Archive: Around Town

This year residents will be treated to fireworks on Cayuga Lake when the Lansing Community Council hosts fireworks at Myers Park on July 2nd.  The fireworks are part of an all night affair that promises two live bands and food as well as the fireworks.  The community Council hopes to make it an annual event, adding to an already impressive resume of community projects and events.

The event will kick off at 6pm with Backtalk Band and food provided by the Lansing Tops market.  The Ithaca Dixieland Jazz Band will perform at 8pm, and the fireworks will start around 10pm.  The event is being paid for by private donations.  Community Council President Ed LaVigne says $5,000 will cover the event and the donation to the Lansing cheerleaders and football team to be made in exchange for working at this event and the Lansing Harbor Festival in August.  That is a win-win situation for the teams and the Community Council, which needs bodies to help greet people at the park entrance, collect donations, and manage parking.  As of the beginning of this week the tally had exceeded $3,000, and LaVigne says he anticipates another $1,000 before the end of next week.

"You never have enough because whatever we don't use this year if we're fortunate enough to have surplus, we simply put it in our account for next year," he says.  "We try to be good stewards with the money.  People give us money and we respect that and appreciate that, and treat it as if it's our own."

The Lansing Community Council is made up of volunteers.  Community councils are needed primarily to funnel donations to worthy programs within the Town.  Many of those donations come through the Tompkins County United Way which can not give money to municipalities.  The local community councils receive and distribute the money.  In Lansing some is used for scholarships to families who can't afford Recreation Department program fees, older adult programs, Lansing Youth Services, and more.

The council raised more than $8,000 for the Lansing Food pantry with a December mailing last year, and plans to do it again this year.  Also last year the Community Council paid for bands to play at the annual Lions Club 4th of July chicken barbecue.  This year the bands will be at the fireworks instead, and the new event was planned for a different day on purpose to keep from conflicting with the Lions' event.

On top of that the Council has taken on community projects like restoring the town's historic Log Cabin and a huge playground in Myers Park.  People, including Town officials were skeptical that the money could be raised to save the cabin, but when that succeeded it provided the credentials and confidence to raise about $130,000 in only six months to build the playground.  LaVigne has ideas for future such projects, including a bridge across Salmon Creek that will join Myers Park and Salt point.

The Lansing council holds its own fundraisers, and since it was reconstituted in 2006 has become quite active.  In addition to its own fundraising that has yielded grants to the Lansing Schools, the Lansing Community Library, and other programs, it hosted the first Lansing Harbor Festival in 2007.  This August 13th they'll hold that festival for the fifth time.  Donations go to pay for the events, as well as to worthy programs in the town.

This year marks a growth spurt for activities.  LaVigne says that four chicken barbecue slots are reserved this season, though the Community Council will be happy to step aside so other worthy causes can raise money.  He says the Council may cede a September slot to Lansing youth Services, which is suffering a loss of income from Tompkins county.

The Council is considering taking over the annual carnival if the Fire Department decides not to continue it.  Department members voted to stop after this year's carnival in May.  The fireworks is another major initiative, though not nearly as big as the Harbor Festival.  But LaVigne says that is not straining the council's volunteer resources or its ability to raise money for the community.

"This year we've had some people step forward in different capacities for the Harbor Festival," LaVigne says.  "The Harbor Festival is the biggie.  That's a $15,000 event, nd that's all raised in the community so we always are grinding for money for that.  We've had a few people step forward and capture certain departments that are essential for the Harbor Festival and taken them over."

LaVigne says that there are a lot of people who will take all or part of an event and from there it's a matter of finding volunteers to support them.

"If you look at our resume, it's encouraging," he says.  "These new volunteers weren't there three years ago.  All it takes is another dynamo like they are.  For instance when Karen Veaner heads the Harbor Festival (the rest of us) are there for support.  So we say 'what do you need?' And we let her run her own race and support her in any way we can and go from there."

Whether or not Lansing continues to have fireworks will be determined by how successful this year's event is.  It has been kept consciously modest this year to see how much the community wants it and how well it goes over.  LaVigne says the measure of that success will be intangibles.

"You can measure by whether you can pay for this stuff," he says.  "Do the people celebrate?  Are they happy to be in America?  Are they happy to celebrate the greatest country in the world?  Are they happy that the sky's the limit here and you can do anything you want?  The Community Council has shown that when you get a few people together they feed off each other and the results can be exponential."

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