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PRESS & SUN-BULLETINPRESS & SUN-BULLETINPRESS & SUN-BULLETINBINGHAMTON, N.Y.PRESSCONNECTS.COM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

2 3 1 - S O L D . P A G E 1 CConnections 2A

Comics 4D

Horoscope 4D

Lotteries 4A

Obituaries 10D

Sports 1D

Television 10A

USA Today 1B

Viewpoints 6A

Weather 12D

I N S I D E 79°59°

Details on 2A

Dozens of dogs and their ownersditched the leashes Friday, celebratingthe opening of the Rebecca WeitsmanMemorial Dog Park at Hickories Parkin Owego.

Adam Weitsman, owner of UpstateShredding — Weitsman Recycling, do-nated the funding for the park in honorof his sister, Rebecca, who died in Sep-tember 2001 of cancer and was a doglover.

ANDREW THAYER / STAFF PHOTOSandi laps water in the newly unveiled dogpark at Hickories Park in Owego on Friday.

‘Paws In’ atnew Hickoriesdog parkKATIE SULLIVANKSULLIVAN@PRESSCONNECTS.COM

See PARK, Page 5A

Two Facebook ads targeting Demo-cratic state Senate candidate BarbaraFiala appear to make questionableclaims about her stances while careful-ly avoiding language that would forcethem to identify their funding sources.

Fiala, a former Broome County ex-ecutive, faces Republican formerBroome County Undersheriff FredAkshar in the November election to fillthe 52nd District senate seat vacatedafter the conviction of Sen. Thomas W.Libous.

The ads make claims about Fiala’spast positions that are, at best, dubious,according to a close analysis by thePress & Sun-Bulletin. Moreover, be-cause the ads do not directly suggestcasting a vote for or against any candi-

Sourceunclearin FialaattackFacebook ads makedubious claims

JOHN R. ROBYJROBY@PRESSCONNECTS.COM

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See ADS, Page 7A

Lights went down on State Street in downtown Binghamton shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, but

nobody was in the dark.® The LUMA projection festival lit up building sides with animated

images, from the familiar to the fantastic. Thousands crowded two blocks of State Street and

spilled over the sides for the show, along with food and music and a chance to connect with

friends and family.® LUMA, a brainchild of BingPop’s Joshua Ludzki and a group of fervent

Binghamton backers, involved more than a dozen high-powered projectors to illuminate the

sides and faces of five buildings on and near State Street, in a technology called 3D projection

mapping. That public art technique is becoming more common, having recently been used to

illuminate the Empire State building.

Buildings along State Street become canvases for an animated visual and sound arts exhibition

THOMAS LA BARBERA / CORRESPONDENT PHOTOMembers of the crowd watch a projection Friday night during the LUMA festival on State Street in downtown Binghamton.

LUMA lights updowntown Binghamton

JOHN R. ROBY JROBY@PRESSCONNECTS.COM

Check out a photo gallery and video with this report at

pressconnects.com

THOMAS LA BARBERA / CORRESPONDENT PHOTOKareemah Johnson and daughter Angel Torres, 9, of Binghamton draw on sidewalk Friday for Awareness Through Artprior to the LUMA festival on State Street in downtown Binghamton.

See LUMA, Page 5A

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“It’s our responsibility to do something for ourhometown,” he said. “I just wanted to do a project thatshe’d be really happy about.”

A moment of silence was held in Rebecca’s honor atthe park’s ribbon cutting beneath a memorial arch Fri-day.

The Town of Owego approved plans for the 3-acredog park in September 2014 — construction began inMay — and worked with the Owego Dog Owner’s Group, a non-profit organization that develops dog-friendlycommunities in Tioga County, on the project.

Nancy Eckstrom, president of Owego Dog Owner’sGroup, said the opening of the park was a collaborativeeffort between volunteers, the town and donors.

Myra Estopinal, of Owego, lives within walking dis-tance of the park, and donated her time picking uprocks and helping to clean the area prior to the park’sopening Friday. She was excited to bring her Great Pyr-enees, Chica, to play at the park.

“I don’t have a fenced-in yard, and she runs,” Estopi-nal said. “This is great.”

Chica played in the area of the park primarily de-signed for larger dogs on Friday, with walking paths,trees and hydrating stations, though officials saidsmaller dogs are welcome if they get along well withthe others. Another area of the park is reserved forsmall dogs weighing under 25 pounds.

In the center of the dog park, a dedicated agility gymarea provides 13 pieces of equipment, for dog owners towork with their dogs one-on-one.

The Owego park marks the third in the area, joiningCanine Commons Dog Park in Choconut Center Parkand the Bark Park at Cheri A. Lindsey Memorial Park inBinghamton. Most Broome County parks allow dogs,but they must be leashed.

Pat Strasser, of Berkshire, had never been to a dog

park before she brought her German Shepherd rescuedog, Montana, to the park Friday.

“All the dogs here are so happy,” Strasser said, withMontana seated at her side.

“It’s so great to see,” Pat’s husband and longtimefriend of the Weitsman family, Frank Strasser, said.

Raffle baskets containing dog treats and other items

were on hand at the “Paws In” event Friday, donated byTender Loving Care by Maureen, Fuddy Duddy’s andeuPAWria, and information was distributed by The Hu-mane Society and Animal Care Sanctuary.

Dogs using the Rebecca Weitsman Memorial DogPark must be licensed and vaccinated, and ownersmust follow a set of posted rules at the park, which willbe open for use 7 a.m. until dusk when Hickories Park isopen.

Children under the age of 8 are not permitted in thefenced-in park and users must clean up after their dogs,according to the park rules.

Repairs and upkeep of the park will be attended to bythe Owego Dog Owner’s Group.

Follow Katie Sullivan on Twitter @ByKatieSullivan.

ParkContinued from Page 1A

ANDREW THAYER / STAFF PHOTORobert Moody, who is visiting for the summer, and his dogMolly, prepare to enter the new dog park on Friday.

Such an event is a first for the Southern Tier. Ludzki,through BingPop and its predecessor, BingSpot, hasbeen instrumental in organizing events such as Bing-hamton Restaurant Week and the Wine & Tapas Tour,said in an earlier interview with the Press & Sun-Bulle-tin that his group wanted to take 3D projection mappingand “blow that out of the water,” putting Binghamton onthe map and treating the community in the process.

They seem to have met their goal. Laurie Hallenbeckand Cindy Rice raved about the projections, in partic-ular a tumbling brick display that drew “ohhhhs” fromthe crowd.

“I’ve seen [3D projections] in Atlantic City, on theBoardwalk, so when I saw it advertised I knew I wantedto come down,” Hallenbeck, of Port Crane, said. “I wasamazed by all the people. My husband and I come downfor First Friday a lot, and I’ve never seen this many peo-ple here.”

Rice, who lives in Clearwater, Fla., but is originallyfrom this area, echoed that.

Plus, “I love art, and it’s a beautiful night,” she said.In spite of the crush and the dim light, people seemed

to have no trouble finding friends, judging from thecries of “hello!” and “there you are!” Dogs werestepped around, and room was made for strollers withsleepy children to pass, all in the reflected light of theprojectors that bounced off brick and stone, and the

glow from shop windows.For Dale Shaw of Binghamton, who worked a 13-hour

day at a construction materials firm, the verdict wassimple.

“I keep saying there’s nothing going on in Bingham-ton, but I thought, tonight I’m going to go down and seeit,” he said. “This is awesome.”

If BingPop and company have doubts about the re-ception or the interest in similar events, Shaw is thereto put them to rest.

“This is going to get really big,” he said.Follow John R. Roby on Twitter @PSBJRoby.

LUMAContinued from Page 1A

THOMAS LA BARBERA / CORRESPONDENT PHOTOBingPop members Adam Gabriel, left, and Joshua Ludzki fine tune the audio Friday prior to the LUMA festival on State Street indowntown Binghamton.