Hoosipalooza is a community celebration to support the Hoosick Falls Food Pantry on February 2. This day long, spirited celebration will provide our community with a full itinerary of events, activities, music and food for all ages provided by local clubs, organizations, churches, teams and community members. All events are free, but donation jars will be present at each location with all proceeds benefiting the Hoosick Falls Food pantry. Last year’s Hoosipalooza raised over $2,000.
Last year’s highlight was the Hoosipalooza Bed Race where Hoosick residents watched their fellow community members jump on the sheets and push their crazy homemade bed mobiles down Main Street. Each team was sponsored by a business, group, organization or family. There was no limit to the amount of decorations or spirit each team boasted, and that rule still applies this year!
What Are The Bed Race Rules?
• Teams must construct their bed mobile from a twin size bed.
• The bed mobile must have four wheels.
• At least one team member must be on the bed during the race.
• The team name must be proudly displayed on the mobile.
• The bed pushers (during the race) must be 15 years of age or older.
• There is no set price to enter the race, only a donation.
Bed Race Prizes will go to the fastest, funniest and most creative beds. Winners will receive fame and glory throughout our community! The Bed Race will begin at noon on February 2. The starting line will be in front of Village Primary Care, and the finish line will be at Wood Park. Contact HAYC3 to register.
HooOwl Hunt
New this year is the HooOwl Hunt. The HooOwl Hunt is a two week Snow Owl hunt in Hoosick. One snow owl will be hidden in a secret location in the Hoosick Community. Each day a riddled clue pertaining to the HooOwl’s whereabouts will be posted on www.HAYC3.org. The first clue will be posted on January 20. The person who finds the HooOwl will win $250. Brush up on your local history, Hoosick geography and rhetoric because January 20 is fast approaching!
If you would like more information regarding Hoosipalooza, the Bed Race, the HooOwl Hunt or adding something to the Hoosipalooza, day-long itinerary, please contact HAYC3 at 686-9050.
Hoosac School Varsity Boys Basketball Team Wins BB&N Invitational Tournament
The Hoosac School Owls traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts the weekend of December 29 to take part in the 10th annual Buckingham, Browne & Nichols Knights invitational basketball tournament. The field was comprised of both large and small schools from the prestigious New England Prep School League.
Hoosac, by far the smallest of the tournaments participants, opened its action against host BB&N at 9 am on Saturday. Hoosac dressed just seven players for the tournament due to holiday travel conflicts for several of their players, but that proved to be enough as they defeated BB&N 57-45 in a hard fought opening game. Junior Benas Maslauskas and Freshman Unique McLean led the Owls in scoring with 16 points each while Charles Wingate ran the point position superbly and contributed 11 points in the win. [Read more…] about Hoosac School Varsity Boys Basketball Team Wins BB&N Invitational Tournament
Eat More, Weigh Less
Obesity, the leading cause of death in the United States – is the result of poor nutrition and inactivity. What is at the far end of the fork is killing Americans – over 500,000 of us annually. It is setting us up for diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke and even cancer. Two thirds of Americans are overweight, and one third are obese. The epidemic of obesity can be reversed and more easily than you think. Success is possible! You simply need a realistic, systematic, take charge approach to weight management.
In a dynamic presentation on Thursday, January 17, at 6:30 pm at the Buskirk Better Living Center at the Buskirk Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2176 West Hoosick Road, you’ll learn about how to get to your ideal weight naturally and stay there effortlessly, the eight factors that scientific research associates with increased weight, concrete strategies for reducing fat in your diet and increasing physical activity, coping with stress and creating support systems. This is a free community service supported by your donations. For more information, please call 686-4524.
Robin O’Herin To Perform At The New Lebanon Library
Berkshire musician Robin O’Herin will be performing at the New Lebanon Library on Friday, January 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public, although donations for the performer are appreciated.
O’Herin specializes in historically rich, interactive concerts that include original and traditional American music. Her concerts are warm, affirming experiences which explore the music of the Delta and Piedmont regions of the South. Song selections may include Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson and O’Herin’s own original blues and fingerstyle ballads.
Robin O’Herin was a finalist in the 2006 Memphis Blues Challenge. She played in the Tropea Blues Festival in Tropea, Italy, in September of 2006. She was the headlining act in the Resophonic Blues Festival in Pilzen, Czechoslovakia in 2005. She has opened for the Doobie Brothers, Vance Gilbert and Michael Powers. Her music was used in the soundtrack for the PBS “2005 Roadtrip Nations.” She was a Telluride Blues Finalist in 2009. She has shared the stage with Paul Geremia, Andy Cohen and Roy Bookbinder. She is currently working on a new CD.
For further information on this event, please call the Library at 518-794-8844. The public is welcome, and the event is free.
The Library is located at 550 State Route 20, ¼ mile north of the yellow blinking light at the intersection of Routes 20/22.
Alexander Haley Named To President’s List At SUNYIT
Alexander Haley of Stephentown, majoring in Electrical Engineering Technology, has been named to the President’s List for the fall 2012 semester at SUNYIT. A semester grade point average of 3.60 or above qualifies full time, matriculated students for inclusion on the President’s List.
SUNYIT, the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, is New York State’s public institute of technology, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in technology and professional studies.
Wildlife Tracking Field Intensive With Alcott Smith
Experience a full or half day field intensive with Alcott Smith, tracker, naturalist and veterinarian. Three wildlife tracking sessions are offered at the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center on Saturday, January 26, from 9 am to 4 pm and Sunday, January 27, from 9 am to 12 noon or 1 pm to 4 pm. Sign up for one or all sessions.
From sets of tracks will emerge entire stories in the lives of the animals who traveled, foraged, hunted and interacted with one another. In past programs we have followed tracks to a porcupine in its den, found kill sites with tracks emanating in all directions and have found mouse tracks that end at a set of wing marks. The possibilities are truly endless.
Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Each session will explore a different area of the Center. Please register by contacting Jim at jim@bonesteel.com or 518-658-2055. There is a fee of $30 for the full day program and $20 for a half day program with a $5 discount for members of the Friends of Dyken Pond. Participants must dress appropriately for being outdoors and must be physically fit.
The Dyken Pond Center is a Rensselaer County Park open daily during daylight hours for hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Call 658-2055 or visit the website www.dykenpond.org for more information, directions and a complete schedule of our winter events.
What Is The RPA?
Submitted by the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance
The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance (RPA), established in 2006, is a diverse group of organizations and people who want to conserve and protect the forested character of the Rensselaer Plateau and the many economic and environmental benefits it provides. The Rensselaer Plateau is a spectacular resource of about 105,000 acres that includes the fifth largest forest in New York State and endless opportunities for recreation, tourism, commerce and traditional living. A grassroots organization, the RPA is people living in the area who share a common interest in ensuring that future generations will experience and value the many benefits of the plateau.
Protecting our forests for the future means planning ahead and working together. We consider one of the best ways to accomplish this is simply by talking with our neighbors. If we all do our part, we can protect the plateau for our future.
In the past year we talked with our neighbors at many events including public forums, landowner workshops, public displays, town board meetings and woods walks. Knowledge is a key tool to understanding that preservation and protection do not happen alone. Preservation and protection require collaboration and proactive actions – all of which are currently happening because the people and organizations of RPA talk with their neighbors, friends, municipalities and elected officials about this “superlative” resource in our backyard and how we all play a role in protecting it. Come talk to us at the Grafton Winter Festival on January 19 or at one of our future events. Learn more about our events and regularly scheduled open meetings at www.rensselaerplateau.org.
Rensselaer Land Trust Receives New Preserve
On December 18, 2012, theRensselaer Land Trust (RLT) received 54 acres of significant wetlands in the Town of Nassau from the National Audubon Society. Part of Pine Swamp, an extensive marsh and swamp complex adjacent to Smith Pond, the property contains wildlife habitat and supports unusual plant species for Rensselaer County. Located off of Lyons Lake Road, the property will remain a nature preserve, with public access for environmental studies and natural history outings.
[Read more…] about Rensselaer Land Trust Receives New Preserve
Keith F. Gates
Eagle Bridge – Keith F. Gates, 44, of Route 67, Eagle Bridge, NY, died on Tuesday, January 8, 2013, at Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY. Born in Cambridge, NY, on May 12, 1968, Keith was a lifelong resident of the area and attended Hoosick Falls Central High School. He was a self-employed auto mechanic who had a true love for Ford trucks. He enjoyed camping, boating, hunting and fishing.
Survivors include his parents, Walter L. and Beverly A. Granger Gates of Hoosick Falls, NY, his fiancee, Kimberlee “Elizabeth” Mulready with whom he resided, a son, Keith E. Gates of Hoosick Falls, a step-daughter, Mandi Mulready of Eagle Bridge, grandchildren, Jordyn and Dylan, siblings, Michelle M. Gates of NYC, Scott W. and wife Merry Gates of Petersburgh, NY, Walter L. Gates Jr. and wife Christina of Buskirk, NY, Lynn M. Senecal of Eagle Bridge and Heather A. Gates and Rob McCannery of Clearwater, FL, and a special nephew and best friend, Todd Weber of Eagle Bridge. He is also survived by nephew Scott Gates Jr. of Petersburgh along with many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Cremation will be at the Gardner Earl Memorial Crematorium in Troy, NY. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 12, at 6 pm at the First Baptist Church 80 Main Street, Hoosick Falls. Relatives and friends are invited to the Church for visitation on Saturday from 4 to 6 pm to visit with Keith’s family. Arrangements are under the direction of the Thomas M. Barber Funeral Home of Petersburgh.
Lottie M. Brock
Berlin – Lottie M. Brock, 42, of Dyken Pond Road, Berlin, NY, died on Monday evening, December 31, 2012, at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, NY, after being stricken at home.
Born July 11, 1970, in Pittsfield, MA, Lottie was the loving wife of Karl D. Brock Sr., whom she married on June 20, 1992, in the Grafton (NY) Baptist Church. Raised in Stephentown, NY, she was a 1988 graduate of Berlin Central High School. Lottie worked at Energy Answers Corp. now known as Covanta Energy, with offices in Pittsfield and Agawam, MA. At the time of her death, she had been employed there for 23 years as a Senior Account Specialist. She was a former member of the Berlin Rod and Gun Club, where she served as Treasurer. She enjoyed cooking and the family’s yearly camping at Floodwood Pond in Saranac Lake, NY. Her true love was for her devoted family.
Survivors include her husband, Karl, her mother and her step-father, Roberta and Leonard Shackett of Stephentown, her two children, Karl D. Brock Jr. of West Sand Lake, NY, and Tonya M. Brock of Berlin, her siblings James and wife Tonya Rathbun of Hancock, MA, Vincent Rathbun of Warrensburg and Leanna Bailey of Stephentown, along with in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.
A Memorial Service was held on Saturday, January 5, at 4 pm in the Thomas M. Barber Funeral Home, 66 Armsby Road, Petersburgh, NY, where Rev. Mark Norland officiated. Lottie’s family received visitors at the funeral home on Saturday starting at 2 pm. Her cremated remains will be placed in Floodwood Pond later this summer.
To remember Lottie in a special way, memorial contributions may be given to the Berlin Rod and Gun Club in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 361, Petersburgh, NY. 12138.