Windham Arts Alliance Presents: Musings and Melodies

Main Street Community Center

5494 State Route 23 in Windham NY

518.734.4168

windhamartsalliance@gmail.com

mainstreetcenter.org

In Windham The Eyes Have It and now the ears and minds also have it. Windham Arts Alliance is committed to bringing a variety of arts and entertainment to the community. The current art show at the Main Street Community Center explores, “What do you see when you truly look?”  We ask our artists to explore and carefully observe the world around us. Think about how you hear music when you really listen? WAA is excited to add music and a group discussion of how folks experience art to this innovative show. Musings and Melodies consists of two free events at the Main Street Community Center for residents and visitors to the area alike. On August 3, 2024 from 3:00pm to 5:00 pm the much loved Song Birds will immerse us in song. On August 17, 2024 from 1:00 pm to 2:00pm Gail Spindell will present an interactive discussion called Exploring the Artists Mind. 

Sponsored by Windham Arts Alliance in collaboration with the Main Street Community Center we present The Song Birds, an offshoot of the Greene Room Players Community Theater. The Songbirds is  a group of talented singers under the direction of Linda Nicholls, Founder and Director of Greene Room Players. For over ten years these talented ladies have performed for private events, benefits, our Mountaintop community and surrounding areas to standing room only audiences.  Their repertoire includes a variety of music that includes Broadway tunes, folk music, Doo Wop, Standards, Holiday, Patriotic etc. Our "Birds" : Glenda Lauten, Kelly Transue, Louise Le Brun, Cara Dantzig, Jody Nicholls, Wini Baldwin, Myra Garcia, Chris Pierce and Susan Kleinfelder. We also have the talented Jenni Cawein, concert pianist, as an accompanist for select performances. Linda says, “Their harmonies are beautiful! Voices exceptional! Lots of fun for us and our audiences! Come hear some of your favorite tunes sung by your favorite singers!”

On August 17 we are further exploring the idea of arts. Gail Spindell is known for her ability to lead meaningful and interesting discussions. She welcomes all points of view and encourages a free exchange of ideas. Gail asks, “ What do we see and feel when you look at your art and the art of others? Exploring our inner lives can enrich our artistic journey.” Furthermore she says, “ let’s be curious about ourselves and each other and see in as well as out. In a supportive community we have the opportunity for our own development and transformation as artists and friends walking a similar path! Please join us as we explore the inner world of our creative work.” 

Windham Arts Alliance and The Main Street Community Center are also excited to present  the Plein-Aire Extravaganza, a plein-air paint-out on two dates. On August 16, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Mountaintop Arboretum. If you need guidance or this is your first attempt at plein-air painting Laura Avello will do a demonstration. Watercolor materials will be available to try. On August 22, 2024 we will be painting at the Windham Path between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm. Meet Mara Lehman at 11:00 am at the Route 23 entrance to the path. For more information and to sign up please visit www.mainstreetcenter.org

The Main Street Community Center is at 5494 State Route 23 in Windham NY.

Save the date of September 7, 2024 from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm for an Art Extravaganza at the Community Center that will display the artwork created at the above 2 paint-outs. Join us for a performance by the award-winning blues band and New York State Blues Hall of Fame inductee Lex Grey. Lex says ,“This will be an intimate afternoon of moody music from the 1920’s and beyond.” If you have never seen Lex and her band you are in for a delightful experience. Hope to see everyone getting involved. See you at the Community Center.

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

‘Vanished Fauna’ at MTHS Aug. 10

HAINES FALLS — “Vanished Fauna of the Catskill Mountains” will be presented by Justin Wexler of Wild Hudson Valley with Campfire on the campus of the Mountain Top Historical Society

August 10 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm 5132 St. Rte. 23-A, Haines Falls.

A handful of fascinating creatures once inhabited the Catskill Mountain region, but have disappeared over the last three centuries. Join Justin Wexler, educator at Wild Hudson Valley, around the campfire to learn about these animals, their impact on local ecosystems, and their role in indigenous folklore and land use.

Justin Wexler is a life-long resident of the Hudson Valley, who has devoted his life to sharing his love of the natural world and for the region’s original inhabitants. Obsessed with nature from his earliest years, he has spent most of his life either in the outdoors or in research on local history and ethnoecology. He has a BA in History and Anthropology from Marlboro College in Vermont and a Professional Certificate in Environmental Policy as well as a MA in Teaching from Bard College.

Space is limited, registration is required. Please register by email at: mthsdirector@mths.org    518 589-6657. Please feel free to bring a chair or blanket to sit around the fire. 

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

Let’s Catch up…by Pat Larsen - Something new…

An Advice Column from Author and Columnist  PAT LARSEN

For Baby Boomers and Seniors 

WHERE CAN A SENIOR GET A JOB?

Look, the 50’s and 60’s were the best of times.

Am I right, Baby Boomers? 

So, let’s set the record straight…we may be getting older but we’re not dead yet.  

We have questions about navigating this fast paced environment  and understanding how we can still contribute and remain relevant in an ever changing world. I’ve got lots of contacts that can help us understand it all.  

LETS CATCH UP can mean…learning something new OR

CATCHING UP by sharing a memory  from “back in the day.”

Think of it as “your column” too. 

By taking a moment to ask a question,

You’re also helping those in our generation to learn or reminisce. 

Here’s how to contact me with your questions…

Gone are the pen to paper  days…so please  EMAIL ME  with your questions at…Pelarsen528@gmail.com

… In the subject line write…  LET’S CATCH UP  then add your question below. Keep it simple.

Be sure to let me know your first name and last initial and where you’re from.

Check out a  letter I  received below.  Then send me your  own queries.

Do it before you forget and my inbox is filled up with questions.

Questions might include subjects like…how long is too long to be on my computer?  Health care access in a post pandemic world, how do I get an appointment these days ?

Do I still need to recycle?  Where is the cloud and why do I need to pay for it?

And THANK YOU. This is going to be fun.

Answer: Thank you Fred for your great question.

In short the answer is EVERYWHERE. We are among the most valued and sought after employees since WWII and still are.

Employers know, we get up, show up and don’t leave before the job is done. If money is not necessarily the goal, consider volunteering or accepting a smaller wage that is agreeable to you. Begin searching local help wanted ads, in the general area that you enjoyed working in before. ASK…everywhere, if there’s a place that interests you. We were never a timid generation. Just go for it.

This can then lead you back to those passions that you loved doing during those work years. Start by thinking about the skills that you possessed then and what you’d have to offer now. Ultimately, by identifying your goals, the time frame that would be ideal, proximity to your home which would facilitate ease of travel, etc. you’re halfway there. If you definitely need that extra paycheck,  then follow your instincts to find a job that you believe you’d be suited to and definitely something that you’d enjoy doing. An example might be, working at a farm stand locally on weekends while enjoying fresh air. Applying to local schools for one of the numerous positions that are needed there.

Please be sure to let me know what you’ve decided to do and again, thank you for a great question to start this advice column off.

Now it’s YOUR TURN… please don’t keep me waiting. I need your questions! 

Sincerely,  

Pat Larsen 

Healthy and Fit Baby Boomers

Greene County, NY

Pelarsen528@gmail.com 

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

Ashland Speaks

By Lula Anderson

Unbelievably we are already halfway through the month of July.  As I get older, the weeks fly by faster and faster.  I don't want to appear like the TV ads, but I feel it will soon be autumn.  Please time, slow down and let us enjoy each day of this wonderful season.  There is so much to do and so many people to visit with.  I certainly envy the little kids who take each day as it comes.  Although I'm not exactly sure that kids these days can appreciate the freedom that summer always meant for us when we were little.  

After reporting on Bill Mead's visitor last week, the bear sightings in Jewett have increased.  Judy went to light the frill the other day and there was a good-sized bear wandering by the tree line.  He must have come up from the creek, checked out the smoker to see if anything was left behind, then crossed the road to check out Jack Rappleyea's house.  Remember – Clean up your grills, keep garbage in the garage or locked up, and no food left out.  Bears have a path that they travel and will return in a couple of days.  With all of the fruits that are ripening now, they will be visiting more often. 

More than 50 interested parties came to the Senior Center on Thursday night to see the Larry Tompkins presentation of Old Windham, starting at the Brooklyn Bridge and continuing to Hickory Hill.  It's always a treat to attend one of Larry's shows.  

The hot weather did not deter the more than 30 parishioners who gathered to celebrate the yearly opening of the Mitchel Hollow Chapel on Sunday.  The donations will go towards putting new shades on all of the windows to protect the interior of the building.  Thank you for your generosity.  

One of the last free country fairs is returning on July 25 thru the 28 at Angelo Canna Town Park in Cairo.  Come see all of the activities at the Greene County Youth Fair where there will be something for everyone.  The Greene County  Fair originated in Ashland, but was revamped and moved to Cairo which is the geographical center of the county.  This is a celebration of the talents of Greene County's youth , please support them.

It's time for the annual Purple Moon Barn Dance.   It will be held on July 28th at the Windham Manor from 3 until 8 PM.  This is a free community event with a $10 suggested donation.  Profits benefit Mountaintop volunteer Fire Departments.  Food, music, dancing, raffles, All for YOUR community's First Responders.  Meet us at 1161 County Route 10 in Windham.

I'm sure you've all seen the iconic summer enjoying chicken signs on the roads leading to Jewett this week.  Yes, it's time for the annual Jewett Fire Department Brooks Chicken Barbecue coming to Church Street and County Rt 17 on August 3.  For $15 you get a half chicken, baked potato, homemade coleslaw, an ear of Story's corn, a dinner roll fresh baked from Jim's Great American and a Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie.  Chicken halves will be available.  Serving starts at 4:15ish.  Come and introduce yourself to the great staff and members of the Fire Department.  Our goal is to bring a face to the names in our community.   

Looking ahead to September, on the 14th, there will be a Mountain Top Food Truck Festival at the Ashland Town Park from 4 - 8, sponsored by the Windham Rotary Foundation.  

Congratulations Amy Cunningham on the birth of your new son. 

Prayers who all who are sick or undergoing treatments.

AS I REMEMBER IT

While talking to my daughter in Texas, she told me they have a garden, and the cucumbers are growing wild.  What to do?  Make pickles.  She's not able to get the spices at the local stores, so she had to order them online.  Thinking of making pickles brings me to the smell.  Nothing at this time of the year is like coming into my mother's kitchen and knowing she was making pickles.  The smell of vinegar, turmeric, cloves and allspice mixed with garlic and onion.  Your lips would already start to pucker when you thought about the taste of those pickles in the winter.  The slightly metallic smell of the pot of water that was boiling away to sterilize the jars and rings.  The sound of the filled jars in the water bath as they bumped into each other, and finally the   "ping" that the jars made when the jars were taken out and put on the towel covered rack which meant that the jars were sealed. A simple phone call with a report on an abundant crop of cucumbers brought back so many memories.  

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

Film Preview Highlights Irish Arts Week

By D.M. Kamecke

EAST DURHAM – A film preview of Two Roads Diverged was one of the highlights of opening day at this year’s Catskills Irish Arts Week held in East Durham from 7/15 – 7/20.

The as-yet-undistributed documentary, shown at the Shamrock House, is based on a long-running series of lectures given by Irish folklorist and musician Mick Moloney and Lenwood “Leni” Sloan, an African American dance and cultural historian. Moloney, who died just two years ago, was a presenter along with Sloan at the CIAW in 2022.

Produced and directed by Susan Wittenberg, the film explores the complicated history between enslaved African Americans and indentured Irish immigrants. It describes the cross influence of their traditional music and dance and its impact on broader American culture. After the Civil War, the competition for jobs inflamed the relationships between the two groups.

Wittenberg, the producer of the 25th Anniversary of Riverdance, introduced the film saying she had been inspired over the years by the work of both Moloney and Sloan. It’s easy to understand why. Both men are captivating. Moloney was born in Limerick, Ireland, a place where it “rains 376 ½ days a year.” Sloan is from Pennsylvania, but admits to a deep connection to New Orleans, where “almost any day is a day you can dance in the streets.” 

Moloney, who played tenor banjo, later became an American citizen, initially living in an African American neighborhood where he “found instant common cause with the neighbors.” Sloan, a former dancer and choreographer, unexpectedly learned as a child that he had a white grandfather. Sloan observes that up to 38 percent of African Americans have Irish DNA: “I say welcome, cousins.”

Both men have impressive backgrounds in culture and community service. In brief, Sloan, an award-winning community organizer and a noted Griot (African storyteller), has participated in a number of national public television documentaries including Re-imaging Ireland and the Emmy Award–winning Dance Black America. Moloney played in and produced 70 albums, cofounded Green Fields of America, a traditional Irish ensemble still in existence, and later got a PhD in Folklore and taught at Georgetown University.

Pointing out that the tenor banjo had its origins in the ngoni of West Africa and that American tap dancing is the “grandchild” of African and Irish dance, Moloney says, “Art, in the end, wins out.” 

Attending the film preview was Ellen Flanagan, Vice Consul with the Consulate General of Ireland, New York. Flanagan says she was proud to attend and support the festival, noting that the “team does a really good job promoting” the event. Also on hand were representatives from the NYC-based Irish Repertory Theater, Ciaran O’Reily and Charlotte Moore, coproducers of the film, who called Sloan and Moloney “master storytellers.”

The film, nearing final production, will likely be available through various sources, including PBS, later this year. Wittenberg says she hopes the film will trigger further conversations.

The Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW) offers classes in Irish language, creative writing, and dance in addition to music. A grand finale will be held from Noon to 6 PM on Saturday, July 20, at the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Centre.  This event is open to the public with admission. 

Two Roads Diverged screening: from left: Catskill Irish Arts Week Artistic Director, Paul Keating; Irish Repertory Theatre’s Ciaran O’Reilly; film producer Susan Wittenberg; Charlotte Moore, who along with O’Reilly is a founding member of the Theatre; and Irish Vice Consul Ellen Flanagan.

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

Forest Rangers Rescue Fallen Hiker

Town of Hunter 

Greene County 

Wilderness Rescue: On July 8, at 12:50 p.m., Forest Rangers responded to a call for a hiker who fell approximately 40 feet off the ledge at Catskill Mountain House site in the North/South Lake campground. Bystanders heard the subject yelling for help and notified campground staff. Nine Forest Rangers worked with Hunter Ambulance, Greene Paramedics, Haines Falls Volunteer Fire Department, Tannersville Volunteer Fire Department, Hunter Police, New York State Police, and campground staff on the rescue operation. Rangers set up a high angle rope system to extricate the 49-year-old from Hunter. At 5 p.m., rescue crews successfully extricated the patient. Crews brought the subject to a LifeNet helicopter for transport to the hospital. 

Rangers rescue hiker after fall from ledge

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

BETTER THAN HEARSAY - Beginning and Ending

By Michael Ryan

WINDHAM - An appeal for the formation of a special committee focused on the future of the Mountaintop Little League continues to be denied.

Town council members, last Thursday night, were again visited by a group of residents voicing their opposition to the creation of two little league baseball fields at the Windham Path.

Over the past several months, controversy has swirled around the possible project which was initially announced this past winter.

Officials say nothing is written in stone about moving to the Windham Path, emphasizing that engineers have merely provided sketches showing the fields could feasibly be situated there, in a northeastern corner.

Some resistance was quickly expressed, however, by business owners Drew Shuster and Nick Bove who requested the fields be elsewhere.

Which is where the wrangling began and remains - with tensions rising at virtually every council session since the late spring.

Police officers are no longer being asked to attend, in case frictions boil over, but the gatherings can be characterized as becoming tensely redundant and going nowhere fast.

Shuster and Bove have been joined by others such as resident Jonathan Gross who is one of many asking for the formation of the committee.

That committee would apparently include representatives from the town council, the group “Preserve the Windham Path” (of which Gross is a member) and the Little League.

Gross has frequently spoken and spoke again, last week, saying, “this may be a recurring theme but there are those of us looking for alternatives.

“We are having a hard time understanding why you would not engage with us where our voices could really be heard,” as part of the committee.

“You have forced us to work outside of the system. We don’t want to work outside of you. We want to work with you [on finding a different site]. Will you help form a committee?” Gross said.

“We will not form a committee,” Hoyt said, noting he was responding for the entire 5-member town council. “We have had an open dialogue at these meetings over the last three or four months.”

Council members, as part of their normal practice, have opened the floor to public comment, extending the length of their bi-monthly sessions from the normal forty minutes or less to sometimes two hours and longer.

“If you find us 10 acres of land with $100,000 of infrastructure [suitable for a little league field] we will look at it. This isn’t just Tom Hoyt talking. This is the whole board,” Hoyt said.

Which is where the wrangling began and remains. Government leaders have insisted they are considering any and all options, none of which measure up to the town already owning the Windham Path lands.

“Preserve the Windham Path” members and others are equally adamant they want to be and ought to be more directly involved in decisions.

Windham resident and former Greene County legislator Lori Torgersen has spoken at several meetings, and presented a memorandum to the town council at the most recent session.

“Please find attached 46 additional pages with 327 new signatures (totaling 1.371 people including nearly 350 Windham residents) all urging all of you, the elected leaders of the town of Windham, not to site a ballfield complex on the Windham Path…” the memorandum states.

The memorandum follows an earlier petition given to the council and further requests that the town board instead…”work with the Mountaintop Little League to find another alternative to address their needs.”

Government leaders say they are giving attention to the project due to a loss of available parking at the current field, located along South Street.

Generations of kids have used the ballpark but parking has been reduced after the adjoining landowners pursued business opportunities including construction of residential housing.

Little league president John Garzone has termed the current field “unsafe,” and the town is not obliged to be involved, legally or otherwise, although government officials have opted to help.

Opponents to the placement of the fields at the Path say they will do irreparable harm to the natural vista and irreplaceable quiet.

Torgersen’s memorandum continued, “you have said publicly, on more than one occasion, In essence, that you will not be reviewing these documents, and that only voters in the town of Windham have a legal right to express their opinions.

“I implore you, Mr. Hoyt and each of the town board members, to think very differently,” the memorandum states.

“The movement to preserve the Windham Path is growing organically and exponentially and I anticipate that you will continue to hear a clear and resounding message that you must value and preserve this beloved resource,” the memorandum stated.

It is expected council members will make a decision on whether to move forward or not, this fall, largely based on funding and if a presently unknown alternative site somehow emerges.

“We should know more by then,” Hoyt said, noting he has reached out to a number of possible outside funding sources, receiving positive feedback.

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

LEGISLATURE STUFF - Eventually on the Wind

By Michael Ryan

CATSKILL - “We’ll try to hold him back,” says Greene County Legislature member Charles Martinez (District 2, Coxsackie), speaking of Shaun Groden who is daydreaming of hopping on a chopper.

Groden is the county administrator and lawmakers, earlier this week, approved a resolution extending his contract by a year.

At Groden’s request, his current three-year pact will now stretch through the end of 2026 with no change in salary or benefits.

There is a catch, of course. The extension also means Groden intends to ride off into the Harley Davidson sunset sooner than Martinez wants.

“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some good county administrators but this guy is the best. A real professional,” says Martinez who also heads the legislative Finance Committee.

Martinez could try to lure Groden with one of his own vintage automobiles but the county boss has a greater calling. Seven grandkids.

Groden just saw his son’s three sons over the July 4th weekend, visiting from the West Coast, and his two daughters each have two children.

At least that’s the way he sees it and forever will, which tells you a little something about the man in the office where the county buck stops.

“My son’s boys are eight, six and four so we spent the weekend jumping off docks,” Groden says, laughing, noting he needs to travel to the Rochester, New York, area to be with his other four grandies.

One of them is there in spirit. “I lost one grandson. He was diagnosed with cancer at four months old and he made it to age three. I still always say I have seven grandchildren,” the county boss says.

Groden will turn 70 by the end of his new deal, wanting to stick around until then to coddle a pair of major infrastructure projects.

Lawmakers have already initiated the creation of.a Justice Center wing on the county courthouse, needing room for the district attorney and public defenders offices as well as the State Office of Court Administration.

That nearly $30 million job should be wrapping up next year, with a second project in the works for a new Community Services complex in the town of Cairo, eventual-home to the county Mental Health Center.

Land was recently purchased at the former Cairo Fairgrounds for that job that could also include offices for the Soil & Water Conservation District, Records Management and Veterans Reintegration.

“I want to be able to finish those two large constructions, then maybe I can jump on my motorcycle,” Groden says, not clarifying whether the chopper exists in reality or merely imagination.

Either way, he has the county’s fiscal engines rumbling smoothly, according to legislature chairman Patrick Linger.

“In my mind, our county has never seen someone with Shaun’s capabilities. His number one priority is the survival of Greene County,” Linger says. 

“Shaun likes to say he drives the bus. We tell him where to go. He plans conservatively as our legislature wishes him to do.

“What he does best is present us with all the options available to us and then we make the decisions. He is very involved but also allows the department heads to run their department.

“It’s amazing how his brain works,” Linger says. “Give him one second to put one file away in his brain and he’s already on to another.”

Since coming on board in January, 2011, and literally getting his feet (and famously colorful socks) wet during Hurricane Irene that same summer, Groden has effectively kept we mules of taxation in the forefront.

“He has the foresight to put money aside,” Linger says. “We will be able to pay cash for the Community Services building. No bonding,” on what is expected to be an eight-figure expenditure.

Numerous special Reserve Funds have been set up on Groden’s watch, keeping the annual tax levy unmoving, one of his favorite topics.

Asked to reflect on his record over the past thirteen years, the county boss instead shifted the subject, noting his succession plan is even now being put in motion, “making sure there is an easy transition,” Groden says.

“The biggest thing is I already know is we - again -  will not have a tax levy increase in 2025,” marking the sixth straight year of steadiness.

“And unless the State pushes some unforeseen expenses down to us, I am projecting no rise in 2026,” Groden says.

“I’m still not sure what I’ll do on Monday mornings,” after retirement arrives. “I won’t be watching Dr. Phil. I don’t hunt or fish.” So what are the odds those seven grandkids might have a say in the matter?

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD

Out Lexington Way

By Christine Dwon

We extend deepest sympathy to all the family and friends of Jeannette Becker who passed away last week.

On July 9, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Town of Lexington Fire/Rescue Company delivered over 20 Christmas in July fruit boxes that included cookies, fruit and other treats.  As always, the recipients were very pleased with the visits and being remembered.

Steve Van Etten celebrates his birthday on Saturday, July 20.

Happy birthday on Sunday, July 21 to Gretchen Milton.

Also celebrating a birthday on July 21 is Debbie Simmons.

Wednesday, July 24 is Deladis Barcone’s birthday.

Best wishes to everyone

The Lexington Farmers Market will be Saturday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. under the Lexington pavilion, 3542 Route 42.  Local vendors with fresh produce, meats, cheeses, mushrooms, eggs, baked goods and so much more.

The Tannersville Fire Department’s 54th annual Chicken BBQ is Saturday, July 20, rain or shine.  Takeouts are 4 to 6 p.m. and sit down from 5 to 8 p.m.  Tickets $15 donation.

Summer worship services will be held at 9 a.m. in the Methodist Church in West Kill, 65 Spruceton Road, July 21 and July 28.  There are no Sunday services in the Methodist Church in Lexington during those weeks.

Monday, July 22 stop by the Mountain Top Library, 6093 Main Street, Tannersville from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. for an afternoon of Rock n’ Reptiles with a live presentation from Hudson Valley Reptile Rescue at 1 p.m., games, exhibits, crafts and more.

Every second and fourth (July 23) Tuesdays of the month, you are invited to the Soup and Fellowship Kitchen in the Blue Room at the Kaaterskill UMC, 5942 Main Street, Tannersville for a free bowl of soup and sandwich.  All are welcomed.

The 70th Greene County Youth Fair is Thursday, July 25, Friday, July 26, Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  There will be fireworks on Saturday night.  The Fair is held in Cairo on Joseph D. Spencer Lane.  Free admission.

You are invited to the Potluck Dinner Church, Friday, July 26 at 6 p.m. in the Ashland Community UMC, 12216 State Hwy 23, Ashland.  Invite a friend.

Are you ready for Thunder in the Mountains?  The annual Thunder in the Mountains Car Show hosted by the West Kill/Lexington Community Improvement Association is Saturday, July 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Lexington Municipal Building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington.  Breakfast sandwiches will be available and so will hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch and beverages for purchase.  There will be trophies, 1995 or newer will have their own class, lots of beautiful gift baskets for raffle and a 50/50 raffle.  Lexington Fire/Rescue Company will be there with the antique fire truck and a very special guest, Sparky the Fire Dog.  Bring the whole family and the kiddos will have fun on the new swing set.  All proceeds benefit the WKLCIA.  Call Mary at 518-989-6813.

On Sunday, July 28, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Bette Knapp will be remembered at a Celebration of Life with family and friends under the Lexington pavilion.  Please bring a covered dish to share.

The Greene County Department of Human Services Senior Nutrition Program menu for the week of July 22 – July 26 is as follows:  Monday—Beef chili, mixed vegetables, white rice, tropical fruit; Tuesday—Chicken and biscuits, mashed potatoes, green beans, rice pudding with raisins; Wednesday—Sweet and sour chicken, oriental mixed vegetables, white rice, lemon cake; Thursday—BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, carrots, berry shortcake; Friday—Chef’s salad with ham and Swiss, three-bean salad, macaroni salad, watermelon.  All persons age 60 and older and spouses are invited to join for lunch.  Suggested donation is $4 per meal.  Congregate dining reservations are required at least a day in advance by noon by calling the appropriate centers.  The number to call for the Senior Service Center at the Jewett Municipal Building, Route 23C, Jewett is 518-263-4392.

Here are a few upcoming events in the beginning of August:

The Greene Room Players Songbirds concert Friday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m. at the Mountain Top Library in Tannersville, free performance.

Saturday, Aug. 3 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. the Greene Room Players Songbirds will have a free musical performance at the Community Center, 5494 State Route 23, Windham with favorites from the 60s and the old standards.

Saturday, Aug. 3, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Brooks Chicken BBQ at the Jewett Firehouse, Route 17, Jewett, $15, takeouts, includes chicken, baked potato, coleslaw, corn on the cob, roll and brownie.

Hunter Fire Company Annual Block Party on Saturday, Aug. 3 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Dj Frankieokie 3 to 7 p.m.; live music with The Lost Cowboys, 7 to 10 p.m.; fun for the whole family, bouncy house, climbing wall, slide, foam machine and more at the Hunter Firehouse, 17 Bridge Street, Hunter.

The Western Catskills will have a table at the Lexington Farmers Market on Saturday, Aug. 3 with information on the Town of Lexington Housing Rehabilitation Grants.  The Town of Lexington is considering applying for a Community Development Block Grant to fund the rehabilitation of homes for its residents.  If you are a full-time resident in the Town of Lexington, if you have a stick-built home, do you need health and safety repairs on your home – come and talk to us.  We need your help in building a wait list.  If you can’t come to the Lexington Farmers Market on Aug. 3, you may call or email to get on the wait list – 607-652-2823 ext. 102 or info@westerncatskills.org; www.westerncatskills.org/programs/.

Thank you to all law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, dispatchers, healthcare providers, volunteers, veterans and actively serving military, farmers, truck drivers and so many more.

Prayers for all who are dealing with loss, illnesses, healing, difficulties, our country, our military and their families, the world.

Until next week take care, be thankful, be respectful, be safe and please be kind to one another.  Your act of kindness may change someone’s life.

Remember to Subscribe!

Subscription Options

One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD