Opinion

In 2015, the first Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner was held. The Penn Yan Elks Lodge graciously agreed to the use of their centrally located, handicapped accessible facility. Currently, a team of community- minded volunteers organizes what has become an annual event in our communities.

The Downtown Business Council is a volunteer group of business owners and engaged citizens who gather weekly to develop creative ideas that support and enhance commerce in the Village of Penn Yan. So far, the Downtown Business Council has created events such as Fall Festival, Wing Walk, and Trunk or Treat, and First Friday themes like Fiesta Friday and Chilly Chili cook-off! These events have brought enjoyment to all of Penn Yan and the surrounding area. The Downtown Business Council will continue to work to bring events and more to the Penn Yan area. You can find more information about and the happenings on www.Facebook. com/DowntownPennYan The Downtown Business Council would like to thank all of the local businesses who have supported our efforts throughout 2022. We hope to continue in this spirit of cooperation in 2023, to achieve our goal of bringing residents and tourists into our village for fun-packed events and shopping and dining experiences that will bring them back again and again!

We were pleased to receive our first copy of the “Chronicle Express” in our mailbox here in Floridalastweek.WereadJorgen Overgaard’s rambling letter where he lambasted “Medicare Advantage” plans while blasting Republicans for not “leaving alone a simple Medicare plan”. If one had no common sense, they would have read the letter and be thanking God for the Democrat party.

In 1956, my parents bought lake property from my uncle on beautiful Keuka Lake. We were lucky enough to have spent every summer on the lake growing up. We were even luckier when we moved to Penn Yan in 1969 and my parents opened Longs’ Cards and Books. Upon enrolling my two brothers and me in school, my father asked why the school had no pool. He was told, “We have a lake!” My father replied, ”That is only two months a year and how do you teach your children to swim safely in the lake?” My parents took us to swim lessons at a very early age so that we would be safe at our cottage. We were also members of a community swim team until we moved to Penn Yan.

The Finger Lakes Justice Partnership participated in StarShine for the first time this month, and it was a wonderful, community- affirming experience. We’d like to thank everyone who chatted with us and enjoyed the cookies and ornaments made by members of our group. We’d also like to thank our neighboring stations for their visits, shared cider and warmth, and helping to hold down our canopy when the wind gusted!

I’m writing about the washing out of West Bluff Drive in the Town of Jerusalem. It happened over one year ago, and nothing has been done to fix it! Many cars, trucks, and school buses used this road all the time, and since the Town of Jerusalem hasn’t fixed it, all this traffic has been pushed over to East Bluff Drive and Brown Hill Road. There are many houses being built out here and the construction traffic is really bad. Plus, more and more people are staying here year-round.

Approaching a new legislative session in January, we unfortunately continue to face the same set of challenges and crises that many of us fought to address at the beginning of 2022. In other words, the agenda remains the same.