Updated 06/26/2012 02:58 PM
Baby swans are a big deal in Manlius
There's great news in the village of Manlius about some newborn swans. Manlius' popular swan couple, Manny and Faye, are now parents to four cygnets, and many people have been checking them out. As Brad Vivacqua tells us, the birth of these swans helps erase a bad memory.
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MANLIUS, N.Y.-- "Oh she's standing up. Can you see them?" Katie Sheffield of Pompei asked her daughter.
It's obvious what people were talking about in Manlius: The birth of four baby swans, otherwise known as cygnets.
"The kids are excited, I don't think they've ever seen baby swans before, and yeah, it's fun to see little babies," said Sheffield.
The baby swans were born Monday, and by midday Tuesday, many were anxiously waiting for the moment when mother Faye would get off her last egg and lead her babies into the swan pond.
The father, Manny, also appeared a little anxious.
"We're waiting for her to come off the nest this morning and lead the cygnets to water to get a final count," said Swan Watch Volunteer Coordinator Laurie Venditti.
No matter if that final count ends up at four or five, it's already good news for Manlius, a village where swans have been a staple for more than 100 years.
Many people can remember when the couple's first batch of eggs was destroyed by a vandal this past spring, and that's why the hatching of these eggs can help erase that memory.
"They were dealt a horrible tragedy with the first clutch of eggs being broken, and now they've come back with another clutch of eggs, they're hatching. And, this is a wonderful feel good, that no matter how tough the economy might be, or difficult your life might be, there is dawn at the end of the night," said Manlius Village Mayor Mark-Paul Serafin.
And that dawn at the end of the night may not make the biggest story ever to hit Manlius, but it certainly is a good one.
Village officials said a group of about 30 volunteers known as the Swan Watch group will continue to monitor the progress of the newborns. The swan pond is also under the watch of a 24-hour surveillance camera.