The mail

FOOD FROM ‘HOME’

“Home Grown” (September 27) was informative and
timely. We are increasingly concerned with the environmental impacts of
transporting food over huge distances and with the dubious quality of that
food. I laud those like JoEllen Martino of the GenevaSchool District who are trying to
bring local produce into the schools. It is good for kids, farms, the community,
and the environment.

Also, thanks for the information on the Foodlink initiative
Farm to Fork. This is a very hopeful sign that eating locally may become more
common.

And speaking of hopeful signs, I hope City will do an article
on the current activities of Rochester Roots, Inc., which works with schools,
parents, neighbors, and other community partners to create gardens in
schoolyards and other locales. Talk about “homegrown”! School 2,
School 9, and the FranklinMontessoriSchool are currently sites for this
inspiring program.

Barbara Mitchell, Hillside Avenue, Rochester

ROB’S ROOTS

Regarding the origins of Rob Cullivan’s music career and the
statement, “It all started with the Urban Squirrels” (“Rob Cullivan’s Last
Waltz,” September 20): not true. It all started for Rob with the band No
Canadian Coins Accepted in a basement practice room in Haffey Hall at St.
JohnFisherCollege.

This was in the early 80’s, when a six-pack of Milwaukee’s
Best could be had for $1.50, and a certain party band with a four-guitar front
line was doing a killer rendition of J. Geils’ “Whammer Jammer” with ol’
Horizontal Bob playing his Magic Dick off. We played our own brand of low-tech
rock-n-roll mostly for our own pleasure but did pull off memorable performances
at the now-defunct Fisher Pub and were the last act to perform at the legendary
Checho’s in East Rochester (its closing totally
unrelated to our performance).

Sadly, much as Pete Best is but a footnote in the history of
the Beatles, Mr. Cullivan’s original band has been relegated to the forgotten
corners of his brain, yet another case of the mighty oak growing too big for
its roots. No hard feelings, Rob, but should you wish to reconcile with
reality, the Milwaukee’s Best is on
me.

Tom Petronio, John Jay Drive, Irondequoit

WRITING TO CITY

We welcome and encourage readers’ letters for publication.
Send them to: themail@rochester-citynews.com or The Mail, City Newspaper, 250
North Goodman Street, Rochester14607.

Our guidelines: We don’t publish anonymous letters — and
we ask that you include your street name and city/town/village. We don’t
publish letters that have been sent to other media — and we don’t publish form letters generated by activist groups. While
we don’t restrict length, letters of under 350 words have a greater chance of
being published. We do edit letters for clarity and brevity. And in general we
don’t publish letters (or longer “op-ed” pieces) from the same writer more
often than about once every two months.

This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2006.