Watching the wheels go round and round, and watching out for our kids, too

Don Emerson assists a pair of Rochester Middle School students across a crosswalk at the Corner of Washington and Brock streets on Monday afternoon (Rochester Voice photo)

ROCHESTER - When octogenarian Don Emerson finds a job he likes, he sticks with it.
Emerson has been serving as a crossing guard for the Rochester Middle School and McClelland elementary school every school day for 13 years.
"It's pretty rough in January and February," he quipped Monday while guiding students safely the busy intersection of Washington and Brock streets.
But Monday was a bright, sunshiny day, no need to bundle up. The 83-year-old noted, however, he'd never missed a day, rain or shine, snow or sleet, balmy temps or below zero.
"You ought to see me on the cold days, I got everything on," he joked.
He said the job is a pleasure, and the students treat him with respect and follow his instructions.
"I enjoy it," he said. "The kids are pretty good, they listen to what I'm saying."
A retiree from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Emerson has another side gig that is a testament to his longevity - fixing bicycles - that he's been doing for 65 years.
"I don't do it as much as I used too, because I work down here now," he said.
But if you ever need a bike fixed, it's easy to remember how to find him.
He runs Don's Bicycle Servicecenter on Bicycle Lane in Rochester, down toward the other end of Brock Street and Columbus Avenue.
It wasn't always called Bicycle Avenue, he said, but when the city found there was another street nearby that a name similar to his street's old name, they discussed what new name to call the street Emerson lived on.
Emerson asked them to call it Bicycle Avenue and the City Council approved it, he said proudly.
In the short time The Rochester Voice was interviewing Emerson, dozens of vehicles honked or gave Emerson a wave as they drove by, showing some love for the long-serving crossing guard.