Woven Into the Fabric of The Catskills

By Christein Aromando

CATSKILLS REGION — Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes is a founding member of AMR and acted as Open Studios Tour Coordinator for many years. She continues to stay very involved in her current role as Secretary on the AMR Board and was excited to see so many new and returning artists on this year’s tour. She was especially pleased that AMR was able to include area high school students as emerging artists this year, an effort she has championed in her time with the organization. AMR has been a “very organic” endeavor since its founding by Alix Travis in 2012, and Gilmore-Barnes credits the hard work of current Executive Director, Rebecca Andre, President, Deborah Ruggerio and Marketing Manager, Rob Brune for almost tripling the Studio Tour participation since that time.

It was such a pleasure to see where Gilmore-Barnes makes the magic happen with her weaving work. Her studio is as much a showroom as a workspace, displaying dozens of intricate tapestries as well as some of her past work in textiles, table runners, scarves, blankets, and shawls. Since her retirement in 2016, she has been able to focus primarily on her tapestries.

There were two series shown in her studio during the AMR Tour. The first is ‘Bring Home the Colors of The Catskills’, tapestries based on some of the sketches she made with the local plein-air group depicting various colorful nature scenes. The other series is based on Scripture. Those tapestries “focus on keywords, woven in the calligraphic Hebrew alphabet, or Latin and Greek”, and celebrate scripture with symbolic colors and imagery.

For some pieces, Gilmore-Barnes uses commercially spun and dyed wools, giving consistency in their color and thickness. For others, she buys locally sourced wool which she will spin up and dye herself, giving a more erratic look and feel with variations in the color and thickness adding texture to the work.

She joyfully demonstrated her technique on the current piece on her loom and explained that she recently spent some time ‘frogging’, a term used when something is not working and you are ripping out the rows and undoing parts of the weave. You “Rip it! Rip it!”, she laughed, mimicking the sound a frog makes.

Along with exhibiting in juried shows or as a member of a group, she is enjoying receiving invitations to show her tapestry work, as she did in the recent show “FABRICATION” at the Olive Free Library in West Shokan.

Currently, Gilmore-Barnes’ tapestry Lost is on display at the 89th National Juried Exhibition at The Cooperstown Art Association Galleries through August 16th (cooperstownart.com). You can also see her work featured in an upcoming group exhibition of the East Branch Delaware River Plein-Air Painters in September at ArtUp in Margaretville (@artupmargaretville), as well as in AMR’s 3rd Annual Exhibition this fall at Margaretville’s Galli-Curci Theater. For more info follow @tgbweavingstudio on Instagram or go to tabithagilmore-barnesstudio.com.

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The Weird and Wonderful World of Ricky Zia

By Christein Aromando

CATSKILLS REGION — Ricky Zia’s delightfully colorful and quirky art was a standout on the tour showing work in multiple mediums from painting to decoupage, with a focus on colored pencil drawings and paper-mâché collectible folk art.

Zia draws his inspiration from holidays, birthday parties, the circus and anything fun and colorful. He’s been making art most of his life and has continued with the same themes throughout the last 30 years. A Virginia native and current Roxbury resident, Zia lived for many years near Coney Island, which influenced the carnival aspects of his art. Creepy clowns, hearts with faces, rainbow snakes and smoking dogs are all part of his playful body of work. He likes to take scenes from everyday walks of life and add his own campy spin.

When asked about the unique style of eyes and teeth seen throughout his work, Zia says, “I always had crooked teeth…so yeah, it’s always been an ongoing thing, something in the subconscious. I feel like I’m doing a self-portrait all the time because I’m the photo reference.” He uses photos of himself to model how he wants a piece laid out, so they all ultimately look like him in some capacity.

Zia recently had a fun piece in the Alter Ego Exhibit at The Pine Hill Community Center Gallery titled Barnyard Chucky at the Pizza Parlor, based on what he’s called himself over the years whenever he takes a bad photo or sees himself on a poorly lit Zoom call. A Barnyard Chucky doll made of paper-mâché sits at a table next to a dog, sitting human-style donning a gold chain, eating pizza in an old-fashion pizza parlor, the kind that Zia has always wanted to open.

Zia was excited to talk to people about his art this past weekend and had a great turnout. Steven Tedaldi, Ricky’s longtime partner and agent said, ‘This weekend was beyond words, maybe magical. I cannot believe the response we’ve had in Roxbury. We sold 14 pieces”, far exceeding their expectations. “Everyone loved seeing the new fresh art and their facial expressions when they walked in looked like they walked into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory!”

You can see Ricky Zia’s work in the upcoming Phoenicia Art Festival at the Varga Gallery, August 1st-31st. To learn more about Zia’s Art, follow him on Instagram @rickyzia_art.

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THE CATSKILL GEOLOGISTS BY PROFESSORS ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS - Headward Erosion

If you want a challenging drive, right here in our Catskills, then take the Plattekill Clove road (Greene County Rte. 16) all the way from its bottom to its top. It’s steep – very steep – all the way! You may very well find yourself past people who are riding uphill on bicycles. It’s hard enough to drive up the hill, but how on earth do those people peddle this slope!? To make it even worse (if that is possible) there is, about halfway up, a very sharp hairpin turn. You will find a few parking spaces just past that turn and it’s worth it to stop and get out. Catch your breath and walk back downhill about 50 yards. Look up and you will find a very good view of the clove. Take a look at our first illustration. That’s the “Devil’s Kitchen” up there; we have been visiting that site these past two weeks. There’s hardly a geologist anywhere who would take in this vision and not soon think about a very common process in landscape geology – that is something called headward erosion. That’s something that you should be aware of.

                          

Every stream on the planet has something called its head. That is its extreme uphill end. That’s also commonly called the stream’s source. Well, there is something that you should know about that uphill end of a stream. That’s the steepest part; in fact, streams almost always get steeper as the head is approached. See our illustration; it shows all this quite clearly (We waited until the shadows were just right). You might guess what we are going to say next: the uphill end of any stream is very likely to be its most erosive part. Water currents, rushing down those slopes, tend to cut deeply into the underlying earth whether it be soil or bedrock. At Plattekill Clove this intensively erosive zone is the Devil’s Kitchen. 

Take another look at our illustration. There must be a lot of erosion going on up there. There is and we have been describing that recently. Now think far into the future. Yes, that stream, Plattekill Creek, is going to cut farther into this, the Catskill Front, and work its way westward. There is something else; that uphill slope is the youngest part. And it shows. Geologists long ago recognized that young stretches of streams tend to be narrow and V-shaped. That’s what we are looking at here. As time passes, streams erode down into the earth, and they also tend to widen their valleys. We often think of them as becoming more “mature.” A stream matures in a downhill, downstream direction.

We are looking at the origins and then the longtime development of one of the Catskill Front’s major canyons: Plattekill Clove. Long ago, at the end of the latest Ice Age, Plattekill Creek first formed and began cutting its way into this, the Wall of Manitou. At first, it was just a short, narrow and small canyon. Later it got longer, deeper and wider. But there was always that youthful uphill stretch at the top. That marks a fundamental change. Everything to the west is rather leveled out; there actually is a short flat brook beyond. Everything below is – we’ll say it again – steep! Each of those landscapes is fundamentally different. Both are picturesque. Not surprisingly they inspired works of art. We will pick up on this  next time.

Contact the authors at “randjtitus.net.” Join their facebook page “The Catskill Geologist.” Read their blogs at “thecatskillgeologist.com.”

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Adam Ippolito’s Musical Journey

By Robert Brune

CATSKILLS — Adam Ippolito’s musical history is that of a person who has  long and intriguing paths crossing with many of the greatest legends of rock and roll. Delaware County is privileged to count him as a full-time resident sharing his gifts of music with local venues throughout the area. Ippolito had grown tired of traveling but performs often for crowds that are both fans and many are friends here in the Catskills. 

Ippolito began his life with his family teaching him about music, “I was very lucky that I was born into a musical family. My father and grandfather were both drummers. They taught me to keep time on the snare drum when I was three years old. When I was about seven, I moved onto the accordion because we had been up in the Catskills on vacation, and I saw a trio and I saw the accordion for the first time” His godfather gave him free accordion lessons from the age of ten through his senior year of high school in Bergenfield, NJ.  Ippolito also played trumpet and then the tuba. He performed in Giants Stadium and in the Macy’s Day Parade. For a brief period, he taught high school students and found it very rewarding and kept in touch with several of his students through the years. Upon receiving a scholarship to Ihtaca, he discovered rock and roll. 

Leading up to Ippolito’s college days in Ithaca, he was playing trumpet and accordion in jazz bands. Then he discovered his true passion for rock music. Ironically Ippolito admits he wasn’t a fan of the Beatles at first. At this point, he had transitioned from Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis to the musical stylings of Eric Burden and the Animals and the Rolling Stones, “When I got to rock and roll all doors opened.  I got into college, it was all keyboards and got my first organ when I was in college in 1965. I fortunately moved onto a B3 and had an RMI that was really cool, but then when I was in the Elephants Memory with John Lennon, I had a Lawrence portable electric piano which wasn’t really portable.”

Ippolito’s professional career took off as he explains, “I was in the band Elephants Memory and we were the band of the east coast liberal political movement   We played Mayday in DC in 71 and ‘Impeach Nixon’ demonstration and rally also in DC    The NYU riots and were in with SDS and the bombers, who were also associated with Jerry Rubin. Jerry talked John and Yoko into doing a tour of the country and signing up and recruiting young voters since the voting age had dropped to 18. Through Jerry we met John. He loved us as a band and was impressed with our style, originals, and energy. Then we played with Chuck Berry on the Mike Douglas show where John and Yoko were guest hosts for the week. Afterwards Chuck had us record an album with him.” After Ippolito had made a name for himself, he went on to work with the Joffrey Ballet for 8 years in NY and did several shows on Broadway. 

Anyone who endeavors to be a musician dreams of traveling. Ippolito talks about his favorite experiences on the road, “I loved San Francisco. People in the south and mid-west would travel hours to go to a concert. There were great crowds. Played the LA Coliseum, loved Chicago: Soldiers Field and great clubs. Loved playing festivals in the early 70’s. Played with so many great bands at festivals. Wound up not going on the road in the 80’s and just did studio work mainly.” 

After a lengthy career, Ippolito indulged in his love for the NY Catskills, “In the mid-eighties my wife, Marilyn, and I started to bring our kids to Belleayre to ski each winter. Then they went to Frost Vally YMCA camp, and we started to come here a number of times a year. We bought our house in Denver-Vega 22 years ago.” Now that he has settled down in Delaware County, Ippolito spreads his musical wings for the local crowd, which was a great experience for everyone attending this past Saturday at the Union Grove in Arkville. The attendees cheered his band on and danced through the night, “Love playing locally, leading my own band, singing and playing whatever I want. No pressure. Playing for friends and people I know is like going to a party. I spent most of my professional career as a sideman and now I only have to listen to myself and play what I want!”  Witnessing the joy from Ippolito and everyone attending this past weekend is an experience that continues as he has lost no passion to create great moments for himself and those around him. 

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Break a Plate to Dedicate - Help Build a Wall of Peace

FLEISCHMANNS — The Arts Inn Collective on Main Street is sponsoring an event that we hope will bring the Fleischmanns community and beyond together for a shared purpose. 

On August 10 and August 11, from 11:00 through 3:00 pm on Bridge Street between Main Street and Wagner Avenue visual artists Barbara Mellon Kolb, Amy Masters, and Lesley Powell will help community members and visitors build a Wall of Peace near the new walking bridge in Fleischmanns.  The Wall of Peace will be a permanent mosaic of tiles – a ceramic quilt of sorts.  Bring a piece of china, jewelry, or river stone to add to the wall to commemorate and celebrate those we love. 

Admission is free. There are not many opportunities for peoples of all faiths and backgrounds to find common ground.  This is one of those chances. ALL ARE WELCOME!  

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Collectible Library Trading Cards Debut at MVLS Libraries

SCHENECTADY – This summer, patrons of the 14 public libraries in the Mohawk Valley Library System (MVLS) are picking up unique library cards: collectible trading cards celebrating each library within the system.

As part of a collaborative effort, and in conjunction with their summer reading programs, library-specific trading cards are available at each of the system’s libraries in Fulton, Montgomery, Schenectady, and Schoharie Counties, as well as at the MVLS office. Trading cards are free to all library visitors.

The program, called “MVLS-GO!” was envisioned by Sam Zimmerman, a library staff member at Fort Plain Free Library. Working closely with Kate Clingan, a staff member at MVLS, and all of the other libraries in the system, Zimmerman brought each of the cards to life. Each trading card features a sleek detailed design incorporating input from its corresponding library. Similar in format to popular games such as “Pokémon” and “Magic: The Gathering,” each library's trading card features an image and a description that spotlights the unique personality of each library, as well as a QR code that links to a map of participating locations. The trading cards combine artistry with individual library history, making each card a collector’s item.

“As you collect the cards, not only do you get to hold the cards in your hands and learn about the MVLS libraries, but you also gain the personal experience of visiting the various libraries and an appreciation of what makes each library unique,” said Zimmerman.

“We are so excited to add the collectability aspect with these stunning trading cards created by Sam. Each one showcases the special nature of a library. Together, they paint a picture of the whole system. Ideally, this will be a program that we can repeat, with new cards introduced every summer, or even created for special occasions or programs. That way, everyone can collect their library's trading cards over time,” said Clingan.

Collaborative programming is a hallmark of the libraries that make up MVLS. For example, Jennie Mosher, Program Director at Schoharie Free Library, led a program during the height of the pandemic, encouraging people to create and share “Fairies and Gnome Homes.” This project spread beyond the geographic boundaries of the four counties served by MVLS. Two years ago, several MVLS libraries created a collaborative treasure map as part of their summer activities, and last year that initiative expanded into the Library Passport program, which encouraged patrons to visit multiple MVLS libraries. Those two initiatives were facilitated by Sarah Carbone, a library staff member at Amsterdam Free Library with ongoing administrative support from MVLS.

“Shared resources and collaborative programs are at the heart of our mission as a library system. Doing so allows us to provide far more materials and services for library patrons than any one library could do alone. MVLS-GO! is just the latest example of this, and it demonstrates the shared creativity among our libraries. I encourage everyone to visit all of our libraries and collect as many cards as possible,” said Eric Trahan, Executive Director of MVLS.

Patrons are invited to visit each participating library, as well as the Mohawk Valley Library System office, to collect the full set of trading cards. Cards will be available while supplies last.

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A Conversation About: Oxeye Daisies and family

By Jean Thomas

I know the oxeye daisies are about finished and the queen anne’s lace and chicory are taking their turn in the spotlight, but there are still lots of white daisy-type flowers around, like Shasta Daisies and Montauk Daisies. The reason I have been thinking about Oxeye Daisies in particular is historical. The Oxeye Daisy is a native to North America and was a particular favorite of John Bartram. This is where the history comes in. John Bartram is famous among botanists because he was among the pioneers in binomial nomenclature, the main system nowadays to categorize all plants. He and Benjamin Franklin were great friends, and he was a noted “plant hunter” who started much of the plant industry as we know it. He shipped to Europe and Great Britain plants and seeds that had never been seen there. He traveled most of the east coast searching for new plants. This included our own Catskills area, in fact spending quality time among the native Americans.

I’ve been listening to the “Nature Calls, Conversations from the Hudson Valley” episode containing a “reenactment” of an interview with Mr. Bartram himself. The link is:  https://ccecolumbiagreene.org/gardening/nature-calls-conversations-from-the-hudson-valley/episode-115-john-bartram

At one point, Mr. Bartram (portrayed by Kirk Brown) talks about his fondness for the oxeye daisy in great detail. And I am in full agreement about the charm of a field full of wild daisies. They are a great pollinator plant and can grow pretty near anywhere. They are a perfect meadow plant. Just be wary of planting them in a bed and expecting them to remain tidy. And they reseed madly… you’ll be removing baby plants forever. Their hybridized cousins are much better choices. While they tend to spread and sprawl a bit, they are much better mannered. The two best classic white daisy type perennials are the Shasta and the Montauk daisies. Each has a history of its own and neither was available in Bartram’s time.  

The Montauk daisy is also called Nippon daisy or Japanese daisy because it is a native of Japan. It “went native” when it arrived in the Montauk area and some think they’re native, they’re so happy there. T he big white daisies bloom much later in the year than the Oxeye and last longer. Their zone keeps expanding with global warming, but they can still be killed by an early frost.  Even though they’re considered hardy to zone 5, I’d still keep an eye out for frost warnings.

The Shasta daisy is an American creation by the great botanist Luther Burbank. He was a pioneer in botany and horticulture and developed over 800 various hybrids to become acclaimed as an agricultural inventor.Iit was he who hybridized several native daisies with a Japanese daisy and made this wonderful vivid white, long flowering classic daisy and named it after Mt. Shasta in California. Bartram would have definitely approved. Unfortunately, Burbank created the Shasta daisy in 1890, about a century after Bartram died in 1777. I can only imagine what a conversation those two pioneers might have had! Whichever your preference, any one of the daisies will work when you want to know if “He loves me” or “he loves me not.”                                  

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Whittling Away with Dick Brooks - Annoyances

I like commercials on television.  Some of them are more entertaining than the shows they are liberally sprinkled throughout.  I will admit that the ones with cute animals or kids are the ones I enjoy the most.  There seem to be more and more medical ones appearing.  I like to stay current on cures for ailments that I may or may not contract but they’re starting to annoy me because they spend ten seconds or so telling me about the benefits of their product and the rest of the commercial telling me what could happen to me if I take it.  If I have a headache, I’d like to know that if I take the stuff they’re selling, it will make it go away.  I don’t need to know that if I take that product I might have diarrhea, dizziness, rapid heart beat or halitosis.  I don’t usually operate heavy machinery but I’d like to if the occasion arises but I may not have the opportunity to do it if I take their product.  I think I’d rather keep the headache.  I know its all part of the “Right to Know” act but I think I’d less annoyed and concerned if we had a option to choose not to know.

While I’m talking about things that annoy me, there are a few other annoyances I’d like to get off my chest.  I’m a senior citizen and I’m sure that somewhere on my AARP card it says that I have the right to be annoyed.  Here are a few of the things that make me grumpy.  I think that those people who take their groceries out of the cart and put them into their cars then drive away leaving the cart blocking a parking space should be locked in a room full of rabid deer tics.  I think I’d make that room large enough to include those inconsiderate folks who take up two parking spaces because they never learned how to park between the lines.  I don’t like those air dryers in public rest rooms or toilets that flush themselves.  I’d rather dry my hands on my pants and I find pulling the lever and cleaning up my own mess rather satisfying.  Telephones should be black, weigh five pounds and have a dial.  They should not be permanently attached to the end of an arm and should not take precedence over human interaction.  All phones should be collected at the door of churches, theaters and other public meeting places and locked in sound proof boxes to be collected upon exiting.  Phones should be for talking not typing, texting should be limited to five messages per day.  Thumb cuffs should be used on any one exceeding the daily limit.  Messages on phones telling me to leave a message should be short and to the point not long and rambling or cute.  If I wanted cute I’d watch one of those commercials with kids or animals.  I just want you to know I called.  Politicians and religious quacks should not be allowed public air time nor should they be able to have access to the services of the Post Office.  I really have no desire to send either any of my hard earned money.  I really don’t like all those calls soliciting funds for charities that I’ve never heard of.  The National Association of Homeless Handicapped Hangnail Survivors with Diabetic Cats will just have to wait until next year.  I have better things to do, a commercial with Minions in it just came on.  I think they’re cute.

Thought for the week—A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.

Until next week, may you and yours be happy and well.

Whittle12124@yahoo.com 

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[MUSINGS OF A LOCAL by Iris Mead - Finding Joy In Your Neighborhood

Photos:  (1) One of the AMR sites in the Bovina Valley

Lizzie Douglas & Iris Mead enjoying their sandwiches in front of Russell’s Store

I use the term “Your Neighborhood” loosely to encompass the radius included in your usual circle of travel from your home.  For some of us it’s 10 miles, for others 50 miles.  But what you can find, or happen upon, without looking can surprise you, excite you and make your day.  

The perfect example happened to me and a friend recently when we started our morning by attending a Feldenkris class in the hamlet of Bovina in Delaware County. This class was our first joy as we were using movement to better our minds and bodies.  As the name implies, Bovina still has cows and farms and is in a beautiful valley that winds through and over part of the Catskill mountains. It is a close-knit community as many of our hamlets and villages in the Catskills are. This past weekend was the AMR Open Studios Tour of over 60 area artists in the area.  As we happened to be in Bovina, we visited some of them hidden away and discovered much more.  Not only were the locations of the studios situated in surprising places but the views were jaw dropping and an artist’s delight. Engaging in conversation with the artists only added to the enjoyment of the discoveries.

In the hamlet of Bovina Center is a historical building called Russell’s Store.  It’s history dates back to the 1800’s. It was the center of Bovina for years having been the general store, the only gas pump (now defunct but still standing), and general meeting place.  In January of 2002, the property was deeded to the Bovina Historical Society so that it would not be privately sold and kept as Russell’s Store. In June of 2022, Ellen Stewart started running the historic store and is responsible for the delicious morning and noon sandwiches. The store is popular with tradesmen, tourists who have read about it online and locals as it is also a community gathering place. And, you can also still buy groceries there.

The house next door was the home of the Russell’s for 70 years and is now owned privately, bought by the owner to “save” it and lived in by the owner’s mother.  This information was provided by the mother as she stopped to chat with us as we ate the overstuffed sandwiches at the picnic table in front of Russell’s. This was the second part of the joy of finding your neighborhood that day.  After our informative chat with her, we encountered another unexpected joy when a couple pulled up for sandwiches. As we were trying to get a photo of us and the store, she offered to take it.  As our conversation continued, we found out that the barn in the picture that we had just visited had originally belonged to them and was sold to the artist who had her paintings in the barn.  Again, the joy of the neighborhood!

As we rode home over the narrow mountain road past mountain scenery we had seen in some of the paintings and a deer sighting, we had smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts for the morning that had unfolded before us.  Find the joy in your neighborhood as often as you can

Russell’s Store is open 7:00-4:00 Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday.

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It’s All About Community at Pine Hill Social

Photo Courtesy of Pine Hill Social 

By Christein Aromando

PINE HILL — The crowd spilled onto the street Tuesday night at the opening of Pine Hill Social, a new women-owned pop-up shop and community space in downtown Pine Hill. The space was started by a group of 4 local women who hosted a ‘Townie Tuesday’ gathering and encouraged locals to bring their best ideas for utilizing the multi-purpose space. 

“It’s difficult for this town to support full-time businesses, so this is an opportunity for local practitioners to have a part-time space”, says co-owner, Berns Rothchild. The group plans to offer the space for service-based practitioners as well as vendors and local artists for pop-ups and have already been fielding inquiries for pre-holiday bookings. 

Co-owner, Carolina Turba calls Pine Hill Social a place ‘For Community, By Community.’ “It’s a social place to get together that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bar.” Turba is looking forward to having weekly game nights with different games rotating each week of the month, such as Canasta or Mahjong, “to help get us through the winter”. Something we can all appreciate.

If you have ideas or would like to book the space, reach out to info@pinehillsocial.com. Follow @pinehillsocial on Instagram for upcoming events and pop-ups.

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Youth Fair Awards

By Michael Ryan

CAIRO - Agriculture heritage and the young people carrying on the tradition were the focus when the Greene County Youth Advisory board presented their annual awards, last week, at the Greene County Youth Fair.

The selections were based upon the activities and involvement within their  community of, “caring, dedicated individuals whose efforts and accomplishments should be recognized.”

Narrowing the field to three “out of the many excellent nominations was a very difficult task,” the board stated in its announcement.

“We are confident the awards are being made to very deserving young members of our county,” the board stated.

The awards were presented by Greene County Legislature chairman Patrick Linger, as follows:

—Grace Hoglund of Hannacroix, the daughter of Eric & Jean Hoglund, recipient of 2024 “Youth of the Year” honors.

Hoglund, a senior at Coxsackie-Athens High School, has served on the prom committee, has done tutoring, been a Field Day helper and has helped at the Interact Club book sale at the school.

In her community, Grace serves as a volunteer for the Coxsackie-Athens Food Pantry, assists with the Thanksgiving Meal delivery through Hope’s Mission, decorates at St. Mary’s Church in Coxsackie for Christmas and has been involved with youth mentoring.

In 2020, she was named to NYSYMCA Youth & Government (YAG) and has served as Legislative Chair and Cabinet Member. 

In March 2023, she was the NYS delegate (YAG) to the Conference on National Affairs in North Carolina and in November 2023 was the Chairperson of Empire State Development YAG Conference. 

Never sitting still for very long, Grace, in March 2024, was appointed to serve as NYS Alternate Delegate YAG.

She is an excellent academic student, having made High Honors, and was named to the National Honor Society in 2022. Upon graduation, she plans to major in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Grace has been elected a class officer and currently serves as Treasurer. She is involved with several school clubs – Interact, Outdoors Club, Christian Life Club and Varsity Club.

—Andrew J. Holliday of Catskill, the son of Jeff & Lori Holliday, is the recipient of the 2024 “Chairman’s Award.”

Holliday, a senior at Catskill High School, serves in the Youth Group at the Kiskatom Reformed Church, Ducks Unlimited and assists the Fortnightly Club of Catskill at functions.

Andrew serves as an ambassador of the school as an Incoming Freshman Night Presenter, serves as a coach for the Alumni/Staff annual basketball game and can be seen at Christmas Time with Santa’s Helpers. 

He is a member of the school’s Business and Marketing Club, assists with the Spring Rush and serves on the school’s newsletter.

Andrew has been a member of the volleyball team and was the recipient of the St Bonaventure University Bonnie Scholarship. In the words of his nominator, Andrew is a “role model for our youth.”

He has made the school’s Academic Honor Roll and was named to the National Honor Society in 2021. In addition, he was named to the Dean’s List at Columbia-Greene Community College.

He currently serves as the President of his graduating class. Andrew is an all-around athlete as well, having played on the school’s golf team, volleyball team and track team.

—Tatum Lampman of Surprise, the daughter of Douglas and Stephanie Lampman, is the 2024 recipient of the “Director’s Award.”

Lampman is a junior at Greenville High School. As a childhood cancer

survivor and with good health as a priority, she has served as a Mental

Health advocate and emphasized Cancer Awareness.

She volunteers her time at the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders and has participated in their food drives.

In the Greenville community, she helps at the UMC Turkey Supper and the Greenville-Norton Hill Trunk or Treat.

At school, she volunteers for the Veteran’s Day breakfast, First Responders breakfast and the annual craft fair.

Tatum was recently appointed to Sarcoma Strong. She has been a keynote speaker for Sarcoma Strong and the Albany Medical Radio-thon. 

As a student, she has been named to the National Honor Society and is a member of the student council. 

Tatum is a member of the Interact Club, serves as an advocate for Mental Health and has assisted at the school blood drives and food drive. She has been a member of the track & field team and a cheerleader.

Other youths being recognized with Certificates of Merit are Carisa Benjamin (daughter of Corey & Ericka Benjamin), Chloe Cameron, daughter of Robert and Ashley Cameron;

John Kunz (son of Seth and Nancy Kunz), Andrew Scarlata (son of Amelia & Ken Scarlata) and Courtney Taibi (daughter of Anthony & Capri Taibi).

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Obituary - Deborah Hitchcock

Deborah A. Hitchcock: Devoted Wife, Loving Mother, Faithful Servant of Christ

Deborah A. Hitchcock, age 75, a longtime resident of Maplecrest, NY passed away Saturday, July 20th, 2024 in a tragic car accident on her way to celebrate her birthday with family. She was a devoted wife of 55 years to Dennis L. Hitchcock; loving mother of William (Stephanie) Hitchcock, Kelly (Jeffrey) Fallon and Kristin (Thomas) Corbett, as well as a beloved grandmother to Drew (Katie) Hitchcock, Lillian Fallon, Sadie, Clarisse and Caleb Corbett. Debbie was preceded in death by her parents Marshall and Marian Peterson. Her surviving siblings are Marshall (Sarah) Peterson and Kirk (Diane) Peterson.

Debbie was born in Jamestown, NY and raised near her extended family, including many beloved cousins. She attended Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester where she cultivated a lifelong friendship with Judy Cook (Hitchcock), a Maplecrest native. Their friendship brought Debbie to the Maplecrest area for a summer job opportunity at The Thompson House where she soon met Dennis and their lifelong romance began. Before long she and Dennis were married with children and living a beautiful life in idyllic Maplecrest. Debbie balanced the making of a loving home for her growing family, with helping Dennis by managing all of the administrative tasks of the burgeoning family business.

She loved her family deeply, as well as her Church community. Debbie lived her life to reflect the love of Jesus to everyone she encountered. She was devoted to ministering to her grandchildren and uplifting others through handmade gifts, homemade baked goods, notes of encouragement and a powerful ministry of prayer. Debbie’s compassion, understanding heart and her desire to point everyone to Christ are her everlasting legacy.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

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Obituary - William and Stephanie Hitchcock

William L. and Stephanie L. Hitchcock, Faithful Servants of Christ

William “Bill” Lee Hitchcock, age 51, and Stephanie Lynn Hitchcock, age 52, were both painlessly taken home to the Lord on July 20, 2024 in a heartbreaking car accident in Windham, NY.

Bill was born to Dennis and Deborah “Debbie” Hitchcock on September 5, 1972 in Catskill, NY. He was raised in Maplecrest, NY. Stephanie was born to Carol Lee and Richard Herbert Trauth in Hartford, CT and raised in and around Avon and Farmington, CT. Carol later divorced and remarried Stephanie’s father Jerome “Jerry” Gedney McCormick.

Bill’s mother Debbie passed away in the tragedy that took him and Stephanie, but his father Dennis and his two sisters Kelly Fallon and Kristin Corbett also survive him. Stephanie survived her parents Carol and Jerry and predeceased all her siblings: Nancy Roberts, Kenneth McCormick, Robert McCormick, Scott Trauth, Andrea Bell. Their only child William Andrew “Drew” Hitchcock survives them.

Bill and Stephanie met while pursuing degrees at Rochester Institute of Technology and married on July 23, 1994. Subsequently, they moved to Atlanta, GA. There, Bill became one of the first graphic designers at Chick-Fil-A, developing personal relationships with Dan and Truett Cathy, and Stephanie worked as a freelance designer. After a few years, they opened a booming graphic design group together in Atlanta.

In 2000, the couple returned to Bill’s roots in the Catskill mountains. Bill worked with his father to run a small family construction business called Hitchcock Builders, which he later took over when Dennis retired. Stephanie cared for and later homeschooled Drew.

Bill and Stephanie both enjoyed involvement in church, reading books, walking family land, and fellowship with others; they were always ready to share a laugh. Bill, an avid New York Yankees, Buffalo Bills, and New York Rangers fan, also collected and painted miniatures for tabletop war games including Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Horus Heresy. Stephanie was a prolific cook and baker, a gracious hostess, an excellent gardener, and a tasteful interior designer.

Above all, Bill and Stephanie were good and faithful servants of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They increasingly became like Jesus as the years passed. Because of this, they lead exemplary lives of selfless compassion, great generosity, and heartfelt reconciliation. They were respected and beloved by their friends and community, touching countless people on the mountaintop and beyond.

Updates on the recovery of Bill’s father Dennis, who was severely injured in the crash that claimed Bill, Stephanie, and Debbie, are available at www.thelordsustainsus.com. 

A joint memorial service will be held in memory of Bill and Stephanie at Hope Restoration Church in Windham, NY on August 10th at 10:00 AM  with luncheon to follow at Hayfield in Maplecrest, NY, 221 Big Hollow Rd.

The family requests that you consider a charitable donation in lieu of flowers to Bill and Steph's home church, Mitchell Hollow Missions Church or to the organization World Gospel Mission.

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