by Bea Peterson
The Annual Hoosick Falls Outdoor Expo will be held on Friday, March 22, from 6 to 9 pm and Saturday March 23, from 9 am until 2 pm in the Hoosick Falls Armory. The event is usually held at the Hoosick Falls Central School. “We moved the event to the Armory this year,” said HFCS Superintendent Ken Facin, “to make it more of a community event and to support the armory as a community focal point.”
Exhibits and Displays
The Wildlife Displays include mounts of whitetail deer, bobcats, fishers, pike, trout and other mammals and fish harvested by Washington and Rensselaer County residents
Local Sporting Exhibits
The Pioneer Fish and Game Club, the Mid Hudson Valley Fur Harvesters Association, the Rensselaer County Conservation Alliance, New York Houndsmen and Hoosick Trail Masters will all have exhibits at the Expo. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Police will have an exhibit of wildlife game laws, regulations and enforcement.
There will be topographic map displays of hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, geocaching, snowmobiling and hunting and fishing opportunities throughout New York and Vermont.
Antique and modern decoys will be part of the Waterfowl Hunting Exhibit.
Orvis will have a display that includes fly-tying and fly-fishing demonstrations. There will be a 4-H Shooting Sports exhibit that includes a portion on gun safety.
Educators from both Dyken Pond Environmental Center and Grafton Lakes State Park will attend to promote environmental appreciation and awareness.
Local outfitters from Battenkill Valley Outdoors will display clothing, gear, optics, GPS devices, kayaks, bicycles and other outdoor products.
Local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts will have scouting information and displays as part of the Expo. Hoosick Falls Central School students will also exhibit and share their stories and experiences in the outdoors.
Hoosick Falls
Steve Zakrzewski
Hoosick Falls – Steve M. Zakrzewski, 53, passed away at his residence on Seward Street in Hoosick Falls, NY. He was the son of the late Joseph and Joan (Skarrup) Zakrzewski.
He was born in Troy, NY, on November 5, 1959, and he attended schools in Cambridge, NY. He was employed at Bennington Paper Board as a laborer. Steve enjoyed the outdoors, shooting pool and being with family. He was an avid Yankee and Giant fan.
Survivors include his daughter, Stephanie Niles of Chesapeake, VA, his sons, Shawn Morrison of Charleston, SC, and Steve M. Zakrzewski Jr. of Hoosick Falls, his four sisters, Donna Candal, Doreen Crandall, Linda Myers and Patty Weld, his four brothers, Joseph, Nelson and Jake Zakrzewski and Harry Criss, and his grandson, Blake Niles.
Funeral services are Friday, March 22, at 2 pm from the Mahar Funeral Home, 43 Main Street in Hoosick Falls, NY, 12090. Burial will follow the service at Island Hill Cemetery in Buskirk, NY. Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home on Friday from 12 to 2 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to Steve’s family through the funeral home.
Village Board Gives Center For Nursing And Rehab A Reprieve
by Bea Peterson
At the February meeting of the Hoosick Falls Village Board, members of the Board of The Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation at Hoosick Falls (formerly the Health Center) requested forgiveness of the rest of the loan owed to the Village. In 1995 the Village received a $400,000 block grant which they then loaned to the Center. The Center has been paying back the loan since then, but not the interest. The Village Board chose to table the Center’s request until March for further discussion. At Tuesday’s meeting the Village Board unanimously agreed to defer the loan payment for one year, to waive all interest payments on the loan and to refinance the rest of the loan, $135,301.82, for payment over 10 years.
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Hoosick Falls Village Election Is Tuesday
by Bea Peterson
Every vote is important in an election. And when the candidates are running unopposed, as is the case in Hoosick Falls next week, every vote is still very important. When individuals volunteer to devote hours of their time, for a stipend, for the betterment of their community, they deserve the support of that community. Casting a vote for them on Tuesday is a show of support for them. All ballots will be cast in the Municipal Building on Main Street from noon until 9 pm on March 19.
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The Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade And Irish Festival Is This Weekend
submitted by Kevin O’Malley
The Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade and Irish Festival will celebrated its 22nd Anniversary on March 16, 2013. Twenty-one years ago, local Irishmen Mike Conway and TJ Carmody wanted to find a way to keep the Irish culture and history alive in the Hoosick area and decided that a parade was the ticket!
Join us this year as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and honor the student athletes of Hoosick Falls Central School. [Read more…] about The Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade And Irish Festival Is This Weekend
NYS Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin Visits Hoosick Falls
by Bea Peterson
As NYS Assemblyman to the recently restructured 107th District Steve McLaughlin has been visiting the area to meet his new constituents. On Thursday, March 7, he and his assistant Nick Wilock were at the Hoosick Falls Armory from 3 to 6 pm. About a dozen people from Grafton, Petersburgh, Hoosick and Hoosick Falls came to talk with him. The Assemblyman listened attentively to their issues and responded with his views.
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Lions Club Easter Bunny And Penny Hunt
The annual Easter Bunny and Penny Hunt sponsored by the Town of Hoosick Lions Club will take place in its usual spot in Wood Park by the gazebo on Saturday, March 23, at 1 pm. A rain date will be set for the following Saturday, March 30, still at 1 pm.
The Easter Bunny will make a grand appearance and have treats for all the kids. Please support your local Lions Club and remember we will have our solid chocolate bunnies on hand there to sell for $5 to aid our work and causes. Don’t miss this fun event.
Mary Jane O’Dell
Hoosick Falls – Mary Jane O’Dell, 70, passed away on Sunday, March 10, 2013, at the Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Hoosick Falls, NY. She had resided on Elm Street in Hoosick Falls.
Born on January 28, 1943, in Hoosick Falls, Mary Jane was the daughter of the late Kenneth and Ruth (Brownell) O’Dell. She was educated at schools in Hoosick Falls. Mary Jane worked in the family business, O’Dell’s Store, on Elm Street. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Hoosick Falls.
Survivors include her sister, Barbara Zagorski of Hartford, CT, her brothers, William and Richard O’Dell of Hoosick Falls and Robert O’Dell of White Creek, NY. She is also survived by several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. She is pre-deceased by a sister, Elizabeth Peret, and a brother, John O’Dell.
Funeral services were Thursday, March 14, at 10 am from the First Baptist Church on Main Street in Hoosick Falls. Burial followed the service at Maple Grove Cemetery in Hoosick Falls. Relatives and friends called at the Mahar Funeral Home on Wednesday evening. Memorial contributions may be made to the Karen McGovern Memorial Fund through the funeral home.
Ryan Cook
El Paso/Hoosick Falls – Ryan Colby Cook, age 27, of El Paso, TX, died unexpectedly on March 4, 2013. Born on December 10, 1985, in Ames, IA, he was the son of Raymond Cook and Sandra (Beese) Cook. He attended Williamstown, MA, schools, and graduated from Hoosick Falls Central School in 2004. He was third in his class.
While in high school, he was a member of the National Honor Society. He was also involved with SADD. He played football and basketball at both Mount Greylock High School in Williamstown and Hoosick Falls Central High School. He played on two super bowl teams at Mount Greylock, and his senior year, the Hoosick Falls Central team played for the NY State championship in the Carrier Dome. He was an avid Minnesota Vikings fan and was deeply loyal to Ole Miss football, his alma mater.
During high school he worked at both Babson’s and Fox Hollow Restaurants in Hoosick Falls and North Petersburgh, NY. He loved the game of golf and spent much of his summers playing golf with his many friends, young and old, at the Hoosick Falls Country Club.
After high school, he attended Ole Miss in Oxford, MS, where he earned an Army ROTC scholarship. He graduated from Ole Miss in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. That same year he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. At the time of his death he was on active duty stationed at Fort Bliss, TX. He held the rank of Captain. He also served one year in Afghanistan wherein, amongst other medals, he was awarded the Bronze Star.
Ryan married Jessica (Mose) Cook on September 20, 2009, in Saratoga Springs, NY. She survives as well as her parents, Alfred and Phyllis Mose of Glenville, NY. Ryan and Jessica were animal lovers with three dogs of their own, fostered many others and spent countless hours volunteering at local animal rescue.
Ryan is also survived by his father, Raymond Cook of Wellington, FL, and his stepmother, Jennifer Cook of Saratoga Springs, NY, along with his sister, Bree Cook of Bennington, VT, and stepsister Austin and husband Turner Bayliss of Nashville, TN. He also leaves a maternal great-grandmother, Laura Mosher of Wykoff, MN, a stepgrandfather, Joseph Tornabene of Pownal, VT, his favorite aunt, Debra Beese of Minneapolis, MN, and several other aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was pre-deceased by his mother, Sandra (Beese) Cook, in 1989, his maternal grandparents, Gerald and Murlie Beese, his paternal grandparents, Charles and Anna Cook, and a step-grandmother, Janet Tornabene.
Funeral services are Friday, March 15, at 10 am from the Immaculate Conception Church on Main Street in Hoosick Falls. Military Honors will follow the Mass in Wood Park at the Veterans Memorial on Main Street in Hoosick Falls. Burial will take place in Minnesota.
Relatives and friends may call at the Mahar Funeral Home, 43 Main Street in Hoosick Falls, on Thursday, March 14, from 4 to 8 pm. Although flowers are welcome, in lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Susan B. Komen for the cure fund, through the funeral home.
Alyce L. Bissonette
Hoosick Falls – Alyce L. Bissonette, 88, passed away on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, NY. Alyce was the wife of the late Wilfred Bissonette for more than fifty years. He died in 2003.
Born on February 7, 1925, in Cambridge, NY, Alyce was the daughter of the late John and Mary (McGowan) Gannon. She attended schools in Cambridge and was a homemaker all of her life. Alyce enjoyed snowmobiling, camping, knitting and spending time with her family.
Survivors include her daughters, Roberta McEvoy and husband Mike of Greenwich, NY, and Leah Bissonette of San Diego, CA, her son, Eric Bissonette and wife Dawn of Cambridge, her grandchildren, Dana and Shelia Grimes, her four great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Alyce is pre-deceased by a sister, Elizabeth Amazon, and two brothers, Albert and Thomas Gannon.
Funeral services were on Saturday, March 9 from the Mahar Funeral Home. Burial followed the service at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Hoosick Falls. Relatives and friends called at the funeral home on Saturday morning.