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May 23-26, 200
8

142nd Consecutive
Memorial Day Observance

May 30, 2008

 

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Memorial Day in Waterloo is more than the first holiday of the summer season. Much more!

WELCOME HOME!

This year’s Celebrate Commemorate events are scheduled for May 23-26 and May 30 to pay tribute to the men and women who have served our country in the military and returned home. Some are injured, physically or mentally, but many are not. "We are grateful to the members of the military who preserve our freedom at home and in foreign lands. Thank you for your service, and for the sacrifices of your families," said co-chair Jane Shaffer.

This weekend the village also welcomes friends and family members who return home for this special event. “We are proud that you share our values of family, community service and patriotism. You will always find a warm welcome here, in the Birthplace of Memorial Day,” Shaffer added.

“You will find events for the whole family,” said co-chair Dave Duprey. “To all our visitors, old friends and new friends alike, Welcome Home!”

Co-chairs: Jane Shaffer, 315-539-3353
Dave Duprey, Village Trustee 315-539-9010

 
For the past eight years, a dedicated committee has met monthly to plan Celebrate Commemorate, a celebration of their dearly-won freedom on the weekend before May 30th. This year's theme, "Welcome Home " will continue pay tribute to our men and women in uniform.

After all the celebrating, on May 30, in keeping with General John A. Logan's Orders, the village's veterans organizations will sponsor a solemn commemoration of the sacrifices of those who gave their lives for freedom.

The weekend events have become a village-wide family reunion with opening day ceremonies set for 6:45 p.m. Friday, May 23rd at the Seneca County Fairgrounds. Nik and the Nice Guys will perform from 7-10 pm, followed by a fireworks display by Telstar!

On Saturday and Sunday, activities get under way at 8 am with a breakfast buffet and continue non-stop throughout the day. There will be encampments and cannon firings by Civil War groups, musical concerts and entertainments every hour on the stage at Lafayette park, train and wagon rides, historic walking tours, more than100 arts and crafts vendors, and food of every variety. On Saturday at 11 am the Celebrate parade will step off and continue down Main St. to the park. Featured parade groups will include the comedy marching troupe the Hit Men. Anyone can join the lineup. Contact Doris Wolf at 315-539-8302.

Sunday events include a breakfast buffet, a 5K run on a certified course through the village, and the always-popular car show, with antique and classic cars and Woodies parked along Main Street and conclude with a concert on the stage in Lafayette Park at 5:30 pm.

The National Memorial Day museum, the village's Terwilliger Museum, and the M'Clintock House, part of Women's Rights National Historical Park, will be open during the weekend and on Memorial Day (May 30).

On Friday, the official Memorial Day, Veterans organizations will gather at 10:30 to march from the VFW to Maple Grove Cemetery for services at 11. In the evening, the traditional Memorial Day parade will march down Main Street at 6:00 pm, for ceremonies in Lafayette Park.

 
Rise and shine on Celebrate/Commemorate weekend with breakfast at the American Legion
On Saturday morning, May 24th, a buffet breakfast will be served from 8 to 11 am at the Legion home at 1 E. Williams St. The menu includes scrambled eggs, meat, fruit cup, toast, juice, coffee and that Army staple, chipped beef on toast.
Start Memorial Day right with breakfast at the VFW
Waterloo Memorial Post 6433 VFW will serve breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 25th, at the post home on East Elisha Street. The menu includes scrambled eggs, home fries, pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit cup, toast, juice and coffee. Cost is $7 per person.
 


ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW

LAFAYETTE PARK

Saturday May 264th & Sunday May 25th

10:00am – 5:00pm

Crafts/Vendor Application


World Renowned Artist, from Rochester
Diane Dengel


will be demonstrating her unique painting technique and will be selling her
work and dolls!

Over 100 Vendors! Featuring expert crafts from all over the area, things you have to see to believe – including but not limited to: 
handmade wood items, paintings, jewelry, dolls & doll clothes, fudge, candles and oh so much more!
 

Horse and Wagon Tours

The popular horse and wagon tours will return to Waterloo for the Celebrate Commemorate weekend. Carl and Dot Blood of Rushville will bring their draft horses for a half-hour ride through the village. This
year the route will be expanded to include Bear Cemetery, the site of the proposed American Civil War Memorial and Oak Island.

Tours will run from noon to 3:30 p.m. Tickets, $1 for adults and children from grade 6 and older, will be available at the ticket booth on the east end of Lafayette Park.

That's where the tickets for the historic walking tour also will be available. Led by village historian Bea Contant and her team of guides, the tour follows the route of the walking tour brochure. Fascinating
facts about the village's colorful history will be explained. Tickets are $2 for the one-hour tour, which will be offered from 12:15 pm to 3:15 pm.


Canal and Lock tour

A new tour boat service will debut as one of three special modes of transportation during Celebrate Commemorate Memorial Day in Waterloo May 24-25. One-hour narrated canal AND lock tour will be offered Saturday & Sunday at 10, 12, 2 & 4 . Tickets will be available at the Celebrate Commemorate information booth or in advance at Nugent's Hardware and the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce. $12 for adults, $8 Youth 12 and under.

www.fingerlakeswateradventures.com

 

Classic, sports and antique cars will return to Waterloo on Memorial Day weekend for the sixth annual....

"Wheels on Main Street"

The eighth annual "Wheels on Main Street" show, Waterloo's largest car show, will be held on Sunday, May 25th, from 11 am to 4 pm. Registration will be from 9 am to 11am. There is no entry fee. Owners are invited to display their prized antique and classic cars,
sports cars, hot rods, motorcycles, antique tractors or anything on wheels! Once again, the Woodies are expected to gather on their annual spring tour. Woodie car bodies were manufactured in Waterloo in the 1950s. For more information or to pre-register, contact Lou LeBrun at lmlalebrun@rochester.rr.com or Rgood3@rochester.rr.com or Bob Good, 0712
Waterloo-Geneva Road, Waterloo, NY 13165 or 315-539-3162.

The first 100 entrants
will receive commemorative gifts.

Click here for an application
To register send your name, address, phone number with area code, club affiliation if any, vehicle make, year and model to:
Bob Good
0712 Waterloo-Geneva Road,
Waterloo NY 13165.
For more information, call
315-539-3162
Woodies too!!

The wooden station wagon bodies that once were produced in Waterloo will return to Waterloo's Celebrate Commemorate festivities.
Wood-bodied cars were favorites of the surfer crowd, and Woody trucks and buses were popular in the 1940s and 50s. 
Scores of the restored vehicles will be brought by their owners from across the country to participate in the weekend's festivities.

 

Civil War Encampments:

Will set up on Oak Island in the village

Reynolds Battery L.

 

Reynolds Battery L. 1st NY Light Artillery was formed in 1982 to honor the original battery and educate the public about the Civil War. Members of Reynolds' Battery are all volunteer and come from as far away as Buffalo and Ithaca. The original Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery, was raised by John A. Reynolds of Rochester, NY, in September 1861. Recruits were drawn mostly from Rochester, but ranged from all over Western & Northern New York, and Canada. On October 18, 1861, the Battery was officially mustered into the United States Army in Elmira, N Y. They were armed with the first six Model 1861 3" Ordnance Rifles in the country. From Elmira, the Battery was sent to West Virginia. Their first engagement occurred when a section under Lieutenant Loder came into action in Charleston, WV. On 28 August 1862, the Battery was transferred to the I Corps, Army of the Potomac, and it participated in all the engagements of that Corps until 1864, including Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In March 1864, the Army of the Potomac reorganized and the I Corps merged into the V, which Reynolds' Battery served with through the end of the war, including the battles of Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. Of the approximately 115 men who had originally joined the Battery, 25 still remained with the unit at the time it was mustered out of service on June 17, 1865. A total of 320 men entered service as members of Reynolds' Battery L. Of these, nine were killed or died from wounds received in action while 14 died from sickness contracted in service. In 1982, Frank Cutler gathered some like-minded reenactors and founded the 1st New York Light Artillery, Reynolds' Battery L. At first, the Battery had a 3/4 scale cannon, which was sold to raise money for another cannon and this pattern of making and selling was begun. Slowly, over the years, Reynolds' Battery began to reach its goal of fielding four 3" Ordnance Rifles with limbers The group received its first 3" Rifle in 1987, the second was fielded in 1996 and the third in 1997. Although the group members take their hobby very seriously, they have a lot of fun while educating the public and, most importantly, honoring those of the Civil War.

The 148th
New York Volunteer
Regiment of Infantry

 

In the reenactment community, the 148th New York Volunteers are considered veterans. Established in 1962, the 148th is the oldest Civil War reenactment organization in New York State. Since its founding, it has participated in several hundred Civil War battle reenactments and hosted scores of living history events, marched in parades and given presentations for schools and historical societies. Even though the organization is built on a military impression, families participate in the recreation of a time in American history when everyone was touched by the events, not just the soldiers serving in Dixie. The original 148th was recruited from the Finger Lakes regions of New York. They were assigned to the Army of the James and served under Major General Benjamin "The Beast" Butler. Some of the battles they participated in were Drewry's Bluff, Cold Harbor, the Siege of Petersburg, Chaffin's Farm, Fair Oaks, the Appomattox Campaign, and the post-war occupation of the city of Richmond. They had five Medal of Honor recipients, and suffered more than 500 casualties. The 148th of today recruits its members primarily from the Finger Lakes area. In 1962, the 148th began with six members from the Ovid Camp of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. Membership in the SUV is a tribute to those "Sons of the Finger Lakes" who answered Lincoln's call for 300,000 more!


The American Civil War Memorial pays tribute to the sacrifice made by citizens of Waterloo during the Civil War, and recognizes the soldiers from the North and the South who gave their lives in the conflict. The Civil War exacted a great toll on the American people; it was one of the most arduous times in our history when more lives were lost than in all our other wars combined. The Memorial, designed by sculptor Pietro del Fabro of Princeton Junction, New Jersey, will be built in Lock Park along the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, part of the Erie Canal System. Pietro’s design incorporates the Memorial into the historic canal environment of Waterloo and provides a destination for visitors arriving from town, those hiking the planned recreational trails, and boaters cruising the inland waterway. The Memorial includes individual cenotaphs for each man from Waterloo who died in battle and a North South Cenotaph recognizing all lives lost in the war. The North South Cenotaph will be constructed of stones sent from the 36 States which were in existence at the end of the Civil War. There will be tours of the American Civil War Memorial Saturday at 2:00 and 4:00pm.

ACWM Website


Civil War Ball
City Fiddle will provide the music for the Civil War Ball, Saturday, May 24th.
The Ball will be held at the Waterloo Community Center, from 7:00 – 10:00 pm

 

Museums Open

Visitors to Waterloo can learn about the history of Memorial Day, the founding of the village and the birth of the women's rights movementat the village's museums and historical sites.

 

The Terwilliger Museum, open during the celebration weekend, illustrates the history
of Waterloo from its earliest
Native American residents at Skoi Yase.

Over the last year, the familiar Memorial Day Museum at 35 E. Main St. has undergone a transformation in keeping with its new status as the National Memorial Day Museum.

Over the Celebrate Commemorate weekend
be sure to include a visit to our museum to
view newly installed exhibits detailing the
origins of Memorial Day in Waterloo, NY.

 

The new Civil War Room will take visitors through the story of the Civil War and how, through its unimaginable numbers of casualties, prompted a heightened culture of mourning and the creation of Memorial Day.

The new Memorial Day History Room features extensive exhibits on the major players of the Memorial Day concept, these being Henry C. Welles, Gen. John B. Murray and, of course, the venerable Gen. John A. Logan. The exhibit also highlights the 1966 Centennial in Waterloo that led to the recognition of Waterloo as the birthplace of Memorial Day. Also on display, an exhibit of historic images, poetry and prose that were generated throughout the 19th century to commemorate Memorial Day, then known as Decoration Day.

Wrapping up the new exhibits is a room devoted to the history and work of the Grand Army of the Republic or G. A. R. and the Women’s Relief Corps in carrying out the work of spreading the concept of Memorial Day, in the 19th and 20th centuries, throughout the nation.

We look forward to seeing you!

For more information, please call Waterloo Historical Society Curator, Tanya Warren at 315-406-3565

The M'Clintock House on East Williams Street, where the Declaration of Sentiments, the platform of the women's rights movement, was written, will also be open during the weekend. The home, called one of America's treasures, is now part of Women's Rights National Historical Park and is being restored by the National Park Service.


The M'Clintock House will be open Saturday May 26th and Sunday May 27th, from 12-5 p.m. Admission is free.


Train Excursions

Saturday & Sunday 1 & 3 pm


Hop aboard the Red, White and Blue Express! Once again Finger Lakes Railway will offer its nostalgic train ride through Waterloo, Seneca Falls and over the Seneca River to the Montezuma Causeway at Seneca Lake and return. Entertainment will be offered on each trip.

Tickets for the 1 1/2 hour ride are $10 per person, with children age 2 and under who sit on an adult's lap allowed to ride for free. This year, goodie bags will be given to all children who take the train ride.
Concessions and souvenirs will be available on board. Tickets must be purchased for a specific day and time. Advance sale tickets are available at Nugents Hardware, Seneca County Chamber of
Commerce and Finger Lakes Railway office on North Street in Border City. Any unsold tickets will be available for purchase on the day of the trip at the FLRR ticket booth in Lafayette Park near the railroad tracks. The railway also will have a display by Operation Lifesaver at its ticket booth. The display highlights safety measures on and around railroads.For more information on Celebrate Commemorate transportation, contact Transportation Czar Don Eichenhofer, 315-539-9641.

Certified 5K Run # NY04023AM
Sunday, May 27th, 2006
With PCR DAG Timing System by Paul Richards, Results will be given immediately
at end of the race.

ENTRY FEE:
$18.00
and all participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt,
scoresheet, and Photograph.

1st, 2nd, & 3rd place medals will be awarded in 9 age groups!

Plaques will go to the top three overall finishers.

5 K Walk/Run Race

More than 100 runners are expected to participate in the seventh annual Celebrate/Commemorate 5k walk and run on Sunday, May 25th. Chairman Jack Sutliffe said the field has grown every year for this event, attracting runners from throughout the area. This year's event is certified NY04023AM. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with an 8:30 a.m. race start. The route will begin and end in Lafayette Park and will wind through the beautiful, historic village. Prizes will be awarded in various age categories. Each participant will receive a picture crossing the finish line and a Celebrate / Commemorate T-shirt. With PCR DAG timing system by Paul Richards, the results will be given immediately at the end of the race.

To register or for more information, contact
Jack Sutliffe at 539-4348
sut@rochester.rr.com.

Click here for an application

Photo by Lori Duprey

 

Food for everyone!

The always-popular Patriot Pizza Eating Contest will again be featured at Celebrate/Commemorate. The fun begins at 3:45. Saturday, May 24th, in Lafayette Park. The contest, sponsored by Ciccino's Pizzeria,
challenges contestants to down a pizza as fast as they can. "This is a contest of speed, not quantity," explained chair Jane Shaffer. "It's not how many pizzas you consume, but how fast you can chow down." Contestants may use any technique to consume the pizza. Popular methods are to fold the pie, roll up each slice and pile slice on slice, Shaffer said. The winner will be the first person to finish all the pizza, including the crust. Contestants throw up their hands and open their mouths when they are finished. The timing stops when a contestant swallows the last bite. Entry fee is $5 payable to Celebrate/Commemorate. Applications are available at Ciccino's or Nugent's Hardware. Winner will receive a $25 gift certificate from Ciccino's. For more information, contact Jane Shaffer at 315-539-3353.  
FOOD CONCESSIONS:
* Celebrate Committee Food Booth - Hot Dogs- Hamburgs - Hot Sausage & Ciccino's Pizza *
* Cayuga Lake Creamery: Home Made Ice Cream *
* Wursthaus - German Food
* Jim & Linda's Fried Dough & French Fries *
* Dar's Delights: Home Made Ice Cream* * Waterloo Lions - Strawberry Fest *
* Girl Scouts - Cotton Candy & Sno Cones * Wrap Sandwiches *



BREAKFAST BUFFETS:
Serving 8:00am - 11:00 am

Sat May 26th - American Legion,
1 E William St.

Sun May 27th - VFW, 29 E Elisha St,

For more information please contact:
Bonnie Hosford
315-539-9240
or
Kate Schweitz
315-539-3622
kschweitz@rochester.rr.com

BBQ'S By J&R Catering:
Sat May 24th -
Waterloo in Bloom Chicken BBQ
Sun May 25th - Waterloo Rotary Chicken BBQ

The popular Celebrate Commemorate Quilt Raffle is available again this year!

The 81" X 104" Welcome Home log cabin pattern is done in Civil War reproduction fabrics from Quilters Corners, Ithaca. Pieced and assembled by Judie Byndas, Mary Lou Haws, Lisa Updike, and Linda Zappia. Quilted by Cheri Alger.


Tickets are available at $1 each or six for $5 and are available at Nugent's Hardware or at the Celebrate Commemorate booth in Lafayette park. Drawing will be on Sunday May 25th at 4:00 pm.

 

MEMORIAL DAY BIKER RALLY


Nearly 200 motorcycles are expected to gather in Waterloo on Monday, May 26, for the first annual Celebrate Commemorate Memorial Day Biker Rally. Led by the riders of the Patriot Guard, bikers from throughout the area are invited to join in the “Ride for Respect” to pay tribute to our troops.   Registration will begin at 8 am at the VFW, 29 West Elisha Street. Entry forms are available at here.

The riders will leave at 10 am and travel around Seneca Lake, visiting four counties and returning to Waterloo at about 2 pm. As they arrive in Seneca County, they will stop at the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall in Seneca Lake State Park.

Riders will park their bikes for viewing by the public in the VFW parking lot. The winner of the Willie Nelson “Support Our Troops” guitar will be announced by members of Operation Firing for Effect.

Dinner and refreshments will be sold by the VFW. Displays by community organizations, sales booths and musical entertainment are planned. Chairman Chris Shaffer said special guests from Orange County Choppers have been invited.


 

SHOUT OUT TO DEPLOYED SOLDIERS

www.stardustradio.com

Visitors to Celebrate Commemorate can send a live message to their loved ones in the military stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and other military installations overseas. Stardust Internet Radio will set up its special Internet connection in Lafayette Park during Celebrate Commemorate, May 23-25. Stardust Internet Radio will also be at the Biker Rally at the VFW May 26, where the winner of a special guitar autographed by Willie Nelson will be announced.

The broadcast is sponsored by Operation Firing For Effect (OFFE). In military terms, ‘firing for effect” means bringing all of your weapons to bear on a single target and firing in rapid succession for maximum effect.

OFFE, a grassroots organization, is using the tactic to focus the voices of veterans and the public to support full mandatory funding of veteran’s healthcare and related services. OFFE is a subsidiary of Veterans for Veterans Connection, Inc, dedicated to the protection and improvement of entitlements and services earned by our men and women in uniform. An OFFE delegation met with Congressional leaders in April to press their demand for full mandatory funding of veterans healthcare.

National Chairman Gene Simes will be in Waterloo to talk to the public about the organization’s efforts.
He also will be selling raffle tickets for a Washburn acoustic guitar signed by Willie Nelson to support the group’s efforts. Willie Nelson is an Air Force veteran who serves as celebrity spokesperson for OFFE.

Proceeds from the raffle will be used to produce radio and television announcements supporting the mandatory funding of veterans health care. For more information, visit www.OFFE2008.org or email Simes at gdsusa@rochester.rr.com

 

WATERLOO REMEMBERS SOLDIERS' SACRIFICES IN 141st ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATION

Following the weekend of celebration, the Birthplace of Memorial Day pauses to remember the sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price
for freedom. The 142nd solemn remembrance of Memorial Day in Waterloo will be observed on Friday, May 30. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post
6433 and Warner-Van Riper American Legion Post 435 will conduct the remembrance events. Memorial Day is always commemorated on May 30 in Waterloo, in keeping with Gen. John A. Logan's Orders. The public is invited to gather at 8:30 a.m. in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery on Stark Street for a full military service. At 10:30 a.m. marchers will leave the VFW at 29 West Elisha St. to go to Maple Grove Cemetery on Stark Street for military services at 11 a.m. The solemn remembrance will continue at 6 p.m. when the military parade steps off from Main and Clark streets, proceeding down Main Street to Lafayette Park where several veterans organizations will participate in the laying of the wreaths at the veterans monuments in the park. The program will include the recitation of the Gettysburg Address and Logan's Orders by students from Waterloo High School, the playing of the
National Anthem by the high school band, and the Salute to the Dead by the VFW firing squad and the playing of Taps. State Sen. Michael
Nozzolio and other dignitaries will speak. For more information, contact James Shaw at the American Legion, 1 E. Williams St., 315-539-8248 or Chuck Nightingale, VFW, 29 West Elisha St., 539-9771.

 
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