the sun’s rays, the wind didn’t let up. Despite all this, the kids had a lot of fun in the water and especially building castles in the sand.
In fact, the most exciting moment – generating plenty of fun all around – was burying counselor Dillon in the sand, with little worry for his eyes and mouth, despite his trying to protect his face under a towel… well, heavy with sand! He was transformed into a “mer-man” and not allowed to be Dillon again for a long, long time, surely not before everybody took photos of the new creature. Do you see his fishtail?
Manuela Michailescu
This was the first time in six years when I didn’t participate at the Rochester Republican Caucus as a candidate for elected office; despite being much more relaxed, I still had emotions because Carl, a dear fellow team-mate six years ago, had a challenger.
In 2007 I was part of a very special Town Board team; I believe the bond and the mutual respect established between Carl, Tavi and Manu would last forever… So, I was happy to have the privilege to nominate Carl for Supervisor, while Tavi Cilenti, our Deputy Supervisor, seconded his nomination.
Here is my nominating speech:
There must be a reason that Carl Chipman has already been nominated on the Democratic and Conservative lines and for years has been the only Rochester Republican Town Board candidate endorsed – for real, not because of a deal – by both major parties!
Deep-down Carl wants to serve everybody, all town residents, and he has done that during his almost 6 years as Supervisor; Carl is not a one-issue candidate.
Leaders have to address the problems at hand – not pick and choose whatever brings them votes at election time.
Six years ago we stood here as a team running for the Town Board – I couldn’t be prouder of what that team accomplished…
After a first difficult year when we discovered some inherited problems, mostly in the assessor’s office, we’ve tried to heal the town, and I feel that we did it.
We never voted in a partisan way. Our town was lucky to NOT have partisan issues; I don’t think anybody wants – or needs – partisanship and divisiveness… We need leaders like Carl Chipman to continue approaching all issues with an open mind and trying to solve all problems in a fair and balanced way…
More important than being Republican or Democrat or Conservative is doing the right thing – and that’s what Carl is trying to do all the time…
We should be proud of Carl Chipman, the very active President of Ulster County’s Association of Towns Supervisors – elected unanimously by his peers to that position. Carl is the candidate who is going to win this race because he always addresses ALL issues, and cares for ALL people.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Change for change’s sake is useless.
As a Republican Committee member, I received in May a copy of candidate Tim Bunch’s resume, together with a cover letter where he states: “My goals for our town are to create a town that people will want to come and live.” I feel it’s strange to claim that you can “create a town,” especially when the town has existed for 310 years! True leaders should be humble servants of the town and town’s people.
Our selection of a Republican candidate must prove that we want the good of the entire town, not the good of a certain group; we have to prove we have common goals, not a specific agenda; having an agenda was foreign to our Town Board’s activity in the last six years. Any one-issue agenda would hurt the town.
We – Republicans, neighbors, town residents – cannot truly WIN if we are divisive… We have to be inclusive, and we have to find common sense solutions…
I’d like to end with one of my favorite political quotes:
“An elected official’s duty is to do what is obvious.”
Carl Chipman always did that. We, Republican voters, should do the obvious too – nominate him as our candidate and re-elect him our Supervisor… He fully deserves it, and it’s in the town’s best interest.
Thank you!
Never give up! 