The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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Grafton Community Library Presents Bubble Trouble With Jeff Boyer

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On Friday, August 22, at 6:30 pm, the Grafton Community Library will celebrate the Grand Finale of it’s 2014 Summer Reading Program with an exciting evening of entertainment featuring Jeff Boyer’s “Bubble Trouble.”

A bubble volcano? A Bubble roller coaster? A kid in a bubble? Jeff Boyer takes bubbles to the max in this one man bubble extravaganza. It’s the craziest, most creative bubble show around. Jeff juggles bubbles, sculpts and builds with bubbles, makes fog-filled bubbles and more. Mixing comedy, music and interactive bubble magic, he will engage and delight audiences of all ages.

This free program will be held at the Everett Wagar Senior Center in Grafton. For more information contact the Library at 279-0580 or visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

It’s Not To Late To Support The Karen And Molly McGovern Fund

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The annual Karen McGovern Volley Ball Tournament benefitting the Karen AND Molly McGovern Fund will take place on Saturday, September 6, at 10 am at The Sand Bar.

You can support the fundraising efforts of the Tournament in the following ways:

• Send a team! The requested donation is $30 per participant or $175 per team. A team may consist of 4 persons including 1 woman or 5/6 persons including 2 women. Adults only. Each participant receives a T-shirt, buffet lunch and keg beer.

• Sponsor a team! The cost is $175 and sponsors are recognized through signage during the tournament.

• Make a donation! All donations help support the Fund. There are no administrative expenses.

• Donate an item for our raffle! Please call 518-857-7115, and a committee member will be happy to pick up your donation.

Funds are raised throughout the year through bequests, memorials and additional fundraisers including poker runs and fashion shows. The Karen McGovern volleyball tournament itself has raised over $100,000, all of which has been distributed to members of our community who have been challenged with a life threatening illness.

Isabel McGuire Honored

This year the Karen McGovern Volleyball Tournament is honoring the life and memory of Isabel McGuire. As a friend of Karen, Isabel supported the tournament by participating enthusiastically with her team, Campers, every year of the tournament. Isabel lost her battle with cancer, demonstrating the same admirable perseverance and strength as Karen.

Matt Philpott Recognized

Also being recognized is Matt Philpott. Matt’s family will receive an award which represents Matt’s dedication and commitment throughout each of the Karen McGovern Fund tournaments. His love of competition provided spirit, and his compassion towards keeping Karen’s memory alive was honorable.

Funds help individuals and families with expenses related to their medical condition or provide assistance with purchasing fuel, groceries or other necessities. The Fund also provides assistance to people who need transportation to area hospitals and doctor appointments.

Checks can be made out to Rural Rensselaer County Council for Health and Human Services c/o Karen and Molly McGovern Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 132, Hoosick Falls, NY, 12090, or stop at the Sand Bar on Saturday, September 6. Questions? Please call 518-857-7115.

Grafton Community Library Summer Book Club At The Beach

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Babcock Lake resident and Grafton Community Library Trustee, Nancy Chase, invites the Library community to the second installment of the “Summer Book Club at the Beach” at the Babcock Lake Beach Gazebo on August 20 at 7 pm.

August’s book selection is The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden. Copies are available at the Library. Participants are invited to gather at the Babcock Lake Beach Gazebo shortly before 7 pm to have a swim and then join in a lively book discussion.

For more information contact the Library at 279-0580 or visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

Author Debby Mayer To Speak At The New Lebanon Library

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Local author Debby Mayer will read from her memoir, RIPTIDES & Solaces Unforeseen, at the New Lebanon Library on Thursday, August 21, at 7 pm. The reading will be followed by Q & A and discussion, after which she will sign copies of her books.

Part mystery, part love story, part report from the medical front in the United States today, RIPTIDES relates the fast onset brain cancer that ripped through a strong, healthy man and led to his death four months later at the age of fifty-six. The book is a searing chronology of the effects of devastating illness, of being caught in the maw of hospitals, of unthinkable decision making and small, unexpected solaces. Tightly written, fact based, it is never maudlin, and it offers an element of hope without sentimentality.

In addition to her memoir, Debby Mayer is author of Sisters: A Novel (Putnam’s, Berkley). A blogger and journalist, her work has been widely published. She retired from the Publications Office at Bard College as Editorial Director and is now a Contributing Editor at The Columbia Paper. She lives in Hudson, NY.

The public is welcome to this free event. For more information, please call the Library at 518-794-8844. The Library is located at 550 State Route 20, ¼ mile north of the yellow blinking light at the intersection of Routes 20/22.

A Little Night Music Party To Benefit The SML

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Join supporters of the Stephentown Memorial Library (SML) for an entertaining evening of “A Little Night Music” on Saturday, September 13. Music for the party will be provided by Doug Schmolze performing a varied repertoire of solo guitar and vocal music. The benefit will be held at Berkshire Mountain House Bed & Breakfast from 7 to 10 pm.

Tickets for the benefit cost $30 per person and include two glasses of wine, plentiful delicious hors d’oeuvres, decadent desserts and hot and cold beverages. Tickets are available at the Library or at the door. There will also be intriguing silent auctions. Proceeds will benefit operation of the Stephentown Memorial Library. Call Mona Berg at 518-733-6923 for more information or directions.

Doug Schmolze, tenor and classical guitarist, studied at the Berklee School of Music and is also a Certified Music Practitioner, trained in the Music for Healing and Transition Program. His music for this event will come from the greats of the decades of the 20s, 30s and 40s such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Harold Arlen. Schmolze will also play some international music and classical guitar solos.

Berkshire Mountain House Bed & Breakfast is a spacious contemporary inn, situated on a hilltop with incredible views of the mountains from its broad decks and many windows. The location at 150 Berkshire Way, Stephentown, is reached from Route 22 via Wyomanock Road.

Literacy Volunteers Announces New Opportunities For Fall 2014

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Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County (LVORC) offers more ways to help than ever before. Join us for a one-hour Volunteer Opportunities Information Session at 6 pm on Monday, August 25, at Faith Lutheran Church, 50 Leversee Road, Troy. Call 274-8526 to reserve a space.

LVORC is looking for volunteers to be individual tutors to adult learners. A new tutor training workshop is scheduled to begin at Faith Lutheran Church on Monday, September 8th at 6:00 p.m. In addition, LVORC is seeking reading mentors for Everybody Wins! Power Lunch, a program where adults serve as positive reading role models for elementary school kids in Troy, Cohoes and Albany. There is also a need for math tutors and for tutors to work with incarcerated learners in Rensselaer County Jail.

Literacy Volunteers welcomes all kinds of volunteers, from tutors to administrative helpers and event planners. As a volunteer you can develop new skills, make friends, and see how your efforts make a difference in your community. LVORC recruits and trains volunteers to provide individual and small group tutoring. A professional staff supports volunteers who make our programs run. For more information, visit www.lvorc.org.

Panther Football Opens At The Dome – Tickets Are On Sale Now

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submitted by Judy Frost, Public Information Specialist, Hoosick Falls CSD

The Hoosick Falls Panther Football team will open its season against the Owego Indians, a Class B school, in a game at 1 pm on Sunday, September 7, at the Syracuse Carrier Dome. Tickets for the game cost $7 and are on sale in the main office of the high school and also will be available for purchase during Code of Conduct Night on Tuesday, August 26, from 6 to 8 pm.

The Panthers are one of 20 teams from across New York State invited to play in the annual Kick-Off Classic at the Syracuse Carrier Dome the weekend of September 5-7. The Kick-Off Classic is a Section III sponsored event that raises money for the Central New York Chapter of the National Football Foundation Scholarship. This year, for the first time, Section III is opening the competition to other divisions in the state.

Hoosick Falls has twice competed at the Carrier Dome in State Championship games in 2003 and again in 2012 when the Panthers won the State title after defeating Hornell, 34-21.

Coach Ron Jones said the team has approximately 300 general admission tickets for the September 7 game. Tickets cost $7 each, and a spectator bus is being offered by the School District for students and staff who purchase tickets to the game. The Hoosick Falls cheerleaders and the Pep Band will travel to Syracuse to support the Panthers on game day.

Local businesses are invited to show their support for the Panthers by placing ads in the Kick-Off Classic program. Half page ads may be purchased for $50, and full page ads cost $100. For more information, email Coach Jones at jonesr@hoosickfallscsd.org, or contact Athletic Coordinator Tom Husser via email at hussert@hoosickfallscsd.org or call Hoosick Falls High School at 518-686-7321, ext. 1500.

HFCS Student & Parent Handbook Meeting

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There will be a public meeting on Thursday, August 28, at 5 pm in the high school auditorium for parents and students regarding the HFCS 2014-2015 Student & Parent Handbook. At this meeting, High School Principal Stacy Vadney will present the proposed changes to the handbook for the upcoming school year.

Please note that this is not the Extra-Curricular Code of Conduct meeting which is being held on August 26 for HFCS student-athletes and their parents.

BCS Sports Practices Begin Next Week

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Berlin Central High School fall sports practices begin Monday August 18. Boys JV and Varsity Soccer practices will run from 8:30 to 10:30 am. Girls JV and Varsity Soccer practices will run from 5 to 7 pm. Girls Volleyball will run from 6 to 8 pm. The Berlin Varsity Cross Country team will start practice August 18 at 6 pm.

Students must bring their health form to the first practice. It was mailed back in June with their report card.