May 30 was a special day for Owego resident Gladys Kuhlman. Gladys was honored with a car parade in celebration of her 95th birthday.
With COVID-19 and social distancing in mind, family members opted to pull together a car parade. Although not the traditional birthday party they hoped to plan for such a significant birthday, it was a memorable win-win.
First responders from Southside Fire Company, family and friends participated in the parade, held on Waits Road, and led by the spouse of Gladys’ nephew, Ben, in a State Police car. One extra surprise, Gladys’ son, Philip and family, drove all the way from Florida to be a part of the car parade celebration.
“There were a lot of cars and balloons,” Gladys remarked.
She was especially pleased that all of her five sons were able to be part of the special day, along with several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She added, “I surely enjoyed it.”
Owego resident Gladys Kuhlman was honored with a car parade in celebration of her 95th birthday on May 30. (Photo by Wendy Post)
Born and raised in what was called Waits, and known as the Waits Settlement in previous generations, Gladys was born in and has lived in the same home on Waits Road all of her life. Gladys’ parents came to this area from the Midwest, and going further back in the family history, her grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland.
Her son, Chris, shared that a story passed down told of an advertisement the family ultimately responded to, and something to the effect of, “Beautiful hilltop farms located in Upstate New York.”
Those advertisements enticed the family to move to Tioga County. In turn, Chris said that his father, Otto, moved here from Iowa with his parents, also farmers, at age five.
Interestingly, what the newcomers found may have looked beautiful on the surface, but soon they discovered that the land was depleted of necessary nutrients for farming. Faced with that challenge, it eventually paid off and the farm thrived, along with farms run by other family members nearby.
Gladys explained that she attended Waits School House through eighth grade and was bussed to downtown Owego for high school. She married Otto in June 1943. He passed away in 1994.
Family and friends participated in a car parade on Waits Road in Owego in celebration of Gladys Kuhlman’s 95th birthday. (Photo by Wendy Post)
In 1965, Gladys said she and her husband sold their farm to open a florist business. Over time that business flourished and evolved into what we know today as Tioga Gardens.
Today, the family-owned garden center, and landscaping and event center is run by sons Ed and Steve, and now employs another generation of Kuhlman’s. Chris Kuhlman owned and operated Tioga Gardens Florist for decades until his retirement from that business in 2016.
From farming to homemaker to florist, Gladys said she is pleased that Tioga Gardens remains a mainstay in the community.
An interesting note, Chris remarked, “My mother was born on the ‘Day of the Ice Cream Social’ in Waits,” which, he said, was a popular community gathering back-in-the-day.
The “sense of community” from Gladys’ early days is one aspect she said she misses, although she realizes it has an updated meaning today. She recalled when friends, family or neighbors would often stop by the house unannounced, and simply to visit, pass the time and catch up with each other.
Son Tim added, “Back then it was seen as an honor and a privilege for neighbors and friends to stop by your house.”
Back to ice cream, Chris recalled making the homemade version many times during his growing-up years, and chuckled, “Mom still loves ice cream, too.”
To view more photos from the parade, click on the thumbnail below to enlarge, and then click the back button to return to the gallery.
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