Welcome to Summer '07 -- and a memorable day

If you get a sudden urge to go galumphing through fields of flowers, it's not witchcraft. It's summer.

Summer officially arrived Wednesday afternoon, which made June 21 the longest day of the year.

Want to know what else happened on various June 21's throughout history? Here, courtesy of the Brainy History online site, are some interesting ones:

• 1990: Little Richard gets a star on Hollywood's walk of fame
• 1989: Supreme Court rules OK to burn U.S. flag as a political expression
• 1987: Boxer Mike Tyson sexually harasses a parking lot attendant
• 1985: American, Brazilian and West German forensic pathologists confirm skeletal remains exhumed in Brazil were Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele
• 1982: John Hinckley found not guilty of attempted assassination of President Reagan by reason of insanity
• 1977: Former White House chief of staff HR Haldeman enters prison
• 1963: Giovanni Battista Montini succeeds John XXIII, takes name Pope Paul VI
• 1948: The first stored computer program run, on the Manchester Mark I
• 1945: U.S. defeats Japanese on Okinawa
• 1939: Doctors say baseball great Lou Gehrig has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• 1913: Tiny Broadwick is first woman to parachute from a plane
• 1893: Ferris wheel premieres at Chicago's Columbian Exposition
• 1788: U.S. Constitution goes into effect as New Hampshire is ninth to ratify
• 1633: Inquisition forces Galileo to abandon sun-centric theory

And, for a very special treat, click here to see and hear the late Ella Fitzgerald sing the classic "Summertime" during a 1968 concert in Berlin.

3rd Quarter dues coming up

The third installment of your 2007 Homeowners Association dues comes due on Sunday, July 1.

Dues are $355 per household, in accordance with the rate set at a special meeting of the Association on Oct. 16, 2006. Please get your checks to Treasurer Kathy Wade ASAP.

Note: Dues for the fourth quarter will be due on Oct. 1.

Troy strolling back to the future, briskly

Photos & Story by William M. Dowd

(Double-click to enlarge images.)

In some cities street festivals are weekly events. In the Capital Region they're far less frequent, but can be every bit as much of a crowd pleaser.>

The annual River Street Festival in Troy was such a place on Saturday, June 16, another sign that the gradual but perceptible revival of the waterside city is working.

Thousands -- some city officials claim 20,000 over the course of the day-long event -- crowded River Street from just north of City Hall down several blocks into the Antiques District, with live music at either end. Food and craft vendors lined both sides of the street, along with strollers, dogs, kids and people looking for a spot of shade in the glare of a near-90 day.

This is what a lot of Troy must have looked like many years ago, with crowds milling about, lots of pleasant noise, and folks just generally having a good time. It's what you hear when oldtimers reminisce about the city's heyday.

There will be more such, if repeated comments I overheard by non-Troy residents are any indication. Things like, "The architecture down here is fantastic. I want to come back." "I always thought it was hard to find your way around Troy. It's easy and they have loads of parking." "Let's come back next week and try the antiques shops."

Larry Schepici isn't wasting any time trying to keep the momentum going. The much-decorated chef who owns two downtown establishments -- the Illium Cafe on Monument Square and the fine-dining Tosca just a few steps away -- told me he's planning a Troy Chowderfest competition on Saturday, Aug. 18, that might cordon off another part of River Street: the food-and-fun block just above the Green Island Bridge where Jose Malone's, Ryan's Wake, Deli-icious, River Street Cafe, Troy Brew Pub and Revolution Hall are located.

"There's no reason to limit ourselves to just once in a while," Schepici said. "We've got something going here and we need to take advantage of the momentum."

The concept of the event, Schepici said, is to feature Troy restaurants working with local farms and produce to showcase the relationship between chefs and the farms of the Capital Region.

Luckily, Troy hasn't blocked itself off from the Hudson River as its downstream neighbors in Albany did when I-787 was constructed on the west bank. Its proximity to water, affording ambiance and views, is among the major drawing cards luring condo builders, redevelopers and businesses to the Rensselaer County side.

This all may sounds like a very hopeful pronouncement, especially from the guy who christened Troy "Plywood City" in frustration over the number of derelict, boarded-up buildings that create pockets of eyesores throughout a community on the comeback trail. But both views have been rooted in reality.

Where once there were few signs of revival, we now see redevelopment of former factory and commercial buildings, planning for the massive Congress Street corridor project, and new buildings at RPI popping up like toadstools after a warm rain.

It's fair to say Troy no longer is just a place you drive through to get to Vermont.

(This story was written originally for the Web site of Capital Region Living magazine.)

Busy Troy entertainment calendar

• The inaugural Folk Fest For Food is scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 9, in the Troy Antique District on River Street. The event, sponsored by Jim Barrett's River Street Beat Shop and Kaleidoscope 104.0 FM, is a charity event for the St. Patrick's Food Pantry. Local favorites Roseanne Raneri and the Ramblin' Jug Stompers are scheduled to perform. Admission is by voluntary donation.

• Troy's famous Flag Day Parade is scheduled for Sunday, June 10 (even though Flag Day isn't until the 14th), at 1 p.m. The 40th annual event is the largest such parade in the nation. You can get additional details here.

• Troy’s River Street Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 16, with a "Grassroots & Antiques" theme. The family-oriented event also offers food and entertainment. Details are available here.

Annual Spring Cleanup a sparkling success

Grounds Committee Guru Harvey Bailey cracked the whip and the volunteer crew spruced up the Terrace during the annual Spring Cleanup project last weekend. Many thanks to all who participated.

Here are a few scenes, courtesy of Jerry Gordon.