HISTORY COLUMN
By Tom Heitz |
10 Years Ago – March 1999 Carl Manganaro heads into his third season as coach of the Richfield Springs baseball team. Richfield Springs, competing in the Center State Conference, finished fourth in league competition while posting an overall 7-15 record. Seven key players have departed from last year’s squad and the 1999 Indians will be younger. “They have a great attitude and work ethic,” Manganaro said. The team’s strength will be defense, he noted. Returning players are Bryant Soule, Andy Nicoletta, Steve Maxson, and Matt Pierce. Incoming varsity players include Branden Coones, Sean Dropchinski, Dustin Atty, John Nicotera and Mike Marzeski. 20 Years Ago – March 1989
The Richfield Area Improvement Association (RAIA) discussed the proposed replacement of two wooden swans at the village reservoir and ways to spruce up local storefronts at a meeting last week in the village library. After about $225 was added to the treasury in additional pledges toward replacing the two swans, wood carver Donald Fenner addressed the approximately 20 members present on ways to replace the birds. Fenner showed members various pictures of swans, but, he said, he wishes he had a picture of the originals to work with. “I’ve never attempted anything this big,” Fenner said. He added that a replica of a whistling or trumpeter swan could be as much as five feet long. 50 Years Ago – March 1959
With the spring kite flying season underway, the New York State Electric & Gas Corp. has issued these seven rules for safe kite-flying: Always fly your kite in an open field. Never run across a road while flying a kite. Keep kites away from electric wires and TV antennas. Never fly a kite in the rain or fly a kite with a wet string. Never fly a kite with metal in the frame, or with tinsel string or wire, or any twine with metal in it. Never use metal on kite tails. Never go near fallen electric wires, or climb electric poles, towers or substation fences. If kite is caught on electric wires, or on a pole, let it alone. 60 Years Ago – March 1949
The Richfield Springs mat men handed a telling 30-11 blow to Utica Free Academy Wrestlers last Thursday in a meet staged at Utica. The match moved rapidly with Richfield grapplers holding their opponents to one fall and two decisions in the 165, 145 and 120 pound divisions respectively. Half Nelsons seemed the order of the day as Dziadik, Leary, Goodale, Todd, Robinson and Sarafin pinned their rivals to the mat in quick succession for a total of 30 points. Mair, a U.F.A. man, in one minute flat, set up the individual time record, followed closely by Richfield’s Dziadik with one minute and two seconds. 75 Years Ago – March 1934
Advertisement – A&P 8 O’Clock Coffee – 2 pounds, 33 cents; Rajah Sandwich Spread (does not contain meat – excellent as a Tartar sauce) 1 pint jar, 17 cents; Red Ripe Tomatoes 3 No. 2 cans, 25 cents; Polk’s Fancy Grapefruit, No. 2 can, 10 cents; Fancy, Genuine Alaska Pink Salmon, 2 tall cans, 23 cents; Butter Kernel Corn, 2 No. 2 cancs, 25 cents; Encore Pure Olive Oil, one-half pint can, 19 cents; and Broadcast Roast Beef, 2 cans, 29 cents. 100 Years Ago – March 1909
A French statistician who has been studying the military and other records with a view to determining the height of men at different periods has reached some wonderful results. He has not only solved some perplexing problems in regard to the past of the human race, but is also enabled to calculate its future and to determine the exact period when man will disappear from the earth. It is found that in 1610 the average height of man in Europe was 1.75 meters, or five feet nine inches. In 1790, it was five feet, six inches. In 1820, it was five feet, five inches and a fraction. At the present time it is five feet three and three-quarters inches. By this calculation it is determined that the stature of the first men attained an average sixteen feet, nine inches. Truly, there were giants in the Earth in those days. By the time of Charlemagne it was eight feet, eight inches. The calculation shows that by the year 4,000 A.D., the stature of the average man will be reduced to fifteen inches and the end of the world will certainly arrive. Resources for this column have been provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library.
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