The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Grafton

Caroling For Cans

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Girl Scouts are sponsoring Caroling for Cans and special collections to help feed families this winter. More families than ever are turning to local food pantries in Berlin, Grafton and Stephentown for help.  The need for supplemental food has become so great that Berlin Elementary School (BES) is supplying food directly to families for weekends and during holiday periods. These organizations are having trouble keeping their shelves stocked.  Local Girl Scout Service Unit 154 is organizing a special holiday food drive to help food pantries and BES meet the need.

The community is invited to Caroling for Cans, a Christmas carol sing along on Wednesday, December 10, from 5:30 to 6 pm at the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Berlin. You can help by attending this important holiday event and bringing a non-perishable donation for the food pantries/school.

The Girl Scouts will also ask community organizations to set out collections boxes for food and request their members to bring food donations to meetings held in December. Food collection locations will be announced very soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to help, please contact the Girl Scouts at 279-3772 or 733-6488.

Holiday Gathering At The Grafton Library

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The Grafton Community Library is hosting a holiday gathering from 10:30 am until 1 pm on Saturday, December 6. The public is invited to come enjoy treats and refreshments, connect with friends and neighbors, and help decorate the Library’s tree for the Senior Center Christmas Tree Festival.

There will be a special program for children at 11 am featuring local children’s book author William Middleton reading from his work. For more information visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

Sullivan-Jones VFW Post 7466 And The Ladies Auxiliary Of Poestenkill Breakfast Buffet And Bake Sale

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Join the Sullivan-Jones VFW Post 7466 on December 14 from 8 to 11 am for its next monthly VFW Breakfast Buffet and Ladies Auxiliary Bake Sale.   Enjoy our regular buffet including scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, home fries, pancakes, fruit, juice, tea and coffee. Build your own omelets ham, bacon, sausage, cheeses, mushrooms, peppers and onions. Look what’s new this month  – home made French toast.

The cost of the buffet is $8 for adults, $10 with the omelet, $4 for children 6 to 12 years old and no  charge for children under 5.

Our Ladies will be holding a bake sale during the breakfast. Enjoy homemade goodies great for holiday gifting, or treat yourself.  May you all have a happy and safe holiday season.

Dyken Pond Center Historical Research Project

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We are gathering information on the land use history of the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center and surrounding area. We would like to document past uses and history of the Dyken Pond Center for a future exhibit. We are looking for photographs, maps, stories and/or personal knowledge of the lake itself, historic farms and businesses, land use practices and people who have historically visited or vacationed in this area. If you are willing to share items or information, please contact Mary Alice Pasanen at Mary_Alice_Smith@hotmail.com or 229-1936.

Contact the Center at 658-2055 or dykenpond@fairpoint.net or visit our website at www.dykenpond.org for more information and a complete schedule of our events.

Grafton Planning Board Action – Tame Time Equals Efficiency

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by Kieron Kramer

The Grafton Planning Board took only five minutes to approve the minutes of the previous meeting, to accept two applications for minor subdivisions and to schedule two public hearings. The meeting began at 7 pm on Monday, November 17, and adjourned at 7:05. A quorum was formed by three Planning Board members, Owen Grandjean, Art Surprise and Planning Board Chairman Tom Withcuskey. [Read more…] about Grafton Planning Board Action – Tame Time Equals Efficiency

Stained Glass Workshop In Grafton

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The Grafton Community Library will present an introductory Stained Glass Workshop on Saturday, December 6, from 9 am to 1 pm.  Create a simple, beautiful hanging ornament in an afternoon. Instruction includes basic stained glass techniques, and you will come away with a new appreciation for the art form. Plus, you’ll take home a fabulous gift for the holidays – if you can bear to give it away!

The workshop is suitable for ages 12 and up. Class size is limited, and advance registration, along with a $10 materials fee, is required.  Register at the Grafton Community Library, located at 2455 NY Route 2, during open hours on  Mondays and Tuesdays – 3 to 7 pm, Thursdays and Fridays –  3 to 8 pm and Wednesdays and Saturdays – 10 am to 1 pm.  Connect with the Grafton Community Library by phone at 279-0580 or visit www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

Instructor Theresa Faul has been teaching stained glass classes at The Arts Center in Troy since 2000, as well as conducting introductory and intermediate classes at HVCC and Helderberg Workshop.  She developed one day panel workshops, a stained glass jewelry workshop, a box making workshop and an ornament making workshop as well as advanced techniques and independent study programs.  She creates works on commission and sells in local shops.

This project is made possible in part through a Community Art$ Grant,  a program funded by The Arts Center of the Capital Region through the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.

Beekeeping In Poestenkill

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Tom Slavin will be presenting a program at the Poestenkill Historical Society on beekeeping which involves the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives by humans. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect their honey and other products that the hive produces, to pollinate crops or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers. A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or “bee yard.” There are more than 20,000 species of wild bees.

Depictions of humans collecting honey from wild bees date to 15,000 years ago. Simple hives and smoke were used and honey was stored in jars, some of which were found in the tombs of pharaohs such as Tutankhamun.

In the United States, movable frame hives are commonly used. While knowledge of the bees is the first line of defense, most beekeepers also wear protective clothing. The face and neck are the most important areas to protect. Defensive bees are attracted to the breath, and a sting on the face can lead to much more pain and swelling than a sting elsewhere. Protective clothing is generally light colored and of a smooth material. This provides the maximum differentiation from the colony’s natural predators. Stings retained in clothing fabric continue to pump out an alarm pheromone that attracts aggressive action and further stinging attacks. Washing suits regularly, and rinsing gloved hands in vinegar minimizes attraction.

Please attend our meeting and learn more about what Tom has to say regarding today’s beekeeping.  The event is free and will be held at the Town Hall, Route 351, in Poestenkill on Tuesday, November 25, at 7 pm.  Refreshments will be served.  For more information call 283-4890.

Santa Is Coming To The Grafton VFD And Ladies Auxiliary Breakfast

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The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department along with the Grafton Ladies Auxiliary will be serving an All You Can Eat Buffet Breakfast on Saturday, November 29, from 8 to 11 am at the Grafton VFW – Fire Hall on South Road (County Route 85). Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, eggs (made to order), sausage gravy & biscuits, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast, orange juice, coffee and milk are on the menu. Santa will appear.

The cost is $9 per adult, $4 for kids 12 and under and free for kids five and under.