The weather was absolutely perfect on Labor Day for the 11th Omena Labor Day Bridge Walk. A record attendance at the event was set with almost 60 people and two dogs participating in the shortest Labor Day Bridge Walk. For about half a dozen of them, it was their first hike across Bob’s Brook, named in honor of Bob Krist, who hosted the first Omena Bridge Walk back in 2013. Many thanks to John Putnam for continuing the fun event.
Two families had three generations who crossed the bridge. Jim and Susie Morrison were there with Susie’s son, James Tock from Holland, Michigan, and his twin 7-year old daughters, Eleanor and Johanna. Johanna is now the two-time winner of the Omena Labor Day Bridge Walk Rubber Duck Race.
Caryn and Bob DeVries enjoyed a Labor Day weekend visit from their daughter and son-in-law, Kendra and Troy Austin and their two children, Brock and Maryn. The Austins were the first to cross the bridge this year. Brock and Maryn have made it to many of the Bridge Walks since the event started.
The Putnam clan was also well represented. Host John Putnam and his sister Helen were there, as well as their first cousins, Craig Pavia and Karen Pavia Gardoni. Karen and her husband, Fernando, got the award for coming the farthest. They are here from Switzerland for their annual visit to Omena.
The Omena Historical Society (OHS) held its annual meeting last week. At the meeting, President Sally Viskochil read a resolution recognizing Ed Oberndorf for all of his contributions to OHS since it was officially founded 30 years ago. His involvement goes back even more than 30 years, as he was the person who gathered a few Omena neighbors on his porch back in 1978 to bring up the idea of an historical society for Omena.
It came to fruition in 1994 when 501c3 status was granted. Ed had spearheaded that effort. Ed had the idea of audio-taping interviews with some of the older residents of Omena, providing invaluable material to the OHS archives. He has been an untiring fundraiser for OHS, including a key role in supporting the relocation of the Putnam-Cloud Tower House to its current location in downtown Omena, where it is home to the OHS Museum. The resolution confers upon Ed the title of Lifetime Honorary Trustee, a very special and very well deserved honor. The Omena community thanks Ed for his vision and leadership.
The Northport Arts Association (NAA) has two wonderful exhibits in September. Michelle White’s Interactive Exhibit opens at noon Friday, with a reception at 6 p.m., and runs through the weekend from noon to 4 p.m. each day. Then Friday, Sept. 20, is opening reception for the Tom Woodruff Retrospective, which will run through Sept. 29.
Happy Birthday to Sally Viskochil, Mary Woessner, Bill Sulau, Isaiah Fitzgerald, Benjamin Read, Jaron Huffman, Debbie Zinger, Marcia Biskupski, Terri Harris, and to Harper Marie Bilek, who turns 3.
Fall is a beautiful time to get married, especially in Omena, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that September is tied with June for the number of anniversaries in the Omena News file – 16 to be precise. Happy Anniversary this week to Tony and Amanda Brown, Allan and Joanne Dalzell, John and Barb Harris, Carter and Amy Oosterhouse, Gary Roll and Kathy Schaeffer, and to Brian Towne and Claire Ziegeler who were married in Omena one year ago.
