"Who comes there?"

"Your brothers from the West, on the waters of the Great Lakes."

"By what means have they been diverted so far from their natural course?"

"Through the channel of the Erie Canal."

"By whose authority and by whom was a work of such magnitude accomplished?"

"By the authority and the enterprise of the people of the State of New York."

Our run this morning was spent paralleling the incredible man-made ‘river’ of commerce called the Erie Canal. Started in July of 1814, this stretch of waterway spanning between Lake Erie and the Hudson River in upstate New York offered a mode of transportation from the north to the southern part of this huge state which increased commerce and trade over the last two centuries. Catching a glimpse of the Canal every so often on our run this morning was like experiencing moments in history that made New York State and New York City what they are today.

Along the way we encountered some very sweet and sympathetic people. In Newark, we were greeted by a woman, Kim Swan, who stopped to offer a cold bottle of spring water to Runar, our Icelandic runner. Others greeted us in Palmyra as they had their breakfast on a sidewalk café. Many people honked and waved as they had seen some reports on the T.V. and in the local newspapers recently.

After a relatively mild morning of cloudy weather with some humidity, we made our way to the Syracuse Boys and Girls Club. J.T. Chetwin, the Director, organized about 100 children to greet us there. Some of the kids were playing African Jembe drums as we ran into the gym. The Post Standard Newspaper of Syracuse was there with a photographer and reporter to cover the story extensively. Again, as usual, the enthusiasm of the children and their participation always keep us going and offer much in the way of hope for a more harmonious world.

A few hours later at the Boys and Girls Club in another part of Syracuse, Syeisha Byrd, the Director, along with many staff members, offered us an opportunity to share our Torch and message of Harmony with everyone there. I noticed in the hallway a banner with a symbol of a torch similar to ours. The motto for the Torch Club was, “Torch Club members lead by example and are respectful, reliable, responsible and tolerant of others.” This was certainly quite similar to our philosophy as we also carry a Torch representing these principles which advocate harmony.

The ceremony was highlighted by a dance performance by some of the young girls after our own presentation, song and Torch run in the form of a Harmony Train. The place was hopping after all this activity and the children were quite excited as our runner ran out with the Torch to finish our day’s run east of Syracuse in Manilius.

One of our other running teams that could not make it to these ceremonies had their own exciting adventures as they ran towards Syracuse. They were met by the sister of Daulot, a good friend of ours from the west coast who unfortunately could not be here for this run.

Here is their account of such an uplifting encounter:

“Setting out from Rochester with an eye for an easy day, Edi and Julian and I got a nice slow start and hit the road with only one meeting to try to be on time for. This was going to be a meeting with the family and friends of a friend of ours, Daulot Fountain, who lives in Seattle. His sister Maryanne and some others were waiting for us in Elbridge, NY so they could join us for some miles as they have done in the past. When we arrived at the meeting point we learned that we would have much more company than we had expected. This is always a welcome surprise as it adds a dose of fun and a chance to go from runner to Harmony Runner by sharing the ideals of the Run. Among those who ran with us are Maryanne Sandstrom, Wesley Sandstrom, Kristin Raeon, Lyndsay Hollis, Nathan Hollis and Peter Wells. Also, we were greatly honored to have joining us Mike Fixler, who had walked by as the team was meeting the group and asked if he could run with us too.

Julian, Edi and I were all very impressed with this group of runners. They carried the Harmony Torch from their town for over 4 miles up some very tough hills. Even the young guys gave their all and only retired to the van after impressive running and a little motherly cajoling. Bravo, boys. Mike, Maryanne, Lyndsay and Kristin made it all the way to their goal, which was not easy on such a hot day. Kristin and Lyndsay, who are high school athletes, led the whole way and represented Elbridge well. Every one did for that matter. They had a goal and stayed the course until it was won. Way to go everyone.

Afterwards they treated us to delicious ice creams in a nearby town. Ice cream is the most popular after running treat for us, especially on these hot and humid days.

~Jeromy, Edi, Julian

After six tries of searching for accommodations later in the day,we were fortunate to find some very understanding and sympathetic people at the Fairfield Inn of Syracuse. They offered us three comfortable double rooms and great, friendly service. Their immediate understanding of our message of harmony was evident as they offered harmony in their own professional and personal way.

Just across the way at the Luna Park Grimaldi’s Italian Restaurant, Rita Grimaldi-Mazza offered us all a fantastic Italian meal. Walter, Mike and other waiters there were very friendly, professional and courteous as they treated us like ‘kings’. The food was superb and so was the service. It is no wonder that our Syracuse friend, Pujakaha, who was able to join us for dinner there, told us that this is one of the most popular restaurants in town.

It was a great experience to another long, hot day on the road as we quickly are approaching our goal. After 110 days on the road, we have only nine days left and less than 600 miles to run.

Arpan and the Harmony Team, U.S.A.

---

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

< USA 3 August

USA 5 August >