A line of trash picker-uppers bravely stride into a fierce wind looking for waste material along Hamlin Beach.
Hamlin resident Willow Clark, 8, receives two White Pine seedlings from Paul Nau.
It was 46 degrees, some snowflakes and much wind that greeted attendees to the Hamlin Beach Earth Day at the Park Celebration on April 20. Fortunately, there was alot of heat provided by the fireplaces in Shelter 3 and, as Coordinator Jeanine Klopp, President of the Friends of the Hamlin Beach State Park, said: “At least it’s not raining!”
The event was a partnership among the Friends of the Hamlin Beach State Park, the Town of Hamlin, New York State Parks, the Hamlin Lions Club and the College at Brockport Department of Environmental Sciences.
Earth Day featured informative presenters, local crafters, artisans, eco-friendly vendors and activities designed to improve the world. Electronic items were accepted for recycling.
Joe’s stories – old, new, mostly true
Part 6
Joe and Anna decide to become foster parents
by Joe Reinschmidt
Mike in a photo taken at Fort Slocum, NY.Although I was an only child, I definitely didn’t grow up lonely. Around 1934-35 Joe and Anna decided to try having foster children of whom there were many available due to the effect the Depression had on many families. Also, perhaps, they thought they would never have children of their own since none had arrived after seven years of marriage.
The first foster child was a 14 or 15 year old boy named Steve Z. who for unknown reasons was always known as Mike. Steve was here when I was born, and all the rest of his life insisted that we were brothers. Sadly, I didn’t feel as strongly about that as he did and only realized the significance of it later in my life. I believe Mike left school to join the Civilian Conservation Corps but always stayed in touch with us. As the US entered WWII he joined the Army and opted for the 82 Airborne. My Dad often joked that Mike only did that because the training was longer and he hoped the war would be over by then. It wasn’t and he made a number of jumps into enemy territory. Joe and Anna had very mixed emotions since they each had three brothers who were in the German military. How tragic it might be if Mike was to confront one of them.
A souvenir bracelet he gave me, made of scrap aluminum when he was in Italy.After landing in southern Italy, Mike’s unit spent quite a bit of time working their way up to Germany and when he arrived there the war was winding down. He wrote regularly so they knew he had survived, but it would take many months before they would learn anything about the fate of their families. The talk now turned to when Mike would come home. In my child’s mind I was sure his unit would come marching down our road and when they came to our place Mike would peel off the column and say, “I’m home,” never mind that he had a wife in Rochester who he married while on leave a few years earlier. When he did return he went to her home, of course, but the very next day he came here to see his other family. They visited often until both Joe and Anna had passed away.
This is part six of a series. Previously printed articles are available in Archives February 24, 2013
