Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper
submitted by Sandy Hyde
Karsen Shirley Bush arrived into this world on Tuesday, November 11, 2014, at 3:49 pm. She weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and was 18 and ¾ inches long. Karsen is the daughter of Leah (Hyde) and Christopher Bush. [Read more…] about Karsen Shirley Bush Arrives
submitted by Tristin Webster
Baby girl Caraline Analise Webster was born September 17, 2014 at 6:40 pm at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, VT. She weighed 7 lbs., 7 ounces and was 18 inches long at birth.
Some Of Our Neighbors May Not Make It Home This Holiday Season – Please Help
Some of our neighbors had one wish this Christmas – to go home to Mexico to see their loved ones. Several weeks ago, after years of saving hard and honestly earned money for the trip, the dream was taken from them when someone entered their home and stole their entire savings.
In the classic Hoosick Falls fashion, we’re calling upon friends and neighbors to help make right what is so clearly and terribly wrong. Along with local churches, schools and other organizations, HAYC3 will be accepting donations to help our neighbors realize at least some portion of their dream this holiday season.
We have established an account at the Hoosick Federal Credit Union called “Home for the Holidays” where you can contribute. Anything you can give to help our neighbors make it home for the holidays will be appreciated greatly.
If you would like to be a part of this giving effort, please call HAYC3 at 518-686-9050.
The Berlin Free Town Library announces a Thanksgiving fundraiser that can’t be beat. On Wednesday, November 26, please come to the Library and buy a home-baked pie for your holiday dinner. We do not guarantee that the pies will be low in calories but we do think they will be delicious! Please support our library from 2 to 5 pm on November 26.
The Grafton Community Library will present an introductory Stained Glass Workshop on Saturday, December 6, from 9 am to 1 pm. Create a simple, beautiful hanging ornament in an afternoon. Instruction includes basic stained glass techniques, and you will come away with a new appreciation for the art form. Plus, you’ll take home a fabulous gift for the holidays – if you can bear to give it away!
The workshop is suitable for ages 12 and up. Class size is limited, and advance registration, along with a $10 materials fee, is required. Register at the Grafton Community Library, located at 2455 NY Route 2, during open hours on Mondays and Tuesdays – 3 to 7 pm, Thursdays and Fridays – 3 to 8 pm and Wednesdays and Saturdays – 10 am to 1 pm. Connect with the Grafton Community Library by phone at 279-0580 or visit www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org.
Instructor Theresa Faul has been teaching stained glass classes at The Arts Center in Troy since 2000, as well as conducting introductory and intermediate classes at HVCC and Helderberg Workshop. She developed one day panel workshops, a stained glass jewelry workshop, a box making workshop and an ornament making workshop as well as advanced techniques and independent study programs. She creates works on commission and sells in local shops.
This project is made possible in part through a Community Art$ Grant, a program funded by The Arts Center of the Capital Region through the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.
submitted by Bryan Viggiani, NYSDOT
New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald announced the completion of a project to install rumble strips on a curving three-mile stretch of Route 7 in the Town of Hoosick.
“Safety is our top priority and these new rumble strips will help keep drivers in their lanes along this rural stretch of Route 7,” Commissioner McDonald said. “Rumble strips in the center of the highway and on its shoulders are providing motorists with an additional measure of safety, audibly warning them if they begin to stray off the side of the road or into the oncoming lane of traffic.”
NYSDOT this summer completed a $2.9 million project to mill and repave segments of Route 7 to smooth the driving surface.
To further increase safety on this major route for local residents and truckers traveling between New York State and Vermont, NYSDOT also installed rumble strips on three miles of Route 7 between Babcock Lake Road and Route 22. The rumble strips – also called audible roadway delineators – were installed down the center yellow line of the highway and along the road’s shoulder.
This stretch of Route 7 curves through mountainous terrain along the Shingle Hollow Creek through Tibbets State Forrest. NYSDOT conducted a traffic safety review there in 2013 and installed additional warning signs to alert motorists of the curving and hilly nature of the road. The new rumble strips complement that by providing another level of safety for travelers.
When a vehicle’s tires roll over rumble strips, an audible warning – a rumbling sound – is emitted to alert the motorist that he or she is leaving the driving lane. Rumble strips also cause the vehicle to vibrate. Centerline rumble strips, which are placed along or near the yellow pavement markings that divide opposite-direction travel lanes, are designed to reduce head-on and sideswipe crashes.
Shoulder rumble strips are designed to warn drivers that they are straying off the road and should correct their course.
Rumble strips also help combat distracted driving and can alert drivers to lane limits when weather conditions reduce driver visibility.
The rumble strips along Route 7 cost approximately $48,000.
Tom Slavin will be presenting a program at the Poestenkill Historical Society on beekeeping which involves the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives by humans. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect their honey and other products that the hive produces, to pollinate crops or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers. A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or “bee yard.” There are more than 20,000 species of wild bees.
Depictions of humans collecting honey from wild bees date to 15,000 years ago. Simple hives and smoke were used and honey was stored in jars, some of which were found in the tombs of pharaohs such as Tutankhamun.
In the United States, movable frame hives are commonly used. While knowledge of the bees is the first line of defense, most beekeepers also wear protective clothing. The face and neck are the most important areas to protect. Defensive bees are attracted to the breath, and a sting on the face can lead to much more pain and swelling than a sting elsewhere. Protective clothing is generally light colored and of a smooth material. This provides the maximum differentiation from the colony’s natural predators. Stings retained in clothing fabric continue to pump out an alarm pheromone that attracts aggressive action and further stinging attacks. Washing suits regularly, and rinsing gloved hands in vinegar minimizes attraction.
Please attend our meeting and learn more about what Tom has to say regarding today’s beekeeping. The event is free and will be held at the Town Hall, Route 351, in Poestenkill on Tuesday, November 25, at 7 pm. Refreshments will be served. For more information call 283-4890.
As the winter approaches, the Stephentown Food Pantry experiences an increase in clientele due to colder weather and the holiday seasons. The Pantry’s team of hard working volunteers and community donations of money and food items keep the operation going. But this year’s increase in “business” and higher food prices mean that your donations are needed more than ever. If you, your business, church, club or organization can pitch in with a contribution, it would help a lot.
The Stephentown Food Pantry has been serving the community since 1983. If you would like to donate money to the Pantry, you may send checks to the Stephentown Food Pantry Treasurer at P.O. Box 387, Stephentown, NY, 12168. The pantry is also a member of the Food Bank of NENY in Latham. You may request any contribution you make to the Food Bank be applied to the Stephentown Food Pantry account as part of their Adopt-A-Pantry program. The Food Bank enables us to obtain many items more cheaply or for free.
The Stephentown Food Pantry offers short term assistance to residents of Stephentown and Hancock, MA. The Pantry is open every Saturday morning, weather permitting, from 9 to 11 am at the Stephentown Federated Church, Garfield Road (County Route 26). Appointments are not needed, but new clients should bring identification showing their street address, such as a current utility bill. As always, requests for help are confidential. For information, call 518-487-8606.
Do you have craft items or tag sale/flea market items or maybe just want your name out and about because you have your own small business? Join the Berlin Rescue Squad at the Berlin Firehouse on November 30 and December 14 for an indoor shopping day. Doors will open for vendors at 8 am. Spaces for vendors are available for a $10 donation and will include one table. The public is being invited to do a little last minute shopping from 9 am to 3 pm.
Vendors are asked to contact Tammy Osterhout at 658-2924 as space is limited and available on a first come/first serve basis. The Rescue Squad will be selling Danishes for breakfast and hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch as well as coffee, tea, soda and water.
submitted by Tistrya Hamilton
The New Lebanon Country Market at Windswept Farm will be hosting a holiday farmer’s market. The market will be held on Sunday, December 7 from 11 am to 3 pm. Join us inside at Windswept Farm for our second holiday farmer’s market; it is a great time to stock up for Christmas while supporting your local farmers, bakers and artisans.
This market will feature pasture raised meats by Artemis Farm and Climbing Tree Farm, handmade body care products by Old Log Inn Naturals, free range eggs, fudge, soap and pickled products by Mountain Girl Farm, New Lebanon baloney, pies and jams by Terra Firma, Caroline’s shortbread, maple syrup from the Hand Hollow Sugar House, fresh produce by the Abode Farm and Ellen Poggi and fresh made garlic fudge and candy by Willowtree Organic Farm.
The market will also feature a surprise visit from Kobe the Alligator, an appearance by Santa Claus and a singing performance by the Mountain Road School Ensemble. We hope you can join us.
