The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Berlin

Berlin Town Board Meeting – Water Mains 4½ Feet Underground Are Freezing Up

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by David Flint

Besides keeping the snowplow trucks running, this exceptional winter has brought severe cold too that is wreaking havoc on infrastructure. Reporting for Water District 2 at the Berlin Town Board meeting Monday, March 12, Jim Winn said that a couple of 4-inch mains had frozen up and left a number of dwellings on Mill Street without water for a few days.The mains were 4 1/2 feet below ground. Winn said the frost is down to five feet.

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Berlin FD Clam Steam Postponed

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The Berlin Volunteer Fire Company Clam Steam scheduled for Sunday March 22 has been postponed to May 17.

Unfortunately, icy waters along the East Coast have led to a historic shellfish shortage, including our beloved clams.

Distributors are denying orders with all the requests from our area depleting their supplies as well.

We are in hopes that warmer weather will soon arrive bringing with it a renewed supply for a May event. Anyone having purchased tickets for March will, of course, be honored in May. Hold on to your tickets.

For questions or concerns, please contact the member from whom you received your ticket.Thank you for your understanding.

Irish Jam Party At The Berlin Library

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Come to our Irish Jam Party at the Berlin Free Town Library on Saturday, March 21, from 7 to 9 pm. Our acoustic jam will feature musicians from the Saturday morning jam at Mass MoCA for a mostly Irish jam. Bring your instrument to join in for an unplugged evening or just come to listen and enjoy some traditional music from the Emerald Isle. Brush up on your St. Paddy’s Day facts for a game or two of trivia.

Admission is free; refreshments will be sold to benefit the Library. Please remember our goal this year is to raise $7,000 for our “Love Your Library” campaign.

Family Fun Math Night

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The Berlin Elementary School is hosting a Family Fun Math Night on Thursday, March 19, at 6:30 pm. It is a great opportunity for families to come together and play games that will strengthen math skills. Activities and games will be available for pre-k through fifth grade levels.  We will have board games, card games, dice games, bowling games, play dough, technology, movies, dancing and so much more! The popcorn machine will be making our favorite snack and each family will receive a gift to play with at home. Please join us for a fun night! We look forward to seeing you!

Youth 2 Youth Berlin Spring Fling

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Youth 2 Youth Berlin will be hosting its Spring Fling on Friday, March 20, at the Berlin Middle School/High School from 7 to 9:30 pm. Berlin teens are invited to a night of games, music, dancing, Wii, prizes and raffles. Tickets can be pre-ordered through the Y2Y Berlin Group, Biffy Cahill or the Main Office at the Berlin Middle/High School. They are $3 in advance or $5 at the door and include snacks and beverage.

Contact Biffy Cahill (BiffyCahill@gmail.com or 518-791-2001) for more information.

Find us on Facebook: Youth 2 Youth Berlin.

Seals Of The Industrial Revolution

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Local author Marvin Bubie will discuss in Poestenkill the history of seals of various states and cities as they relate to the Industrial Revolution. Marvin has stories to go with each seal from his most recent book due to be published shortly.

The train was a very important part of industry and Marvin said you would be surprised at how many towns have a locomotive on their seal. According to his web site, “Over the years Marvin has collected and decoded the official seals and municipal symbols from various cities, towns, counties, boroughs and villages in this country as well as those in Europe. Each seal is a mini-history lesson and a collection all relating to a common heritage that tells of a reverence for that heritage.”

Copies of his previous books on the Dutch in New York (which includes Poestenkill) and the American Revolution will be available for purchase at $19.95.

Come join us on Tuesday, March 24, and get more facts and information at 7 pm at the Poestenkill Town Hall, Route 351 in the meeting room downstairs. Refreshments will be served. For more information on Marvin Bubie’s publications please visit his web site at mnobooks.com.

Garrison And Palmer On Dean’s List

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Paul Garrison of Petersburgh, who is majoring in Environmental Studies, and  Llewellyn Palmer of Berlin, who is majoring in Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management, were named to the Dean’s List at Paul Smith’s College during the fall 2014 semester. They earned semester averages of 3.3 or higher to receive this distinction.

Local Sugarmakers To Host Two Maple Open House Weekends

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The Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association will once again host two Maple Open House Weekends, March 21 and 22, and March 28 and 29, allowing the public to take a free tour of area sugarhouses and see maple syrup made first hand.

“We’re inviting area families to come and experience first hand the sights, smells and sounds of maple sugar-making,” said David Campbell, a Salem producer and president of the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association. “The event has been so successful we have expanded it to two weekends, giving folks more opportunity to come visit sugarhouses,” he said.

Signs will be placed along roadsides over the course of the weekend to direct motorists to the sugarhouses. The sugarhouses will be open from 10 am to 4 pm each day.

Most sugarhouses will offer samples and demonstrations.  Many of the locations will be serving pancake breakfasts as well.

Sugarhouses participating in the event are located throughout Washington, Warren, Saratoga, Rensselaer, Fulton and Montgomery Counties. Area sugarhouses participating are  Ioka Valley Farm, Hancock, MA, 413-738-5915, and Kent’s Sugar House, Berlin, 518-658-2134.

Maple season generally runs from now through the beginning of April.  The Upper Hudson region is among the biggest syrup producing areas in New York State.

The Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association is a trade organization representing maple producers in Washington, Warren, Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton and Rensselaer Counties.

Alan G. Hall

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Berlin – Alan G. Hall, 51, of East Greenbush, NY, formerly of Berlin, NY, died suddenly on March 3, 2015, at Albany Medical Center. A loving husband and father, a loyal brother and uncle, Alan’s love and devotion to his family was unmatched. To watch Alan with his beloved Michelle and his two daughters, Annie and Lydia, was life’s dance at its best. Nostalgic in every way, Alan always had one foot in the past as he lived in the present.

Born in Manhattan, Alan was a graduate of Berlin Central High School and RPI, majoring in Geology. Alan worked at Dunn Geoscience and Delaney Construction before starting the consulting firm of H2H Associates in Troy, NY, with partner Richard Hisert.

Alan was the son of the late Anthony and Angeles (Taggueg) Hall, and the ideals they instilled in him were the cornerstone of his life. Family, faith, community and friends were the pillars that led him to lead an exceptional life – a life of generosity and compassion. To say that Alan was loyal is an understatement. To know Alan was to know you had a friend for life. He was the first one to drop everything to be at your side. Anything that Alan had was yours for the taking (except for, maybe, his collection of Topps Baseball cards, which are likely now being held in a safety deposit box somewhere in the Cayman Islands).

Alan was the beloved husband of Michelle L. (Ruffos) Hall, and the devoted father of daughters Annie and Lydia. He is also survived by his sister, Audrey (Scott) Vanderhoef of Grafton, NY, his brother, Albert and wife Kim Hall of Latham, NY, his niece, Christine Hall of Raleigh, NC, and his nephew, Andrew Hall of Latham. He was the brother-in-law of Mitchell Ruffos and the son-in-law of Carolyn and Paul Ruffos.

Services were Monday at the Church of St. Mary, 163 Columbia Turnpike, Rensselaer, NY. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Alan’s memory to the American Heart Association at 440 New Karner Road, Albany, NY, 12205, and/or the Alan G. Hall Outstanding Business Leader Award, care of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Columbia High School, 962 Luther Road, East Greenbush, NY, 12061.

Light a condolence candle at www.wjrockefeller.com.