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Let's Go Back for May 17, 2013

by jmaloni
Thu, May 23rd 2013 03:00 pm

40 Years Ago, May 9, 1973

Islettes volunteer for happiness march

Grand Island will be well represented at the May 20 Buffalo parade to celebrate national Nursing Home Week. Teddy's Islettes Baton and Drum Corps will be among the marching units.

Planned by the Delaware Avenue Nursing Home, the parade will pass that home and three others for the benefit of patients who are unable to travel. At last report, more than 1,000 persons, including Grand Island's 125 Islettes, had volunteered for the event. All units will march down Delaware Avenue between West Utica Street and Gates Circle beginning at 2 p.m. There will be no competition for prizes and cash awards, "just an opportunity to make someone happy," a spokesman for the Islettes said.

The Islettes' first Grand Island appearance is scheduled for May 28, 1973, when the town will pay tribute to its war dead at a ceremony in DeGlopper Memorial Park ...

30 Years Ago, May 6, 1983

Area youth drawn by hope of work

"Jobs no fantasy on Grand Island," was what one local television station reported as Fantasy Island interviewed candidates for 350 to 400 jobs for the summer. More than 1,300 people lined up at the fire headquarters Saturday, some waiting several hours to fill out an application and speak to one of the 12 interviewers.

Many were soaked before reaching the hall, but the rain discouraged few. Coffee from the fire auxiliary, whose annual doughnut sale coincided with the hiring day, warmed many of the job-seekers. Another 500 people applied Sunday.

20 Years Ago, May 12, 1993

Residents continue to voice pipeline opposition

Grand Island and Wheatfield residents joined forces once again in opposition to the proposed Empire State pipeline last Thursday, this time at public hearings scheduled by the New York State Public Service Commission. After more than five years of fighting, the angry residents pummeled ANR officials with questions on safety, alternative routes, the environment, property values, and more.

The public hearings, which were held May 6 at Wheatfield Town Hall, were arranged by PSC to officially record comments from residents regarding ANR Pipeline Company's request to change directional drilling for the project. In an effort to better explain the proposed changes, the PSC requested that ANR representatives be on hand one hour before each public hearing to allow for a question-and-answer period.

Approximately 75 residents bombarded Jack P. Lucido, ANR vice president of engineering and construction, with questions for more than an hour before the 1 p.m. hearing. Although comments were supposed to be restricted to the directional drilling change, many residents went back to long-asked questions that have never received answers.

Residents from both Wheatfield and Grand Island aired concerns about a decrease in property values for those homes in close proximity to the proposed pipeline. ...

10 Years Ago, May 9, 2003

Buffalo Launch Club celebrates 100 years

This year marks a special occasion for the Buffalo Launch Club - "the oldest power boating club in the world" - as its membership proudly observes its 100th anniversary on Oct. 9.

Located at 503 East River Road, the club traces its beginnings to the efforts of Dr. A.E. Hibbard, a Buffalo-area boating enthusiast and pioneer. (He) along with 18 other like-minded aficionados, organized to form a club where they could share their ideas and experiences on Niagara River boating - in those days a newfound and daring venture on boats powered by internal combustion engines.

Over the years, Niagara River powerboat racing became increasingly popular for enthusiasts as well as Buffalo-area residents - primarily due to the efforts of the BLC. The club weathered the struggles of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the war years and a tragic fire that saw its clubhouse burn to the ground. Today, the BLC boasts a membership from the Island and beyond.

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