Bergmann sculptor Q&A, Sturgeon moon, free lunches, Bill George's memoir

Good morning 🌞

It’s Wednesday and today I’m sharing a story that might interest you from a once-local author with a good cause.

If you have any Finger Lakes moments you’d like to share, send your best photos and a short passage to JMack@gannett.com so you can help share the love with other readers each Friday.

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Without further ado, here's an update on two statues coming to Ithaca this weekend.

2 Ithaca Icons immortalized by sculptor: Q&A with Meredith Bergmann

Two new statues honoring a duo of Ithaca Icons are being unveiled this Saturday, Aug 17, at 10 a.m. in Ithaca.

The statues – depicting INHS co-founder Lucy Brown and the first female presidential cabinet secretary, Frances Perkins – are hand-made by renowned sculptor Meredith Bergmann.

Bergmann found sometime to set aside to tell The Ithaca Journal more about the statues earlier this month.

See what she had to say in this article.

Here’s some more of what you need to know today

• The next full moon might have you thinking of caviar: The August full moon is also known as the Sturgeon Moon, a name derived from Native American traditions. Here’s how you can see it, and learn some more about our moon.
• A boon to hungry kids and struggling parents: Ithaca’s public schools will serve free meals to all students this fall. Learn more in this article by Megan Zerez.
• Street art removal sparks debate: Rochester, nationally celebrated for its street art , is now at the center of a debate following the recent removal of a mural depicting a presidential candidate , raising concerns about the essence of censorship.

Ithaca College alumnus recounts coaching, caregiving, letting go in new book

Bill George was born in Glens Falls, New York. He received his undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and holds master’s degrees from the Ohio State University and the State University of New York at Albany. George is a member of the Ithaca College and the Glens Falls High School Athletic Halls of Fame.

Bill George's Memoir covers coaching football, the challenges of caregiving while being first-time parents and the loving interactions between an eighty-seven-year old man in hospice care and his red headed granddaughter. Visit New London, CT on game day and Myers, New York starting in 1935, brought to life by a dying man's memories in his book Home Fields .

Veteran George "Gus" Isacc of Myers Road, one of the characters in the story, is still alive at the age of 100. He was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.  The Town of Lansing celebrated his birthday last August.

Bill George said that a portion of the proceeds from the book will go to Lauren's First and Goal Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.

That's all I've got for you today, but check your inbox tomorrow for more updates, and feel free to reach out to me at jmack@gannett.com with any comments, questions, or concerns regarding this newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Bergmann sculptor Q&A, Sturgeon moon, free lunches, Bill George's memoir