by David Flint
Stephentown residents will be glad to see work finally starting this week to fix up Route 22 into a more drivable highway. Motorists, however, can expect some serious traffic delays for a number of weeks.
Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County Legislature – Commending The Center For Nursing And Rehabilitation On Its 100th Anniversary
by Kieron Kramer
Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Rensselaer County Legislature was full of business pertaining to the Eastwick area – from the memorializing of John Greaney of Berlin to the awarding of funds to area youth programs, from the purchase of highway equipment in Stephentown to the commendation to the Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation at Hoosick Falls for its 100th anniversary.
Literacy Volunteers Announces New Opportunities For Fall 2014
Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County (LVORC) offers more ways to help than ever before. Join us for a one-hour Volunteer Opportunities Information Session at 6 pm on Monday, August 25, at Faith Lutheran Church, 50 Leversee Road, Troy. Call 274-8526 to reserve a space.
LVORC is looking for volunteers to be individual tutors to adult learners. A new tutor training workshop is scheduled to begin at Faith Lutheran Church on Monday, September 8th at 6:00 p.m. In addition, LVORC is seeking reading mentors for Everybody Wins! Power Lunch, a program where adults serve as positive reading role models for elementary school kids in Troy, Cohoes and Albany. There is also a need for math tutors and for tutors to work with incarcerated learners in Rensselaer County Jail.
Literacy Volunteers welcomes all kinds of volunteers, from tutors to administrative helpers and event planners. As a volunteer you can develop new skills, make friends, and see how your efforts make a difference in your community. LVORC recruits and trains volunteers to provide individual and small group tutoring. A professional staff supports volunteers who make our programs run. For more information, visit www.lvorc.org.
Complimentary Dinner For Veterans
by Bea Peterson
On Tuesday evening, August 5, about 50 veterans and their spouses enjoyed a professionally catered dinner, compliments of the Brunswick Elks. Veteran and Brunswick Elks Exalted Ruler Paul Greenberg made it all possible, and in short order.
Brunswick Historical Society Annual Tag And Bake Sale
The Brunswick Historical Society will sponsor its annual tag and bake sale on Saturday, September 6, from 9 am to 3 pm at its headquarters in the Garfield School, 605 Brunswick Road (Rt. 2) in Eagle Mills.
You may reserve an 8’x10’ space for the tag sale for $20 by calling the Society at 279-4024 for a contract. This event will be held rain or shine.
There will be an antique quilt raffle and homemade baked goods. Entertainment will be provided by the Hill Country Cloggers at 1 pm. Lunch will be available throughout the day. Join us for a day of fun and great shopping.
Clogging Workshop At The Brunswick Library
Hill Country Cloggers, Inc., will be holding a Clogging Workshop, for all ages, at the Brunswick Community Library 4118 NY Rt. 2 on Saturday, August 16, at 2 pm. Registration is required so please call the Library at 279-4023 to sign up. This event will take place rain or shine!
Tsatsawassa Pig Roast
On Saturday, August 16, the Tsatsawassa Protective Fire Company Inc. will hold its 26th Annual Pig Roast on the firehouse grounds located just off Route 20 in the hamlet of Brainard. Doors will open at 1 pm and the afternoon will be filled with fun events including door prizes and games as well as hot dogs, sausage/hamburgers and drinks, all while the “whole pig” covered with foil, will be roasting on the spit in view of the attendees.
At about 5 pm the roast pig will be served with a baked potato, applesauce, corn on the cob – all followed by ice cream with your choice of strawberry or chocolate sauce.
Tickets may be reserved by calling 518-766-3815. They cost $20 for adults and $10 for children 5 to 12 years old. Children under five enter free. The event is held under cover of the large pavilion in the rear of the fire house where parking is also available.
Completing the event will be a large raffle, and members are currently canvassing area residents to offer them an opportunity to support this project with the purchase of tickets for which prizes have been donated by area merchants. Special thanks to those merchants who include Jackson’s Old Chatham House, Antiques at Bailey’s and Ultra Lube, LLC in Nassau, Lebanon Valley Speedway, Angel’s Trumpet Flowers and Gifts, Mario’s Restaurant and Hermon T. Huntley Insurance Agency all in New Lebanon, as well as Curtis Lumber in Schodack. Additional door and game prizes will be distributed during the event.
No One Marches Alone! Ruck March
Did you know…? The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that there are 52,000 Veterans living in Rensselaer County and the surrounding five counties. Members of the military, from World War II to the War on Terror, experience a myriad of challenges, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, substance abuse and mental health problems and problems associated with reintegration, such as finding employment and stable housing.
Heroes at Home, a Rensselaer County peer support program, has scheduled a Ruck March (army style march with backpack) on September 20 to help raise awareness of the challenges that military personnel experience.
No One Marches Alone! is the slogan for this inaugural Patriot Ruck March, a 26.4 mile march that will go from Poestenkill to Grafton and back again. Prizes will be given for top marchers in male and female carrier categories, with 35 pound ruck or no ruck.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in marching, or if you would like to sponsor someone who is marching, make a donation or assist on September 20, contact John Holmes at 518-545-6781 or stop in at the Hoosick Falls American Legion on Tuesdays from 2 to 8 pm or on Fridays from 12 to 5 pm, and he can sign you up, get you a sponsor packet, plug you in to help and answer any questions you might have. Donations will go directly to projects that help prevent veteran suicide and conduct veterans’ outreach in Rensselaer County.
Heroes at Home is one of eleven NYS funded PFC Joseph Dwyer Peer to Peer Programs. They provide peer support to anyone who has served in the military, as well as their families, regardless of discharge status, era in which they served or combat experience. Since 2012, we have partnered with the VA, the VFW and American Legion and community providers to ensure that Veterans have access to services, and to provide support as they navigate the reintegration process.
Details of the march are being finalized so watch the newspapers for more information, and if you can’t march, then come on out and cheer on those who are!
Kinderhook Lake Chicken Barbecue
The Kinderhook Lake Corporation will host a Chicken Barbecue fundraiser on Saturday, August 2, from 5 to 7:30 pm at the Kinderhook Elks Lodge, 2750 Route 9H in Kinderhook, under the pavilion, rain or shine. Dinner will be eat-in or take-out. The cost is $12 in advance or $13 at the door for half a chicken, baked potato, corn on the cob, coleslaw and beverage.
Raffles with great prizes and entertainment will be provided. You may purchase dinners at the door or in advance from any KLC Board member. Last year tickets were sold out, so get your tickets early. For further information, please contact Rick Theriault at 518-573-5088. Proceeds will benefit our Water Quality Fund and other costs of maintaining the Lake, including dam repair, fish stocking and weed control. Please help us to keep our lake clean and inviting for fun and recreation for all. Invite family, friends and neighbors to have a good time and socialize.
Woods Forum Scheduled For August 7
Did you know that the Rensselaer Plateau is the fifth largest forest in New York State and that it is 90% forested and that those forests are 90% privately owned?
Do you love your land and value your woods? Then attend a Woods Forum conducted by the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance (RPA) on Thursday, August 7, at 7 pm at the Grafton Fire Hall/VFW on County Route 85 in Grafton. Join fellow woodland owners and forestry professionals for a discussion on how to maintain the value of your woods for timber harvesting, recreation, wildlife and for future generations. Discuss how to care for your woods today and plan for its future. Talk with and hear about the experiences of other landowners.
There is also a chance to win a visit from professional forester, Mary Spring, an opportunity to sign up for a walk of your property with a Master Forest Owner and to win RPA gear. Attendees will also receive a copy of the new “Guide for Landowners” intended to help landowners find information in the recently published Rensselaer Plateau Regional Conservation Plan that is useful to them. Both of these resources and much more are now on the RPA website at http://rensselaerplateau.org/RensselaerPlateau/ConservationPlan.aspx. Refreshments will be served. Please call Sarah Parks at 302-584-7748 for additional information. This program is co-sponsored by New York Forest Owners Association, the Rensselaer Land Trust and the Agricultural Stewardship Association.