Around the Neighborhood By Karen Cuccinello - Summit

Merry Christmas

Now we play the winter games: will the roads be OK to get to town or to meetings or will it be snowing and blowing again and everything gets cancelled; but somehow we get through it all.

I wish we would get a foot of snow, lets say every other week instead of 3-6” every few days.

A few ice fisherman have been out on Summit Lake, burr.

Went to the Stamford Library Christmas party with my granddaughter and had a great time. Made a few ornaments and had some yummy goodies. Photo of Erika Eklund, director of the library, helps a child write a letter to Santa.

Wreaths Across America ceremony at Charlotteville Cemetery was attended by 10 hardy souls in windy 19 degree weather. Thank you to Georgia VanValkenburgh, Deb and Fred Soucia, Steve and Lori Fyfe and Judy Kramer for hanging up the wreaths. Charlotteville FD followed the ceremony by delivering goodies to seniors in town.

For my next Old Summit Farms book I wanted to find and take a current photo of the Peck farm house, to go with an old photo of the house from Lisa (Peck) Crapser. I could not find the house so stopped by Lisa Crapser’s and she told me it was at 683 Bear Gulch Rd., now Lee Benedict’s house. While there, we chatted about this-n-that including a wonderful story about her mom, Eleanor Peck’s engagement ring.

At some point before getting married on December 21, 1940, Eleanor Belle Rivenburgh had received an engagement ring from R. Douglas “Doug” Peck. The Peck’s ran a dairy farm and raised four daughters. When you have a farm and kids there is lots of laundry to be done.

The Peck’s had a Westinghouse washing machine that vibrated on the spin cycle. When Eleanor did the laundry/cleaning she must have put her engagement ring on the shelf above the washer. On one of those laundry days the ring evidently vibrated to the back of the shelf getting caught between the shelf and wall, tucked away safely, never to be seen by Eleanor again. Fast forward to 2024, Lee Benedict was doing alterations and removed the shelf in the area by the washing machine and found a paint covered ring stuck to the shelf. He cleaned up the ring then researched the previous owners of the house. Finally, he tried calling Lisa Crapser and asked if she knew of somebody losing a ring when she lived there. YES, her mother had always been on the lookout for her lost engagement ring! Lisa had her mom’s wedding ring that matched up perfectly, as they were a set, with the newly discovered engagement ring. Amazing that Lee found the ring at all, then researched previous owners and found one of Eleanor’s daughters 80+ years after Eleanor married Doug Peck. The Peck’s were later, owners of the High View Campground. Eleanor passed away in 2006 and Doug in 2010.

CESRPL Team and High Individual Match Scores 12/12/25  Match IX, Stamford/Richmondville beat Rockdale: 1099-14X to 1061-16X. High Stamford/Richmondville Scores were from: Gus Mueller 284-5X; Carl Tubbs 276-5X; Steve Baker 273-0X; and Jim Hitt 266-4X. Other Stamford/Richmondville Shooters were: David Ferris, Larry VanDeusen, and Maynard Vance. High Scores for Rockdale were: Rob Gould 273-5X; Pat Hawkins 263-7X; Jason Fleming 263-3X; and Rick Braun 262-1X. Other Rockdale Shooters were: Dave Dewey, Steve Ingalls, Tom Reese, Rick Jaycox, Cole Fleming, Jennine Noxon, Gloria Galley, David Smith, Dave VanValenburg, and Joe Ocas.

December 19 -Summit Community Center Winter Celebration with hot beverages & cookies 6-8pm at Summit FD. Bring a nonperishable food item to share with our local friends in need.

December 20 – Holiday Piano Sing-Along in Judd Hall, 163 Main St, Jefferson 3pm. Free and all welcome.

December 20 – CRCS Wrestling: Varsity Battle in the Valley versus multiple schools 8am at the high school.

December 21 – Winter solstice shortest day of the year 9 hours and 17 minutes. But never fear, on the next day we gain 3 minutes.

December 25 – Christmas

January 1- Happy New Year

January 15 – Summit Town Board meeting 7pm.

January 18 - Charlotteville FD Breakfast Buffet 8-11am at the firehouse. Includes pancakes, french toast, sausage, ham, home fries, eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy, juice hot chocolate & coffee; adults $12 and children $5, plus a 50/50 drawing. Buckshole Sugarshack real maple syrup.

January 20 – S.C.O.P.E. meeting at Carlisle Town Hall 7pm

History

December 22, 1910 Jefferson Courier- Charlotteville - Mrs. L.D. Smith has had a very sore time with the arm she so badly bruised falling out the sleigh some days ago. - About five o’clock last Tuesday morning Mr. and Mrs. John Gray were awakened by the noise of something dropping. Upon investigation the rooms upstairs were full of smoke and the cupboard full of books and papers, supporting one chimney, was rapidly burning. Help was summoned over the telephone and so promptly did the neighbors respond to the call that the fire, which had burned well into the attic, was put out before it reached the roof. - Eli Wayman and Everett Spurbeck went to New York city last week and disposed of a carload of Christmas trees.