Stories behind masked faces

Should the leader of The Land of the Maple Leaf ever require the additional services of an unofficial diplomatic envoy to plant seeds of goodwill on this side of the border, Ballston Spa Living would respectfully like to nominate Glen Kaytar who was photographed at Ocean State Job Lot on April 4, 2020. To learn more, visit https://ballstonspaliving.com/glen-kaytar-plants-seeds-of-goodwill-far-and-wide/

Make-your-own mask display inside OSJL - April 4, 2020 PHOTO BY ANN HAUPRICH

The brightly colored mask Susan James wore while out for a Easter Sunday stroll during which she practiced social distancing etiquette had been creatively fashioned from a sleep mask she had received from an Air France flight attendant during the summer of 2019. To read an inspiring Mother's Day 2020 tribute to the Ballston Spa native’s now late mom, Leila Mae Stevenson, please visit https://ballstonspaliving.com/mothers-day-tribute/

Webmaster Mary Hauprich Reilly and granddaughter Aubrianna -- March 2020.

Ann Hauprich on Good Friday 2020. The future journalist’s first encounter with masked faces and health-related social distancing occurred while battling a highly contagious disease that nearly claimed her young life in 1962. To read the rest of this story, SEE "Meningitis Miracle" in SPECIAL FEATURES.

Skiing enthusiast and Ballston Spa Living photo contributor Michael Garland on the slopes during the time the first case of COVID-19 appeared in the United States in January 2020.

Carpenters Michael Irish and Luis Cazares model masks that are helping to keep them safe and healthy on the job during the pandemic.

Masked gentleman kindly permits Michael Garland to capture this tranquil image of him taking in the scenic view at Ballston Spa Reservoir - April 2020.

Ballstonians Ann and John Roche sporting their home sewn masks at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.

During a stroll through the village on April 19, 2020, Michael Garland took this wonderful snapshot of two masked ladies enjoying some fresh air and sunshine inside Wiswall Park.

At Northline Road Stewart's in Ballston Spa, masked associate Nicole humors Michael Garland who snapped this photo of her on April 19, 2020.

Michael Garland obtained this photo of a masked Iron Roost employee who was keeping busy delivering orders both to customers waiting on the sidewalk and in many cases, right to the customer's car window - April 19, 2020.

As a lad in the 1950s, future teacher and coach Timothy Hauprich was an avid fan of The Lone Ranger television show during which the wild west hero always wore a partial face mask to conceal his true identity while rescuing crime victims and capturing dangerous outlaws. In those days, it was only bank and stage coach robbers who wore masks over their noses and mouths. To learn more about The Lone Ranger, please visit https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041038/

Pianist Cole Broderick finds pausing in between practice sessions in his home studio to stroll along picturesque village streets or tackle yard work often inspires ideas for original musical compositions as well as fresh arrangements for older pieces. Find Seasons of the Soul with Cole in Special Features.

Ballston Spa Mayor Larry Woolbright has a reputation for leading by example and quickly leapt into action when the wearing of masks was recommended in the interest of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Credit for the crafting of his protective facial covering featuring an animated web-footed amphibian goes to good friend Ellen Daley of Provincetown, MA. “Ellen chose the frog motif to commemorate my professional career studying the population ecology of frogs,” explains the village leader. Q&A with Mayor Woolbright can be found on the EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS drop menu.

Among those to be saluted in the Ballston Spa Living 2020 Community Yearbook for valiantly serving on The Front Lines in our village during the coronavirus pandemic is OSJL Area Supervisor Patty Clous. While Patty has long been committed to customer service excellence, Editor Ann Hauprich couldn’t resist snapping this photo outside of the Doubleday Avenue department store on May 12, 2020 after she and her sister Pamela Irish (a retired nurse) were at the receiving end of assistance they felt ranked as above and beyond the call of duty during The COVID-19 Era. Patty, who – like other incredibly dedicated members of her team -- spends long hours wearing uncomfortable facial coverings to protect the health of customers -- literally lightened the load for the senior citizen sibling pair. It will be an extra special honor to share details of that interaction in the book. But in the meantime, we hope others in the community will join us in thanking all who courageously serve on The Front Lines at OSJL (https://www.oceanstatejoblot.com/COVID-19-statement) as well as in other village settings that offer what are now considered “essential services” – including some gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies. It is because they are bravely keeping their doors open and their masks on that we are able to refill our tanks and our medical prescriptions as well as restocking our refrigerators and linen closets without venturing far from homes that now often double (or triple) as offices and/or classrooms. And, of course, we will celebrate those at the United States Post Office on Front Street who have made it possible for us to stay in touch with friends and loved ones in a manner that has had the “stamp of approval” of countless generations before us.

Every precaution has been taken throughout the COVID-19 crisis to protect both the staff and patients at Ballston Dental. Indeed the practice of dentist Thomas Pray has at times resembled a sci-fi movie set when procedures necessitate the donning of facial shields as well as quality disposable masks, gloves and gowns such as the PPE worn by Joy Soriano and Susie Joyce when they were photographed by a masked and freshly hand-sanitized Ann Hauprich on May 15, 2020.

We guarantee there was smile hiding beneath the protective mask of BSHS Class of 2011 alum Mary Rose Hauprich as she embarked upon a Memorial Day weekend outing. The Ballston Area Community Center (BACC) employee strives to remain the picture of health and happiness through a variety of sports and fitness activities. To learn more about BACC, a not-for-profit corporation that serves the community’s youth, please visit https://ballstonareacc.org.

Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association Executive Administrator Ellen Mottola’s winning smile is hidden behind her chic protective facial covering in this photo. But if you visit www.ballstonspaliving.com/bsbpa-ellen-mottola-interview/), you’ll not only see how the vivacious leader looks without her mask; you can also read all about the innovative ways in which the BSBPA has been responding to unprecedented COVID-19 challenges in the community.

Prior to being promoted from Deputy Village Clerk to Village Clerk in 2013, Teri O’Connor spent five years running Ballston Spa’s Grant Office and two as a greeter at the main entrance of Ballston Spa High School. But, in some ways, O’Connor’s combined experiences working on what today are dubbed The Front Lines began decades earlier. Indeed, the distinguished Village Hall official sometimes quips that she’s been “in the public eye” since she was in diapers. That’s because O’Connor was but a tot when she began interacting with customers in a department store on Milton Avenue that was founded in 1901 by her great-grandfather Jacob Steiner.This artistic rendering shows O’Connor modeling a Ballston Spa mask that was ordered from an area company after she and others at Village Hall felt it could help residents feel more comfortable when interacting with their employees — especially the Village Police and Department of Public Works (DPW). Behind O’Connor is a partial view of a masterpiece by painter Phil Spaziani that captures the Bath Street side of the historic landmark where the office of Ballston Spa’s mayor is also situated. To read an in-depth May 2020 interview with O’Connor, please visit https://ballstonspaliving.com/village-clerk-teri-oconnor-q-and-a/

Vickie Yanagihara, who retired from her duties as Head Cashier and Sales Associate at the village’s OSJL prior to the onset of the pandemic, has missed participating in Silver Sneakers workouts at MYGYM since the popular fitness center closed its doors in March as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. While waiting for MYGYM to reopen, the vivacious grandmother has been taking daily power walks in her neighborhood – always with a protective facial covering in place. Even before practicing social distancing etiquette in public settings was mandated, Vickie made it a habit to maintain a minimum distance of six feet between her athletic footwear and any other feet walking or jogging along the street. But you will soon be able to catch up with Vickie via a different method as she is slated to be featured without a respiratory mask covering her radiant smile in a June 2020 Ballston Spa Living story by Ann Hauprich titled Kuni’s Candles. PHOTO BY MARCUS YANIGAHARA.

Multi-talented Saratoga Lake teen Marshal Flynn left his musical instruments and the waterfront behind for a while on Saturday, May 23, 2020 to bring added FUN-shine into the life of his composer-pianist grandfather Cole Broderick in Ballston Spa. Joining them for a fresh air visit in the village was Marshal’s father, Sean – about whom you’ll be reading much more in a forthcoming Ballston Spa Living feature. PHOTO BY ANN HAUPRICH

Specializing in the culinary arts of “Dipology” and “Sprinkleology” are but two of the qualities that keep customers coming back to JJ’s Snack Bar in Ballston Spa for ice cream cones each summer. Other attributes include serving up smiles along with the scrumptious burgers, hot dogs, fish frys, French fries and soft drinks -- though the masks worn by Mary DeFilippo and son Michael while serving customers on Monday, May 25, 2020 hid their gleaming grins. (We promise to show you how Michael, Mary and other members of The Defilippo Family look without their protective facial coverings in a future feature that will include the story of when they bought the former "Smack Bar" property at the intersection of Route 50 and Saratoga Avenue in 1991, knocked it down and built JJ's, complete with a popular on-site playground that is temporarily closed to the corona virus. Additional COVID-19 precautions are also in place at JJ’s as detailed on www.yelp.com/biz/j-j-s-snack-bar-ballston-spa. The forthcoming in-depth Ballston Spa Living feature will also celebrate “The NEW Old Chocolate Factory” across the street – where attractions include a family-owned restaurant called The Factory Eatery and Spirits. MEMORIAL DAY 2020 PHOTO BY AIDEN IRISH.

It’s a fact that FACT (Feline Advocacy Coming Together) representatives and volunteers demonstrated purr-fectly honed animal rescue skills during a recent humanitarian mission in Ballston Spa. A special tribute to the not-for-profit whose motto is “Once homeless. Now Home” will be featured on Ballston Spa Living later this summer. Among those to be honored in the feature are Stephanie Rizzi and Angie Irwin, who “paws-d” from their cat-trapping duties in the village on May 17, 2020 just long enough to be photographed by Ann Hauprich. (To learn more about FACT, please visit www.FACTAnimalRescue.com or email FACTAnimalRescue@outlook.com. Folks interested in learning about feline adoptions are encouraged to call 518.867.5327.)

Protective facial coverings hide the sparkling smiles – but not the twinkling eyes – of Shoen family members as they celebrated a SMILE-stone in May 2020. Flanking 10-year-old birthday boy Brandon are (from left to right) brother Christopher, seven, father Kirk, mother Carey and sister Julianna, four. According to Carey, her husband was the only one in the entourage with an arm long enough to snap this group selfie when the village residents went for a hike in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Papa Kirk and sons were all wearing bandana style masks – essentially circular piece of fabric that can easily be pulled up over one’s face whenever someone comes by. “Our kids like them because they can pretend they are ninjas!” muses Carey, adding: “The bandana facial coverings were a recommendation from my brother, Michael Gentile, who lives on Long Island and has been dealing with the seriousness of this situation longer than we have. He purchased them to put over his regular mask to ensure he is fully protected. The other two masks came from Kirk's mom who lives in the North Country on the opposite side of NYS. A neighbor had made them and she purchased a bunch for all of us. I thought Julianna's was cute because it is pink and really small – perfect for a little girl.” To read a related feature, please visit: BallstonSpaLiving.com/10th-birthday-party-during-covid-19/

Those with fond memories of being in the Malta Avenue Elementary School classrooms of the late Helen and Albert Eisenhauer (www.ballstonspaliving.com/eisenhauers/) surely also remember (a) how very patriotic the teachers were and (b) how very dear daughter Dagne was to their hearts. Although Dagne now resides in Florida with husband Jon Sollid (photographed wearing patriotic masks on Memorial Day 2020), she continues to lift the spirits of others with Ballston Spa roots. A forthcoming feature by Editor Ann Hauprich will showcase a quilt that was made for her “with love, hope and prayers” in every stitch by members of the Lake Deaton Prayer Quilt Ministry at the New Covenant United Methodist Church in The Villages, Florida. A note from Dagne and Jon that accompanied the Priority Mail delivery said the women who sewed the quilt prayed while they were stitching it and that members of the congregation added more prayers as they tied knots in the strings when it was displayed on the altar on Sunday mornings. The heart-warming note also expressed a wish that the prayer quilt would serve as a reminder to Ann of “the comfort of God’s eternal love and care for you, His beloved child, cradling you in his powerful healing arms.” Although the quilt was made when Ann was “upside down for the count” for several months in 2018, it continues to be a source of comfort and joy during the socially isolating COVID-19 pandemic.

As the great-grandson of a disabled World War II US Army veteran, Aiden Irish was proud to combine a red shirt with a white bandana and blue face mask while taking pictures for Ballston Spa Living on Monday, May 25, 2020. By donating his photography services in honor of great-grandpa Donald G. Hauprich, Aiden (who will celebrate his 16th birthday just before the Fourth of July) helped to capture glimpses into “The Spirit of Ballston Spa” as it quietly unfolded on the first Memorial Day weekend in decades that did NOT include a patriotic parade in the village. We hope others will also consider contributing related images to a special “Salute to Patriotism” section of the Ballston Spa Living 2020 Community Yearbook. (To learn more, please visit www.legaciesunlimited.com/donald-hauprich_new-millennium-dad.htm.) PHOTO BY ANN HAUPRICH.

The uncontested best gift that Kunihiko “Kuni” Yanagihara ever gave to his wife Vickie was their son Masahiko – better known in speed skating and wrestling circles as Marcus – and sometimes as Mark. The untimely passing of Kuni in 1996 made it impossible for him to be with his widow on the 50th anniversary of the day when they exchanged marriage vows on June 20, 1970. But he was surely with them in spirit when the masked faces of Vickie and Masahiko were photographed by Rebecca Simmons on June 20, 2020. To read about the love story that continues to touch hearts and lift spirits half a century after its unlikely first chapter was written please visit ballstonspaliving.com/yanagihara/.

A masked cow welcomes masked customer Cheryl Irish to JJ's snack bar on July 2, 2020. PHOTO BY ANN HAUPRICH.

MASK-MAKING TRIO --If a stitch in time saves nine, one can but wonder how many lives may have been saved by health care professionals Laura LeFevre, Laura Snyder and Christina Slade who went to extraordinary lengths and widths to sew face masks for those in need during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. When protective facial coverings became scarce as hen’s teeth nationwide at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the LaMarco Physical Therapy co-workers began flexing their mental muscles. Applying the self-discipline and problem-solving skills that contribute to positive outcomes in PT settings, the trio resolved to find innovative ways to craft protective facial coverings in their respective home sewing rooms. Between St. Patrick’s Day and Memorial Day, Physical Therapists Slade and Snyder along with Physical Therapist Assistant LeFevre had created a total of just over 100 masks. Made with love and safety in every stitch, the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) soon covered the noses and mouths not only of LaMarco Physical Therapy associates and patients but also those of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, nurses, friends, relatives and others in need. To read more, visit https://ballstonspaliving.com/stories-behind-the-face-masks/

SIMPLY SPLENDID -- Although her name is synonymous with periodicals that include Saratoga in their titles, Chris Vallone Bushee also has strong ties to Ballston Spa.“I was lucky enough to stay home with my daughter Allie till she started kindergarten, and oh, how I loved those stay-at-home-mom days! We spent plenty of time in downtown Ballston Spa, mostly at the public library. Allie couldn’t wait to get her library card, but first had to be old enough to sign her name. Yes, I still have the photo of that momentous occasion!” laughs Chris. “The two of us also loved eating lunch in the window seat at Pizza Works on Milton Avenue and playing chess at Coffee Planet.” Favorite annual mother-daughter traditions that have lingered over the years include The Way We Were Car Show, the Farmers’ Market, First Fridays and checking out the shops and restaurants. They have only recently missed their first Christmas parade! A recent SMILEstone that took place in the village was when Allie received her driver’s permit at the local Department of Motor Vehicles. To read more, visit www https://ballstonspaliving.com/simply-sensational-chris-vallone-bushee/

READ ALL ABOUT IT -- Whether you’re interested in learning more about early American writers or virtually any topic in the universe, there’s no better place to begin your research than the Ballston Spa Public Library. Chartered in 1893 by the State of New York, the resource center offers a vast collection of books and periodicals as well as electronic data bases, films and other cultural materials. Enrichment programs and activities are also high on the priority list of Andrea Simmons, who has served with distinction as Chief Librarian and Director since 2003. Prior to establishing a permanent home at 21 Milton Avenue in 1959, the institution existed in various locations throughout the village. As the community’s population grew during The Baby Boomer Era, an addition to the original Milton Avenue structure was completed in 1971. The landmark’s interior was remodeled in 2005, with an elevator being installed three years later that made the two-storey structure fully handicapped accessible. But the true beauty of the Ballston Spa Public Library transcends mere brick and mortar. The ambiance is one that combines hometown hospitality with Library of Congress professionalism. To learn more, visit https://ballstonspaliving.com/librarian-andrea-simmons/

Protective face masks may cover their radiant smiles, but they cannot hide the bliss in the twinkling eyes of dentist Thomas Pray and his team of caring professionals as captured in this August 2020 portrait. FRONT ROW (left to right: Joy Soriano, Thomas Pray and Kellie Bean; BACK ROW: Gabby Lewis, Alyssa McDowell, Asma Karimah, Taylor Joyce and Susie Joyce.

Although to the best of our knowledge, Sophia Horn and Amalia Hostetter don’t plan to co-author a book before Ballston Spa Middle School classes resume this fall, this photo that was taken of them on a muggy early August afternoon might be titled “When life hands you a pandemic, make lemonade.” Lemons, of course, suggest sourness or difficulty in life. Thus making lemonade transforms them into something positive. The mere sight of the 12-year-olds cheerfully serving customers at their refreshment stand brought smiles to many faces that day. Among them was Rich Straight, who “paws-ed” to quench his thirst while he was walking tail-wagging canine companion Ellie. Another who lifted spirits in the neighborhood that day was father John Hostetter who graciously accepted an invitation to be photographed for one of the commemorative “pitchers.” These and other related images and reflections by Ann Hauprich will be featured in the Ballston Spa Living 2020 Community Yearbook.

There were times after receiving the news that her cherished 19-year-old daughter Suzanne had vanished without a trace from her SUNY/Albany campus in 1998 that Mary Lyall was on the brink of despair. Instead, the Ballston Spa mother quite literally chose HOPE. Out of the ashes of her anguish and grief, Mrs. Lyall co-founded The Center for HOPE (Healing Our Painful Emotions) with her now late husband Doug. Advocacy, education and prevention are cornerstones of the not-for-profit which has earned a national reputation as a beacon and a life raft for those struggling to cope with the unexplained disappearance of a loved one. Her purpose-filled life is a shining example of what can happen when the human heart and spirit summon the strength and the courage to transform a tragedy of immeasurable proportions into rays of hope for others. An in-depth tribute to Mrs. Lyall, who was photographed by Ann Hauprich inside of The Iron Roost on Front Street in August 2020, will be showcased within the covers of the Ballston Spa Living Community Yearbook.