“Sharon Things - Local Happenings for Sharon Springs”

By Alexis Pencar

Hey Neighbors!

It’s been a cloudy and cool week for quite the change from the last heat up. Look out for more sun and some extremely toasty temperatures for June next week. 

Temps will be comfortable this weekend with a beautiful day expected for Saturday! The forecast is predicting that nearly all of next week's high temperatures will be 85 and up, and even 90 degrees possibly for Wednesday!

Happy Father’s Day to all those devoted fathers, grandfathers, and even great grandfathers this Sunday!

The 2024 Sharon Springs Summer Rec Program begins July 8th. The 6-week program runs Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-11:45 AM, RAIN OR SHINE and offers a variety of activities, including swimming lessons. Children must have completed kindergarten and be fully potty trained in order to register. Registration will take place at the Sharon Rec Center on Saturday, June 22d from 10 AM-1 PM and Monday, July 1st from 10 AM-1 PM. Please visit the Sharon Springs Youth Commission FB Page for more info.

Slate Hill Lavender Farm opening weekend is this weekend, June 15-16th from 10 AM - 5 PM. They are doing u-pick lavender and will have lavender products for sale including their “infamous Lavender Pop Tarts” from Sleepy Forest Bake Shop! Visit their social media for more info!

Mark your calendars for the Celebration of Life for Doug Plummer coming up next weekend on June 22 from 12-1 in the Village Park.

Bison Island Ranch Days return to Bison Island Ranch (194 Engleville Rd, Sharon Springs, NY 13459) on Saturday June 22nd from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Visit social media for more info @bisonislandranch.

Blue Star Farm on Route 20 in Sharon Springs has petunias and more! Stop by for a hanging basket today!

Parsons Vegetable Farm has all your gardening and spring needs! The Outrageous Snack Snack is also now open Friday-Sundays from 10-4 PM serving up specialty handcrafted donuts and more! The Farm has different plants and hanging flower pots available too. Located on Route 20 across from the Walmart DC.  

The American Legion Post 1269 of Sharon Springs is looking for new members! If you are interested in becoming an American Legion member, volunteering, or even donating to the many wonderful causes the Legion supports, please contact Commander Paul Todd at (518) 649-0024 for more information.

Big Happy Birthday this week to: Joyce Slater and Joe Najdek! Wish them Happy Birthday if you see them around town.

Sharon Springs Free Library News: 

Book Discussion this month will be a sharing of favorite authors and books. We invite everyone to share your thoughts and suggestions with us on Friday, June 21st at 6:00 PM.

Father's Day was originally celebrated in 1910 when Sonora Smart Dodd wanted an equivalent celebration to Mother's Day to honor her father's role in raising six children as a single parent. This eventually became a nationally recognized holiday dedicated to celebrating paternal bonds and influence. Happy Father's day to all Fathers and Father-Like Figures in our lives. 

We welcome you to attend our monthly Board of Trustees meeting this month on June 27th, 2024 at 7 PM in the library. 

The library will be closed June 19th, 2024 in observation of Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day. Juneteenth honors freedom and resilience, marking the day when the last enslaved African Americans learned of their emancipation. 

Storytime is every Thursday with Youth Librarian, JoAnn, at 10 AM. Come and enjoy the fun! 

The Library is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays from 3:00 - 8:00 PM, Mondays & Thursdays from 10:00 - 6:00 PM, Saturdays 10:00 -1:00 PM, and Sundays - Closed. 

For more Library information please contact (518) 284-3126.

The Sharon Springs Food Pantry is an excellent local resource for all! They are located in the United Methodist Church on Route 20, across from the school (511 US Route 20, Sharon’s Springs, NY 13459). They are always accepting donations! If you or someone you know is in need of the Pantry, the hours are Thursday 9:00 -10:30 AM and 5:00 - 6:30 PM. For more information please contact (518) 284-2687 or follow them on Facebook.

Worship Services

The Sharon Reformed Church (6858 State Route 10, Sharon Springs, NY 13459) offers weekly service at 10:30 am. Contact at (518) 234-2387 for more details.

The Sharon Springs United Methodist Church (511 State Route 20, Sharon Springs, NY, 13459) offers weekly service at 10:30 am. Contact at (518) 284-2200 for more details.

The St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church (24 Maple Avenue, Cherry Valley, NY 13320) offers weekly mass at 10:00 am. Reminder: confession is available 30 minutes before every mass. Contact at (607) 264-3779 for more details.

The Zion St. John’s Lutheran Church Seward (114 Mesick Ave, Cobleskill, NY 12043) offers weekly service on Sundays at 9:00 am. Contact at (518) 234-3222 for more details.

Cornerstone Baptist Church (7274 Route 10, Ames, NY 13317). Sunday Service is at 10:00 am. All are welcome. Contact (518) 673 3405 for more details.

Sharon Sr. Congregate Meal Site

Local residents are invited to enjoy good company and a noon-time meal year round (except holidays) at the Schoharie County OFA’s “Spa Ritz” Sr. Congregate Meal Site at the Firehouse at 137 Beechwood Rd. M-W-F. 8 oz of 1% milk is served with each meal. Orders for meals must be called into the OFA office at (518) 295-2001 before 2 p.m. for the following day. Effective January 1st the suggested donation for those 60 years old and older is $5.00 per meal. Under age 60? You’re welcome to participate for a fee of $7.50 per meal.

To share community news, upcoming events, business specials, adjusted hours, birthdays, anniversaries, or even an outstanding resident, please contact me directly at (772) 971-1410 or alexis.pencar@gmail.com. Have a great week! Thanks!

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Bears Invade Cairo

By D.M. Kamecke

CAIRO — The Cairo Development Foundation’s (CDF) website-stated goal is “to improve the town one building and one project at a time.” Given the scope of work the CDF has undertaken and continues to initiate, that appears to be an understatement.

The brainchild of Cairo residents Diana Benoit (CDF President) and Sherry True (CDF Art Project Coordinator), the nonprofit hit the ground running in 2017 when it acquired the former Bobbie Jean’s restaurant, a Main Street property condemned by the town. The CDF subsequently purchased — with a mortgage, rent and fundraising — a neighboring property, the old Cairo Garage at 467 Main Street to use as headquarters. That building had a tenant upstairs, but the lower level was empty and needed multiple repairs. 

To assess both properties, the CDF secured a grant from NYS Homes and Community Renewal, Housing Trust Fund Corporation and hired an engineering firm to conduct a feasibility study. While the report indicated that the “garage” needed repairs, it was in fair condition. That was not the case for its next-door-neighbor: 465 Main. That property had deteriorated significantly and showed potential to collapse. Given those results and the projected high costs to try and save the condemned structure, the CDF made the decision to tear it down, a process that included asbestos abatement, a tightly regulated multistep procedure.

A $150,000 grant from Greene County using additional state funds paid for the abatement and removal of that building as well as for façade repairs and numerous window replacements at the 467 Main location. Interior work, including patching holes and painting, replacing the broken pipes and restoring the leaded windows in the front of the building, depended largely on fundraisers and sweat equity from an army of volunteers.  While repairs continue, and major items like insulating the basement floor remain to be done, the CDF is gearing up to rent out half its downstairs to what will be Cairo’s newest venture: The Art Hub. 

Scheduled for opening later this summer, the Hub plans to offer a variety of classes including jewelry making, pottery, basket weaving, and painting. It will also include a retail space for local artists.

Another of CDF’s latest endeavors is spearheading the restoration of the World War I Memorial Fountain located between Main Street and Jerome Ave. The CDF approached the Town, owner of the site, for permission to have work done and got input from the American Legion, which donated the American Flag. The Cairo-Durham Rotary and Town Highway employees were feet-on-the-ground removing loose stones on the pathway that made walking there precarious for some visitors. Additional work will include fixing the pump, wire brushing the cement pool, and repainting. Donations are still being accepted for this project. The building behind the fountain has reportedly been purchased and will be restored by a private investor.

As for what became of the former Bobby Jean’s site? It has been transformed into the Black Bear Park, a mini-oasis anchored by gardens, benches, and a magnificent bear sculpture. The sculpture, created by local company Metal Art by Jinx, is in the front of the upper portion of the Park. Another section is dedicated to Veterans. Potential future events include “Open Mic in the Park” with the Cairo-based Greene County Vet2Vet Writing Group.

One of the fundraisers that helps to keep the CDF moving forward is Purse Bingo, an event that sells out every year with 15 percent of its profits distributed to other worthy causes such as Greene County Animal Alliance and Little League. Another is the sale of personalized bricks for the Black Bear pocket park. 

In addition, in 2017, the CDF reestablished the Community Art Project known as the “Cairo Bears.” The Bears is a “year-long project,” says Benoit, with the following year’s paperwork beginning immediately after the auction (9/28/24). Advertising, collecting design submissions, creating maps and distributing the bare-bear statues to local artisans are just a few of the steps. Quality Automotive puts the protective coating on the bears, and the stands are handcrafted by Metal Art. One of the keys to this major fundraiser is sponsorship. Benoit acknowledges that without it there wouldn’t be Bears. With 55 unique statues to see and bid on, this event is hugely popular, not only with locals but with visitors from other parts of the county and state. 

In its heyday, Cairo and its surrounding hamlets saw an influx of people every summer. Cairo seems once again poised to become a destination, with new businesses cropping up on Main Street and its outskirts, upgrades at the town park, and some needed infrastructure repairs being done or planned. 

The Cairo Development Foundation is doing its part to help, one project at a time. Or more.

Note: Staff members include Vice-President Lysandra Braden, Treasurer Michelle Rolon, and Secretary Yuliya Benoit. The CDF encourages community input and involvement. Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month, at 7:00 pm at the Cairo Development Foundation headquarters at 467 Main Street, Cairo NY.  

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Hands In Art

By Michael Ryan

PRATTSVILLE - There is a simple story behind the humongous hand that has lately been seen at the home of artist Michael Meli, along Route 23, between the towns of Ashland and Prattsville.

It marks, in science fiction style, his “Hands in Art” studio “because my hands have been in art basically my whole life,” Meli says.

The world contains other enormous appendages, such as “Mano del Desierto” in the Atacama Desert in Chile, as well as elsewhere.

Meli’s version is still evolving and relatively more playful, thus far containing  a wooden under-structure coated with styrofoam that will eventually be coated with cement, making it definitely dense.

“It’s going to be pretty heavy,” Meli says, laughing. “By the time it’s done, it will be 22 feet long and weigh 300 pounds.”

Creatively speaking, however, the massive mitt will be miniature, reaching out to the greater cosmos with a “nice to meet you” hand shake.

“Hands in Art” studio is much more than gigantic grasps. Meli also dabbles in tattoos, body piercings, other sculptures, paintings and murals.

“As an artist, I try to learn everything I possibly can to influence my work, no matter what medium I happen to be working in,” he says.

Meli was 4 years old when he began drawing, growing up on Long Island, walking to a nearby library for books on animals, sketching them.

He attended the the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn on scholarship where fate, as it often does without asking, took him to an unexpected turn. 

“I found myself floundering and knew I had to change my life,” Meli says, enlisting in the Navy, serving four years.

Marriage and children and more change brought him to Prattsville where fate interceded anew. He was stricken with cancer, Hodgkin Lymphoma.

“I beat it,” Meli says. Not without a price. “It ate away three vertebrae in my back. I was almost paralyzed from the chest down. They had to fuse my back together to support me.”

Navigating those difficult medical seas, Meli now teaches art at Gilboa-Conesville Central School and continues his inner and outer journey.

“My belief system is anyone who has a passion for something will grow into it,” he says. Call (516) 316 5149 for artistic information.

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Local History with Dede Terns-Thorpe - Windham

As we see our school year winding down, it reminds us of the importance of education, and how serious the mountaintop schools have been when interviewing candidates. Throughout our history, we've consistently had excellent teachers and school staffing.  

This information is from an April 26, 1906, Windham Journal.  

WINDHAM UNION SCHOOL – 1905 – FALL TERMS  OPENS SEPTEMBER 5th.

Windham again offers the people of Greene County the privilege of her Union School. The next session begins on September 5th, and instruction will be by the revised requirements of the Department of Education. 

Additional physical apparatus has been added to our laboratories and suitable books for the supplemental courses. The present faculty has been able to be retained. 

It said to consider the following:

Free tuition to non-resident students who hold the required credentials.

Regents, academic, and union school diplomas are granted to those who complete instruction. A diploma carries with it the right to teach and be admitted to college and normal schools.

A graduate from our school can finish the normal classical course in 2 years.

It said the class of 1903 graduated 5 students. In 1904  only 4 students: but in 1905, 9 students graduated.

Room and board were available with highly respectable local families from $2.50 to $4.00 per week. (Today that’s only $90.00 to $140.00.)

Courses were offered in Latin, French, German, Mathematics, History, Social Science, English, Business, and other subjects.

Students from Windham High School went on to Cornell, Wesleyan, and numerous others. 

Windham maintains the highest standard of work and gives attention to those who become our students.

For further information, address either, J. S. Patterson, President Board of Education. 

The information ended by giving the contact names as either, J. S. Patterson, President of the Board of Education, or R. M. Mac Naught, Principal of Windham School. 

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ASF Is Ready To Shred At First Adaptive Skateboard Camp

WINDHAM —  The Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) will be hosting its first of six Adaptive Skateboard Camps this upcoming Saturday, June 15.

2024 will be the fourth year that the ASF is holding adaptive skateboard lessons, and it will be the second year it will utilize the Tannersville Skatepark. The ASF has hired local professional skateboarder Johnny O’Connor, professional skateboard coach Frank Cabrera and more pro-level skateboard coaches to offer its students the best training available, no matter the participant’s experience.

“The joy of watching progression and the celebration of such progression is the thing I enjoy most about coaching at these camps,” Cabrera said. “From the athletes who have attended the camps over the years and are full-blown skateboarders to the first-time participants, when they ride and something clicks, and they leave hugging that skateboard, you know they just made a friend for life.” 

In addition to this Saturday’s camp, the ASF will host five other Adaptive Skateboard Camps this summer. There will be two camps in both July (July 13 and 27) and August (August 10 and 24). The sixth and final skateboard camp will take place on September 14. Each camp will run from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with a break in the middle for a barbecue lunch, provided by the Elder family. 

Participants are encouraged to bring snacks, sunscreen, a sweatshirt or jacket, sturdy footwear, personal items that may be needed during the day, a skateboard and gear. If students don’t have their own equipment, that isn’t a problem. The ASF has boards and gear that it can rent out to participants.

“The students have a very genuine transfer of emotions. There’s no hiding the joy when they figure something out, there’s no hiding the frustration either, but there’s no denying the progression just in the few hours from the athlete when they’re hesitant to step onto the board to the end of the day when they don’t want to get off it,” Cabrera explained. “The students’ joy is the best compensation you can get for any work you do. The reward of seeing your efforts making somebody’s day is fantastic.”

Participants can sign up for the remaining five camp days. For more information on the ASF’s Adaptive Skateboard Camps and to sign up, visit www.adaptivesportsfoundation.org/summer-programs/.

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Ashland Speaks

By Lula Anderson

I've been sitting here trying to think of an opening, but nothing is coming.  Gardens are being planted, Judy has finally put in her tomatoes and peppers.  If the fruit on the trees is any indication, she will have a freezer full of tomatoes for the winter.  Several years ago, Judy and John planted two peach trees in their yard and never had anything come from them.  This year they are absolutely loaded with peaches.  Roberta stopped by and said the tree she planted last year is loaded with fruit, also.  As pessimistic as this may sound,  the old timers (like me) say that nature is preparing for a long, cold, snowy winter.  Jay Fink said that I should frame last week's opening to bring out on one of those wintry days.  Only time will tell.

WAJPL Maine trip is fast approaching, get your travel bags ready.  Don't forget to sign up for craft classes starting on June 18th.  On June 17th we will be welcoming Gerard Friedman from Bell House Fitness.  Our goal is active minds, active bodies and a long, enjoyable life.

Yearly services for the local chapels are being scheduled.  On July 14th, the Mitchell Hollow Chapel will be open with special music and the theme:  THINKING BACK.    If you have pictures of family weddings or other activities, please bring to share.   Last year we had to remove several trees, and with your help, we got more done than we were expecting.  This year the fund raiser will be for window repairs.  The sills need attention along with shades, etc.  Please join us.  

Sympathy to the families of William (Billy) Matthews , Jerry Cunningham, and the Hoyt family.

Many memorial services for the D Day invasion of Normandy as it marks its 80th anniversary.  

AS I REMEMBER IT

Many of my readers looked up the Nursery Song about the days of the week and told me that we missed Wednesday—This is the day we mend our clothes.  While folding the laundry, and during ironing, the items that needed to be mended were put aside to be repaired.  Girls always had their own pocket mending kits as well as a sewing box with needles, pins, thread, needle threaders, and a thimble.  There was always at least one darning egg in someone's kit.  Socks with holes in the heels or toes were put over the egg,  A heavy thread, or light yarn was used to weave the hole closed.  Long stitches crosswise, long stitches lengthwise, woven in and out, then kitty corner until the hole was closed.  Seams were hand sewn, patches put on larger holes in pants and shirts.  Collars and cuffs were turned, stitches plucked out to save the collar, then turned around so the worn spot was on the underside.  The open area of the cuff that connected to the sleeve was sewn shut, the worn spot put in its place, and the shirt was ready to go for a bit longer.  Buttons were sewn on, zippers repaired. If the garment was too far gone and worn, it was cut into squares for quilt pieces, strips for rag rugs or used as rags.  

Material was saved for the Women's Guild meetings where it was shared by all, and items were made for the Summer Bazaar.  Quilts, potholders, aprons, you name it, we probably made it from scraps.  Old, worn blankets were used as fillers for the quilts.  Very little was thrown out.  There were no collection bins for used clothing.  If there was a family in need, we gave them our outgrown clothing .  Waste not want not.  

I look at some of the clothes that people are wearing today, especially the pants.  When did it become so fashionable to wear something that had more holes than material.  My fingers itch to grab my rag bag and patch them.  We shuddered when we spilled bleach on our dungarees.  Now they are being bleached after manufactured to get that distressed look.  Oh my, how times have changed.  

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Outdoors with Larry DiDonato - Bass Season Opens on June 15th

The season to catch and keep largemouth and smallmouth bass , (collectively known as "black bass") opens on June 15th. Many largemouths have a dark band extending the length of their body, with a greenish coloration in many waters, with the jaw extending past the eye (jaw doesn’t extend past eye in smallmouth bass). Smallmouths, like the one pictured here, are also called, "bronze backs," as many have bronze colored tones on the upper part of their bodies with mottled black and bronze colored areas throughout.

 The open season to catch and keep legal sized largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, begins on June 15th and ends November 30th. The “catch and release” bass fishing season is open from December 1st through June 14th on most waters in NY, but remains closed on all waters in St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Franklin and Hamilton counties. This includes Lake Ontario (in Jefferson County) and the St. Lawrence River. For these specific counties, targeting largemouth and smallmouth bass, including catch and release, is prohibited until the season opens on June 15th. 

The two subspecies, collectively known as “black bass,” inhabit lots of bodies of water across NY. Many of these lakes, ponds, and rivers provide outstanding opportunities to catch trophy size large and smallmouth bass. This not only gives local anglers a chance to catch a big bass, it draws national-level bass fishing tournaments to NY every year. Special fishing regulations exist for some waters, so be sure to check the current fishing regulations for season, size, and creel limits in the fishing guide or on DEC’s website, www.dec.ny.gov before heading out to fish.

Black bass are a great species for beginners to target as they can be relatively easy to catch. If you’re interested in taking that next step and going "beyond the bobber," DEC says give bass fishing a try. Fishermen can use a spin-casting (push-button) or medium action spinning rod rigged with a soft stick bait fished "wacky-style." This method can prove to be very effective in catching black bass plus other species found in NY waters. “It's great for kids too because fishing it really just involves casting it out, letting it sink to the bottom and reeling it in with a twitch-pause action. Most times, bass will strike on the drop. Some other popular lures include crank baits, spinner baits, and tube jigs.” 

RIGGING WACKY STYLE 

• Tie a 1/0 or 2/0 offset circle hook onto 8-12 lb. monofilament fishing line. Use heavier monofilament line or consider tougher, more abrasion-resistant, braided line in weeds and other thick cover. 

• Select a 5-6” plastic stick bait of your color choice. (My favorite is a green/white, green with metal flake, or “pumpkin” Gary Yamamoto Senko stick bait.) Purple and watermelon colors are also good choices for most NY waters. 

• Slip an o-ring onto the middle of the bait. Most tackle shops sell a special wacky rigging tool that helps prevent tearing the bait when sliding the 0-ring on and off. 

• Slide the circle hook point under the 0-ring.

 *If you really want to be effective and consistently catch big black bass, consider using Gary Yamamoto Senko stick baits fished “wacky style.”  “Senkos,” as they are known, are not cheap, but while other brands may work fine, “Senkos” are infused with an oily fish scent that not only attracts bass to the soft plastic bait, but causes them to hold on to it longer as they attempt to eat it. This gives beginners as well as experienced anglers an extended chance to set the hook on a big bass! 

Check out the DEC website for information on learning how to get started in fishing and where to go:

• Fishing the Wacky-Rig (PDF)

• Getting Started Fishing Information

• Where to Go Fishing

• Freshwater Fishing Regulations

DEC Species Spotlight: Largemouth Bass

Scientific Name: Micropterus salmoides

Nicknames: Bucket mouth, Melon head, Hawg

State Record: 11 lbs. 4 oz., Buckhorn Lake (Otsego County), 9/11/87

Identification:  Dark band extending the length of the body, greenish coloration in many waters, jaw extends past the eye (jaw doesn’t extend past eye in smallmouth bass)

Where to Fish: Often found in shallow, weedy areas of lakes, ponds and rivers, as well as submerged cover (logs, docks and stumps).

How to Fish: Chances are there’s at least one lure in your tackle box that will work for bass. Spinnerbaits, crank baits, and soft stick baits are all usually effective. Perhaps the most popular is the wacky rig, which is essentially a plastic worm with a hook inserted through the middle (or use an o-ring), casted out and twitched/bounced on the bottom. Bass cannot resist it-trust us on this one! For more details on bass fishing techniques check out the link below or go to www.dec.ny.gov and type in the key words:

Fishing for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass

Safe Handling: Bass can easily be handled by gripping their lower jaw between your thumb and forefinger. If holding horizontally, be sure to support the back of their body with your other hand. Otherwise, you can hold them vertically. The rough texture you feel in their mouth are their very tiny teeth.   

Fish Fact: During spawning season, male bass guard the nest until fry are fully free swimming, which takes 1-2 weeks after hatching. Not all fish species demonstrate this level of parental care. 

For more information, visit DEC’s website for freshwater fishing regulations.

Happy Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping until next time!

News and Notes…

Norton Hill Wildlife Club’s 2024 Trap Shooting Schedule 

Trap shooting at Norton Hill Wildlife Club at 946 Big Woods Road in Greenville begins at 10:00 am on the following Sundays: June 16th, July 14th and 28th, August 4th and 25th, and on September 15th and 29th.  Cost is just $5.00 per round. Bring your own ammo. Trap shooting is open to all; you don’t have to be a member to take advantage of this opportunity. 

Remember to report poaching violations by calling 1-844-DEC-ECOS.

  

  

 

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WAJ Students Perform In Massachusetts Festival

By Michael Ryan

WINDHAM -  A history-making trip was made, May 24, by select band and chorus members from Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School.

WAJ students, under the musical direction of Leslie Beauregard and Annie Drewello, performed at the “Music in the Parks Festival” in Massachusetts. 

All members of the Junior and Senior Bands and Choruses were given the opportunity to audition for a place in the Music in the Parks ensembles.

The students listed below met all audition requirements and were able to participate in their respective ensembles for the festival:

Thomas Candreva, Piper Cohane, Payton Dempsey, Valeria Diaz, Hailey Dolan, Angelina Domena, Charlie Doran, Scarlett Douglas, Sophia Dyjak, 

Abby Gardner, Gianna Garzone, John Garzone, Lizzie Gonzalez, Brian Greene, Christian Greene, Angeleah Griffin;

Addison Hansen, Ashtyn Hansen, Sofia Hoshenko, Aly Hoyt, Avery LaPlace, Tyler Lashua, Phoebe Leach, Ben Leto, Selina Li, Jack Lonecke

Dora Lopes, Theo Lopes, Edwin Lopez, Luke Maeurer, Daisy Mason, Hannah Mattice;

Aedan Milstead, Alexis Moss, Bryce Palumbo, Isabel Pedrick, Jack Pellettier, Owen Pellettier, Valerie Petrie, Kayla Rusk, Devin Schlosser, Riley Slater, Harrison Smith, Adelyn Sutch, Jacob Sutch, Lada Svechnikova, Matthew Weiman and Alexis Weinberg.

Music in the Parks is a motivational, one-day festival where the students perform two musical selections for adjudicators, and receive a rating.

As part of the process, judges provide both written and recorded comments on the performance. The students are rated on categories such as:

tone, interpretation, diction, technique, etc.

Following the performance, students enjoy some well-earned time at Six Flags Amusement Park as a reward for their work practicing and preparing for the festival.

“We are very pleased to announce that their dedication throughout the process truly paid off,” Beauregard stated. 

“Both the Band and Chorus earned a trophy for their performances and scored in the category of “Excellent!!” 

“The adjudicators provided very useful suggestions to further strengthen the ensembles, as well as positive reinforcement for the areas in which our groups excelled.”

The Band received such comments as, “This is a spirited group, parts

are well learned, and technique is really good.” “The low brass and woodwind playing is crystal clear.

“Your fundamentals are firmly in place and you’re doing some really musical things” and “What an age range – you’re doing a remarkable job with such varied ages of experience – I think you should be really proud of what you’ve accomplished!” 

Some comments for the Chorus were, “Lots of attention to vowel shape, ending, consonants and cut offs - your unisons were fantastic – the way you listened to each other, made you sound like one voice.

“Nice smiles – it is fun to sing and I can tell you’re having a good time,” and “Everyone was really well prepared – a lot of strong fundamental work!”

“This year, for the first time ever, WAJ was chosen above all other groups attending the festival, to receive the coveted “Esprit de Corps” award,” Beauregard stated.

“This award is given to the group who exudes camaraderie, enthusiasm, honor and pride in their work and accomplishments as a team.

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of the students in the program this year and are grateful for the students who went the “extra mile” to prepare for this festival.

“Their hard work and dedication shone through! Also, a huge thank you to the administration, Board of Education, bus drivers and chaperones who made this day a reality for us all. 

“We are very fortunate to work in a community that continues to support and nurture music studies at WAJ,” Beauregard stated.

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