The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Grafton

GLSP To Hold Dance In The Park

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Grafton Lakes State Park, the Dance Flurry Organization, Capitol USA Dance and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host Dance in the Park on Saturday, August 30. Dance in the Park is open to dancers at all levels of experience with or without a partner. The event will take place at the Deerfield Pavilion from 5 to 10 pm, starting with a lesson and a swing dance following. All proceeds from the night will benefit the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park.

The lesson will be taught by Jason Fenton and will cover the basics of East Coast Swing. The main swing dance will feature a live band, the Dylan Perrillo Orchestra, and Fenton will DJ during the break between sets. There will also be food from Brunswick Barbeque and Brew and a raffle with prizes including a gift certificate from Saratoga Savoy, a gift basket from Capitol USA Dance and CDs from Ms. Patti Melita, a local musician.

Registration costs $15 per person for the dance only and $25 per person for dinner and the dance. Both fees cover the dance lesson and a night of live music. Pre-registration for those who want dinner is required by Wednesday, August 27, but drop-ins for the swing dance are also more than welcome.

For more information about Dance in the Park, please call the Park Office at 518-279-1155.

Remaining Summer Programs At The Dyken Pond Center

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• Full Moon Paddle – September 9, 7 to 9 pm. Join us for the full “Harvest” moon paddle on Dyken Pond. This event is limited to 15 people. Kayaks or canoes can be rented for $10 per boat. Pre-registration is required; call 518-658-2055 or email dykenpond@fairpoint.net to register or find out more information.

• Hike Across the Rensselaer Plateau – Sept. 13 and 14. This two day, 32 mile hike will take serious hikers from end to end across the Rensselaer Plateau. The event is co-sponsored by the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance. Pre-registration is required. Please call us at 518-658-2055 for more details.

Jr. Naturalist Program

• Lake Ecology – August 27, 1 to 3 pm. Our final Jr. Naturalist program of the summer will give students some experience in one of their favorite places – the water. We will be exploring the animals and plants that inhabit Dyken Pond by hiking the shoreline. We will discuss water quality and give students a chance to test the water conditions in the lake. A $1 donation is suggested.

Behind The Scenes

This summer the Forest Conservation Corps took place the last two weeks of July. Twenty-one teenagers from Rensselaer County volunteered time out of their summer to do trail work and maintenance at the Center. The teens worked on over six miles of hiking trails and paved the way for a brand new trail at the Center. The Forest Corps teens also helped prevent shoreline erosion on Dyken Pond by piling up rocks along the shoreline. The staff at Dyken Pond is very proud of these teens and would like to say thanks again for all of their hard work.

29th Annual Run For The Roses

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submitted by Liz Wagner, Park Naturalist

Sunshine and beautiful weather greeted this year’s participants for the 29th Annual Run for the Roses. The Grafton Community Library and Grafton Lakes State Park were happy to host 154 runners for this year’s event on the 5k course that is renowned for being “up hill the whole way.”

[Read more…] about 29th Annual Run For The Roses

Grafton Community Library Presents Bubble Trouble With Jeff Boyer

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On Friday, August 22, at 6:30 pm, the Grafton Community Library will celebrate the Grand Finale of it’s 2014 Summer Reading Program with an exciting evening of entertainment featuring Jeff Boyer’s “Bubble Trouble.”

A bubble volcano? A Bubble roller coaster? A kid in a bubble? Jeff Boyer takes bubbles to the max in this one man bubble extravaganza. It’s the craziest, most creative bubble show around. Jeff juggles bubbles, sculpts and builds with bubbles, makes fog-filled bubbles and more. Mixing comedy, music and interactive bubble magic, he will engage and delight audiences of all ages.

This free program will be held at the Everett Wagar Senior Center in Grafton. For more information contact the Library at 279-0580 or visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

Grafton Community Library Summer Book Club At The Beach

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Babcock Lake resident and Grafton Community Library Trustee, Nancy Chase, invites the Library community to the second installment of the “Summer Book Club at the Beach” at the Babcock Lake Beach Gazebo on August 20 at 7 pm.

August’s book selection is The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden. Copies are available at the Library. Participants are invited to gather at the Babcock Lake Beach Gazebo shortly before 7 pm to have a swim and then join in a lively book discussion.

For more information contact the Library at 279-0580 or visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

Benefit Buffet Breakfast For Seth King

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submitted by Richard Terpening 

On Saturday, August 16, from 8 to 11 am the Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340 and the Grafton Volunteer Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary will be having a fundraiser breakfast for Seth King at the Grafton VFW – Fire Hall on South Road (County Route 85) in Grafton. The donation for adults is $11 and $6 for children. Children five and under will be admitted free. There will also be a 50/50 drawing, raffles and a pie sale.

Seth King graduated from Berlin Central High School in 1998. He immediately entered the United States Air Force where he trained with the Security Forces. King’s first post was Elmendorf, Alaska; his second post was Baltimore, Maryland, at Bethesda. He served in Iraqi Freedom and is a member of the Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340. Seth is an Eagle Scout from Brunswick Troop 537.

After leaving the military, King was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in 2009 and underwent chemotherapy. He was in remission for four years. In December of 2013 he went for a routine physical, and the doctors confirmed that the lymphoma had returned. He completed another round of chemotherapy; however it is not enough – he is also facing a bone marrow transplant.

His medical insurance covers his treatments thanks to the Veterans Administration. But he will be leaving for Seattle, WA, on August 13 for no less than three months of testing, treatment and the transplant. King’s family is facing additional travel and other unforeseen medical related expenses.

Donations can be deposited at any Pioneer Bank branch payable to:

Seth King Benefit Account or mailed to:

Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340, P.O. Box 361, Grafton, NY, 12082.

The Rathbone’s of Albany: The Tragic Story of John Wilkes Booth’s Last Victims

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On Wednesday, August 20, at 7 pm, the Grafton Historical Society will present local Civil War historian Mark Bodnar, who will present the details of the prominent Harris and Rathbone families of Albany and unfold this story of love, misfortune and tragedy.  This is a sad, ghastly, yet true story of two local people who witnessed the first presidential assassination in our country.  This 45 minute Power Point® lecture is filled with images of the people, places and documents of that era.  You won’t want to miss this educational and factual account of Clara Harris and Henry Reed Rathbone. The event will take place at the Grafton Town Hall.

After the program, please join us for a special summer treat of strawberry shortcake and cold drinks.

Mark Bodnar was born in Troy and raised in Watervliet.  He received his primary education in Watervliet, and graduated from Catholic Central High School and Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.  His interest in the Civil War began in grammar school and was re-ignited in the late 1980s.  Since that time Bodnar has become highly involved in Civil War research and education local to the Albany area.

Bodnar’s niche in Civil War studies is focused on individual, local soldiers and what they did during the war, predominantly those buried in Albany Rural Cemetery.  As a result of his many years of research at Albany Rural, he is considered the leading authority on Civil War soldiers and prominent civilians from the Civil War period buried in that cemetery.

Bodnar was the primary contributor and leading consultant of the book of Civil War soldiers buried in Albany Rural Cemetery, currently in its second printing.  Mark was also a contributor to the recent book published by the Times Union newspaper, These Exalted Acres: Unlocking the Secrets of Albany Rural Cemetery by Paul Grondahl in 2013.

Bodnar is currently in his second and final term as President of the Historical Society of the Town of Colonie.  He is also the founder and President of The Civil War Buffs Dinner Club and is the Vice Chairman of the New York State Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.