Reflections on Ballston Spa’s first outdoor gathering of 2020 and an exhibit of children’s rainbow artwork inside grocery store

A sea of masked faces of human rights advocates was the last thing I expected to meet my eyes as I balanced myself on a walker outside of the Post Office at the intersection of Front Street and Milton Avenue just before noon on Saturday, June 6.

I had no idea Ballston Spa’s first public outdoor gathering of 2020 was scheduled to take place that day. But as passing motorists tooted horns at those who had dropped to one knee, I began capturing images of what was unfolding against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Glancing first to my right and then to my left, I was reminded of other memorable gatherings that had taken place near this very location more than a century ago.

Looking to the other side, where O’Brien Pharmacy now occupies a corner lot, I recalled that had been the very spot where John “Jack” Johnson, the first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion, had been warmly welcomed by villagers in the early 1900s. (CLICK HERE to read related story by Maurice Christopher Morley as told to Ann Hauprich.) Remembering that Johnson had succeeded in becoming a sports hero despite entering the ring during The Jim Crow Era made me even prouder of both The Way We Were … and The Way We Are in Ballston Spa.

The photos that accompany these reflections speak for themselves. But they represent just a small part of “The Spirit of Ballston Spa” as I was privileged to observe it on Saturday, June 6, 2020.

For then came the rainbows!

Just as photographing a peaceful public rally had not been on my To-Do list as a sipped my morning coffee, neither had I expected to find myself admiring an exquisite exhibit of children’s artwork before lunch time.

The latter transpired upon entering the Hannaford behind the Church Avenue McDonald’s, where I knew a nifty assistive device for physically challenged shoppers would enable me to quickly purchase a few groceries.

But the discovery of a wall quite literally papered with mesmerizing images of rainbow colored symbols of hope and healing as seen through the eyes and drawn by the hands of the village’s youngest citizens stopped me in my tracks. Peace sign rainbows. Heart-shaped rainbows. Starburst rainbows. Rainbows supported by comforting puffy white clouds. Rainbows where tiny fingers had printed reminders to “Spread love! Not Hate!”

Although tissues were not on my shopping list when I left home that day, I certainly needed them upon my return.