|
by Dan Veaner
|
|
Friday, 02 January 2009 |
 Susie Gutenberger
One was a visit from the principal of a small Kenyan school half a world away. But when William Kabbis visited Lansing it was a very big deal. Kabbis is the Head Teacher at the Mbaka Oromo school in Kenya, the school the Partnership of African and Lansing Schools (PALS) chose to partner with four years ago.
Because of Lansing's generosity his school has been transformed from a series of mud and dung huts to durable modern classrooms. What he saw here was a lot to take in. The fact that he came was a testament to the two-way relationships the schools have formed. While money flows from Lansing to Kenya, the cultural and classroom exchanges have enriched both communities. His visit and the story he had to tell was inspiring to local students, parents, and educators.
The oldest log cabin in two counties remained a pile of logs under a tarpaulin this year. Since our story was published we feel it can't be quite as old as originally thought, but it is certainly one of the oldest log cabins in the country. In the coming months Town Councilman Bud Shattuck plans to form a committee to get the cabin restored, probably at the entrance to Salt Point.
Just across Salmon Creek from that spot one of the newest structures was dedicated to the Town when the Lansing Lions Club gave the Town a new band stand. The gazebo-like structure was paid for by sales of a Lansing throw rug designed by Lion Noni Krom, as well as donations from businesses and individuals. Volunteers built the band stand, continuing a venerable tradition of the Lansing Lions giving buildings to the Town, including the Community Center and many of the pavilions in Myers Park.
A story from January highlighted how growth in Lansing sometimes conflicts with its history as a rural township. A bullet slammed into a Muirfield Drive home, allegedly originating from the Tompkins County Fish and Game Club. In an area that was remote, but is now prime for development, Town officials pondered possible solutions, including the possibility of trading a piece of land farther north in the town that is away from developed neighborhoods for the club's current location. Not much was resolved, but communication was opened on the subject.
It was a sad day last month when an 1830s barn burned down next to the Elizabeth Restaurant. But it was a testament to Lansing's volunteer fire department and neighboring departments that responded to the blaze and saved the restaurant itself. Of the more than 4,300 stories we've published this one yielded the most comments from readers. Clearly Lansing residents care about their landmarks, and the restaurant and the John Joseph Inn are indisputably a part of the town's history.
This year we established the Lansing History Web site to document historical structures in town. The purpose is not to compete with the Lansing Historical Association. We simply had so many pictures from covering the news in Lansing for three and a half years that we decided to share some of them. Even in the past 20 years so many of Lansing's old buildings have disappeared. This is a way of preserving those that are left.
Along those lines, many people don't realize that Lansing has its own historian. In fact municipalities are required to have historians, and Louise Bement has been on the payroll since the '80s. A former 4th grade teacher and author, Bement is a wealth of knowledge about Lansing. In July she gave us some insight into what she does and into the history of Lansing historians since the first one in the early 20th century.
----
v5i1
|
Around Town 
