Auto Racing News

By Tom Coughlin

With summer time here there are numerous museums that you can visit while on vacation. If you are looking for something different to do, the Northeast Classic Car Museum is located at 24 Rexford Street, (Route 23) in Norwich, N.Y. and is open seven days a week from 9:00am until 4:30 pm. There are over 200 classic vehicles to check out including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and airplane engines, all on one floor. The museum is home to one of the largest Franklin car

collections in the world.

 The Saratoga Automobile Museum has a collection of Ferrari’s as their current main exhibit. Located at 110 Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The S.A.M. is currenting open seven days a week from 10:00 am. until 5:00 pm. through October.

 The Motorcyclepedia Museum is located at 250 Lake Street, Newburgh, N.Y. and has two floors loaded with over 600 motorcycles. 

If you are going to Albany-Saratoga Speedway tonight, be sure to check out the memorabilia display. There will be a number of former drivers signing autographs and Melissa  Shoemaker-Pigliavento will have t-shirts and stickers for sale honoring her father Kenny “The Shoe” Shoemaker.

 For those of you that missed the Aim Autism party at Fonda last week. It was another great opportunity to interact with the racing community. The possibility of socializing with many of the drivers, car owners, and sponsors that you hear about every week could not be matched. Not to mention chassis builders, track promoters, racing photographers, journalists, oh and former NASCAR asphalt modified national champion Brian Ross was seen taking in the history at the Fonda Speedway Museum. We all have crazy schedules, but I can not express it enough. How you should take advantage of an event such as this to mingle with others with the same interests. The effort behind the scenes that is put into the Aim Autism fundraiser by the Friesen family and their volunteers is unmatched. $38,416 was raised through their efforts, plus an additional donation by Halmar International helped in presenting the Crossroads Center for Children with a $50,000 contribution.

 Results from last Friday at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in the NAPA DIRTcar modified division 32-lap Stan Da Man feature Mike Mahaney finally earned his first win at the Great Race Place for 2024 with Demetrios Drellos and Marc Johnson filling the podium.

In the Doug Wholey’s Ideal Excavating DIRTcar crate 602 sportsman division 32-lap feature. Zach Buff scored the win over Tim Hartman Jr. and Chris Jakubiak. In the Saratoga Masonry Supply DIRTcar pro stock division 25-lap feature Rich Crane took the checkers ahead of Brandon Emigh and Scott Duell. In the Haun Welding limited sportsman division 20-lap feature it was Steve Burch claiming the victory over Dakota Green and Matthew Gebo. In the Cornell’s Auto Parts street stock division 20-lap feature Matt Mosher earned the win over Chris Stalker and P.J. Cram Jr. In the Greg’s Towing 4 cylinder division 15-lap feature Slappy White earned the dual cam division and Kyle Lanfear earned the single cam division victory.

 Out west at the Utica-Rome Speedway in the 3 Bastards Brewing modified division 30-lap feature Kid Rocket/Alex Yankowski claimed the victory over Matt Sheppard and Pat Ward. In the Taylor’s Trailers crate 602 sportsman division 25-lap feature Matt Janczuk earned the win over Mike Richmond and Josh Coonradt. In the Ted’s Body Shop/Next Generation GraphiX pro stock division 20-lap feature Devon Camenga took the checkers ahead of A.J. Walters and Bret Belden. In the Fastline Performance limited sportsman division 15-lap feature Andrew MacFadden claimed the win over Eymarah Bowman and Kadyn Depasquale.in the Fonda Fair 4 cylinder division 12-lap feature Wayne Russell Jr. won the single cam division and Jeff Connolly the dual cam division.

In the slingshot All-Star division Justin House won the 20-lap feature and Blake Banek won the 15-lap Junior division feature.  A,J. Miller of Fultonville was at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee on Friday night where he finished 11th. in the United Late Model Series 30-lap feature which was won by Dylan Yoder. 

 On Saturday at Fonda Speedway on Aim Autism Night the Amsterdam Truck Center modified division 30-lap feature saw Stewart Friesen win his 94th.career feature at the Track of Champions. Mike Maresca and Cody Clark filled the podium. Friesen’s crew member Jay Castimore achieved a milestone as it was his 800th. win with the various teams that he has worked with including  Brett Hearn, Keith Flach, and Friesen. The Swagger Factory Apparel crate 602 sportsman division 25-lap feature went to Mark Mortensen, over Mike Kalkbrenner and Blaine Klinger. In the Leatherstocking Credit Union pro stock division 20-lap feature Kenny Gates scored his 96th. victory at Fonda over Chuck Dumblewski and Nick Stone. In the Montgomery County Office for Aging limited sportsman division 15-lap feature Tim Wilmot took the win ahead of Corky Warner and Shawn Gibbons. The C.R.S.A. 305 winged sprint car series 20-lap feature was won by Jordan Hutton with Jeff Trombley and Dalton Herrick completing the top three. 

In the Fonda Fair 4 cylinder division 12-lap feature Kenny Hollenbeck won the single cam division and Kerrie Hollenbeck won the dual cam division.

 Demetrios Drellos was at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday with his late model to compete with the RUSH Late Model Series. Drellos would win the B-main and start 21st. in the A-main, then drive up to 3rd. and finally finish 6th. for the night. 

On Sunday at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park in the Callanan Industries DIRTcar 358 modified division 35-lap feature Lance Willix earned the win over C.J. Castelletti and Tucker O’Connor. The Ted’s Body Shop/Next Generation GraphiX DIRTcar crate 602 sportsman division Hall of Fame Classic CDRA 35-lap feature went to Zach Buff over Tavien Blowers and Taylor Wason. In the Yurkewecz Auto Crushers DIRTcar pro stock division 20-lap feature Steve Cosselman earned the victory over Cousin Luke Horning and Slater Baker. In the limited sportsman division 20-lap feature Mason Gray claimed the win over Nick Brundige and Mike Block. In the street stock division 10-lap feature Josh Samrov scored the win over Jason Samrov and Matt Mosher. In the Leatherstocking Credit Union DIRTcar mini stock division 15-lap feature Jordan Ryder won the dual cam division and Bruce Liddle the single cam division. For the Northeast Paving & Sealcoat slingshots Brayden Ketchum won the 15-lap All-Star division feature and Alex Cosselman won the 12-lap Junior division feature.

Weedsport Speedway hosted the World of Outlaws winged sprint cars on Sunday. Locals attempting to qualify included Danny Varin, Chad Miller. and Stewart Friesen. The  30-lap feature would be won by David Gravel. Friesen would finish 4th. and Varin 24th. Miller did not qualify for the A-main. In the Big block modified Empire State Challenge 50-lap feature Mat Williamson took the win ahead of Tim Sears Jr. and Jimmy Phelps. 

Tuesday night the Short Track Super Series was at  Autodrome Graby in Quebec, Canada for night number one of the Lumberjack Swing. A 60-lap feature for the sail paneled modifieds. David Hebert claimed the victory over Matt Sheppard and Stewart Friesen. Alex Yankowski finished fifth and Jack Lehner sixth.

Tonight at Utica-Rome the C.R.S.A. 305 winged sprint cars will join the weekly divisions. Next week at U-R is twin 20's modified features.  Albany-Saratoga will present the John Grady Memorial for the modifieds tonight. Tomorrow night Fonda will host the M2 Metal LLC.crate late models with RUSH Series rules.

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BOCES Early Childhood Education Program Preparing to Open in Schoharie

SCHOHARIE – A Capital Region BOCES program that prepares future educators and childcare workers is preparing to launch in Schoharie County in September.

The Capital Region BOCES Center Early Childhood Education program will open in September in the Elementary School with teacher Jessica Quackenbush at the helm.

The program has been offered since September 2022 at the Career and Technical Education Center, Albany Campus; this is the first it’s being offered in Schoharie Campus.

“I am excited,” said Quackenbush, who has taught the program in Albany for the last two years. “There is a real need and I am excited to expand this program.”

The program teaches high school juniors and seniors the basics and methodology of child development and early childhood education while also giving them a solid foundation in classroom arrangement and management.

Students also learn curriculum development for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and young children, as well as how to communicate and work with parents/guardians and staff in an education setting.

Quackenbush said she has eight juniors and two seniors currently enrolled in the program and there is room for growth.

Career and Technical Education Director Jeff Palmer said there has been a tremendous interest among education leaders in offering the program in the Schoharie area; Schoharie Elementary School provides an excellent setting because it has not only elementary students, but a pre-K program.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Schoharie schools and offer this program to the entire region,” said Palmer. “BOCES is all about collaboration and building the workforce of tomorrow and this is exactly what the expansion of this program is doing.”

When the program was announced earlier this year, Schoharie Central School District Superintendent Dave Blanchard said he was pleased with the new program offering in the county.

“The Schoharie Central School District is excited to work closely with BOCES to provide this opportunity for our students.  We see this as a great way to build interest in employment opportunities in schools. The Early Childhood program allows our district to meet the needs of students as they transition into the workforce. The possible enhancement to our workforce at the same time is a secondary benefit to the district,” he said.  

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Carver Sand & Gravel to Get New Owners

Carver Co. Sells Mining, Trucking, Enters Partnership with Heidelberg Materials

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH — Carver Sand & Gravel, the Capital Region’s largest aggregate producer, has a new owner.

Carver Sand & Gravel, owned by Carver Laraway, will no longer operate mining sites in Ephratah, Ashland, Coeymans, and Middleburgh, in addition to three pits and a 70-truck fleet under a new deal with Heidelberg Materials, a German building materials conglomerate, it was announced earlier this week. Heidelberg plans to start a new business partnership with parent corporation Carver Companies, which, in part, Heidelberg will acquire all assets from the mining operation.

The sale price has not been disclosed.

Since 1996, Carver Sand & Gravel has been regionally owned and operated under the leadership of Altamont businessman Carver Laraway, who is originally from Huntersland.

It was announced that the company’s approximately 200 employees will remain in place, and the sale is expected to close this week. The operation will be rebranded over the next six months.

“We built Carver Sand and Gravel from scratch into a successful mining operation with a strong market position in our corner of New York. While this is a big step for our company, partnering with Heidelberg Materials comes with incredible upside for everyone,” said Mr. Laraway, President and CEO of Carver Companies and the Port of Coeymans. 

“This is the perfect fit for Carver Sand and Gravel employees, whose expertise will be key to Heidelberg Materials’ plans in the Capital Region. And it’s the perfect fit for Carver Companies as we focus on expanding our maritime divisions. Joining forces with Heidelberg Materials unlocks opportunities along the Hudson River, into New York City and beyond that could have taken years to materialize on our own.” 

In a statement, Mr. Laraway said, “Moving a few of these other things off to the side and letting them be handled by another [company], like Heidelberg, which is their core business” will help propel the business’ other ventures forward.

Since being founded in 1989, Carver Companies has grown to boast four divisions and 11 subdivisions. They include: materials, real estate development, construction and maritime. Carver Companies was instrumental in the building of the Valley Mark in Middleburgh and the nearby Middleburgh Meadows condos. 

Mr. Laraway said he has no plans to retire, but added that the sale was advantageous from an estate planning standpoint and it also fit in with Heidelberg’s goal of expanding in New York.

Carver's maritime division has a fleet of more than 50 tugboats and barges, and currently generates more than half of all revenue for the industry player.

Under the new agreement just announced, Carver Companies will handle maritime, tug-and-barge and logistics services for Heidelberg. In exchange, the company will handle trucking for Carver. The new owners will continue to use Carver barges to haul their material down the Hudson River, officials said.

The move is intended to expand Heidelberg’s port access in New York and across the East Coast. Carver's owns the Port of Coeymans and a marine terminal in South Carolina.

Officials said that sale talks between the two companies began about six months ago and the transition is expected to take another six months.

Heidelberg is one the world’s largest integrated building materials manufacturers, and has about 57,000 employees and 600 quarries across 50 countries. In North America, the company has a subsidiary based out of Irving, Texas. It already has work locations in St. Johnsville, Glens Falls and the town of Catskill in New York State.

Carver Companies is best known in the Capital Region for its port operations, which offers stevedoring, tugboat and barge transportation as well as steel works such as welding and vessel repairs. The port has emerged as a key component in New York’s push to build offshore wind towers near Long Island, with components of those arrays slated to be built at the port and barged down the Hudson River. They also operate a port in Charleston, S.C. 

Carver’s sand and gravel operations is the Capital Region’s largest producer of aggregate, or building materials. They have a fleet of 80 trucks and 100 trailers, which will go to Heidelberg. Carver also has gravel pits or quarries in Middleburgh, Johnstown, Ashland, Ravena, Gilboa, and Waterford, as well as other facilities in Fultonville and Altamont.

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Lunch is Ready in Middleburgh

MIDDLEBURGH - A free summer lunch, made with love is available this month at the Middleburgh high school cafeteria. Once again this summer, the district is hosting the Joshua Project as they serve up free meals, weekdays from noon to 1 p.m.

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M'burgh Town Meeting Set for Huntersland Firehouse

MIDDLEBURGH - The Thursday, August 8 meeting of the Middleburgh town board will be held in the Huntersland Firehouse in Huntersland Road. The meeting begins at 7pm.

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M'burgh's Heritage Day Concert Set for Aug. 23 at M&S Depot

MIDDLEBURGH -This year's Middleburgh Heritage Day Concert is coming up on Friday, August 23 from 7 to 8:30pm at the M&S Depot at the corner of Wells and Maple Avenues.

The Catskill Gamblers will play some jaunty tunes off the deck of the historic locale.

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Conesville Fire Department to Hold Annual Touch a Truck Event September 7th

Conesville Fire Department’s Touch a Truck Event has become an annual fall tradition in Conesville. This year’s main event is scheduled for September 7, 2024 from 12:00-4:00 with a square dance in the evening at 7pm hosted by the Conesville HIstorical Society.  A wide variety of trucks and machinery will be present at the Fire Department and Town Field (1292 State Route 990V, Gilboa). Among the highly anticipated attractions: Lifenet  helicopter (pending weather and availability), fire trucks from across the region, and construction equipment. Also, visitors can partake in FREE fire extinguisher training, walk through the fire simulation trailer, and watch demonstrations from emergency services. There will be bounce houses and new this year — a climbing rock wall! All are invited to join in on the fun!

Admission to the event is free.  There will be refreshments and items  available for purchase from an array of local vendors.  In addition, The Fire Department will be hosting a Chicken BBQ during the event. Local organizations will have opportunities for children to play, craft, and partake in community service. 

Interested vendors and local organizations are encouraged to reach out to Liz Robinson at 607-267-9729 to sign up/get additional information.

Anyone with a vehicle wishing to participate can show up prior to 12:00 PM on September 7th or reach out to Tom Buel at 518-965-7962. The Fire Department is seeking to broaden its showcase of vehicles to include more antique equipment, antique and classic cars, and military style vehicles - this is your time to show off what you have!

The Conesville Fire Department is fully volunteer and appreciates your support during this event and throughout the year.

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Reed/Applebaum Families Need Your Help as Fire Destroys Home of Former MCS Teacher

GoFundMe Page to Help the Reed/Applebaum Family Recover from House Fire

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH - A GoFundMe page has been established to help a former Middleburgh Central School teacher and her family after a devastating fire destroyed their home in Canajoharie Monday.

"We are reaching out with heavy hearts to share the news that a devastating house fire struck the home of Mark Reed and Linda Reed, along with their granddaughter Aaliyah Applebaum and Linda’s son Aaron Applebaum. Thankfully, everyone is safe and unharmed, but the fire completely destroyed their home and all of their belongings," it was announced on Facebook Tuesday morning.

"Mark, Linda, Aaliyah, and Aaron are now facing the overwhelming task of rebuilding their lives from scratch. They have lost not only their home but also their clothing, food, and essential items. While we are incredibly grateful that they are all okay, they urgently need support to get back on their feet. They do have a house to live in for the time being."

Ms. Reed (aka Mrs. Applebaum) was a popular middle school teacher for many years at MCS. 

"We are asking for any help you can provide—whether it's a donation for food, clothes, or other essentials. Every little bit counts and will go a long way in helping them start anew. We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to the brave firefighters who worked tirelessly to keep everyone safe.

"Thank you for your generosity, compassion, and support during this difficult time. Together, we can help Mark, Linda, Aaliyah, and Aaron rebuild their lives."

As of early Tuesday afternoon, $3,095 was raised from 36 donations. The goal is $10,000.

"Today, a devastating fire destroyed my father-in-law Mark's home," Kelly Reed wrote on Facebook. "Thankfully, everyone, including Mark, his wife Linda, their granddaughter Aaliyah, and Linda’s son Aaron, is safe and unharmed. While we are deeply grateful for their safety, they have lost everything in the fire.

Here is the link to the GoFundMe:

https://gofund.me/35776561

They also wanted to extend their heartfelt thanks to the firefighters who worked tirelessly to ensure everyone’s safety.

"Please keep Mark, Linda, Aaliyah, and Aaron in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support," Kelly Reed added.

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Schoharie County Arts Announces Grant Awards and a Reopened Application Period

Schoharie County Arts (SCA) is pleased to award $500 each to The Gilboa Historical Society and Panther Creek Arts.  The Gilboa Historical Society will bring The FisherCats to Gilboa for a concert and ice cream social on August 21.  Panther Creek Arts will bring the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra to West Fulton on October 9. 

SCA also announces it is reopening the application process for a $500 grant to arts organizations in Schoharie County bringing art to the county in 2024.  Organizations must be located in Schoharie County.  Artists participating in the event may be from within or outside Schoharie County.  The deadline to submit an application is August 15, 2024. Awards will be announced at the end of August.  If you would like to apply for funds, please complete and submit the on-line form on our website at www.schohariecountyarts.org  or print the PDF that is available and return it to:

Schoharie County Arts, Inc.

P.O. Box 812

Cobleskill, NY  12043

Schoharie County Arts seeks to broaden and enrich the quality of life in Schoharie County by developing and strengthening the arts through promoting cultural and arts-related activities.

For more information contact schohariecountyarts@gmail.com; www.schohariecountyarts.org; www.facebook.SchoharieCountyArtsNow

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The Faux Silent Newsreel of Gilboa

By Jesse Angelino

GILBOA — Prior to the 1920’s, the village of Gilboa was considered the largest town in Schoharie County, located at the halfway point between Albany and Cooperstown. It was a thriving community of close to 70 buildings that comprised schools, churches, farmsteads, shops, and businesses like blacksmiths, cotton mills, and tanneries. To the dismay of the locals however, eminent domain was declared over this land on October 1st of 1925, that they may erect a dam at the Schoharie Creek and repurpose the site of their former homes and jobs as a reservoir for clean drinking water that would serve the city of New York some 151 miles away. So it was that the people of Gilboa were forced from the settlement they had built and cultivated for generations and forced to reestablish the Gilboa that we know today, just a few miles north of their original position. After the locals were evicted, the village was burned down in a controlled fire that would remove all the standing structures and make room for the reservoir that swept old Gilboa from the Earth as its ruins disappeared beneath the waves for good, its memory poised to endure mostly as speculation if it were not for two very ambitious cameramen.

One of those two cameramen was Alan Brick. Brick would later receive national recognition by capturing footage (the only footage we have) of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and was an employee and cameraman of William Fox, owner of the Fox Film Company. As a cinematographer, it was Alan's job to scout for excellent footage material, which is exactly what brought him to the Gilboa area in 1923 while gathering moving images of the locale. He would again return to Gilboa in 1925 to shoot the construction of the dam for the new Schoharie reservoir alongside his daredevil colleague Jack Painter, whose signature camera angles and use of depth of field were taken from vantages so intense, one might use a modern  camera drone to reenact them today.  Together, they collected footage that included the building of the dam, the excavation of fossilized plants already famously known to this region, as well as the original village of Gilboa to be used in silent newsreels that would air before a film or cartoon was shown at the local cinema. If you were lucky, a piano player would be present and use appropriate music to help narrate the images you saw on the big screen.

Alas, the legacy of this old village would once again succumb to misfortune when a major fire broke out at the 20th century Fox films storage facility in Little Ferry, NJ where the Gilboa reels along with countless others were said to be stored. The flames took everything and sadly it seemed this part of history had been lost forever. Until a chance donation from 20th Century Fox to the University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research collection in 1980 revealed nitrocellulose negatives of the lost Gilboa reels among the articles that were gifted to the institute. Through all odds,a part of Alan and Jack’s footage had survived after all!                               The Production Manager at the Moving Image Research Collection Mr. Singleton, reached out to the Gilboa Historical Society in an attempt to get these reels home to their rightful place. 

“Returning lost history to people has been my purpose.” Mr Singelton begins. “The Gilboa history is a perfect example of what motivated me to spend three decades preserving the precious nitrocellulose negatives' '. 

As of 2017, the Gilboa Museum maintains licensure over the found footage with tentative plans to digitally touch the reels up and prepare them for official screenings on site by the end of this month! I reached out to the Gilboa Historical Society’s Lee Hudson for more information on the footage’s current status. 

“We have six different clips that amount to roughly twenty minutes of footage and from that material I have decided that we can’t know if there ever really was a silent newsreel that came from these negatives.” The University of South Carolina called these negatives “outtakes”, so we took that literally and thought it was material that some editor chose not to use in the proposed newsreel, when it was in fact just unpublished material.” 

Perhaps these negatives are all there ever was to Alan and Jacks recorded material at Gilboa. 

To begin revitalization of the reels they decided to bring on local audio engineer Brett Barry.

Brett teaches a Podcast and Audio Production class for the Digital Media & Journalism Department at SUNY New Paltz, is the host and producer for the Kaatcast podcast from Silver Hollow Audio, and does voice work with Access Talent in New York City for television, radio commercials, audiobooks, promos, and narrations. Some of Brett’s recent work however has landed him at the Zadock Pratt Museum as well as the Gilboa Museum assisting on upcoming projects. One of which was the Gilboa newsreel. Brett was reached for a quote on the project stating  “We whittled down that outtake footage into something that we thought would approximate the right amount of time it needed to be since it was shown before a movie and you don't want it taking up too much time, organized the footage into categories that were compiled in the edit so it would make sense as a story, created vintage looking title cards to explain the footage which would have been the practice then, and then introduced all kinds of scratches and jitter on the title cards to give them a more authentic feel.” “Afterwards we paired them with music, we hired  a local pianist and composer Tony Coretto, out of Woodstock since he had a passionate talent for that 1920’s rag type music.” “Finally we produced a short companion documentary which is meant to be an introduction to understanding this whole process which will be available at a kiosk in the museum.”

By the time of the newsreel’s exhibition this month, the material will have completed a 99 year journey to finally come home for its debut in Gilboa. The reel itself will be able to give us a glimpse into a past we can no longer witness seeing as unfortunately  there is no one left to contact at this point who would have known the old village as it was back then. However, there are still those in Schoharie County whose relatives worked and lived on those lands before they disappeared for good. One of those individuals is a guide at the Gilboa Museum by the name of Janette Reynolds.

I reached out to Janette to chat a bit about her ancestors.

“My great grandfather Henry Brown, was the old undertaker for the original village of Gilboa, he was the first person to practice embalming there and he had a home in the village where he would stay mostly during the winters with my great grandmother Orpha Brown”. “I also had a great grand uncle who resided there by the name of Ezra Brown with my great grand aunt Haddie”. When asked her perspective on the reel’s near century long exhibition debut at the museum Janette had this to say. “To people who have never seen it before it is great!” “I show it over and over and over at the museum and I am still in awe of it every time I watch.”

The Gilboa Historical Society will be holding an event on July 27th, 2024 at the Gilboa Museum  & Juried History Center at 122 Stryker Road in Gilboa NY, 12076 featuring (Insert additional information here)  

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Tiny Home Project Brings Foundation of Learning to BOCES

SCHOHARIE – Students in the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical Education Building Trades and Electrical Trades programs created a solid foundation of educational knowledge last school year with the construction of the school’s first-ever tiny home.

Students in Matt Hitchcock’s Building Trades program on the Schoharie Campus were joined during the last five months of the school year by their peers in teacher Curtis Van Steele’s Electrical Trades program in developing the blueprints, framing, roofing, building, plumbing and electrical wiring for a 24-foot, by nearly 12-foot house. 

“This project brings it all together for the students,” said Hitchcock. “They started with the blueprints, developed a materials list, worked on framing and roofing, insulation, flooring – everything that goes into home construction.”

Students concurred. 

“I have learned a lot of different skills and I learned a lot about business at BOCES. These are all skills I will need,” said graduate Carter Iarusso.

The Berne-Knox-Westerlo graduate is launching his own contracting business, Carter’s Contracting.

Meanwhile, Electrical Trades students said the work put a charge in their learning.

“[Wiring the tiny home] is an awesome project. It gives you the opportunity to work in a real-world setting and gain valuable skills,” said class of 2024 Electrical Trades graduate Brandan Cross, who attended the program from the Gilboa-Conesville Central School District.

Before starting construction, Building Trades students created a variety of designs for the project and then voted on the blueprints they wanted to bring to life. Graduate Marc Becker crafted the winning design. 

“It’s a lot of fun to see something you designed come to life,” the Cobleskill-Richmondville High School graduate said. “It’s fun working with my friends and building this and bringing it from paper to reality.”

Offered on the Albany and Schoharie campuses, the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical Education Electrical Trades program teaches students the fundamental skills in electrical theory through classroom instruction and hands-on shop lessons. Through this training, they can become successful residential, commercial and industrial wiring professionals.

Offered on the Albany and Schoharie campuses, the Building Trades program provides students with valuable construction industry experience through on- and off-campus projects as they prepare for careers in the industry. Past projects include the construction of sheds, furniture, fencing, signs and outbuildings. This is the first house students will construct as part of the program.

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Obituary - Howard Harrison Glaser

Howard Harrison Glaser (aka Howard Harrison) died at his home in Highmount, N.Y., on February 10, 2020, at age 84 from cancer.  He was born on November 30, 1935, in Boston, Mass., to William (Billy) Harrison Glaser and Lillian Rose Riseman. Howard’s father was a family doctor whose practice was on the ground floor of their home on Commonwealth Avenue.

In his early years, during WW II, Howard recalled gathering tinfoil from gum wrappers and cigarette packs to help the war effort. Starting at age 5, he was sent  to camp in New Hampshire for entire summers and considered it a wonderful experience, particularly liking to recount that he was voted the youngest mayor of Camp Kenwood in its history. Also at a young age, he discovered skiing and would strap a couple of boards on his boots and spend happy hours skiing down a little hill in his back yard. As a teenager, Howard rode a 3-speed Schwinn bicycle from Boston to Newfoundland, Canada, with a YMCA youth group, cementing his lifelong love of cycling. 

Howard attended Boston Latin, River Country Day and then Harvard. At Harvard he became the manager of the varsity hockey team and often recounted the positive influence of Coach Ralph Weiland and the thrill of making it to the NCAA hockey championships. It was through his involvement with hockey that he landed a job with the Boston Herald Traveler as a campus correspondent. At Harvard, he also built sets for theater productions, learning carpentry skills that served him well in future renovation projects.

After graduating, Howard left Boston for New York City, where he lived for the next 43 years. Aside from a short stint as an editor and staff writer at Great American Publications, he was self-employed as both a photographer and a writer, publishing his work in magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Art in America, SKI and Popular Photography. For a number of years he was a contributing editor for Camera 35.  Among other projects during this time, he created a rollicking folk/rock film for Elektra Records of Spider John Koerner’s song "Red Palace" (available on YouTube). 

Among the highlights of Howard’s photography career were taking the photo of Bob Dylan announcing his first ever concert, held at Carnegie Hall in 1963, and shooting the Daytona 500’s inaugural high-speed banked track from the precarious perch of a Bell helicopter. In 1963 he founded Studio X, a photographic service catering to the processing needs of advertising agencies, corporations, publications and individual photographers. Though not a professionally trained architect, he designed and renovated several of his own studios and residences. 

In 1960, a photo assignment brought Howard to the Catskills and its ski slopes, which reignited his love of skiing. Soon he was spending weekends skiing at Plattekill Mountain, and joined the ski patrol. Eventually he found a place in Highmount that became his haven from the frenetic pace of city life. In 2000, when commercial digital photography started to surpass film and rents crept up, Howard closed Studio X and moved full-time to Highmount. 

After 33 years as a ski patroller, he began teaching skiing, first at Belleayre and Hunter in the Catskills and finally for 10 years in Aspen, Colo. A natural teacher, he found this career especially rewarding. During this period Howard also rediscovered his passion for creative photography and the freedom to explore whatever captured his eye, whether a flower or an old barn.  He had a number of shows of his work in the area and leaves behind a vast collection of images. His eye for beauty shaped everything Howard did, from the way he set a table, to how he cooked a meal, to how he arranged wildflowers gathered along a roadside. Besides all this, he had a wacky, off-kilter sense of humor. He was a fun guy.    

A celebration of Howard’s life was held in Highmount in the summer of 2023. Howard was predeceased by his sister, Nancy Katz. He is survived by his wife, Blythe Carey, sons  William Harrison Glaser, Duncan Carey Glaser, and Liam Edward Glaser, and three grandchildren.   

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Obituary - Juanita Mae Martin

Juanita Mae Martin, 86, of Bloomville passed away at her home on July 5, 2024 surrounded by her loving family.

Born on April 23, 1938 she was the daughter of the late Kenneth and Esther (Warner) Graig. Mrs. Martin was happily married to the late Donald B. Martin for 62 years, and together they modeled a devoted marriage and a happy home.

Juanita was an avid gardener, a dairy farmer, a designer and artist, a cherished wife, sister and mother, and a friend to many. She ran Prairie Hill Farm with her husband often traveling to Washington DC with him and running The Atlantic Dairymen meetings out of their home. She was a strong advocate and supporter of our local family dairy farms.

She was a talented gardener who could be found tending to flowers and vegetables in her many gardens and has taught numerous children and grandchildren the art of making pie. She had a gentle touch with babies and animals and believed we had the duty to leave the world a little better because we have lived here.  She was guided in life by love and everyone who met her felt that she loved her children’s friends as she loved her own. 

Besides her husband and her parents, she was predeceased by a brother Charles “Charlie” Graig.

She is survived by her six children:  Wendy (John) Every of Wisconsin, Cheri (Tom) Vroman of Hamden, Robin (Tom) Magnan of Bloomville, Meg (Timothy) Donahue of Hartwick, Amanda Martin Decker of Bloomville, and Donald (Bridget) Martin of Bloomville; 22 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren; a brother, Kenneth (Patricia) Graig and sister Mary Ufot; many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Calling hours will be held 4:00-6:00 pm on Thursday, August 1, 2024 at the MacArthur Funeral Home, 15 Buntline Drive, Stamford, NY.  A memorial service will be held at the Bloomville Methodist Church, 35 Church Street, Bloomville at 11:00 am on Friday August 2, 2024. Refreshments will be served after the service.

Contributions in memory of Juanita may be made to the Bloomville Methodist Church or Helios/Hospice Care.

Please visit www.macarthrufh.com to share a condolence with the Martin family. 

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