The O-town Scene

A RETRO WORD From Our Sponsors R.o.B.S. A flood-stricken Vermont town is determined to put on its usual show of fall colors, with or without Mother Nature's cooperation. Pownal, Vt., is a prototypical charming Vermont village, with historic homes, a quaint Main Street and plenty of deciduous trees that usually can be relied upon to produce a brilliant spectrum of red, yel- low and orange hues come October. Not so this year, Pownal Mayor Gregory Charles fears. "Irene wasn't kind to our trees," Charles said. The town recently replanted several of its streets with maple sap- lings that are just a few years old to replace elm and ash trees that had been stricken by blight. The young trees suffered heavily during the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene, leaving some trees uprooted, and others damaged or dying. So the town has mounted an effort to have each tree replaced in time for Columbus Day Apr. 12, 1957 Oneonta Video was a distant forerunner to today's Time Warner Cable. The first video cable system in Oneonta was started in 1954, and subscribers could get four TV stations clearly. They were WRGB in Schenectady, WNBF (today's WBNG) in Binghamton, and WHEN and WSYR in Syracuse. WKTV in Utica was added in 1955. The first antenna was placed on Quarry Hill, high above the Glenwood Cemetery and visible from the Fox Care Center. To start cable service in 1954, it cost $125, with an allowance of $27.50 for the old roof- top antenna. The monthly service charge was $3.25. The isolation booth referred to in the ad was seen on a popular TV quiz show at the time, "The $64,000 Question," a show that former Oneonta Mayor Roger Hughes once appeared on in late August 1957. — Mark Simonson Mark Simonson is the Oneonta city historian. These advertisements once appeared in The Daily Star, Oneonta Star or The Oneonta Herald. 18 O-Town Scene Sept. 29, 2011 B. It's hard to tell what's true these days. Take a gander below, and guess if A. and B. are Real or B.S. (Answers at the bottom of the page.) Vermont town telling a A. little leafy lie to visitors weekend, when Charles said visitors from nearby Williamstown, Mass., and the Albany area stream into southwestern Vermont to see the fall color. Some trees will be replanted with seedlings, but a number of the vacant spots on the town's Main Street will be filled with false plants in decorative plant- ers for a guaranteed show of vibrant color. The project is being funded from a variety of sources, includ- ing donations from private citizens as well as the local Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce and Rotary. Charles declined to specify the exact cost of the effort, but said it was "substantial." Marie Lupini of nearby Benning- ton, Vt, who was in Pownal visiting her daughter and grandson, said the replace- ment of the trees — even with fakes — was a worthy endeavor. "For people driving down Main Street, they won't know the difference if a tree is real or fake," Lupini said. "And we need that leaf-peeper money now more than ever after Irene." Thousands strip to take down Utah laws SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Thousands of people stripped to their underwear and ran through Salt Lake City to protest what they called the "uptight" laws of Utah. Undie Run organizer Nate Porter says the goal of the event Saturday was to organize people frustrated by the conservative nature of state politics. Nudity was prohibited by organizers. Participants donned bras, panties, night- gowns, swimwear or colorful boxer shorts — and some added political messages by expressing support for causes like gay mar- riage on their chests, backs or legs. Salt Lake City is the home of the Mormon church, which is a vocal opponent of gay marriage. Porter estimates 3,000 people participated in the run, which began in downtown Salt Lake City and circled past the state Capitol building about a mile away. esseal, by The Associated Pr. is r.S., by Emily Popek; BA. is B

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