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Moderate to Heavy Rain over Next Three Days

Written By Editor on 6/30/13 | 6/30/13

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the coming week look to be wet ones as more rough weather is entering into Schoharie County. Monday and Tuesday both appear to have over an inch of rain each day coupled with periodic thunderstorms. This comes as the Gilboa Dam is expect to continue rising into action stage until Tuesday.

Things will cool down with the weather in the 70s all three days. Keep it tuned with the Schoharie News' weather page for up to date information on the weather and Dam level.

Landis Holds Successful Concert

The Landis Arboretum held a rousing night of music last night with two bands. As part of the Live at Landis Series, Jamie Kent and the Tom Healy Band. For just ten dollars, listeners were treated to the playing of two well-regarded bands. Jamie Kent played their eclectic style while the Tom Healy Band played what the Times Union once called "the best blues in town."
Photo Credit Landis Arboretum's Facebook page
The Arboretum is planning a visit from the Upper Catskill String Quartet on July 7th at 3pm. The event is free.

Gilboa Dam to Reach Action Stage Tuesday


With scattered thunderstorms expected to bring strong rains over the next three days, the Gilboa Dam is expected to pass its action stage of 1,125.1 feet sometime late Tuesday morning into the afternoon.
 
The Gilboa Dam - September, 2009.
Although the dam's height is expected to reach 1,126.6 feet Wednesday morning, it is not expected that levels will reach flood stages, but it is a sign creek and stream levels will be high across the county and more flash flooding cannot be ruled out as thunderstorms roll in.
 
The dam hasn't reached its minor flood stage since the twin-punch of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in late August/early September 2011 and thankfully it doesn't appear likely to do so this time either.
 

Jefferson Beaver Dam Fails, Causing Local Flooding


The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Southern Schoharie County in the aftermath of a Jefferson beaver dam failing until four o'clock this afternoon. The emergency system just blared on local radio stations for people to steer clear of the affected areas and not to drive through the rising waters.
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
105 PM EDT SUN JUN 30 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR BEAVERDAM DAM IN...SOUTHERN SCHOHARIE
COUNTY.

* UNTIL 400 PM EDT

* AT 102 PM EDT...THE FAILURE OF BEAVERDAM DAM WAS REPORTED BY STATE
EMERGENCY OFFICIALS. LOCATIONS IN THE WARNED AREA MAY EXPERIENCE
RAPID WATER RISES AND FLASH FLOODING RESULTING FROM THIS DAM
FAILURE. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION!

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.
Stay tuned for updates as they come in.
 
Update (3:32 pm): The NWS is reporting that the dam was located upstream of the Stamford Reservoir and that most of the water has simply been captured downstream, with only some spillover on Route 10 in Jefferson.
 

Fireworks Cap 125th Middleburgh Fire Department Celebration

 
Capping a day-long celebration of the Middleburgh Fire Department's 125th anniversary of service to the Village and surrounding areas, fireworks wowed the crowds behind the High School and through out the central and outskirts of the Village on what could be a more beautiful Saturday evening.
 
 
The fireworks began promptly at 9:30 in the evening and lasted approximately for thirty minutes, alternating from spectacular light show to simple streaks in the sky to Valley shaking booms that rattled spectators eardrums and were reportedly heard almost two miles up Route 145.
 
 
But nothing short of jaw dropping can explain the grand finale, which promoters initiated with a simulated lighting of wooden structures that read "MFD 125 MFD" with a fireman's symbol in the middle, letting everyone in direct view know that this was the fire department's day to be proud of their service.
 


Schoharie County Unemployment Highest in Region

Written By Editor on 6/29/13 | 6/29/13

New York State's Labor Department seemed to show some good news as the state's total unemployment rate fell to 7.4%, the lowest in years. Locally, much of the news is positive as the Albany area is one of the strongest regions in Upstate regarding job growth. However, as the local numbers are examined more closely, the numbers do not look as good.

Schoharie County, once the second-poorest County in New York State, is not fairing well during the recent recession. According to the latest figures, 8.0% of Schoharie County workers are unemployed, as compared to just 6.4% of those in the entire Capital Region.

Heroes on Display at MFD's 125th Celebration

The Middleburgh Fire Department celebrated 125 years of service to the area with a celebration over a century in the making. With over 350 confirmed guests, the event started with a large parade along Main Street. With representatives from over a dozen fire departments from across the state, it was one of the longest parades in Middleburgh's history.




Meanwhile hundreds of wellwishers lined Main Street to see the floats. Included was local business like Hubie's Pizza and Carver's Stone and candidate for Sheriff Todd Ethington.

Chamber of Commerce Picnic August 15

The Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual summer barbecue and mini golf tournament on August 15th at 4pm. The event will be held at Gobbler's Knob in Cobleskill. The barbecue will be catered by the Stockyard Public House.

Cobleskill-Richmondville To Hold Special Meeting July 1st


Cobleskill-Richmondville Superintendent Lynn Macan announced via press release on Wednesday afternoon that the school district's board of education will hold a special meeting next week on Monday, July 1st 6:30 in the evening to review an energy savings proposal.
 
The meeting, which will be held at the William H. Golding Middle School library, is open to the public and will be the board's first post-graduation session of the summer.

Schoharie Promotional Association Sets Summer Concert Schedule

Continuing the work of years past:

Middleburgh Business Association Sets Goals

The Middleburgh Area Business Association has set several medium to long-term goals for its organization, formed in 2012. They include:


• Promotion of Economic Development for New and Existing Businesses
• Business Advocacy (with local government agencies)
• Representation with the Community and Community Activities
• Liaison with Other Business Support Agencies
• Open Communication Among Local Business Owners

Middleburgh Pride Day Slated for July 6th

The Village of Middleburgh and Middleburgh Area Business Association is proud to present the first Middleburgh Pride Day on Saturday, July 6th starting at 11am. The event will showcase projects of the Village, Library, Rotary, Knights of Columbus, businesses, and other community organizations. All are welcome to take part in the celebration and we hope to see you there. Parking will be available behind the high school and on Baker Avenue.

Design by Linda Quinn
Itinerary:

11am - 1pm: Opening of Middleburgh's new or revamped park projects. Maps will be distributed showcasing the different projects. Visitors may come on the longer tour group or individually. The first stop will be the new community pavilion on Baker Avenue at 11am. We will hear from Trustee Morton and tour the Creekside Park. Stops include the Community Garden, the Pavilion, and the wildflower exhibit.

The next stop will be the two murals on Daniel Ross's law office on Main Street at 11:30. We will hear from artist Patti Brancoforte on the deer mural.

At 12:00 pm we will tour the new Timothy Murphy park across the bridge. Exhibits include the visitor's kiosk, new dog park, and Rotary and Knights of Columbus Pavilion rebuilt after the flood.

At 12:30 visitors will head to the Village Memorial Park near the Elementary School where Eagle Scout candidate Anthony Diecidue repaired the veterans' fountain.

Starting at noon the Library will hold an exhibit on Timothy Murphy and may host a presentation from the Schoharie County Quilt Barn Trail.

Along Main Street other attractions are planned. Four Star Realty will be hosting a children's event and will have its grand re-opening at 3pm. The businesses are planning their own open houses similar to Miracle on Main Street. There will be a Kymar Wine tasting at Value Village Liquors on Railroad Avenue. The Best House will be open to visitors. It will be holding a presentation: Finding Your Pieces: Genealogy Tips for Beginners to Advanced researchers hosted by Karen Cuccinello; author and local genaelogist. Free; $5 donations are graciously appreciated.

The MCS Booster Club will be offering refreshments during the event and the Business Association will have a booth at NBT Bank and will be holding a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt will be dispersed among the businesses and locations on the tour. Maps will be available at the same location. They will also be selling Middleburgh Pride Day t-shirts for $10. Rotary will be selling 50/50 raffle tickets with the Business Association. The Democratic Party will be holding a barbecue next to Stewart's. Middleburgh Lanes will offer $1 games from 11-2pm. Pasta and Grill will be holding specials all day. The Artisan's Gallery invites visitors to come and view their visiting artist Kathy Turner from Arlington, VA.

Starting at 1pm will be various band acts, mostly consisting of folk music. Thanks to Pat Costello for helping set up the acts. These will last until 7 or 8pm.

- Cosby Gibson of the Flying Song Garden (http://www.theflyingsonggarden.org/). The Song Garden performed at last year's Arts and Crafts Festival.

- Palatypus: This is a folk group made up of Matt Durfee and Mike Poulopoulos. Matt is from Middleburgh originally and now resides in Albany. A songwriter for many years, Durfee's unique voice and intricate finger picking weave elements of country, folk, rock, and pop into a style all his own. He has performed regionally throughout the Northeast, both as a solo performer and as a member of the acoustic folk duo Palatypus; his full length album "Little World" is currently in production, and expected to be released within the year...http://www.facebook.com/l/AAQEKndRyAQHCs8Jdcn8YbF7oHx_UcOy1_PYrBdG47zPvtw/www.myspace.com/matt

- The Blackwell Sinners: This is a Family band who plays mostly Folk and is headed up by Courtney Blackwell and her husband. Singer/Songwriter, Courtney Blackwell, provides a soothing blend of balmy melodies and heartfelt lyrics. You can often find her in the local coffeehouse and folk circles. She also plays with her family band, the Blackwell Sinners.

- Sawyer Fredericks: Sawyer is a 14 year old singer and prolific songwriter, who learned his first guitar chords in the fall of 2010. Since then, he has written over 2 dozen complete songs, and countless “doodles,” as he calls them. He has a growing group of fans locally and online in the US, the UK, and Europe, with two of his original songs, “Not My Girl” and “Might Be Brighter,” reaching No. 1 and No. 2 on an independent Top 20 chart in England. Videos of his performances can be found on YouTube and on his musician Facebook page. He recently recorded (and copyrighted!) his first demo CD with six of his original songs. Copies will be made available at all performances this year.

- Black Mountain Symphony: Black Mountain Symphony showcases an eclectic range of influences, blended together to create their own special sound. From baroque classical violin and haunting folk-tinged ballads to punk-rock drums and hard-hitting dance numbers, the five-piece band sprinkles their live sets with hints of everything from classical music to bits of Motown, blues and jazz.http://www.facebook.com/l/sAQFx9odRAQHQrSko6JFhzI9AOFb9aEUZ4lcMFdECDqjUug/www.myspace.com/blackmountainsymphonywww.facebook.com/BlackMountainSymphony 

Schoharie County Quilt Barn Trail Unveils New Map, Brouchure

The Schoharie County Quilt Barn Trail has unveiled a new brochure featuring their exhibits across the County. The Trail, which is nationally recognized, has dramatically expanded under the leadership of Ginny Miller Schaum and Betty Pillsbury.
The brochure is available here. It was designed by Linda Quinn of Middleburgh.

A big thank you!

Written By Unknown on 6/28/13 | 6/28/13

I would just like to say thank you to the editors for the invite to cover the Southern Schoharie Co. areas.  I am currently a resident in the Breakabeen area, I will soon be moving back into my hometown of Fultonham.  If anyone has anything they would like to share with me that they think they would like mentioned in our area (W. Middleburgh-South) Please feel free to inbox me at JAdamsMartin0722@gmail.com.

Again; thank you very much for this opportunity.

Community Calendar



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Schoharie County Fire Departments Deploy to Herkimer County

 
From the Schoharie County Emergency Services facebook page.
 
In wake of flooding caused by the past two day's substantial rainfall, Schoharie County has deployed six Storm Emergency Fire Units to assist in flood recovery efforts in Herkimer County after the state canvassed personnel and equipment this afternoon.
 
Members of the Cobleskill, Central Bridge, Jefferson and Summit Fire Departments were deployed for as long as 72 hours to aid the Villages of Mohawk and Ilion recover after the second round of localized flash flooding in as many weeks has struck Central New York.
 
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
 

Schoharie: The Little Village That Could


With the two year anniversary of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee's devastating flood of the Schoharie Valley fast approaching, nothing but amazing can describe the recent developments inside the Village of Schoharie and how good the epicenter of Irene's destruction looks today.
 
A visual reminder of how high the flood waters rose in August, 2011.
Over the past couple of months residents of Schoharie have watched as Creekside Sports, the Hive (a nice little antique shop on Main Street) and excitingly over the past couple of weeks into this weekend, long relocated county offices are finally moving back into the remodeled county building - bringing a combination of new businesses and old friends into the community.
 
The Village Commerce Center displays Schoharie's plan for regrowth
And if the business related developments weren't good enough, the Village looks absolutely stunning. The Courthouse stands tall in the middle of Main Street - the Parrot House standing lively to one side and the remodeled county building to the other - and all but a handful of store fronts are currently occupied with growing and quaint hard working small businesses.
 
True, Schoharie still suffers from decreased residency, due to the destruction of homes and property, and the long shuttered grocery store still haunts motorists as you approach from Middleburgh on Route 30, but the unbelievable resiliency of the Valley's hardest hit residents is nothing short of incredible and awe inspiring.  
 
The only question is: what is next for Schoharie? The little Village that could and will rebuild from the devastation of that horrific storm.

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Middleburgh Flooding Caught on Tape

From the June 14th flooding. Brought to us by YouTube user cwjmopar:

Introducing the Schoharie News

The last several years I have noticed a dearth of local reporting for our humble county. Our newspapers are able to hit the big stories, but have a small online presence. We need more information out there and easily accessible so that people can make up their own minds. Stay tuned for coverage from our plucky team of local reporters.

 -- Timothy Knight
Editor in Chief

More Rain Expected

More rain is expected over the next several days. While many of the thunderstorms passed by the area Thursday night, expect more Friday and into Saturday.

Plummer Wins in Sharon

Doug Plummer is the new Mayor of Sharon Springs. In the race to replace outgoing Mayor Omer Cousineau, Trustee Plummer defeated Dennis Tobin 71-54 (57-43%). Jeff White, Jim Navilio, and Denise Kelly all won seats on the Village Board.

Plummer stated, "Truly honored to be able to continue to serve this wonderful community that we all love." on his Facebook profile.

Cobleskill Wrangles over Water

The Village of Cobleskill is still deciding how to manage its water district, especially in light of the recent plan for its expansion. At its May meeting, questions arose about the continuation of charging 1.5 times the rates for out of Village residents in the water district, which is opposed by Mayor Galasso.

SALT Hosting Bounty of the County June 30th

SALT is hosting the Bounty of the County Artisan's Market and a brunch on Sunday, June 30th on the DAR lawn. The event at 368 Main Street in Schoharie is being sponsored by the Apple Barrel and Hessian Hill farms and will take place between 11 am and 5 pm.

The Weather



The Gilboa Dam























The Region



Current Conditions





Budget Passes, Tax Hike At MCS

Written By Editor on 6/22/13 | 6/22/13

Middleburgh voters approved the 2013-2014 budget on the second go around. The budget was approved by a 592-414 (59-41%) margin. The new budget raised taxes by 2.68 percent, significantly lower than the initial proposal. This was still above the zero percent threshold proposed by MCS School Board member Mike Fisher. Total spending increases by .2% to $20,189,799-- a $39,308% increase. Still, with a declining tax base after Irene, the tax rate per property increased at a higher rate than the budget's expansion.

The Best of the Summer

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