f e a t u r e d p o s t s
 BY MATTHEW MERITT
As frustrating as the COVID Lockdown has been, one thing I was happy to do less was use the car. With more done at home, I’d go days between drives and weeks between fill ups. As a result, instead of speeding by my surroundings as I combusted along from place to place, I could take them in on foot during more frequent walks with my family. Even so, the car was still present – not in itself but in my very surroundings. We walked along the side of a street, not on a sidewalk. I realized that as things recovered, I’d go back to using the garage door far more than our front door. Though biking seems a fairly popular activity in our vicinity, I cannot help a bit of apprehension when I see those daring souls cycling along various state routes as every manner of mechanical contraption grinds past. When it comes to transportation, the car has priority and everything is designed to its scale, not human scale. The idea of walking for anything beyond exercise – say, with a destination like work, shopping, a recreation area or visiting friends – doesn’t seem to be part of the way things are.
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 Nick and Johnny Piet Pokémon group going strong despite lockdown
Editors Note: This Q&A was prepared before the lockdown. Though in-person play at Great Escape game room is suspended, the group still meets online and hopes to resume in-person play when the time comes. See below for contact information. By MATTHEW MERITT If size limits small towns on the variety of organized activities available, there’s a silver lining. Can’t find an existing club, team or group that matches your interest? Then start your own. That’s what Big Flats resident Nick Piet did. The husband and father of two explains in the Q&A below how he and his son, Johnny, got the Corning-Elmira Pokémon League off the ground. At weekly League gatherings, youth and adult players enjoy the casual and friendly competition. But it’s also official. Participants can earn points to qualify for regional events. Just last year, Johnny competed in the Pokémon World Tournament in Washington, D.C. You never know what cards you’ll be dealt in a card game. But at the local Pokémon club you will always find conversation, concentration, laughter and a handshake after every match. For Pokemon league questions, contact: [email protected] For general store inquiries or other gaming info, contact: [email protected] Where and when does this group meet? Every Sunday 3-5 p.m. at Great Escape Adventures' game room in the Arnot Mall. (Note: in-person play suspended but online meet-ups and play continue.) |
