National Trails Day is the perfect opportunity to help clean up local parks. On Saturday, June 1, the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park and Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center will be hosting the 20th Annual National Trails Day – the nation’s annual celebration of trails. Both parks invite volunteers of all ages to help clean up and improve trails on Saturday morning and indulge in the trail activities they enjoy most in the afternoon.
Registration will begin at 9 am. at both parks; refreshments and snacks will be available. Cleanup and improvement of both trail systems will take place between 9:30 am and 12 noon and will be followed by a complimentary barbecue picnic for all volunteers. After the barbecue, participants are encouraged to enjoy the trails and parks. Reservations must be made in advance for the barbecue by calling the Grafton Lakes State Park Office or Dyken Pond Office no later than May 30.
For more information about this event, please contact Grafton Lakes State Park at 518-279-1155 or Dyken Pond Center at 518-658-2055.
Berlin
June Events In Local State Parks
• Saturday, June 1 – National Trails Day. (See page 16)
• Saturday, June 8 – Jump, Slither and Swim from 1 to 3 pm. Join reptile and frog enthusiast Jorel to meet some local critters up close! This free program at GLSP will meet at the program tent by Long Pond beach.
• Saturday, June 8 – The War and Women, 11 am at the Bennington Battlefield. Take a trip back in time, and we will explore the different tasks that women took on during the war, how they dressed and how their status affected how they lived. Pre-registration is required by calling 279-1155.
• Thursday, June 20 – Summer Solstice Eve Hike at 7 pm. Celebrate these longest days of 2013 with a hike in the great outdoors. The sun’s staying up late so you can too! We’ll walk the Long Pond trail and time it to see the sunset at trail’s end. Pre-register by calling 279-1155.
• Friday, June 28 – Star Watch at Grafton Lakes State Park at 9:30 pm. Join with members of the Albany Area Astronomers and come explore the night sky. The group meets at the Deerfield pavilion. The rain date is Saturday, June 29. Call 658-9144 to confirm.
• Saturday, June 29 – Free Fishing Clinic from 11 am to 1 pm with DEC Fisheries Educators.
The clinic meets at Long Pond dam at GLSP, near the boathouse. As part of free fishing weekend, no license is required, but kids can always fish freely if under 16.
• Saturday and Sunday, June 29 and 30 – Free Fishing Weekend. Enjoy fishing without a license in NYS at both Cherry Plain and Grafton Lakes State Parks.
Grafton Lakes and Cherry Plain State Parks Kick Off Summer Season
The two local State parks kicked off the summer season Memorial Day weekend for boating, hiking and countless other recreational opportunities. Cherry Plain State Park is open for camping, swimming and day use, on weekends only, starting May 25. Grafton Lakes State Park is currently open daily from 8 am to dusk, and the swimming season began May 25.
The sandy beach at Grafton Lakes will be open for swimming Friday through Tuesday, May 25 through June 24 and then daily until Labor Day from 10 am to 6 pm. From July 1 through Labor Day, Cherry Plain State Park’s beach schedule will be daily 10 am to 6 pm. Both beach areas are equipped with comfort stations. GLSP’s swimming area and bathhouses are handicapped-accessible.
Boating opportunities at the parks include canoeing, rowing, kayaking, sailing and the use of electric powered motors. Rowboats and canoes are available for rental at both facilities. Kayaks are also available at GLSP. Boat rentals will be available at both sites on weekends only until July 1. The rental schedule will be expanded during July and August. The public may launch their own boats during park open hours from designated boat launches.
Cherry Plain State Park will offer camping on weekends only, May 29 through July 1, and then daily through Labor Day. For reservations, visit www.reserveamerica.com.
Both parks also offer numerous hiking trails and excellent fishing opportunities as well as summer programming. For summer fun enthusiasts, GLSP has playgrounds, a softball field, volleyball nets, horseshoe pits and a basketball court as well as a variety of day use tent and pavilion rentals. The park will also offer summer programs. The June calendar is currently available online at www.nysparks.com/parks.
Starting Memorial Day weekend, vehicle user fees are $8 per car when the beach is open and $6 per car when the beach is closed at both parks through Labor Day.
For more information about upcoming programs or for directions to the parks, please contact GLSP at 518-279-1155. For more information about New York State Parks, please visit our website at www.nysparks.com.
Berlin Bank Goes For $73.5k
by David Flint
Berlin’s bank building was sold at auction Wednesday for only $73,500. Although staff from Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Company were waiting, no one showed up at the bank to bid on the property. According to Norman Zimmer, Director of Operations at Max Spann, all of the bidding, by ten pre-registered bidders, took place either online or at their auction site in New Jersey.
[Read more…] about Berlin Bank Goes For $73.5k
Three Local Families Are Memorialized By The County
by Kieron Kramer
The families of three eastern Rensselaer County citizens who were memorialized by resolutions at last month’s Rensselaer County Legislative session came to the presentation period at the County meeting on May 14. The three citizens are the young fire fighter from Berlin, Steve Kellar, the beloved school bus driver and former Hoosick Falls Councilman, John “Ersel” Hickey, and Ray Darling, Sr., the Supervisor of the Town of Grafton at his death. The presentations to the families of deceased pillars of the community, those who have made the history of the County, are quite emotional and moving.
[Read more…] about Three Local Families Are Memorialized By The County
Bingo For Baseball
There will be Bingo and a 50/50 raffle on Friday, May 31, at 6 pm with the proceeds to benefit Hoosick Falls Little League Baseball/Softball. Bingo will take place in the Hoosick Falls High School Cafeteria. Winners will receive awesome prizes. The entrance fee is $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under.
For more information, contact Kim Funck at 518-686-5809 or funck1@hughes net.
Troy’s Great Fire
Kathy Sheehan, Rensselaer County Historian, will present a program on Troy’s Great Fire of 1862 to the Poestenkill Historical Society. “The air was full of smoke and cinders!”…
A major portion of Troy was destroyed when a spark from a locomotive started the fire on the wooden covered Green Island Bridge with ashes cast as far as Poestenkill and Sand Lake. Troy was one of the first communities in this area to buy steam controlled fire trucks so the firefighters were able to contain the fire laterally. The fire was stopped at what is now 8th Street to the east, Federal Street to the north and Congress Street to the south.
Come and hear many more interesting facts regarding this event. The date is May 28 at 7 pm at the Poestenkill Town Hall. For more information, please call Pat at 283-5223.
Grafton Lakes and Cherry Plain State Parks Kick Off Summer Season
The two local State parks will kick off their summer season on Memorial Day weekend opening for boating, hiking and countless other recreational opportunities. Cherry Plain State Park will open for camping, swimming and day use, on weekends only, starting Saturday, May 25. Grafton Lakes State Park is currently open daily from 8 am to dusk, and the swimming season begins May 25.
The sandy beach at Grafton Lakes will be open for swimming Friday-Tuesday, May 25 through June 24 and then daily until Labor Day from 10 am to 6 pm. From July 1 through Labor Day, Cherry Plain State Park’s beach schedule will be daily 10 am to 6 pm. Both beach areas are equipped with comfort stations. GLSP’s swimming area and bathhouses are handicapped-accessible.
Boating opportunities at the parks include canoeing, rowing, kayaking, sailing and the use of electric powered motors. Rowboats and canoes are available for rental at both facilities. Kayaks are also available at GLSP. Boat rentals will be available at both sites on weekends only until July 1. The rental schedule will be expanded during July and August. The public may launch their own boats during park open hours from designated boat launches.
Cherry Plain State Park will offer camping on weekends only, May 29 through July 1, and then daily through Labor Day. For reservations, visit www.reserveamerica.com.
Both parks also offer numerous hiking trails and excellent fishing opportunities as well as summer programming. For summer fun enthusiasts, GLSP has playgrounds, a softball field, volleyball nets, horseshoe pits and a basketball court as well as a variety of day use tent and pavilion rentals. The park will also offer summer programs. The May and June calendar is currently available online at www.nysparks.com/parks.
Starting Memorial Day weekend, vehicle user fees are $8 per car when the beach is open and $6 per car when the beach is closed at both parks through Labor Day.
For more information about upcoming programs or for directions to the parks, please contact GLSP at 518-279-1155. For more information about New York State Parks, please visit our website at www.nysparks.com.
Berlin Town Board Action – Open House At The Berlin Municipal Center
by Kieron Kramer
There will be an open house at the Berlin Municipal Center from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, June 8, so members of the community can tour the facility first hand and enjoy some of the activities that will be taking place. The open house was announced at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, May 9. [Read more…] about Berlin Town Board Action – Open House At The Berlin Municipal Center
Rensselaer County Legislature – A Bank Needed In The Valley
by Kieron Kramer
The Rensselaer County Legislature’s meeting on Tuesday, May 14, contained a sizeable amount of news regarding the Eastwick area. And this time it had nothing to do with Hoosick Falls sports. The families of Steve Kellar, Ersel Hickey and Ray Darling Jr. appeared in the well of the Legislature to receive presentations memorializing their loved ones. Funding for several bridges in our area, the new Dairy Princess and mortgage tax distributions were also on the agenda.
A resolution, introduced by Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote, stating support for establishment of a bank in the State Route 22 corridor in eastern Rensselaer County passed unanimously.
The resolution says. “Due to a change in corporate priorities, the Bank of America located on State Route 22 in the Town of Berlin closed in 2012…The loss of the Bank of America means residents wishing to transact banking business need to travel a considerable distance to either the Town of Hoosick, the Town of New Lebanon in Columbia County or across the State border to Massachusetts…Transacting bank business for some residents in the eastern area of our county can sometimes mean a round trip of up to one hour…This Legislative Body wishes to recognize the need for location of a new bank and puts forth this resolution as a statement of support for such efforts and further pledges any possible help and assistance for such efforts.”
In an interview after the meeting Brownell said that following the appearance in area papers of last week’s news release about this issue, he was contacted through the Legislative offices by the Coxsackie National Bank which showed interest in the former Bank of America property. Brownell said he passed the information along to Berlin Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger, who has been trying to find a replacement for the Bank of America.
The property will be auctioned off on May 22 by the Max Spann Real Estate and Auction Co. There have been two open houses so far, on May 8 and May 15. Berliners are hoping that one or more of the bidders will be a bank. It is a turn key situation for a bank, Brownell said.