Who said that campaigning had to be all hard work? Friday night, Jim, Jean and Michael headed out to the Yonkers waterfront where they not only met a lot of people, but also enjoyed a fun family night.  After shaking hands (and a few paws...see the flickr photos) they took in part of the concert and then walked over to Dolphin Restaurant. The open seating allowed them to still hear the great music while enjoying a fantastic meal. Jim ran into Doug Martino, who is running for Westchester County Court Judge, as well as a friend from Facebook. If you haven't visited the Yonkers waterfront, check it out.  Pictured here is Jim with John Rubbo, a friend from Facebook. Remember to visit flickr for more photos.

Great weather, friendly faces and warm support kept Jim going through two fantastic events on Thursday.  First, he attended a BBQ for senior citizens hosted by the City of Yonkers. The JFK Marina & Park was a perfect spot to enjoy the beautiful weather and good conversation with the seniors.  Later that night, Jim headed to Bronxville for one of the last concerts of the summer.  It seems most of the village turned out to support the band and its members, who are all Bronxville residents.  All in all, a great day and night of campaigning.  Here is Jim with some of the Yonkers seniors.

On Saturday, Jim attended a fantastic waterfront lunch on City Island with the Republican National Hispanic Assembly (NY State Chapter). Jim was surprised and honored when the group endorsed him as one of their featured races. Jim looks forward to campaigning with RNHA very soon! Pictured here with Jim are RHNA Chairs Lorraine Lopez and Carmen Gomez Goldberg.

Thursday was a perfect night for campaigning -- not too hot or humid and a fun street fair right in Mamaroneck. Each member of the Maisano family bumped into at least one person they knew.  Jim saw an old friend from his elementary school days at Saints John & Paul in Larchmont; Jean saw a former colleague from the March of Dimes; and Michael bumped into a chum from Pre-K.  Jim and Michael took turns at "Dunk the Mayor" -- one of them was successful and the other was not (we'll leave that up to the guessing, but let's hope Jim does better in the election than he did at pitching that night!).  Kudos to Mamaroneck for showcasing their downtown with this lovely event.  Pictured here are NYS Senate Candidate Bob Cohen, (a very wet) Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum; Jim; Village Trustee Louis Santoro and Candidate for Village Judge Christie Derrico.  Make sure you visit the flickr page for other photos from the street fair. There's a great photo of the sun setting down Mamaroneck Avenue.

So, Sunday was just a super day on the campaign trail.  Jim, Jean and Michael headed to Freedom Park in Dutchess County for Sheriff Butch Anderson's fund raiser. Let us tell you, this Sheriff knows how to get it done! What a great event -- more than 1,000 people, a petting zoo, a jumping castle, a K-9 demonstration, live entertainment, a steak dinner...and the list goes on and on!  Jean and Michael were a little distracted with so much to do, but Jim kept his eye on the prize and must have met everyone there! He was so touched by the generous offers of support and lawn sign sites.  Jim looks forward to spending more time in Dutchess County. Thanks again to Sheriff Anderson (pictured below with Jim and Michael) for being a wonderful host and for welcoming Jim.  Oh, did we mention there was a celebrity at the event? Check out the flickr photos and you'll see a famous face (here's a hint: quack)!

On Friday night, Jim and Michael attended Festa Italiana in downtown Peekskill, Westchester County. This event celebrates the Feast of the Assumption and gets a great turnout from the community. John Testa, Jim's  colleague from the Board of Legislators, introduced Jim to everyone he know (and that was A LOT of people!). For Jim, the highlight was meeting so many wonderful, supportive people.  For Michael, the best part of the night was eating fried Oreos (we know it's not a health food but it's OK to indulge every once in a while! Plus, Michael is logging quite a few hours on the campaign trail and needs to keep up his energy.). Jim says this is is a nice event and encourages people to stop by over the weekend. Check out flickr for more photos.

On Wednesday, August 11, Jim campaigned at a concert in West Harrison next to Silver Lake. Jim had a great volunteer team: Sue, Maggie & his son Michael. It was a big crowd and part of the entertainment was local kids from the summer camp program who sang and danced. Jim and the gang received a very warm reception and gave out fans and nail files. And the team enjoyed some pizza after the concert.

Well, it finally happened. You know the old expression about campaigning so hard that you wore a hole in the soles of your shoes? Jim did it and the photo below shows just how much walking he's done on the campaign trail!  Today took him to the Indian-American Independence Day ceremony in Yonkers. This event celebrates India's independence from Great Britain.  Next stop was the East Fishkill Republican Lobster Bake (yum!). The third and final stop of the day: the Pawling Firefighter Parade. Jim received a great reception at all the events. Tomorrow, he needs to take a break to buy a new pair of shoes! 

With Jean and Michael back from visiting family in PA, Jim wasted no time in getting them back on the campaign trail.  So, off they went to the Ossining Firefighters Parade.  After attending at least 10 firefighter parades in the five counties, Jim is somewhat of an authority on the subject. He explained that firefighter parades are a tradition with the all-volunteer forces and include a competition. A proper presentation includes a band, marching and a display of the equipment/trucks. Pictured here is the Maisano family along with Ossining Town Republican Chair and Candidate for Town Trustee Stephen Dewey and Rosemarie Baker.  Be sure to check out the flickr stream for more great photos from the parade!