The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Stephentown

Congressmen Gibson, Maloney Urge Governor To Sign Lyme Bill

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Congressmen Chris Gibson (NY-19) and Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) are calling on Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to sign into law the Lyme disease bill that passed both chambers of the New York State Legislature earlier this year.

The bipartisan legislation, the Patients’ Rights/Doctor Protection Bill, provides that physicians who treat Lyme and other tick borne diseases according to medically recognized standards of care shall not be subjected to arbitrary and capricious investigations of their medical licenses by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct.

“Because there is more than one medically recognized standard of care for Lyme disease,” said Congressmen Gibson and Maloney in a letter to the Governor, “physicians should be enabled to use whichever evidence based diagnostic and treatment options provide the best benefit to their patients.

“The Patients’ Rights/Doctor Protection Bill makes common  sense improvements to State regulations, putting treatment decisions in the hands of physicians and instituting guidelines to help our State fight this public health scourge,” said Congressman Gibson. “I respectfully call on Governor Cuomo to sign this bill into law.”

“Lyme Disease is an epidemic across the Hudson Valley that’s hurting our kids, loved ones and neighbors. This bipartisan legislation would ensure our friends and families in the Hudson Valley can receive the proper diagnosis and treatment of this debilitating disease,” said Congressman Maloney.

Congressman Gibson is the author of the Vector-Borne Disease Research Transparency and Accountability Act of 2014, which was co-sponsored by Congressman Maloney and passed the House of Representatives this year. Both Congressmen are enlisting support for that bill among their Senate colleagues.

Add Whatever You Want Is The Official Cookie Of East Nassau

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submitted by Elizabeth M. Hurley,  member of the Bell Park Committee

The recent Cookie Contest and Chinese Auction held by the Village of East Nassau to fund the Bell Park, former home of the Brainard United Methodist Church on Route 20, was a great success with twenty-seven cookie entries.

First place winner was Kim Curtiss of Brainard with her “Add Whatever You Want” cookie which is now the official cookie of the Village of East Nassau for 2015.  All contest cookie recipes will be available in the form of a cookbook.

Also available is a limited edition commemorative Bell Park ornament at a cost of five dollars each.  The ornament and the cookbook may be purchased at the December 7 breakfast at the Hoags Corners Firehouse, the December 10 Village of East Nassau Board meeting and the December 21 breakfast at the Tsatsawassa Firehouse in Brainard.  You can also  contact cookies@villageofeastnassau.org to request these items.

The Bell Park Committee expresses sincere thanks to the businesses and area residents who supported our first Cookie Contest and Chinese auction, and we look forward to making this an annual event.

Special thanks go to the Hoags Corners Fire Company whose newly renovated hall provided a wonderful venue for our event.

Caroling For Cans Drop-Off Locations

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Girl Scouts are sponsoring Caroling for Cans and special collections to help feed families this winter. Local Girl Scout Service Unit 154 is organizing a special holiday food drive to help food pantries and Berlin Elementary School meet a growing need for food supplies.

More families than ever are turning to local food pantries in Berlin, Grafton and Stephentown for help.  The need for supplemental food has become so great that Berlin Elementary School (BES) is supplying food directly to families for weekends and during holiday periods. These organizations are having trouble keeping their shelves stocked.

The community is invited to Caroling for Cans, a Christmas carol sing along on Wednesday, December 10, from 5:30 to 6 pm at the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Berlin. You can help by attending this important holiday event and bringing a non-perishable donation for the food pantries/school.

Many local organizations are asking their members bring a food donation to their next meeting and we have learned that several groups have already taken up collections of food or money to donate; thank you to every person and organization that is extending a helping hand.

The following locations will host food drop-off boxes throughout the month of December: Berlin Elementary School, Gardner’s Coffee Shoppe, Grafton Library,   Grafton Town Hall, Petersburgh Post Office, Petersburgh Town Hall, Stephentown Library, Stephentown Town Hall, Stephentown Trading Post with more locations to come.

Please consider making a food donation at one of these many collection sites. If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Girl Scouts at 279-3772 or 733-6488.

Veterans Of Stephentown Texas Hold’em

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The Veterans of Stephentown  will hold a Texas Hold’em Tournament on Saturday, December 6, in the Stephentown Fire Hall, located at 35 Grange Hall Road in Stephentown. The doors will open at 5:30 pm and close at 6 pm. Play begins at 6:15 sharp.

No advance registration is required. A donation of $35 per player will be accepted and give the player 6,000 in chip value. Players can make an additional $10 donation at the door for 2,000 extra in chip value. This tournament will pay one place for every ten players with a minimum of four places and a maximum of nine places.

A free buffet will be served at the first break, and refreshments will be available.

For further information, please call Tom MacVeigh at 518-658-2448.

Caroling For Cans

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Girl Scouts are sponsoring Caroling for Cans and special collections to help feed families this winter. More families than ever are turning to local food pantries in Berlin, Grafton and Stephentown for help.  The need for supplemental food has become so great that Berlin Elementary School (BES) is supplying food directly to families for weekends and during holiday periods. These organizations are having trouble keeping their shelves stocked.  Local Girl Scout Service Unit 154 is organizing a special holiday food drive to help food pantries and BES meet the need.

The community is invited to Caroling for Cans, a Christmas carol sing along on Wednesday, December 10, from 5:30 to 6 pm at the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Berlin. You can help by attending this important holiday event and bringing a non-perishable donation for the food pantries/school.

The Girl Scouts will also ask community organizations to set out collections boxes for food and request their members to bring food donations to meetings held in December. Food collection locations will be announced very soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to help, please contact the Girl Scouts at 279-3772 or 733-6488.

SHS Holiday Potluck Dinner

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The Stephentown Historical Society will hold its holiday potluck dinner on Monday, December 8, at 6:30 pm at the Stephentown Heritage Center, Garfield Road (County Route 26), Stephentown. Tom Kernan will give an after dinner talk on the history of glass Christmas tree ornaments. Officers and Board members will be elected at the brief business meeting.

For the dinner, bring a dish large enough to share – main course, salad or dessert. Beverages and table service are provided. Instead of a gift exchange, a monetary collection will be taken to support the Stephentown Food Pantry. All meetings are free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For information, phone 518-733-0010.

Kernan became interested in glass ornaments through admiration of his grandmother’s old German ones. He will tell about the places where ornaments were made and the process of manufacture. He will show some examples and pictures of others. You may bring ornaments for comment or display.

Please Note: The Heritage Center will not be open on Friday afternoons in December.

Stephentown Memorial Library News

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SML Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

The Stephentown Memorial Library will be closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Please use our book drop, located near the handicapped ramp on the front of the building, when we are closed. We wish you all a relaxing and happy holiday. We will be open Saturday, November 29 as usual to meet your needs.

• Mitten Tree – Bring your gently used or new winter accessories (mittens, gloves, hats, scarves) and hang them on the Mitten Tree at the Stephentown Memorial Library. The collection will run from December 1 through December 19. We will donate them to a local agency for distribution to families in need. Children’s items are especially useful.

• Healthcare Sign up – Meet with certified facilitator, Kelly Gross, at SML for a free appointment on Wednesday, December 3. Gross will walk you through the process of signing up for healthcare online. An appointment is required; call the Library at 733-5750 to sign up.

• Monthly Lego Club – Friday, December 5, at 6 pm. Do you have a Lego enthusiast who could spend hours and hours every day engrossed with creative building? Do you have so many Legos in your house that you never know when you’ll suck one up with your vacuum cleaner? Do you sometimes get down on the floor with your clever builders and create something of your own? Well, this club is for you and your family! The Lego Club meets on a Friday night each month for an hour of building fun. There is no sign-up or charge. Donations of Lego blocks are most welcome at the Library desk.

• Computer Class – Troubleshooting Your Device(s) – Wednesday, December 10, at 6:30 pm. Bring your questions and your devices to this class led by Sarah McFadden, Digital Literacy Resource Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County. She will talk about different things that can be connected, the kinds of cables needed to connect them and how to do some basic troubleshooting. Examples of devices that will be discussed include cameras, smartphones, laptops, tablets, TVs, gaming consoles, etc.

• Weekly Story Time – Fridays at 10 am. Story Time will not meet on November 28 or December 26. Calling all preschoolers (and their caregivers). Join us each Friday for some story time fun. In this half hour session, we read aloud, sing songs, move about and explore the world around us through literature. Parents and children are encouraged to stay after story time so children have time for free play while grown-ups browse for books and socialize.

• Make Your Own Mini-Gingerbread House – Join us on Monday, December 15, at 6:30 pm as we make mini-gingerbread houses from graham crackers. This is a great activity that is suitable for all ages, including very young children. It will be led by Rebekkah Corbett. This is a free activity, but we ask that you call ahead for reservations.

• Holiday Cookie Swap – Come join the fun on Thursday, December 18, at 6:30 pm. Hot chocolate and holiday treats will be served and everyone is encouraged to bring along four dozen holiday cookies for a cookie swap. Everyone gets to take home a nice assortment of cookies for the holidays.

For more information on any of these programs or to register for programs, call the Stephentown Memorial Library at 733-5750 or stop by during our Library Hours. Also check our website, www.stephentownlibrary.org for regular updates.

Stephentown Food Pantry Donations Are Needed More Than Ever

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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.