Archive: Around Town

The Lansing Events Committee inaugurated the Robert C. Baker Barbecue Pavilion May 18th with a chicken barbecue to raise funds for September's Lansing Community Celebration.  The new 48 foot long pavilion, in front of the Lansing Town ball fields, provides a covered space that consolidates the cooking and selling of fried chicken that takes place each week, benefiting various local groups including high school sports teams, community events, and charities.  The pavilion is named for Robert Baker, a pioneer in the preparation of chicken, and the creator of Cornell sauce, the flavoring used around the world, but notably on the chickens here in his home town.

"The pavilion is really great, it had enough room for the  guys cooking the chicken, as well as the sellers and the packagers to all be under the pavilion at the same time, and lucky for us, the smoke was blowing the opposite direction," says Lansing Events Committee President Valerie McMillen. "Our next fundraiser will be August 10."

A long time Lansing resident, Robert C. Baker was a Cornell University Professor of Poultry Science And Food Science. Baker invented more than 40 chicken innovations, including chicken nuggets, ground poultry, turkey hot dogs, and turkey ham.  He also worked on methods of vacuum packaging chicken.  With his family he founded Baker's Acres, and the popular New York State Fair restaurant, Baker's Chicken Coop that was famously visited by President Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton in 1999.

"We hope to have the dedication with the Baker family some time this summer," LaVigne says. "We're working with them to find an appropriate time and the language we will use to honor Robert Baker for all he's done for the Lansing community."

With chicken barbecues a ubiquitous part of Lansing culture,  a pavilion has been considered for years.  But it wasn't until last October that the Town Board approved the project.  The plan was to swap nine parking spaces on the ball field side of the parking lot with the space closer to the road where barbecues have been located.  The covered space would provide a better solution, especially on rainy days, and traffic flow was expected to improve.  The project was funded by a $10,000 donation.
"The traffic flow was great considering there were LSP and LBP games being played that day too," McMillen says. "There seemed to be plenty of parking, and taking out those few spots but having them on the opposite side worked out great!"

Hatfield Catering, which is responsible for most of the chicken barbecues on the site, provided the food for the carnival fundraiser.  The second annual Lansing Community Celebration is scheduled for September 6 and 7.  The event is a carnival behind Lansing Central Fire Station.  A parade is held on Saturday.

"There have been two barbecues so far," Lansing Supervisor Ed Lavigne said Wednesday. "The second one was the Lansing United Methodist Church and there are a variety of barbecues coming up after that. It's been talked about for the seven years I've been (in Lansing government), if not longer. It's another example of getting things done for the greater benefit of all Lansing."

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