Out Lexington Way

By Christine Dwon

Happy Autumn!  Beautiful weather, beautiful season.

Lisa Birnbaum of the Pratt Museum Events Team, reports the third Annual Pratt Museum Victorian Tea Fundraiser that was held on Sept. 13, was enjoyed by all.  There were local guests and guests from out of the area.  Diane Bunce and Pat Savella were gift basket raffle winners.  Gina Przywara won first place for the best hat and Ginny Gurley won second place.  Many thanks to all who made the fundraiser such a success.

Lexington Farmers Market on Saturday, Sept. 27 under the pavilion at the Lexington Municipal Building, 3542 Route 42,  from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 27, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., is the Barn Dance and Potluck Dinner sponsored by the Friends of Lexington at the West Kill/Lexington Community Hall, 141 Spruceton Road, West Kill. Covered dish dinner starts at 4 p.m., BYOB.  There will be a caller and live performance by Homespun Occasions.  Suggested donation $10 per person.  Tickets at the door.  If you have questions, email friendsoflexington@gmail.com.  Many thanks to sponsors West Kill Brewing, Spruceton Inn and Rivermist Farms.

Haines Falls Fire Company and Ladies Auxiliary are holding a Chicken BBQ on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  Full dinner of half chicken, baked potato and baked beans is $15,  half chicken is $10, takeouts only.  Proceeds benefit the Haines Falls Fire Company and Auxiliary.

Greene County Public Health 2025 Flu Clinic will be held Tuesday, Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Senior Service Center at the Jewett Municipal Building, 3547 County Route 23C, Jewett.  Please call 518-719-3600.  CGPH participates in most insurances—Medicare, Medicaid, Senior Blue, United Health Care, NYS Empire Plan, BSNENY, Empire BC/BS, Fidelis and CDPHP. 

Following the flu clinic at the Senior Service Center in Jewett on Sept. 30, a representative will be available for questions and with information concerning Medicare coverage at 11:45 a.m..  If you would like to stay for lunch served at noon, please call at least a day in advance to reserve your meal—518-263-4392.

Happy birthday to JoEllen Schermerhorn on Friday, Sept. 26.

Saturday, Sept. 27, Amelia and Tom Osborn celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Another couple celebrating their wedding anniversary on Sept. 27 are Susan and Emmett Turk.

Sept. 27 is Danny Dymond’s birthday.

Cole Clark will turn three-years old on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Tuesday, Sept. 30 is Beth Martin’s birthday.

Best wishes to all.

Lexington/West Kill UMC Administrative Council will meet Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 4:30 p.m. in the church hall.

Bowling Night, veterans and family event with two games, shoes and pizza included on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Catskill Lanes, 305 West Bridge Street, Catskill RSVP by Oct. 3 at 518-719-0020 or veterans@greenecountyny.gov.

Every Thursday from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. stop by the Mountain Top Library, 6093 Main Street, Tannersville and visit the Greene County Public Health’s Mobile Unit for education, screenings, free supplies and outreach.  No appointment needed.

Hunter Fire Company #1 holds an Open House every third Monday of the month at 17 Bridge Street, Hunter from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Come and stop by – cheeseburgers and hot dogs too.

More upcoming events in October:

In the Ashland Town Park, 12187 State Route 23, Ashland, on Saturday, Oct. 4, bring a chair, eat, relax and support The Ashland Fire Department’s Centennial Music Fest.  Tickets--$35 pre-sale, $40 at the gate, children 12 and under are free.  Whiskey Cross at 11:15 a.m.; The Torpedoes at 2 p.m. and Skeeter Creek at 5:30 p.m.  Doors and parking open at 10 a.m. at the Ashland Town Park on Gravel Bank Road.  Food trucks available on site.  Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at Ashland Town Hall between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or by email to ashland12407@gmail.com or patszzz0915@gmail.com. For info call 518-734-3636.

The annual Great Pumpkin Walk and Lighting at Tannersville Lake is Saturday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.  Registration at 7 p.m., lighting at 7:30 p.m., awards at 8 p.m.  Bring your best carved pumpkin and candle.  For information call 518-858-9094.

Windham’s 31st Annual Autumn Affair will be Saturday, Oct. 11 and Sunday, Oct. 12 starting at 10 a.m.  

Apple Fest at the Windham-Hensonville UMC on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Lexington Farmers Market on Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be Kids Day.  All your favorite vendors will be there. The Town of Lexington Fire/Rescue Company will be there with fire/rescue  equipment and Sparky the Fire Dog--come and meet your local volunteer heroes.  Steven Weinberg, artist and author will be there 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Hunter Public Library and Ripstitchers will have free books and hand knit items for sale; kids sing-a-long with Kim Do and Slow Baby Fox; arts and crafts tables all day; gardening demos for kids and adults, worm composting, fall transplanting tips and a bulb swap.  There will be a winter coat drive for those in need.  Please bring new or gently used and clean warm clothing for distribution through Hunter-Tannersville Central School District.  

Greene County Senior Nutrition Program menu for the week of Sept. 29 – Oct. 3 is as follows:  Monday—Meatball sub (bun contains gluten), Italian mixed vegetables, Italian pasta salad, fruited Jell-O; Tuesday—Turkey burger (bun contains gluten) with pepper and onions, carrots, Au Gratin potatoes, oatmeal cookie; Wednesday—Meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, Sonoma vegetables, apple crisp; Thursday—Sweet and sour chicken, oriental mixed vegetables, white rice, pineapple and mandarin oranges; Friday—Chef’s choice.  All persons 60 and older are invited to attend. Meals served at noon, suggested $4 donation for each meal.  Congregate reservations are required by noon at least a day in advance.  If you reserve a meal and are unable to attend, please call as soon as you can to cancel.  Allergen information is available for prepared food items.  The number to call for the Senior Service Center at the Jewett Municipal Building, 3547 County Route 23C, Jewett is 518-263-4392.

Thank you to all law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, dispatchers, volunteers, healthcare providers, veterans, 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.

 

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Bonnie’s Trail Seeks Volunteers for Cleanup

At home in the outdoors, the late Barbara “Bonnie” Blader, a passionate community advocate and the namesake of Bonnie’s Trails.

Into the quiet on Bonnie’s Trails in the town of Lexington

By Michael Ryan

LEXINGTON - This is the type of attention Bonnie Blader would approve of as the call has gone out for cleanup crews to assemble, on October 4, at Bonnie’s Trails, named in her honor in the town of Lexington.

Volunteers are being asked to gather at 10 a.m. near the trail head, across from 771 Beech Ridge Road South (with an October 5 rain date).

“If you have a lopper, work gloves and collapsable hand saw, please bring them along,” says organizer Bennett Wine.

The fruitful labors, while attending to necessary maintenance, also avail folks a look-see at a soon-to-be new section of pathway.

Bonnie’s Trails were formally dedicated in the autumn of 2023 in tribute to Blader, a passionate and seemingly omnipresent community advocate.

She was not one to draw the limelight to herself even while being boldly in the forefront of multiple endeavors benefitting her adopted hometown.

A bit of her story is told on the entrance sign to Bonnie’s Trails, an intertwining stretch of 3 to 4 miles of hiking and cross-country skiing paths located in the quietly remote high hills of Lexington.

Barbara “Bonnie” Blader was a, “mother, wife, teacher, writer, master forester and community activist,” the sign states.

“She was one of the main organizers of the Lexington Farmers Market. She helped to run children’s programs in the summer.”

Blader, who passed away in 2019, is most remembered “for her invaluable work to help bring broadband to Lexington,” the sign states.

“By organizing the community, using her combination of charm and humor, and an innate ability to generate viral videos for the cause, Bonnie was able to help the town secure a grant from the New York State Broadband Initiative.”

Lexington was in a virtual Dead Zone until Blader pushed the powers-that-be with just-the-right pressure to get the ball rolling on modernization.

And there was more to it. “Everyone in Lexington knew Bonnie and Bonnie knew everyone. She was always easy to talk to with a quick wit and a real interest in anyone she should meet,” the sign states.

“These trails have been named for Bonnie because of her dedication to our town, but also because she enjoyed using these trails and helped to bring about their inclusion as a DEP recreation site.”

The looping and intersecting trails, although located at lofty elevations, are not very steep, ideal for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, walking and just plain taking in the views.

Cleared at roughly 2000 feet about sea level, essentially all of the elevation is achieved by driving to the spot, easily visiting the aptly-named stream trail, marsh trail, meadow trail and ledge trail.

Routine trimming and clearing of tree branches, grasses, etc. is the primary goal on October 4, with an added bonus.

“The Lexington Hiking Club and the Town of Lexington with the cooperation of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District are proposing a new trail which will be the longest of all of Bonnie’s Trails,” Wine states.

“This is really exceptional land, different kinds of woods, some old growth deciduous and non-deciduous trees,” Wine says, measuring roughly 1.6 miles and crossing paths with the existing trail system.

“We are hoping to open it soon, getting the trail markers in order and doing some clearing. It gives us the potential to create other trails,” Wine says, noting there are ongoing talks about expanding the existing parking lot.

“One element that makes Bonnie’s Trails so inviting is that the land is relatively gentle, good for people who don’t want to climb,” Wine says.

Bonnie’s Trails are a joint project by the town of Lexington, Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Lexington Hiking Club and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

 

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BETTER THAN HEARSAY - Suddenly a New Starting Point

By Michael Ryan

CATSKILL - The votes are apparently there for the Greene County Legislature to commit millions of dollars toward the creation of a countywide ambulance system over the next sixteen months. 

That voting will very possibly not take place, however, as contentious lines have been drawn between lawmakers saying “yes” or “no,” lines that county officials fear will have longterm divisive impacts, if crossed.

Whether that voting happens or not will likely be determined by what goes down at a September 25 meeting involving legislators, town government leaders and emergency medical service professionals (please see our related “Legislature Stuff” column).

That session took place too late for this edition. Heading into the Thursday night gathering, a flurry of activity was unfolding behind the scenes that could forestall the county plan for two years if not longer.

It now appears, based on informal discussions with county officials, that the county’s 14 towns could instead be subsidized by the county for their annual ambulance expenses, beginning as soon as 2026.

The payments would continue until a countywide system is established, although that formation is not as certain as it once seemed.

This sudden mayhem started to emerge on September 22 after a lawmaker requested a special workshop to let the full legislature hash things out behind closed doors, prior to the September 25 sit down.

The workshop was scheduled for September 24 but then cancelled when it was determined not enough public notice could be given.

A deluge of phone calls and emails reportedly ensued, wanting to prevent the September 25 meeting from becoming a back-and-forth brouhaha as the moment nears for the button to be pushed on the county plan.

All of which boils down to the vote and whether or not lawmakers are ready to commit an estimated $12 to $!5 million to make the county plan work, doubling what the combined towns and county are now paying.

The answer to that question is yes and no. There are 14 lawmakers. Seven are reportedly ready to push forward. An equal amount are not.

However, a weighted voting formula is used by the legislature. When those figures are tabulated, the measure would be narrowly approved.

While the numbers are mere conjecture, individual opinions have not been hidden as the midnight hour approaches, giving county leadership both assurance and pause.

“We don’t want it to look like we are forcing this down anyone’s throat,” legislature chairman Patrick Linger said in a phone interview.

“Even if the votes were present, If we can’t get a majority of legislators on board to pay for this, we feel it would be problematic,” Linger said.

Nothing was written in stone for the September 25 meeting, but common ground was apparently found, easing budget burdens on towns via the subsidies while still moving to a full county system, albeit more slowly.

Meanwhile, the six mountaintop towns, hearing the rumblings and seeing the storm coming, might now plot their own course.

It was the six hilltowns, Ashland, Hunter Jewett, Lexington, Prattsville and Windham who got this whole countywide concept started.

They collectively went to the legislature, over two years ago, saying their municipal units were unsustainable longterm due to multiple factors. 

Since then, input from an independent consultant and talks between the various stakeholders have led to the county plan.

Hunter town supervisor Sean Mahoney was the spokesperson for the hilltowns and is a strong proponent of the county plan. That has not necessarily changed but is now subject to Plan B.

“We’ll just see what happens” on September 25, Mahoney said in a phone interview. “We’ve given the legislature our ideas on getting this done and have been largely leaving it to them. We’re hearing that not all is well.

“Our primary concern is taking care of our people,” Mahoney said, noting the six mountaintop towns are served through contracts with municipal squads in Ashland, Windham and Hunter.

“Ideally, a countywide system is where we should be, but if there is too much resistance, we may have to take matters into our own hands,” Mahoney said.

“If that means doing our own thing up here on the mountaintop, we will do our own thing,” Mahoney said.

In the recent past, there have been serious discussions about the three hilltown providers flying one flag. Those talks could quickly intensify, depending upon what goes down on September 25.

“That is definitely an option we are considering. Conceptually It would work. It will be a heavy lift, but there is strength in numbers,” Mahoney said. 

Optimism is being voiced that a county system is inevitable, and that any small steps will end in the same place, regardless of how long it takes.

“We suddenly seem to have gone backwards two years,” Linger said. “I don’t necessarily agree this is the way to go. It may be fear of change.

“At the same time, I understand we are talking about a lot of money. If this gets things going in a good direction and stops the bickering, it may be where we have to start,” Linger said.

 

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LEGISLATURE STUFF - Hanging in the Balance

By Michael Ryan 

CAIRO - In the days leading up to it, Greene County Legislature members figured this would be their last meeting with town officials and emergency medical service professionals on the questions of how and when a countywide ambulance system would be up and running.

That meeting occurred, September 25, at the Emergency Services Center in Cairo (too late for this edition). County officials were expecting to, or at least hoping to, leave the session amid jubilant consensus.

Many details would still need to be ironed out but meaningful discussions have been unfolding since last fall between the three groups, and a decision to push ahead was rendered at a huddling, in August.

Or was it? County administrator Shaun Groden left that August meeting with authorization to create a new directorship position.

That person would plan and steer the shift away from municipal units and the non-profit flycar system toward a unified, county plan.

The new director was expected to be on the job in the first quarter of 2026, primed and ready for countywide operations to start at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2027. Done and done.

All of that, however, was before the town of Catskill ambulance squad surprisingly revealed they might opt out of the county system.

Catskill ambulance administrator George June, in early September, verified rumors, saying, “at this point, [Catskill] is still planning to operate its own ambulance service, until the county can provide assurances the new system will be as good as or better than what we have now.”

June did not speculate on how the county could give those assurances prior to the unified system actually being on the road.

If the town of Catskill stays in business, it could threaten the success of the countywide system. Catskill has the largest call volume in Greene County, making them a key economic player.

The announcement by Catskill, therefore, carries considerable weight and touches old wounds, dating back almost a decade when similar talks regarding a countywide system occurred.

A special Task Force had been established to take a hard look at ambulance service. The issues then were the same as now.

Municipal units were under the gun to continue due to steadily rising costs, staff shortages and stress on employees forced to work as many as 80 hours weekly to make ends meet.

Task Force members, including some of the same county and town officials in office today, concluded a county system was a smart option.

It appeared that would happen but Catskill, with June as its administrator, pulled out at the eleventh hour, joined by the town of Ashland. The plan died on the vine.

While the recent revelation by Catskill has echoes of the past, things have also changed. A decade ago, the Task Force left the decision up to individual towns on whether or not to transition.

This time around, the county is apparently taking a different approach and the financial bull by the horns. “If Catskill wants to keep their own system, that’s up to them,” legislature chairman Patrick Linger says.

“If they do, they will pay twice. This has to be all or nothing,” Linger says. If a countywide system is created, the expense would be assessed to taxpayers in every town whether that town opts in or not.

“This is the second time we’ve been here in ten years,” Linger says. “Many towns have come to us, saying they cannot sustain operations.

“We were asked to look into this by those towns and we have gone through the whole process,” Linger says, referring to the hiring of an outside consultant to examine the condition of ambulance service.

That consultant was brought in two years ago in response to the six mountaintop towns collectively declaring their operations were unsustainable.

Hilltowns were not alone in their desperation, joined by some valley towns, and the current consolidation conversations began after the consultant similarly determined a countywide system was fiscally prudent.

“We are ultimately going to be asked to fund this,” Linger says. “Catskill is not able to fully meet their [response] obligation in their own town. If they can’t admit that, somebody has to admit it for them.

“They can’t reach their call volume. I’m not singling out the town of Catskill. Staffing is a problem throughout Greene County and across the industry,” Linger says.

“That is a major reason we are even considering a county system. We are all in the same boat. We have to row in the same direction,” Linger says.

Whatever the town of Catskill chooses to do, lawmakers are reportedly not merrily merrily rowing down the emergency services stream.

A whirlwind of legislative activity has been unfolding behind the scenes since the beginning of this week related to the fiscal fact that the 2026 county budget needs to be in place by mid-November.

Lawmakers must soon vote on whether to finance the new director and all other costs of the county system, estimated between $12 to $15 million, double what the towns and county, combined, currently spend.

A massive fissure has reportedly opened in that vote, resulting in a special legislative workshop being called for September 24 and then scrubbed, amidst increasing rancor and division within the ranks.

Gloves were going to be off at the workshop. That may instead be removed in a much more public setting on September 25 with everything hanging in the balance (please see our related “Better than Hearsay” column).

 

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Sgt. James F. Carty, DSC VFW Post 1545

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chris, the owner of the Windham Market, for generously donating a delicious tray of lasagna for last week’s bingo night. 

We truly appreciate your support! Our next bingo night will be Thursday, October 2, at 6 p.m. I hope to see you all there!

I’d also like to express my gratitude to the Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School for organizing the recent POW/MIA assembly.

Special thanks to Emily Lacombe and the entire staff for their dedication. Although I couldn’t attend due to an emergency, I heard our team did an excellent job explaining the POW table and its significance.

I’d like to remind all home-schooled children in grades 6-8 to participate in the VFW Patriots Pen contest, and students in grades 9-12 to enter the Voice of Democracy contest. For more information, feel free to contact me at 518-810-3109.

Lastly, it was incredibly moving to watch the memorial for Charlie Kirk this past weekend. Regardless of political affiliation, it’s impossible not to feel the heartbreak, especially hearing his wife Erika’s words. 

As I watched, I couldn’t help but hope that we, as a nation, come together. No one wins by dividing our country further or by causing harm. We are all Americans, and we must support one another through both tragedy and triumph.

House Passes 14 Veteran Bills: Fourteen bipartisan veteran bills passed the House and now head to the Senate for consideration. They address a range of health care and benefits issues.

VFW-supported bills include H.R.3400, TRAVEL Act of 2025, to allow VA physicians to serve temporarily as traveling physicians in territories and possessions of the United States to provide health care services to veterans in underserved areas; 

H.R.3951, Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025, to extend license portability allowing eligible health care providers to perform disability examinations across state lines and expanding access for veterans;

H.R.2334, Servicemember Residence Protection Act, to preempt state laws regarding squatter’s rights for premises owned by individuals who are on active military service. 

VA Dedicates New National Cemetery: The VA National Cemetery Administration (NCA) dedicated the Southern Utah National Cemetery in Cedar City, Utah, that is anticipated to eventually accommodate 13,434 gravesites containing both casketed and cremated remains.

As one of eight cemeteries established under NCA’s “Rural Initiative,” this site supports the NCA’s goal of ensuring that 95% of veterans have a VA national cemetery or VA-grant funded burial option within 75 miles of their homes. Currently, nearly 94% of veterans meet that standard.

I try to bring attention to the efforts that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency goes to in order to bring closer to our Missing in Action troops.

This week let us honor  U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Blaine B. Wilcox, 26, of Pacific Junction, Iowa, killed during World War II, was accounted for on April 1, 2025. During World War II, Wilcox served as a bombardier assigned to 613th Bombardment Squadron, 401st Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. On Oct. 7, 1944, during a bombing mission targeting a German synthetic oil refinery in Politz, Germany, Wilcox’s B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed near the village of Kattenhof, Germany. All nine crewmembers, including Wilcox, were killed.

In 1948, an investigation by the American Graves Registration Command in Widziensko, Poland (previously in Hohenbruck, Germany), resulted in the recovery of five sets of remains from graves marked with American aircrew helmets. Two sets were identified as crew members from Wilcox’s aircraft. In 2019, a DPAA investigation team traveled to Poland and surveyed several American aircraft crash sites in the area of Police, Poland. Investigators determined that one of these sites, located near the village of Katy, likely belonged to Wilcox’s aircraft. While investigating incidents near Police, local third-party researchers informed DPAA personnel that an elderly witness claimed to have seen three or four unknown airmen fall from the sky near the village of Budzien in 1944. Members of the German Luftwaffe buried the remains of the unknown airmen in unmarked graves in the village cemetery in Budzien. To identify Wilcox’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Wilcox will be buried in Glenwood, Iowa, on a date yet to be determined.

In closing, let us keep all who gave the ultimate sacrifice , all veterans and the still serving in our thoughts and prayer. God Bless America.

Marc Farmilette – Commander VFW Post 1545

         2nd Lt. Blaine B. Wilcox, 

 

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The Prattsville Scoop

By Abby and Gabby

PRATTSVILLE – With the first day of autumn being this past Monday the 22nd, Mother Nature decided it was time for some scattered frost Saturday night. The frost was mostly in the open spaces away from buildings and shrubbery and enclosed areas. Weather has been pleasant so other than lack of rain, enjoy fall.

In a conversation with Maurice Mudge, he told me that his family had started a slaughter house in front of what would become Greendell Packing. He said it was mostly for calves and his father had taken him to work one. Maurice had always told his mother that he wanted to be cowboy. After the trip with his father, his mother told him that that is what cowboys did. Maurice promptly changed his selected career choice to becoming a fireman. He also said as a young lad he put together a multitude of model planes and was heartbroken when he lost them all in the flood.

Some words of warning from a professional advisor about receiving phone calls re: “E-Z Pass tickets not being paid” and you know the rest. Please send money to such and such a place. That along with Medicare/Medicad calls seeking information. Do not respond in any manner. Just hang up.

Follow-up to the Zadock Pratt Museum Victorian Tea, thanks to co-Chair Lisa Birnbaum. “3rd Annual Tea was a smash hit with guests. The Museum Board and Events team want to thank our very generous donors for their support of this event including Jim’s Great American, Diane Apostolacus, Deer Mountain Inn, Byebrook Farms, Lindsay Renz Pottery, Matt and Melissa of What the Soap, Ted Huggins Wood Craftsman, Taconic Distillery.  We want to thank every guest that came to have a good time support our museum! Thanks everyone who volunteered their day to pour tea, serve sandwiches and pastries and clean up afterwards.  People came from Prattsville, Acra, Windham, Gilboa, Conesvillle, Lexington, Stamford, Hunter and Hicksville, NY. The winners of the raffle were Diane Bunce of Lexington who won the VERY generous gift certificate from Deer Mountain Inn and Pat Savella of Conesville that won the Local Products Gift Basket filled with local goodies.  Also Gina Przywara who won the Best Hat for her beautiful fascinator hat.  Gina is from Hicksville, NY and she won a bottle of award winning white wine from the Finger Lakes region of NY.  Ginny Gurley also won a bottle of red wine for her traditional straw boater hat.  Ginny, as we all know, is from Prattsville!

From our Chatfield girls out in Oregon: “The Zadock Pratt Museum Victorian Tea sounds like fun.  Our Mom, Virginia Chatfield, and my Great Aunt Ada as well as myself [Judy] donated many hours at the Museum.  I am very thankful that it came back from "The Flood".  Prattsville is very fortunate to have such an interesting Museum to help preserve the town's history.  It's nice to know there are many people who are donating their time and expertise so that the Museum can continue to flourish.  Janet and I often share about our "growing up" days in Prattsville.  I also spoke with my old friend, Marie Cross this past week.   We all agreed it was a great town to grow up in.  We are getting anxious to come back home to visit our friends and family. We're finally having  some cooler weather.  A couple of days it was over 100 degrees, and one week it stayed in the 90's. Janet has watering her 7 raised veggie gardens, plus our flowers and lawn.  Janet can hardly wait to get the next water bill!  I am making plans to go to Long Beach in Washington to celebrate my October birthday.  Janet's son-in-law, Jim's family has a cabin that has been in their family for many years.  They are a couple of blocks from the beach, plus you can drive your vehicle right out on the beach.  I'm geting excited about having "fresh" seafood and spreading my "kindness hearts" wherever I go.  I've been making the little hearts and give them out to strangers for about three years now.  To date, I've made over 6,000 hearts and have met some very interesting people, as well as some great stories.  I've been thinking about Halloween and dressing up again.  Only time will tell.  Love and Best Wishes from the Oregon Gals    Judy & Janet”

Get well wishes to Doris Pasternak. Also to those on their way to a return to good health, speedy recovery.

Claudia Bracaliello is having some good health days as well as loving family and friends’ good wishes for her birthday and health. Her cousin Fred Lutz called to sing happy birthday to her and his sister Fran sent her a text and his other sister Mame sent an e-card. Her college roomie sent a text, as did best buds Arnold and Diana first thing in the morning, plus numerous emails from others!  Flowers and a musical card from her better half Ray. Claudia is feeling better and is feeling “almost normal”. Claudia had plans for Sunday the 21st, Monday the 22nd and Tuesday the 23rd. Will give you the follow-up news when Claudia sends in her report to me next week. Enjoy all these fun things Claudia.

The American Legion Virgil E. Deyo Post 1327 played host to the Greene County American Legion meeting on Friday, the 19th, at the Prattsville Fire House. Thank you Prattsville Volunteer Firemen for the use of the building. The main course was catered but the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 1327 membership supplied the desserts – brownies, cookies, cakes, cheesecake and other goodies. Thank you veterans for your honorable service.

Connie and Donnie Lane, one time residents of Prattsville now living in Oneonta, attend St. Mary’s RC Church in Oneonta. One a recent vacation of their usual Priest, Father Joseph Cebula was their Priest for two weeks. He asked about Sacred Heart and St. Philip Neri parishioners that he had served for twenty-five years. He also gave an up date of Father David Berberian who had served as our visiting priest during Father Cebula’s time with us. Father Dave has some health issues but continues to be his jovial self.

Happy Birthday to Danny Dymond on September 27. Happy Birthday to Rickie Brainerd on September 29. He is the son of Valerie and Rich Brainerd. Happy Birthday on October 3 to Eddie Voorhees. Happy Anniversary to Becky and West Benson on September 27.

GO BILLS! GO BILLS! GO BILLS!

News: Send to gurleyrv@gmail.com or call 518 299 3219. Thanks.

 

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