Network Amherst: The Lehrer Report

By Phyllis Lehrer

Published on May 30, 2008

Garden report: The tomatoes - Celebrity, Fourth of July, Brandy Boy, Better Boy, Juliet and one German Johnson - have been planted. The sweet William and daises have bloomed. The geranium cuttings and wave petunias have been put in pots.

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June birthdays: Mariel Adams, Aaron Bousel, Evangeline Stanitis, Jeanette Gross, John Macdonald, Eleanor Mayer, Heidi Overby, Beth Shally-Jensen, Shmuel Bolozky, Reuven Schmerling, Janice Hargis, Yasuhiro Suka, Thomas Price, Harriet Hill, Norman Stafford, Susan Tracy, Rolf Nelson, Florence Murdza, Zamir Nestelbaum, Mary Djaferis, Doraine Gardner, Kathleen Torrey, Richard West, Dania Suarez.

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Christopher LaPointe, the son of Chip and Nancy LaPointe; Zachary Autio, the son of Laurie and Wes Autio, both of Gulf Road in Pelham; Gavin Anaya, the son of Amy and Nolan Anaya, of Hitching Post Road; and Laura Cox, the daughter of David Cox and Elaine Brighty, of Woodside Avenue, both of Amherst, were named to the dean's list at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. Christopher and Zach are sophomores and Gavin and Laura are freshman.

Blake Marcus, the son of Julia and Michael Marcus, of Lady Slipper Circle in Amherst, was named to the dean's list at Connecticut College in New London, Conn., where he is a sophomore. Mary Bazanchuk, the daughter of Paul Bazanchuk and Teresa O'Hare, of Sacco Drive in Amherst, was named to the dean's list at St. Michael's College in Burlington, Vt., where she is majoring in business administration.

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David Kroodsma, the son of Don and Melissa Kroodsma, of Kettle Pond Road in Amherst, has been working full time on a book about his two years on the road with Ride for Climate. He has also started working with Climate Ride 2008, an organized five-day supported bicycle tour from New York City to Washington, D.C., Sept. 20 to 24. He said via email that the ride is an excellent opportunity to raise money for two important nonprofits and make a statement as the Climate Riders bike into D.C., calling for action on global warming. For information, visit www.ClimateRide.org.

Mary Louise Serro, of Shutesbury, graduated from the University of Massachusetts University Without Walls, where she concentrated on young children's learning. She was inducted into the National Scholars Honor Society and Alpha Sigma Lambda. She is the grandmother of three.

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The South Congregational Church is having its annual chicken salad supper June 6. Reservations are suggested. Call 253-7204. There is a new farmers market Thursdays at the Wesley United Methodist Church Parking lot. Another opportunity to buy local. The Wesley Church is holding its plant sale May 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakfast will be available from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

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A bear was at Debbie and Pete Scoon's Pelham feeder last week in broad daylight. She reported that the birds are sorry, but the feeder is down and will stay down until the bears go back into hibernation. "He had no fear of us. I walked out into my kitchen and he was just outside the window. When I clapped my hands and said, 'Hey, you,' he turned, still on his hind legs and put both paws on the window and looked in at me and my kitchen as though maybe I was offering him something more inside." She sent a photo of the large upright bear having a snack.