The North Hoosick Fire Department will hold the last regular kids dance of its 15th season on Friday, June 28, from 7 to 10 pm at the fire station on Rt. 22. Students ages 9 to 15 and who attend the locals schools are invited. The admission fee for attending the last dance is only one dollar.
At this dance, one of the students will become the 55,000th student to attend the firehouse kids dances since they began back in December of 1998.
Pool Dance
The final dance of the school year will be the annual pool dance at the Town of Hoosick community pool in Hoosick Falls on Friday, July 12. Tickets for the pool dance can be purchased at the regular dance this Friday. The Department would like to thank the students and parents for making our 15th season a success. Dances will resume on Friday, September 6.
Summer Programs At Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center
• Tuesday, July 2 – 1 to 3 pm – Beautiful Butterflies and Mysterious Moths, a Junior Naturalist Program for kids of all ages. Come learn about the fascinating world of butterflies and moths. We will go out into the field to catch different species of butterflies and moths indigenous to Dyken Pond and learn how their life cycles differ from one another. There is a $1 suggested donation.
• Tuesday, July 9 – 1 to 3 pm – Amphibian Awareness Adventure, a Junior Naturalist Program for kids of all ages. Adventure through Dyken Pond’s trail systems in a hunt for salamanders and frogs. Learn the different calls of frogs present at Dyken Pond and learn why amphibians are so important in the wild. There is a $1 suggested donation.
• Tuesday, July 16 – 1 to 3pm – Pollination at a Glance, a Junior Naturalist Program for kids of all ages. Learn all about the Northeast’s pollinators. We will also identify different flowering species and the parts of the flower that are crucial for the pollination process. There is a $1 suggested donation.
• Saturday, July 20 – 7 to 9 pm – Full Moon Kayak Tour. This is a public program. Come for a full moon kayaking adventure. Pre-registration is required. Bring your own boat or rent one of ours at $10 per boat. The tour is limited to 12 boats.
Please visit our website at www.dykenpond.org for more information.
GLSP To Hold Dance In The Park
Grafton Lakes State Park, the Dance Flurry Organization and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host Dance in the Park on Sunday, July 28. Dance in the Park is open to dancers at all levels of experience with or without a partner. The event will take place at the Deerfield Pavilion from 4 to 10 pm, starting with two lessons and a dance following. All proceeds from the night will benefit the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park.
The first lesson of the evening will be taught by Ralph Kenyon of Ballroom Essentials and covers the smooth ballroom techniques of Foxtrot and Waltz. The second lesson will be taught by Katie-Jean Wall and covers East Coast Swing. The main dance will feature a live band, the Dylan Perrillo Orchestra, and a DJ, Lauren Keeley of Walter and Lauren Swing. There will also be food from Brunswick Barbeque and Brew and a raffle with prizes including gift certificates from Saratoga Savoy and Ballroom Essentials as well as CDs and download cards from Homespun Occasions.
Registration costs $25 per person and includes dinner, dance lessons and a night of live music. Pre-registration is required by Monday, July 22. For more information about Dance in the Park, please call the Park Office at 518-279-1155.
Extreme Hike For Cystic Fibrosis
submitted by Terry Waite
On Saturday, June 22, 51 hikers trekked 27 challenging miles in one day on the Taconic Crest Trail from North Petersburgh to Jiminy Peak to raise funds for cystic fibrosis. In its second year, the Xtreme Hike presented by Berkshire Bank attracted hikers from Massachusetts and New York with a shared goal of supporting cystic fibrosis research, medical programs and patient care. This eager group of outdoors lovers raised more than $200,000 with support from the Berkshire Bank Foundation.
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Emerging New York Artist To Exhibit Work In Hoosick Falls
120Gallery90 at The Armory in Hoosick Falls is pleased to announce its fourth exhibition, which will run July 12 to August 9. The Gallery is excited to be showing recent landscape paintings by emerging New York artist Alessandro Keegan in Gallery90 and an exhibit called “Seeing Through,” works on beveled glass panes, by Hoosick Artist Guild artists in 120Gallery. Each of the first three shows in this exciting art space has been very successful, and this one should prove to be also.
Opening Reception July 12
Everyone is invited to meet the artists and view the work at the Opening Reception on Friday, July 12, from 6 to 8 pm. Music will be performed by The Brewsters. 120Gallery90 is downstairs at The Armory, 80 Church Street, Hoosick Falls.
Alessandro Keegan is a painter, writer and independent curator living and working in Brooklyn, NY. He received his MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and has exhibited his work in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities throughout the country. Most recently, his work has appeared in the journal Helvete (Punctum Books), and as the album cover for “Sinews” (Load Records) by the New York based band, White Suns.
Writing about the work in this exhibit, Keegan says, “The spaces that I paint may seem to have a familiar relationship with the world, but they are made entirely from imagination and memory.” Stylistically influenced by late nineteenth century and early twentieth century modernism, his paintings hang in the blurred boundary between representation and abstraction. Light, line, form and mystery pull the viewer into the spaces the artist has created on his canvasses. Keegan’s images are evocative and strangely familiar, suggesting a larger picture that the viewer must complete in his or her mind. They are a visible manifestation of the artist’s inner psyche, a window into something seemingly inaccessible: the natural and fantastic spaces that lay hidden within each of us. The viewer must bring his/her own associations to the work. Critics have called his work “simply transporting.”
The exhibition in 120Gallery is a collection of works on antique beveled glass panes. Local artists were challenged to interpret and explore both the different meanings of the theme, “Seeing Through,” as well as the process and effects of working with, or on, a glass surface. The results are remarkable and varied.
The Brewsters, Hoosick Falls’ very own von Trapp family, will be performing in The Owls Nest at 7 pm on July 12. Husband and wife, Mike and Cindy, and their sons Mike, Matthew and Levi, will entertain with popular songs.
Elizabeth A. Guiden
Hoosick Falls – Elizabeth A. Guiden, 84, passed away on Saturday, June 22, 2013, at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, NY. She had resided on Mechanic Street in Hoosick Falls, NY. Elizabeth was the wife of the late Thomas Guiden, who died on December 16, 1985.
Born on September 9, 1928, in Hoosick Falls, Elizabeth was the daughter of the late Joseph T. and Elizabeth A. (Nolan) Dwyer. She graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in the Class of 1945. Elizabeth also graduated from Troy Business College in Troy. She was employed at Oak Industries in Hoosick Falls until retiring in 1988. Elizabeth was a communicant of the Immaculate Conception Church. She was a former member of the Catholic Daughters of America in which she also held the position of District Deputy.
Survivors include her daughters, Ellen Guiden of Hoosick Falls and Betsy Sepehri of Irvine, CA, and two grandchildren, Michael and Keiana Sepehri.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9 am on Saturday, June 29, from the Immaculate Conception Church on Main Street in Hoosick Falls. Burial will follow the Mass at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Hoosick Falls.
Relatives and friends may call at the Mahar Funeral Home, 43 Main Street in Hoosick Falls, on Friday from 4 to 8 pm.
Mary R. Cloke
Hoosick Falls – Mary R. Cloke died on June 17, 2013, at 68 years of age at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson, NY, after a 2½ year battle with scleroderma. This autoimmune disease deprived her of her usual energy, drive and ability to travel and enjoy her family and friends.
Born in Hartford, CT, Mary lived for a time with her parents, John C.W. and Jeanne Rowley in Weathersfield, CT. As a child she moved to the family home in Hoosick Falls, NY, and graduated from Hoosick Falls Central School in 1963. She graduated from the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene, Boston, MA, in 1965 and worked as a dental hygienist until 1969. In 1967 she married Edward Cloke and moved with him to Idaho as he completed his military service. While in Idaho their daughter Laura was born in 1969 and their son Preston was born in 1970.
Moving to Catskill, NY, Mary was drawn to the United Methodist Church, where not only was she a member of the congregation but served on the Board of Trustees and for a lengthy period served as its President. She was an active member of the Church and also assisted the employees and children in the operation of the Giving Tree Day Care. Active with the Brownies and Girl Scouts, Mary was always interested in activities involving kids, and the kids always seemed to enjoy her company.
In addition to her volunteer services with groups such as the Catskill Garden Club, Mary also returned to work and worked for Catalano, Leifer and Bruno, DDS as a dental hygienist for 21 years, retiring six years ago. She enjoyed her patients and followed their lives, children and interests, often seeing young patients from their earliest visits to a time when they graduated from school or college.
Another effort that was important to Mary was her trips to Guatemala with the Glens Falls Medical Mission, where doctors, nurses, dentists, hygienists and other medical personnel went into the backcountry to treat thousands of residents. Mary set up and worked in the dental clinic and fondly recalled her trips, the people with whom she worked and the Guatemalans who were so thankful for treatment they would never have without the Mission.
Often referred to as the “Energizer Bunny,” in view of her tireless energy, it was difficult to see her sapped of that energy and rendered almost housebound. She was a fighter and was often described by nurses as “tough.” Despite her illness, Mary always maintained a positive attitude and was concerned about the welfare of others.
Mary is pre-deceased by her parents, and a brother, David. She is survived by her husband, Edward G. Cloke, her daughter, Laura J. Cloke, her son-in-law, Thomas Grouard, her granddaughter, Margot, who at 2½ years old always brought a smile to “Grandma’s” face, her son, Preston E. Cloke, her sister, Nancy Hickey, her brother-in-law, Richard, her sister-in-law, Joyce, and her brother-in-law, Ken Statler, as well as a number of nieces and nephews and their children.
Mary’s wish was to be cremated, and that will be accomplished with the assistance of the Traver-McCurry Funeral Home. A memorial service will be conducted on June 29 at the United Methodist Church, 40 Woodland Avenue, Catskill, NY. Viewing at the Church will be from 9 to 11:30 am, with the service at 11:30 am. Luncheon will follow the service in the Church’s Fellowship Hall.
John Joseph Stuka
Hoosick Falls – John Joseph Stuka, was known as “Mush” to everyone who knew him growing up in the Clay Hill section of Hoosick Falls, NY. Born on September 23, 1917, Mush was the son of Andrew and Rozalia (Symolon) Stuka. He was the husband of the late Janet Carolyn (Wright) Stuka, who died on February 18, 2001. They were married on November 18, 1939, and were together for sixty-two years.
Mush enlisted in the Army Air Corps on March 16, 1943. He was a ball turret gunner in a B-24 named Lady Luck. Between April 29, 1944, and August 22, 1944, he flew a total of fifty-one combat sorties, some of them to the Ploesti oil refineries on the 10th and 17th of August, 1944. In June of 1944 the Lady Luck was involved in the Vienna, Austria, bombing, and the crew was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. Among other medals awarded the crew were two Air Medals and two Distinguished Cross Medals with four bronze battle stars.
Mush was formerly employed at Wright Way Laundry in Bennington, VT, owned by his brothers-in-law, Lester and Arthur Wright. He was also employed at the Specialty Mfg. Company and retired in May of 1986 from the former Wood Flong Corp., both in Hoosick Falls.
In his youth he played baseball for the City League in Hoosick Falls and was known as “First Ward’s Steller Pitcher.” He was second in batting averages with an average of .425. Mush attended St. Mary’s Academy in Hoosick Falls. He also enjoyed gardening and loved teasing his grandchildren with his famous cucumber in a bottle trick. He was famous for his sense of humor and quick wit. Mush had many favorite fishing spots at Babcock Lake where he spent many summers at the family camp.
He is survived by two daughters, Emmy Piritz and husband Carl of Hoosick Falls and Rosemarie Cave of Liverpool, NY, a son, William Stuka of Wells, NY, and eight grandchildren, Michael and Robert Piritz, Lisa Davis, Adam, Janet and Ethan Foucher, Brandon and Jennifer Stuka. He is also survived by twenty great-grandchildren, eight great-great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. He is pre-deceased by four sisters, Helen Coulter, Florence Scoville, Clara Pettibone and Sophie Petralia.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, June 22, with burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Hoosick Falls. Arrangements were by the Mahar Funeral Home, 43 Main Street in Hoosick Falls.
The family thanks the doctors and nurses at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, the staff at the Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation at Hoosick Falls and Dr. Marcus Martinez for their kind and loving care.
The Life Of George Holcomb – A Death In The Snow: Demon Rum is Blamed
Sunday, December 23, 1827: Today I took the cutter and carried my wife to the funeral of one Mr. Powell, he died on Monday night it is expected, in the snow storm. He was intoxicated and on his way home from the store with a jug of rum. Elder Jones preached his funeral at the schoolhouse in Goodrich Hollow, but sermon was out before we got there. Today cousin widow Nelly Holcomb and her son called to see if we would take her daughter to work for her board and go to school.
Monday: I carried my children to school and drew wood from my Rodgers Farm. Tonight I started to go to see the widow Nelly Holcomb to let her know that she might send her girl and we would take her as proposed. I sent word by her son without going any further. Tonight we kept a trunk peddler, and he paid us in pins and thread.
Thursday: Today some stormy. I tended to chores and chopped wood to the door, and we, brother Wm and I, tended to dividing our sheep. We had to divide our sheep over again on account of the marks getting rubbed off.
Friday: I called down to the Shakers to David Munson’s and paid one dol and 61 cts for five pounds of 3/4 of shoe leather. I called into J. Gold’s store and exchanged 21 dols Vermont money for Albany, Troy, and Pittsfield money. Some rainy.
Saturday: I called to Samuel Holcomb’s to see if widow Nelly Holcomb was going to let me have her little girl to help us, as has been talked, but she has engaged her elsewhere. On the way I called to M. Platt’s store and paid ten cents for my wife a small hair comb.
Thursday, January 10, 1828: We chopped and piled wood in my Rodgers swamp. On this morning Miss Alma Booge died. She has been for months unwell with bloating, and died at last with quick consumption.
Friday: Today my wife and I walked down to the widow Booge’s to the funeral of Alma Booge. Mr. Silas Churchill preached. I went up Goodrich Hollow in Hancock to Gideon Martin’s to engage money to borrow to make out a payment to brother Wm the first of April for land, but I did not engage any for a certainty. I called to Henry Stanton and got the promise of three hundred dollars the first of April next.
Thursday, January 24: Today I took the cutter and carried my wife and Mother Holcomb to Hazard Morey’s to the funeral of Old Mrs. Morey, her age 89 years. A Quaker from Adams preached and today Mr. Sylvester Gardner was married to Miss Alma Russell by Elder Jones, and this evening Mr. John Hatch to Miss Lecta Tyler, and tonight I walked over to H. Platt’s store and left my tax money and brother Wm’s with said Platt to hand to the said collector Mittle according to his orders. Our taxes were five dol and 80 cts, and brother Wm’s taxes were one dol and 88 cts.
Fatal Accident In Cherry Plain
by David Flint
A Cherry Plain woman lost her life last Thursday night when struck by a car as she walked along Route 22. State Police from the Schodack barracks reported that at approximately 9:15 pm on June 13 a 2005 Chrysler operated by Douglas S. Homiak, age 22 of Berlin, was heading south on Route 22 less than a half mile south of Bly Hollow Road. [Read more…] about Fatal Accident In Cherry Plain