The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Sports Outdoors

St. Mary’s Academy Golf Scramble

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The 14th annual St. Mary’s Academy Golf Scramble will be held on Friday, August 8, at the scenic Hoosick Falls Country Club. Tee off times are 8 am and 1 pm. The cost is $70 per golfer and includes 18 holes with cart, lunch and a lite fare supper for four and five person teams. There is special pricing for teams that also sponsor a hole.

Non-golfers/spectators are also invited to come and cheer the teams on. If non-golfers/spectators want to be included in the lunch and lite fare supper the cost is $15.

For more information or if you are interested in sponsoring a hole or providing a prize for our very popular Chinese auction held during supper, please contact Pat Hayes at the school 518-686-4314.

This information is also available on the SMA website at www.stmaryshf.com.

Slaver’s Volleyball Camp

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BCS Volleyball coach Paul Slaver will be holding a Volleyball camp from August 11 to August 15, from 3 to 5 pm. This camp is open to 7-12th-graders. The cost is $50.

Learn the basics of Volleyball skills such as bump, set, spike and some training drills.

Coach Slaver can be contacted at 577-4469 for more information. Please leave a message, and he will call you back.

Dyken Pond August Kayak Paddles

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The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering three Kayak Paddles in August on the 5th, 10th and 19th. On August 5 the twilight paddle will be from 7 to 9 pm and on August 10 there will be a full moon twilight paddle from 7 to 9 pm. On August 19 there will a day paddle from 1 to 3 pm. Paddles are limited to 15 people and pre-registration is required. Boats can be rented for $10. Please call 518-658-2055 or email dykenpond@fairpoint.net to register or find out more information. A complete list of programs can be found at www.dykenpond.org.

The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville.

Woods Forum Scheduled For August 7

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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.

August Mid-Week Hike Series At Dyken Pond

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The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering a Mid-Week Hike Series on August 7, 12 and 21 from 2 to 4 pm. These hikes are fun, easy and guided. You can attend one or more of these hikes, so come join this summer for some outdoor adventures! The mid-week hike series will run all summer long and a complete list of programs can be found at www.dykenpond.org.

The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, 518-658-2055.

Upcoming Events At Local State Parks

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• July 18, Friday – Flood Plain Explore on the Walloomsac River from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Join Ecologist David Hunt in the Bennington Battlefield on an exploration of the rich flood plain along the Walloomsac River. We’ll tramp through flood plain forest and peer into backwater sloughs. This is a very special opportunity to learn more about the ecology of this beautiful river and its surroundings. Please meet in the driveway of the Barnett House, 30 Caretaker Road, in Hoosick. To pre-register call 279-1155.

• July 19, Saturday – Skyhigh Triathlons at Grafton Lakes State Park – 8 am – adult triathlon and 11 am for youth. For more information, visit www.skyhighadventures.com.

• July 19, Saturday – Touch ‘N Explore Wildlife Display at Cherry Plain State Park from 2:30 to 4:30 pm – a birds and feathers program with live birds in attendance! Learn from wildlife educator Bernie Hoffman.

• July 23, Wednesday – If These Rocks Could Talk – A Geology Walk with David DeSimone at 4 pm. We are very pleased that local geologist David DeSimone will be joining us for a special geology tour of Grafton Lakes State Park. We’ll explore the signs of over 500 million years of geologic change found in the rocks you walk by every time you visit the Park and the Rensselaer Plateau. Call to register and for details at 279-1155.

Grafton Lakes State Park is open from 8 am to dusk, with swimming open 10 am to 6 pm. Gate fees are $8 per car. Cherry Plain State Park is open for camping through Labor Day, with swimming also open 10 am to 6 pm. Gate fees at Cherry Plain are $7 per car. The Bennington Battlefield is open daily from 10 am to 7 pm.

Ecosystem Engineers, Jr. Naturalist Program On The Beaver

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The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering a Junior Naturalist Program on August 6 from 1 to 3 pm. This program will teach Jr. Naturalists all about one of our favorite mammals, the beaver! Students will be thinking and acting like a beaver as we explore their homes and construct our very own dam. Please wear water shoes and clothes that can get wet. A $1 per child donation covers material costs. A complete list of programs can be found at: www.dykenpond.org. Pre-registration is encouraged to help with planning but not required and can be done by contacting the Center at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or 658-2055.

Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville. Call 518-658-2055 for more information and a complete schedule of our summer events.

Register For 29th Annual Run For The Roses Race

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Registration is now open for the 29th Annual Run for the Roses 5k Foot Race to be held on Sunday, August 10, at Grafton Lakes State Park. The event benefits the Grafton Community Library and includes a 2.5 mile Nature Walk and Kids’ 1 Mile Fun Run in addition to the USATF sanctioned 5k race.

Pre-registration deadline for reduced entry fee is August 5. The Nature Walk steps off at 8 am, $10, day of race, $15. The 5k starts at 9 am, $20, day of race $25.  Fun Run starts at 10 am, $8, day of race $10.

The first 100 pre-registered 5k runners will receive a long sleeve T-shirt. Short sleeve T-shirts will given to all other pre-registered participants. All participants receive a free book and a rose.

Register online at www.finishright.com or download the application from www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org.  Race applications are also available at Grafton Lakes State Park Office, phone 279-1155, and at the Grafton Community Library at 2455 NY Route 2.