And reform the legislature.

Those were the recurring themes throughout Thursday night’s debate between Clifton Park’s James Whalen and Colonie’s Jennifer Whalen, 2 of the 3 candidates in the race to be the Republican opponent to face Democratic incumbent Assemblyman Bob Reilly in November’s election. Halfmoon’s Craig Hayner was unable to attend because of a business conflict.

Jennifer Whalen and James Whalen, no relation, participate in a debate for the Republican candidates for the 109th assembly district. Craig Hayner was unable to attend because of a business commitment.

“The legislature is dysfunctional,” Jennifer Whalen said.

Both stated new leaders were needed in Albany as the state faces a $9.2 billion budget deficit and the legislature can’t agree on a budget after missing its deadline by months.

“People feel our legislature has driven our state into the ground,” Jennifer Whalen said.

Both candidates said New Yorkers spend too much on education for what they are getting.

“We spend the most on our students per capita,” Jennifer Whalen said. James Whalen — no relation — agreed, pointing out New York spends more per student than any other state. (He added that the District of Columbia pays more.)

“We’re not getting our money’s worth at the end of the day,” he said.

Jennifer Whalen said one solution would be to have school districts merge, lessening the need for administrators.

But she said she didn’t think it was a good idea for fire districts and library districts to merge.

“People feel very sentimental and personal about their libraries,” she said. She added she favored a moratorium on unfunded mandates “rather than going after our libraries and our police forces or fire departments.”

James Whalen said consolidation should be considered if it would save costs.

“It’s a very difficult emotional issue for a lot of people,” he said. “We need to overcome that sentimentalism and that localism.”

Still, he said, it’s not one size fits all. For example, with Colonie having as big a population as it does, “a local police force might work best for them.”

In other points:

• Both said a state constitutional convention could help produce a better-functioning government.
• Both agreed it would help the budget to move from a defined-benefit to a defined-contribution retirement plan for state employees.
• Both said they couldn’t mind seeing mixed-martial arts — which Reilly opposes — be allowed in the state.

In fact, Jennifer Whalen said there wasn’t much to debate with her primary opponents as they agreed on a lot of the issues.

“I look forward to a debate with Bob Reilly,” Jennifer Whalen said.

For more information:

• Craig Hayner for the 109th NYS Assembly
• James Whalen for Assembly
• Jennifer Whalen for Assembly

Newman-Plotnick, who volunteers at animal adoption clinics, feared Duke wouldn’t find a home because he has only 3 legs. For over a month, Newman-Plotnick had been watching Duke at Saratoga County Animal Shelter Annex in Clifton Park Center, where he also volunteers.

So on Fathers Day — a day after Newman-Plotnick and his family volunteered at Pet-A-Palooza — they adopted Duke. Little did they know that it would be a historical event for the shelter annex. Duke was its 500th cat to find a forever home.

Sam Newman-Plotnick holds camera-shy Duke, the 500th cat adopted from the Saratoga County Animal Shelter Annex at Clifton Park Center.

“We’ve had another 65 (adoptions) since then,” said Jeanette Sparks, the annex’s head volunteer.

That’s bring the total to 565, not bad considering the annex just opened last September.

“By the time with get to our 1-year anniversary it is possible we will have gotten to 700 cats,” said Joette Aisenstat, one of the many Homes for Orphaned Pets Exists members who volunteers at the annex.

And it’s the volunteers who make the annex work. Not only are they there when the facility is open — allowing shoppers to look at and adopt the cats — but they are also there for a couple of hours each and every morning to feed the cats, clean the cages and provide some playtime for the felines.

“Even when there have been snowstorms I’ve come to work and found them here,” Clifton Park Center marketing director Susan Keegan said.

The annex came about because of a chance conversation between Sparks and the shopping center’s former marketing manager.

“I said, ‘We need a storefront for overflow cats,’” Sparks recalled. “And he replied, ‘We’ve been thinking about that.’”

The shopping center donates the space, the county animal shelter provides the cats and kittens, and volunteers do the work.

And cats like Duke gain the benefits. Now he’s settling in as 1 of 6 cats at his new Halfmoon home.

“I think he’s a little timid and scared sometimes,” said Deborah Newman, Newman-Plotnick’s mother. “He lost his leg somehow, so I think that has left him a little nervous.”

But don’t feel sorry for him.

“He’s really active,” said Newman-Plotnick’s older brother, Sam. “He can jump better than a lot of our cats with 4 legs.”

For more information:

• Saratoga County Animal Shelter, 6010 County Farm Road, Ballston Spa, 885.4113
• Homes for Orphaned Pets Exist (H.O.P.E.)
• Clifton Park Center, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 371.7010

“I’m a fiscal hawk, a budget hawk, somebody who’s been thinking about this all my life,” Murphy said while announcing he would seek reelection during the the grand opening of his campaign headquarters next to Office Max in The Crossing. “We’ve got to balance our balance budget. We’ve got to be responsible.”

Chris Gibson, Republican challenger to Rep. Scott Murphy, tells a crowd at his Clifton Park office that targeted tax cuts, regulatory reform and repealing and replacing the health-care bill will improve the economy.

Both stressed their supported for small businesses.

“When they are more profitable we know they are going to capitalize, they’ll buy new equipment, and they’ll also expand. And they’ll hire new workers,” Gibson said.

“They’re a lot of places where small businesses like the kind that I ran run into red tape and bureaucracy and rules that are out of date that slow us down,” Murphy said, citing his work to remove a federal law preventing banks from paying interest on business checking accounts.

Each expressed concern about the economy.

“I don’t need to tell you times are tough. Too many of our neighbors are out of work,” said Gibson, who added he supported extending unemployment benefits but thought that Congress should have found a way to pay for them without increasing the deficit.

“My dad spent a good portion of 1978 and ’79 out of work,” he said. “We need to be aggressive in creating jobs.”

“We’ve got a tough recession out there,” Murphy said. “That’s what we need to be working on.”

Gibson said the solution to the economic woes were “targeted tax and regulatory relief” and “to repeal and replace that health-care bill with a new one.”

“More bottom line for our small business owners with more in the pocket with ordinary Americans, and that’s what’s going to grow our economy,” he said.

While Murphy talked about regulatory relief, he also spoke of the need to improve infrastructure and education.

“There are places … I think where you absolutely have to have government supporting and helping. Where’s that? That’s in our education,” he said. “Education is not going to happen without public investment, public support. And we aren’t going to have innovation and the 21st century jobs that we need if we have a strong educated workforce.”

For more information:

• Chris Gibson for Congress, 839 Route 146, Clifton Park, 758.2440
• Scott Murphy for Congress, 54 The Crossing Boulevard, Clifton Park, 788.8939

That’s one of the things Clifton Park Center merchants like about the shopping center’s annual sidewalk sale. The event officially starts Friday, though some stores have set their tables out early.

“Having tables set up outside is a great visual that attracts customers,” ta-da! owner Michael Richman said. “People walking into the mall entrance see them, stop and look and a lot of times walk into the store.”

Although the Clifton Park Center annual sidewalk sale officially starts Friday, Karalina's gave early birds a jump on things by starting Wednesday.

“Yesterday we sold more regular-priced clothing then we did in a while,” Karalina’s co-owner Terry Irish said. “After looking at the sale racks, they would come inside and do more shopping.”

Not that shoppers weren’t walking away with bargains.

“When people can pick up a designer collar for $5 they’re pretty happy,” Sloppy Kisses co-owner Eugene Dallas said.

“It basically an opportunity to pass on savings to our customers,” said Richman, who added shoppers can expect to find extra good deals on end-of-season items.

For Sloppy Kisses, the sale is big enough that the store is bringing in merchandise from its Saratoga Springs location.

“It’s something the mall does a good job of advertising,” Irish said. “We’ve always done well during it.”

On Friday, the event will even coincide with another promotion — twilight shopping. Several of the stores with an outdoor entrance are open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and they will have special deals between 6-9 along with drawings for gift certificates and other prizes.

“Each week it’s been better and better,” Bella Rouge owner Lisa Zibella said about the later hours. “It’s really starting to build.”

In other Clifton Park Center news, The Meat House — an upscale butcher shop that also offers other gourmet food items and wine — will be opening in November next to Metro Mattress. The company currently has locations in 8 states, including one in the Wilton Plaza off Exit 15.

For more information:

• Clifton Park Center, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 371.7010
• Twilight shopping deals and contests for July 23-24
• Sloppy Kisses, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 383.0103
• Karalina’s, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 382.0292
• Bella Rouge, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 373.9500
• New York Toy & Hobby, 22 Clifton Park Center Road, Clifton Park, 371.8820
• ta-da!, 22 Clifton Park Center Road #22, Clifton Park, 348.1881
• The Meat House

They’re also often the maneuvers that cause the bumps and the bruises during practice.

That’s why the Albany Figure Skating Club is trying to raise the money to purchase a jump harness for the Clifton Park Ice Arena.

“When you’re training kids, it helps them so much,” said coach Glenn Ziehnert, who works with the skating club in addition to running Ziehnert Skating School. “They’re able to get their jumps so much quicker and so much safer.”

The Albany Figure Skating Club is competing for a $5,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to buy a jump harness for the Clifton Park Ice Arena.

“A lot of kids wind up getting frustrated and drop out,” said Vincent Smentkowski, who is leading the club’s fundraising efforts.

That’s why Ziehnert — whose skaters have competed in the Olympic trials — calls a harness an essential piece of coaching equipment.

The only problem is a harness costs close to $5,000 to buy and install, and with the economy still hurting, fundraising is going slow.

Enter Pepsi.

This year the soft-drink giant decided to skip Super Bowl ads and instead use the money to provide $1.3 million a month in grants to be awarded by web voting. The skating club is competing for 1 of this month’s 10 $5,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grants. (Pepsi also offers $25,000, $50,000 and $250,000 grants.)

Just making the ballot was an accomplishment. The online submission process opens at midnight on the first of each month, and the spots go quickly. It took the club 3 tries to make it this far.

“The first month I tried to apply all of the spots were filled by 4 minutes after midnight,” Smentkowski said. “I had to learn how to time it.”

Although the Albany club is buying the harness, it will be available to all of the figure skaters training at the ice arena.

“The Clifton Park facility is great, but unfortunately this is one item they don’t have,” Smentkowski said.

The harness uses cables and pulleys to hold the skaters while they are practicing their jumps.

“The coach essentially winds up lifting the students in the air,” Smentkowski said.

Ziehnert said with a harness skaters can start learning jumps as young as 5.

“When they’re little it’s a fun thing for them,” he said. “They think it’s like flying.”

To vote for the grant:

For more information:

• Pepsi Refresh Project
• Albany Figure Skating Club
• Clifton Park Ice Arena, 16 Clifton Common Blvd., Clifton Park, 383.5440
• Ziehnert Skating School, 265.4242

When the city decided to hold an annual fireworks celebration during the 1970s, it realized there was a lot of competition on the 4th of July. So organizers decided to hold a Family Day instead.

“We hold our Family Day and fireworks on the closest Sunday to the 4th of July before or after as most of our vendors are at the larger celebrations” on Independence Day weekend,” Mayor Anthony Sylvester said. “By doing this we get to have a larger crowd with no competition.”

Alonzo Fireworks does fireworks shows throughout the Capital Region and beyond, but one that is special is the annual Family Day celebration in its hometown of Mechanicville.

“We take care of all of our clients, but Mechanicville is obviously special,” said Alonzo Fireworks president Jeff Alonzo, whose family has been in the business since 1939.

On Independence Day weekend — the company’s busiest time of the year — Alonzo Fireworks did 20 displays on the 4th and 23 on the 3rd. Among the celebrations were events in Clifton Park, the Plaza in Albany, Bolton Landing and Lake George.

Not only is Mechanicville smart for holding its festivities on a different weekend, but other communities are realizing the benefits of doing the same, Alonzo said.

“They wanted Family Day to be an important day, and they didn’t share it with anyone else,” he said. “Many communities have caught on to Mechanicville’s idea.”

He added that Malta and Ballston Spa hold fireworks on weekends other than Independence Day.

“Many more towns are doing fireworks on other days,” Alonzo said. “They might call it Charter Day or Heritage Day. … It gives them their own special day. And Lake George does fireworks every Thursday from (now) until Labor Day to get tourists to start their weekend a day earlier.”

In addition to the fireworks, Mechanicville will have family activities all day long at Talmage Park — starting with the 5-kilometer Firecracker Run at 10:30 a.m. and featuring a concert by local band Mike and the Monsters at 7:30 p.m. The fireworks are set to start around 9. Alonzo hopes folks will enjoy the show.

“It’s a fun business, and it’s a good business,” Alonzo said. “And we really do enjoy making people happy with our fireworks in the Capital Region.”

For more information:

• City of Mechanicville, 36 North Main Street, Mechanicville, 664.8331
• Finale of Alonzo Fireworks’ 2010 Fourth of July display in Clifton Park
• Mike and the Monsters

“Veterans issues are the most common issue we deal with,” said Murphy (D-Glens Falls), whose district includes Southern Saratoga County.

A lot of the calls the office gets are about VA benefits. The Veterans Administration paperwork can be intimidating, and the Congressman’s office helps them get though it. Another common concern is obtaining disability benefits.

Sgt. Leo McKeon (right) receives a Purple Heart from Rep. Scott Murphy during a ceremony at the American Legion post in Halfmoon.

So to help veterans, Murphy arranged for a veterans benefit fair at American Legion Mohawk Post 1450. The highlight of Wednesday’s event was Murphy’s presentation of a Purple Heart to Sgt. Leo McKeon for injuries he received in Iraq five years ago — a medal the Congressman’s office helped McKeon obtain.

“It’s always an exciting day,” Murphy said about the occasions when he gets to present a medal.

Murphy wasn’t the only one helping veterans at the event. Groups participating included the VA’s New York regional office, the Stratton VA, the state Department of Labor, Empire State College, the state Division of Veteran Affairs, Military OneSource Counseling, Operation Adopt A Soldier, the American Legion and the VFW.

Andrew Davis, director of the Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency, was there to tell veterans about the services the county offers them. Those services include transportation to medical appointments in Albany and help obtaining VA and education benefits and assistance dealing with government agencies such as the DMV and social services.

The agency deals with 2-5 clients in person and handles 70-100 phone calls each business day, yet Davis said many of the county’s 18,000 veterans probably don’t know it exists. He was once one of them.

“When I came home, I had no idea counties did this,” said Davis, a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Howard Wildove, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who is now a business advisor with the state Small Business Development Center, said a lot of veterans don’t realize the services the SBDC offers them. He specializes in helping veterans start or run a small business — including assistance in writing business plans, obtaining financing and receiving training. He said there is even a special loan program designed for veterans.

Veterans thinking about starting a business should “call up and make an appointment. It doesn’t cost you anything but an hour of your time,” he said. “The help is out there. You just need to ask.”

For more information:

• Congressman Scott Murphy, 7 Southside Drive Suite 206, Clifton Park, 280.1791
• American Legion Mohawk Post 1450, 275 Grooms Road, Halfmoon, 371.4463
• Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency, 152 West High Street, Ballston Spa, 884.4115
• New York State Small Business Development Center, 7A Harriman Campus Road Suite 240, Albany, 485.7647
• The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, 374 Temple Hill Road, New Windsor, 845.561.1765

That wouldn’t seem so unusual if the Cirillis weren’t from Nanuet in Rockland County and driving to the event from their summer Adirondack home in Wells.

“We just come down for the parade and to see my parents,” Cirilli said.

The fireworks display was the big star of the annual Clifton Park Fourth of July celebration at Clifton Common.

As much as John Cirilli liked receiving the candy, 9-year-old Jake Amell liked giving it out. Amell — one of the many Clifton Park Baseball players of all ages taking part in the parade — said he distributed “about a thousand pieces,” though his teammates thought that number was a tad bit high.

The ballplayers all said they enjoyed the parade, and none of them admitted being tired after the 2-mile walk on the hot day.

Eagle Scout Sean Donahue of Troop 246 said he participated in the parade for the sixth time to honor veterans and to thank the troop’s sponsor, the Clifton Park Elks lodge.

“I get excited about marching because my grandfather is a veteran and my dad is a veteran,” Donahue said.

To also honor veterans, he participated in a Flag Day ceremony at the Elks lodge and a recent parade in Ballston Spa.

During the opening ceremonies, Congressman Scott Murphy reminded people about the sacrifices of members of the armed forces when he asked for 2 minutes of silence for 2 area servicemen who recently died during duty. Murphy also represented a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol to Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett.

Hours later, the festivities ended with music and fireworks. California Transit Authority — featuring Chicago founder Danny Seraphine on the drums — was the headliner. The band performed a mix of its new music and Chicago favorites, such as “25 or 6 to 4.”

Almost as if on cue, as the band ended “Saturday in the Park” — a 1970 Chicago hit with lyrics that go “Saturday in the park, I think it was the Fourth of July …” — the annual fireworks began. And that stole the show.

For more information:

• Town of Clifton Park, 1 Town Hall Plaza, Clifton Park, 371.6651
• California Transit Authority

Of course, she has also gotten them to eat vegetables they never realized they were eating.

Fitz, founder of the Price Chopper Kids Cooking Club, tries to make healthy food fun and tasty for children. That means popsicles made out of fruit and veggies snuck into all sorts of recipes. She takes her recipes and cooking demos to school and community groups throughout Price Chopper’s market area.

At 10 a.m. June 28, she will be presenting “Kids can cook: heart-healthy summer snacks” at the Sylvan Learning Center in Clifton Park. The interactive workshop — cosponsored by the American Heart Association — is free, but reservations are required and can be made by calling 373.7995.

Jodie Fitz of Price Chopper Kids Cooking Club enjoys teaching children how to eat healthy.

One of her secrets to getting kids to eat healthy is to get them into the kitchen and involved in the cooking.

“I love to get them involved in the process and to introduce them to new tastes and flavors,” Fitz said. “I like to treat the kitchen as a science experiment.”

Part of that came from her experiences as a mother of 3.

“They’re not perfect eaters,” Fitz said. “But they tend to eat healthier because of what they grew up with.”

Like flying saucers — turkey burgers with spinach inside them — or popsicles made of fruit and yogurt that after some thought she decided was OK for breakfast.

“My daughter loves telling the kids at school that her mom lets her have popsicles for breakfast,” Fitz said.

Each month she prepares 3 Kids Cooking Club recipes that are fun yet healthy. This month’s recipes are apple-topped muffins, grilled pizza and cinnamon-tortilla dippers.

Another healthy-eating tip she recommends is giving dishes a fun name. For example, she makes “bunny food” — a broccoli-and-carrot pizza that gets children to eat vegetables.

“The kids I was cooking with loved it,” she said. “They had a blast, and it got a thumbs up, the kids’ sign of approval.”

Bunny food

1 cup carrots, shredded
2 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Price Chopper olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled
8 oz Price Chopper mozzarella cheese, shredded
Price Chopper pizza dough, fresh

1. Place the carrots, broccoli, and garlic in a skillet with 2 Tbs. olive oil . Saute on medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Take a large baking sheet and using a paper towel, rub a very light layer of olive oil onto the pan. Set aside.
4. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into one large circle, approximately 16 to 18 inches. Using a pizza cutter cut off the top of the circle removing approximately 3 to 4 inches.
5. Roll the large circle to even off the cut area and transfer the large circle to baking sheet towards one side to leave room for bunny ear pizza dough. Take the remaining dough, cut in half, and roll each half on the floured surface to form two oblong pieces. Attach them to the circular dough to create two bunny ears and a head.
6. Using a paper towel, rub a small amount of olive oil onto the dough. Top with the vegetable mixture and then with the cheese. Cut the large carrot into pieces to create two eyes, eye brows, nose, mouth and whiskers to top off the bunny food. Bake until the bottom is brown; approximately 20 minutes.

For more information:

• Jodie Fitz’s blog
• Price Chopper Kids Cooking Club
• Sylvan Learning Center, 10 Maxwell Drive Suite 106, Clifton Park, 373.7995
• American Heart Association, 440 New Karner Road, Albany, 869.4042

The church chooses theme each year for VBS, and this year’s is “SeaQuest: Diving for God’s treasures.” Daily themes will be:

• Hidden treasure: Buried treasure and a priceless pearl
• Lost treasure: A sheep and a coin
• Real treasure: 2 sons and a father’s love
• Wise treasure: A life built on the rock
• Eternal treasure: A life that puts God first

“There’s lots of singing, games, crafts and snacks,” said Northway Bible’s vacation bible school administrator, Madeline Lacasse. The church expects 75-100 children to attend the school, which runs July 12-16. The half-day sessions last from 8:50 a.m. to noon. “This year we’re going to again have rock climbing.”

Meanwhile, Prince of Peace Lutheran and St. George’s Episcopal churches invite children to come to SonQuest Rainforest. The daily themes are: Get it!, Get Found!, Get God’s Love!, Get Praying! and Get Going!, and each is paired with a rainforest animal. Like SeaQuest, SonQuest offers singing, games, crafts and snacks. It runs 9 a.m. to noon June 28-July 2.

SonQuest costs $20 a child to cover the cost of supplies. But if a family’s financial hardships could prevent its children from attending, parents are urged to contact one of the churches.

Northway Bible’s Lacasse said the themes make bible school fun for children.

“The kids love it,” she said. “A lot of the kids tell their friends.”

For more information:

• Northway Bible Chapel, Moe Road, Clifton Park, 371.7556
• Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 4 Northcrest Drive, Clifton Park, 371.2226
• St. George’s Episcopal Church, 912 Route 146, Clifton Park, 371.6351
• SeaQuest: Diving for God’s treasure
• SonQuest Rainforest