LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - DECEMBER 1, 2019 by Lynne Belluscio A couple of years ago, when the crew from the Na- tional Park Service visited Le- Roy to check out the Marion steam shovel, one of the guys said, “Hey, why don’t you put Christmas lights on the shovel.” And I kept thinking about that and mentioned it to Chris Rue- by. He’s the guy who built the working model of the shovel. And last year, he bought lights to go up, but then the weather took a turn for the worse and we didn’t get them up. About a week ago, I emailed Chris and said, “Do you still have the lights for the shovel?” “You know I forgot all about that. Yes I do. I can come out and put them up.” And then we had all the snow. Dumb! But not to be thwarted by some snow, he emailed and said, Looks like there will be a break. I’ll be out next Monday or Tuesday. So I stopped by the Town Highway Department and cornered Eric Stauffer. “Can you unlock the gate so we can get lights up on the shovel?” “No problem. You just let me know when.” So, on Monday, I stopped by and Chris had already put up the top string of lights and was working on another string. I didn’t do much but provide encouragement and learn how to program the battery pack. It didn’t take long at all. And we both thought that next year, we’ll get the equipment to string lights up the boom. We agreed to meet back at the shov- el at 5 to program the lights, and by the time I got back at 5, Chris had already turned the lights on. Just as the sun was going down, the lights came on. And it was neat. There she was, all decked out for Christmas and I thought only in LeRoy. Chris snapped a couple of photos and sent them to me later, and I’m hav- ing this one made into Christ- mas cards. When I emailed him back, I mentioned that I wanted to title the photo “A MARION CHRISTMAS.” I’ll have a few extra cards made and they’ll be for sale at the Jell-O Museum. Don’t know how much yet, but for someone from LeRoy or Limerock, it will make a great Christmas card. There are some other items for sale in the museum shop, that you can only get in LeRoy. We just had three dozen tie-dye t-shirts made by Melissa Grey. Each one’s a little different, and they are all in Jell-O col- ors. So stop by while there’s a good selection and the size you want. We only have adult shirts now. We also have some Jell-O sweatshirts in all sizes and col- ors. They are made locally by LP Graphics on Church Street. They also make all our T-shirts, both the embroidered ones and the printed ones. If you didn’t hear, we also have the “giraffe” shirts in commemoration of the giraffe who used to be in Pon- tillos, who now “lives” in the Jell-O Gallery. Probably the most “LeRoy” gift that we have, are the LeRoy afghans. They make a special gift for someone who might no longer live in Le- Roy, but calls LeRoy home. Or for a student who is graduating or leaving home. If you need an idea for em- ployees or teachers, or all the cousins - -think about a Jell-O pot holder and you can stuff a box of Jell-O in the pocket. We also have Jell-O Christmas ornaments, baseball caps - - in kids sizes too. Golf balls and golf towels. And something that no one will forget - - all siz- es of Rough on Rats shirts only from LeRoy! We can also package and mail things to folks and put in a little note - - maybe a MARION CHRISTMAS card. Just let us know. Right now, I’m saving a HELLO door mat, for John Bolton when he comes to Roch- ester with “Hello Dolly” later in the spring. And we have many more of them available. We also have bricks in the Jell-O Brick Road - - for the person who has everything or the new grandchild. Bricks are $55 and come with a cer- tificate “suitable for framing.” Last year we installed over 30 new bricks in the Jell-O Brick Road. Another gift, for a friend or family member, is a mem- bership to the Historical Soci- ety, which entitles them to four newsletters, with great articles and information about upcom- ing events. So, when you’re looking for something special that will remind folks of LeRoy, stop by the Jell-O gift shop. We are open Monday through Saturday 10 until 4 and Sunday’s 1 to 4. Or call with your order and we can mail it out. AVERY MARION CHRISTMAS This is the photo of the steam shovel.