HIT: To the participants in the Van Anden Street neighborhood yard sale held on Saturday.

The Neighborhood Watch group in that area of the city organized an event to bring people together and raise awareness about crime, safety and overall quality of life issues.

These types of efforts are exactly what the city needs - residents taking charge in order to make their community a better place to live. Hopefully, Saturday's event was just the start for these neighbors.

MISS: To the report of a robbery at gunpoint in Weedsport early Saturday morning.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said a white male entered the Pit Stop Convenience Store located at the intersection of Routes 31 and 34 just after 3 a.m. Saturday, held the cashier at gunpoint with a handgun and demanded cash. The suspect fled the store on foot in an unknown direction. The suspect stole an undisclosed amount of cash that included at least two $100 bills. Authorities said the robber is possibly in his late teens or early 20s. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and a mask.

HIT: To everyone who exercises their right to vote in today's primary elections.

Unfortunately, not many people in recent years have been bothering to go the polls in general elections, much less primaries. Perhaps with high-profile local races on the ballot this year, voter participation will be healthy.

HIT: To a successful beginning of the season for The Vanguard, Auburn High School's competitive field band.

Auburn defeated Vestal in a competition held Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse. It travels to Baldwinsville this coming Saturday, before hosting its own competition on Sept. 29.

We urge people to take in a performance this year. The complete field band schedule for all schools in the New York State Field Band Conference can be found at www.nysfbc.org.