The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosick

HAYC3 Announces A New Season Of B-Ball

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Basketball clinics and seasonal sign ups happen Saturday, November 22 and 29. These clinics are free to the public as well as an opportunity to sign-up for the season. The mini clinics will be for co-ed grades 3,4 and 5 from 10 to 11:30 am and grades 6, 7 and 8 from 11:30 am to 1 pm.

Information on the recreational season will be available during these open clinics. The season will focus on skill development, teamwork, fundamentals and fun. All participants must be registered and paid by no later than the final clinic.

For more information, please call HAYC3 at 518-686-9050.

St. Mary’s Academy Comedy And Carols Holiday Cabaret

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submitted by Kathy Hunt

On Saturday, December 6, St. Mary’s Academy of Hoosick Falls will hold its annual Cabaret. This year it will feature two very different acts to get you into that holiday spirit. The Comedy and Carols Cabaret will feature performances by comedians Greg Aidala and Ben Geurin and musicians Mike and Cindy Brewster and Friends. Doors open at 6:30 pm so you can start bidding early on the silent auction items featuring the very popular and sentimental classroom projects plus many more items to choose from before the show starts at 7:30 pm.

This is a 21 and over event with a cash bar and light fair buffet available throughout the night. Tickets cost $25 per person and are on sale now. Get your tickets before they are gone by calling Mary Beth Smith at St. Mary’s Academy at 518-686-4314 or email your request to StMarysEvents@yahoo.com. The performance will be held at St. Mary’s Academy, 4 Parsons Avenue, Hoosick Falls.

Rensselaer County Legislature – Eastwick Residents Commended And Memorialized

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by Kieron Kramer

The Rensselaer County Legislature held its November regular meeting on Wednesday evening instead of the usual Tuesday because of the Veterans Day Holiday. Three resolutions commending Eastwick residents for their achievements were presented as was a resolution in memory of Berlin’s Maurice L. “Kipper” Maxon.

Most town supervisors, who are in the throes of developing the 2015 town budgets while paring down the property tax levy increases, will be interested in the resolution providing for the distribution of mortgage tax to the towns.

[Read more…] about Rensselaer County Legislature – Eastwick Residents Commended And Memorialized

Open House Meeting On Rensselaer County’s New Flood Map

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Rensselaer County residents and community officials are invited to attend an informational meeting on Tuesday, November 18, on the new flood maps being developed for portions of the County. New maps have been developed for communities along the Hoosic River, including the Towns of Hoosick, Pittstown and Schaghticoke and the Villages of Hoosick Falls, Valley Falls and Schaghticoke.

The meeting will be hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), which are developing the new maps.  State and federal representatives will be on hand at this public meeting from 4 to 8 pm at the HAYC3 Armory, Perry Room, 80 Church Street, Hoosick Falls.

Although there will not be any formal presentations at the  meeting, State and federal representatives will be available to help residents identify flood risks and discuss risk reduction and flood insurance options with property owners.  Residents may stop in at any time during the open house to meet individually with FEMA or State officials.

“We encourage people to attend the open house to learn more about the process of developing new flood maps and how this may affect them,” FEMA’s Regional Mitigation Director Michael Moriarty said.

The new maps are the result of Map Modernization, a five year, $1 billion Congressionally directed program to provide updated, digitized flood maps for 92 percent of the nation’s population.  The mapping project is part of a long term FEMA floodplain mapping process.

Residents of the remapped communities can check their flood plain status on the new, preliminary flood map at their municipal offices or online.  The FEMA website for the new maps and mapping information is http://www.msc.fema.gov.

If a property is located in the high risk flood zone, there is a Congressionally mandated flood insurance requirement for all structures that have a mortgage with a federally regulated lender or have a federally backed mortgage.  In addition, all County and local public buildings located in that flood zone must carry flood insurance to fully qualify for Federal Disaster Assistance.

If you are outside of the high-risk flood zone on your community’s current flood map but are inside the zone on the preliminary map, you may purchase initial flood insurance coverage through a low-cost Preferred Risk Policy (PRP).  Any resident or business within a municipality that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program may purchase a flood insurance policy even if the property is outside of the highest risk flood zone.

Peer Retires

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The Cheney Library will host a retirement reception for Dan Peer who has worked at the Library for 28 years. The reception will take place in the Library on November 18 at 6:30 pm. Come say so-long to Dan.

Hubbard Hall’s Production of Spelling Bee Is Charming

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by Alex Brooks

Hubbard Hall has opened a new production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee which will be running through November 30, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 and 8 and Sundays at 2 pm. This is a fun show, depicting the efforts of six smart, ambitious, young misfits to figure out how to deal with themselves and each other. There are moments when it is touching and moments when it is hilarious.

This is the first production directed by Hubbard Hall’s new Executive Director David Snider, who has acted and directed in many of the most prestigious regional theatres in this country, most recently as Director of Artistic Programming at the Arena Stage in Washington, DC. Snider has assembled a young cast here, including high school students and recent college graduates, who are still close to the high school struggles that are the subject of this play. But he has sprinkled in enough experienced actors to make the production work. New York Equity Actor Sylvia Bloom brings a strong voice and a strong presence that anchors the somewhat eclectic storylines of the play, and Chris Barlow’s effective delivery of Vice Principal Douglas Panch’s comic lines is another anchor for the show. But the actor who really puts the show over the top is Jeffrey Vizcaino’s portrayal of William Barfee. A portly fellow with charmingly awkward clothing, he is used to having people make fun of him, but he is at the same time very confident of his abilities. The way that he tries to armor himself against ridicule and manage his vulnerabilities, and believe in himself at the same time, is fascinating. The character is affecting and memorable, and there are plenty of opportunities for Vizcaino to show off his considerable abilities as a singer and dancer.

The music in this show is great, and this crew does it full justice, with many talented singers led by Hubbard Hall’s accomplished Musical Director Richard Cherry.

Hats off to David Snider for this auspicious debut at Hubbard Hall, developing such a fine show with such a young cast!

Tickets are available at www.hubbardhall.org or by calling 518-677-2495. Hubbard Hall is located at 25 East Main Street in Cambridge, NY.