Thumbs up to the AAUW's 57th annual What's New Fair this weekend - a gathering of scores of local specialty shops and vendors offering their finest wares for Christmas shoppers. The fair is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 10 a..m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Hamilton Collegiate Center at Jamestown Community College.
Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children ages 6-12. There is plenty of parking as well as food and beverages.
In addition to being a wonderful opportunity to get a start on Christmas shopping, What's New Fair is the major fundraiser for the American Association of University Women. Over the past 57 years, the community's response to the What's New Fair has enabled the AAUW to award $270,000 in scholarships to more than 310 local women.
We offer a hearty "Welcome to the neighborhood" greeting to the Lucile M. Wright Air Museum. A thumbs up goes to everyone who helped the museum move its exhibits - including a helicopter - into the building at 300 North Main. Once the dust settles, the helicopter and a bi-plane fuselage will be exhibits to "Motivate Youth Through Aviation" and enhance the museum's emphasis on education.
That reminds us to give a thumbs up to the wonderful variety of events and activities available to folks here the year round - and we very much include in that the program on Wednesday at the Marshal Martz Memorial Astronomical Association Observatory. As a press release notes, local amateur astronomer Phil Evans will delve into his vast archive of astronomy stories and facts for his lecture on "Astronomy Found in Everyday Publications." The program begins at 8 p.m. and free and open to the public. The observatory is located on Robbin Hill Road in Frewsburg. For directions go to martzobservatory.org/aboutUs.
Finally, before we close out this week, let's give a reverent thank-you for the peaceful way in which we chose the people who will run our local, state and federal governments. Once the voters had spoken on Tuesday, we did not have to worry about whether whether the losers would refuse to accept the outcome of the vote nor whether the winners would have the losers arrested.
Yes, there's a lot of sound and fury leading up to Election Day, but once the votes are cast, that's that.