Archive: Around Town

Marty ChristopherDale Christopher has nominated his brother, Marty, for Star of the Month. Marty was born and raised in Lansing, the oldest of four children.

His father is the well known sports writer Matt Christopher, author of about 125 books on sports and players, so he grew up in a sports oriented family.  Marty lettered in three sports himself, including football, basketball and baseball, and was the captain of all three teams in his Senior year. He graduated in 1960.

He attended St. Bonaventure to earn a degree in business administration, and became a lifelong Cleveland browns fan. He has been married to his wife Margaret for 32 years. They have two grown children and one grandson.

In 2000 Marty was inducted into the Lansing Athletic Hall of Fame, and he and Matt are the only father-son to have been inducted to date. He now chairs the Hall of Fame committee.

At a Town Board Meeting

In 2002 Marty was elected to the Lansing Town Board, where he continues to serve. He is the Board's liaison to the Office of Children and Family Services Advisory Board, Lansing Park and the Recreation Commission.

In 2004 he approached the Lansing Library board about donating his complete collection of his father's books to the library. This was his own personal collection, with inscriptions from his father to himself and his family was officially donated to the library on November 19th in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Town Hall. He said, "When you have this many books and you start thinking about the legacy, why not give them to some place here in the community?" He decided that the Town's library is the perfect home for this valuable collection of books that were written by a Lansing author and continue to be among the most popular sports books for kids.

Cutting the ribbon, donating the books

The next day his brother Dale sent us this message: "I would like to nominate my brother Marty Christopher for this weekend (11/19) donating his entire set of my Dad's (Matt Christopher) books to the Lansing Library." The Lansing Star Online is proud to make Marty Christopher the Star of January 2006.

Read More about the Matt Christopher Collection donation.

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It all came down to this... a loud hot gym packed with spirit-filled students. Countless hours of work and planning had resulted in one simple phrase, "and the winner is..."

Spirit Week 2005 is said to have broken records, and has caused many emotions.

The winner of both the hall decorating and theme days was the junior class of 2007. Many people have said that this is the first time that the seniors have lost since the year Lansing's own Lucas Hibbard, the middle school music teacher, graduated from high school.

Pet of the WeekHi I am Buttercup! I’m an adult female hound mix and I weigh 50-60 pounds. I used to be a stray but now I reside at the A.S.P.A.(hey that rhymed… maybe I’ll be a poet someday…..). I get along with everyone and am a great companion! Please adopt me soon and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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If you are one of the patrons that had a special relationship with our public computers it is time to stop in and say farewell before they go off to recycling. Some might say it is about time. They have been replaced by two NEW Dell systems. The new computers continue to access the Internet via Road Runner and Microsoft Office software is available for use. Stop in and check them out.

Mary Searles

When the Lansing Food Pantry got “it” all together for the annual Christmas Party last Monday night, they proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that they do know how to throw a party! As with any other party, there had been advance planning, organizing and coordinating by lots of warm bodies before the doors opened.

This has been happening on an annual basis at least since Mary Searles became director of the Lansing Food Pantry over 11 years ago. Mary was dressed for the occasion in custom-made red reindeer antlers as over 218 Lansing residents enjoyed the cookies, punch, and presents along with the regular food distribution.

Ask IMOAsk IMO

 Lansing's Advice Column

Dear IMO,

I am desperate. I need some suggestions for Christmas gifts. Yes, I know it’s just a few days before the holiday, but I have to get something for my wife and her mother. My initial instinct is to give them gift certificates to the stores they like. Is that okay? Do you have any suggestions?

Many thanks,

Michael

 

There is a lot of talk about what a fast growing community Lansing is.  It must be true, because Tuesday and Wednesday whole neighborhoods sprung up when Lansing Middle School students built their gingerbread houses.  The Lansing Youth Commission conducts the program each year, with fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders participating.

Reader John Cawley wrote to suggest we let people know where the best Christmas lights in town are located. We sent our roving photographer, Karen Veaner, out the other night to find the most spectacular Christmas lights displays in town.  She wasn't able to cover all of Lansing in one evening, but she came back with plenty of pictures and a few observations.

"The best is Myers Road," she reported and went on to say,  "The Coyle's display on Searles Road is spectacular."  She was much impressed with the Christophers' layout on Atwater, and found some wonderful displays on Hillcrest.  Finally, she said there were some truly wonderful displays on Triphammer, but she felt it was too dangerous to stop to take pictures on that busy road in the dark.

Here are some of the displays she found.  Send us pictures of your displays and we may feature them in the future.

In another mammoth meeting the Lansing Board of Education (BOE) voted on the first cuts in an attempt to begin to define the scope of the Phase II Capital Improvement project. The multi-million dollar project includes new classrooms, improvements to the campus traffic patterns and parking and renovations to the facilities. With many of the elements affecting the others, the Board struggled to whittle down the project so it will produce the most State aid while reducing the taxpayers' share as much as possible. The idea was to make the red parts of the project green. This meant juggling the pieces to maximize State aid. Even so the project could add over 10% to the current school tax, depending on what ends up in the project.

Soon-to-be Superintendent Mark Lewis proposed that an ad-hoc citizen's committee be formed to review the district's need and to respond to the project as it stands so far. Such a committee would give the BOE an advanced idea of what part of the project would appeal to taxpayers and what they would not accept. The BOE would use this feedback to adjust the final scope of the project, hoping for an increased chance that it will be accepted in a referendum that is tentatively scheduled for April of 2006.

Ithaca … Cold weather sneaks up fast on us in the Finger Lakes region. Prepare for the snow and temperature drop by making special provisions for your pets to ensure their health and happiness.

The SPCA urges all pet owners to...

Ithaca … Bah humbug. We don’t want to be Grinch-like, and pets do love to be a part of (and should be involved in) the action during the holidays, but some common-sense safety tips will help ensure your pet’s safety during the holidays.

Warmth and love beat cold and loneliness. Do not leave dogs or cats outdoors while the rest of the family is enjoying each other’s company inside! But aside from more love and attention, the Tompkins County SPCA offers these tips to help you enjoy holiday traditions while keeping your dog or cat safe from harm: