Mohawk Ambulance garage opens

Construction on the Mohawk Ambulance garage on Central Avenue is complete. Located near the corner of North Main Street, the brand-new facility has room for six ambulances and a training facility on the second floor for continuing education and community CPR courses.

Currently, the three-bay garage runs three ambulances by day, and two by night, and their staff ranges from 4-6 people.

Mohawk is very happy with new garage and the loves the surrounding neighborhood, said Rich Brandt, Vice President for Operations for Mohawk. Brandt said the proximity to Central and 1-90 is particularly convenient. "It's great access for us," he said.

"We've been part of Albany for 22 years, and we're pleased to be able to continue serving the community," Brandt said.  The garage is the second Mohawk facility in Albany. They also have facilities in Troy, Schenectady, and Brunswick.

Dinner is Served! Order your Thanksgiving Dinner ahead

If Thanksgiving has you wringing your hands, rather than giving thanks, think about ordering dinner from one of the many merchants on Central Avenue.

These dinners are pre-cooked and ready to eat, so you won't have to spend the day in the kitchen. They have all the fixings, so your guests will never know the difference. You can order by phone, and then simply stop in to pick yours up.

Pre-made meals eliminate the hassle of cooking, and are especially good for people who are too busy to cook, said Kristen Weckesser, Assistant Manager at Carmine's. But the meal doesn't just save you time...For those people who aren't so hot in the kitchen, this gourmet meal can save you from holiday humiliation. "We can make you look like a superstar," Weckesser said. Carmine's has been making dinners for about four years, and last year they made 100 dinners.

Each year, Hannaford makes about 20 dinners, and they always go quickly, explained a customer service rep. This year there's only about 9 left.

Here's some holiday options for you:
Hannaford, 900 Central Avenue, 438-7296

Turkey Dinner or Ham Dinner, $54.99, serves 6-8 people

10-12 lb. turkey or 7-9 lb. hickory-smoked ham

3 lb. of stuffing or 2 lb. green bean casserole

4 lb. mashed potatoes

2 lb. butternut squash

2 lb. gravy

1 lb. cranberry sauce

12 rolls

8" pie

You can also order just the turkey for $24.99, and make your own side dishes. Place your order now because the dinners are going quickly.

PriceChopper, Westgate Plaza, 911 Central Avenue, 482-0280

Turkey breast or whole turkey dinner, your choice, $69.99. Breast serves 6-7, whole turkey, 7-8 4 lb. mashed potatoes
26 oz. gravy
3-1/2 stuffing
14 oz. cranberry sauce
12 rolls
10" pie
Ham dinner available with potatoes, rolls, and pie for $39.99
Please place your order by November 22.
Carmine's, 818 Central Avenue, 458-8688
Roasted turkey with a madeira gravy
Cranberry, apple and sausage stuffing
Homemade mashed potatoes
Port wine spiced cranberry sauce
Orange glazed candied carrots
Pumpkin butter sweet potatoes
Sweet Buttered corn
Roasted mixed vegetables
Fresh rolls with butter
Fresh baked pie
Serves
4-6 people for $95.00
10-12 for $180
18-20 for $240
Place your orders by November 23 at 8pm, and pick your dinner up anytime on Wednesday November 26. The meals even include a little instruction card for easy finishing.
Now there's no reason not to be thankful.

Gingerbread Fantasies--Annual HATAS fundraiser a building success

A Spanish galleon, a winter market scene, carousels--all made out of gingerbread?

These were just some of the fantastic submissions to this year's HATAS Home Sweet Gingerbread Home event. "There were a lot of imaginative ideas," said Natasha Pernicka, Assistant Executive Director for HATAS. This annual fundraiser for Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) brings together corporate teams, community teams and culinary professionals from across the region to construct gingerbread homes. The homes are then auctioned off, and proceeds donated to this social service agency.

This year, the homes, 15 in all, were displayed at Crossgates Mall on November 8, and then sold by silent auction at the Winter Gingerland Evening at the Fort Orange Club on November 13. The Gingerland Evening event, held for the first time this year, was very successful, said Pernicka. Last year, the gingerbread house auction raised $11,000, and this year, HATAS believes the fundraiser made nearly twice that, she said.

HATAS is a mission-based organization dedicated to providing assistance for the homeless and low-income individuals and families. HATAS serves as a central intake point for the Albany County emergency shelter system. HATAS offers emergency services as well as mental health programming, housing, and employment programming, for a truly comprehensive approach to the crisis of homelessness. The funds raised through Home Sweet Gingerbread Home are dedicated to furthering this mission, and raising awareness about homelessness in our community.

Thanksgiving Feat: Equinox feeds thousands at annual feast

Stressed out about planning the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner? Imagine feeding 8,500...

Every year Equinox, Inc. serves dinner to thousands of needy, homeless, and homebound in the Capital Region, a sprawling effort that begins months before the actual meal. The Annual Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner started in 1969 when a group of University at Albany students couldn't travel home for the holidays. The students went to the First Presbyterian Church in Center Square, and cooked up a meal. They has such a good time, they decided to do it again the following year, and Equinox joined in the effort. Today the Thanksgiving meal is an annual tradition, feeding 500 at the church, and delivering an estimated 8,000 meals to shut-ins across the region.

This feat couldn't be accomplished without help from the thousands of people who donate their time, money, and supplies, said Patti Tullgren, Adult Services Coordinator for Equinox.

Just the amount of food Equinox has to pull together is staggering: 8,000 pounds of turkey, 2,000 pounds of ham, 2,800 pounds of yams, 940 pies, 19,500 pieces of fruit. That's just the beginning of the shopping list. Joan Harrington is so excited she hits the red button on her desk. Music blares out, and she and Tullgren do a little cheering. It's been a good day, Harrington explains. With today's donations from a farmer in Schoharie--800 pounds of potatoes and 500 pounds of carrots--Harrington has successfully reached her goal for potatoes and carrots, she says.

Harrington has been volunteering for the event for eight years, soliciting donations from organizations and individuals. The event never ceases to amaze her. "It's such a real picture of this community, and who gets involved and who helps," she said.

It takes a lot of materials to get this dinner off the ground. "It's little things you never even think of," said Tullgren. Volunteers like Harrington coordinate the donations of all the food--from turkeys to cherries--and all the supplies, including hair nets, refrigerated trucks, and to-go containers. Tullgren shows me the basement. It was packed with donated supplies just this morning, she said, before donated moving vans came to truck the boxes over to the plaza this afternoon. Here and there, boxes of pumpkins and gourds wait for the next trip. They'll probably use them to decorate the tables, she explains. Against the wall, there's a box of reusuable grocery bags from a local insurance agency--there was a misprint on the bags, and rather than throw them away, they donated them to the event, she said. These will be used to carry the meals into the home. Here, it seems, everything is put to good use, and nothing is wasted. "You read about all of this doom and gloom in the paper, and some people can't afford to help out this year, but for everyone that drops off, you have someone right behind them willing to lend a hand. It's amazing," said Tullgren.

Once all the food and supplies are in place, the cooking begins. In the week leading up to the dinner, thousands of volunteers swarm the Empire State Plaza after-hours and take over all the kitchens in the Concourse area. Every evening until the wee hours, they show up in shifts to peel potatoes, cook turkeys, and prepare fruit cups. All the cooked meals--some 8,000--are packed and stored in the refrigeration units there--also donated. Meanwhile, preparation is also going on at the church, where volunteers are getting ready to serve a sit-down dinner to another 500. Volunteers set up long tables with linen tableclothes and handmade decorations. "We make sure everyone really feels like they're having a nice sit-down dinner," said Tullgren.

On Thanksgiving Day, hundreds more volunteers show up at the church to serve dinner to the waiting crowds, and thousands more volunteers line up at the plaza to ferry the prepared meals out to shut-ins across the region, taking time out of their holidays to deliver a homecooked meal to the less fortunate.

"It's an amazing outpouring of community," said Tullgren.

Lea Bosquez also mans the phones at Equinox, recruiting volunteers and signing up people to receive meals. On Thanksgiving Day you will find her right here, still manning the phones, just to making sure everyone that signed up gets their meals. Bosquez has been volunteering with Equinox for four years, and says she keeps coming back because it is so rewarding. "People are really thankful," she said. "It comes through in their voices on the phone, and they say, 'Oh, thank you.' or 'God bless you, honey.' You can tell it really means a lot to them."

Dinner will be served at First Presbyterian Church on the corner of State Street and Willett Street in Albany from 1-4pm on Thanksgiving Day, first come, first serve. If you would like to make a donation or volunteer your time, or sign up for a meal, please contact Equinox at 434-0131. Donations can also be dropped off at The Corporate Offices of Equinox @ 95 Central Avenue in Albany. Equinox still needs a number of turkeys and hams to make their meal complete.

SUNY Showcase: Central Avenue comes to the students

Last week, the downtown SUNY Albany campus hosted the second annual SUNY Showcase, welcoming businesses from up and down Central to the Avenue to show their wares.

"The students all need restaurants, laundromats, drycleaning, etc. and they may not know it's available right on Central," said Jerry Parker, Assistant Provost for the University at Albany.

This year marks the second annual showcase, and the atmosphere was fun and festive. Local restaurants offered ice cream and other nibbles, while other businesses offered coupons and discounts. The balloon man provided giant balloon columns, and a cariacature artist sketched excited students, adding to the fair-like feeling.

As an added bonus, the Central BID offered zip drives packed with Central Avenue menus, and links to the BID website, said BID Executive Director Anthony Capece. The drives are a quick, inexpensive way to provide the students with greater access to the Avenue, he said.

The growing alliance between the BID and the SUNY campus is win-win. The students are an untapped market for many local businesses, and the students benefit because the close proximity of so many shops, restaurants, autos an services means they don't have to travel far to get what they need.

SUNY will continue to hold the event, and is even considering making it part of Orientation next year to ramp up attendance, Parker said. "We want to have a greater presence in the surrounding neighborhood and community," Parker said.

Have the Avenue Delivered to your Door--at the click of a button

Ordering lunch for the office? Or maybe you’re planning to place an order for family dinner? Or snacks for the dorm? Wouldn't it be nice if you could just place a food order online? Now you can.

The Central Business Improvement District has partnered with Delivery.com. The new website lets customers order food just like they shop—online. The initiative is part of the ongoing efforts to promote restaurants and other businesses within the district, explained BID Executive Director Anthony Capece at a recent presentation to real Commercial estate brokers. We are trying to be innovators in bringing the internet to main street.

The BID coordinated the involvement of a number of restaurants on Central, and provided a link to the website on this newsletter. Now, customers can "have the avenue delivered" right to their door.

The network of vendors on Delivery.com is still growing, but the website includes access to a number of different restaurants, including Ichiban, Salsa Latina, Gandhi Restaurant, and Aashiana. The website provides a full menu at each restaurant, and customers simply click the dishes they want added to their order. At the end, they pay with a a credit card via a secure server, just as they would online.

It's easy and fast, said Capece. And for those customers who tend to order the same things over again, Delivery.com saves your order, so you just press a button, and the restaurant brings you your usual, he said. Restaurants who are participating say they hope Delivery.com will help them reach out to more people.

Salsa Latina owner Luis Uzhca heard about the website through the BID, and liked the idea. He said he currently gets 2-3 orders a day through Delivery.com, and believes it will pick up, “if we could just advertise it a little more.” He suggests letting promoting the website through local hotels like the Clarion and Motel 6, so that hotel guests can order in.

Aashiana owner Saleem Khan said he hopes the website will raise his profile in the community. Currently, he’s had only two orders placed through Delivery.com. Not everyone knows that his Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant makes deliveries, and he’s hoping the website will help build his delivery business, he said.

The website also provides access to other categories besides food, including flowers and gifts, and household goods. The BID would eventually like to populate these categories with Central businesses as well, Capece said. If businesses want in they should call us, we make it happen...

New Trustco Bank: See what they have to offer

Last week, Mayor Jerry Jennings marked the grand opening of the new Trustco Bank on Central with a special radio broadcast from the conspicuous building's triage of windows. The spot offers a simultaneous views of Central, Washington Avenue, and Henry Johnson Boulevard, and provides a rare window on the world.


But as nice as the view is, the bank is less interested in looking, and more interested in being seen.



The Trustco branch was located at 163 Central, but wanted a location that would provide more exposure, said Patrick Strahan, Bank Manager. Trustco wanted a location that was "more open" and a spot that people would see going to and from work, he said. Since moving to the new location, with access to three major thoroughfares, "everything's picked up," he said. The bank celebrated its grand re-opening on October 7, and the ribbon-cutting festivities on October 14. The bank offers a full range of services, including checking, savings, CDs, and mortgages, Strahan said.



Trustco Bank is located at 40 Central Avenue.

Igniting the Lights: Meditation Center celebrates Diwali

On a cold, dark night, rows of flickering candles and hanging lights create a path to the Meditation Center on Central Avenue. Inside, men, women and children are joined together in joyful revelry to celebrate Diwali, a major holiday in much of the Indian world. The Thursday night event was marked with dancing, singing, prayers, and meditation. The celebration will extend through the weekend.

Diwali or "The Festival of Lights" is a major Hindu holiday that marks the start of the New Year. The holiday commemorates a number of significant figures and events including Lord Ram's return and coronation, Lakshmi the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, and Lord Mahavira's attainment of Nirvana, making Diwali an important holiday for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jainists alike.

Spiritually, Diwali is the celebration of the "inner light" in all people, said Sister Ann Singh, Coordinator for the Center. This year marks the second celebration at the center, and this year's theme is "Igniting the Light of Spirituality."

"We hope people will leave from here with their own lights, and they will ignite others so that light spreads across the world," Singh said.

The evening began with a spirited talk by Pandit Jai Misir, a priest at a Schenectady temple, and professor at Hudson Valley Community College, who explained the importance of uncovering the light within. He talked of "clearing the fog" and pushing away the distractions that can block us from realizing our true nature. Next, there were Diwali songs sung by Mukesh Bhai, a large family band, and a traditional dance. The night culminated with a candle-lighting ceremony and refreshments.

The Meditation Center is part of the Brahma Kumaris Organization, which seeks to foster peace and non-violence through education and meditation, Singh said. The center offers a number of free programs that focus on discovering the peace that it believes resides within us, in an effort to build a community based on compassion and respect, she said.

Mala Khan, who owns the building where the center is housed, and runs MSK Tax and Accounting Service next door, said she hopes that the celebration, which is open to everyone, will help the larger Albany community become acquainted with this important Indian holiday. Khan, who has been a resident of the Capital Region for the last 20 years said the center is serving an important mission. Khan comes to the center every Thursday to meditate, and it has become her "home away from home," she said.

Sister Colleen, another member of the Brahma Kumaris, said the center has a sense of peace, that you feel as soon as you walk in the door. "It hits you right away," Colleen said. She said that it is her hope that that same sense of peace that pervades the center, will one day fill the world.

The Meditation Center is located at 184 Central Avenue. For more information about their open meditation or programs, please call 438-4180 or visit their website at www.bkswu.org

Art rocks: Local artists complete mural at Central Avenue nightclub

Local artists have painted a massive mural inside the Fuze Box, a Central Avenue hotspot.

"Everything was their canvas so they went to town," said Mike Vinci, General Manager of the Fuze Box. Last month, sculptor and painter Samson Contompasis approached the club about the project, and they thought it was a great idea, Vinci said.

Contompasis and nine other artists spent two weeks at the club, working nights to complete the floor-to-ceiling scenes to the bar-room, stage and loft. Today, winged bottles dance and weave through familiar building-scapes, including the Alfred E. Smith Building, Lark Street's rowhouses, and the long-abandoned downtown refrigeration plant, for a look that is both industrial and whimsical. Here and there, larger figures--a snowy owl, a photograph of a woman, large guns--appear in the landscape, providing texture. The project culminated in an art show at the club on October 1, with smaller pieces done by the artists exhibited on the freshly-painted walls, and sold.

The show was so well-attended that club extended it, participating in Lark Street's First Friday and remaining open through the weekend. News of the show traveled fast, and mostly by word of mouth, and the club was filled through the art appreciators through the Monday. "People just love it," Vinci said.

The club, which has been open for seven years, has done art shows in the past and and hopes to do more, Vinci said. They also plan to continue participating in the First Friday monthly arts crawl.

The Real Deal: A.J. Wright opens new store in Westgate Plaza

A.J. Wright, a national discount clothing store opened a new location in Westgate Plaza. The store held its grand opening on October 16. The festivities began at 9am, with a ribbon-cutting, and the first 100 shoppers received gift cards. Shoppers also tried to be discovered, as part of the "Real Model Search," where they had the opportunity to be photographed in their favorite looks from the store.

A.J. Wright is a division of TJX Companies Inc., the parent company for T.J. Maxx and Marshall's. The new store will offer brand-name apparel and footwear for men, women, and children, as well as a selection of giftware. The store will employ about 50 people. Other A.J. Wright stores are located in Troy and Rotterdam.