NH Town Crier

06/23/2026

What the History (WTH)!
My Top Five Eureka Moments
submitted by Dennis Webster
When you least expect it, history can be made, and the result can be a multitude of wonderous items from silly putty to the light bulb. Since human beings received their mental fire from the Greek Titan Prometheus, they had used their newfound inventing ID to experiment and create many wonders of the world with some of great benefit and others to great taste, or amusement. Just when we think everything that has been invented has been invented, someone sticks two things together that had never been stuck before, and you have something that is revolutionary that we cannot live without.
The word “Eureka” is always synonymous with an invention, and this phrase was uttered by the ancient Greek inventor, Archimedes, who submerged into his tub full of water and discovered the mass of his body replaced the water in the tub thus displacement had been discovered. He celebrated this by running naked and wet through the street yelling, “Eureka!” I have researched, dear reader, and have come up with my top five Eureka moments. These are in no particular order of importance, and there are thousands of these I could choose, but these are my favorites.
1. The Microwave Oven: Percy Lebaron Spencer was fiddling around in his lab in 1945 and used his magnetron to melt a chocolate bar. This led to the first microwave that was six foot tall, weighed six hundred pounds and cost five thousand dollars.
2. Post It Notes: Who doesn’t love using these canary yellow sticky note pieces of paper for leaving all kinds of reminders stuck to a bunch of places. Dr. Spencer Silver was a scientist working for 3M and discovered what was considered a useless glue. It wasn’t until people in the lab started to affix this glue to pieces of paper and stick notes to the walls that 3M realized they had a winning invention.
3. Penicillin: The world’s first antibiotic was invented by a memory lapse as Dr. Alexander Fleming had accidentally left cultures of staph in petri dishes sitting out on the counter of his lab. Three weeks later he discovered that a mold called penicillium notatum had arrested the growth of the staph.
4. Potato Chips: Is there any more popular snack on the planet than crispy salty slices of fried potatoes? I think not and it was Chef George Crum at the Moon Lake Lodge Resort in Saratoga who in 1853 got angry at a customer criticizing his mushy fried potatoes so out of spite he sliced them very thin, fried them in oil, and slathered them in salt. A legend in snackary was launched!
5. Bubble Wrap: Believe it or not, bubble wrap was not invented for your hand popping amusement but was originally sold as wallpaper. When that didn’t work, the inventors/engineers, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes, tried to sell it as greenhouse installation. When that failed, they marketed it as packaging material and the world has never been the same. Now, let’s all be sure we find random items in our homes and fiddle with them, and stick them together, as you never know, you could invent the next potato chip and change human tongue taste buds forever.
Dennis Webster is a New Hartford resident, and author of regional books on true crime, ghosts, local history, and asylums. He can be reached at [email protected].

06/22/2026

Sitrin Health Care Center Celebrates 75 Years of Health & Healing
There was a need. A serious need for ‘round-the-clock care for the elderly and infirm.
It started in 1951 when H***n Sitrin, his wife Clara and sister-in-law Florence, established a six-bed residence for the elderly and infirm of Jewish faith naming it after H***n’s brother and Florence’s late husband, Charles Theodore Sitrin.
It was, in fact, the very best kind of memorial – one that brought comfort and healing to others. H***n, Clara and Florence would be shocked to see what their project, their gift of love and giving back, has grown into today.
The “home” that started in 1951 with six residents soon grew to 30, providing personalized, compassionate care. Again, the need increased exponentially, and so did Sitrin. By 1992, Sitrin’s campus was home to more than 170 residents of all faiths and backgrounds. And, as it served an increasingly wide-ranging community, Sitrin led the way in offering services and capabilities never before available in the area, including the community’s first medically affiliated Adult Day Health Care program, followed by residential housing for medically complex individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Again, to answer the need, Sitrin opened a child care center in 1995, serving 24 children aged six weeks to 5 years. Among its most significant achievements, Sitrin established the first Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF) in the tri-county area of Central New York in 1997. Soon after came the Dental Clinic, serving hundreds of patients each month. In 2001, the Sitrin STARS made their debut, offering a variety of adaptive sports for people with physical disabilities. In 2003, Sitrin opened its new child care center, now able to accommodate 64 children.
In 2009, Sitrin restructured its long-term care program, rightsizing a portion of beds to Assisted Living Services at Cedarbrook Enriched Housing and Assisted Living complex, offering 44 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Also, that year, Sitrin debuted a new model of long-term care not widely offered in New York State; residents were moved to spacious, homelike quarters in one of nine Cape Cod-style houses with large, individual rooms.
Shortly thereafter, Sitrin renovated the inpatient medical rehabilitation unit to 46 private rooms for short-term care.
In the years following, Sitrin launched a military program, treating post-9/11 veterans and injured service members at no cost to the patient, established additional homes for medically complex adults with developmental disabilities, and opened one of three NeuroCare Units in the state treating patients affected by ALS and Huntington’s disease.
H***n would be proud of what has transpired over the past 75 years. In providing comfort for one generation, Sitrin has grown to comfort the generations that followed.

06/21/2026

06/21/2026

Schools out for summer! What's your teen up to? Want to send them back to school in better shape, more confident and capable of handling a physical altercation if they needed to??? Enroll them in Self Defense Summer School today! At MVMMA we teach real Martial Arts that work. With Over 2 decades of high level competition, our curriculum is efficient, effective and proven. This 8 week program is specifically designed to give your teen the knowledge and skills to defend themselves. With Self Defense Summer School we keep it simple and focus on fundamentals with high success rates. The main focus of instruction is...
1) Avoiding any physical confrontation if possible.
2) Understanding body language and recognizing threat.
3) Distance Management and spacial awareness.
4) Correct shelling and blocking of all strkes.
5) Takedown Defense and body lock escapes.
6) Effectively getting up from their back.
7) Escapes from the most dangerous positions.
8) Defense to chokes and limb locks.
This program will physically and mentally prepare your teen to be calm, focused and efficient in the face of adversity!
Call or text 315-525-1423
www.mohawkvalleymma.com

06/21/2026

Butterfly Release Celebration
The Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc. Events Committee warmly welcomes you to participate in our Annual Butterfly Release Celebration on Friday, July 10, 2026.
This heartfelt event offers you a gentle and symbolic way to remember someone you love or celebrate someone who has touched your life. Whether your loved one received hospice care or not, you are welcome. Each butterfly you release represents peace, transformation, and enduring love—a simple yet powerful way for you to say, “You are remembered.”
As Event Co-Chair Jan Corn shared, “It’s a truly special way for families and friends to come together in remembrance and love.” We hope you will be part of this special moment.
You can make this experience your own. You may choose to release your butterflies in a place that holds special meaning to you—a favorite park, a garden, or even your own backyard. Or, if you prefer, you can entrust our team to release them on your behalf with care and intention. Everyone who purchases butterflies will receive a commemorative program with their loved one's name in it, if their order is placed by July 3.
Butterfly Pick-Up Locations (July 10):
Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc.,
New Hartford | 12:00–6:00 p.m.
Nunn’s Home Medical Equipment,
Rome | 12:30–4:30 p.m.
Herkimer Chamber of Commerce,
Herkimer | 3:00–6:00 p.m.
Oneida Health Cancer Care (Radiation Oncology Affiliate of Roswell Care Network),
Oneida | 3:00–6:00 p.m.
Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium | 3:00–6:00 p.m.
Boilermaker Health & Wellness Expo (MVCC Utica Campus, Jorgensen Center) | 3:00–6:00 p.m.
Butterfly Options:
$25 per butterfly
5 butterflies for $100
When you participate, you are also supporting compassionate hospice care, palliative services, and bereavement support for families throughout Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison Counties.
We encourage you to order early, as butterflies are limited, and we do sell out each year. To reserve yours, you can print and mail the order form to Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., or simply call 315-735-6484. To ensure your loved one's name appears in the program we will need to receive your order no later than July 3.
Let your love take flight. When you take part, you are honoring a life, cherishing a memory, and celebrating the connections that continue to shape you—one butterfly at a time.
We hope to share this meaningful experience with you.

06/21/2026

06/21/2026

The Town of New Hartford is seeking a full-time Code Enforcement Officer / Department Head.

This position offers a generous compensation package, including a competitive salary commensurate with experience, a full benefits package, and participation in the New York State pension system.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and learn more at www.townofnewhartfordny.gov/jobs.

06/20/2026

The Friends of the NHPL are selling tote bags! Stop in and pick one up for $5.00! All proceeds will go to the Friends of the New Hartford Public Library.

06/20/2026

Highway News
From Highway Superintendent Richard Sherman
Submitted by: Richard Sherman
June will be a busy month for your Highway crew with several projects underway. Our work continues with the ongoing Roman Road storm water project detention pond which is almost completed. The ongoing work in Chadwicks of sidewalks, curbing, catch basins, landscaping and decorative lighting will be going out for bid in the near future.
There are many upgrades happening at Sherrill Brook Park. The crew will continue work on the dog park, installing the new bridge over the creek by the gazebo. The new softball field is just about finished, just waiting for roofing to be installed on the dug outs and some landscaping. The Veteran Memorial banners have been installed on the poles like last year. The banners will be flying proudly through Veterans Day.
We are in full swing with our Curbside Brush Collection. We understand that, because of all the rain, people are mowing their lawns more frequently. It is very important that you containerize your loose green waste items (grass, hedge clippings, flowers and small piles of branches). Please follow the guidelines outlined in the brochure that was mailed to each resident. If you didn’t receive a brochure, you can call our office to receive a copy, or you can find it on our website. Please don’t place green waste and brush over the catch basins. This will stop the water flow in a rain event.
We have started mowing the town and county road shoulders and rights-of-ways. Please use caution when you see the mowing ahead signs out.
Your Highway Department with the New Hartford Library will be hosting the very popular “Touch the Truck” event on June 13th at The New Hartford Rec Center. This location gives more room for event parking and attendee safety and adequate space for the Highway trucks and equipment, and for the New Hartford Fire Dept. and Police Dept. demonstrations.
There will be several pieces of highway equipment for kids to see and sit behind the wheel. Hard hats will be handed out to the kids by Highway Superintendent, Richard Sherman and Foreman, Chris Moran. Hope to see you there – come rain or shine!
Call the Highway office with questions or concerns:
(315) 733-7500, or contact me personally at: (315) 534-2998 or [email protected].

06/19/2026

NYS Approved Defensive Driving Classes
New York State approved defensive driving courses for insurance and point reduction programs, to be given by AARP in June and July.
On June 10th, class will be held at the Kirkland Senior Citizens Center in Clark Mills from 9:30am-3:30pm.
On June 30th and July 28th, classes will be held at the New Hartford Public Library from 9:30am-3:30pm.
For registration and other information please contact Mary Merritt at (315)724-0096, call early classes fill fast and are open to all ages.