Billtown

Amber Waves of Grain

In the aftermaths of September 11, 2001, Gary Cronk, of Penn Yan, says he and his wife, Darlene “felt like everyone else—dumbfounded, hurt.” They wanted to show their support for families, for the country. It was odd for those few days after the attack when there were no planes in the sky, but, knowing flights would resume again at some point, the couple wanted to make a sign big enough for pilots and passengers at 30,000 feet to see it. “We’re proud that we accomplished this,” Gary says of the field of winter wheat in shapes of the letters USA, each the size of a football field, which can also be seen from Route 54A. The Cronks maintained the field for about ten years, and have since sold the property. The new owners, father and son team Greg and Jeffrey MacDonald, are maintaining the letters in grass. ~ Gayle Morrow