For over a decade Don Richardson has helmed the weekly newspaper column, Tales of Sterling, which recounts historical events, personal memoirs and stories of Sterling and Fair Haven, New York. Now he has published a collection of these columns in one volume, The Best Of The Tales Of Sterling. Over the years there have also been many guest columnists, from historians and long time residents to nineteenth century journalists whose writings have been reprinted.
Some things have changed while many of the pleasures of Little Sodus Bay still remain the same through the years; everyone will find something that sparks fond memories of their own time spent here. You will enjoy stories of summers at Fair Haven Beach State Park, sailing on the bay, Halloween nights and other events within recollection as well as tales reaching back to the days of stage coaches, sailing ships, steam engines and the 1857 visit of railroad investors skinny-dipping in the lake. You’ll learn about smugglers, rum-runners, shootouts and alligators in the bay. A true keepsake for every family, this is a book you will pick up over and over again to reflect on your own tales of Sterling.
While Tales of Sterling would appear to be mainly about local history, it contains a significant number of stories that dramatize national topics: Prohibition, Age of Rail, resort life on Little Sodus Bay and Lake Onterio, environmental protection, changes in agriculture, growing up in early rural America, boating and fishing, and good writing from a wide variety of co-authors.