Have you returned your survey to the Parish Water Committee?  I hope that you have considered the big picture.

Stephanie Baum and Mark Williams spent Memorial Day weekend with Stephanie's Aunt Marilyn Wood of Harrisburg, PA.   On Friday they  all spent the day at Hershey Park.  On Saturday, they drove to NYC for the weekend; seeing all the sights in the city and more.  

Carl and Jean Wood of Warner Robins, GA , formally of Parish, have been visiting friends and relatives for the last few weeks in Parish.  While in Parish they received word that their grandson, Brad Benjamin, son of Chuck and Joanie Wood  Benjamin, was involved in a motor vehicle accident while on duty with the Warner Robins Police Dept.  Brad has a broken hip, pelvis and shoulder, but no internal injuries.  

Connie Sayer Shovlin and daughter Kara and Kim Campbell came for lunch at Chet and Gretchen Sayer’s home on Thursday, July 17.  It was a fun time.  There were also 8 other guests as Kara was asked by the local animal shelter to keep a mother cat and 7 kittens for a few weeks.   The Sayer cat did not appreciate the extra felines. 

Jackie Murphy, Lydia Cusack and Mary Lou Guindon attended the graduation /18th birthday party for Jake Raner at the home of his parents, Julie and Jeff Raner on Saturday, July 12.   There was great food and a lot of fun visiting with the Raner family and friends.

Parish native, APW 1968 graduate Brent Petrie, son of Harold and Ruby Petrie, is featured in the magazine "University of Denver, The Earth Issue" --summer 2008 

“Brent Petrie (BA geography ’72) makes life better for people.  An example:  When people in remote Alaskan villages flip on their lights they may have Petrie to thank.

  He’s one of the folks behind the scenes getting people electricity—sometimes for the very first time in their lives.

And it’s not always desk work.  At times he’s worked side-by-side with local residents in a far-flung Alaskan village to restore power in the dark of winter, in temperatures that can dip to 20 below zero.

 “A power interruption during the Alaskan winter is a life, health and safety issue,” Petrie says.

Indeed.  With no roads to connect most villages in rural Alaska, keeping power on is a must.  Petrie adds that during emergencies, local people pitch in and help out.  “These communities are out there by themselves,” he says. 

The environment, and how to tap its power to make life better, is a topic that has captivated Petrie for most of his life.

He solidified that interest at the University of Denver when he took a course in water resource engineering.  “I learned  about water rights administration, dam building, irrigation and the politics of water,” Petrie says.  “It was eye opening and captured my interest.”

 He moved to Alaska in 1976 and joined the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, where he worked as a water and land resource manager.  He later transferred to a state-owned  power company and began powering villages via hydroelectricity.  One of his projects replaced the need for 80 percent of the diesel fuel used in the power plant.

Today he’s part of a team modernizing diesel power plants, upgrading village fuel facilities and developing alternative energy sources—including wind turbines—for the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, which serves 53 rural villages.

In February, the U.S. Department of Energy recognized the effort with the Wind Cooperative of the Year award.  And in April, Petrie was recognized as an Alaskan Wind-Diesel Pioneer at a technical conference.

Installing turbines in remote western Alaska is much easier said than done.  Only one of the villages has a road leading to it; access to the rest comes by boat or plane.

“The logistics of constructing projects with limited access are tough and take a lot of planning,” he says.

But, he adds, “With the escalating cost of imported fuel, the time to use a locally available renewable resource is now.”

—Doug McPherson

The Parish United Methodist Church and The Parish Faith Church of the Nazarene join together  to announce their Vacation Bible School.  The VBS, "God's Champions" will be held July 28th-Aug 1st, 6:30-8:30 PM, for ages 4-11 yrs, at the Nazarene Church.  Call 625-7740 for more info. 

The gazebo from Merrill Town Park has temporarily been moved to the Rt 69 & 69A corner lot to provide a shaded area to sit and join the fun of community visiting with your neighbors.  Crafters and Peddlers with collectables, Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Vender's are encouraged to set up in a free space at the Parish Farmer’s Market from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. each Saturday.  There is food, drink and bake goods available for purchase.  Come and visit our Amish Friends with their buggy full of goodies.  Contact : Bonnie Frederick 625-7762 or Dan Dalin 625-4955 for a space and information. Parish is the place to have fun. :)

The Parish Town Historical Society is proud to announce a raffle with a 32 inch double tiered bench donated by Ken Henderson.  Ken crafted this bench with lumber from the late 1800’s barn that was across the road from the old feed mill on South Railroad Street that was demolished and burned.   Members will soon be selling tickets; $1 each or 6 for $5.  The drawing will take place in the late afternoon of the Parish Olde Home Days on August 9.

The Greater Parish Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a “Focus on Parish” Amateur Photo contest of 4 X 6 to 8 X 10 photographs from the Parish area taken in 2008.  All ages are welcome to join in, but you must be a resident of the town (village) of Parish.  There are cash prizes and certificates for First ($100), Second ($75) and Third ($50).   The rules and more information will be posted on the chamber web site (http://parishchamberofcommerce.parish-ny.com/) soon. 

Every summer there is a gathering at Venita Ackley's, where school friends have a great time reminiscing. The last couple years it has grown so, that this year it will be held at the Merrill Town Park on Sunday, July 27. There will be a pot luck at noon, bring a dish to share, your own table service, drinks and chairs. This picnic started many years ago as a class reunion, but has turned into a school reunion. So mark your calendars and invite other school chums you think might enjoy getting together for some good food and a fun day. There will be a collection to pay for the use of the park, but it won't be much. Bring your memories (while you can still remember !) ..... Carol Zender

To make this column interesting and informative, we need to hear from you, email information to guindfam@... or call 625-4575. 

Blessings and Peace be with you,

Mary Lou Miller Guindon/'75
315 625 4575