An Autumn October in Glens Falls, New York
Rising early on a brisk Saturday morning, I got dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, snapped on a Hufflepuff cloak, put on gloves, and started to ride my bike toward Abraham Wing School for the thirty-second annual Goblin Gallop. While it was slightly cold as I pushed the petals of the bike, it was warming up to be a beautiful, autumn day. The colors of the trees whisked by as I glided toward Centennial Circle, down Ridge Street, and onto Lawrence Street; the school coming closer with each passing minute. As I approached, dozens of adults and children wearing costumes were chatting with each other.
I walked into the school, turning left into the small gymnasium, where the volunteer check-in table was perched by the door. Signing my name on the clipboard, slipping on the high-visibility vest, and snagging the orange flag, I headed over to a table in the back. It featured photos from a small Nepali village that Lee Pollock, the race organizer, his wife, Linda, and Jill Pederson had been helping over the years. Lee first visited in 1974 as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Nepal as a secondary math and science teacher. He was posted in a small, remote village of Tuhure Pasal. Over the years, through their partnership with Rotary International, Peace Corps of Napal, the Friends of Napal Village Improvement Project, and the Adirondack Runners, they have helped usher some useful changes to improve the lives of those that lived there. With the completion of a new school building in 2022, they are raising funds for a standalone projector-based learning system called Looma to improve access to digital research materials.
After reading and looking at their project, Lee rushed to me, wearing a bee costume, and explained that I was needed at the start to help direct traffic before the race. At the corner of McDonald and Lawrence Street, Don Van Wely and I helped ensure that cars avoided, if possible, the race route along McDonald Street. Before the race officially began, I chatted with a gentleman wearing a blue Pacman shirt. He was a cross-country and track coach at the Lake George Elementary School, running unaffiliated with his team who were also wearing different colored Pacman shirts.
Lee called everyone to the starting line, with a gaggle of people dressed in various costumes heading toward the orange spray painted line. With a quick shout, they began to stride down the street. I cheered them on, though keeping an eye on cars attempting to cross the road. I saw lots of unique costumes, from dozens of different condiments, superheroes, and animals. Stephanie Willis had on a pumpkin shirt as she smiled past the intersection. Cristina had the smallest witch hat strapped to her head, wearing her iconic sunglasses and looking fierce. Bill Horne had an Angry Birds hat, red shirt, and Superman socks, mentioning to me later that he was an “angry Superman”. Cathy Biss had on orange and black leggings with a comfortable ghost and cobweb sweater, though she was enjoying the course at a walking pace. Harris Lonergan had bunny ears strapped to the top of his head.
The Goblin Gallop course runs twice around a neighborhood loop, from McDonald, Maple, Walnut, and Dix Avenue, before finishing back at the school. Lee held up a sign as the first group of runners made it back to the school, indicating one more lap to go. Thomas O'Grady dominated, with an average mile pace at 5:26. finishing the race at 16:51 and breaking the 40-year-old male record. Emily and Andrew McCarthy, a power couple with two young children, finished near each other a few minutes after the top finisher. Emily broke her own Master’s record by thirteen second, finishing at 18:35. And there were lots of triumphs and personal records abound on a beautifully perfect morning for running.
While the runners were on the course, I stopped at a fundraising table for a young girl that was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma B Cell Cancer, a rare and aggressive disease. The young girl, named Joelle, had gone to Abraham Wing Elementary School and was in 6th grade, though at the moment, she is undergoing chemotherapy from Albany Med. Her family and the Abraham Wing Parent Teachers Association partnered with Kingpins Alley in South Glens Falls for a fundraiser this Sunday, November 2nd from 11am-1pm. If you would like to help support the family during this difficult time, be sure to head to the family-friendly event this weekend.
Once all the runners and walkers crossed the finish line, Lee called everyone to the starting line on the Lawrence Street side of the school for the shorter race. Lots of young kids, from toddler to younger elementary, lined up with their parents in tow to run around the school. It was an uplifting sight, though Don and I were distracted as cars and trucks began to arrive at the intersection, eager but patient to cross the road. There was even a large tracker heading east, presumably to a construction site. The City of Glens Falls over the past couple years, has been growing exponentially with new projects and developments, a welcome sight after the uncertainty of the pandemic.
After the last child crossed the finish line and the volunteers started to clean up the area, I headed into the school to drop off the high-visibility vest and flag to continue on with my day. I did pause at a lovely flyer attached to a door inside with a pertinent message, “Think: Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?”, as well as check out the Ben Osborne Memorial book station out front. The Ben Osborn Memorial Fund was setup in memory of Benjamin Osborn, a combat veteran that was killed on June 15, 2010, during a rescue mission in Afghanistan. It was created to give kids a little lift by providing help and opportunities to local school children, one of which is a free book program. You might have seen more of these book stations throughout the city and other areas. If you have extra, unused children’s books, be sure to drop them off at a book station near you for a child to read.
As I biked toward downtown with my Hufflepuff cloak flapping in the wind, I enjoyed the sights of colorful trees in front of homes and apartments. Locking my bike at a rack in front of Northeastern Fine Jewelry, I walked toward the Crandall Public Library and observed venders setting up for the Glens Falls Downtown Collaborative’s Boo2You, an annual Halloween street celebration filled with dancing and candy giveaways. In the basement of the library during the event, the Friends of Crandall Library was having their fall book sale. During the downtown festival, Megan and Robin decided to haul dozens of boxes filled kids and adult’s books onto carts to give away. Megan dressed as Vector from the Despicable Me movie, a children’s film that premiered in 2010. She donned an orange jumpsuit with a black, bowl cut-shaped wig, while Robin wore a lovely and tiny crown on her head. After helping at a table downstairs, I headed up to the street to snag some pictures and help give away books. There were so many lovely families that appreciated free books for their children, some of whom were eager to read sitting on the sidewalk. After two days of the Friends of the Crandall Library book sale, we generated $6,400 in sales for the library and gave away fourteen boxes of books.
Once the downtown event and the book sale ended, I stayed to help clean up and move unsold books back into storage until the next sale on January 30th. Wishing everyone well, I started to bike home with a full pack of books in hand. As I glided along, I thought of the incredible organizations and people that make Glens Falls, New York a lovely place to live. No matter if someone is visiting or lives here, everyone has an open heart and a thoughtful mind, ensuring that our community thrives and remains a beacon of light in the world. As the weather begins to get colder, make sure to lend a helping hand to your neighbors if you see them struggling. One small act of kindness has the power to uplift an entire community.
