Water, art, and other miscellany to start July

The rain finally stopped. Amounts varied by location as many showers were very localized, but we had some rain for six days, every day from June 25 through June 30. The Iroquois finally hit minor flood stage on June 30, was above flood stage all day on July 1, and slipped below flood stage on July 2. 

Daily river flow records were set on Thursday and Friday and perhaps on Wednesday. When I checked the website on Thursday, the flow was1590 cubic feet per second, easily surpassing the previous record of 1200 from 2015. On Friday the flow was 1430, surpassing the previous record of 1070 set in 1993.  (The record for Saturday was also set in 1993, at 1180. Early on Saturday the flow was higher but headed downward, so it is unlikely that the average flow will exceed 1180.)

Weston Pond has refilled. It might last long enough for amphibians to breed.

The road through Weston Cemetery was under water in several places, including the bridge over the Maxwell Ditch.

North of Rensselaer the fields south of the Antcliff Subdivision were flooded.

The corn seems to be doing very well, though it will die where the water stands too long. I had both tomato plants and beans that did not like all the water and are not looking good. The weeds, however, seemed to have loved all the moisture. I suspect the mosquitoes will be a problem soon.

All the rain has sprouted mushrooms, including some in fairy rings.

Speaking of insects, the invasion of the Japanese beetles has begun. We never did get the cicadas that swarmed in other parts of the midwest. 

Next week the Fendig Summer Theater will have performances on Thursday through Sunday. The performances will be in Foundation Park and you should probably bring your own lawn chair. I stopped by a rehearsal on Friday. I was told that this year those going into 9th grade will be able to be in the productions because they lost out last year. Despite that, the numbers of actors is below what it has been in the past.

McKinley Street was paved this past week.

The Rensselaer Republican had a nice article on the McKinley Manor.

The old warehouse building on Vine Street for the City's Electric Department has been removed and the site is ready for its replacement.

The vet clinic under construction has some decorative masonry that was not there the last time I stopped by.

The LaRue Pool had a dollar day on Friday. Attendance was decent but would have been a lot more if the temperatures had not been so cool.

The Tourism Commission met on Friday morning in a Zoom meeting.  Feedback about the DeMotte Art has been very positive. Preparations continue for the Jasper Jaunt, a bike ride on August 7 that will have an agritourism focus. Riders will visit several destinations and will get a tee shirt.

The Commission considered and granted two requests for funds. The first was from the Daughters of the American Revolution for Wreathes Across America. This winter they will decorate graves of veterans in Weston Cemetery. The other was for the Rensselaer Art Walk. The funding that they granted will make it possible to have several artists paint murals sometime in July. Before this meeting I had not heard anything about this. Keep an eye open for details.

Have an enjoyable 4th of July. (Even though there are no public, organized fireworks for the weekend, we will have plenty of private fireworks to watch and hear.)