The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Grafton

A Scavenger Hunt For Kids At The Dyken Pond Center

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Grab your little one and come out on October 11 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm for a fun, easy hike and craft at the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center. We will discuss how the plants and animals of Dyken Pond adapt to survive the winter while we collect nature items on our list. We will use the collected items to create a nature craft that can be brought home. This program is free and open to all ages.

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

Grafton Library Presents Native American Rock Art

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Local Storyteller Gil Payette will be back at the Grafton Community Library on Friday, October 3, at 6:30 pm for the next in his program series on Native American culture and folkways.

Native American Rock Art provides a vital record of the different peoples who lived on the North American Continent going back almost 15,000 years. Using a dynamic, multimedia presentation, Payette will take his audience through this fascinating history and help us learn about those who came before us on this land. Visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org or call 279-0580 for more details.

Sing-Along Story Time at The Grafton Library

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Bring the kids for a “Sing-Along Story Time” at Grafton Community Library at 4 pm on Thursday, October 2. In this monthly program, local favorites Mary Pierson and Jennene Ferguson will combine fun and learning with songs, guitar playing and stories for preschool and early school age children.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Reading aloud and talking about pictures and words in age appropriate books can strengthen language skills, literacy development and parent-child relationships.” The Grafton Community Library is committed to supporting the healthy development of our youngest patrons with a great selection of picture books and easy readers and a range of programs including weekly story times and more.

Call 279-0580 or visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org for more information.

Letter To The Editor – 60 Years Old Picnic

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To The Editor:

The Grafton Library’s “60 Years Old” picnic [on September 14] was a wonderful event. The weather was sunny; the food was terrific and abundant. The cake was delicious, and the company was friendly and entertaining. Those Graftonites who didn’t attend missed an awesome and auspicious celebration. I met some neighbors I had not known before. I hope you have another picnic.

Elsie Risedorf

Route 2, Grafton

Upcoming Events At Grafton Lakes State Park

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• September 27, Saturday – Fall Foliage Hike to the Fire Tower at 10:30 am. Pack a lunch and join us for a three mile round trip hike to the Dickinson Hill Fire Tower. We’ll break for lunch and a view before returning, around 1 pm. Please call 279-1155 to pre-register. This hike is part of the region-wide Hudson River Ramble. Hikers will meet at parking lot at end of North Long Pond Road in Grafton.

• October 4, Saturday – Autumn Trails Day and lunch with the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park, 9 am to 12 pm. Help us improve the Long Pond trail and then enjoy a complimentary lunch with Friends Board Member Chris Roe. Please RSVP at 279-1155 by Thursday, October 2, so we have enough food for our participants. Meet at Long Pond beach with lunch to follow at the Park office.

• October 10, Friday – Outdoor Tykes at 10:30 am. Bring out the toddlers and preK-k kids for some fun in the outdoors. This free program will give you ideas for how to play with your child in nature’s playground, and you’ll see how much they love to explore. Pre-register at 279-1155. Meet at Second Pond parking lot off of North Long Pond Road. Please note this is accessed via the Winter Entrance, not the main Park entrance.

• October 11, Saturday – Be Prepared! Hug-a-Tree and Great Northeast Shakeout Trainings at 1 pm. What should your child do if they’re lost in the woods? And how about if the Northeast gets an earthquake? (It’s not as farfetched as you think!) Please pre-register by calling the Park office at 279-1155. Scout troops are welcome. Meet at the Park office.

• October 15 Wednesday – Trail Advisory Meeting at 7 pm. Maintaining over 25 miles of trails takes the volunteering and enthusiasm of many people so come lend a hand at our trail advisory meeting. The new Park map will be shared. Meet at the Park office.

• October 17, Friday – Star Watch at 7:30 pm. Enjoy a free tour of the night sky with the Albany Area Astronomers. Call Bernard at 658-9144 to confirm as cloudy skies may cancel. The rain date is Saturday, October 18, at 7:30 pm. Please use the Winter Entrance and follow the signs to program.

• October 25, Saturday – Trick or Treat Nature Trail from 4 to 7 pm. Meet forest critters along a trail lit by jackolanterns. This event has become a family tradition for many locals so come join us again or for the first time. The cost is $3 per person or $10 per family. Pre-registration for a time slot is required; call 279-1155. Meet at Shaver Pond Center, 194 Shaver Pond Road, Grafton.

Please call the Park at 279-1155 for more information on any of our upcoming events or to pre-register.

Rensselaer Plateau Alliance Land Use Planning Workshops

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The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance will partner with Hudsonia Ltd. and the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program to host two land use planning workshops, on October 1 and 18. The workshops will introduce ecological maps created for the Plateau’s 11 municipalities that can inform planning and project review in Plateau towns. Participants will work hands-on with the maps to identify important natural resources, apply conservation principles and discuss strategies for conserving forests, wildlife and water resources through townwide policy, planning and project reviews.

[Read more…] about Rensselaer Plateau Alliance Land Use Planning Workshops

Brunswick Grange Tailgate Sale

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On Sunday, October 5, the Brunswick Grange will hold its annual Fall Agricultural Tailgate Sale at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds, Rts. 67 And 40, in Schaghticoke, from 8 am to 12:30 pm. More than 50 vendors will have various varieties of chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, vegetables, plants and other agricultural items. Absolutely no dogs, cats, puppys or kittens will be allowed for sale.

A donation of $15 per vendor will becharged. The event will be held rain or shine. There will be no refreshments available. For more information, please call 279-9113.

Grafton Planning Board Action – Cat And Mouse?

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by Kieron Kramer

The agenda for the Grafton Planning Board meeting on Monday, September 15, had only one item of new business on it – the “application for site plan review for RJ Valente.” And so, it seemed, RJ Valente Gravel, Inc., was beginning the long awaited site application process in front of the Grafton Planning Board. Not so fast. No application was submitted at this meeting, and Jason Kappell, of Spec Consulting of Albany, the consultant for RJ Valente, said at the meeting that the decision to go ahead with the project, and therefore with the application process, had not yet been made.

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