Join the seniors at the Everett Wagar Senior Center on Friday February 14, at 12:30 as they celebrate February birthdays with special recognition for Helen Ellett who will be 100 on February 16. If you have any questions, , please contact the Center at 279-3413.
Grafton
Berlin School Board Invites Community To Participate In Meeting On Use Of School Facilities
The Berlin Board of Education is interested in pursuing use of its various school facilities by community residents. The Middle School/High School has state of the art rooms, including a fitness center, a distance learning laboratory, a computer lab, an information center (library), a gymnasium and an auditorium as well as numerous classrooms for meetings and general instruction.
As the BOE plans for the 2014-2015 school budget, it wants to hear from residents and invites them to participate in a roundtable discussion on Thursday, February 6, beginning at 7:15 pm. The Berlin Central School District will be holding this informational meeting in the MS/HS Library. Ideas generated by community members will be used to determine interests and possible future continuing education program offerings.
Any person interesting in providing suggestions for community use of schools should attend and join this open discussion or contact the Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephen Young at syoung@berlincentral.org.
The Berlin Central School District 2014-2015 Kindergarten Registration
The Berlin Central School District has begun the process of registering kindergarten students for the 2014-2015 school year. If you have a child who will be five years of age on or before December 1, 2014, please call 658-2127 from February 3 through February 14 or from February 24 through February 28 between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm to make sure your child is listed on our kindergarten register.
This will ensure that you will receive the kindergarten registration packet by mail. All registration paperwork, including a copy of your child’s Birth or Baptismal Certificate and proof of residency, must be hand-delivered to Berlin Elementary School by March 28. Drop-off times are between 8:30 am and 3:45 pm, Monday through Friday.
The office will be closed from February 17 through February 21 for Winter Recess.
Ann McGrath Retires From The Grafton Post Office After 30 Years
by Bea Peterson
Ann McGrath was a homemaker. Her girls had just started college when she took the job as part time postal clerk in the Grafton Post Office as a favor to her friend Pat Ryan. That was 30 years ago. “I loved the job,” she said. “I loved the people. That’s the part I miss.” [Read more…] about Ann McGrath Retires From The Grafton Post Office After 30 Years
Celebrate National Take Your Child To The Library Day At The Grafton Community Library
The Grafton Community Library invites you to bring your children and grandchildren to the Library from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday, February 1, to celebrate national Take Your Child to the Library Day.
Children can sign up for a library card, participate in story time and craft activities, enjoy snacks and discover all of the amazing resources that are available to everyone at the Library, all the time, free of charge. Come celebrate with us and discover how your local library empowers the individual, builds community and supports literacy and lifelong learning. It all begins with a child’s first library card!
Book Club
On January 29 at 12:30 pm the Grafton Community Book Club will discuss The Richest Woman in America by Janet Wallach. It is the fascinating story of Hetty Green, America’s first female Wall Street tycoon. The Grafton Community Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of every month.
Change Of Venue For EBooks At The Grafton Community Library
Did you receive a Kindle®, Nook® or other ereader over the holidays? Already own an iPad®, iPod®, MP3 or other portable device? Join us at the Grafton Library on Thursday, February 6, at 6 pm as we learn how to borrow digital content from the library system. Jo-Ann Benedetti of the Upper Hudson Library System will lead us through the process of downloading books, audiobooks and video to various devices. Bring your device to the program to follow along.
Pre-registration is requested by calling the Library at 279-0580 or by stopping by in person at 2455 NY Route 2. Visit the Library’s website at www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org to keep up with what’s new at the Grafton Library and “like” us on Facebook® too.
Please note that the venue has been changed from the Everett Wagar Senior Center to the Library.
GLSP 29th Annual Winter Festival This Saturday
Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host the 29th Annual Winter Festival and Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, January 25. The Winter Fest will feature winter exhibits, vendors and family-friendly and recreational activities. The event is free of charge and main events run from 10 am to 4 pm.
The Winter Festival offers a variety of free, active and entertaining activities, both indoors and outdoors. Indoor offerings will include nature crafts and exhibits, including Five Rivers “Wheel of Wildlife” and fly-tying with Trout Unlimited. Out of the Pits will offer its very popular kissing booth with charming, adoptable pitbulls on hand. Ford’s Falconry will bring native birds of prey for the public to meet and learn about these fascinating creatures from wildlife rehabilitator Richele Ford. The Rensselaer Land Trust will bring its Enviroscape, giving children a hands-on experience of watershed health. Tamakoce Wilderness Programs will offer nature awareness games as well as a hike to discover animal signs in the woods and fields near the exhibit building. Face painting, hot food and many other exhibits will also be available indoors.
The 7th Annual Polar Plunge benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation jumps into Long Pond at 1 pm. Participants can still sign up for the plunge and receive a hot drink after the experience. Please call Margaret Philips at 479-3739 to pre-register.
New outdoor events this year include a dog walk for furry friends as well as an introduction to animal signs. A new primitive skills demonstration will warm visitors with a toasty fire, a snow fort and the chance to learn an ancient form of firemaking with the bow drill. There will be guided outings throughout the Park for all levels and ages to enjoy, on snowshoes if conditions permit or offered on foot along the Park’s trails. Northland Newfoundland Dog Club will give sled rides pulled by their jovial and furry dogs on the beach. Carriage rides with majestic Percheron horses will also be offered by Indian Creek Farm.
The annual ice fishing contest draws several hundred fishermen annually and will run from 5:30 am to 3 pm on all the ponds in the Park. Ice conditions are expected to be more than adequate for the event. Participants can register starting at 5:30 am until 11 am on January 25 at the Park’s pole barn, accessible via the Winter Entrance. A $10 entry fee for adults 16 and older is required to participate in the fishing tournament. The catchers of all first place fish will receive a $300 cash prize this year, awarded for the longest length catch of trout, walleye/chain pickerel and yellow perch. Children may enter at no charge, and their winning entries will receive gift certificates and other prizes. Please remember that all participants 16 and older must have a New York State fishing license to fish in the Park at any time.
For more information about the Winter Festival, please call the Park at 518-279-1155. A full schedule of events is available on the Grafton Lakes State Park’s website (www.nysparks.com/parks) and on www.facebook.com/GraftonLakesStatePark.
Dyken Pond Environmental Center Events
February 1, Saturday – Snow Shoe Trek – Enjoy the winter by trekking through the forest on a pair of snowshoes from 1 to 3 pm. This is a free program. Snowshoes may be rented from the Center for $5. Bring any snack or water you may need along the way. Call ahead for snow conditions. Snowshoes may be rented any day with advanced registration for a fee of $10 per day, $5 for half day, and there are special group rates.
February 2, Sunday – Wildlife Tracking Series continues during February. Dan Yacobellis, local naturalist and tracker, will be leading Family Friendly Tracking from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm or 1 to 3:30 pm. The cost is $15.
February 9, Sunday – tracking with a focus on fishers will be offered from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The cost is $20. Both programs offer a $5 discount for members, students and seniors. Winter is more enjoyable when you can discover movements of the animals around you. Common tracks found include red and grey fox, fisher, otter, porcupine and weasels. Pre-registration is required and space is limited.
February 14, Friday – Valentine’s Day Full Moon Trek. Enjoy Valentine’s Day at a free guided cross-country ski and snowshoe trek at the Center from 7 to 9 pm. The trek will cover two miles and is designed for the intermediate skier or snowshoer. No beginners, please. Snowshoe rentals are available for $5. Hot cocoa and chocolates will be shared around a campfire following the trek. Please contact the Center for updated snow conditions.
February 16, and March 16, Sundays – Nature Writing Workshops.Paying Attention Among the Trees: A Winter Walk and Nature Writing Experience will be held from 1 to 3 pm. Diane Kavanaugh-Black will lead participants on a meditative woodland walk followed by writing with intention in a cozy wood stove heated cabin. This workshop will inspire the creative process whether you are a novice or already working on your own writing project. Sign up for one or both sessions. The cost is $15. $12 for members. Pre-registration is required for both workshops and space is limited, so register early.
The Dyken Pond Center, located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, is a Rensselaer County Park open daily during daylight hours for ice fishing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Visit www.dykenpond.org for directions and a complete schedule of our winter events. Call 658-2055 or visit the website www.dykenpond.org.
Grafton Town Board Action – All Quiet
by Alex Brooks
The Grafton Town Board held a rather quiet meeting on Monday, January 13.
Supervisor Higgins said the Valente Company is seeking to expand its quarry, and the Town is seeking to be named lead agency in the permitting for that.
EBooks Explained At The Grafton Community Library
Did you receive a Kindle®, Nook® or other ereader over the holidays? Already own an iPad®, iPod®, MP3 or other portable device? Join us at the Everett Wagar Senior Center in Grafton on Thursday, February 6, at 6 pm as we learn how to borrow digital content from the library system. Jo-Ann Benedetti of the Upper Hudson Library System will lead us through the process of downloading books, audiobooks and video to various devices. Bring your device to the program to follow along.
Pre-registration is requested by calling the Library at 279-0580 or by stopping by in person at 2455 NY Route 2. Visit the Library’s website at www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org to keep up with what’s new at the Grafton Library and “like” us on Facebook® too.