The Lyme Light
A publication of the Lyme Community Foundation
“To enhance and support the community through learning and enrichment”
March 2017
www.lymecommunityfoundation.org
Volume 1 9 , Issu e 3
Life Giving Event
Robins, Robins Everywhere!
Boy Scouts of America Blood Drive
By The Ontario Bays Initiative
Photo taken at Chaumont Barrens by Lee Ellworth
March 4, 8:00-3:00 pm - Lyme CSD
It is not unusual for small numbers of American
Robins to spend the winter months near Lake Ontario and the
St. Lawrence River. These birds survive the season in
swampy, thick cedar areas where fruiting shrubs abound.
When these wetland denizens first leave their winter haunts
and are proclaimed the harbingers of spring, they may in fact
have only travelled short distances. That is the normal reality
for American Robins that winter in Northern New York and
southern Canada.
The winter of 2016-2017 for this species is anything
but normal throughout the Northeastern quarter of the
continent. Hundreds of American Robins have been recorded
on Audubon Christmas Bird Counts as far north as the edge
of the Canadian Boreal Forest. In our area, flocks of this
species are currently present in unusual winter habitats
including villages and farming areas. Hundreds have been
seen flying along shorelines in mid-January. These birds are
behaving as if they are actively migrating, something that
would be extraordinary for January even in this relatively
open winter.
What's up? I haven't a clue. In a half century of
field birding, this is a first. There are several possible causes,
ranging from excellent food resources in many northern areas
to climate change and other factors. While the reasons are
unclear, this phenomenon is widespread and highly visible in
our area. What will happen to these birds if real winter
weather sets in for an extended period is unclear. Perhaps
they will be adequately fed and fit to undertake mid winter
migration as needed. Whatever the case, if you find Robins in
the area before early March, don't take it as a sign of spring.
By Jordan Walker
What the American
Red Cross does
every day saves
countless lives.
Right now,
the American Red
Cross is in
emergency need for
blood. The Red
Boy Scouts: Jordan Walker (l), Chris Hilts
Cross obtains blood
from donations. As part of my Eagle Scout Project, I am running
a Blood Drive at Lyme Central School. Scouts from my troop
are going to volunteer for the event. On the day of the event, I
will be signing the donors in. I am the main organizer for this
event, and made arrangements with Lyme Central School to host
the drive. I have talked to LCS students about the drive and there
seems to be an overall positive opinion for the drive. One student
said, “I think it is a really noble cause.” A noble cause indeed,
with each donation able to save up to three lives.
Red blood cells from those who are type O negative can
be donated to anyone with any other blood type. Type AB
Positive is the universal plasma donor. 38,000 units of red blood,
10,000 units of plasma, and 7,000 units of platelets are needed by
the American Red Cross every day. The human body contains
anywhere from 9 to 12 pints of blood with ten being the average.
100,000 people in the US suffer from sickle cell disease need
transfusions of blood frequently, cancer patients need sometimes
daily transfusions after chemotherapy, and a single car crash
victim can use up to 100 units of blood.
The actual time it takes to donate blood is about ten to
fifteen minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to
the time you leave, takes about an hour and 15 minutes.
Scheduled donors may save time by completing a Rapid Pass on
the day of their donation prior to arriving at the blood drive.
Rapid Pass allows you to fill out your health history
questionnaire in the comfort of your own home, letting you skip
this process at the drive, saving everyone time. Once the Rapid
Pass is complete, print it out or email the pass. The Rapid Pass
can be accessed at www.redcrossblood.org/rapidpass.
Please, come give blood and save a life!
Ontario Bays Initiative is a Jefferson County land trust, at Copley
House, Chaumont, NY. For more information: OBILandTrust.org
V ol um e 19, Iss ue 3
P age 2
Editor’s Corner
Dear Reader,
The days are getting longer, warmer and filled with
life reawakening from winter’s slumber. Most of us
have been anticipating SPRING and it is finally here.
Do you have your garden planned, spring project list
ready? I bet your hands can’t wait to get out the
garden tools. It is also time to renew. Think of the
many chances you have in the next few weeks to
rebuild and refurbish. You also have the opportunity
to give. Consider donating during the upcoming blood
drive at Lyme CSD. You will be helping your
neighbors and also the Boy Scout who is on his way to
becoming an Eagle Scout! Why not volunteer to help
with spring clean up at a local park, church, or public
area? And please remember your own needs. Take
time to walk and enjoy the signs of spring, breathe in
the fresh air, chat with neighbors who are now out and
about again. Don’t forget to do the first things of
spring too...your first ice cream cone, first day fishing,
first bike ride, first round of golf...Enjoy the season.
Karen Donahue, Editor
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CHICKEN AND BISCUIT DINNER
Three Mile Bay
Methodist Church
Main St, Three Mile Bay,
NY
Annual Early Bird Rummage
Sale
Chaumont Presbyterian Church
Sat. April 1, 9-4 pm
There will be a ton of "stuff"......no joke.
To donate: Call Jean Brown at 315-649-5559
See you all there!
March 15th
Serving 4- till
Adults $10 - Children $5
Chicken, potatoes, gravy, biscuits,
and dessert too!
L Y M E L I G H T D U E D AT E S
Articles are due to the Editor…
April 2017 Issue:
March 15
May 2017 Issue:
April 12*
*early deadline due to spring vacation week
Please forward text and photos to our email address:
[email protected]
V ol um e 19, Iss ue 3
P age 3
Caring For Cats Has Cats and Kittens
Meet Rudy. He is a beautifully marked 4 - 5
year old, has been neutered and had his shots. He is a
sweet cat that was found abandoned in the basement of an
apartment house. We don't know how long he was there
but he has recovered very well and is ready for a new
home. He loves to be petted and is very affectionate. He
would be a wonderful, loving, house cat. He gets along
well with other cats. We also have several kittens ready
The Blue Heron
Open Monday—Saturday
Closed Sundays
315-649-2240
Happy hour Specials 4-6 pm
Full Bar and Menu
Wing Night Mondays
Taco Tuesdays
Fish Fry Fridays
$2 drafts, Saturdays, 12-6pm @ the BAR
Handicapped Friendly~Like us on Facebook
www.Theblueheronrestaurant.com
Customers please note: We’re
taking a break! We’re closed
March 19-April 2
for renovations
for adoption. Please consider adopting one for a family
pet or companion. If you are unable to adopt a cat or
kitten now, please consider making a cash donation to
help us continue to rescue stray cats from our severe
winter weather. Donations are tax deductible. We
provide food, vet services and a safe, heated sanctuary to
escape the long cold nights. Send donations to: Caring
for Cats Foundation, 8545 State Route 12 E, Three
Mile Bay, NY 13693 Call: (315) 767-0133
Main Street- Chaumont, NY
Full Service And Competitively Priced!
Open 7 Days a week
Hardware * Soils & Mulch
Plumbing * Electrical
Tools * Rental Equipment * Propane
Bait and Tackle
Grills * Paint * Lumber
Window and Screen Repair
And Much, Much More...
The Lyme Ligh t
P age 4
Chaumont VFD...To the Rescue
By Chief Frederick Jackson
Welcome Spring!
March Shop Hours
Saturday 10-5,
Sunday 10-4
Or by Appt.
315-778-1191
Chaumont Volunteer Fire Department has a new
airboat 13-7-3. It will now allow us a quicker and safer
way to get to those in need, whether it be someone who
went through the ice or a medical emergency on the
ice. Our policy is life over property. The new air boat is
for emergency use only, not for recovery of equipment or
vehicles. Stop by anytime our members are at the station to
check it out. Our doors are always open for visitors.
Upcoming Events:
March 5th - Farmer Market & Kids Fun Day 9-2 pm
April 8th - Indoor Rummage Sales & Pancake Breakfast 7-2 pm
Contact Holly Rubacha for rummage sale space / information at 315-783-2838
Brian Peters
Plumbing, Heating, Electrical & A/C
(315) 778-5100
Closed Mondays
Live Music on Weekends
Friday Fish Fry
Prime Rib Saturdays
Air Conditioning: New Installation & Repair
Plumbing: Well & Water Systems, Pr essur e Tanks, Pipe Repair
Heating: Boiler s, Fur naces, Heat Pumps, Tune Ups, Repair
Electrical: Troubleshooting, New Service, Upgrades & Repair
Cottage Opening/Closing: Serving Chaumont & surrounding areas
Full Lunch and Dinner Menu
Dine-in or Take-out
Specializing in Modular Home & New Construction Mechanicals
Installations, Service, Repair & Emergencies
Authorized Dealer: Fujitsu Mini-Splits & Heil HVAC
Credit Cards Accepted
http://www.bpetersmechanical.com
315-649-3622
12260 NYS Rte. 12E
email: [email protected]




Web design
Programming
Computer repair
Over 16 years’ experience
www.benrubacha.com
[email protected]
Or find him on Facebook
References available
(315)783-3893
V ol um e 19, Iss ue 3
P age 5
Lyme Garden Club Notes
Chaumont – Three Mile Bay
Chamber of Commerce News
2017 Lyme Community Days
Annual Craft Fair
Saturday July 29th, 2017 10AM-4PM
March is here – and that means that Spring is
less than three weeks away. Although many garden club
members are scattered around the country during the
winter, we have been hard at work, planning our 2017
Season. So mark your calendars –
Art, Antiques, Crafts, Bake sale, Food, Music, Wine &
more!
10X10 Spaces $10 Outside on the Copley House Lawn,
12030 NYS RTE 12E Chaumont . For more info please
contact us at [email protected] or TEXT
Amanda Miller 315-778-1191

Opening Meeting – Wednesday, May 17, 6:30 PM at
the Copley House. Bring Appetizer & Dessert.
Learn about successful container gardening. Get first
choice on sign ups for summer watering of the Lyme
gardens. Share ideas for summer activities.

Planting of the Main Street Pots – Week of May 22
(weather permitting). Help the town look colorful
by Memorial Day Weekend.

Field Trip – Wed., June 7 – to Sollecito Landscaping, Syracuse. Tour 10 AM – 12 Noon, sustainable
gardening instruction & shopping at Hafners Garden
Center. Lunch location to be determined.

Tour of Chaumont Barrens – early - mid June.
Learn about our native plants. “The bedrock found
throughout Chaumont Barrens is about 450 million
years old. Scientists say that at that time, Chaumont
was at the bottom of a shallow tropical sea near the
equator.” Come learn more about this fascinating
fact.

July – August – Working on plans to visit the gardens of Thousand Island Park, Sonnenburg Gardens
and Mansion in Canandaigua, and Dickman Farm
Nursery in Auburn.

Perennial Divisions by Master Gardener Judy
Killmer - August 17 (or 24)
Bay Breeze Golf Links
Bar open evenings
Monday—Friday 3 PM
Saturday—Sunday 2 PM
Free Peetza every evening
A &T Diner Open!
Serving Breakfast & Lunch
Open Wednesday—Sunday
Free game room—
Pool, Foosball, Air Hockey
Great location for afternoon birthday parties.
Call for details.
Located on Cheever Road off of
Old Town Springs Road in Chaumont
649-GOLF (4653)
Like us on Facebook
VALLEY PEETZA
“Good Pizza – Spelled Badly”
Open daily at 3:30 p.m.
Delivery available 6-8 miles surrounding
Chaumont
CHAUMONT
315- 649-2420
 Lyme Garden Club Dinner – September
Watch our Facebook page for updates. Don’t forget,
“First Saturday” of every month, take time to pick up the
trash on your property roadside.
P age 6
The Lyme Ligh t
Lyme Heritage Center Historical Notes
The Extraordinary Life of McCoy
Lance, 1768-1874
by Margaret Putnam Brennen
McCoy Lance was a farmer in Poland, a
soldier in Russia, a prisoner in Spain,
and at the end of his life, the oldest
man in Jefferson County. He spoke
seven languages, fought in Napoleon’s
army for eight years, and crossed the
Atlantic Ocean in a cattle boat.
His life began unremarkably in his
native Poland. After marrying at 21,
he began farming. At the time, Poland
was partitioned between Prussia,
Austria, and Russia. Polish nationalists
yearned for a re-unified Poland; they
courted Napoleon as an ally, hoping that the new French Emperor would help re-establish their nation. However, this hope
would be exploited for the Emperor’s own purposes. In 1812,
when Napoleon needed more infantry en route to an invasion of
Russia, many Polish men were forcibly conscripted to fight
alongside the French. McCoy Lance was kidnapped from his
farm and pressed into service; he never saw his family in Poland
again.
On June 24, 1812 Bonaparte ordered his enormous army of
over 500,000 men to invade Russia. The campaign was one
of the great disasters of military history. When the retreat
began on December 14th, only 22,000 soldiers remained
with the French forces. One of them was McCoy Lance.
Lance was essentially a slave soldier. In 1872 the Watertown Daily Times wrote an article about his life, for which
they presumably interviewed him. The article says that
after the retreat from Russia, France sent Lance to fight in
Spain, as Britain, France and Portugal fought for control of
the region. When the opportunity presented itself, he deserted the French and joined the Spaniards to fight against
Bonaparte. Apparently his allegiance meant little to the
Spaniards, who sold him to a British Officer. The British
sent him to Quebec, via cattle boat, to fight against the
Americans in the War of 1812. By 1813 he was stationed
among British soldiers on an island in the St. Lawrence near
Montreal. At that time, he and a Polish compatriot decided to
make their escape to New York.
Lance family lore varies from the events mentioned in the 1872
article. Jennifer Lance of Point Peninsula, the great-great-great
granddaughter of McCoy Lance, says her understanding was that
the British captured her ancestor and a friend directly from the
French. Her family believed that Lance and this friend (whose
name is unknown) were sent to Quebec as prisoners, not as conscripted soldiers.
In any case, after he and his friend escaped from Quebec, Lance
made his way to the Mohawk Valley. He settled there, and in
1820 he married Polly (or Mary) Jeffers, who at 25 was apparently already a widow. He and Polly had eight children.
“McCoy Lance” is clearly not a Polish name. Jennifer
Lance says that a schoolteacher in New York gave the name
to him; apparently the teacher was trying to write out the
name that Lance gave her verbally. Most likely his actual
name was phonetically similar, such as such as Mikolaj
Lentz (Mikolaj is the Polish variant of Nicholas).
Lance didn’t move to Lyme until he was an older man. He
first appears here in the 1850 census, living with his son,
Peter Lance, at a farm at Toad Hole (now Luff Shores) on
Point Peninsula. In his golden years he continued to lead a
remarkable life. He was an ardent Catholic and would walk
every Sunday from Point Peninsula to Rosiere to attend
mass.
He spoke (at least partially) seven languages. At the age of
100 he rode on horseback ten miles from Point Peninsula to
Chaumont to vote in the election of Town of Lyme officers.
Even his death was notable. In an article on July 9, 1875 the
Watertown Daily Times reported that only one person had
died in the town of Lyme in the prior year – McCoy Lance,
age 106. He is buried in the Fox Creek Cemetery.
Sources:
Conversations with Jennifer Lance
“The Oldest Man in Jefferson County,” Watertown Daily Times,
April 13, 1872
“Lyme Enumerator,” Watertown Times, July 9, 1875
US Federal Census records
Lance family information on Ancestry.com
V ol um e 19, Iss ue 3
P age 7
Lyme Free Library
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
Baking Classes to Benefit the Library!
Enjoy learning how to bake a choice of desserts while sipping
flavored coffees or teas, having fun, and supporting the Lyme
Free Library. All supplies are provided, and you take home what
you bake. All classes held at The Cottage Bakery,24360 County
Route 57, Three Mile Bay. Cost is $35.00 (25% deposit to reserve your spot. Non-refundable.) Call Cathy Gallagher at 315408-7318 to register.
Baking France
Make cream puffs, eclairs, Napoleons, Creme Brulee along with
a French appetizer. March 11th or March 18 th, 10 to 2.
Baking England
Create curd, along with English tea and biscuits. April 1, 10- 2.
Baking the Coffeehouses of Europe
Make a flourless chocolate torte drenched in ganache, along with
famous coffeehouse favorites. April 22, 10- 2.
Future Workshops
Future workshop- Baking Pies and Tarts & Baking Baklava. Have an idea? Please share.
Private Workshops
Call to discuss and set-up. Group of 6 is required.
Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped millions of kids learn to read. Help us celebrate his birthday on Saturday, March 4th at 10:30am. Children’s crafts and fun! Free.
Please call 315-649-5454 to register.
Free Computer Classes !
The North Country Library System offers workshops on various
computer topics. Each class is a one-time workshop held at The
Lyme Free Library. All workshops free! Please call 649-5454 to
register. Classes are held weather permitting – please call before
you come if the snow is falling!
March 13th – Excel – 10:00 am
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program included in
the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Spreadsheets present
tables of values arranged in rows and columns that can be manipulated mathematically using both basic and complex arithmetic operations and functions.
JCC Classes at the Lyme Free Library
Register: Call JCC at 315-786-2385
Drawing with Pencils Age 11+
Enroll in this basic class and learn the fundamentals of sketching
and basic drawing techniques. Learn hard and soft lines, basic
shading, blending and layering. Participants will need to purchase supplies separately. Friday, March 3rd. 6:00 - 8:00pm. $35.
Basic Watercolors
Learn to paint with watercolors! In this workshop you will learn
basic techniques, paints, brushes and palettes then experiment
with space, composition and color. Participants will need to purchase supplies separately. Friday, April 7th 5:00 - 8:00 pm. $35.
Quilting Group
O’Reilly Prints
Sawmill Bay
Lyme Free Library is offering prints by Local Artist James
O’Reilly for just $20. Prints feature The Cape Vincent Lighthouse, The Copley House, The Chaumont Hardware Store, Cove
Cottage as well as scenes of Sackets Harbor& Amish life.
Are you a quilter? Do you want to get out and meet with others
who share your interest? Join us every Tuesday at 6:45 to share
project ideas and make friends with other quilters. Open to all!
Shop on AmazonSmile and Support
The Lyme Free Library!
Sail into Reading Story Time
Book Talk, our book discussion group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7pm. Open to all March 21, 2017: W hen Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
April 18, 2017: The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
May 16, 2017: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Lyme Free Library Story Time is a fun learning experience that
parents and children can share together. Sessions include stories,
songs, finger plays, and crafts for children. Please join us on
Wednesdays at 11 am.
lymefreelibrary.org
Lyme Community Foundation
NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION
Post Office Box 601
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #10
Chaumont, NY 13622
ECR Postal Customer
Resident
THREE MILE BAY, NY 13693