The College of Saint Rose in Albany announced this summer that Katherine Bakaitis of Petersburgh and Tyler Pomakoy of Stephentown have been named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2013 semester.
Full time students who complete a minimum of 12 credit hours and achieve a semester grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grades of D, F, Incomplete or Pass/Fail are eligible for inclusion on the Dean’s List.
Stephentown
Upcoming Rensselaer Land Trust Outings
• Cemetery Restoration Volunteer Work Day on Saturday, September 14, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Come for part or all day. Immerse your hands in history as we restore a 200 year old local cemetery on RLT’s Randall Brook easement in Stephentown. An expert restorer will be at the site to guide us. Call Francille Egbert for detailed directions at 518-674-3214 or email fran.egbert@gmail.com.
• Fourth Annual Plateau Traverse Hike, September 14 and 15. This is your chance to see some beautiful areas of the Plateau that are not open to the public. This hike is co-sponsored by the Friends of Dyken Pond, the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, the Rensselaer Land Trust and Pineridge Cross Country Ski Area. A $5 per day donation is suggested to offset fuel costs of shuttles. Preregistration is required; contact info@rensselaerplateau.org or call Jim at 518-794-9160.
This will be a very strenuous hike (15 miles each day) with some bushwhacking and significant elevation changes. More information is available at www.renstrust.org/outingsandevents/listing.
Two On-Farm Workshops On The Fruit Fly
The Cornell Cooperative Extension will hold two farm workshops on Tuesday, September 10, in Rensselaer County. Both workshops will highlight farm research aimed at understanding and controlling the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD). This invasive fruit fly is very damaging to soft fruit, especially berry crops that ripen later in the season. SWD caused over a million dollars in damage to berry crops in 2012 in New York alone. Because of this, SWD management has been a major statewide research and extension focus during 2013, with two of the projects located in the Capital District region. Plan to join growers, extension educators, Cornell University research faculty, industry and government representatives for updates on innovative management techniques for SWD.
• Fixed Sprayer System in a High Tunnel Raspberry Planting – The Berry Patch of Stonewall Hill Farm, 15370 NY Route 22, Stephentown from 2 to 3:30 pm. This project examines the effectiveness and labor saving attributes of this mode of pest control when faced with a challenging pest like SWD. Owner Dale Riggs is the president of the NYS Berry Growers Association which has been advocating for increased research funding for SWD. The farm also grows blueberries with bird netting and day neutral strawberries in a high tunnel – all for local markets. This project is supported by a research grant from the NY Farm Viability Institute.
• Exclusion Netting and Mass Trapping to Control SWD in Organic Blueberries – Hay Berry Farm, 1276 Babcock Lake Road, Hoosick Falls from 4 to 5:30 pm. Lawrie Nickerson was awarded a NE SARE Farmer Grant to evaluate netting as a management tool for SWD. She also looked at weed mat and berry quality in the study. The farm features a SMART NET bird net, deer fencing and a portable hand-washing station to meet U-Pick customer needs.
To register for these workshops call Marcie at 518-272-4210. For more information, call Laura McDermott at 518-791-5038 or email her at lgm4@cornell.edu.
Jerome Chamberlain
Stephentown – Jerome “Jim” Chamberlain died August 31, 2013, at Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation of Laurel Lake, in Lee, MA, of natural causes brought about by old age; he was 97.
Born in the small rural village of Mt. Upton, NY, Jim was the second child of Arthur and Clare (Wilcox) Chamberlain. Like his father, he loved and excelled in all sports, especially the game of baseball; in this he acquired considerable local acclaim. This talent and passion for all sports helped to center and sustain him throughout his long and active life.
In 1934 Jim met and fell in love with Neva A. Pidgeon of Norwich, NY. Their first meeting was over a soda counter where she served him a banana split. As their love grew so did the size of Neva’s banana splits. In 1938 they married. They had three children – Craig Jerome, Eric Roger and Jan Ellen. In 1951 the family moved to Clifton, NJ, where Jim worked for the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, retiring in 1978.
After Neva died in 1985, Jim later met Arline Carman, whom he knew from his early school years. It was a fairytale meeting and courtship. They became snowbirds, wintering in Florida with warm months spent in New York State.
In 2005 Arline’s health began to fail, and she eventually had to be admitted to a nursing home in Melbourne, FL. Jim was there every day, twice or three times, always present to help brighten her days. She died in 2008, and as in Neva’s death, he was totally bereft and lost without her.
Jim’s personal health began failing him. In 2008 he had a fall that required a hip replacement, eventually coming to Massachusetts to be near his family. He spent three years in assisted living; then the frailties of old age caused him to be admitted to the Kindred Nursing facility.
Jim is pre-deceased by his brother, Robert Chamberlain. He leaves two sons, Craig Chamberlain of Stephentown, NY and Eric Chamberlain and wife Lisa of Stockbridge, MA, a daughter, Jan Marraccini and husband William of Bangor, PA, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to express its extreme gratitude to the entire staff at Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation of Laurel Lake for the attentive and compassionate care given to their father over the past two years. Thank you one and all.
A memorial service will be held, Saturday, September 7, at 2 pm, with visitation beginning at 1 pm, at the Hall & Higgins Funeral Home, 457 NY Rt. 43, Stephentown, NY. A second memorial service will be held Sunday at 10:30 am at Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation of Laurel Lake, 620 Laurel Street, Lee, MA.
Rensselaer County Author Event At SML
submitted by Laurenne Teachout, Library Director
The public is invited to the Stephentown Memorial Library’s first Rensselaer County Author Event on Saturday, September 7, from 11 am to 1:30 pm at the Library, 472 State Route 43, Stephentown.
Meet three local writers and enjoy light refreshments. The authors will present brief descriptions of their books, read passages and be available to sign copies of their books if you’d like to purchase them. Other area writers are encouraged to express their interest in future events of this type.
Born and raised in Stephentown, author and speaker Norma Williams Lasch will be returning to the Stephentown Memorial Library with her 345 page collection of inspirational songs and poems penned with colorful rural New England memories, spanning five decades, with Tassels Of Blue, Weaving Threads of Devotion. Readers will be captivated as they stroll through these delightful eight chapters, “Winding Yarns” through “Seasons of Life” from reflections on building a home to the pain of losing a child. Her faith remains intact with strong “Borders of Hope” for life’s unending challenges. Come laugh at her poetic tales of employment in Family Court and the frustrations in the Public Defender’s and the State Reporter’s Office. She shares her anxieties of becoming a published author to being in the Secret Place where there comes a Song in the Night, making this encouraging book, Tassels Of Blue, one of your favorites.
Randy Kneer, Grafton resident and author, will be presenting his book The Untold Story Of Helen Ellett, relating this first time story about an intriguing woman and her memories of small town life in upstate New York. Kneer is also working on three other books, The Retired Forest Rangers Of New York State, The Firetowers Of The Hudson Valley and a personal biography called My Favorite Adirondack Memories.
William Middleton grew up in West Sand Lake and now resides in Grafton. He has worked most of his life in real estate and construction. Now retired, he writes and illustrates his whimsical children’s books of stories told to his six grandchildren. Following his high school days, he studied illustration at the Art Students League in New York City under Frank Reilly. Bill has published four delightful children’s books to date, including Gordon The Goldfish, Autumn Ball, Stanley And Henrietta and The Chipmunk Jamboree. Descriptions of the books can be found at Amazon.com.
For more information on this program, 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.
Scott W. Jansson Promoted To the Rank Of Major General
by David Flint
Scott W. Jansson was promoted on August 2 to the rank of Major General in the U.S. Air Force. Jansson is the son of Wes and Eileen Jansson of Averill Park. He has four siblings in this area: Susan Gardner and Deanna Harrington, both of Stephentown, and Randy Jansson and Aimee Dodge, both of Averill Park. He is also the nephew of Edie Beach of Averill Park.
[Read more…] about Scott W. Jansson Promoted To the Rank Of Major General
Rebecca Winn To Wed Matthew Morse
submitted by Rebecca Winn
Mr. and Mrs. James Winn as well as Mr. and Mrs. George Morse, all from Berlin, are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Rebecca Erin Winn to Matthew James Morse. Matthew is the son of Edwin and Kristin Overholt of Stephentown and of Linda and the late Don Morse of Wappinger Falls, NY. [Read more…] about Rebecca Winn To Wed Matthew Morse
Ryan Carpenter Of Stephentown Receives Academic Honor At HVCC
Ryan Carpenter of Stephentown was among those recently recognized for academic excellence at the end of the 2012-2013 year at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
Carpenter was the recipient of the Academic Excellence in Biology/Chemistry, which is given to a Biological Sciences or Biotechnology student who has shown academic excellence in the areas of biology and chemistry.
David Kirsimagi Of Stephentown To Attend Clarkson University
David W. Kirsimagi of Stephentown, a graduate of La Salle Institute in Troy, will attend Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY, as a member of the Class of 2017. Kirsimagi, who will be majoring in civil engineering, will begin studying at Clarkson in the fall.
“We look forward to having David join us on campus in August,” said Dean of Admissions Brian T. Grant.
Stephentown Texas Hold’em
The Veterans of Stephentown will hold a Texas Hold’em Tournament on Saturday, September 7, in the Stephentown Fire Hall, located at 35 Grange Hall Road in Stephentown. The doors will open at 5 pm and close at 6 pm. Play begins at 6:15 sharp.
No advance registration is required, and a donation of $35 per player will be accepted. Players can make an additional $10 donation at the door for 1,000 extra chips. This tournament will pay one place for every 10 players with a minimum of four places.
A free buffet will be served at the first break.
For further information, please call Tom McVeigh at 518-658 2448.