Roger Chambers

By Roger Chambers | Columnist  This is an unusual biography of George Orwell. Born as Eric Arthur Blair in 1903 in India where his father was stationed, Blair changed his pen name to George Orwell...

Important Dates:   March 1--Shrove Tuesday/Mardi GrasMarch 2--Ash Wednesday/Texas Independence Day March 8--International Women’s DayMarch 12--St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Utica March 13--Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2 A.M. March 17--St. Patrick’s Day March 28--Seward’s Day, Alaska March 31--César Chávez Day March...

By Roger Chambers  “My Vanishing Country” is a mixed memoir and history of race relations in the United States. From the perspective of author Bakari Sellers, the most important event in his life occurred sixteen...

- by Roger Chambers January 1 -- New Year’s Day January 6 -- Epiphany, Twelfth Night; Three Kings Day, Puerto Rico; Coptic Christmas January 7 -- Orthodox Christmas January 13 -- Stephen Foster Memorial Day January 16 -- Religious...

- by Roger Chambers Utica has a long history of newspapers, starting with the Utica Observers as a weekly in 1817, becoming a daily paper in 1848. Various mergers led nearly a hundred years ago...

By Roger Chambers   Holidays and Observances December 1       First Sunday of Advent December 6                 St. Nicholas’ Day December 7                          Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day December 10        Human Rights Day and Human Refugee Day December 15        Bill of Rights...

By Roger Chambers  Liberal democracy, of which the United States was a world leader, is under serious attack. The trend is strong in formerly democratically elected governments such as the Philippines, Venezuela, Myanmar, Hungary, Poland...

Mohawk Valley Almanac November 2021    Holidays and Observances in November   November 1 All Saints’ Day November 2 All Souls’ Day; Election Day  November 4 Will Rogers Day, Oklahoma November 7 Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00 A.M.  November 10 U.S. Marine...

      Mohawk Valley Almanac October 2021 Edition By Roger Chambers   Holidays and Observances of October  September 15- October 15 Hispanic Heritage Month October 5 Child Health Day  October 6 German American Day  October 9 Leif Erikson Day October 11 Columbus Day (observed);...

By Roger Chambers Holidays and Observances As of this writing in mid-August, the status of the usual annual fall celebrations and festivals remains unclear. Many of the comments here continue to be on the...