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Published the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month | Vol. 27, Issue 17
Vintage 'base ball' game, Sept. 10 in Marbletown PAGE 10
September 2, 2022 | $1.00
Volunteer to decide how preservation fund is spent
Drought, fires and impacts on farming PAGES 8 & 9
PAGE 4
Unwind of VlyAtwood Fire Dist. Town aims to become commissioner, raises taxes in the Vly Brooke Stelzer and Thomas Childers BSP Reporters
Jacqueline Swisher, second-grade teacher at Marbletown Elementary, setting up her classroom
Back to school with high hopes for a return to normalcy Jeff Slater BSP Reporter The school year starts for students officially next week. Rondout educators, staff and students continue to put their best foot forward, despite two-plus years of Covid-19 and its viral variants, districts around the country banning books, school shootings, teachers leaving the field of education and other serious issues plaguing our nation’s schools. Here’s what some of the administrators, teachers, and students had to say about their anticipation of the school year. Jacqueline Swisher, Marbletown Elementary School second-grade teacher, said, “The start of school is always exciting for everyone involved! As a teacher a new year means a new adventure. The very beginning of school is about getting to know one another and building a strong classroom community. In addition to ‘ice breakers’ and get-to-know-you activities, my favorite book to read aloud on the first day is called ‘Our Class Is a Family’ by Sharon Olsen. After reading the book the students will be able to help me set our own class family expectations on how we can thrive together. Once that groundwork is laid, we have a full year and LOTS of
learning. I always look forward to when students impress themselves solving a math problem or the new books they’re able to read. It’s a magical moment.” Lee Cutler, principal at the Intermediate School, said, “We are looking forward to the return of your Fall Festival on Oct. 7, and now including the Junior High School, our Wingman training and our newly renovated building – including a new kitchen, new roof and a lecture hall … We are especially looking forward to a more normal year of instruction and fun at the Intermediate School.” Hazel Lemister, a fifth-grader, said, “I’m looking forward to seeing my friends.” And Levi Lemister, Hazel’s twin said, “I’m looking forward to meeting my teacher and hopefully having a hands-on technology class.” Seventh-grader sibling Lyla Lemister said, “I’m looking forward to seeing my friends, teachers, and hopefully making new friends. Every year since kindergarten I’ve tried to make a new friend, and I hope this continues.” Rob McDonough, a social studies teacher at RVHS and RVF union president, said, “I’m excited about the opportunity and growth of programs we have created for our students over the course of this horrible pandemic. Throughout this crisis, we
have created a seal of biliteracy program [a program that promotes foreign language studies] as well as many new clubs and programs. I’m hopeful that this year will see a return to normalcy, while we provide an enriching and program-filled education to our students from our courageous and dedicated professional staff.” Eric Paddock, a high school senior, said, “I’m looking forward to starting school because it’s my last year and I will be done and graduating and moving on. I also look forward to driving to school, and of course playing on the golf team.” Madison Paddock, in the 10th grade, said, “I ’m looking forward to having a fun year and seeing my friends!” Stacy Bowers, school counselor for grades 6-8, said, “I am looking forward to seeing our students’ smiling faces as they come back to school and see their friends and teachers. I look forward to students eating lunch all together and chatting at their lockers about whatever class they have next or what they are doing over the weekend. I look forward to fewer restrictions, so the students have more opportunities to get to know each other better and ultimately have a positive social and educational experience this year.”
The Marbletown Town Board meeting was held on Aug. 18, both in person at the Rondout Municipal Building, 1925 Lucas Turnpike, Cottekill, and streamed on Facebook Live Thursday. Three board members were present at the RMC, including Rich Parete, chairman and town supervisor, along with Tim Hunt and Daisy Foote. Ken Davenport and Don LaFera were absent. The board passed Resolution 84, which sets a public hearing for the town to hear comments on creating a fire district for Vly-Atwood, the beginning of a process to raise taxes in the hamlet. The hearing is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6. The town aims to make itself commissioner of the fire district, mirroring what was done with the ambulance improvement district. Marbletown would similarly approve budgets and assess taxes for Vly-Atwood residents. Since the Vly Fire District has dissolved, there is no way to create a fire district or a taxing entity, and residents in the Vly currently do not pay a fire tax. Councilman Hunt asked what the process will be in the future to turn the district over. “Do we continue to collect taxes for them?” “The goal is to hopefully, this is the only year we do it. But it could be another year,” said Parete. “Vly-Atwood dissolved July 31, so in order for us to turn it over to Stone Ridge or Kripplebush or High Falls or whoever we are going to turn it over to, there’s a process, almost as long it took to dissolve it – you have to create the district, public hearings, recreate district boundaries.” Parete continued, “We want a mecha-
See Vly, page 7
Page 2, September July 1, 2022, 2, BlueStone 2022, BlueStone Press Press
The next generation How long have you lived in the area, and what about it appeals to you? I have lived in the area all of my life. I attended Rondout Valley schools and SUNY Ulster and graduated with an AA in business. Having grown up here, I have taken a liking to the Hudson Valley overall. Growing up in Accord and the surrounding towns, I have the fortunate Visit the folks opportunity to next door live in one of the most beautiful and desirable areas in New York state. The mountainous terrains, breathtaking views, natural landscape and our powerful community make this area my forever home.
really enjoy. It gives me a breath of fresh air knowing that my input has had an involvement in the end result.
Q&A
Tell us about your family. My grandparents moved to Accord from Long Island in 1976. Since then, they opened a local repair shop in Accord. My mother is a hospital supervisor, and my father is a builder, both who live in Accord. I have two brothers, one who lives locally, and the other is married and lives in North Carolina – they have two children, my niece Parker and my nephew Max. I have had a core group of friends for many years, and our group works together, spends time together, and sometimes even spends holidays together. How did you get started in real estate agent? My first job was at Emmanuel’s, where I was a cashier. This gave me the knowledge and first-hand experience in working with customers, working-class people, and sometimes even celebrities. Later in life, I became a banker at Ulster Savings Bank. After years of serving the community and
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helping with customers' assets, I felt it was time to take a different route while still serving the community. So, I decided that real estate was something I was interested in, and after conversations with a few influences in my life, I went and took the required classes and tests. As a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Nutshell Realty, it was the best decision I have ever made. Although other real estate agents focus on real estate part-time, it has become my full-time job. In my first year, I successfully closed $3.9 million totaling 17 transactions, which was in the top 18% of Berkshire Hathaway nationwide. My first transaction was for vacant land in Kerhonkson. That same parcel of land was also my third transaction. Since then, it seems like I have listed or sold neighboring properties surrounding this area and neighboring towns. I enjoy going to work appointments and seeing the development or remodeling of transactions I have been involved in. Envisioning and assisting my clients through their projects is something I
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Tell us about your work. As a real estate agent in the Hudson Valley, you can imagine the influx of our new community members. Since I serve the Hudson Valley, I am exceptionally busy with both buyers and sellers of homes, vacant land and commercial properties. Most residents in the Hudson Valley have seen property values elevate to values that have never been seen before. This, in addition to new businesses opening, people relocating and developments under construction, are all factors in my everyday tasks. As a homegrown, local real estate agent I bring the aptitude and historical aspect of our town to my clients by giving them all the tools to make them comfortable with their decision. I have created a core group of clients, from first-time home buyers to investors. Regardless of how the future of the market is, I look forward to staying in the Hudson Valley, serving my current and future clients, and being in real estate for years to come. What hobbies or interests do you have? I have very limited time in my day for extracurricular activities. But when I am free, I enjoy spending time with my family, vacations with my friends, playing golf, and attending concerts at Bethel Woods. I enjoy my annual camping trip to Maine, where we sleep in tents, enjoy waterfront campfires and relax off the grid. How involved are you in the community, what attributes do you bring to the table? As a real estate agent, I have the opportunity to network with many local business owners. In the past few years, I have become a member of the Town of Rochester Planning Board, a committee member for the Rondout Valley Business Association, and a member of the SUNY Ulster Alumni Committee. These organizations meet monthly to conduct new business, discuss matters at hand and recruit new businesses to join our networking opportunities. -Compiled by Jeff Slater, BSP Reporter
BSP corrections: In the Aug. 19 issue of BSP, in the article titled “Fact or Fiction?” on p. 7, about the history of the Eagle’s Nest/Lapla (sometimes written as Lapala) community, all words quoted from the Eagle’s Nest/Lapala Blog should have been attributed to researcher/historian Lorna Smedman. Also, the house pictured in the photo accompanying the article was on Lapla Road, not Eagle’s Nest Road. The fiscal sponsor of the ongoing Eagle’s Nest/Lapala history project is the Ulster County Historical Society.
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Publisher: Lori Childers Editor: Gregory Childers Copy Editor: Linda Fite Sub editor for this edition: Dylan Smith Office Manager Martha Brittell Graphic Artist: Jan Melchoir Reporters: Ann Belmont Thomas Childers Anne Craig Pyburn Emily Reina Dindial Amber Kelly Chelsea Miller Michelle Vitner Jeffrey Slater Brooke Stelzer Alison Stewart Sara Trapani Calendar of Events Editor: Donna Cohn Viertel Columnists: Wally Nichols, Susan Krawitz, Linda Tantillo, Joanne Ferdman, Jodi LaMarco and Kelly Wright
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ALL LEVELS OF
Clearing roads after the macroburst of July 13. With a chainsaw is David Linscott from the Town of Rochester, Jason Kolodziejski, center, and Doug North helped clear the debris. Photo courtesy of the Marbletown Highway Department
Recent Storm Thomas Childers BSP Reporter The Marbletown Highway Department worked diligently to clear the roads of debris from the recent storm that was a microburst in some areas and a tornado in others. Clearing up the mess was a team effort, with four people assisting from Town of Rochester and providing a chipper for a period of time to expedite the removal of the debris blocking access. Ulster County Department of Transpor-
tation also provided five people, another chipper and a bucket truck. The Palisades Park Commission also helped with the work, providing four people to help clean up. The Marbletown Highway Department worked from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. to get the worst section of damage cleared up to make one lane passable around Ashokan and Lapla roads. George Dimler, superintendent of the highway department, said, “We haven’t had anything like this that I have seen.” Dimler also said that at one point there were “70 truckloads of debris to chip, not including what was already chipped on the roads.”
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Briefs
Newly formed Marbletown Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board is recruiting Thomas Childers BSP Reporter
Mailbox design by artist, Lora Shelley
Enter the Stone Ridge Library Foundation artist-decorated mailbox raffle Local artists Lora Shelley, Barbara Bash and Emeline Hastings have created beautiful mailbox art made especially for the Stone Ridge Library. The three mailboxes are on display at the library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge, and will be raffled off at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the library’s Fall Book Sale. Three lucky winners will be drawn. Enter to win one or all three! Tickets are $10/each and can be purchased in advance in person at the library, via Venmo @StoneRidgeLibray-Foundation, or online with a credit card. Tickets are also available at the book sale. All proceeds benefit the Stone Ridge Library. The library thanks Marbletown Hardware for supporting the library by providing the mailboxes for the local artwork. For more information, contact SRLF coordinator Aimee Trumbore at foundation@stoneridgelibrary.org or 845-6877023, ext. 7.
Marbletown is looking for volunteers to serve on the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board. The Community Preservation Fund would fund efforts to protect and preserve open space, natural resources, scenery, and historic assets through the purchase of parcels and easements considered significant assets by the town. The seven-member advisory board is charged with researching and reviewing properties to be considered for conservation or preservation with support from the Community Preservation Fund. The board will bring its recommendations to the Marbletown Town Board, which will have the final say in the selection of properties and expenditure of the fund. Duties will include gathering public
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Voters will have to approve the establishment of a real estate transfer tax on Election Day, Nov. 8, through a special line item on the ballot. The policies adopted, as well as the establishment of a transfer tax, are similar to ones already in place in other Hudson Valley towns, including New Paltz and Warwick. The Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board will be meeting on the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. Any background in environmental protection or agriculture is a plus but not required for serving on this board. Contact mpic@marbletown.net to submit your name to volunteer on Marbletown’s Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board.
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opinion regarding the use of the fund. The advisory board will work only with willing sellers, and not in a fiduciary role. “The goal is a diverse group. We’re advised we should have at least one farmer, and everything will be considered on a case-by-case basis,” Rich Parete, Marbletown supervisor, said in June’s Town Board meeting. The many forms of preservation and conservation include easements on farms to ensure continued agricultural use (buying development rights), acquisition of property for public recreational use, extension and connection of both rail and walking trails, right-of-way, protection of an aquifer to allow it to re-charge, preservation of historic sites and protection of wildlife areas. The plan, fund and referendum establishment were all passed last spring by the Town Board.
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RVSD goals and NYU plan inform professional training decisions Amber Kelly BSP Reporter The Rondout Valley School District Board of Education meeting on Aug. 23 was held at the district office and live on the RVSD Facebook page. Board president Dawn Van Kleeck opened the meeting, and the board approved the minutes from Aug. 9. The board approved their goals for the 2022/23 school year, which were directed to be posted on the RVSD website. Lisa Pacht, assistant superintendent of schools & operations, screen-shared a series of slides dealing with the District Strategic Goals, which began thus: “As valued stakeholders, Rondout Valley students will be provided the foundations for continuous improvement, social emotional well-being, and academic success.” In the goal area of student achievement: “The Rondout valley School District will provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environment that increases academic achievement and promotes the social-emotional well-being of all students.” Another part of the strategic goal read: “The school community will promote productive partnerships built on effective communication and collaboration strategies that contribute to positive culture.” Under the goal area of climate and culture, it read: “The District will cultivate a climate of mutual respect, collaboration, and trust among all stakeholder groups.” Professional development will be informed by the goals of both the district and New York University. This will include culturally responsive sustaining instruction and practices, data-driven decision making using a multi-tiered approach, restorative practices and social/emotional learning. Staff will also be asked what professional development resources and materials they need. The goals or “5 Pillars” of NYU are: multi-tier systems of support, PD and development, restorative practices, family and community engagement, and data systems. The district goals are: culturally sensitive instruction and practices, restorative practices, social emotional learning (SEL) and practices, attendance, and data governance. Together this sets the professional development priorities of: restorative practices with social emotional learning, data-driven decision making, multi-tier systems of support, and cultur-
ally sensitive instruction and practices. The goal is to provide training resources and coaching for restorative practices, which the school has been applying since 2018, along with mindfulness, conflict resolution and emotional regulation practices. Training will be needed for mindfulness and emotional regulation. The plan between the district and NYU uses Zones of Regulation and MindUp. In a book called “The Zones of Regulation” by Leah M. Kuypers, students are asked to notice how they are feeling and to categorize it into four zones or colors. Blue signifying a low state of alertness and down feelings; green representing a calm state of awareness (best zone for in a classroom), yellow for elevated emotions, high energy and a heightened state of alertness; red for a heightened state of alertness and intense emotions. They teach calming techniques and ask students to study faces to notice how others might be feeling in order to consider their impact on other people. According to “The MindUp Curriculum: Grades PreK 2: Brain-Focused Strategies for Learning and Living” by The Hawn Foundation, the latest information on the brain gives tools to help students focus their attention, build awareness of body and breath, improve self-regulation skills, build resilience to stress, and develop a positive mind-set in both school and life. Other areas for professional development include conflict resolution, restorative practices, tips on how to have classroom relationship-focused, collaboration with teachers to develop ways to infuse SEL into curriculum and find ways for students to voice their experience about school climate and their social-emotional needs. Van Kleeck said, “I have a question. I know when we started this, we were really doing it on a volunteer basis, seeing how things went, and other teachers and administrators were coming on board, and it was building a momentum of its own. Do we have any numbers on how many people are trained and what the expectation at the end of two years is looking like?” Pacht said, “All of our staff have had an hour and a half of training, as well as 15 students and 15 teachers who went to a training.” A new program, Infinite Campus, will replace School Tools, and its core func-
tionality is: behavior suite, health office suite, grade book, messenger, parent and student portal, multi-year academic planner, survey tool and more. Parents will be asked to sign up, but the first marking period grades will not go on the system until all kinks are worked out, but parents will be able to see schedules. The Illuminate Solution has four aspects: screening and progress monitoring, MTSS (multi-tiered system of support), assessments, and real-time dashboards. Pacht said, “Infinite Campus is sort of taking the place of School Tools, and we are well on our way for the start of the school year with this tool. It is so powerful, it has many tools for our teachers, all our different staff and administrators. It’s user friendly and there’s so many tools that we are purposely going to layer them. Start small, practice those, learn them well and move to the other pieces. This will be increasing our communication, which is a board goal.” Dr. Joseph Morgan, superintendent of schools, explained that the consultant hired to examine district data governance discovered that the data was unreliable. The whole system needs upgrading in order to generate useful data. Board member Chris Schoonmaker said, “Last year we spoke a lot about the AIS (academic intervention services) data, and I know we talked about reporting on that to the board. I want to make sure we don’t lose sight of that.” Board vice president Nicole Parete said, “We discussed that when we met for our planning meeting for the committee. Meg thought it would be worthwhile for us to wait a little bit.” Meg Braren, assistant superintendent of student support services, spoke up, saying that the data will be more meaningful given some more time. Schoonmaker also requested updates regarding the building culture survey that went out the tail end of last year, saying that if we wait too long the information is going to be so old as to be irrelevant. The board approved the safety plan, which for reasons of safety and security cannot be disclosed. Van Kleeck said, “Thank you, everyone. I’d like to introduce our new student board member, Sierra Hikade. She will be sworn in at the next meeting, and Emily (Bordalone) is still our student board member so it’ll be very exciting to have them both.
Emily will be a senior this year, and Sierra, you are a junior this year ... Welcome aboard, and we’ll go over all of the fun stuff that you get to do. I think it’s fun, the board thinks it’s fun, hopefully you’ll think it’s fun.” In other news, board member Carolyn Peck said, “Rondout Valley High School has been named a school of excellence by the New York Public High School Athletic Association. The purpose of this award is to unite varsity coaches across the state in challenging their teams to achieve a statewide academic honor. This year Rondout Valley High School was one of 148 schools that earned the school of excellence award, which requires 75% of the school’s varsity teams to have qualified and received the scholar athlete team award. For Rondout Valley this included the following teams: girls basketball, boys cross country, field hockey, boys golf, boys lacrosse, girls skiing, boys soccer, girls soccer, softball, boys swimming, girls swimming, boys tennis, boys and girls indoor track, boys and girls outdoor track, and girls volleyball. Our athletic director, Jeff Panek, said, ‘The dedication our athletes put in academically and athletically is inspired. They continue to impress us on and off the field. This award shows just how talented they are.’ So, congratulations to coach Panek, all the coaches, and all these athletes who obviously know academics comes first.” To view the Aug. 23 BOE meeting, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdf_2dHvfBA.
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Vly from page 1
The Thomas Schoonmaker Farm is an example of a 19th-century farmstead.
Friends of Historic Rochester annual meeting Join the community at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept 17, at the Harold Lipton Community Center, 15 Tobacco Road, Accord, for the Friends of Historic Rochester annual meeting. The Town of Rochester is a historic rural community located in the picturesque Rondout Valley, framed by the Shawangunk Ridge in the south and the Catskill Mountains in the north. The town has a long and distinctive agricultural history, distinguished by wheat plantations in the 18th century, dairy farms in the 19th century, and truck farms in the 20th century. Experience the craftmanship and explore the history of historic barns in and around the Town of Rochester with guest speaker Harry Hansen. This event will be live streamed on YouTube: Town of Rochester. Light refreshments will be served. For more info, contact the Town of Rochester Recreation Department at 845-626-2115.
nism to raise taxes because we’re going to have to pay for fire service starting in January if we don’t create a district. Basically, there will be no [district boundary] line for the Vly-Atwood folks, they won’t have to pay taxes.” In terms of the current fire response in the Vly, other Marbletown fire districts voluntarily take on the duty, including Stone Ridge, Olive, and Kripplebush. In a statement to BlueStone Press on Aug. 24, Parete provided further insights into past and future fire taxes in the Vly. “Vly-Atwood raised $59,780 in 2022,” he said, “and we plan on raising the same amount this year. The tax rate is $.374 per thousand dollars of assessed value. A property assessed at $400,000 in the Vly-Atwood Fire District paid $149.60 in 2022. A $400,000 house in the Cottekill Fire District paid $682.96 in 2022. Each fire district in town has different rates. I am going to recommend the same tax as 2022 - $59,780.” Parete drew a sharp comparison in fire taxes between Olive and Marbletown, which is a result of how each town is set up. Olive’s town board acts as commissioner and appropriates the fire tax. Olive has one, townwide fire district. The Town of Olive fire protection is $.535 per thousand and $214 for a property assessed at $400,000. Olive currently raises a total of $700,250 for the entire town. Marbletown taxpayers, on the other hand, paid $1,147,703 in fire taxes in 2022 to cover all of its separate fire houses. Parete said the discrepancy is hard to ignore. “It would be best if all our districts went to one district or they all dissolved and let the town handle it like our neighbors in Town of Olive,” he said. Eric Fedde, the current secretary of
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A map showing the Vly-Atwood Fire District with a five mile buffer. The district is comprised of approximately 300 homes. The Vly-Atwood Fire Company currently has 19 members, with four joining the company since June. The district had its first meeting on Dec. 28, 1953, with annual membership dues being set at $1.20.
the Vly-Atwood fire company, wrote in an input statement to the June 26 public hearing on the dissolution of the Vly-Atwood Fire District, saying, “By 2020, the Vly-Atwood Fire Company had an average of two members responding to calls in our district. We were very fortunate to receive help from our mutual aid neighboring companies. The proverbial ‘nail in the coffin’ occurred in September 2020 when our fire chief reported our company to NYS PESH [Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau, Department of Labor] for alleged safety and health hazards without ever discussing his concerns to the company members or district commissioners. A PESH audit on October 1st by two inspectors resulted in a total of 32 violations issued in February and March of 2021. The chief that requested the audit resigned as chief effective January 1, 2021, and resigned from the company in August 2021.” Fedde’s statement continues, “The new chief in 2021, with help mainly from John
Cirone and myself, were able to resolve 21 of the 32 violations by April 4, 2021, leaving nine serious and two non-serious violations unresolved. A number of the unresolved violations involved company member training, but not all members attended training that was held, especially those members acting in a social capacity to help the organization.” Fedde explained that in New York, volunteers of a fire company are now treated as employees. He said, "company members who never respond to EMS calls as social members are required [by the NY Department of Labor] to attend training for workplace violence, sexual discrimination, hazardous materials, and a number of other topics.” Other area districts are filling the gap. “Stone Ridge is subsidizing [Vly’s fire coverage], which is incredibly unfair,” said Parete. “Stone Ridge and Kripplebush, we
See Vly Fire, page 14
Page 8, September 2, 2022, BlueStone Press
Local area facing drought conditions According to the DEC, Region III as a whole is under a drought watch, the lowest of four levels of alert Anne Pyburn Craig BSP Reporter Most every year, in late August, the waterfalls slow to trickles and the Deep Hole becomes more of a Shallow Hole, but this year’s conditions are exceptional. According to Drought.gov, Ulster County experienced the fifth-driest July in 128 years, with rainfall down 2.52 inches from the norm. August rainfall totals weren’t yet available at this writing, but it’s blindingly obvious that we’ve had but the merest sprinkles; weather predictions for the first two weeks of September show only four days with a chance of rain. Rosendale enacted a burn ban on July 28, and Marbletown did the same on Aug. 21. Rochester declared a drought emergency on Aug. 23, citing conditions “which have imperiled the Town’s water supply and have increased the risk of wildfires.” To the north, Kingston and Saugerties have both declared drought emergencies, with mandatory restrictions on usage. According to the DEC, Region III as a whole is under a drought watch, the lowest of four levels of alert. But Mohonk Preserve community science coordinator Penny Adler-Colvin confirms that locally we’re officially in a drought. “A drought is defined as a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, which our weather records support,” Adler-Colvin says in an email. “Mohonk Preserve has been recording weather data since 1896 as a NOAA Cooperative Weather Station. In July, the recorded rainfall was 2 inches, which is 2.55 inches lower than our 126year average for that month.” Within the Preserve’s woodlands, as you’d expect, things are thirsty indeed. “Many streams and ponds have dried up, which leaves amphibians, insects and birds without important habitat,” says Adler-Cohen. “StreamWatch program volunteers have reported abnormally low stream depth, width and velocity ... Prolonged drought can affect forest succession, with drier adapted species replacing wetter adapted species. This can also allow non-native invasive species to be introduced, spread and change the composition of our lands.” We got a good amount of rain hereabouts on Tuesday night this week, but while we continue to improvise our rain incantations and cast hopeful glances at meandering clouds, there are tactics that can help prevent the Rondout Valley from drying up and blowing away. Hold off on nonessential water use; be mindful about letting the
faucet run while you scrub your dishes or brush your teeth. Set a bucket in the shower with you to collect water that would otherwise go straight down the drain and use it for plants and cleaning. Resist running your dishwasher or washing machine until you have a full load, and consider the fact that a brownish lawn in these times is a sign of good planetary citizenship. “I water newly planted shrubs and plants but let the others go unless they show signs of obvious stress,” says John Messerschmidt of Hudson Valley Native Landscaping. “Everything in the shade has generally been OK. Sometimes people worry too much about their gardens. Our local plants have survived just fine for thousands of years, and until the climate tips the scale even further, many of them can handle the heat.” Long-term, consider landscaping with native plants for a more resilient yard. “Pollinator plants like echinacea, browneyed Susans, agastaches, cardinal flowers, even viburnums, diervillas and amsonias have not needed any water,” says Messerschmidt “Their roots go deeper and can withstand dry conditions and hot temperatures. I’ve found that many plants kind of shut down for the day to conserve water. Notice that your hydrangea, for instance, wilts in the hot sun, but then in the late afternoon shade, it bounces back.” You may experience more wildlife encounters as critters wander farther seeking resources. “Keep bird baths full and hummingbird feeders up, and change the water every day if possible,” says Annie Mardiney of Wild Mountain Birds, an experienced wildlife rehabber. “Don't pour water into the mouths of downed wildlife or birds; get to a wildlife rehabber ASAP. It's OK to put a bottle cap of water next to a lethargic bee or lizard. If you find a raptor or other large bird, be safe, put something over the top of the bird (like a laundry basket with a rock on top), so that a rehabber can find it.” Suffering songbirds can be relocated, says Mardiney. “It’s OK to pick them up and move them into shade, with a shallow dish of water nearby, and lightly mist with a spray bottle, then back off. It's been wicked hot out there. Let's help the wild ones.” With any luck, conditions will improve as we move into autumn, as they normally do. But it’s worth putting some thought into just how precious water is in our interwoven lives and doing all that we can to mitigate the problem and the larger issue of climate change. “Water stress weakens our forest trees and is considered a ‘predisposing condition,’” says Kate O’Connor, Mohonk Preserve’s applied forest ecologist. “It opens trees up to invasion by pests, pathogens and decline diseases. Even if they survive, water-stressed trees grow more slowly and sequester less carbon, which creates a sort of climate-change, drought-positive feedback loop that is becoming more well documented.”
Apple trees at Stone Ridge Orchard. Photo by Ann Belmont
‘We need rain, rain, and more rain!’ Farming through a dry season Ann Belmont BSP Reporter Apples, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes: They all love the sun, but they also need rain. Rondout Valley farmers watched as August storms that seemed to be imminent dissipate into little showers or drift off in another direction, out of reach. The BSP asked a few of them how they were coping with the weather. Will Leibee, proprietor of Back Home Farm in High Falls, said, "Oh yes, the drought has been tough. Some crops really suffered – celery, eggplant, lettuce. But some crops thrived – melons and tomatoes. All the more reason to have a diversified crop plan. In the end, it’s always humbling to know who really is really in control (Mother Nature). We are also lucky enough to be pulling irrigation from the river that surprisingly doesn’t seem all that low, despite the record-breaking lack of rainfall." Elizabeth Ryan owns Stone Ridge Orchard in Stone Ridge, as well as Breezy Hill in Dutchess County. “Last year, we had one of those perfect growing seasons, once every 20 years," she recalled, but this year, "we are severely droughtstressed. We have lost some trees, we’ve had to triage some plantings. Our fruit size is small, but the flavor is fabulous. We are relatively water-rich on this farm – we have 13 wells here … Having said that, we have to be very thoughtful and conservation-minded about water. We’re probably at a 30%-50% crop size reduction, maybe more … Many farmers I know have run out of water. We
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know colleagues and friends who are buying water." Aileah Kvashay of Clove Valley Community Farm in High Falls is able to draw water from the Coxing Kill, the stream that runs along Clove Valley. "Luckily the creek that I irrigate from has not run completely dry, but it’s much lower than usual," she said. "The main hardship has been all the extra work to keep things going … having it be absolutely impossible to not be putting a whole lot of time into irrigating. Not having any days off. A lot of my fall crops are very late because my earlier plantings didn’t germinate – I wasn’t able to irrigate them enough ... getting new crops established takes even more water." On the other hand, "I still have a lot of tomatoes even though I don’t have irrigation on them." Overall, she said, "I haven’t had a huge lack of things for the summer, but the fall isn’t looking as good. Usually I’ll have another round of greens: arugula, mustard greens, bok choi, Napa cabbage, turnips, radishes. I have a very summer-focused market, so the fall isn’t a huge deal for me." Chris Kelder of Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson called this "one of the drier summers we’ve had since they’ve been recording that sort of thing ... we’re very fortunate in that we made investments over the years so we can irrigate all of our vegetable crops, and that’s what we’re doing." His system uses a
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BlueStone Press, September 2, 2022, Page 9
Fire(s) on the mountain; Minnewaska closed through Labor Day weekend Anne Pyburn Craig BSP Reporter It’s been all hands on deck all week as thousands of people from near and far have joined forces in an effort to suppress major wildfires on the Shawangunk Ridge. More than 200 firefighters from every nearby agency and beyond, led by NYS DEC forest rangers, were being further aided by NYS Army and Air National Guard, the Air Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing, and a team of 20 from Quebec, secured through the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact. Two New York State Police helicopters and two Blackhawk helicopters were conducting bucket drops, while the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department and a long list of paramedic and rescue agencies coordinated support for the firefighters on the ground. Calls for clean socks and granola bars soon had fire company buildings overflowing with stacks of supplies. DEC forest rangers and volunteers established a “fire line” near Berme Road in Wawarsing “out of an abundance of caution,” said a state press release; no residences have thus far
Ag drought from page 8 water-powered turbine. "As the water goes through it, it winds the hose back in." It uses a minimum of electricity to get the water pressure up to a certain point. "We use an aerometer, which measures the
Photos by Zach Wesley-Krueger, New York State Parks, park supervisor. There are extensive flames around the firefighters that unfortunately doesn't show up in black and white.
been threatened at any point. The Napanoch Point fire, just east of Ellenville and believed to have been sparked by lightning the weekend of Aug. 27, had grown to 270 acres by midday on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Efforts to get the blaze under control have been greatly complicated by extremely dry conditions that have prompted burn bans up and down the Rondout
Valley; a decent amount of rain on Tuesday night didn’t have much effect. A smaller fire, 3 miles to the east and christened the Stony Kill Fire, was 95% contained on Wednesday. Over the Sullivan County line, in Mamakating, a brush fire consumed another 70 acres. The terrain in question is rocky, rough and populated largely by extraordinarily
soil moisture. Then we irrigate according to need." Really big agricultural operations have computer-controlled systems nowadays, out of reach financially for a farm the size of Kelder's. "We’re doing a lot of work that we wouldn’t have to do if Mother Nature did it, but the crops all look very good … All our irrigation is out of the Rondout. I’ve never seen it go to where
you couldn’t irrigate out of it. The Rondout is dammed at the Rondout Reservoir, he observed. "They’re always letting water out of the reservoir, so it’ll end up in the Hudson eventually." However, he can't irrigate entire meadows of grass. "We won’t get a second cutting on our hay crops, so there’s a downside. But as far as the vegetable crops – the
flammable dwarf pitch pine and mountain laurel. The Northern Shawangunk Ridge Fire Management Plan, an interagency policy released in 2011, notes that this particular biosphere “evolved with fire over thousands of years, and depends on a regular cycle of fire in order to thrive. Over the past 50-100 years, fire has been effectively excluded from most portions of the ridge as fire suppression techniques have improved. This has led to the degradation of significant natural communities, as well as the accumulation of flammable forest debris. This abundant available fuel has now increased the potential for more intense wildfires.” Nevertheless, the primary fire management technique advised by the plan was still fire suppression, given the significant human community nearby; recommendations included upgrading infrastructure such as carriage roads and firebreaks that help with fire containment. Any proposed prescribed burning is subject to intensive review. In April 2016, 2,000 acres of the Sam’s Point Preserve burned in what was one of the state’s three largest wildfires that decade. fall stuff, the pumpkins and the sweet corn – we’re able to irrigate it and it looks quite good right now," he said, quoting this old farmer saying: "A dry year’ll scare you to death, and a wet year’ll starve you to death." Jimmy Sheeley, who owns Sheeley
See Ag drought page 12
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Page 10
Athletics, recreation & fitness
September 2, 2022
Vintage ‘base ball’ game coming to Marbletown Park on Tongore Road A chance to see how baseball used to be played … and raise money for the Ulster County Historical Society Jeff Slater BSP Reporter Would you like to be a spectator at a baseball game in the late 1800s? Well, here’s your chance: The Binghamton Crickets and the Kingston Guards are playing an old-timey game at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at Marbletown Park on Tongore Road. Matt Silverman, secretary for the Ulster County Historical Society board of trustees and an author of 15 books about baseball, said, “When Marian McCorkle, our president, proposed the idea for a vintage game, I knew it was time to step up to the plate, so to speak.” Admission is free and open to the public. Food and beverages will be for sale, as well as a souvenir program and scorecard. You can bring your own blankets and chairs.
The Kingston Guards vintage baseball team in action
“It’s an imitation of town games from 150 years ago,” Silverman said. “This was a game people in places like Marbletown knew. There were major league teams … but Troy was the city in New York state that had a National League team in the late 1870s and 1880s, not Manhattan or Brooklyn. Professional baseball was generally unknown, outside of newspaper
accounts, to people in small towns. So, this vintage game we’re putting together is the kind of thing you’d have seen locally on weekends. There is loose confederation of teams in the Northeast, and we are fortunate that Kingston and Binghamton recently started vintage teams and are willing to take part.” Marian McCorkle, president of the
UCHS board of trustees, said, “This fundraiser of the Ulster County Historical Society and Museum will help us continue to bring meaningful programs to the community that tell the stories of Ulster County.” Silverman continued, “The teams play without gloves and provide their own vintage uniforms. It’s as close as we can get to the 1800s base ball (back then it was two words). We’ll have a program that explains a little more about the rules and the traditions. We’re shooting for nine innings, but without gloves it might get sloppy at times, but I guarantee there won’t be a designated hitter. We’re using one ball as they did back then, so if it’s fouled into the crowd, the custom is you give it back. The game must go on! “Several local businesses are helping support the program and the game. We are very grateful. There will be beverages and food available,” Silverman said. “The museum is hopeful that this inaugural game will evolve into our signature annual family fun event,” said McCorkle. So come on out to Marbletown Park on Sept. 10 and see baseball how it used to be played (or should we say “base ball”?). The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 11..
Rosendale student on the roster for SUNY New Paltz lacrosse team SUNY New Paltz student Dylan Dubitsky of Rosendale is a member of the men's lacrosse team for the fall 2022 season. Playing in their first full season since the team’s inaugural season in 2020, the Hawks made history with their first ever State University of New York Athletic Conference win in program history. Fittingly,
the victory came against Catskill Cup rival SUNY Oneonta in a regular season matchup on South Turf Field. The SUNY New Paltz Hawks went on to claim a 13-10 victory over the Red Dragons, marking the first conference win in program history. The team's three wins were also the most ever in a single season.
Rondout Valley High School 2022 varsity softball team and members of the Rondout Valley High School track and field team at the 2022 Varsity Awards Ceremony
Rondout Valley High School Athletics awarded with School of Excellence honor The New York State Public High School Athletic Association awarded Rondout Valley High School with the School of Excellence honor. The purpose of the award is to unite varsity coaches across the state in challenging their teams to achieve this statewide academic achievement.
This year, RVHS is one of 148 schools that earned the School of Excellence award, which requires 75% of a school’s varsity teams to have qualified and received the Scholar-Athlete team award. For the Ganders, this included the girls basketball team, boys cross country, field
hockey, boys golf, boys lacrosse, girls skiing, boys soccer, girls soccer, softball, boys swimming, girls swimming, boys tennis, boys indoor track, girls indoor track, boys outdoor track, girls outdoor track and girls volleyball. “The dedication our athletes put in
academically and athletically is inspiring,” said RVSD athletic director Jeff Panek. “They continue to impress us on and off the field, and this award shows just how talented they are.” For info, call Panek at 845-687-2400, ext. 4261, or email jpanek@rondout.k12.ny.us.
BlueStone Press, September 2, 2022, Page 11
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Page 12, September 2, 2022, BlueStone Press
Memoriam Elaine Ann Haener
ACCORD—Elaine Ann Haener passed away on Aug. 5, 2022, at the age of 66. Elaine was born on March 5, 1956, in Ellenville to the late Vernon and Pearl (Gray) Bush Sr. Elaine was a lifelong resident of the area. She graduated from Rondout Valley High School and attended Ulster County Community College. She met the love of her life, Richard Haener, and they were married on Oct. 11, 1980. For many years she worked for Northeast Quality Foods in Accord as an administrative assistant. Elaine loved nature and Haener enjoyed gardening and being outdoors. She and her husband were devoted cat lovers, they had five of their own and took it upon themselves to feed and shelter strays from around the neighborhood. Elaine is survived by her husband, Richard; her sister-in-law, Terry Bush; and many beloved nieces and nephews whom she loved very much. Besides her parents, Elaine was predeceased by her sister, Virginia Hanigan, and her brothers, Vernon Bush Jr. and Steven Bush Sr. A memorial gathering and celebration of her life was held on Aug. 24, at Benton Bar Cemetery.
Stephen Edward Huben
ROSENDALE—Stephen Edward Huben passed away at the age of 88 at his home in Bluffton, South Carolina, on June 29, 2022. Steve was born Jan. 30, 1934, in Kingston to Stephen Edward Huben and Katherine O’Connor Huben. Steve graduated from Fordham University in 1955 with a degree in English. He proudly served in the United States Army from 1956-58, where he was stationed in Germany. He received an honorable discharge and upon returnHuben ing to the States began working in the communications field for IBM. Steve’s IBM career spanned 30 years and allowed him to travel and break down cultural boundaries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. He ended his career in 1988 on foreign assignment in Hong Kong. Upon retiring, he moved to Sarasota, Florida, where he set up a consulting firm and pursued his lifelong love of writing. Over the next 30 years, Steve would complete work on 23 novels. In 2000, Steve met (and later married) Judith Harlow, who was the love of his life. The two lived, loved and laughed together through the next 20 years and Steve was grateful for every moment they had together. Steve is survived by his wife of 20 years, Judith Harlow of Bluffton, South Carolina; a son, Jim Huben, and grandson, James Huben, of Woodstock; and a sister, Katherine Lamb (Thomas) of Monroe. He is also survived by three stepchildren, Michael Zimmer, Lucy Wilson and Casey Zimmer, his nieces, and six other grandchildren. Steve was predeceased by his sister, Patricia A. Stanton (Jack) of Wyckoff, New Jersey. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept.10, 2022, at St. Peter's Church in Rosendale. Memorial donations may be made to St. Peter’s Church in Rosendale, the American Heart Association or The Wounded Warriors Project.
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Dedicated to church and her Ukrainian community Anna Shepko
KERHONKSON—Anna Shepko passed away peacefully on Aug. 20, 2022, at the age of 85. Anna was born on Dec. 10, 1936, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, to the late Alla Herburt-Johansen and Mykhaylo Boychuk, a famous Ukrainian artist killed by Stalin’s regime. Anna loved being involved in her church and community. She was the choir conductor at St. Volodymyr’s Ukrainian Orthodox Mission in Kerhonkson. She was a Ukrainian school teacher in Ludwigsfeld, Germany, in Astoria, Queens, in Passaic, New Jersey, and Kerhonkson. Anna had been the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Mission conductor, cantor, treasurer and president. A member of the Zolotyi Khomin’ choir in Kerhonkson, soloist in Ukrainischer Kirchenchor Pokrow, Dibrowa women’s choir, and German-American Choir in Munich, Germany. A member of the Boyko group “Makivka” in NYC. She was a longtime member of the Ukrainian Women’s League and Ukrainian Museum in NYC, Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization in Germany, Verband Ukrainischer Studenten, Studentenklub YMCA/YWCA. Anna helped fund the rebuilding of the Presentation of Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church after a fire in the village Verkhne Vysotske near Turka, Ukraine. She was a ballet dancer at Studio Apollon Munich High School of Choreographic Art, Anna de Zavarichine director. She sang in Rev. Zaytsev’s choir in Munich. Played with New York School of Bandura. She was the Ukrainian Desk program writer and editor for the Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe since 1959 and retired in 1998. And she was an avid gardener and nature lover. Anna gained her wings after battling pancreatic cancer. She loved beauty and flowers and said she should have been an artist. “The most important thing is to pick flowers for the nurses.” She was the biggest sponsor of what started as a family music group with daughter Halyna and all five grandchildren, Korinya Ukrainian Folk Band, and sang with them on their first CD. “Korinya Kids,“ songs that she taught them. Performing as a family was something that was integral. They performed at Soyuzivka for Kovbasniuk Travel Agency events. Her husband, Thomas, was an excellent accordion player, and playing and singing Ukrainian folk songs together with children Maksym and Halyna, and later accompanying themselves on banduras, was
Ag drought from page 9 Organic Farm in Accord with his wife, Dolores, said, "We need rain, rain and more rain. Mother Nature’s got to do her thing! These thundershowers, they went this way and that way, but they all pretty much missed us." His land is too far from the Rondout to draw water from it. "All the big farms irrigate out of there, that’s why they’re situated on the water. We only have a small pond, and that’s depleted now." He and Dolores cultivate about 30 acres, growing sweet corn, vegetables and melons. Which crops have been OK with the dry weather? “Watermelons, they did fabulous. The drier the better … they love it." Really? But aren't watermelons full of water? "Don’t ask me where they get it. Last year we had a lot of rain up through July, the watermelons were horrible. This year we just had a shower here and there, and it was enough." Peppers haven't fared as well. "They
Anna Shepko
what they did. No long car ride was without singing. Besides her parents, Anna was predeceased by her husband, Thomas Shepko, and her brother, Gaius Johansen. She is survived by her daughter, Halyna Maria Shepko, and her son, Maksym Thomas Shepko. Anna was ever so proud of her grandchildren, Roxolyana “Sana” Alla Shepko, Zoya Liubov Shepko, Stefan Vasyl Shepko, Zorian Viktor Shepko, and Alexandra Rose Hamilton; her nephews, Peter Johansen and Timothy Shepko with wife, Karen; and the rest of the Virginia Shepko family, Joshua, Jason, Kate, Henry Louis and Sophia, as well as family in Ukraine. Visiting hours were held on Aug. 24 at Humiston Funeral Home, Kerhonkson. The Panakhyda began that evening. The Funeral Mass was Aug. 25 at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church, Kerhonkson. Burial was at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery in South Bound Brook, New Jersey. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kobzarska Sich Bandura Camp and mailed to: Friends of UBC-KS, 5115 Saffron Drive, Troy MI 48085 and/ or to the Ukrainian American Youth Association of Goshen via PayPal.
need water. They’re like chickens with their feathers hanging down.” Sheeley noted that clay soil holds more moisture that loam or sand, which accounted for the survival of the good-looking green beans at the Sheeley farm stand, as well as some of his corn. "Corn has to have water. I’m picking a little bit ... I’m getting some. But you’ve got to hunt for it. The ones that had a little more moisture, they’re ready." The BSP also contacted Lori Severino of the Ulster County DEC to ask if there are ever restrictions imposed on the amount of water that can be taken out of rivers and streams by farms. She wrote, "DEC regulates agricultural water withdrawals under certain circumstances. A permit is required for any agricultural facility that did not register or report usage prior to Feb. 15, 2012, and that withdraws water equal to or in excess of an average of 100,000 gallons per day in any 30-day consecutive period." The DEC also has a provision that applies to the general public, as follows. "During the first two stages of drought (watch/warn-
ing), water conservation measures are voluntary and the State does not impose water restrictions. If drought status rises to emergency/disaster, the State’s response is coordinated by the NYS Disaster Preparedness Commission. At that point, mandatory local/county water use restrictions may be imposed." Elizabeth Ryan was moved to think about the larger picture. "I’m as concerned about the extreme heat as I am about water. And they're related … it’s drier when it’s dry, and it’s wetter when it’s wet." This drought, she said, "is a wake-up call for us in the Hudson Valley. There are many parts of the world that are drought-stressed all of the time. It really increases your empathy … they’re desperately running out of water on the West Coast, there are whole parts of the country that are perpetually drought-stressed. We’ve been one of the lucky ones." On Aug. 30, the first good rain in many weeks swept through the Rondout Valley.
September 2, 2022
Local money, local ideas
Page 13
Keep it fresh, keep it playful, keep it seasonal: Long anticipated Upstate Taco opens Chelsea Miller BSP Reporter Taco lovers, rejoice! There is no longer any need to crane your neck while driving up or down 209 to check on the progress of Upstate Taco. For what felt like an eternity, Upstate Taco, with the sign that has been tantalizing all who drove past, is officially open. What has emerged is a sleek, clean and inviting restaurant - with some seriously delicious smells wafting from the open door. Upstate Taco marked its opening day on Aug. 15 and is now serving up fresh, ingredient-forward dishes that both pay homage to Mexico and encompass the vast experience of owners and culinary heavyweights Mauricio and Sasha Miranda. Mauricio started his life in Mexico City, and at the age of 5, his parents moved the family roughly eight hours from the city to their small hometown of Guerrero, inadvertently setting the stage for Mauricio’s love of food. In Guerrero, in addition to growing up on a farm rich with produce and livestock, the small town offered a tight-knit community eager to share their cooking. “My hometown was a really nice, beautiful little community where everyone knew each other,” explains Mauricio. “Everyone said 'hi' to each other in the street, knew what was going on with each other, the town was like a family. And one of the great things about that was that every time someone had anything to celebrate – a wedding, a birthday, an anniversary, whatever – we were invited, and that’s where I started to appreciate food a little bit.” Another benefit of Guerrero is that it borders Puebla and Oaxaca, both rich with their own culinary traditions. It was on a trip with his grandmother, who was selling her pottery in Oaxaca, that Mauricio had his first big “aha!” moment with food. “She knew this family there, and we were invited to lunch at their house,” recalls Mauricio. “I remember going to this family’s house, and there was no one in the kitchen and I was disappointed – I was hungry! But then we went to their patio, and that’s where they were cooking. I remember seeing one of the techniques … they were cooking barbacoa style with avocado leaves. They opened the pit where they were cooking the meat, and seeing the steam coming out and smelling the aroma was incredible. I’d never seen anyone cook with avocado leaves, and I thought that was really cool. I remember when I went home I started watching my mama cook and really started to appreciate her cooking.” By age 14, Mauricio was ready to stretch his wings and he set his eyes on New York City. He had a cousin living in Queens who had casually offered him a place to stay. “I was fearless! I remember going up to my grandmother and told her what I was thinking, and of course she said no, she thought I was crazy,” says Mauricio. “But I guess I was frustrated, I started acting funny for a little while, and I finally went back to her and said, please, please let me go. I asked for just one year to check it out and see how it was, and I promised I’d come back and help on the farm.” His grandmother relented, and Mauricio headed to Queens, and his entire world began to open up. He moved in with his cousin, who was surprised that he’d actually made the move, and he started looking for work. He landed a job in Midtown at an Italian restaurant, and his career in hospitality officially began. When the one-year mark hit, he knew he wanted to stay in New York, and he says that his family wasn’t surprised. As it turned out, Mauricio’s love for food and hospitality was only matched by his love for New York – the energy, the agility, the constant motion of it all. The heady combination was too powerful, and his family understood. The city and the restaurant scene held his heart. As the years progressed Mauricio would go on to work with the best of the best of New York restaurateurs in both the back (kitchen) and front (dining room) of house, always moved by the desire to learn more and understand all facets of the business. His trajectory would eventually land him at Verbena (now closed) on Irving Place, where Mauricio deepened not just a love for seasonally forward food, but also met his future wife, Sasha. Sasha was raised in Flushing, Queens, and credits her neighborhood with her earliest culinary memories. “Flushing was a super culturally diverse place, and I grew up with friends from all over the world, and so I was exposed to so many different types of food,” explains Sasha. “I grew up in downtown Flushing, and a lot of the area restaurants that
From left to right, the family behind Upstate Taco: Francesca, Mauricio and Sasha Miranda
we walked by were Asian restaurants – one block Chinese, one block Indonesian, another Korean – and looking in the windows and seeing duck hanging and food that looked so different than the food we bought at the store really opened up worlds for me. It made me curious not only about food but also about other cultures.” By the age of 12, Sasha was devouring Gourmet magazines on the regular and started experimenting in the kitchen. “I’m an only child so whenever we had family gatherings it was a really big thing – to not be the only child with my parents. All gatherings included cooking, which I was always wanted to be a part of.” By high school, Sasha was busting out multicourse meals at family events, and after visiting the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park for a birthday dinner, she set her sights on attending school there. “I was blown away – a campus where every hall smelled delicious and everyone was there for the same reason,” says Sasha. She began at the CIA in the late 1990s and was one of two women in her class of 16. Despite the imbalance of gender, Sasha says the experience was incredible. “As it turned out, it was totally fine. We were all there to work, and we got along well. The days were busy, we had great chefs teaching us, and in your off time you could attend a demo from chefs from all over the world.” While Sasha has been coming to the area since childhood (her family vacationed here), she gained a new appreciation for the mid-Hudson Valley as she started exploring the culinary scene with her fellow chefs. After graduating from the CIA she participated in an intensive course on Italian food, wine and language and was selected via a highly competitive process to travel to Italy with a small cohort of chefs, compliments of the Italian government. “We traveled around the north of Italy, and all you had to do was eat and write about it,” says Sasha. Italy informed her palate in multiple ways. “There’s a lot of amazing restaurants and home cooks everywhere in the world, but the main difference in Italy was how they celebrated food. They didn’t rush customers in and out of the restaurant – the whole dining experience they look at differently … food in courses, you’re not given everything all at once on a plate – it was an experience you built up to, to eat the dish to get to the next.” Back in the States, Sasha completed a fellowship at St. Andrew’s Kitchen on the CIA campus and was instrumental in the opening of Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck. Next up was New York City and, as fate would have it, a job at Verbena restaurant. Verbena was a revolutionary restaurant snuggled on one of the most elite streets of New York City, Irving Plaza. Helmed by visionary chef Diane Forley, the restaurant was at the forefront in many respects – a women-led kitchen and one of the early industry leaders that focused on a menu driven by what was available at the Union Square green market. Mauricio and Sasha laugh through the story of their meeting, one obviously lovingly setting up the other. “You tell it this time,” Sasha says to Mauricio. He is happy to jump in. “I was working in the front of the house – for years, I might add. So, this is to say that I was working there first and she found me. I thought, ‘Who is this nice, new beautiful person who just started working here?’ and my co-worker simply said that it was ‘the new girl.’ Well, the new girl convinced me to go out on a date and then, when we really started dating, she became my boss! So I put my notice in, it wouldn’t have been ethical to date my boss.” Sasha explains, “The truth is that we really enjoyed working
with each other and our attraction started that way. We were both really invested in taking care of guests and making sure the restaurant ran smoothly.” After a pause, she adds, “It was sort of love at first sight.” After taking a few more jobs around the city the couple began to hatch a plan: their own restaurant, which they would name “Miranda.” They zeroed in on a location in the then sleepy north Williamsburg – on North 9th and Barry – and signed a 10-year lease on a raw space in a mixed-use building that dated back to the 1800s. “It was just this box we had to design,” says Sasha. “It was a challenge. At 27 years old we had helped with opening other restaurants and had restaurant experience, but we hadn’t owned before. There was nothing – not even a lightbulb.” Mauricio chimes in, “When we signed the lease, four doors down there was a zipper factory that was abandoned and there were homeless people living there, and I remember thinking that we were crazy – our family and friends were right. But we were in so we kept pushing.” Miranda was dedicated to the union of Mauricio and Sasha and showcased a seasonal menu that fused Latin and Italian cuisine. All pasta was made from scratch, and one of the biggest hits was a slowly braised lamb shank in mole sauce on paradelle. “We opened the door … and then the market crashes on us and all our savings are in the restaurant and we owed basically everyone,” says Mauricio. However New York Magazine would intervene with a surprise rave review that sent New Yorkers flocking, packing the space nightly. “Thank god, New York Mag,” says Mauricio. “They gave us an amazing review and suddenly we were packed. However, in the 10 years that Miranda was open, the neighborhood changed drastically. Williamsburg was officially discovered, and with that came soaring new rents. Miranda closed its doors, and after a holiday in Italy, Sasha took time off to care and be with the couple’s then-2year-old, and Mauricio took a job with the infamous Danny Meyers – the kingpin of Union Square Hospitality. However, in 2017, Sasha began to feel called back upstate. Her parents had relocated from Queens to Accord shortly after she graduated the CIA, and the couple’s thoughts turned north. Initially, the plan was to retire from the restaurant business. Once upstate, however, when they began driving past their current location daily, the idea of Upstate Taco started to bloom. “We’d drive by the spot every day, a couple time a day, and there was that sleepy little building with ‘for sale’ written with painter’s tape, and one day there was too much curiosity – we wanted to see it,” says Sasha. “It took a while to get hold of the owner and then once we did, the wheels were turning and we couldn’t turn it off.” “We wanted to cook food we love to eat,” says Sasha. “Often, if we are at home cooking, we would make tacos in this way, and we want to share that with people. We saw there weren’t too many taquerias, and our idea was to cook food we love to eat but also something quick and fun.” Mauricio says, “Food should be fun, in many ways – and we wanted to show that you don’t have to spend $48 on one dish, it doesn’t have to be like that.” The menu centers around the quality of the ingredients and allows space for them to shine. “We use fresh, organic ingredients,” says Mauricio. "When I was making the salsa roja for the opening, I was thinking about my mother. We’re about to open the doors for the first time, and I was having that beautiful, awesome feeling, and that feeling goes into the food that goes out. We will never serve anything we wouldn’t eat or drink, and most of the time it works and it resonates with people.” The menu is divided into bontanas (snacks and salads), taqueria-style tacos (spotlighting stone-ground corn tortillas made in Queens by Tortilleria Nixtamal, as well fillings such as carne asada, chipotle-braised chicken, carnitas and smashed beans), SOS (sauce on the side), extra (hello, Mexican-style rice and beans), and quesaburros (folded large flour tortillas with some seriously delicious filling options) and drinks, which include house-made aguas frescas and an array of Mexican soda options. A full bar is soon to come, which will give Mauricio a chance to show off his margarita chops, among other crafted libations. Upstate Taco is open noon-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and is at 4293 Route 209. For more information, stop by, visit upstatetacony.com, or call 845-687-6500
Your letters, views & ideas
Page 14
Letters policy Please send letters to the editor to the BlueStone Press by email at bluepress@aol. com or send to P.O. Box 149, Stone Ridge, NY 12484. Include your name, hometown and daytime phone number. Letters should be fewer than 500 words and may be edited for clarity, brevity and taste. Letters won't appear in consecutive editions from the same author. The BSP hopes that, in the spirit of community dialogue, readers and writers in the letters section are respectful of a diversity of viewpoints. We err on the side of freedom of speech in our letters, and we hope that vigorous dialogue is more likely to produce an informed public than censorship, however well meaning. Call 6874480 with questions.
September 2, 2022
Back to School in ’22
Tornado devastation and heroic response To the Editor: It has been a month since our hilltop community in Lomontville was devastated by an F1 tornado packing 90 mph winds. The sound of a freight train and damage that you really can’t wrap your brain around. No picture or description could capture the terror we experienced. Mammoth trees crashing behind us as we drove frantically through torrential rain. Telephone poles snapping off and leaving wires down, transformers leaking and on fire. Trees blocking our door, propane gas lines ruptured. Our neighbors’ cars were crushed and their houses impaled. Miraculously no one was killed, but our landscape has been forever altered. When the event was over we were trapped. Could not get out or in. No power, no phone, no wi-fi plummeted back into the Stone Age. No one could reach us. There were hundreds of trees – big oaks and maples, hickories and pines – across the roads. It was bad. The Marbletown Highway crew was like a liberating rescue force. With older, well-maintained equipment, underfunded and underpaid, they worked day after day
Mandate Lifted! in blistering heat – 97 degrees! The kind of weather that can kill. Their mission was to open up this road and clear the way so that the utility companies could start the long process of restoration, which continues to this day. They knew how vulnerable we were, and George Dimler, our highway superintendent, was focused and took this enormous, overwhelming task seriously. He said that they needed emergency vehicles able to reach us, and they did it.
So to George, Tina Post, Scott Hikade, Doug North, Bill Countryman, Ken Carlson, Chris Newkirk, Dan O’Connor, Jeff Greer, Bruce Fallon and Jason Kolodziejski, you need to see your names in print and perhaps up in lights. And others, like Dave Cobb, who rallied to the cause. Thank you is not nearly enough.
Bruce Golden and fellow Lomontvillians Lomontville
Vly Fire cont'd (second jump) from page 7 want to pay them. When their trucks roll … it could be $300, $500 every time that truck rolls out the door. If they’re going to do 30 calls, then we need to pay them $9,000 or whatever. We don’t want Stone Ridge taxpayers paying for services in another area. But that’s what we’re hopefully going to resolve.” In terms of a future contract and how or who could respond to certain areas of the Vly, Parete added, “There are areas of the Vly-Atwood that are easily accessible for Kripplebush. Up County Road 2, when you get past Woodland Road, the right side is Kripplebush and the left is Vly-Atwood. In that portion, Stone Ridge would have to drive by Kripplebush to get up to that corner. That said, we need to make sure someone gets out [to answer the fire call].” Parete has sent a letter to the fire commissioners of both Stone Ridge and Kripplebush fire houses asking if they’re interested in contracting with the town for fire coverage in Vly-Atwood. Stone Ridge Fire Chief Paul Bogart wrote back when asked about the potential contract. “Stone Ridge has no issues with having a contract with the town for the former Vly-Atwood Fire District. We have been running most of their calls since they shut the doors and have run mutual aid calls for years before that,” he wrote. The Stone Ridge Fire Company currently has “roughly 35 active members with 26 interior firefighters and six EMTs,” according to Bogart. As of Aug. 27, Parete hadn’t received a
response, and efforts to reach Kripplebush for a statement regarding a proposed contract concept to cover sections of the Vly were unsuccessful before this BSP publishing deadline. If this goes forward, the town of Marbletown would be responsible for the Vly. “We want to make sure if there is a fire, somebody gets out, that’s why we want to ask those questions to make sure whoever we contract with, they have enough active and trained firefighters and men and women to show up to the fire, because it falls on us now - if there is a fire in the Vly, we are liable,” said Parete, who went on to explain that the coverage is labeled “mutual aid” by Ulster County, meaning townships cover each other. In this case, the Vly is not able to answer calls from neighboring towns, so the aid is not reciprocated. Bogart wrote in response to what would happen if there was a simultaneous fire call from both Vly and Stone Ridge. “Having calls simultaneously in Stone Ridge and Vly Atwood has happened many times in the past few years. We typically have enough people to cover most of the calls. For example, the severe thunderstorms we had a month or so ago we had 4 calls in the Vly district and 3 in Stone Ridge and we covered them all … It’s time that we get some compensation for running these calls. We have been working with the town to provide answers to the questions that they have asked of us regarding membership and training.” At the Aug. 18 town board meeting,
Councilwoman Daisy Foote asked if, in the future, the town would simply ask another district to cover the Vly, as opposed to utilizing a “mutual aid” agreement. Parete went on to explain the nuanced difference, according to the state law, between a “fire protection” district and a “fire district”, which are defined as two separate affiliations. “Olive is a ‘fire protection’ district,” said Parete. “In Olive, the town board raises the money and then they contract with the Olive Fire Department. There is no fire district tax. They’re a ‘fire protection’ district. State law says that a fire protection district can contract with another fire protection district. But a ‘fire district’ cannot contract with a ‘fire protection district.’ It’s a law from the ’50s or ’60s that hasn’t changed. The goal is to have our local districts do it. So, Vly legally could [have a contract] with Stone Ridge or Kripplebush, because it has to be a neighboring, contiguous one, but they couldn’t contract with Olive, because they couldn’t have a legal agreement with them.” Another piece of the puzzle is the issue of trucks and apparatus at the Vly-Atwood firehouse. Currently, Marbletown is in possession of three emergency vehicles, two tankers and a utility truck from the Vly unit, valued at a total of $180,000. The town’s insurance will not allow it to insure apparatus, however, a temporary courtesy is being allowed due to the dissolution. Since the town cannot insure the vehicles, it either needs to sell or repurpose the
trucks by Oct. 1. Parete stated that Stone Ridge has indicated they don’t need or want the trucks, but that Kripplebush has expressed an interest in two of the trucks. The town will decide in the coming months how the trucks will be used or sold. Parete said the town is also going to have to pay $15,000 to “get out of” worker’s comp payments at the Vly firehouse. In terms of the firehouse structure itself decisions will have to be made in terms of the building insurance. If the building ceases to be a public building or municipality, it would be reverted back to the family who donated it many years ago, as stated in the deed. Parete said he has been in touch with the family, who is aware of the clause. Fedde, the secretary of the Vly-Atwood fire company said in his June 26 statement for the public hearing that he “supports the dissolution of the Vly-Atwood Fire District as I see no other feasible alternative at this point in time. The Town of Marbletown and Rich Parete have been very supportive in the dissolution of the fire district, and will assist in providing the best solution for fire coverage for the residents of The Vly and Atwood. I know there will be suggestions from our commissioners, and I trust the town will take these into consideration. I also hope that the company building can be used to house fire apparatus and the grounds can be used for training by the fire company that ultimately covers this area.”
BlueStone Press, September 2, 2022, Page 15
One-wheeled motorcycle: a terrible idea? Or just a terrible idea? gery, you’ll be able to chew down a two-by-four into your own chopsticks with your new roadkill-woodchuck teeth, assuming YOU aren’t the roadkill. Gas hat: It’s a little macabre, but it probably only ever needs to be filled up once. But the very first hat I’d suggest putting on would be the friggin’ helmet hat! Oh, I looked into this a little deeper online and found it only to be a concept vehicle, so you might not be riding this other than on the information highway anytime soon. And that will hurt a little less. Maybe? This is an advice column, so I should at least load your swag bag up with some pearls of pith: Life is short! Why not make it even shorter with this thing? Good luck, and have fun ’til you don’t! – Wally
Dear Wally: I’m a longtime motorcycle rider, and I was wondering if you have ever seen, or ridden, one of these things called a monocycle. I included a picture in case you have not seen one. Been thinking this might be a lot of fun, and I bet I’d be the first person on the road around here with one of them. Still not sure where to get one, but I’m going to start looking … – Ben.
Dear Wally Wally Nichols
Dear Ben: Is Ben short for “Bend over and kiss your fanny goodbye”? I’ve never seen or ridden one of these things, but I have a bad feeling I might soon get hit by one …? (I saw someone “borrow” a Segway from a mall cop and then get high-speed chased by his part-
ner. Does that count??) So, I’ll wear a couple of different hats to speak to this idea of yours, and this contraption, in general. At first glance, it seems to be little more than a gas tank atop a wheel (the seat and handlebars are likely not included in the base model?). At second glance, this seems next-level nuts. And yet, really cool. Here are the sorting hats of consideration: Design hat: This thing is fire! Not a lot of extra things or features (cup holders, airbags, a second wheel or even real handle bars) will be getting in your (or death’s?) way. Very sleek, almost Italian, racing design. So, while you are tempting fate, you will also be looking very badass doing it! Utility hat: Intriguingly isolating. Not a lot of extra room for a passenger, a date, or even a wallet. VERY easy to park, drive under the gate at parking garages to avoid payment (or walk out with it on your back). You could proba-
Going single
bly check it in the overhead bin. Bonus: Tire replacement is always 50% less than a motorcycle. Safety hat: Nooooooope. This might be the most dangerous thing ever designed besides the hydrogen jetpack with built-in cigarette lighter. The left- and right-turn signal are an inch apart, so, they don’t even matter. And how do you stop short without it just rolling over you? Mother hat: NEVER. Disown. Deer/wildlife hat: You think we were scared before with cars, trucks and bicycles?? Sit back and watch the new freak-out when we see, hear or feel this thing coming! Medical/dental hat: Immediately upgrade to the platinum-level health insurance (with $10k burial bonus). Add the dental plan, and get fitted for new front teeth before you even turn this thing on. (Pro tip: Try and grab the front teeth of the woodchuck you run over whose body launches you into a low orbit when you hit it. You’ll need its teeth later for the implant). Your chin IS the bumper on this thing. After the restorative oral sur-
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Your friends and community
September 2, 2022
Local officers help save a life, when a man at JFK was in cardiac arrest Michelle McAuliffe Vitner BSP Reporter Sgt. Brianne Quigley of the Rosendale Police Department and Detective Cheryl Benjamin of the Town of Ulster Police Department have had a longtime friendship, starting with their days as fellow officers in the New Paltz police force. Even after Quigley and Benjamin joined their current positions in different departments, they have remained close. It was this seamless communication between two friends that led them to assist a man in cardiac arrest on Aug. 11 at JFK International Airport in New York City. Quigley and Benjamin waited at the JetBlue Airways terminal, headed toward Savannah, Georgia, for a bachelorette party, a celebration for Quigley’s sister. They were part of a larger group but separated to get a bite to eat before their flight. “We were about to eat our breakfast sandwiches, when we noticed a man who didn’t look well standing nearby,” said Quigley. “The next thing, he fell at our feet, obviously in distress. We tried to ask his wife some quick questions, to see if he was diabetic or had a seizure disorder, but unfortunately she didn’t speak English.” “He actually fell and hit his head,” said Benjamin. “We knew we had to help him, but many people nearby started trying to help too – we had to explain that we were off-duty police officers with professional training.” They directed bystanders to call 911 and for someone to find an AED (automated external defibrillator), used to re-establish the correct rhythm during cardiac arrest or heart attack. “We called out repeatedly for the AED, started pantomiming two paddles together, which isn’t how this device works, but we wanted to get people to understand that is was something like this that we needed,” said Quigley. The officers, dressed in plainclothes, continued to clear the area but, “... many people jumped in at once. It became challenging because we needed to do crowd control and first aid at the same time … Some people were trying to push on his stomach, while another put a pen in his mouth, probably from old info about helping someone with a seizure not bite their tongue, but that isn’t done anymore. The worst was that, although people were trying
Big smiles from Detective Cheryl Benjamin and Sgt. Brianne Quigley
to help, it was like too many chefs were in the kitchen …,” said Quigley. After moving the crowd back, they were able to elevate the man’s feet, a standard practice in first aid. “In our assessment at that time, we were able to rule out seizures.” ‘We coordinated our activities – that’s something we are both good at together. After knowing each other all these years, sometimes even in a crowded room we can glance at one another and kind of know what the other is signaling about a situation. In this case, while one of us was attending to this man, the other was clearing the crowd and reminding them that we were trained to do this. Then we would switch,” said Benjamin. Experts say that the ability to move in that flow-state can often lead to extraordinary outcomes in an emergency. At first the man was breathing with a faint pulse, so CPR would not help, the officers explained, but could actually injure the patient if he/she is still breathing. They continued to monitor him, checking for pulse. They made sure he was safely guarded from passers-by. Soon after, his pulse became absent. “That’s when we began CPR with him,” said Quigley. “We had already asked earlier for an AED device, and
someone had brought it.” In this case, she said, they were lucky that he responded when the device automatically indicated the need for two shocks. Soon after, his pulse came back. “We were really happy,” said Quigley, “as you never know if it will turn out that way.” At this time, the 911 first responders and an ICU nurse stepped in to take over medical care of the man, who was later transferred to a nearby hospital. It was then that the two heroes remembered their flight would soon be leaving; they handed in their tickets and boarded the plane. “The rest of the girls from our trip were already on the plane, asking where we had been. When we told them what happened, they were surprised. We told them this is all part of a day in the life of a police officer; you kind of even forget sometimes that we do this kind of thing frequently. We see many kinds of things in our work and are glad to help, but we kind of make it just part of our day. In fact, later in the day they asked us both how we were feeling, it was almost like we said, ‘oh yeah, that’s right, we did that this morning.’ Not to sound like we don’t care, it’s just that it is a natural part of our lives,” said Quigley. A JetBlue flight-attendant approached them shortly after, saying that they had witnessed the entire event and gave both officers a Good Samaritan flight credit of $200 off a future flight. Incidentally, Quigley said it is strange how often these kinds of occasions have occurred off-duty. “One time I was at the gym. Usually I go in the evening, but this time I went at 6 a.m. This other person there collapsed and had no heart-beat. I did first aid/CPR, as I am trained to do, and thankfully, the man survived.” The family still stays in touch with her to this day. Due to privacy and HIPAA laws, we do not have an update about the man’s health status from that day. But with the skill, care and fast action of local officers Brianne Quigley and Cheryl Benjamin, he was given a fighting chance. Contact American Red Cross, Eastern NY Region, for more information on training in first aid/CPR. https://www. redcross.org/take-a-class
Friends of Historic Rochester invite fiber arts enthusiasts to share in Heritage Day festival As the fall season approaches, Friends of Historic Rochester is preparing to bring Heritage Day to Main Street, Accord, again – this year from 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1. Last year’s event featured a very successful quilt show. This year the show will focus on fiber arts, including sewing, quilting, needlepoint, macramé, weaving, spinning, felting, crocheting, knitting, embroidery, rug-making, basket-weaving and more.
Members of the community who want to share their talents by demonstrating and showing some examples of finished work, or work-in-progress – such as a knitting or crocheting circle, wool dying or quilting in real time – are needed for the Fiber Arts: Show-Me event. It will be an opportunity to share the often overlooked heritage arts. Anyone who is interested is asked to contact Deborah Martin, debmartin37@yahoo.com.
Rosendale Theatre Fall book sale Collective Anniversary Gala The community is invited to the Stone Ridge Library’s The community is invited to the 12th Anniversary Gala of the Rosendale Theatre Collective, 6:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale. The side door will be open to the lovely outdoor patio space of The Big Cheese for seating and socializing under the nighttime sky. Inside, tasty light bites will be served from local culinary neighbors along with drinks in Uncle Tony’s Tavern. And move to the music of Soul Purpose on the theater’s spacious dance floor. The Gala is the largest fundraising event of the Rosendale Theatre, and right now they need the help of the community more than ever. So, buy a ticket, bring a friend, and gather once again to love, celebrate and support! Unable to attend in person? Consider making a donation. For more information, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call 845-658-8989.
fall book sale, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 (rain date, Sept. 11), on the library lawn, at 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge. There will be assorted sections of books under tents, and the Little Book Store will also be open. The Stone Ridge Library Knitters and several local vendors including a baked goods table will be featured at the sale. For more info, visit stoneridgelibrary.org or call 845-687-7023.
Youth Ensemble Theater fall programs Building on the success of the Y.E.T. summer institute at the theater, their fall program will provide after-school and Saturday classes to youth, ages 11 to 18, who are interested in becoming part of a contemporary performance ensemble. Y.E.T. members will have the opportunity to use the
Deacon Robin Beveridge will demonstrate her weaving mastery during FiberArts: Show Me, part of the Friends of Rochester Heritage Festival on Oct. 1.
theater as their own space and create their original work. Y.E.T. Performance for Teens, ages 14-18, will be held 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25 and Nov.1, and 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sept 17, 24, Oct. 1 (alternate venue), 8, 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5 (tech and performance) and performance night, 7 p.m. Nov. 5. In the teen program, youth will engage in Y.E.T.’s signature improv games, acting technique training, learn how to approach a script, pursue action and intentions, and authentically bring characters to life. The curriculum will culminate in a performance of an original production on. Y.E.T. Games & Improv for Tweens, ages 10-13, will be held, 4-5:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Nov. 3, and 9-11 a.m. Saturdays, Sept 24, Oct. 1 (alternate venue), 8, 15, 22, and 29. Participants in the tween program will enact long-form improvisation and sketch comedy. Actors will learn Y.E.T.’s signature improv games, work on developing original characters, and spontaneously combustible situations that make for high comedy. For registration, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call Poux at 845-389-5889.
BlueStone Press, September 2, 2022, Page 17
Kudos
Gavin Smiley Gullickson, Breanna Nicole Angeloni and Remi
Angeloni-Gullickson engagement Parents Anne Gullickson of Stone Ridge and Noah Gullickson of High Falls, with Mark and Diane Angeloni of Pine Bush, are thrilled to announce the engagement of Breanna Nicole Angeloni, originally of Pine Bush, to Gavin Smiley Gullickson, originally of Stone Ridge. The two met at SUNY Geneseo and returned there for their engagement. They currently reside in Syracuse with their dog, Remi, who is blind. Gavin is a second-year radiology resident at Upstate University Hospital, and Breanna is a fourth-grade teacher in the Liverpool Central School District. They plan to marry in 2023.
Alyssa Delanoy and Brody Baker claim space for the crew from Rochester's Summer 2022 Program at Zume Flume, a water park in East Durham
Summer 2022 fun with Rochester’s Rec Department The Town of Rochester’s Summer 2022 Program has come to an end, and while rec director Ashley Sweeney is sorry to see it go, it’s time for school, and the folks at Harold Lipton Community Center are getting ready for their fall programs. It’s been a wonderful summer.
Art workshops
he lived in Paris, France, where he earned a BA focusing on arts marketing, and prior to that he was Rosendale music and art for in Istanbul, Turkey, where he was seniors presents Thomas Sarborn of Armenian parents in 1965. rantonio brush painting The next Artful Journey excurJoin other seniors, ages 65+, for sions are to the Chagall Museum, this free program with Rosendale Nice, on Sept. 6 and the Picasso artist Thomas Sarrantonio in this Museum, Antibes, on Sept. 13. Zen brush painting workshop, Cost is $15 per session. For more 1-2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, at Park information, visit artfuljourneysHeights Senior Housing Community Sevan Melikyan, instructor and tour guide llc.com/provence. Register at Room/Courtyard, 1033 Route 32, of Artful Journeys, at the Chagall Museum artfuljpurneysllc.com/classes-regRosendale. For registration and more in Nice istration. information on the entire music and arts series for seniors, visit rosendalelibrary.org or call Pastel Plein Air Workshop at Rock Hill Farm in 845-658-9013. High Falls Instructed by High Falls artist Marlene Wiedenbaum, Artful Journeys lecture with Sevan Melikyan, PSA-MP, this Pastel Plein Air Workshop will be held 9 Chagall and Picasso Museum a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10 and 11, at Rock This lecture series on Zoom meets at 3 p.m. Tuesdays Hill Farms in High Falls. Through exercises that emphathrough Nov. 1, for Artful Journeys, with instructor and size looking at the landscape, students will experiment tour guide Sevan Melikyan. with composition and gain ease with the medium and Melikyan is the owner and operator of Wired Gallery in tools. Examining the light source, simple shapes and High Falls, founding member and director of Chagall in values, they will then develop details through color High Falls Inc., lecturer on art museums, and an artist. In and form, arriving at a completed interpretation of the 2013, Arts Society of Kingston presented Melikyan with its landscape. Plein-air at Rock Hill Farm includes gardens, ASKars award in recognition of his “significant contribua pond, meadows, mountain views, a barn and more. All tions to the arts” and the Ulster County executive recoglevels are welcome. Register at woodstockschoolofart.org or 845-679-2388. nized Melikyan as an Arts Ambassador. Prior to the U.S.,
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The Recreation Department’s Summer Program offers a wide variety of fun and adventure for many local children each year. From hiking, to swimming, to learning about local history, they do it all. This year’s program included trips to the Rosendale Trestle, the Locust Grove Estate in Poughkeepsie, Bethel Woods, Splash Down in Fishkill, Zoom Flume in East Durham and more. “I’d like to thank like to thank the entire staff for making the 2022 season an amazing experience!” said Sweeney. “We can't wait to see what 2023 has in store for us!”
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Page 18
Arts, culture & entertainment
September 2, 2022
Haircut I’m going on a trip. A friend and I are heading west – along the southern shores of Lake Erie and Lake Michigan, through the Badlands of South Dakota, and on to Yellowstone. Eventually, we’ll land at his home in California where I’ll spend a few days hiking before flying home. I find few things as thrilling as driving through the wild and varied landscape of our country. The terrain is beautiful, and the opportunity to see it is uncommon for me. I’m tremendously excited. And yet, I feel reluctant to go. I haven’t spent nearly enough time hiking the Catskills this summer. The heat discouraged me from long, sweaty slogs through the mountains. I opted instead for shady bike rides on rail trails, where I could catch a breeze fueled by my own momentum. Not that I haven’t had a lovely time, but I feel a bit short-changed. Even in years when I do get my fill of the mountains, I’m usually sad and clingy by early September. I begin to lean toward low-mileage routes so I can
Jodi LaMarco
spend the bulk of my day sitting at a pleasant lookout, marinating in the last of the Catskills’ vibrancy. My trip will lop off those precious final days of summer. I’m reluctant to exit the scene with my tank only half full. A few weeks ago, I noticed a stirring in the collective unconscious. Most conversations included the mention of our severe lack of rain. We’ve all read about what has been happening out West. Suddenly, the words “forest fire” were on everyone’s lips. Right on cue, lightning strikes at Minnewaska caused a set of blazes. As of this writing, the park website stated that it is unknown whether or not the fire has been contained. The park is currently closed and will likely remain so through Labor Day weekend. All summer, I’ve considered the possibility that fires could affect my trip. But those notions were of faraway places – the new, terrible novelty of crossing beyond the Mississippi. While I’ve been preparing to go west, it seems a bit of the West has come east. When I return from my trip, things will be different. The green is fading early. Our forests have been pushed into what appears to be an early autumn but is really the effect of a months-long drought. I wonder if the leaves will skip their colors this year. Will I come back to brown forests or worse – trees so stressed they lose their leaves weeks ahead of schedule?
Sometimes, I feel anxious when my boyfriend has his hair cut. It always looks good, but by the time he goes for a trim, I’m used to the shaggy-headed version of my sweetheart. For the first five minutes, seeing the change makes me think, “Who are you?! What have you done with my man?!” Until, of course, I get used to it, and he morphs back into the familiar person I love. The mountains will go through changes of their own while I’m away. I’ll adjust. There are bound to be some leaves left, whatever shape they’re in. And it’ll be prime hiking weather. Hopefully, I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy myself before the bald and muddy shoulder season. But the Catskills will be different. Unrecognizable, even. I’ll nod and say, “You look nice.” But inside, I won’t be surprised to find myself shouting, “Good God. Who are you?!” I can remember times when I have looked across the western basin of the Ashokan Reservoir, watching the sun set behind the mountains, wanting to hit I-80 so bad I could scream. Now that the chance is here, I’m feeling homesick before I’ve even left. It’s a lucky thing, to be so in love with a place that you hate to leave it. And yet, I love leaving. Because leaving means I get to come home.
Septembers past in the Rondout Valley September 11, 1857 – The People's Press (Kingston) The Hurley Suspension Bridge. We have for some time back heard considerable about the new bridge across the Esopus Creek, near the village of Hurley, the work being sustained by iron wire cables and called an iron suspension bridge. … At first sight the bridge looked well and strong. There is no doubt that such bridges, properly constructed, are very fine affairs, though quite expensive.* But the Hurley bridge we consider a failure, and our reasons are these: It is too narrow; Linda four feet more width would have Tantillo given space for two teams to pass upon it, and if it is as strong as it is claimed to be, no danger need be apprehended with two loaded teams upon it at once; $100 more could have remedied this. The railings are too low; a fractious or ugly horse would make nothing in jumping over and precipitating into the creek below … But the greatest objection to the bridge are the small stone abutments which hold the ends of the wire cables; the abutments are nuisances, standing almost in the road; they should have been wholly embedded in the earth. Then there would have been something to keep them together and compact; now they will be forever shaking and spreading (by the working of the cables when riding on the bridge) and will require continual repairs to keep
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them from tumbling down. This has been demonstrated already; twice has it been necessary to add stone and cement to these abutments to prevent the cables from working unsafely loose. A word about lattice bridges. The old (lattice) [wooden] bridge at Hurley, constructed about 17 years ago, when carried away by the freshet last winter, was sound and good; its only fault being too low. … Wire suspension bridges are more fancy and more refined; but the wood work of the latter, being necessarily exposed, cannot last like that of the former, which can be covered and therefore protected from the weather, and likewise more safe from the sides being enclosed. *[The article states that the old bridge cost $1,400, the new one about $3,000.]
September 14, 1883 – New-Paltz Independent Mr. Israel H. Snyder, of High Falls, is the pioneer of peach culture in that vicinity. He has a fine orchard, not far from Cottekill road, that is just coming into bearing. However it would seem that the first peach orchard in a vicinity is something like the first ripening cherry tree – apt to suffer from depredations, so Mr. Snyder has been obliged to put up a shanty for a special guard.
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September 14, 1883 – New-Paltz Independent The Glass Factory [in Ellenville] made a very successful start on Monday with one furnace, the second starting a day later. The Factory is now running with fifty blowers, turning out a very superior quality of wares, and in quantity fifty per cent more than it ever produced. In consequence of low water some delay is experienced in melting the glass, and one set of blowers are working at night … September 2, 1920 – New Paltz Independent and Times The school in general opens on Tuesday next, the day after Labor Day. The new state law makes a great advance in teachers’ wages. None of them will receive less than $800 a year.
BlueStone Press, September 2, 2022, Page 19
Dragonfly dance It was the 11th day of no rain whatsoever, and for weeks before that, we'd seen barely a shower. But around 6 o’clock, still sweltering after a baking afternoon, I could see gray clouds swirling overhead, and I felt a breath of wind rising. Something made me look up. There they were, a witch's coven of dragonflies in the air 20 or 30 feet off the ground, zipping around in crazy circles, each one following its own orbit amid the crowd. They didn’t appear to be circling around anything, they were just doing a silent airborne dance. It seemed a mysterious phenomenon, spectacular in its way, that the human gaze could easily miss completely if said human didn’t happen to be looking up. Ann Belmont As often happened this August, there was wind, there was even some thunder, but no more than a few drops of rain. I had the repeated experience of driving home through a curtain of rain only to find the road suddenly dry a couple of miles from my house. Some storms were so tiny they were only a few miles wide. I checked the weather app on my phone with obsessive frequency, and often, storms appeared to vanish on the radar just before getting to us. Why do dragonflies congregate in swarms? Does dryness have something to do with it?? Is it the time of day, the time of year? Curiosity led me to the web. From what I gathered, swarms often happen in the late summer when the wind might be blowing after a still, humid afternoon, driving the dragonflies’ prey – mostly mosquitoes and
Wild Things
Horoscopes This month the Sun is in the sign of Virgo – with most of us paying lots of attention to the smallest details of daily living. Mercury turns retrograde at approximately 8 degrees retrograde in the sign of Libra on the 10th of this month. This results in Mercury joining the outer planets, which include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, in slowing down. When Mercury is retrograde – accidents happen, mail is lost, and appointment missed. We can also expect an even greater number of disagreements among parties and countries than exist now. It’s difficult to realize the number of events caused by the lack of understanding. The full Moon in Pisces also occurs on the 10th in the sign of Pisces. Joanne
Your Zodiac Ferdman
ARIES: 3/21 to 4/19: Mars, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 3rd solar house of communication and education and is in poor aspect to the Sun and Venus in your 6th house of daily work. This results in a rather slow period for you – especially with Mercury retrograde. However, the full Moon may be an opportunity to investigate a new project. TAURUS: 4/20 to 5/20: Venus, your ruling planet, is positioned with the Sun in your 5th solar house of creativity and is in poor aspect to Mars, the planet of action. As Mercury approaches retrograde motion, you will find it increasingly difficult to reach your goal. It would be best to use this time to investigate new ideas and different opportunities. GEMINI: 5/21 to 6/20: Mercury, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 5th solar house of creativity and children. It is also in good aspect to Mars, the planet of
gnats – out into the open air. Also – I did not know this – many dragonfly species (and their more delicate-looking cousins, the damselflies) migrate. Christine Goforth, an aquatic insect expert, said on “Here & Now,” a show on WBUR radio, on Sept. 17, 2019: “This is the season of the year where the dragonflies are starting to migrate so the migratory species are starting to move from the more northern parts of North America southward. And so you have a whole lot of dragonflies that are on the move right now. Every time they stop flying they need to eat ... they form these big groups wherever there’s a lot of little insects in a local area to feed on. And that's why you're starting to get the swarms. They do this pretty much every fall. They can do it throughout the
year, but you see a lot more of them now than you would earlier in the year.” As week after dry week went by, I wondered what the casualties would be. But wild creatures are tough. Though I saw few butterflies, the crickets continued to chirp, the katydids to commence their racket after dark, catbirds to mew, etc. Adult dragonflies don’t need to be near water to hunt their prey, though they hatch in water and have to find a pond or wetland to lay their eggs. If you have dragonfly larvae in your pond, you are lucky because they will eat the mosquito larvae you surely also have. I’ve always admired them for their speed, their elegance, their flashy iridescent wings, and their efficiency in catching mosquitoes, gnats and other annoying bugs (though they will also eat the occasional moth or butterfly). I kept watching for them, but I didn't see another dragonfly show till almost the end of August. Rain was predicted again. Even if little rain actually materialized, I thought, there was sure to be wind. About 6 in the evening, I stationed myself on a recliner on the front porch and looked to the sky. Against a backdrop of ragged, drifting clouds, dragonflies were darting in every direction. As the clouds darkened, thunder began to rumble, wind began to blow the trees around and make my wind chimes ring crazily. Still the dragonflies danced, undeterred. Around and around they went in the air above my deck and front yard. Hunting must really be good for them in those conditions. As raindrops began to split and splat, the insects retired to roost somewhere and wait it out. The storm began in fitful bursts, but for once, instead of fizzling out, it gathered strength. As darkness fell, lightning cracked around the house, and the sound of rain falling in buckets was as sweet as any music I've ever heard.
action, in your 1st house – suggesting you act more creatively. However, with Mercury turning retrograde on the 10th, you can expect delays or trouble spots.
ing success in the career sector. With both career and your children vying for your energy, you are sure to react to the effects of Mercury’s retrograde motion.
CANCER: 6/21 to 7/20: The full Moon on the 10th in the sign of Pisces is the time to pick up your paint brush and show off your talent. Unfortunately, with Mercury turning retrograde about the same time, it may not work out the way you would like. Remember, when Mercury retrogrades, mail gets lost, events are canceled and accidents happen.
CAPRICORN: 12/22 to 1/20: Saturn, your ruling planet, continues in your 2nd solar house of money. It is also in poor aspect to the Sun, Venus, and the full Moon – making it extremely important for you to take extra care during this Mercury retrograde. It may affect both your employment and your finances.
“Dragonfly against the moon” [detail] by Kim Anderson, ink and watercolor
LEO: 7/21 to 8/22: The Sun, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 2nd solar house of money with Venus on the cusp – suggesting you are about to embark on a new plan that will raise your income. Be aware that Mercury retrograde may add a negative impact. Attention to detail at the full Moon will be an opportunity to improve your prospects. VIRGO: 8/23 to 9/22: Mercury, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 2nd solar house of money. With the Sun and Venus in your 1st solar house of personality, your feeling of optimism may change when you realize your ruling planet turns retrograde on the 10th. The Moon in Pisces suggests including a creative new project may prove beneficial. LIBRA: 9/23 to 10/22: Venus, your ruling planet, is positioned on the cusp of your 12th solar house of hidden events. The Sun is also in the 12th house, with the same negative effect. With Mercury turning retrograde, you’re sure to feel there is little hope for good news. However, don’t give up – Jupiter promises a fun-loving social schedule. SCORPIO: 10/23 to 11/22: Mars and Pluto, your two ruling planets, are in poor aspect to each other. Mars wants you to learn something new while Pluto suggests your family needs attention. Mercury retrograde complicates the dilemma by leaving no one satisfied. One solution may be to be sure your income remains stable. SAGITTARIUS: 11/23 to 12/21: Jupiter, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 5th solar house of creativity and children, while the Sun and Venus have you achiev-
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AQUARIUS: 1/21 to 2/19: Uranus, your ruler, is positioned in your 4th solar house of home and family. You may try to effect a change in adaptation to changing needs of your family, only to find nothing seems to work as expected. Understand the Mercury retrograde and your inclination are working at cross purposes. Try to relax. PISCES: 2/20 to 3/20: Neptune, a slow-moving planet, is positioned in your 1st solar house of personality. Jupiter is now in the 2nd solar house of money and finds your bank account beginning to accumulate some cash. A good idea would be to use some of it to finance a different solution to increasing your income. Joanne is available for private/personized consultations at 561-744-9962. Treat yourself – learn what to expect from the current transits and receive an overview of your longterm goals.
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FOR THE FAMILY Mobile blood drive at Rosendale Community Center As the recent spike in Covid cases continues to cause a decrease in blood donations, help is needed more than ever. Hospitals and patients rely upon a steady flow of donors to receive lifesaving blood donations, but blood supply has become unstable. The blood supply still stands well below the ideal level of 5-7-days. Donate 2:30-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at the mobile blood drive, at the Rosendale Community Center, 1055 Route 32 North, Rosendale. In-person story times at Little Ones Learning Center in Accord Little Ones Learning Center, a free early-literacy program for ages 0-6 located in the Rochester Reformed Church, 5142 Route 209, Accord, continues its in-person story times, 10 a.m.-noon each Wednesday and Saturday, with upcoming story times on Sept. 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28. Enjoy stories, crafts and lots of fun. For more information, call Little Ones Learning Center at 845-626-4112 or Mary Lee, LLC treasurer, at 845-626-7249. Every Monday, Tuesday and Saturday at the Redwing Blackbird Theater in Rosendale Join the community at the Redwing Blackbird Theater, 413 Main St., Rosendale, 4-6 p.m. Saturdays (Sept. 3, 10, 17 and 24) for the Punch Opera Hand Puppet Show, workshops and museum tours; 5-7 p.m. Mondays (Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26) for open workshops to create, paint and prepare puppets and signage for events; and 5-7 Tuesdays (Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27) for group rehearsal for upcoming gigs. The group is always looking for people to join for shows, parades and marches. For more information, visit redwingblackbirdtheater.com or call 845-658-7651. The Rosendale Farmers Market Serving the community since 2006, the Rosendale Farmers Market is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each Sunday (Sept. 4, 11, 18 and 25) in Willow Kiln Park, 5 Hardenburgh Lane, Rosendale. Vendors include Momemade all natural vegan dog treats, local potter Kila Bates, Manifest Coffee, Fiddlehead Farm (thefiddleheadway.com), Wrights Farm (eatapples.com), Spruce Run & Stoney Ridge Farm (sr-srfarm.com), Three Sisters Farm (on Facebook as the Three Sisters Farm), HV Heirloom Farm (hvheirloomfarm.com), Acorn Hill Farm & Creamery (acornhillfarmny. com), Bonticou Ducks (bonticouducks. com), Hermans Erie Hotel, and Cereghino Smith Wines (cereghinosmith.com). Visit rosendalefarmersmarketny.com. Stone Ridge Farmers & Makers Market Join the community and meet local farmers and makers of all kinds, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays, May-December, rain or shine, at Stone Ridge Orchard, 3012 Route 213, Stone Ridge, with upcoming markets on Sept. 4, 11, 18 and 25. The weekly event features just-picked fruit and vegetables, local meats, fresh baked goods, apple cider, hard cider, and a celebration of maker-made specialty foods and products. Local vendors include 1857 Spirits Barber’s Farm Distillery, Bonticou Ducks, Breezy Hill Orchard, Cooper’s Daughter Spirits at Olde York Farm, Faithfully Yours Atelier, Hepworth Farm, Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, Kingston Bread and Bar, Knoll Krest Farm, Lilly Bear Treats, Meat Things, Momemade Dog Treats, Namai, Ram’s Valley, Ritual Powders, Stone Ridge Orchard, Terra & Twine, the Ardent Homesteader, Tree Juice Maple Syrup and Marvin Gardens. Come and make a day of it, meeting the alpacas, having a picnic
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Turkey vulture on the edge of Gertrude’s Nose, Minnewaska State Park
Vulture Awareness Day, the grossly important vulture at Minnewaska In September 2009, two conservation groups from South Africa and the United Kingdom organized the first International Vulture Awareness Day. It is now observed on the first Saturday in September. Come join the community, 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson, to celebrate this bird, which plays a critical role in human and animal health and is encountering population declines in parts of the world. In the program, the group will talk about why vultures are important, what some of their interesting adaptations are, and how
under the big apple tree. Enjoy pizza and locally sourced fare served up by the Stone Ridge Orchard chef or have a drink at the farm bar. For more information, visit srfmm.com or call 845-687-2587. Vanaver Caravan of Rosendale’s online dance classes for ages 3-adult Each Monday (Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26), Wednesday (Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28), and Thursday (Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29) dance from home with the family and Vanaver Caravan. Suggested donation of $10-$20. For more information, visit vanavercaravan. org or call 845-256-9300. Mindful Mondays with Aimee Trumbore Join the community at 2 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26, in the activity room, at the Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge, to develop awareness, cultivate more presence, and strengthen the ability to bring mindfulness into day-to-day life. These weekly drop-in sessions will include a short talk
to identify the two species of vultures found in this part of New York. Afterward, participants will go for an approximately 1-mile hike on trails near the Visitor Center to search for vultures perched or in flight. The program is recommended for anyone who is interested in these fascinating birds; however, children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18. Preregistration is required by calling Minnewaska at 845-255-0752. Call for scheduling due to wildfires at the park, see page 9 in late breaking news.
on the topic of the week, guided meditation, and opportunity for discussion. All levels of practitioners are welcome, no previous experience required. Mindful Mondays are led by Aimee Trumbore, certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher. For more information, visit stoneridgelibrary.org or call 845-687-7023. Clove Valley Community Farm work party Join Aileah, the farmer, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays (Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27) and/or 4 p.m.-dark, Thursdays (Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29) to spend time outdoors, connect with the soil, be and work with the plants, and celebrate the summer and falls seasons (through November)
with others in the gardens, at Clove Valley Community Farm, 81 Clove Valley Road, High Falls. Open to all ages and abilities. Text Aileah to join the work party, at 570-762-2872, and visit clovevalleycommunityfarm.com. Marbletown Seniors meetings and trip to see ‘Voices of Legends’ on Sept. 7 The Seniors hold their meetings at the Marbletown Community Center, 3564 Main St., across from Key Bank in Stone Ridge, at noon on the first Friday, Oct. 7 (bring a dish to share or drop $3 in the basket on the food table), and at 1 p.m. on the third Friday, Sept. 16 (bring a dessert to share or drop $2 in the basket on the dessert table), each month. The bus departs at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, for the excursion to the Waterfront at Silver Birches, Pennsylvania, featuring “Voices of Legends” with Eric Kerns singing Elvis, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Ray Charles and more. Cost of $50 trip includes family-style menu of roast pork loin, herb-crusted roast beef, dessert, coffee, tea or iced tea. On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the bus takes off at 9:30 a.m. to travel to the Riverview Inn, Matamoras, Pennsylvania. The group will sing, dance, laugh and remember as Rich Wilson sings songs of “Days of Yesterday.” Appetizers will be given upon arrival, and lunch at noon includes salad, breast of chicken and top round beef, vegetables and potato, with dessert, coffee, tea, iced tea, soda and open bar with beer and wine. Cost $52. All trips leave from, and return to, Marbletown Reformed Church, 3750 Main St./Route 209, Stone Ridge, across from the post office. Call Sharon Letus, trip chairperson, at 845-687-9162 for information. All-ages Chess Hour at the Rosendale Library Every Thursday, 4-5 p.m., Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29, enjoy playing chess, all ages, all levels, at the Rosendale Library, 264 Main St., Rosendale. For more information, call 845-658-9013 or visit rosendalelibrary.org. Junior Sportsmen’s Program takes aim at knowledge and safety for all Each Thursday at 6 p.m., May-October (next ones on Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29), students of all ages come out to the Marbletown Sportsmen’s Club Junior Sportsmen’s Program. The archery class, taught by Pete Sarr, chairperson of the program, is alternated every other Thursday with firearms, with both programs held at the Marbletown Sportsmen’s Club, 95-105 Scarawan Road, Stone Ridge. Students of every level, from first timers to seasoned hunters, from kids to mature adults, learn everything from the proper stance to how to hold the bow and gun to the proper terminology on the range, and much more, all emphasizing proper safety. All necessary equipment is provided for the program at no cost. Call Sarr at 845- 687-9305 or visit marbletownsportsmensclub.com. Volunteer event at Minnewaska, working in the native plant garden Join Nick Martin, park educator, in giving a little love back to Minnewaska at this recurring volunteer program, offered on the first Friday of every month. This month, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, monthly volunteer efforts will be focused on maintaining the native plant gardens
See More events, page 21
Will you fall under the spell of the Count or will he be found and finally laid to rest?
The WIDOW JANE MINE in Rosendale presents
DRACULA LIVE! From the Bram Stoker novel, the original production that premiered on Broadway in 1927.
Dramatized by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston By Arrangement with Samuel French
"An evening of high class fun." - Newsweek "Pure escape and great fun." - New York Post
September 30th at 7 pm October 1st and 2nd at 3 pm
$20 general admission Tickets: centuryhouse.org or theatreontheroad.com Information: 845.475.7973
BlueStone Press, September 2, 2022, Page 21
Holistic Health Community volunteer Therese Bimka continues Zoom meditations
Events continued from page 20 around the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson. Tasks may include weeding, deadheading, and seed saving, among others. It is recommended that volunteers bring work gloves, sun hat and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. The daily parking fee will be waived for volunteers who preregister. Meet at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center. Preregistration is required by emailing nicholas.martin@ parks.ny.gov or by calling Minnewaska at 845-255-0752. Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Company Sub Nites Enjoy great sub sandwiches at the Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Company, at the intersection of County Route 2 at 519 Pine Bush Road in Stone Ridge, just 1 mile north of Route 209. Ham, turkey, roast beef, or mixed meat, mixed veggie, chicken parm, meatball, tuna, and of course Philly cheese subs are made to order on a 12-inch roll with choice of toppings and served with a bag of chips and a drink (assorted cans of soda, iced tea or bottled water). Take a sub home or eat one in the dining room at the firehouse. Sub Nites are held 4-7 p.m. (with call-ins at 3:30 p.m.) on the second Friday of each month, March-November (this month on Sept. 9), for a suggested donation of $10. For more information and takeout orders, call 845-687-9801. Local Quilter Guild meetings The Wiltwyck Quilt Guild comes together to share their work, learn a new skill and meet new friends. The next meeting of the Guild is 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept 10, in Fellowship Hall, at Grace Community Church, 160 Seremma Court, Lake Katrine. Members are always wanted and welcomed to join the projects benefiting the community. For more information, contact Guild secretary Mary Tyler of Rosendale at marycodytyler@yahoo.com. Rosendale Seniors annual picnic, social, and trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Town of Rosendale Seniors meetings are held at 1 p.m. every second (Sept. 14) and fourth Wednesday (Sept. 28) of the month, (excluding November and December), at the Rosendale Recreation Center, 1055 Route 32, Rosendale. The second Wednesday is a social meeting and includes trivia and/or bingo. This month, on Sept. 14 at noon, the Seniors will have their annual picnic under the Pavilion. Sub sandwiches will be provided. Bring a salad or dessert to share. At the meeting on Sept. 28, the special guest will be Marge Gagnon, R.N., who will talk about prediabetes, the symptoms and precautionary measures. A reminder that the group will travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Sept. 11-17. The trip, which is full, includes motor coach transportation, six nights lodging, 10 meals, three evening shows, shopping and boardwalk. For more information, contact tour guides, call Chickie Steritt at 845-6582414 or Hal Sampson at 845-658-9020. Second Sunday Supper is back, live and in person! The Rondout Valley United Methodist Church will host its Second Sunday Supper at 5:30 p.m., Sept. 11, at the church, at 25 Schoonmaker Lane, off Route 209 in Stone Ridge. All are invited to meet and greet other members of the community, dine together and enjoy one another’s company. Second Sunday Suppers are free and held on the second Sunday of every month (except July and August). For more information, call 845687-9061. Sunday worship at RVUMC is in person at 10 a.m. or online anytime at rvumc.org. Need prayer? Call Pastor Caroline at 845-687-9090. Poetry with Rosemary Dean Join the community via Zoom, 1:30-3 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month, with the next meeting on Sept. 15. This program is presented by the Stone Ridge Library. Contact Rosemary Dean at rmdeen@gmail.com to join the group. Mini Hawk Watch drop-in program at Minnewaska Join Nick Martin, park educator, at the Beacon Hill field and picnic area, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, for a program to watch for migrating raptors. This is a drop-in program and preregistration is not required. For more information or questions, contact the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 845255-0752 or email nicholas.martin@ parks.ny.gov.
See More events, page 22
The Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Company is a group of volunteers who are trying to do a job that needs doing but would cost too much to pay someone to do. They must train to do all sorts of things and be ready to respond, whatever the time. Whether it’s making pancakes or saving a life, they are there for their community.
Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Co. Labor Day Pancake Breakfast and Car Show Enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns, coffee and orange juice, 8 a.m.-noon Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Company Labor Day Pancake Breakfast, at the firehouse, at the intersection of County Route 2 at 519 Pine Bush Road in Stone Ridge, just a mile north of Route 209. Admission is by donation of $9, as the fire company has been doing the breakfast
for over 50 years. And don’t forget the Car Show, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. the following day, Monday, Labor Day, Sept. 5, at the firehouse. Admission is free and includes free food and drink to the participants. Attendees are encouraged to bring food to share, such as cookies or other baked goods and watermelon. Prizes will be awarded to winning cars and trucks. For information, call 845-687-9801.
HHC volunteer Therese Bimka will continue to have an 8 a.m. daily community meditation via Zoom, open to all and free of charge. Each session will last 20 minutes. The bulk of the time will be used for group meditation. Each daily meditation will end by setting an intention for healing Nameline self and the community. “We are up to about 70 participants including international folks,” said Bimka. “It’s a good way to begin and end the day,” she suggested. Meeting ID is 973 702 2629 and password, 397057. For more information on the daily community meditations and all her events, including the Interfaith Pray-in and the Community Mental Health Forum, reach out to her by email at theresebimka@ gmail.com.
The Stone Ridge Library Saunter-ers The group will continue their weekly sojourns: noon-12:45 p.m. Thursdays, with the next four at the O&W Rail Trail, Sept. 8, at Rest Plaus Parking Lot; Sept. 15, at Leggett Road Parking Lot; Sept. 22, at Granit Road Parking Lot at Town Park on County Route 27; and Sept. 29, at WV Rail Trail, meet at the Trestle Bridge Parking Lot on Binnewater Road. The Sept. 29 saunter will culminate with a picnic lunch, 1-2 p.m., on the library lawn to celebrate the program. Wear comfy walking shoes, sunscreen and bug spray. For more information, visit stoneridgelibrary.org or call 845-687-7023.
John McDevitt King in his studio
‘Refracted Light,’ encaustic paintings and works on paper from John McDevitt King This exhibition will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 18, with the opening reception, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2; dinner with the artist, 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3; and the Artist’s Talk, 4-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, at Merge alternative art gallery, 178 Schoonmaker Lane, Stone Ridge. Admission is free. John McDevitt King received his BFA from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, his MFA from Hunter College, City University of New York, and holds a graduate gemologist diploma from the Gemological Institute of America. He is the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foun-
dation Grant, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Grant, and a Vermont Studio Center Artist Residency. In his gemological work he has written and lectured extensively on colored diamonds and laboratory practice and has graded some of the world’s most famous diamonds, including the 45-carat blue Hope diamond at the Smithsonian Institution, the 128-carat yellow Tiffany, and the 273-carat internally flawless and colorless Centenary Diamond. For more information, visit mergesr.com and johnmcdevittking.com.
Live birds of prey drop-in program Join Annie Mardiney, wildlife rehabilitator from Wild Mountain Birds, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, for an up-close and personal look at some of the raptors common to the Shawangunk Ridge. Live education birds may include red-tailed hawk, broad-winged hawk, American kestrel, barred owl, screech owl and great horned owl. Stop by the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center to meet these amazing and beautiful animals in person. No dogs at this program, please. Meet on the lawn on
Wildlife rehabilitator from Wild Mountain Birds, Annie Mardiney of Rosendale
the south side of the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson. This is a drop-in program and preregistration is not required. For information, call Minnewaska at 845-255-0752.
Preorders due by Sept. 9 for pulled pork takeout dinner in Kerhonkson Back by popular demand, the Federated Church of Kerhonkson will host its second annual barbecued pulled pork takeout dinner, Saturday, Sept. 17 with pickup time 4-6 p.m. at the church, 35 42nd St., Kerhonkson, just a block off Route 209. Dinner includes a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, baked beans, corn bread and a brownie – all in a to-go container. Cost is $13, $12 for seniors, and $5 for kids. Call 845-626-0642 or 8454-626-8213 to place orders, which must be made by Friday, Sept. 9. Payment is due at the time of pickup for this delicious homemade dinner, with proceeds supporting the church.
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Page 22, September 2, 2022, BlueStone Press
CCEUC Annual Plant Sale at Xeriscape Garden in Stone Ridge
Events continued from page 21
ARTS, MUSIC, BODY & MIND SahasraYoga in-person and Zoom classes with Kyra Sahasrabudhe at RidgeWell Fitness All levels and abilities are welcome to join these in-person hatha yoga classes taught by Kyra Sahasrabudhe (CYT) of Stone Ridge, 10-11:15 a.m. Mondays (Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26) and 9-10:15 a.m. Wednesdays (Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28), at RidgeWell Fitness, 3555 Main St., Stone Ridge; and in the virtual (Zoom) class 5-6:15 p.m. Tuesdays (Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27). Props and modifications are offered in class allowing students to make each pose/asana their own. For cost and more information, email sahasrayoga21@gmail.com or call 845-750-7808. Art & music in the woods and more at the Rail Trail Café There is a natural backdrop and canopy of trees, a small sound system, a few lights, and open ears and hearts at the Rail Trail Café, 310 River Road Extension, Rosendale. Upcoming performances and events include the Café Bazaar, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2-Monday, Sept. 5; Levanta with Ev Mann, Thomas Workman, Gabriel Dresdale and Timothy Hill, 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2; Liana Gabel at 1 p.m. and Julia Haines on harp at 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3; Shokoloko with Joakim Lartey, percussion, voice, and electronics, with Richard Carr, electric violin, at 1 p.m. and the Wild Swan Band with Jon Garelick on mandolin, bazouki and vocals; Sarah Underhill, vocals; TG Vanini, fiddle and vocals; and Ian Worpole, guitar and vocals, at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4; Eric Archer, Ripple Little, 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5; Climate Round Table, 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9; Benefit concert for the Rail Trail with Ev Mann, Steve Gorn, David Gonzalez and Mario Rincon at 1 p.m., and A Good Boat at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10; Spirit Brothers with Ned Leavitt, Steve Gorn, Joseph Jastrab and Avinash and Mini Kirtan Fest, both at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11; and World Dance with Bill and Livia of Vanaver Caravan, 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16. A basket is passed at all events, and $10 or pay-what-you-can is suggested. “Please bring cash,” says the Rail Trail Café website. Visit railtrailcaferosendale.com or call 845-389-7714 for information. Music on Market Concert presents Alana Wyld & Wyld Blue The Music on Market Concert Series, live and virtual, as part of the Music on Market Coffeehouse Series, will present Alana Wyld &Wyld Blue, winner of the 2019 Blues Artist of the Year Thomas Edison Music Award, aka “The Eddies,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. On Thursday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m., the coffeehouse will host the 13 O’Clock Blues Band, featuring Jon Catler on guitar; Babe Borden, keys and vocals; Chris Roy, bass; and Skip Fischer, drums. Music on Market performances are at MISU, 40 Market St., Ellenville, and are also live-streamed on Zoom. Preregistration is requested. Consider donating to MISU for tickets. For information, visit misucatskills.org or call 845-377-3727. September at the Kiva in Stone Ridge This month, at the Kiva, behind Marbletown Multi-Arts, MaMA, at 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge, experience Sound Immersion with Himalayan singing bowls, gongs, crystal bowls, Monolins, chimes, flutes, tuning forks, and more, featuring Sonic Tonic with Thomas Workman, Peter Blum, Katie Down and Ev Mann, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3., $25 admission. For more information, call 845-5941209. Enjoy Yin Yoga with a touch of Thai Massage led by Eric Archer and Diana Seiler, LMT, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, for $25; Sounding with Onome Om, 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, for $27/$20; and 11 a.m.-noon each Saturday, is Nia with Jane Mielo, featuring cardio movement blending dance, martial arts with mindfulness for $15-$20 sliding scale. Email jaynemielo@gmail.com for information
High Falls artist Marlene Wiedenbaum
High Falls artist Marlene Wiedenbaum & Sue Barrasi’s ‘Moments’ opens Sept. 10
Barrasi
“Moments,” an exhibition running through Saturday, Nov. 5, will have its opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, with local artists Marlene Wiedenbaum and Sue Barrasi, at the Mark
‘Watercolors in the Corner,’ Staats Fasoldt at the Wired Gallery in High Falls Medicine woman Betsy Booth and the Woodstock Village Green, late 19th century
Theatre on the Road presents ‘Voices From the Past’ In collaboration with the Historical Society of Woodstock, Theatre on the Road, a traveling company based in Rosendale, presents an original play, “Voices From the Past,” that allows guests to meet seven characters from Woodstock’s illustrious past. Performances will be held outdoors at 3 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 10 and 17, at the Historical Society’s Eames House, 20 Comeau Drive in Woodstock. Guests are encouraged to bring folding chairs. Frank Marquette, the owner-operator of Theatre on the Road, is producing “Voices From the Past,” and Lydia Pidlusky, local writer-singer-actor, is directing from her original script. “Through the perspectives of seven historical characters spanning two centuries, we will explore the role of
women and African-Americans in the 19th century,” said Pidlusky, “the explosion of tourism and the creation of the art colony, the legacy of the Indigenous peoples, and Woodstock's tradition of honoring the iconic beauty of the landscape and its independent spirit.” Characters will share stories through monologues as well as interaction with each other. Featuring early settlers Charles Krack and Elias Hasbrouck, George Mead of Mead’s Mountain House, medicine woman Betsy Booth, Elizabeth Reynolds of the famed boarding house, Andrew Mink, an early African American settler, and artist and writer Anita Smith. The performance will also include live period music. Both performances will be benefits for the Historical Society of Woodstock. Advance tickets are $15 per person, $20 for general admission, and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased by visiting historicalsocietyofwoodstock. org or by calling 845-679-2256. For more information, visit theatreontheroad.com or call 845-475-7973.
See the most recent works, with a few beautiful throwbacks, by Rosendale artist Staats Fasoldt in his “Watercolors in the Corner” exhibition running through Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Wired Gallery, 11 Mohonk Road, High Falls, with the opening reception held from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. Fasoldt is president of the board of the Woodstock School of Art and has taught painting and drawing there for 35 years. He is an active member of the Woodstock Artists Association, the Arts Society of Kingston and LongReach Arts, Hudson Valley’s premier mobile artists co-op. He has an MFA in painting from SUNY New Paltz. “My paintings are interpretations of nature that stress spontaneity as method,” said Fasoldt. “The pleasure and struggle for me is trying to catch a glimpse of the essential.” For more information, visit thewiredgallery.com or call 682-564-5613.
The Saints of Swing at Lydia’s Café
Rondout Valley Business Association breakfast meeting The RVBA
breakfast meeting will be held 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Marbletown Community Center, 3564 Main St., Stone Ridge, where the guest speaker will be Ulster County comptroller March Gallagher. The breakfast will be catered by the Black Board Bistro, served buffet style with coffee, for $18 per person. RSVP to infor@rondoutvalley.org.
Gruber Gallery, 17 New Paltz Plaza. Mark Gruber of Marbletown’s gallery in New Paltz has hours, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and Sunday by appointment. For more information, visit markgrubergallery.com, wiedenbaum.com or suebarrasi.com.
The Master Gardener Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County will be hosting its Annual Plant Sale, 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Sept. 10, rain or shine, at the Xeriscape Garden at SUNY Ulster, 491 Cottekill Road in Stone Ridge. The plant sale will offer an array of plants from the Xeriscape Garden itself, plus perennials, shrubs, trees and even houseplants grown by the master gardeners. The plant sale is part of the “Learning in the Garden” series, held every third Saturday at the Xeriscape Garden, June through October, with the last workshop, “My Beautiful Yard,” on Oct. 15. The Xeriscape Garden is an interactive teaching tool in the selection of heat-tolerant water-wise plants, integrated pest management and alternative landscaping techniques. Proceeds from the annual plant sale benefit the CCEUC Master Gardener program. Cash and check will be accepted. For more information, contact Courtney Churchill at 845-340-3990, ext. 335, or email cmc534@cornell.edu.
René Bailey of Kerhonkson has performed with such greats as Louis Armstrong, B. B. King, Aretha Franklin, Paul Anka and Sam Cooke.
Enjoy live music 7-10 p.m. Saturday nights at Lydia’s Café, 7 Old Route 209, Stone Ridge, with no cover; donations welcome, reservations recommended. Upcoming performances include the Chris Pasin Quartet with Pasin on trumpet; Jeff Ciampa, guitar; Clayton Thompson, bass; and Dave Berger, drums, Sept. 3; the Saints of Swing featuring Rene Baily, Sept. 10; the David Gilmore Trio, Sept. 17; and the Kelly Green Trio with Green on piano and vocals; Luca Soul Rosenfeld, bass; and Evan Hyde, drums, Sept. 24. For more info, call 845-687-6373 or visit lydias-cafe.com.
Still life E, 11 x 14 in. watercolor by Staats Fasoldt
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ACCORD BIG BARN SALE Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday Sept 2, 3, 4, 5 8AM-5PM Rain or Shine TONS OF DELIGHTFUL INTERESTING THINGS vintage, contemporary, fun, useful; really good clothes, accessories, housewares, hardwares, kitchenware, art, crafts, linens, some furniture, LP’s, great old books, vintage magazines, etc… … and a Barn Boutique 26 STORE ROAD (at the Stone Barn) (take Whitfield or Mettacahonts) oldstoreroad@aol.com Items For Sale
2015 Subaru Forrester 154,000 miles Excellent shape $9000 845-658-8580
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TOWN OF MARBLETOWN Rondout Municipal Center 1925 Lucas Avenue, Cottekill marbletown.net 845-687-7500 Town Board September 6 @ 6:00pm Historic Preservation September 8 @ 6:00pm Planning Board September 12 @ 6:00pm MPIC September 13 @ 5:00pm Housing Committee September 13 @ 7:00pm Town Board September 20 @ 6:00pm Housing Committee September 27 @ 7:00pm
TOWN OF ROSENDALE All meetings held at Rondout Municipal Center unless otherwise noted, 1915 Lucas Avenue, Cottekill townofrosendale.com 845-658-3159 Environmental Commission September 8 @ 6:30pm Planning Board September 8 @ 7:00pm Youth Commission September 12 @ 7:30pm Town Board September 14 @ 7:00pm Zoning Board of Appeals September 20 @ 7:00pm Economic Development September 21 @ 5:30pm Recreation Commission September 21 @ 7:15pm
TOWN OF ROCHESTER All meetings held at Harold Lipton Community Center unless otherwise noted 15 Tobacco Road, Accord townofrochester.ny.gov 845-626-7384 Planning Board September 12 @ 7:00pm Zoning Board September 15 @ 7:00pm Historic Preservation September 19 @ 2:00pm Recreation Commission September 21 @ 9:30am Environmental Conservation September 27 @ 6:00pm Town Board Audit September 29 @ 6:00pm Town Board Meeting October 6 @ 6:30pm
RONDOUT VALLEY CSD BOARD OF EDUCATION District Office, Kyserike Rd, Accord BOE MEETING September 13 @ 7-9pm) Confirmation of meeting times through individual town offices is recommended.
Page 24, September 2, 2022 BlueStone Press
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Wayne W. St. Hill, DDS, MAGD
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PC Perfection
Edgar P. Campbell Joanne C. Whalen
Helping Human Beings Cope with Computers since 1986
Counsellors At Law
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(845) 687-9458
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Michele Aversano, Licensed Associate michelesri@outlook.com
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