The Peru Gazette

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The Peru School Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting in the High School Community Room on Tuesday, December 13th at 6:30 PM.  It is anticipated that an executive session will take place immediately following the 6:30 PM start, and that the Board will reconvene for public session business at approximately 7:00 PM.  

Anticipated topics include:

1. Parent/Teacher Conferences
2. Drama Club Performance
3. Personnel Appointments
4. Testing Data
5. Food Management Services

The meeting is open to the public and current District, County, State and Federal COVID-19 safety procedures and protocols will be followed.

At this time, two (2) public comment opportunities are planned as follows:

1^st public comment:  Related to items on the agenda.  Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.

2^nd public comment:  Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.

Individuals who are unable to attend the regular meeting in person may submit public comments by emailing perucomments@perucsd.org no later than 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, December 13^th.  Online comments are also subject to the conditions stated above.

The agenda will be available on the District’s website (perucsd.org).  The Board meeting will also be recorded and available on the website at a later date.

Visitors can also experience what it is like being an Olympian.

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Speedy Arnold is very proud of the three books he ilustrated

Employee Hall of Fame

L-R Charley Doner, Speedy Arnold and Peyton Ford

In 1970 Arnold’s added the Likkor Lokker wine and spirits shop adjacent to the grocery store.

Located at 182 Pleasant Street in Keeseville.

Just one of Speedy’s thousands of sketches.

By John T. Ryan 

December 7, 2022,  Keeseville – The Peru Gazette concentrates on Peru news, but we’re making an exception because Arnold’s Grocery in Keeseville is celebrating its 60th anniversary. How has the small family-owned grocery store survived when regional stores usually dominate small towns? 

Co-owner George “Speedy” Arnold commented, “We had to find a niche. Our workers know our customers’ names and greet them when they come in. They know what people need.” The store’s “Hall of Fame” wall has dozens of photos of people who worked there over the years, including five Arnold generations. Speedy’s father and mother, George and Anne Arnold, bought the store in 1962. Speedy and his wife Susan took over in 1994. 

While Speedy credits his employees, there’s more to the story. Last weekend, Kilian Croghan, working behind the store’s counter, described Speedy as more than speedy. He used the word “whirlwind.” Up until two years ago, when he retired from driving bus and tax assessing, Speedy had five jobs – Stacking store shelves, playing bluegrass, selling artwork, being town tax assessor, and being an AuSable Valley school bus driver. 

Many people throughout our region know Speedy as the man who entertains people at schools, libraries, farmers’ markets, and other public events. A guitarist, songwriter, singer, and artist, the SUNY Plattsburgh Fine Arts graduate, Arnold has been in a band since the late 70s. He recalled, “In 1979, Doug Knight and his wife Alice needed a guitar player for their bluegrass band Marti Gras. So I played with them until the mid-80s and later in the band Three Doug Knight. It was a great association.” Today, Speedy’s a member of Alice’s Fault Band.

Twenty-five years ago. Doug Knight told Speedy that Santa’s Workshop needed another singer for its Yuletide Family Weekends. Speedy got the job, and he’s still entertaining families at the workshop and during their Saturday evening meal at a local restaurant. This past weekend he sang at the Hungry Trout in Wilmington. He’s been doing it long enough to entertain second-generation families. 

At a time when many people are mesmerized by cell phone cameras, Speedy doesn’t own one; instead, he’s sketching on pad #53. His sister Allison commented, “When he goes out, he puts himself in a position where he can see everyone in the room. If we go out to dinner, you know he will be sketching. When he transported kids to sports events, he’d sit sketching the action in the stands and on the court or field.” His sketches depict the Keeseville area’s beautiful buildings and the region’s scenic attractions; many are framed or sold on postcards and note cards at Arnold’s Grocery. Next to the sketches, customers can buy the three children’s books that Speedy illustrated, “The Little Brook in the Field,” “What’s an Elephant Doing in the Ausable River,” and “The Adventures of Molly the Monarch Butterfly and Friends.” Speedy admits, “I’m a shameless promoter.” 

Every business faces challenges, and Arnold’s is no exception. About twelve years ago, Speedy thought about closing. As has often happened in his life, a friend offered a suggestion that he accepted. A beer salesman said, “You sell 75 brands now. There’s a store in Saranac Lake offering even more.” Speedy checked out that store and expanded his brands, especially craft beers. Speedy said, “We started with 75, and now we have over 500. A few days ago, we counted 525.” Arnold’s became a destination stop for local and regional craft beers and all the popular domestic and Canadian brands, all sold at competitive prices. 

Speedy’s relationship with another longtime friend resulted in the store recently adding a much-beloved local food product. He said, “Mike Finnegan, the former owner of the North County Club, asked if I’d be interested in selling the North Country Club pizza. So, of course, I was, and people loved it. I place a weekly order and often place a refill order to keep from running out.”

As Speedy said, Arnold’s Grocery’s employees are essential to the store’s success. There’s also been Speedy’s “shameless promotion,” talent, hard work, openness to suggestions, and close human relationships. Speedy’s lifelong friend Chuck Benoit summed it up with the word generosity. He commented, “Speedy and his wife Susan are very generous. They make everyone feel welcome.”  The Arnolds extend that same spirit to customers, employees, and the community, an apparent recipe for success. 

Arnold’s Grocery and Likkir Lokker is located at 182 Pleasant St, RT 9N, Keeseville, NY 12944. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday – Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Click here to view Speedy’s rendition of “They’re Blowin’ Up the Champlain Bridge.” 

Holiday Match Helps Children All Year Long

December 6, 2022—The Stewart’s Holiday Match Program is showing the true spirit of the holidays with giving; customer donations have reached over $353,870 through Monday, December 5th. That’s over $706,000 with Stewart’s match, and there are nearly three weeks left to collect!

The Stewart’s Holiday Match Program has no administrative fees and donates 100% of donations received to charities in their market areas. Stewart’s Shops matches each donation penny for penny and dollar for dollar and has been doing so for the past 36 years, raising over $34 million for local charities.

These donations stay local and support local nonprofits; funding may go to a little league team, a local food pantry or an arts program at the library. Each week, a different Holiday Match recipient is highlighted; this week, the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital Area is featured here.

While many other fundraising efforts spend 30% or more on overhead expenses, Stewart’s has no administrative fees and covers all the expenses. This means 100% goes to local nonprofits!

Holiday Match funds are collected from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day in the 353 shops. Local children’s organizations are encouraged to apply for funding here. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2023. All groups applying must be locally based, benefit children under 18, and be a qualified, charitable 501c3 organization. A listing of all the local organizations that received funds last season is available online.

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Requires telemarketers to immediately give customers options of being added to do-not-call lists during calls

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Jones hopes to see his office “filled with toys again”

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Officials do not believe there is a threat to the community

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Richie Arroyo mourned as four others recover from Friday’s deadly head-on crash

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