The Woodsedge retirement facility was fairly bursting at the seams Saturday as people crowded into the dining room to celebrate the facility's 25th anniversary, as well as to dedicate the new Robert C. Baker Memorial  Garden.  Baker was a founding member and the first president of the Lansing Housing Authority from 1977 to the time of his death in 2006, and a prime mover in getting Woodsedge built.  "We don't need a garden to remind us of Bob -- it's in our hearts," said retire pastor and Woodsedge resident David Braid.  "But we trust as people come to see it we can tell the story of what Bob Baker means to us.  So let's have a little prayer that we might have taken something from the life of Bob Baker and translate it into the rest of our lives."

The dining room wasn't big enough to hold everyone, including residents, Lansing Housing Authority and Lansing Older Adult Program officials, family, friends, and well-wishers.  Town officials and candidates included Supervisor Steve Farkas as well as his opponent Scott Pinney, and Council members Connie Wilcox and Marty Christopher.  The facility was open for tours, and two enormous cakes celebrated the anniversary and the garden.

Tuesday evening saw the Ithaca-Cayuga Rotary Club at the Elizabeth Restaurant for the club's annual Annual Outstanding Community Service Award.  This year the club honored Mary Searles for a lifetime of community service, which is a foundation of the club.  "For many years the Ithaca-Cayuga Rotary Club has made a point of honoring a member of the community with the community service award," said Dennis Mogil.  "We usually choose the member of the community that has made volunteerism and community service a way of life."

Searles' daughter Fran Sampson and daughter-in-law Nancy Searles joined more than 30 people who came to honor their mother.  After dinner Chuck Brodhead read the citation, after which it was presented to Searles by club president Dennis Mogil.  Before the presentation past President AnnMarie Hautaniemi offered a prayer.  "May we awaken to the gifts that we have been given and use them well and responsibly in the service of others," she said.  "May the use of those gifts through service open our hearts and minds to the unity of all life, whether in our family, our neighborhood, or the world."

Hi there my name is Rain. I am a Dilute tortoiseshell. And I am a spayed female. I need a wonderful home where I will be treated with lots and lots of love. So please come and visit me at the SPCA.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Last Saturday night was not only unusually warm for late October, but also a little spooky around the Lansing Community Center. Boy Scout Troop 48 held their annual Haunted House for the community. Each year the boys in the troop plan the event, showing off their organizational, creative and theatrical skills for the enjoyment of those brave enough to enter the Haunted House. With a little help from parents, the community center is transformed for one night of scary fun and entertainment.

Crafts were available for the younger patrons, many of whom came dressed in their own costumes. If you were brave enough to go upstairs, you might have been startled by the snakes, spooky music, or the baby snatcher. A cave man was there too, but not the nice one you see on the TV commercials. It's all good fun and a great opportunity for kids to try out their new costumes before the school parade and Halloween Trick-or-Treating.

Read more ...

Halloween isn't Halloween without Lansing Elementary School's Fall Parade!

Randy actually started volunteering in Lansing back in 1982 for the Varsity Wrestling Team,where he gained much respect for his hard work and dedication to Lansing Wrestling.

Two years later, he was appointed by petition of local parents to be the Head Coach of the Lansing High School Team where he coached until 1988. At that time Randy went to the Lansing Recreation Department with his idea for starting a Lansing Wrestling Club.

Randy again volunteered his time and energy to the wrestling program in hopes of turning around a sport that had strugled in the past. He took on 30 to 40 youths from the age of 5 to 14 for 13 yrs. Not once asking for anything in return except for the success of the kids. Randy just completed his 20th year of Recreation youth wrestling.

Today, Lansing Wrestling stands as one of the best in the area. In 2004, Randy took on the Modified program with the same success. Randy did not stop there. He became a key factor in the Lansing Recreation girls softball program, where he also dedicated much of his time -- or should I say more of his time. Again, he only wanted the kids to have fun and learn.


He had great success in softball, winning many championships and thus starting a highly successful Lansing Softball program, where he later found himself coaching at the High School at the Modified and JV levels and assisting Varsity Coach Adam Heck on game strategy, where his daughter RandiLyn was pitcher. He also coached a Lansing based "Woodshed" Womens Softball Team from 1984-1999 and won numerous championships.

Randy also formed the very first Adult Co-Ed Softball League in 2003 which continues to be very successful today).(This past spring  Randy also hosted a "free" Advanced Softball Clinic through the Recreation Department.

Whenever there was an opening to coach he volunteered wholeheartedly.  He coached Recreation girls basketball and co-coached one year) of Modified Girls basketball, and recreation Boys baseball and basketball. He also has and still does volunteer at the Lansing  Elementary School Before School Program among many fund raising events.


Last but certainly not least -- his softball and wrestling legacy is continued through awards given by him for Lansing's 'Most Outstanding' Senior Softball Player and Wrestler and his donations of free t-shirts last year to the Varsity Girls Soccer Team and Volleyball Team for their accomplishments.

In my opinion,Randy's gift of his time, knowledge and love of the youth makes him worthy of a "star" in the Lansing Community.

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superstar

On Thursday (October 18th) a story about an 11 year old in Rome, NY who has been fighting a near-death battle with Community-Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA), NY hit the news. 

	"We do not have any community-aquired cases of MRSA that we know of in Lansing."

On Friday Lansing Middle School nurse Beverly Snow's phone wouldn't stop ringing.  She fielded calls from concerned parents, school colleagues, and health department officials.  The message she had to share was positive: with awareness and caution the chances of catching the potentially deadly infection are slim.  "I'm glad people are aware of it, but we don't want them to panic," she says.  "What I would like to convey to our community is no, we do not have any community-aquired cases of MRSA that we know of in Lansing."

Read more ...

Last week Lansing Town Historian Louise Bement announced that a new brochure has been published to promote the town and many of its important landmarks.  The brochure is part of the second project taken on by Tompkins County historians led by County Historian Carol Kammen.  The result is nine county community brochures with maps that can be used for driving tours of historical sites, lodging, shopping, cemeteries, and recreational areas for each town.  "Every town historian is distributing them," Bement says.  "I took mine to the Federal House, to every hotel, the churches, any place that's mentioned in the brochure.  The Town Halls have them, and they're all down at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center."

Nine communities within the county have official historians that Kammen has organized them to meet monthly to share their towns' rich history.  The first project produced by the group is the book, 'Place Names of Tompkins County,' in which each local historian wrote a chapter chronicling the evolution of place names in their town or village.  Most Lansing residents know where Rogue's harbor is, but do you know where Esty's is in Lansing?  Or that it was originally known as Forest City? Or that Lansing itself was named for a Supreme Court judge?

Ask IMOAsk IMO

Lansing's Advice Column

Email your questions to IMO at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear IMO,

My mother is beginning to show signs of forgetfulness. She often repeats the same story or has misplaced her eyeglasses or key. My sisters and I are not sure whether she is developing early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Are there certain things we should be looking for? Do you know of any programs that deal with this disease?

Thanks,
Rita

Dear Rita,

Anyone can misplace an item or forget about an appointment. With the hectic pace most of us keep, it's a wonder we get to any of our appointments. I make it a habit to place my wallet and keys on my dresser every evening, except when I forget to do so and spend most of the next morning frantically looking for the missing items.

Pet of the WeekHi there my name is Bogie I am a Persian buff cat. I am a spayed female and I am 17 years old. I have long orange hair, and I need a wonderful home, so please come and visit me at the SPCA.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Pancakes, a walk for hunger, and a beach-themed auction were what Lansing people were doing this week.

SPCA Urges Pet Lovers to Help Pets Avoid Stress Halloween is fun for people, but not much fun for pets. People in disguise, spooky noises, knocking at the door - the trappings of Halloween can be agitating and unnerving to animals. The SPCA is urging pet lovers to follow some timeless tips to help make Halloween safe and less stressful for your pet: