Published: October 04, 2008 12:05 am            

TUCKER: Help the horses warm their feet

Last week, the Carrousel Factory Museum sent over a really clever press release entitled, “Carousel horses get cold feet, too.” It’s just too much fun to put in a little brief, and my money is on all of you to help Ginger. Here’s her letter:

“Hi,

“My name is Ginger, and I’m one of the carousel horses at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda. My four-legged friends and I need your help.

“Have you ever walked barefoot across the cold floor and wished that you had remembered to put on a pair of nice warm socks? That’s just how my friends and I feel after a long day of galloping around on the carousel. Our hooves are fine during the day, but at night the building gets cool and so do our feet.

“Don’t misunderstand. We have a great life here at the museum giving people of all ages a ride, so maybe I shouldn’t complain. I’m sure you understand though. Nobody wants to have cold feet, not even wooden horses.

“So that is where you can help us out. There are 36 of us on the big carousel and 20 more on the kiddie carousel. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of hooves.

“If you happen to have old white socks of any size that you don’t need anymore, please donate them to the museum. They don’t even need to be a matching pair.

“Old white T-shirts are also useful as they make a fine cloth that the staff can use to rub us down and polish us up after a long day of galloping.

Signed: “Ginger and the rest of your friends at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.”

You can drop off your socks and T-shirts between noon and 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at the museum, 180 Thompson St. Let’s help out Ginger and her friends.

Questions? Call the museum at 693-1885 or e-mail info@carrouselmuseum.org.

•••

It’s done and the result is beautiful.

After more than 15 years of having an in-ground pool, it was time to have it filled in. The bids came in and the landscaping companies stopped over and gave their prices for what would not be an easy job.

As you might imagine, this is not a column to plug any business, but we were so amazed and pleased with what R.E. Peters Company from Clarence Center did (and at a great price), it has to be noted.

Ralph Peters worked alongside his terrific crew and although initially the mess of actually filling in the pool seemed daunting, the end result was worth it. His landscape designer suggested expanding one garden, adding a tree and rocks and a new walkway into the backyard, a vision I’d had for a number of years. (My motto is, you can never have too many trees!) The rain held off until the grass seed was sown and it’s easy to envision the new lawn.

This is a company that does what it says it will do, comes when it says it will come and finishes when the project is completed.

Our 4-year-old grandson told me he didn’t like the idea of filling in the pool, but added wistfully, “But it’s your house, grandma, and I guess you can do what you want.”

Amen to that.

•••

Just a quick heads up.

Next Sunday, Oct. 12, the City of Tonawanda Fire Department will host its annual open house at fire headquarters on William Street.

If I lived in the city, I’d be taking a chance to win a free family night at the fire house. Winners will be picked up by firetruck and treated to dinner with the firefighters as well as a personalized tour of the fire station.

There’s lots of other great stuff going on; one of the most important will be actually using a fire extinguisher to learn how to handle it. Oh, by the way, adults can try on fire gear.

Not to leave out North Tonawanda’s firefighters. They will have a demonstration in the Tops Plaza next Saturday afternoon. The event will include the dedication of the new ladder truck.

Let’s make our firefighters know how much we appreciate them by having a great turnout at both events.

Contact community editor Barbara Tucker at 693-1000, ext. 110.

        

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