BlueStone Press

The best source for local news from Marbletown, Rochester & Rosendale

Published the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month | Vol. 27, Issue 24

December 16, 2022 | $1.00

Ulster Savings Bank proposes new building next to the Towne Centre Amber Kelly BSP Reporter Attending the Marbletown Planning Board meeting on Dec. 12 in the town hall were chairman Paris Perry, secretary Shawn Marks, town attorney Tracey Kellogg, as well as board members Max STAY

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Stratton, Harry Hansen, Dave Cobb, Dan Proctor, Scott Boyd and Sharon Klein.

First up on agenda, Hansen presented, saying, “We have Ulster Savings Bank planning to do commercial development at the former clock tower site, submitted a couple years ago. In my mind this is a good resolution to two prior projects

which have come before us, with the expansion of the Ulster Savings in the plaza (next to Rite-Aid) and this replacing the clock tower application. It is a 2.7-acre lot in the B-1 Stone Ridge south business district. It is a new construction of 8,600 square feet. The footprint is under the 6,000 square feet [maximum], and the

parking is in excess of requirements.” [The building could be up to 8,600 square feet with a possible second floor.]

Nadine Carney of Peak Engineering introduced herself and noted that James Cotter of Ulster Savings Bank was also

See Bank, page 6

Rosendale Library wants to move to the 'Bell Tower' church Michelle Vitner BSP Reporter

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R O N D O U T.

PAGES 17-25

Rondout grad made new RVSD facilities director

The Rosendale Town Board’s monthly meeting took place Dec. 14 at the Rosendale Municipal center with councilmembers Carrie Wykoff, Chris Pryslopski, Joseph Havrenek and Ernest Klepeis all present, along with town supervisor Jeanne Walsh.

During public comments, deputy supervisor Ken Hassett said, “I want to address the resignation of councilmember Pryslopski. All I can say is I’m very disappointed, but I do understand. I do want to say on a personal level, thank you for everything you’ve done for this town. You came at a time that we needed you. You brought a calming effect to this board, you brought a lot of intelligence and advice to the board and in turn, we’re a better town because of it. And I’m going to miss you.”

He proceeded to give Pryslopski a hug. After some clapping from others, Pryslopski said, “Ken and I have a special bond. I feel like I’ve grown up here.”

Walsh shared a plaque from the town in honor of Pryslopski, and invited everyone

The Bell tower church building on Main Street in Rosendale.

Photo by Thomas Childers

to enjoy a piece of cake for both him and Lori Hornbeck, who was also honored with a plaque for many years of service to the town.

Pryslopski has contributed 14 years in

various roles for the town. He was first elected councilmember in 2013, having been a chairman of the town Zoning

See Ros. Library, page 12

PAGE 8

Students help keep Ukraine warm PAGE 9

Santa lights up the High Falls Christmas tree on Dec. 10. The tree-lighting gathering had multiple cozy fires, hot chocolate, cookies provided by the church, and hot soup from The Spy and High Falls Cafe, all free of charge. Photo by Thomas Childers

Page 2, December July 1, 2022, 16, 2022, BlueStone BlueStone Press Press

Retired Rondout teacher publishes 22 children's books What brought you to this area and how long have you been here?

I fell in love with this area when I started attending New Paltz College at the age of 17. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education, philosophy and psychology, I returned to living in the city.

When I became pregnant, I moved back upstate as I wanted to raise my children in the beautiful Catskill region.

Tell us about your family.

I have two adult children.

My daughter now has two daughters, and being a Visit the folks grandmother is completely fun next door and fulfilling.

My son was born with Spina Bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down. Years ago, I gave him a kidney and he is now a healthy and happy functioning adult.

Q&A

You are a retired teacher, can you tell us about your career and what that meant to you?

I believe that a critical aspect of a life well-lived is making sure that there’s balance … that means work some, play some and rest some. Rest is still difficult for me to surrender to, but being able to be a contributing member of my community by working as a teacher for over 30 years has been an honor, a privilege and a blessing to me. I 100% loved being a teacher. When I first began my career at Rondout Valley (in 1989) I had a special education, self-contained class. That class was a two-year, multi-age program. Being a dual certified teacher in regular and special ed, along with having a differently abled child of my own, I was motivated to propose to the school district to create and implement a multi-age kindergarten/1st grade inclusion class. This paradigm incorporated regular and special education children receiving instruction in the same classroom all day long. Since all children

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were instructed by the same teacher in the same class throughout the entire day, this model served to be the most inclusive classroom. The program started out as a two-year pilot, which then became a permanent classroom setting until I retired in 2019. To be perfectly clear, a multi-age model is not for everyone, and traditional one-year programs work for many and may be preferred by some. However, for me and for the children and parents I had the good fortune to serve, it worked. I loved the authentic nature of this structure and how the younger students were aided by their older peers in the class, and then the following year they paid it forward by being the “elders” and showing the younger children the ropes.

Besides learning every day from the children I taught, throughout my teaching career it was essential for me to continue my own professional development. Therefore, after earning a master’s in special education, I went on to receive my doctorate in education, training in Reading Recovery, training in Orton-Gillingham, and an administration degree in education. Still, the greatest gift of teaching a program like the one that I had was that everyone had the opportunity to practice their humanity daily. By having so many different abilities in one room we learned more than tolerance … we experienced true acceptance, compassion, empathy and daily acts of kindness that became integral parts of our being.

Since you’ve retired you have been doing some other projects. Tell us about that.

As a retired teacher, I still have a strong need to be contributing to society. I’m still practicing my humanity daily, and to that end I’ve written and published 22 nonfiction children’s picture books for social-emotional learning. Each story book contains three stories, and each story concludes with talking points that teachers and families can use to review the learning lessons that are in the books, invite critical thinking and inspire

ongoing conversations that deepen and internalize the learning lessons offered in the books. Now, more than ever, these daily living skills are more essential to be taught. The book topics include bullying, different family compositions, refusing hate, character matters, needs and wants, coping with anger, good manners, shame, the death of a pet, time out being time in, and many more. You can find my books on my website or by searching the “Dr. Mindy Shaw” author’s page under my paperbacks on Amazon.

The books were created out of having real conversations with my granddaughter, and although the concepts can seem sophisticated to adults, children appreciate the honest straight talk in the books. What I have come to know is that when you speak down to children, they stay down … but if you share mature, relevant material with them presented in a developmentally appropriate manner, you inspire them to learn and grow. This is due to the fact that children are naturally curious and open to seeking and internalizing the truth. These topics are highly motivating for children to explore because they want and need to be socially and emotionally successful in the world.

What are some of your other interests?

These days, besides writing nonfiction for children to promote social-emotional learning, I spend much of my time with my two granddaughters which helps to fulfill my need to continue to teach and be around young people. I also volunteer to go into classrooms as a guest instructor and also mentor young teachers. There’s also a recently published parenting book and a second one is on the way. I am currently working on writing my own story, which will share my experiences of being a mother to a differently abled child and being an advocate to all children.

That book won’t position me as an expert as much as it will simply share my life lessons and explore how I show up. Since 2020 and the pandemic, I have been doing weekly podcasts for parents and teachers called “Teaching Humanity Remotely” in which I share topics that listeners ask me to address via my website, LearnWithMeRemotely.com. My days are also filled with activities I enjoy including exercise, swimming, biking and yoga, and I love to cook and to travel as often as possible. My partner and I are developing a screenplay based on our unique story … fortunately it’s a romantic comedy.

Any final thoughts?

I just want to thank you for your time and say that I am forever grateful to be a contributing member of my community.

No matter what I am doing, and no matter how I balance my work and fun, acts of service and kindness are always at the forefront for me.

--Compiled by Jeff Slater, BSP Reporter

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BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 3

Rochester offers Farmers' Q&A session about new possible zoning regs 'These forums are an opportunity for residents to sit down and be part of a conversation, but even if they can’t make it, I know that all the board members want to hear from people, whether over the phone or via email' Ann Belmont BSP Reporter Rochester's zoning code has been undergoing a review since last summer. The Town Board has been writing proposals for code revisions (none have yet become law). All these are posted on the town's website under "legislation," which is a subheading of the "Codes and Ordinances" heading on the dropdown menu.

However, reading through the zoning code can be mystifying at times. Board members Erin Enouen and Michael Coleman have issued invitations to Rochester's agricultural community to come to a question-and-answer session focusing on some proposals that specifically relate to agriculture.

Enouen commented, "One of the purposes of the Q&A is to create a space where people feel comfortable asking questions and where we can take the time to try to share as much information as possible about the proposals the Town Board has been and is considering. There are parts of land use code that are intuitive but others that are specific. I anticipate that we will answer a lot of questions just by explaining how the code itself is structured, and what all the various terms mean."

Coleman added, "This situation is unique in that the Town Board has implemented a moratorium on some forms of development so that we can review large sections of code at once. Part of why we opted for this route is that the code is complex, and changes to one section often have impacts on other sections."

There are four sections in particular, listed as Local Law (LL) E, F, G and H, that farmers may be particularly interested in getting a detailed explanation of.

Local law E, Setback Regulations, has requirements for keeping industrial waste,

manure piles, animal pens, etc., from being too close to waterways and wetlands.

"I think we can all agree that clean water is essential for a sustainable agricultural operation," said Enouen. "The questions that we face are how to protect our water in such a way that doesn't hamper current operations."

LL F is entitled Agricultural Use. There are paragraphs about which areas are zoned for "animal agricultural use" as a use "permitted by right." There are regulations for farm stands. Coleman explained, "What this section is saying is that even if you are outside of the 'Ag District,' if you are in one of the listed zones, animal agriculture is permitted."

LL-G, Animal Husbandry, contains restrictions about having various kinds of animals, including how much land is needed to properly raise and keep them.

"For certain districts, you may be required to go through site plan review, before you can, say, open a chicken farm in a residential neighborhood," Coleman noted.

LL-H, Wetlands and Stream Buffer Requirements, is a new section of code that establishes local standards for all types of land use around waterways and wetlands.

Farmers use local rivers for irrigation among other things. Coleman: "There are no requirements to change what is already in place. If, however, there was a new use, or a change that required going to the Building Department or Planning Board, that change would require following the new code. One example might be adhering to the required buffer away from the stream for building a new structure. … the wetlands section also gets at the core of some of the major considerations surrounding zoning. Specifically, what should we do as a town to protect resources that are shared not only by residents of TOR, but also neighboring towns and counties."

Enouen said, "This is ultimately why Councilman Coleman and myself are hosting this event, and can host future events. We need to hear from people about how these proposals might affect them, for better or worse."

Coleman said, "People have contacted me, and yes, I have been following and responding to some of the comments on Nextdoor. I think people have legitimate concerns about possible impacts of proposed changes to sections like Animal Husbandry, and the town board absolutely wants to hear those concerns. That said, some of the comments on Nextdoor are based on a misreading of the proposed

See Zoning, page 3

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Page 4, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press

Briefs

Light pollution is major issue for some residents in Rochester Ann Belmont BSP Reporter

Santa will tour the Fire District on Saturday, Dec. 17, beginning at 10 a.m., so keep an eye open and listen for the music. Then Sunday, he will be at the Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Company Pancake Breakfast. Santa said he will be there to eat, talk to everyone, and have his picture taken with a friend or two.

KripplebushLyonsville Fire Company Pancake Breakfast with Santa Enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, hot coffee and cold orange juice, 8 a.m.-noon Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Company, 519 Pine Bush Road, at County Route 2, a mile off Route 209 between Accord and Stone Ridge.

Admission is by donation of $9. Call 845-687-9801 for more information.

Zoning from page 3 changes. We can review those during the meeting."

Enouen said, "One big question I hope we can address is that the proposals for the Agricultural Use and Animal Husbandry sections that have been posted as drafts since July are just that – drafts. As a farmer primarily and legislator secondarily, I really want to see us get this right. One question I have seen is, why is the Town Board messing with agriculture? For me the answer lies in the future. I'd really like to see us make decisions now that will protect our agricultural resources for future generations. We need an open dialogue with the community in order to make that work."

Coleman said, "One hope I have is that people come not only with questions but also with ideas. How do we help new farmers get access to land suitable for their operation? What opportunities are there to preserve existing farmlands and ensure that they are available for agriculture in the future? How do we balance that with the need for housing in the county? ... We both feel strongly that people can better contribute to the process of creating and revising code if they are well informed. ...

Our regular board meetings don’t give us enough time to answer everyone’s questions. These forums are an opportunity for residents to sit down and be part of a conversation, but even if they can’t make it, I know that all the board members want to hear from people, whether over the phone or via email. I hope that people continue to stay engaged and that they come to us with their own ideas about what a future Rochester should look like."

The Farmer Forum is being held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Harold Lipton Community Center, 15 Tobacco Road, Accord.

Everyone on the Town Board was present for the monthly meeting on Dec.1, Charlotte Smiseth, Adam Paddock, Michael Coleman, Erin Enouen, and town supervisor Mike Baden.

Following the public hearing on the 2023 budget, “We made more cuts to the General Fund and the Highway Fund," Baden reported. After the smoke cleared, a $220,000 house (the average worth of a Rochester property) "will pay $150 a year more in taxes in 2023 than in 2022," due to the new ambulance district tax and an increase in the general fund and highway fund budget. "I think that’s not too bad compared to the jump we all saw in school taxes this year." The final budget is up on the town website for anyone interested in seeing a breakdown of where the money is going.

When the floor opened for public comment, former board member Bea Haugen-DePuy spoke at length about the outdoor lighting put up by her neighbor at 30 Cherrytown Road (formerly Pine Grove Resort then Pine Ridge Resort). She cited a section of Rochester zoning law that defines standards for lighting aimed at preserving dark skies and shielding neighbors from light pollution. Haugen-DePuy claimed that the outdoor lights are so bright at 30 Cherrytown, she could play baseball at night, although her house is an acre away. “They’re breaking the law.

Period. The end.”

Baden explained that, though he was in sympathy with her complaint, the law she referred to pertains only to new Planning Board applications. “You know where I live ... I see it from my bedroom. The problem is that they’re NOT breaking the law. They didn’t have to apply for any permits to put those lights in … they didn’t have to come in front of the Planning Board ... I reached out to the rabbi [the director of the facility at 30 Cherrytown] and they turned off the lights on the side of the buildings, and it was somewhat better … but last night when I went home they were back on again.”

However, Baden said, “The board is looking at creating a stand-alone outdoor lighting code that would be for the entire town. It would not be a part of the zoning code," meaning that everyone in the township would have to abide by a standard for outdoor lighting, not just commercial establishments, and not just new applicants to the Planning Board.

Written into the law would be a grace period giving people time to update their lighting. The board is working on this and hopes to get it written before the end of December, according to Baden.

The town assessor's office has been busy assisting property owners with their tax exemption questions, Baden reported.

"In November the office sent out renewal applications to everyone who requires an annual renewal, such as senior citizens, disabled persons, agriculture, grandparents, clergy and forest exemptions … those exemptions are due on March 1.”

He said the assessor was in his Rochester office to answer questions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The county after-hours emergency fuel oil program for this winter has selected new companies to respond to the after-hours needs of residents. A Kingston company has the contract for Rochester.

"If the company does not respond, the sheriff’s office then calls the supervisor,” said Baden. Town employees, including Baden, will come out and bring fuel to residents if the sheriff’s office calls them.

“In my five years, I’ve done it six or eight

times.”

Nicole Knapp, the Planning Board secretary, has resigned, and the town is looking for someone to replace her. The job is 35 hours a week, with some night meetings.

Enouen reported on the Environmental Conservation Commission's proposal to put in a garden of pollinator-attracting flowers and shrubs in front of the town hall, replacing the boxwood hedge that occupies the space now. At the last ECC meeting, “we had a really wonderful discussion about the importance of native plants in communities and lawns,” she said. Baden asked if some of the plantings in Veterans Park could also receive this treatment.

Enouen also mentioned the Q&A session she and Coleman will be hosting for farmers on Dec. 18 to explain some proposed zoning law revisions (see related article in this issue), noting that there are probably over 50 individual agricultural operations in Rochester. “That really gives me the chills. We think of ourselves as a small town, but we are an ag community.”

Coleman said, “There is always spirited discussion on Nextdoor [a neighborhood network app] … I want people to understand that these [zoning laws] are proposals submitted to the Town Board that we are seeking public comment on. Nothing is set in stone … we have information sessions, we have public hearings … but to have those comments go into the public record, they have to be submitted to the town clerk at this point. You can post it on

Nextdoor, but it’s not going to go on the record.”

Other items of interest for Rochester: The board voted to extend the moratorium on most subdivisions larger than two lots till March 4, 2023. It had been scheduled to end on Dec. 4 of this year.

Harana Market applied to the Planning Board to create a new market with "casual fast food" at 5125 Route 209 (formerly the site of 30 Minutes of Everything). The applicant currently owns a similar establishment in Woodstock, offering Asian groceries and Filipino food.

Baden announced, “The YMCA is doing a bicycle mechanics training program from Jan. 9 to Feb. 7, Monday evenings from 6-9 p.m. at the YMCA in Kingston.”

Lawyer MaryLou Christiana, who has been the counsel for the Planning Board for a number of years, is stepping down from that post. A new lawyer will be retained; meanwhile, Christiana will continue to advise the Town Board.

The Open Space Institute will be sponsoring maintenance and rehabilitation of the O&W Rail Trail, from Accord Town Hall to Kerhonkson, beginning next spring.

Paddock heaped praise on Recreation Department head Ashley Sweeney and her staff. Rebooting after the pandemic, they have gotten very busy with events and activities, generating a lot of interest from the community, he said. "Thanksgiving was a great event." Baden added, “They served a record number of people … I got there a little after noon and they were running out of gravy already."

BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 5

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Briefs

Town passes six resolutions to kick off December Brooke Stelzer BSP Reporter

SUNY Ulster students conducting fieldwork at Tivoli Bay Marsh on the east side of the Hudson River

SUNY Ulster receives $349,838 National Science Foundation Grant SUNY Ulster has been awarded a threeyear $349,838 National Science Foundation Grant to support applied learning in its Environmental Studies Program. The goal of the project is to improve student retention and career readiness in environmental STEM students to fill a growing industry need for qualified workers in the Hudson Valley.

SUNY Ulster offers one of the most affordable environmental studies degrees in the region, serving many nontraditional students who may be working, and have limited funds for college, or first-generation students as well as traditional graduating high school students.

This grant will offer these students the opportunity to conduct field research during class time, giving them the skills to work for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and in other environmental careers.

SUNY Ulster is augmenting its General BIO II lab with in-class and in-the-field research activities that mirror industry settings and standards. To accomplish this, faculty will work with industry partners, including the New York City DEP and the Ulster County Executive’s Office.

This collaboration will result in students learning technical skills such as GIS, water quality and safety as well as soft skills such as problem-solving, effective communication and collaboration.

Environmental Studies Program coordinator and professor, Dr. Jennifer Guiher, states, “We are looking for students who see a career in environmental studies as a calling. As these students progress through the program, they will be gaining specific hands-on skills needed by the environmental industry. These skills will make these students desirable to many potential employers. Whether students further their education at a four-year college or university or decide to move directly into a job upon attaining their associate’s degree, they will be in a position to earn a livable wage.”

National, state, and local employment projections indicate a growing demand for skilled workers for those with associate degrees and higher. In a recent article for science.org, practicing scientist and author Adam Ruben, Ph.D., says, “We often looked for fresh-out-of-college candidates who had worked in a lab for at least a year, and finding them wasn’t easy.

To help support interested students with financial needs, the Ulster Community College Foundation will award $1 million in scholarships this year. Students fill out one application to be considered for over one hundred scholarships.

The Marbletown Town Board meeting was held on Tuesday, Dec. 6, in person at the Rondout Municipal Center on Lucas Turnpike, Cottekill, and streamed on Facebook Live. Board members present included Rich Parete, chairman and town supervisor, along with Tim Hunt, Daisy Foote, Don LaFera and Ken Davenport.

Resolution 123 sets a public hearing for a contract with the Stone Ridge Fire District for portions of Marbletown Fire Protection District #1. Supervisor Parete noted the district covers about 459 parcels.

The public hearing is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Resolution 124 sets the public hearing for a contract with the Kripplebush Fire District for portions of Marbletown Fire Protection District #1 (formerly the Vly-Atwood Fire District). The district would

cover approximately 159 parcels in the Vly. The public hearing is set also for Dec 20, at 6:05 p.m.

Resolution 125 sets a public hearing regarding a contract with the Stone Ridge Fire District for the newly-established North Marbletown Fire Protection District #2. The public hearing will be Dec. 20 at 6:10 p.m.

Resolution 126 is to adopt an updated uniform code and energy code. Chapter 99 is the section of the town code that directs the way that the building inspector enforces building codes and violations.

The public hearing for this resolution, as with the previous ones, is set for Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 6:10 p.m.

Resolution 127 hires Hudson Valley Appraisal Corporation to have the Marbletown Fire House appraised. The company has provided a quote of $3,500 for the estimate work. The Resolution passed, 4-1, with councilman LaFera voting against.

Resolution 128 would replace the boiler at the Community Center. After discussion, the board decided to table this resolution, allowing time to solicit estimates for split units that run on electric, with the aim to stay away from fossil fuels. Parete said he believes the town will have quotes to be able to vote on at the Tuesday, Dec 20, meeting.

Resolution 129 is the town’s contract with the Marbletown First Aid Unit (MFAU) for general and emergency ambulance services, basic life support and advanced life support.

Parete announced a contract with Spectrum to install high speed internet on three area roads, connecting about 20 homes total. The roads are Cantine Road, County Road 6 and Bowden Road. The project will be partially subsidized by the state to lower the cost to the town. Parete said he is hoping the project will be completed next month.

Bank from page 1 present to answer any questions. “So right now we are in a very preliminary stage,” Carney said. “It is the same site next to My Town plaza that had been approved for five different retail/restaurant buildings, and we adopted it to one single building plan for the bank. We are using the same entrance and parking that has been approved by DOT, the footprint of the parking lot is very similar. We did increase the set-back in one location from the rear yard … also incorporating the shared access to the plaza next door. The big difference is the increases capacity of the drive-through. Once they get to the lane the exit is directly onto the highway without having to go back through the [plaza] parking lot. Another difference with this is it has a bay for larger vehicles such as box trucks. It has four drive-through bays proposed. The building plan here is just a place-holder, so it may extend to a second floor.”

The current building the bank occupies at 3857 Main St., Stone Ridge, is owned by the plaza, and there has been speculation that Dunkin’ Donuts could maybe move its location to there.

James Cotter said, “I’m the CFO at the bank. We have outgrown the bank. This will greatly enhance our presence in the town. We are a certified green company with Ulster County, and our intention is to make this is as green as possible. It is just that we have gotten too big for the facility we are in now.”

A board member asked why 71 parking spaces, noting that it seems like a lot.

“Two reasons,” Carney said. “It benefits the bank as they want to incorporate a conference space in there … we would like to offer that to the community to rent. It is also available for people at the plaza to use. The architect has talked about solar and other things, and a section of the parking may be built with a permeable surface.”

Cotter said, “One thing you should

James Cotter, EVP/CFO Ulster Savings Bank, presents an application for a new building on a vacant lot near the existing Stone Ridge bank location.

Photo by Amber Kelly

know that at all the branch locations that we own, we are putting in electric charging stations and plan to build solar, so that will be built into the plan so people can charge their electric vehicles. We will have a location with a separate entrance so it doesn’t have to encroach on bank property. We want to make that available to the community after hours as well.”

The hope is to begin to build as soon as possible in the spring, so they will submit all studies that have already been done to speed things up.

The new application was accepted, and the board voted to circulate for lead agency as that takes 30 days.

Next, Klein presented a new application for Kaiser and Greenwald at 50 and 44 Mohonk Road, High Falls. The proposal is for a lot line adjustment of .03 acres from parcel A to parcel B. The area is nonconforming and the entrance to one building is actually over the property line. This adjustment will bring the two properties into compliance. The application was accepted and approved.

Next up was the M.C. Atwood proposal for the 4606 Atwood Drive, Stone Ridge,

subdivision of 11.7 acres into three properties with a shared drive. Some details still need to be worked out, but most everything is done. The public hearing was closed.

The proposal from Cherries special use modification was briefly discussed. Town code requires 26 feet for parking, which could be achieved by eliminating the proposed sidewalk along the parking area and eliminating the first three parking spots.

Cherries wants all the parking possible, even though they are three spaces over the requirement, so they need to go back to the drawing board. It was decided to break the application up into two separate applications, one for parking and one for the building project.

The 10-room hotel proposal at 4321 Route 209 moved forward, with the board accepting the insurance bond amount of $300,000. The public hearing was closed.

Next year the Planning Board meetings will be on the fourth Monday of each month, except for November and December, when it will be held on the third Monday because of the holidays.

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BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 7

Right on target: Informal shooting club gathers to give young veteran a boost Local friends that share a military background give a holiday gift to a veteran who can use it Anne Pyburn Craig BSP Reporter They’re not a formal organization with rules and requirements. They came together here at SafeShoot Shooting Sports Complex in Kingston by a combination of magnetism and synchronicity, as people invited friends who’d fit in. Most, but not all, are retired, several have military backgrounds, some worked in law enforcement or education or farming.

Nobody can remember exactly when they became the Tuesday shooters, which isn’t even exactly a formal name. “Tuesday is the day we happen to come here and shoot,” someone told me. Brought together by recreational shooting and the joy of each other’s company, they haven’t needed to do a whole lot of organizing – whoever can make it shows up on Tuesday morning and they do some shooting, get caught up on each other’s lives and bust each other’s chops.

This particular Tuesday, over a delectable spread from the Home Plate Deli, the group gets to enjoy their favorite custom, one that arose as organically as the group itself. “So, we started this idea of everyone putting in $2 every week, thinking we’d save it up and go have dinner or something,” says retired state trooper Wayne Olson of Tillson. “But as it went on, when we added it up, we realized we really didn’t need it and someone else might.”

This year, for the third time, the group has asked Ulster County Director of Veteran Services Mark Cozzupoli to find them a veteran who could make good use of the $1,000 they’ve raised, Tuesday by

‘Tuesday shooters’ and friends, left to right: Jim Molarie, Norman James, Joe Liuni, Jay Martin, Earla Van Kleeck, Tori Brill, Dave Dolan, Mark A. Cozzupoli, Keven Carrion, Don Van Kleeck, Dave Claton, Wayne Olson, Jim Boice, Rick Wolff, Pat Lacasio and Aaron Pomerantz. On right, Kevin Carrion shares a grateful moment with Wayne Olson. Photos by Anne Craig

Tuesday, $2 at a time.

Cozzupoli, a retired Air Force command chief, has been running Veteran Services since 2019 and says he delights in fulfilling this annual request. It’s never hard to find someone, he says; there are about 11,000 veterans in Ulster County. “A significant number of them have issues,” he says. “My job is to help them with absolutely anything they need – food, housing, VA claims and benefits, and whatever else. We’re there for them with resources, both in times of crisis and in day-to-day routine, and we’ll bury any veteran or veteran’s spouse for free.

There are a lot of resources out there that veterans aren’t even aware of, because a lot of them resist asking for help. We need to get the word out that, no matter what a veteran is going through, we have the resources to get them to a good place.”

SafeShoot, Cozzupoli says, goes above and beyond for local veterans, hosting Vet2Vet events and other marksmanship-related gatherings. The range was founded by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Adam Soyer, who’d originally proposed open-

ing a facility near the YWCA in Midtown Kingston. When that location didn’t work out, Soyer found a larger and less problematic site in the Town of Ulster and opened the facility in fall of 2019, offering memberships, firearms training and equipment. Members can rent various types of firearms for use in the three state-of-the-art indoor ranges, and there’s a 5,000-square-foot event space.

Today, the Tuesday crew have taken over the upstairs and are mingling happily with each other and with Kevin Carrion, the recipient of this year’s donation, an Air National Guardsman and airplane tech, overworked, underpaid.

Here to greet him and wish him well are Dave Dolan of Tillson, who served at the border between East and West Germany during the Cold War, Don Van Kleeck, who served in the Army in Korea, and his wife Earla, a retired high school teacher. (“She had it tougher than me,” he says.) There’s Jay Martin, a retired Rondout Valley High School English teacher who captains a charter boat on the Hudson when the stripers are run-

ning, Kerhonkson businessman Aaron Pomerantz, and retired SUNY professor Joe Trippi. Farmer Jim Boice, of the milk family, says he counts lots of vets among his best friends.

“I’m so grateful that we get to come here and shoot, just really glad that we have this range,” says Olson. “The good times and camaraderie are the best part.”

After coffee, Danish and bagels have been enjoyed and everyone has had a chance to say hello and laugh together, the group gathers for a brief, casual presentation ceremony followed by lots of hugs. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” says Carrion. “What I’m going through has taken all I’ve got; this will help my 2-year-old son.”

“We know there are other needy vets in the community, we just don’t know where they are,” says Cozzupoli. “If you come across any, send them to my office, please.”

Cozzupoli can be reached at the Ulster County Veteran Services Agency, 845340-3190.

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Page 8, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press

Briefs In-person Holistic Healthcare Day at Marbletown Community Center and virtual week Holistic Health Community of Stone Ridge will offer its ongoing in-person Holistic Healthcare Day from 4-8 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the Marbletown Community Center, 3564 Main St., Stone Ridge, and a Virtual Community Holistic Healthcare Week, Monday-Friday, Dec. 24-28, via Zoom and telephone sessions.

Practitioners for the in-person Holistic Healthcare Day include Ami Jayaprada Hirschstein, Marma Therapy; Brennan Healing Science; Donna Cohen, spiritual counseling; Greg Madden, Biophoton Therapy; Judy Swallow, Rubenfeld Synergy®; Katy Bray, Resonance; Lauren Schaub Molino, Brennan Healing Science; Maureen Smith, hypnotherapy; and Suzanne Bottigliero, Reflexology.

For Virtual Holistic Healthcare Week, practitioners include Cornelia Wathen, Emotion Code; Donna Cohen, spiritual counseling; George Jacobs, PsychSpiritual counseling; Karin Reynolds, life coaching; Kris Journey, astrology consultations; Lightfield session; Nancy Plumer, One Light Healing Touch; Padmini Tillu, nutrition; Rob Norris, reconnective healing; Sarah Carlson, health coaching; Sharon Lococo, consciousness shifting; Suzanne Bottigliero, chakra clearings; Vicki Kramer Nathan, resilience and wellness coaching; and Wendy Wolosoff-Hayes, Spacious Heart guidance.

Other free holistic opportunities include Barbara Bash circle practice, strengthening the heart; Barbara Bash, Katherine Betts and Andy Dillon, nonviolent communication; Bobbi Esmark, free qigong classes; Circle of Friends of the Dying, free Death Cafes; Jadina Lilien, free systemic constellations; Shivaram in Hawaii, free Yoga Nidra; Shulamit Elson, free MediSounds® Sounding; and Therese Bimka, daily community meditations.

Community Holistic Healthcare Day is held on the third Tuesday of each month.

All sessions, in-person and via Zoom or phone, must be booked online. Patients should make an appointment for one session only so the maximum number of people may benefit. To make an appointment, go to http://hhcny.simplybook.me. Once the appointment is made, all information will be sent to the practitioner, and then they will contact each patient.

The Holistic Health Community Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, charitable corporation.

Visit their website to donate and for more information about the Holistic Health Community, its practitioners, and the modalities offered at holistichealthcommunity.org or call 845-867-7008.

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Board of Education gets updates on IT, EI, and electric buses 'It is interesting, the price of buses, it is almost $400,000 per bus, that is as much as a home,' said Glen Brosky during the public comments Amber Kelly BSP Reporter The Rondout Valley School District Board of Education meeting on Dec. 13 took place in the district office. First on the agenda was a report from Tom Kennedy, a financial auditor.

Kennedy said the audit was filed on Nov. 15, so the district will not experience any delays in getting state aid. He provided two documents to the BOE. He explained that there is a high-level analysis of the year with a report to the government that includes all the assets, employee benefits and such, and then a fund-level financial report. The general fund is basically the operating funds of the district. This past year the district had budgeted for $66.7 million, and $65.2 was actually received. There was a favorable balance that led to revenue in excess of $4.9 million. The district had fund balances of $32 million that was restricted, and of that $5 million was assigned for debt service. The state requires that the school districts in New York state should come under 4%. Towns, villages, and counties all prefer to keep fund balance at 5%-15%. Schools are the only one required to do this. The district did that and the fund balance was approximately 3.5% Kennedy said that the auditors are required to issue a board report every year, and inform them of any significant or unusual expenditures, and there are none that they are aware of. He gave thanks to Alyssa Hasbrouck, school business official, for all her help.

During public comments, Glen Brosky of High Falls said, “I have come here about the power station for the [expected] electric buses. What is it going to be?

Is it connected to Central Hudson? Is it generated power by gasoline? How are we doing that?”

Superintendent of schools Dr. Joseph Morgan said, “It is a combination; we are working with Central Hudson on the tie-in to the grid, but we are also working with our architects and engineers to possibly do some self-generation either solar or some other source. The power storage is in batteries.”

“It is interesting, the price of buses, it is almost $400,000 per bus, that is as much as a home,” Brosky said. “That is pretty expensive for the taxpayers. I just want to make a point of that. My concern is in five years when you turn them over to First Student, do we get a refund?”

Morgan said, “There is a state law to move to electric buses … all buses purchased by 2027 … and by 2035 the entire

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On the right, the newly appointed RVSD facilities director, Gregory Kulp, is congratulated. Photo by Amber Kelly

Auditor Tom Kennedy addresses the BOE. Photo by Amber Kelly

fleet needs to be electric.”

Next, Chris Frenza, in charge of technology, said that an MFA or multi-factor authentication system has just been installed. The Smart School bond is part of an emergency communication system, and they are waiting for the new phones to be delivered. … The new Infinite Campus has been installed and the new school website is up. The STEM labs in elementary K-3 purchased furniture and robots, and the children are being trained in programming and coding and early digital fluency.

Frenza said, “We are working on disaster recovery in terms of backing up the hard drive. In terms of cyber security, emails are the weakest link. If an email is highlighted with red or pink it is coming from outside the system and should not be opened unless you are absolutely sure who it is from. We periodically test our staff and send out a fake ‘hacker’ email and we still have some clickers. If you hover over the link the address shows up.”

Board member Chris Schoonmaker said that the survey done last year revealed that 70% of students at the high school said they have experienced or witnessed bullying, and only 29% said they stood up to the bully. The BOE and school administration took that data and acted on it. Starting at the junior high school, there will be two 40-minute assemblies. The whole student body and students will be taught how to be empowered to stand up to bullying behavior, with various scenarios of situations introduced, going through specific cases, how to handle this situation or that situation.

The program will continue to roll out at

the other schools.

Dawn Van Kleeck, school board president, said, “So peer to peer is more impactful, is that the premise?”

Schoonmaker said, “We went through scenarios where there are situations where a child should not take it on themselves, and there are other situations where they can.”

Nicole Kappes-Levine, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said, “To be clear, we are training staff as well on how to be effective, because both are important. But we do know that a number of things that happen with children, happen out of the earshot of adults. So, yes, when students intervene it creates a culture where it is not accepted, it is not cool, and it’s not something that continues to get student’s attention.”

The EI (equity and inclusion) meetings generally take place once a month, at 5 p.m. prior to the scheduled BOE meeting.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend. The slides from the meeting are available on the website.

Kappes-Levine said that they are working to ensure access to all students to academics. It is not a divisive approach, rather it brings divisiveness to light.

Everyone benefits when a barrier is removed. For example, when the Disability Act happened, curb cuts were required and it benefited all – bikes, baby carriages and so on. This is not based on beliefs, it is based on data, it is not values-based.

Winter sports are underway and winter concerts are now happening.

Former RV alumnus Gregory Kulp was introduced as the new RVSD facilities director and was warmly welcomed.

BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 9

'Keep Ukraine Warm' clothing drive shows the warm spirit of giving in our community Michelle McAuliffe Vitner BSP Reporter Katherine Dobosh is from Rosendale and is a 24-year-old medical student. She started a winter fundraiser and clothing drive called “Keep Ukraine Warm” this December that is ongoing. The goal is to gather winter coats, clothes, hats, gloves, sleeping bags and medical supplies from area donation boxes to be sent to Ukraine. She is also gathering monetary donations to assist with rising shipping costs.

Dobosh happens to be an active volunteer and humanitarian, but the roots of her generosity can be seen as the common thread between neighbors within our local towns and schools. One sign of this is the three bags of newly hand-knit hats, sweaters, scarves, and baby blankets that were donated; with a personal touch, it’s clear they were made with care. This thread of care weaves through people’s lives in interesting ways.

Dobosh was excited to see that, along with area businesses and other public spaces, the Rondout Intermediate School became involved. Principal Lee Cutler is hosting donation boxes in the main office and has tasked some eager fifth-graders to post “Keep Ukraine Warm” fliers throughout the school (each has a QR code that when scanned connects people to the donation site). Students and families so far have contributed 20 bags full of coats, hats, sweaters, blankets, and gloves. Cutler shared that “the children understand what it means to feel cold, and they appreciate the chance to help kids like themselves stay warm in another country. They like helping.”

As far as giving, Rondout families have also taken part in other donation-focused events at the school recently: the Thanksgiving Food Drive and Project Elf, a holiday toy drive, have both served local people in need. They are run annually by the school’s student council, along

with organizers Angela Rion and Dana DeLaura (both fifth-grade teachers). In addition, a multi-school coat drive was organized recently by the PTSA for the community.

The success of these events shows that the kids are familiar with helping and participating, led by their parents’ and teachers’ examples, in both local and international causes. There are students like 9-year-old Walter Mykula, who is in Susan Gantz’s fourth-grade class and has something to say. “People need warm clothes in Ukraine because it's very cold, colder than here, and there are many power outages … and people are suffering,” Walter said. Dobosh and her parents, Vita and Vasil, are friends with the Mykula family of Stone Ridge, who also have two girls in the district- Ksenia and Sophia- along with Walter, the youngest.

As fellow Ukrainians and fundraisers, Kathy and Danylo Mykula also share their love for Ukrainian culture and its diaspora here in Ulster County.

It just so happens that Walter has the same fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Gantz, as Dobosh had when she was in grade school. Regarding her former student, Gantz says, “Katherine was a wonderful, caring fourth-grade student … It was a joy having her in my classroom.”

Like Dobosh did when she was young, Walter and his sisters take part in Ukrainian cultural experiences with the Ukrainian American Youth Association (UAYA) and they actively help their mom and dad in fundraising activities. Dobosh says she loves seeing the kids doing what she did at their age. She recently bought a painting that the children made to raise more money for Ukraine and says it “hangs proudly on my wall.”

Dobosh said, “Since the start of the war, the importance of community has been critical. My hope is that through continued engagement with my community here in the Hudson Valley, we can together continue to help our counter-

Barbara Cusher, Rondout Valley administrator, helps with clothing donations. On hr right, Katherine Dobosh, on the right, pictured with a Romanian volunteer, Alina Cernea, on the left at the Bucharest rail station.

parts in Ukraine. It takes a village." She shipped 14 boxes of supplies and clothes to Ukraine in the first week of December with the help of UAYA and the Mykulas, who shared the shipping costs. Organizers lean on monetary donations to make this happen and sometimes combine resources.

Kathy Mykula says that the UAYA organization raised funds this year to help Ukraine by selling hand-crafted items at outdoor events, through community-held auctions, raffles, and music events, as well as proceeds that some local businesses donated as a portion of sales.

She says, “To date, UAYA has sent over 200 boxes of medical and humanitarian supplies as well as over 30 boxes of specialized first-responder needs. Shipping is expensive, and we use the monetary donations we receive to help pay for the shipment of the boxes.”

The organization that Dobosh is affiliated with for fundraising is called the Ukrainian Medical Association of America (UMANA). Her dual-language skills, Ukrainian and English, along with public health studies, disability studies and medical training inform how she communicates the unique challenges facing Ukraine today with potential donors and at speaking events. Dobosh says, “Many hospitals have also begun turning away patients because of limited resources.

With the increasing numbers of internally displaced people, preventative health measures such as staying warm are criti-

cal at this point during the war.”

Dobosh wants to make sure that the crisis doesn’t fade from public awareness.

With the Rondout community and nearby towns sharing what they can -both for the local community as well as with those in Ukraine- this is less likely to happen.

More donation boxes can be found at the following locations: Accord Market, Accord; Elting Memorial Library, New Paltz; Lemon Tree hair salon, New Paltz; Starbucks, New Paltz; Inquiring Minds Bookstore, New Paltz; and Fox and Hound Wine & Spirits, New Paltz.

A generous donation of one large box of new hats and gloves came from A & M Hardware in Accord. Other locations throughout Stone Ridge, Accord, Rosendale, and New Paltz have allowed posters in their window to promote the fundraiser and clothing drive.

For information, or to make a clothing or monetary donation, contact: katherinedobosh@yahoo.com. Only new or lightly used clothing, please. Also, donations for Ukraine can be made to UAYA at: https:// gofund.me/1bd9b77f. Dobosh will hold an in-person presentation titled “The Untold Stories of Ukrainian Refugees,” about her summer volunteer experience helping Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest, Romania, to be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, at the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz. The event is free To register, contact: Jfrauenberger@eltinglibrary.org or call 845-255-5030.

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Memoriam Ann C. Green

KERHONKSON—Ann C. Green passed away peacefully at home on Dec. 11, 2022. Ann was born on Sept. 10, 1933, in the Bronx; she was the daughter of Philip G. and Margaret (Curran) McConnell. She was predeceased by her husband, Frank C. Green, and sons Michael J. Green and Leslie P. Green. She is survived by her sons Frank C. Green Jr. of Red Hook, John J. Green and his wife, Michelle, of Rocky Point, North Carolina, William C. Green and his wife, Debra, of Richlands, North Carolina, and Joseph P. Green Green of Kerhonkson and daughter-inlaw; Karen Green of Colorado Springs, Colorado (wife of Leslie). She is also survived by many beloved grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Visiting will be held 3-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at Humiston Funeral Home, 30 42nd St., Kerhonkson. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 6078 Route 209, Kerhonkson. Burial will immediately follow at Pine Bush Cemetery.

Roger T. Miller

STONE RIDGE—Roger T. Miller of Stone Ridge passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 3, 2022, at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston. Born in Poughkeepsie, Oct. 17, 1954, and raised in New Paltz, he was the son of the late Clarice (Merritt) Miller and Roger F. Miller. Roger was a hard worker, lifelong entrepreneur, and was a self-employed skilled carpenter by trade. He had also operated a farm where he grew many different types of plants and raised many different types of animals with his family. Roger was a Miller beloved handyman to many locals. He is survived by his children, James and Rebecca Miller; stepdaughter Jillayne Mannello (Susan Miller); his granddaughter, Chelsea (Christian Bruchholz); and sister, Margey Hedges, and brother, Christopher Miller. Roger is also survived by his loving companion, Yvette Lee, as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. A service to celebrate his life will be held at a later date.

The quintessential grandfather and Ukrainian patriot William Cymbal

Dec. 23, 1933 — Dec. 7, 2022 KERHONKSON—William “Bill,” “Wasyl” Cymbal, 88, of Kerhonkson – a family-oriented man who led a gracious and honorable life – passed away peacefully on Dec. 7, 2022. Bill was the youngest of five children, born on Dec. 23, 1933, in Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine, to Danylo and Evdokia Cymbal (née Busha). Little is known about his younger years as Wasyl would not often speak of them. As you can imagine, being born during the Holdomor and escaping the horrors of World War II had to be profoundly difficult. Bill, his brother Ivan and their parents immigrated to the United States in 1949 and settled in Brooklyn. Then in 1952, they purchased the “Cymbal’s” bungalow colony and farm in the Catskills “Borscht Belt” in Ulster Heights, Ellenville. The country and farm life suited Wasyl and he often recalled many happy memories from this period in his life.

Bill was married for 62 years to the love of his life, Lily. They were introduced through a mutual friend and they started a long-distance courtship. Shortly thereafter they married and raised their three sons, Victor, Peter and Andrew, to understand the importance of faith, family, responsibility and hard work.

Bill had an intuitive and mechanical know-how that allowed him to have a successful 43-year career at V.A.W. as a machinist. Even with his primary language being Ukrainian, he continued to prove himself to be a self-taught mechanical wiz who worked his way up to foreman and formulated custom products for Stanley, Black & Decker and other significant manufacturing companies.

Bill, “Dido,” was the quintessential grandfather. He would eagerly attend his grandchildren's soccer games, musical performances, award ceremonies and golf outings. He and Lily were their grandchildren’s daycare and they were so blessed to have their teachings as a part of their upbringing. The love that Bill had for his family kept his heart warm and content. Bill had many interests, which included a love of gardening, bowling leagues, golf leagues, mechanical tinkering, the New York Knicks and a love for anything soccer. His love for soccer started at a young age where he would sneak away from his

William “Bill,” “Wasyl” Cymbal

parents to play in the DP camps of Germany. As Bill got older, he learned how to play the stand-up bass, where his love for Ukrainian music grew deeper as his Mama and Tato would sing along. Bill’s Ukrainian patriotism carried on throughout his life, and anyone in Bill’s family could tell you his favorite colors without hesitation – blue and yellow.

Bill and his endearing sense of humor will be deeply missed. He is survived by his wife, Lily Cymbal, his three sons, Victor and his wife Olesia, Peter, and Andrew and his wife Daria; as well as his six grandchildren Melanie, Nicholas, Victoria, Andrew, William and Alexandra, a nephew Michael and his wife, Patricia, and their children, Christopher and Amanda. Bill was genuinely loved and will remain in their hearts, thoughts and prayers forever.

There will be a funeral mass for family and close friends at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Kerhonkson. Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to the Orphan's Aid Society, a nonprofit organization that provides vital assistance to orphans in Ukraine, which is needed now more than ever. Learn more about donating via their website, www.oasukraine.org or to Orphan’s Aid Society,136 Second Ave., Suite 504, New York, NY 10003.

Robin A. Bailey

KERHONKSON—Robin A. Bailey passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 5, 2022, at her home. She was 62. She was born in Poughkeepsie on Feb. 4, 1960, a daughter of the late John E. and Erna C. Robinson Moyer. A local resident for only a short time, Robin had previously resided in Brunswick, Georgia. Her husband, Edward Bailey, died May 31, 2022.

Robin had previously been employed at New Paltz Center for Rehabilitation as a Registered Nurse. She had been a passionate football fan of the Tampa Bailey Bay Buccaneers for many years. Locally she was the mascot for Rondout Valley Youth Football where her grandson played. She especially enjoyed spending time with her family and grandchildren. Robin is survived by her son, Brian Bailey, and his wife, Kristy, of Kerhonkson; a daughter, Nicole Bailey, of California; a grandson, Shane Bailey, and a granddaughter, McKenna Bailey. Cremation will be held privately. A service to celebrate her life will be held at a later date.

Timothy (Tim) Dousharm

STONE RIDGE—Timothy (Tim) Dousharm, 71, a former Stone Ridge resident, passed peacefully with his family by his side Dec. 11, 2022, in a hospice facility in Statesboro, Georgia. Tim was born on April 15, 1951, in Utica. He was the son of the late Joseph and Fannie (Kranz) Dousharm. Tim and his family moved to Rosendale when he was 15. Tim graduated Rondout Valley High School in 1971. He then worked as a produce manager for many independently owned grocery stores, the last being Doushaem the Bonneville Market. He loved his job and he loved his co-workers. Tim retired in 2018 and moved to Metter, Georgia. Tim is survived by his wife, Laura Fowler, and his daughters, Joyce Cain (Abe) and Sara Troeger (Eddie Jasinski), both of Stone Ridge. Tim is also survived by many sisters,

brothers, nieces and nephews that he loved dearly. Tim had four grandchildren whom he loved so much, granddaughter Calista Cain and grandsons Isaac and Abram Cain and Camden Troeger. Cremation took place in Georgia. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

Betty ‘Skippy’ Christiana

ROSENDALE—Betty “Skippy” Christiana, 89, of Main Street, passed away peacefully on Dec. 2, 2022, at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston. Skippy was born in Kingston on July 31, 1933, to the North Clan, a daughter of Roscoe and Florence Embree North. In addition to her parents she was predeceased by her sisters and brothers who she missed every day. They include Dorothy, Thelma, Katie, Marthabelle, Sonny, Bubby, Butchy, Howard, Donald and Dougie North. She was a big part in all their families’ lives and missed them tremendously.

Skippy was a free spirit who worked where and when she wanted to. Her main job was always being there for all her loving nieces and nephews. “She is weaved into all of our lives and will never be forgotten. Look to the heavens when you think of ‘Skippy’... They are all together again, but be sure to look North!”

As per her wishes, she will be buried privately at Fairview Cemetery in Stone Ridge. George J. Moylan Funeral Home Inc., Rosendale, is assisting her family with arrangements. (www.GJMoylanFuneralHome.com)

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Robert P. Showers Jr.

COTTEKILL—Robert P. Showers Jr. of Cottekill died Dec. 9, 2022, at Golden Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Kingston. He was born Jan. 28, 1934, in Haines Falls, a son of the late Robert P. Sr. and Marguerite Bunnham Showers. Robert had been employed as a fabricator for Colonial Roofing in Kingston for more than 40 years until his retirement. He was an avid football fan and was a passionate NY Giants fan. Robert also enjoyed the outdoors and building model airplanes. He was a U.S. Army veteran where he served as a helicopter and aircraft mechanic. Robert is survived by his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth Hummel Showers; a son, Robert P. Showers III and his wife, Patricia, of Cottekill; a granddaughter, Megan Showers of Hurley; and a grandson, John Showers (Kelsey) of Cottekill. He is also survived by a great-granddaughter, Hailey Showers; a sister-in-law, Rose Marie Diamond of Cottekill; and a nephew, Matthew Diamond.

Graveside funeral services were held Dec. 12 at Rosendale Plains Cemetery. The Rev. Arlene Dawber officiated.

Interment with Military Honors bestowed by American Legion Post 1219 and the U.S. Army. Memorial donations are requested to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org. George J. Moylan Funeral Home Inc., Rosendale, assisted the family with arrangements. (www.

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December 16, 2022

Local money, local ideas

Page 11

BjornQorn is popping Expanded facilities and roller skating rink combo coming to Skate Time 209 Chelsea Miller BSP Reporter A quirky and utterly addictive popcorn craze is afoot both locally and nationwide. Hatched right here in the Rondout Valley, BjornQorn has become a sensation, picking up accolades from avid popcorn enthusiasts and the likes of Epicurious, Bon Appetit and Zagat. With the recent purchase of Skate Time 209, things are about to get zany with a popcorn factory and roller skating rink wonderland in the not too distant future.

The popcorn empire BjornQorn was officially born in 2013, however, the origin story for the product stretches back to the early 2000s. BjornQorn owners Stephanie Bauman, Jamie O’Shea and Bjorn Quenemoen were undergraduates at Bard College who hailed from various areas of the country. Bauman, who is responsible for sales and the public-facing side of BjornQorn, was born in New Paltz, daughter to a Methodist minister. Her family relocated when her father was reappointed to a church in Manhattan, returning to the area every August when her father was the minister on duty at Mohonk Mountain House. “Every August, I had a very Eloise experience,” says Bauman.

O’Shea, the inventor and internally referenced “mad scientist” behind the popping technology, hails from Norwich, where his father was a dairy veterinarian. Quenemoen, the mastermind of the flavors of BjornQorn we’ve come to know and love, grew up in Clark, Minnesota, close to the border of South Dakota, where his father was a grain farmer. While at Bard, it was popcorn that brought the three together. Quenemoen, who was a music major, lived on a house on campus simply called “the house,” and every Thursday he would open his doors for now fabled popcorn parties. It was there that the concept of BjornQorn (and a relationship between Bauman and Quenemoen, which resulted in marriage and two kids) was born.

After graduation the trio headed in different career directions – Bauman into the music publishing industry, O’Shea in the arts field (and tinkering, always tinkering), and Quenemoen working in sound (first at Pratt and then at the MoMA for nearly seven years). Bauman is quick to point out that O’Shea has always been an inventor. “Jamie has always just known how to do things and when he doesn’t know how to do something he just figures it out.” O’Shea was deepening into the intersection of art and science and so, when a call came in 2012 about a new invention that O’Shea was working on, Quenemoen was not surprised.

“He was working on these solar dishes,” explains Quenemoen. “He had purchased one and was using it to collect the data. He had this idea to make a huge version of it with little money.” O’Shea developed a technique to create a giant hemisphere in the ground – creating perfect geometry without needed large machinery. The result was a hemisphere with an enormous amount of solar power, but now O’Shea needed a product to test in it. The pair met up for a game of catch in Central Park and over the course of that casual get-together and many more conversations, BjornQorn began to take shape.

Quenemoen had been slowly considering turning popcorn into a business, going so far as to hire a graphic designer to design the logo. The next step was building the hemisphere. In terms of location, while all three owners were living in Brooklyn at the time, they had maintained strong roots in this area. Possibly most importantly, Bauman’s parents had settled here, providing a launching pad for the fledgling business. “My parents live in High Falls,” explains Bauman, “and I think Bjorn and Jamie thought if we could find a place near my family, we could use their house to live in while were doing it.” Their quest for a location led them to Kelder’s Farm.

“Chris Kelder of Kelder’s Farm is amazing and very open to whacky, whimsical stuff,” says Bauman. “Bjorn and Jamie asked him if they could dig a giant hole on his property and start a popcorn company, and it was cool, he was really down for the ride. It all started on Kelder’s Farm, and it was just this giant dug hole, that we dug together, powered by solar energy, and a small concession stand on site.”

While O’Shea was the primary driving force behind the technology, Quenemoen was decidedly in charge of flavor. Initially, Quenemoen says that popcorn he experienced in his childhood was the driving inspiration.

Masterminds and founders of BjornQorn, Bjorn Quenemoen, Stephanie Bauman and Jamie O'Shea

Growing up, Quenemoen says that his family was committed popcorn, prepared in a Dutch oven and seasoned generously with salt and butter. It was through a friend’s family, however, that Quenemoen got a peek into the dark side of the popcorn moon.

“My best friend growing up, and still my best friend, came from a family of very accomplished stoneware potters, and they had a higher expectation about how things were going to be,” Quenemoen says. “They didn’t have a lot of money but they were sincere craft people.

My parents were very frugal with food, they made a lot of food that would last for days. But over at my best friend’s house, they made very different food, like nice light salads or natural peanut butter, in just the right amount. They would make popcorn for movie nights, seasoned with butter and nutritional yeast, and serve it in these enormous bowls that they made.” In retrospect, Quenemoen says that the balance was off – too little oil and too much nutritional yeast – however after an initial aversion to nutritional yeast, he found that the mixture of popcorn was completely addictive. In fact, it was so addictive that for the entirety of Quenemoen’s time at Bard College he’d load up on nutritional yeast every time he was home to shuttle back to campus. Over the years, Quenemoen has perfected the recipe. “By the time we started our business I had this very much ‘home recipe’ thing down, but I remember we were out in our concession trailer at Kelder’s and thinking I knew I had to figure it out precisely. Ultimately it became what it is today in a way that it wasn’t before, it was even better. By the time we created the recipe, it was something else that I wasn’t planning on. It took making food on a larger scale to get the accuracy, to dial in the way that we did. Pulling out grams of salt, adding grams of salt, recipes refine themselves naturally as you react to them over the years.”

Bauman says that the success of the product was almost instantaneous. “Everywhere we went, people were asking where they could buy it,” she says. “When we started we were in 20 stores scattered around Brooklyn, mom-and-pop stores, and now it’s over 500 nationwide.”

The operation quickly outgrew Kelder’s, and in 2017, spurred by a small fire (quickly extinguished) on the popping hemisphere, the company moved across the street from the farm into a barn and pivoted away from the hemisphere cooking model into a completely solar-run kitchen. (Don’t worry – O’Shea is still inventing and the company is currently testing a solar-run oven.)

The popcorn, which is popped to the tune of 500 pounds a day, is GMO free, and a large percentage of the corn is grown by Quenemoen’s father, supplemented by Kelder’s Farm and the Hudson Valley Farm Hub. New flavors have been developed including the cult favorite Cloudy, which mimics the smaller, whiter popcorn that would result from when a cloud passed over the sun changing the length of time it takes a kernel to pop, and Spicy, which is seasoned similarly to the original flavor but with the addition of a special blend of jalapeño peppers. There are two new kids on the block, inspired and driven by the community: Maple, which showcases maple sugar made by neighboring business Tree Juice Maple Syrup, and Earth, a truffle-flavored collaboration with Urbani Tartufi.

As the business has grown, so have the space require-

ments. “Our facility on Queens Highway was been a great space for us, but we were at the point that every time we turn around, we’re hitting a wall of popcorn.”

In early November, BjornQorn closed on purchasing Skate Time 209 – a building that holds many fond memories for community members and has seemingly mostly stood still for the last few years. “We had been to birthday parties and gone to hang out, and it’s a really special place,” says Bauman, “and we never would have necessarily envisioned owning it. It used to have an indoor skate park and the previous owner ripped it out because of insurance reasons, and what that did – and I know it upset a lot of skateboarders – it allowed us to re-envision the space.” The company had previously been looking for land to build on, but in this new light, suddenly Skate Time 209 perfectly fit the bill. “We’re at a point in our business that we really need to expand and we need a larger production facility, but we also don’t want to be in a boring factory building, that doesn’t feel right. So somehow the idea of moving into that 8,000 [square foot] warehouse space and operating the rink at the same time made all the sense in the world,” says Bauman. Quenemoen adds, “It was one of those things where you ask your future self, should I do this thing? And that’s how it felt. Do we want to run a roller skating rink and popcorn factory? Yes. I feel like future self would want that.”

The space, which is currently being used for warehouse and shipping, is going to take some time to transition to popcorn factory, with the team estimating roughly 12-18 months. The rink is also still in development. “We would love to open the skate rink this winter, but there a lot of things we need accomplish in terms of staffing and insurance, and we don’t want to say anything out of turn,” says Bauman. “I am all about community and building and fostering community, and we are committed to digging our heels deeper into the community we are in. We want to bring the rink back, but it’s going to take a minute to get it all up and running. Bjorn and I have always felt like this is home. As we’ve met the other families that are here, and the teachers at Marbletown – who are consistently blowing my mind at how incredible they are ­and the experienced the incredible support everyone has thrown our way, that feeling has only deepened. And we think that a roller-skating rink and a popcorn factory individually bring joy into the world, and together it’s an unstoppable force.”

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Athletics, recreation & fitness

December 16, 2022

Rondout wrestling takes to the mat Rondout has three female wrestlers this year, as New York state is looking to add a female division in the next few years

this season … great group of guys and girls.

The thing I like about this team is how hard everyone works during conditioning.

We give 100%, and that’s what it takes to win. I’m looking to go out there and win some matches for Rondout.”

Rondout has three female wrestlers this year, as New York state is looking to add a female division in the next few years. The girls have a choice to compete against mixed competition or girls only. If they choose girls only they can’t practice with the boys.

“We don’t have enough girls. We don’t have enough space or coaches to spin the girls off on their own. Plus having a smaller team, we may need one of them in the varsity lineup at some point.

They can compete at any time though.

If another wrestler is at their weight they will wrestle them, and I will enter them

in tournaments with the boys. We still take them to girls’ events and the girls’ section tournament. But they will not be a girls-only team; if interest rises in the future we would change direction on that,” said Parete.

Alexa Walsh, Hayden Denick and Isabelle May are all looking to follow Destiny Walsh, Alexa’s sister, and become the next female section champ this session (Walsh was the champion last season).

“Girls wrestling is a tough sport and is very competitive amongst the girls. I am hoping to get more girls interested at Rondout. I love the family atmosphere of this team,” said Alexa Walsh.

In addition to Jackson and Nick and the girls previously mentioned, the team consists of Jordan Beechel, Lazlo Beeke, Finn Bowers. Jonathan Chamberlain, Preston Demorest, Corwin Derosa, Zach Hull,

Hutch Hutchins, Mica King. Colby Merck, Aiden Nolan, Joseph Perez, Juan Armando Santos-Hoppe, Liam Walsh, Jared Secor and Donald Giamei. The team suffered a tough loss when freshman Ryan Clark suffered a broken arm in practice. He had surgery last week and is hoping to come back better than ever.

As to the upcoming season, Parete said, “We will be giving up some forfeits in dual matches because we don’t have any heavyweights and are missing a couple of lightweights, which makes it hard to win, None of the coaches work at the school, which makes it hard to recruit kids. Coach Max Stratton does a great job training the kids on a daily basis and we work well together. This season Mr. Skalla, who coached wrestling at Rondout for many years and retired from the district, has been going into the middle school gym classes and is trying to recruit kids to increase the numbers.”

Doug Morse and Jeff Radliff are coaching the modified team, and Rich Parete is still in charge of the youth program.

“Wrestling is a tough sport. There is no place to hide when you’re out there on the mat. These kids win and lose with everyone watching just them. We have a ton of admiration for any kid that has the courage to go out and put their ego and pride on the line. Rondout seems to lose a lot of kids as they get older who just won’t do it. Realistically, we would like to win half of our dual meets and place in the top half in the section. I believe that is a goal we can reach. The young kids will have to learn fast. It takes work to be successful, and I believe they are up to the challenge,” concluded Parete.

Rondout’s next home match is at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 21, against Red Hook.

Come on out and cheer them on.

Go, Ganders!

State Development grant – and we need letters of support from local people.

We’ve obtained them from county and state and other levels, but of course, we need them from our local town support as well. So I’m going to go through what it is we are proposing here. The library board, long before I had come on the scene, had recognized that the [current] building is too small.” The grant could cover up to 20% of the cost of purchase, Scott-Childress said.

The building they would like to acquire is the historic Belltower at 398 Main St. in the center of Rosendale. Built in 1896 as a Dutch Reformed church, it is currently vacant and for sale on the market and would be purchased as the new location after renovations would take place, at an estimated $1.5 million cost. The process would entail selling the current library building, the former All Saints Chapel, built in 1876, a historic Gothic revival Episcopal church. Many people expressed their memories using the library there and feel that it holds a unique place in the town.

Scott-Childress showed images of the interior of the Belltower and explained how each area would be fully utilized for various needs that are currently challenged at the library. There was dialogue

between the board and the library director about the use of libraries and what they ideally provide to the community.

There were many questions and concerns from the board. Specifically, councilmember Havranek, supervisor Walsh and deputy supervisor Hassett expressed fiscal concerns and possible tax increases per resident, should the numbers not “add up” due to unforeseen problems.

They asked whether there weren’t other ways to address the issue of limited space for the library by using some Rondout Municipal Center building space for programming.

Scott-Childress said that there were a number of factors that made the current plan ideal for the benefit of the community’s use: to hold more programming; to have more and safer parking; to make a dedicated children’s room that allows kids to not be ‘shushed’; better ADA compliance or disabilities access; more room for circulating books, and overall to ensure that more patrons feel welcome taking part in the library than have been able to in recent times, with the present restricted space. She shared that they have been doing research into costs with the market via a real estate person, looking into renovations in consultation with an engineer, and have other grants in

place such as a NY Library construction grant toward energy-efficient installs and construction renovations, all factoring into the total cost analysis.

Hassett said, “I don’t like that there isn’t a vote on this, that the people don’t have more say. I think a vote should be required with such a big change.”

Scott-Childress took his view into account and said that it would be wise to include it in some fashion. The library had done community surveys as well.

She also reminded the board that this was still in the planning stage, as far as the costs required, and how they might obtain a USDA loan for 3.5% to finance the sale minus the proceeds from the sale of the current library building, estimated around $600,000.

Scott-Childress explained the deadline for the Empire State Development grant application is Dec. 31. By the presentation’s end, the board said it could not provide the letter of support at this time because it was too short notice to fully examine without a feasibility study. They will consider doing so at a future date after further inquiries and discussion.

The Friends of the Library were also present at the meeting, in support of the proposal.

Jeff Slater BSP Reporter Rondout Valley’s varsity wrestling team started the season on Monday pinning down a win against Ellenville with a score of 59-6.

For the first in many years the team begins its season with more than 20 wrestlers. A mix of veterans and newcomers give hope that the team can compete this season and, with the addition of more wrestlers, be ready to challenge for a Section 9 title in the near future. Rondout competes in the small school division in Section 9 that consists of 17 small schools.

John Parete, the varsity coach, said, “The coaches are really happy so far with the hard work the kids are putting in this pre-season. Conditioning has been a priority due to the nature of wrestling.”

The team’s top returner is junior Nick Laskowski, who placed second at the Section 9 tournament last year.

“I am hoping to win the Section 9 championship this year and compete at the State Championship for the first time. I am glad to see all the new, young wrestlers on the team, and I’m looking forward to a great season with all of them,” said Laskowski.

Freshman Jackson Barcone said, “I’m feeling extremely excited about going into

Ros. Library from page 1 Board of Appeals beforehand. Pryslopski’s resignation takes effect on Dec. 31, and he will continue to be available through the end of the month. He expressed that it had become too great a challenge to juggle this position with his career and family responsibilities.

The resignation of Kimberly Cole was accepted by the board – her position will be going from full-time status to per-diem effective Dec. 31 – as well as the resignation of Keith Lewis effective Jan. 2, 2023.

Also, it was officially noted that the Pickle Festival will be held at the Ulster County Fairgrounds next year.

Rosendale library director Katie Scott-Childress made a presentation before the Town Board. “Thank you all so much for having me here tonight,” she began. “I am here to talk about the library building and our proposal to move the library, which I know is a point of pain for a lot of people but it’s also a very positive thing. The main reason I am here tonight is we are pursuing a grant through the state – it’s an Empire

Rondout Valley’s varsity wrestling team

BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 13

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Letters policy Please send letters to the editor to the BlueStone Press by email at bluepress@aol. com or send to P.O. Box 149, Stone Ridge, NY 12484. Include your name, hometown and daytime phone number. Letters should be fewer than 500 words and may be edited for clarity, brevity and taste. Letters won't appear in consecutive editions from the same author. The BSP hopes that, in the spirit of community dialogue, readers and writers in the letters section are respectful of a diversity of viewpoints.

We err on the side of freedom of speech in our letters, and we hope that vigorous dialogue is more likely to produce an informed public than censorship, however well meaning. Call 6874480 with questions.

Your letters, views & ideas

December 16, 2022

Season’s Greetings Wishing safe, healthy and happy holidays to all.

See you in 2023 !

Nexamp and CH and a helpful website To the Editor: I was excited to see the front page headline “Nexamp and Central Hudson” but was sorry to see that, instead of learning helpful new information as a customer of both, I learned instead that everyone else is as confused as I've been; but I do have something to pass on that I've found very useful. While I expected my Nexamp bill to display the actual kWh generated by my share of the community solar farm, it only shows dollars credited, but my son alerted me to an NYSERDA website which tracks solar production in New York, including the Nexamp farm on 209, at this link: https://der.nyserda. ny.gov/reports/view/performance/?project=1302. It doesn't clarify any of the significant uncertainty caused

by Central Hudson's failure to bill or communicate for months and months, but at least from this website I can learn the monthly solar production of the farm and calculate my share.

Stuart Braman High Falls

Grateful for BlueStone Press, High Falls connection To the Editor: Today I write to acknowledge the gift of our local people, the BSP. All communities need the honesty that Greg & Lori give.

The many years of being in High Falls has been a gift that brings a smile to my face daily.

With the acknowledgment of our great land and the light that does shine with all our participating in its bounty.

Gillian and I write all our many dear friends in Ulster County a peaceful & joyous holiday.

Richard Murphy (Former longtime owner of the Egg’s Nest and High Fallonian forever) Tucson, Arizona

CH billing ‘a complete mess’ To the Editor: I read Ann Belmont’s article with interest as we at Lifebridge Foundation have been in a mess with Central Hudson since October 2021. In 2011 we installed a 13.2 kilowatt solar array, which significantly lowered our electrical bills, often to a zero balance in the

summer months. Last October we received a (monthly) bill for four figures! After spending many hours on the phone trying to get through to CH, we were made aware that a complaint could be filed with the Department of Public Service. The next day we were contacted by two executives in Central Hudson. Finally, after many months, this billing issue went away and things were good for a while. Then we got another monthly bill for four figures again, but double the amount (almost five figures). We escalated another complaint (in June) and still have had no resolution as of this writing.

We know that the billing is a complete mess over at Central Hudson and advise anyone who gets a bill that looks like too much, to file a complaint with the DPS at (1-800-342-3377). The County Executive’s Office is also advising the same. Good luck, people!

Barbara Valocore President, Lifebridge Foundation, High Falls

Visit bluestonepress.net and select Special Sections at the bottom.

BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 15

Red barn responses Dear Wally: As a full-time local smith, working with iron and other metals, I would like to correct a bit of what you say in the 12/2/22 “Why are barns red?” article. I can see where Google searches may have led you to incorrect info.

When at forging heat, the outer surface of the steel oxidizes rapidly. This outer layer of oxide on the metal is brittle and it flakes off as the hot malleable metal is being forged, squeezed, into a new shape. The flakes are referred to as scale. This scale is gray, not red. Gray scale is ferrous oxide, FeO, whereas ferric oxide, Fe2O3, is reddish brown. I will occasionally see a nice brickred oxide form on a piece once it is cool, but the scale that forms when steel is at forging temp, between 1300°F and 2400°F, is gray. Rusting steel with salts, etc., does form a red oxide layer on the metal. So, red barn paint must Wally Nichols have had a source other than the floor of the forge shop for its red color. Stop by my shop to see the accumulated layer of gray scale on the floor around my anvil.

Also, the flakes that are “sloughed off” do so of their own accord as the shaping at the anvil progresses and not on discarded metal. I don't discard, I recycle ;^ ) …

Dear Wally

I doubt any readers would be aware of this, or care. I often see incorrect information referring to iron, steel and cast iron, and since this one was close to home I thought I would offer this correction.

Forging ahead, J. N. (Accord)

Dear J.N.!

Thank you for the response. I appreciate the fine-tuning (aka, reality check) and I bet plenty of readers would like to hear this! It’s worth mentioning (but maybe you know because you read 'Dear Wally') – my columnar efforts are mostly an institutional grade (and thus barely edible) lasagna layered with sautéed conjecture, roasted speculation, diced opinion, pickled half-truths and seasoned with righteous indignation. All that’s baked at 425 degrees for two hours longer than one would think so there are clumps of charred anger. When successful, there may be a light dusting of melted humor that is likely to induce gas later on in the night. Thanks for bringing it all up in something other than the more common hate mail! When I need new metal running shoes, I’m coming to you! – Wally Dear Wally: Your column on Why are barns red? finally spurred me to write you my beef, which I’ve been meaning to do for a couple of years now: What is the story with the vogue for painting houses that hideous almost-black, including the doors and window frames? We call it “Covid gray,” since it seemed to get popular around

the same time as that whole mess started. Often it’s a repainting job, probably to make the house look updated before it gets sold. Anyway, it looks vaguely menacing, and just plain ugly.

• AB

Dear AB: Sooooooo … I’m guilty. I built a spec house mid-Covid and it was quite clear to me that siding and door/window frames really needed to be black to deliver the modern, new feel that was sweeping the industry. I don’t own a single garment that is dark, so this was a head scratcher for me, but I went along. There is a shade of dark blue-black that has the completely uninviting name of “Soot,” and the paint stores can’t keep it on the shelf. Looking at it one way, it feels gloomy and foreboding. (Why would you ever want to paint your house soot?) Looking at it from a different angle, nothing succeeds like success. And soot is success right now.

What will be a head banger is when soot is no longer popular OR people feel it’s oversaturated, and then there is a rush on stain-blocking primer. And then probably lilac or lavender or periwinkle returns to vogue!

Sit tight and take it from this fashionista: Wait long enough and things in the back of your closest will be in vogue once again … – Wally Got a question or an extra case of soot house paint you no longer value? Email our advice columnist at cwn4@aol. com.

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December 16, 2022

Kudos

Hudson View” by Kerhonkson’s Keith Gunderson

Local artists featured in Holiday Salon group show The Mark Gruber Gallery’s 46th annual Holiday Salon, a group show, features over 20 local artists and artisans bringing a wide variety of media and styles, from landscapes in oils to fruits and florals in pastels, river scenes in watercolors, and a myriad of subjects and styles in between. The exhibit runs through January. There is something for everyone in this salon-style show with oils, pastels, watercolors, photography. The essence of local landscapes and still lifes are captured by such regional talents as Paul Abrams, Jane Bloodgood-Abrams, Sue Barrasi, James Coe, Kevin Cook, James Cramer, Gail Fedigan, Linda Puiatti, Robert Trondsen and Marlene Wiedenbaum. Landscape photographs by nationally celebrated Hardie Truesdale.

Staats Fasoldt’s fluid and airy watercolors of local vistas.

New to the gallery are exquisite pastels by Cathy Copeland and contemporary oils by Moore Wright. The gallery carries a wonderful array of artisan crafts. Catch Leonie Lacouette’s whimsical clocks and Kaete Brittan Shaw’s one-of-a-kind curvaceous vases. The Mark Gruber Gallery, located in the New Paltz Plaza, New Paltz. Gallery hours are, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturdays; and by appointment on Sundays and Mondays.

For information, contact Marbletown’s Mark Gruber at 84255-1241 or visit markgrubergallery.com.

RV High School Honor Roll, High Honor Roll Grade 9: Brody Baker, John Basten, Laszlo Beke, Fahad Bhulyan, Sedric Boughton, Evalyse Bradley, Tristan Cantello, Corwin DeRosa, Maven Flamhaft, Gabrielle Hart, Hannah Heijink, Isaac Herman, Henry Hutchins, Grace Kiszkiel, Jack Kotsides, Jacob Kraft, Harris Kyaw, Zi Qing Liu, Camille McMillan, Ruby Ortner, Hudson Paley, Borny Patwoary, Ruby Powell, Samantha Ritayik, Hanna Rylewicz, Jack Stewart, Jeffrey Ulrich Jr., Beatrice Wilhelm and Gypsy Wish.

Grade 10: Ramona Andersen, Sophia Bollin, Rowan Boyd, Sophia Clark, Addyson Eck, Freja Ermer, Stori Gallicchio, Vivian Gonzales, Joana Koehler, Joleigh Kozack, Samuel Lever, Abigail McGuinness, Halle Meoli, Aidan Nolan, Miles Ouellette, Clara Samko, Kenneth Schade, Lukcas Schaniel, Lauren Schoonmaker, Joseph Soi, Millina Tully, Gwenyth Tuscanes and Anna Weber.

Grade 11: Django Accardi, Merryn Arms, Jakob Baron, Shana Blandon, Thomas Clark, Christopher Cook, Aidan Davenport, Victoria DeGraw, Adeline Delessio, Amelia Dunphy, Trevor Gilliland, Chloe Goodin, Brayden Hanigan, Sadie Heagney, Sierra Hikade, Finnigan Kenney, Mica King, Luke Kotsides, Giada Labate, Siddhartha Lama, Nicholas Laskowski, Justin Nazario, Jackson Paley, Ellis Picuri, Maceo Pileggi, Gabriel Schoonmaker, Jared Secore, Mackenzie Snair, Nora Suszczynski, Caleb Taszak, Olivia Waruch, Emil Weintraub and Nadja Welden.

Grade 12: Faith Avello, Zachary Banks, Emily Bartolone, Dylan Bowles, Ryan Britt, Jaiden Buffong, Noah DeGraw, Elise Dymond, Riley Dymond, Kyle Fallaha, Fiona Fraser-Gross, Gina Garofolo Goodman, Mackenzie Heyl, Ryan Hornbeck, Christopher Jordan, Andrew Kassian, Christopher Kay, Nicholas Kay, Isabel Kinsella, Ella Kormondy, Jake Lawlor, Isabelle May, Jospeh Messina, Audric Mondini, Kayla Oakes, Alexandra Olivieri, Riley Owens, Matthew Peck, Marley Pileggi, Asher Rosen, August Rubin, Jack Samko, Riley Schoonmaker, Aria Sickler-Avery, Caitlyn Sindt, Alma Sutherland-Roth, Abigail Tuttle, Skyler Van Kleeck, Reid Wogan and Nikolas Zocchi.

Honor Roll Grade 9: Emily Bodie, Chloe Cutaia, Kaden Dennin, Waylon Foreman, Elizabeth Hanigan, Kyleigh Healy, John Hedley, Lila Hill, Josephina Kozack, Jocelyn Lea-

Rochester Recreation held a wreath workshop at the Harold Lipton Community Center on Nov. 30. The class was taught by assistant recreation director Bethany Dennin and was free to the community. Each participant got to make their own wreath and take it home. It was wonderful! Pictured, Nancy Bendell, Rita Harkins and Nancy Smith with their wreathes. Photo by Manuela Michailescu

hey, Adreenah Mason, Grace McArdle, Jasmine McNeil, Brooke Mulkowsky, Elizabeth Murphy, Graham Palmentiero, Lucas Pitre, Tristan Post, Hudson Scott, Addisyn Spano-Meyer and Georgia Tuttle.

Grade 10: Finn Bowers, Carlo Bueti, Kelly Casas, Grace Coonrod, Grace Curran, Ethan Dean, Julia Deyo, Ian Domitrovits, Danielle Driekonski, Violet Elder-Rusciolelli, Kendell Erlwein, Ryan Gillis, Brian Henderson, Devin Jimenez, Keara Johnson, Nash Kennedy, Nathan Nilsen, Domenic Palazzolo, Flora Parker-Myers, Justin Paterno, Jaycub Schaniel, Ava Seablom, InJolina Secreto, Tate Suszcynski, Juliana Turner, Madelyn Tuscanes, Juliana Turner and Abbigail Williams.

Grade 11: Sydney Allen, Michelle Avello, Hunter Bober, Clifford Bush, Jonathan Chamberlain, Garvey Chiarolanzio, Abigail Chorzempa, Hannah Coddington, Zola Coughlin-Ebert, Jill Creegan, Richard Cross Jr., Grace Cutaia, Jessica Daddio, Peter Dymitryszyn, David Ferraiolo-Scalera, Rosendo Fontanez, Caylee Illa, Kylie Ivan, Emma Jolly, Sumner King-Barra, Tetiana Koshut, Ian LaPierre, Caleb Leahey, Adriana Marano, Erin Parete, Niomi Perry, Gavin Prendergast, Thomas Rearick, Hunter Ridgely, Gavin Rosa, Charles Scully, Harriet Seubert, Ashton Wynkoop and Chase Yark.

Grade 12: Maria Ayala, Menena Baron, Desirae Baumann, Brooke Bogart, Byron Bradley, Julian Browne, Cadence Cardinale, Freyja Cross, Lucas Dee, Alex Deitsch, Aiden Demorest, McKenna Feinberg, Gabriella Ferri, Connor Hamm, Mackenzie Hubbard, Olivia Jeter, Noah Johnson, Chase Kiszkiel, Amelia Lamkin, Morgan LeBlanc, Alyssa Lopez, Michael Markle, Lexi McConnell, Landen Mesceda, Isaac Millrood, Maya Montalvo, Abigail Naccarato, David Pennacchio, Julian Perez, Seneca Pharmer, Makalah Quick, Hannah Read, Sarah Roosa, Jessica Sedlak, Liam Sell, John Shultis Jr., Connor Slinsky, John Soi, Lillian Startup, Dennis Terwilliger, Ethan Tur, Michael Vanorden and Kevin Walsh.

Merit Roll Grade 9: Christopher Baumann, Chloe Berryann, Julia Brown, Diego Castro Linares, Ryan Clark, Joshua Davis, Amanda DeWitt, Fionn Forsythe, Reagan Heil, Haylee Henebery, Morgan Hermance, Audrina Howard, Hailey Kellerhouse, Noah Kelly, Natalee Kiersted, Jaela Marshall, Brandon Mason Jr., Weronika Mieszczak, Robin Morici, Hattie Nichols, Arianna Novotny, Hudson Rowan, Owen Shaffer Sermini, Gianna St. Hilaire, Mia Trumbore, Alyssa VanLeuven, Kayla Vedder, Alexandra Young and Isabella Ziba-Perez.

Grade 10: Addyson Auchmoedy, Morgan Barcone, Candace Browne, Gage Davis, Andrew Dingman, Anastasia DuBois, Juliana Ellsworth-Dumond, Dominic Giamei, Ashtyn Gray, Sophia Johnson, Devon Joyce, Logan Keller, Anthony Parisio, Ryan Sheremetta, Jadin Sprague, Odin Vitek, Julissa Vizcaino, Alexeah Walsh and Chloe Warren.

Grade 11: Myah Aguilar, Jack Amend, Logan Bauer, Jesse Bayetis, Ethan Bowman, Brittany Brown, William Brush, Joseph Ciancio, Aili Clark, Savannah Freer, Kaitlyn Gratis, Jaiden Hasenflue, Lexus Healy, Annika Mahany, Mona Mernin, Connor Nelson, Richard Robinson Jr., Lucas Russell, Angela Shultis and Brayden Soura.

Grade 12: Cheishta Amaraweera, Austin Amato, Lauryn Anson, Makayla Chapman, Anna Clausen, Benjamin Davies, Randall Davis, Kai Day, Nathan Donaldson, Xaria Donnelly, Evan Fraser Jr., Nicholas Galewaler, Adrian Gonzalez, Skylar Henebery, Christopher Lennon Jr., Jaden Lopez, Madeleine Malak, Shea Malenski, Brady Morse, Miu Person, Kenneth Rabanillo-Brown Antonio Rizzo,

Lucas Roland, Joshua Santiago, Collin Seablom, Jacob Stange, Terrance Stange, Joshua VanLeuven, Destiny Wood, Nathan Wright and Solomon Zweig.

RV Junior High School, Merit Roll Grade 7: Charles Bissell, Ayanna Brodhead-Wiggins, Cillian Carroll, Gordon Clayton, Alaycia Coddington, Justin Goyne, Joseph Davies, Katana Decker, Kathleen Farquhar, Jalyssa Garcia, Tanner Girau, Parker Jordan, Austin Knauer, Daniel Koch, Lucas Ledsome, Dillon Malenski, Robert McGrath, Aidan Overbaugh, NovaLee Palmateer, Jayden Redding, Konrad Sawka Hamaguchi, Haley Schulz, Abigail Sciarrino, Blake Suitter, Bruce Ulrich, Rita Warren, Jaiden West, Shawna Whitaker and Elinor Zalewski.

Grade 8: Rafael Acocella, Connor Beechel, Lucas Bowers, Francesca Bueti, Carlos Camacho-Johnson, Rebecca Carroll, James Casey, Amara Catizone, Frank Coddington IV, Kiley Davis, Shaun Dolan, Katrina Domitrovits, Alexis Dougherty, Arryanna Eisenberg, James Erichson, Donald Giamei Jr, Alyviah Green, Alicia Jackson, Madysen Kiersted, Alana LeBlanc, Lola Malenski, Richard Manny, Ugo Nneji, Wyatt Ortner, Andrew Quick, Hunner Quick, Jaden Rion, Maxwell Santiago, Jasmin Smith, Taraji St. Fleur, Laszlo Sterling, Joseph Sweeney, Ayden Towne, Jade Williams and Layla Worden.

Honor Roll Grade 7: Jaxson Bauer, Connor Chapman, Olivia Clark, Jackson Davenport, Audrey Dennin, Alya Eisenberg, Antonino Faso, Cole Ferris, Evan Fitzgerald, Izzbella Gibson, Alyssa Gray, Molly Hasenflue, Ada Martinez, Cora Martinez, Vivian McGuinness, Miles Molitoris, Giana Morgan, Ella Morse, Oliver Nneji, Margaret Schatzel, Ella Schoonmaker, Madison Shanley, Lola Sherwood, Aliza Theetge, Isaac Tucker, Morgan Vaughan, Graycie Walsh-Kompass, Tesha Williams-Fein, Natalia Wisneski and Violet Yonnetti.

Grade 8: Ethan Allen, D’Landre Anson, Ava Barba-Andujar, Caydance Borruso, Adda Lee Braselmann, Kylee Carlson, Aiden Carroll, Jessa Clark, Noah Cody, Oscar DiDonato, Izaak Donnelly, Aiden Freer, Isabel Gonzalez, Cy Gray, Tyler Harned, Ryan Helm, Kailee Hicks, Taiyo Kizawa, Yarema Kurkevych, Joshua LaPierre, Antonio Mason, Jacob Mastrocola, Isaiah Mercado, Zachary Mickelson Jr, Lucas Millrood, Adrianna Moran, Gage Nogue, Addison O’Donnell, Syler Padusnak, Madison Pfaff, Ava Quick, Samantha Reyes, Oliver Roosa-Dunphy, Colin Rowdycz, Julian Santosky, Noah Schrader, Emma Schwall, Stephen Schwartz, Adriana Slater, Karl VanValkenburgh and Madeline Williams.

High Honor Roll Grade 7: Jeremiah Bauer, Lillian Brewer, Goldy Conlin, Madelyn Cowburn, Tobin Ermer, Emma Goodin, Stella Greco, Logan Hasenflue, Jacob Heyl, Luke Johnson, Peyton Kastanis, Lyla Lemister, Hokai Liu, Connor Murray, Sophia Mykula, Aiden Olivieri, Waverly Rubin, Samantha Schneller, Elouise Shea, Nathaniel Stupple and Jamison Wilhelm.

Grade 8: Hayden Bauer, Bridget Boyd, Hannah Chapin, Chloe Cooke, Ruby Focarino, Jillian Gundberg, Kadi Holt, Lauren Ivan, Aubrey Jagodzinski, Juliana Lunstedt, Brooke Martire, Helena Molitoris, Hannah Nawrocki, Penelope Roosa-Dunphy, Greta Sutherland-Roth, John Sweeney and Georgia Weinstein.

STAY

WARM.

HOLIDAYS ARE

HAVE

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FUN.

LIVE

IN THE

LOCAL.

R O N D O U T.

Holiday Stories A child's Christmas in High Falls Light at the end of the tunnel The evolution of Hanukkah - Holiday movies

Page 18, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press

A child's Christmas in High Falls Ann Belmont BSP Reporter Is there anything better than being close to a tiny child taking in the world, experiencing everything for the first time? On the 10th of December, I joined the little crowd gathering on the village green outside the Depuy Canal House Museum in High Falls, where the biggest fir tree in town stands (having survived a rumored intention to cut it down a couple of years ago). We were

there for the annual tree-lighting ceremony and a star turn from Santa, courtesy of the High Falls Civic Association.

It was cold, it was dark, and my grandson, who'll be 2 in February, was bundled up in his stroller. I looked at his wide eyes and tried to imagine what it was like to be there and not know what it all meant. His grandpa, mom, dad, aunt, uncle and cousins were there, but unless people were right next to you, it was too dark to see them.

Figures like shadows passed around us,

clusters of adults talking and laughing, groups of kids running and yelling (and the littlest ones clinging to their parents' legs).

There were fire rings scattered around burning brightly, strings of colored lights around Santa’s pavilion and the tent where a couple of smiling volunteers stood ladling out steaming bowls of really delicious hot soup.

There were Christmas carols drifting through the air from a sound system somewhere, and there was the glowing

feeling of people being together having a good time.

My little guy sucked his thumb a lot, which is what he does when feeling a little overwhelmed, and he wanted to be picked up and carried around.

Through his wide eyes, I felt the intensity of all this brand new sensation. We all waited patiently in the darkness, sipping hot cocoa, having a bowl of chicken soup (so good!). At length someone announced over the sound system that Santa would be here in five

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BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 19 minutes! Santa's arrival would signal the tree lighters to flip the switch.

Santa, of course, is still beyond my grandson's understanding, but he is a child whose imagination is captured by wheels, sirens and flashing lights. The one thing that he could recognize was the fire engine that dropped Santa off to greet the crowd. And in due time, this promised miracle happened. From the firehouse up the street from the tree on the Depuy Canal House lawn, a fire truck issued forth, disappeared up 213, turned around, and came back, stopping to deposit Santa. Kids got excited and ran over. “Santa! Santa!”

All was confusion around us as I held my little boy. The tree, when lighted at last, was an unknown quantity. It was

too dark for him to even know it was a tree. He probably just registered it as a mountain of colored lights suspended in space. He was focused one hundred percent on those flashing lights, exactly like the ones on his toy fire truck, and continued to suck his thumb. It must have been like seeing a larger-than-life celebrity in person.

Santa Claus causes waves of cynicism to emanate from some quarters, but I think that believing in magic is every child's birthright. They quite naturally believe that inanimate objects, such as toys, have personalities and feelings. Flying reindeer are not a stretch.

Tots who live in high-rise apartment buildings have no trouble believing that presents under the tree will appear

there because a mythical figure who is never actually seen materializes somehow to bring them. How well I remember leaving carrots for the reindeer and cookies for Santa at age 3 or 4, and that giddy, excited feeling that something mysterious was going to happen sometime that night.

A tiny tot not yet 2 is too young for the legend of Santa, but he responds to the rhythms of words and loves to look at pictures in books. I'm going to get him a copy of "The Night Before Christmas" for Christmas, one with great illustrations, and I anticipate sitting in a cozy chair and reading him these words: "’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse ..."

At the High Falls tree lighting Photo by Ann Belmont

High Falls Civic Association

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Page 20, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press

Light at the end of the tunnel Anne Pyburn Craig BSP Reporter Next Wednesday, Dec. 21, sunset comes at 4:47, leading us into the year’s longest night. We’ve made it through the shortening days; as everything lies dormant and frozen, the sun will inch almost imperceptibly closer till it bathes the soil in its wake-up call.

I used to dread the slippery, frigid, dark part. Millions of people are so affected by the absence of the sun that it becomes much harder to function, especially if

they're feeling psychologically vulnerable to begin with; research suggests that light may control the neurotransmitters in our brains that regulate mood. Millions of people, perhaps billions, didn’t really need researchers to tell them that – stepping outdoors on a bright blue day after a string of gray ones is all the proof we needed. That said, the research is useful; the more people can pin down and define what’s actually bothering them and find things that help, such as light boxes, the better.

It’s hard to learn to love the dark.

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There’s an instinctive bias toward being able to see, not to mention being warm enough, with sound survival reasons behind it. The sun’s return is life; it was the first and most logical object of human worship. But there are sound survival reasons why the dark exists, why all creatures rest, why we need a period when our own star steps off stage and the uncountable millions of other stars are revealed.

“I have noticed that when all the lights are on, people tend to talk about what they are doing – their outer lives,” writes

Jeanette Winterson in her Guardian piece titled “Why I adore the night.”

“Sitting round in candlelight or firelight, people start to talk about how they are feeling – their inner lives. They speak subjectively, they argue less, there are longer pauses. To sit alone without any electric light is curiously creative. I have my best ideas at dawn or at nightfall, but not if I switch on the lights – then I start thinking about projects, deadlines, demands, and the shadows and shapes of the house become objects, not suggestions, things that need to be done, not a

BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 21 background to thought.”

I always used to think I would love to live somewhere milder, where the cold didn’t feel like an outright assault, but five years of living in the central south – Kentucky, to be exact – showed me what the trade-off was. I’m still not loving the cold, but thankfully I have walls and heating and it’s inconvenient, not excruciating. In return for tolerating that inconvenience I get the blaze of autumn, the lacey beauty of the snow-traced tree limbs, the incomparable bliss of spring’s first T-shirt day. (Yeah, ask me again in February.)

As for the darkness, which of course was the same in Kentucky, I’ve come to the stunning realization in the past couple of decades that there is absolutely

nothing I can do about it. This is liberating and has led to a chain of realizations about what is and is not under my control. The vast majority of everything is in the latter category, including how other people think and how they choose to live their lives. I get to decide those for exactly one person, me. And for all the big noise the media makes to the contrary, I’ve found in my travels that the vast majority of humans get that. That and its corollary, be kind, are really all we need – we can and do differ in a zillion other ways, for reasons we did and didn’t choose, but that core will get us through the dark bits.

We light the lights this time of year, the candles and the Yule logs and the merry string, the symbols of what we hold holy, the fireworks and the giant inflatable

cartoons. Solar lights in glorious jewel tones are the latest. It’s glorious. It’s everyone’s, a burst of creative sharing. We do that stuff, and wish each other well, and strive to get cozy as best we can, and muse on the mysteries of the dark, alone or together.

It’s the dark that brings out the colored lights, after all. It’s the recognition that all things pass that makes what we love so poignant and glorious and what we think we cannot bear bearable. And no matter how unsettled things may feel right now, the earth still turns in thrall to the sun.

Just as surely, all that we share is deeper and wider than anything that divides us.

Have a joyous, cozy Solstice and light stuff up, y’all.

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Page 22, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press

The evolution of the eight days of Hanukkah, the miracles, mitzvahs and moments Donna Cohn Viertel Calendar of Events Editor Each year, as my life with my family – husband, David, our two boys, Jake, 25, and Zach, 17, and Otto, our dachshund-beagle mix who will be 12 – evolves, kaynahorah (my superstitious, go-to word meaning thank G-d), so does our celebration of Hanukkah.

Don’t get me wrong, the core of the holiday will always be the same, we will

always light the menorah in celebration of the miracle of the oil on the first night, this year, Sunday, Dec. 18, and continue doing so until the eight nights of Hanukkah are complete.

Fun fact I just learned, thanks to Sam Silverman of Entrepreneur magazine, “The first-ever Sunday Night Football menorah lighting will happen during the New York Giants and Washington Commanders game” on the first night of Hanukkah this year. “According to The Jerusalem

Post, a menorah was specially designed for the event and will sit on the concourse overlooking the stadium, FedEx Field, outside Washington, D.C., and spectators will get to see the lighting over the jumbotron!”

As Stephanie Fenton of readthespirit. com writes in her story of the holiday, “the menorah is lit in honor of the Maccabees’ victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Greeks in the 2nd century BCE.” In this war for the Jews’ religious freedom, they reclaimed their Temple,

but there was only a single day’s worth of oil to light the eternal flame, which is, as Debra Darvick explained in her book “The Jewish Life,” the everlasting light that hangs in every synagogue as a symbol of G-d’s ever-presence. Miraculously, that oil lasted for eight days.

And we continue to celebrate those miracles with food, a custom I do enjoy, as a Jew with each holiday, except Yom Kippur, when the food is taken away for the day to atone for my sins of the year. Anyway,

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BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 23 back to Hanukkah … In celebration of the miracle of the oil, one traditional dish we enjoy and prepare is potato latkes. And at least one day out of the eight days, we all get together and enjoy them, as Jake has his own place with his brilliant and beautiful girlfriend, Rebecca (kaynahorah).

Because what’s important are those moments together.

We also continue the tradition of a gift for each night of Hanukkah, but now, not to sound old, but with the “economy,” yes, the presents get smaller, but the love continues to grow, as it’s a true mitzvah, a blessing, to be together as a family. As Louise Belcher, from “Bob’s Burgers” explained it best with Christmas, it’s not the presents under the tree, but more about being with the people around the tree.

Traditions are important, and should

carry on, as I know my boys, who are growing into men (kaynahorah) will share them, so I too share them with you.

From my food bible, “Faye Levy's International Cookbook,” the potato latkes recipe: Grate 4 large potatoes and one medium onion with a hand grater in to a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 large egg, a small handful of flour, and half a teaspoon of baking powder. Mix with hands. Heat oil in a deep, heavy 10-12inch cast iron pan. Drop about a 2-tablespoon portion of latkes mix into heated pan and flatten with spoon, adjust the temperature of the pan as latkes brown on each side. Keep latkes in warm oven while cooking the rest. Continue and add more oil as needed. Serve with sautéed spiced apples and sour cream. Makes 4-5 servings.

Another tradition is playing the dreidel game during Hanukkah. The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top. On each side is a Hebrew letter: “Nun,” “Gimmel,” “Hay,” and “Shin.” The letters stand for the phrase “Nes Gadol Haya Sham, a great miracle happened there.”

From myjewishlearning.com, here is how to play the basic dreidel game: Each player begins the game with an equal number of game pieces called gelt (chocolate coins). At the beginning of each round, everyone puts one game piece into the center “pot.” Every time the pot is empty, or has only one game piece left, every player should put one in. The play continues to go round and round, each person taking a spin of the dreidel. Depending on the side it lands on, players give or get game pieces from

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the pot. Nun means “nisht” or “nothing.”

The player does nothing. Gimel means “gantz” or “everything.” The player gets everything in the pot. Hey means “halb” or “half.” The player gets half of the pot.

(If there is an odd number of pieces in the pot, the player takes half of the total plus one). And Shin means “shtel” or “put in.” The player adds a game piece to the pot. If a player has no game pieces left, they are either “out” or may ask a fellow player for a “loan.” When one person has won everything, that round of the game is over!

So during this holiday season, remember what’s important, kaynahorah, the blessing of each other, to love one another, that’s the true mitzvah. And as Adam Sandler continues to sing, “Have a happy, happy, happy, happy Hanukkah!”

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Page 24, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press

Holiday movies and me Jeff Slater BSP Reporter Yes, I am Jewish and proud of it! But I’ve always had a soft spot for holiday movies.

My family has had to deal with this since I met my wife over 22 years ago. Every Christmas Eve I have a tradition of watching “A Christmas Carol,” aka “Scrooge,” the 1950s version with Alastair Sim. He is the best Ebenezer Scrooge, in my opinion.

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a dozen or so famous actors have played the role: George C. Scott, Reginald Owen, Albert Finney, Michael Caine and Patrick Stewart, to name a few. I’m probably omitting some versions. Bill Murray is hilarious in “Scrooged” (1988), but “A Christmas Carol” is my favorite, and I’ve forced my family to watch it, many times with them leaving me all by myself to finish it because they have gone to bed. I used to watch it at midnight, but over the years I’ve been starting it early. Now my children have left the house … I hope not because of this.

Another classic is “It’s a Wonderful Life”

(1946) with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed and the great Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter – a great film shown throughout the holiday season about George Bailey and his life-changing story. It is a great story and probably the most watched holiday movie, but it’s a little played out for me because I’ve seen it too many times.

In thinking about holiday movies, I have other must-watch ones. One that comes to mind is “Elf” (2003). Will Ferrell is great in this heartwarming comedy. I also enjoy the late James Caan as his curmudgeon father and the late Bob Newhart as his adopted father (Santa Claus) in the North

Pole. It takes place in NYC and gives me a bunch of laughs and, I have to admit, some tears.

Another holiday classic I enjoy is “The Bishop’s Wife” (1947), a tale about an angel, Cary Grant, trying to earn his wings by helping a bishop, David Niven, realize that he has lost his way. Loretta Young is fabulous as the bishop’s wife who is falling for the good-looking angel. It is a great movie.

I also perennially enjoy “White Christmas” (1954) with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye along with Rosemary Clooney and “Christmas in Connecticut” (1945) with Barbara Stanwyck. Yes, I know I’m old! As

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THANK YOU to Our Community for Your Support this Season. www.saunderskill.com 845-626-CORN (2676) 5100 Rte. 209 • Accord, NY 12404

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BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 25 for you young folks, you’ve probably never heard of these old classics.

Some more current holiday flicks are also worth giving a viewing. “A Christmas Story” (1983) with Darren McRaven and Peter Billingsley is a classic (“You’ll shoot your eye out!”), and who can miss out on “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” (2000) with Jim Carrey sounding like Sean Connery to me. These are two of the best.

There’s also the 2022 TV miniseries with Tim Allen, of “Home Improvement” fame, called “The Santa Clauses,” and these too are amusing. And let’s not forget “The Polar Express” (2004), even though I’d like to.

I know many people love it. I’m sure there are more current offerings, but as you can see, I’ve got my hands full watching the classics.

I used to fire up the old VCR, but it is

obsolete now. Whatever happened to my old VCR anyway? It’s probably in the basement with the other stuff that’s too old to use. And we still haven’t figured out how to hook up the CD player to our new set-up, so I can’t play our CDs, of which there are many. I guess you could call me old-fashioned … or technologically declined.

Since I am Jewish, I don’t want to leave out the Adam Sandler movie “Eight Crazy Nights” (2002). But I really enjoy his “Hanukkah Song” much more. And let’s not forget the “Rugrats” – yes, I’m dating myself again – and their enjoyable Hanukkah special (“A Rugrats Chanukah, ”1996).

We also have some other movies we watch when we go to my wife’s family every year after Christmas to celebrate her sister’s birthday. We always must watch “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”

(1989) with Chevy Chase and Beverly Dangelo, which is not a great movie in my humble opinion but nonetheless gives us great pleasure as through the years we all have had many laughs.

Let’s not forget my daughter’s favorite holiday movie, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975). Yes, I know it’s not a holiday movie, but we watch it during the holiday season, and I must agree with her that it’s one of the funniest movies to watch, with the Knights of Nee and the whole group of Monty Python and their antics.

So this Christmas Eve I’ll sit alone in the dark (wah,wah,wah), unless my wife joins me, and sip eggnog or whatever and watch “A Christmas Carol,” the Alastair Sim version, which I now have to play on the DVR, and hope I can make it through the whole thing without falling asleep!

Spooky but familiar, “A Christmas Carol,” from the Alastair Sim 1951 version

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Holiday Gifts Our gift shop is a joy to explore: new exotic house plants, unique gifts,ornaments, and our handmade wreaths of fresh winter greens.

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Page 26

Arts, culture & entertainment

December 16, 2022

Freeze and thaw We’ve been gifted with an autumn so mild the potatoes I’ve stored in the basement are sprouting. But now, Real Winter weather has arrived, and as usual, I’m far from thrilled. This used to amuse Harry and Helen, neighbors who’d spent their lives on this windy, rocky knob. Modern winters weren’t nearly as harsh as the ones of their youth, they told me again and again.

But one year a couple decades back, I was pretty sure they were wrong. The morning dawned excruciatingly cold, and when I twisted the faucet to fill the kettle, nothing came out. The well pipes were frozen solid. Such unusual weather! The TV news gushed.

Coldest temperatures of the decade! It was a fluke of frigidity that probably wouldn’t happen again for another 10 years, they said (and they were right), but that's a very small consolation when you can't wash, flush or drink. I tried plumber after plumber, but no one returned my call. By afternoon, I was deeply parched and desperate, but fortunately, relief was in a farmhouse just a half mile away.

Helen and Harry were an elderly brother and sister pair whose picturesque farm had been purchased by their grandfather with his Civil War mustering-out pay. Their house was low-ceilinged and old and cluttered pleasantly with antique furniture and framed images of long-gone loved ones.

They’d lived together most of their lives, but couldn’t have been more different. Helen was vivacious and chatty, an endless source of tales about the old days. Compli-

Susan Krawitz

ment one of her chairs and she’d say something along the lines of, "That one was Uncle Marion’s favorite. I can still close my eyes and see him sitting there."

Harry, however, was far more comfortable with machinery than he was with humans. I’d been his neighbor for three years before I heard him speak a full sentence, and even then, his words were few and well-chosen. But ever so slowly, he’d been talking to me more.

I knew they wouldn’t mind if I didn’t call ahead, but unfortunately my arrival came right in the middle of “dinner,” their afternoon meal. Helen asked me in anyway and ordered me to sit, then handed me a teacup and the last slice of pound cake. "I baked it Wednesday but see if it's stale or not,” she said.

When I bemoaned my frozen pipes, Helen just shook her head and smiled. “You think this winter’s bad,” she said. “Back then, it was snow piled right up to the eaves of the house. Roads didn’t get plowed, just packed with the snow roller. People put their cars in the barn and got out the horse and sleigh.” She drank a sip of tea and laughed.

“We kids didn’t mind,” she said. “We spent our days on sleds just flying down the hills." She closed her eyes, and when she spoke again, her words came in a tumbling stream. "Belly down in the snow, flying so fast, run right through the creek," she murmured. Harry smiled and nodded. He was remembering too.

When the windows showed twilight, I reluctantly stood up to leave.

"For the ride home," Helen said as she slipped a cookie into my hand. At the door she added, "There’s freeze and then thaw. And before you know it, spring'll be here and we'll be cursing the mud."

Harry stopped me at the door. "Wait a minute," he said, then shuffled down the cellar steps and returned with

an enormous stainless steel can. "Used to hold cream," he said, and then filled it, and the plastic milk jugs I’d brought with me, from the water spigot on the porch. He insisted on helping me carry the water to my car, then leaned conversationally on the fender as I started the engine.

"You know," he said, “you could save some money by melting out those pipes yourself. Just unhook them from the storage tank and pour hot water down. Might take a while, but that’ll do the trick." It was more words together than I’d ever before heard him speak.

"Really?" I said, images of broken pipe and wildly spurting water flashing in my head. "I think I should just wait for a plumber. They probably have special tools and things. High-tech methods."

"Suit yourself," Harry said.

When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine from a plumber. When he showed up the next morning, the first thing he did was open his large toolbox and start rummaging inside. He extracted a tiny slothead screwdriver, which he used to unhook the pipes from the water storage tank. Next, he asked me to heat a kettleful of water. When the water was hot, he trickled some of it into the pipe, waited a few seconds, then bent the pipe toward a bucket and let the water out. He did it again. And again. And again for the next hour. Pour and dump, pour and dump, pour and dump, until the ice that blocked the pipes had thawed and water could again run free.

It was worth every penny of his fee to see Harry’s huge I-told-you-so grin when I dropped off his can.

Back in the saddle, again I saw my friend at the post office the other day and she invited me to a barn open house. I wasn’t entirely sure what a barn open house entailed, but I was hoping for something a little like “Charlotte’s Web” but without spiders. You know, fluffy animals, maybe a hayride, maybe a Hallmark Christmas-type single cowboy. She did say that one of my best friends from high school was going to be there. That friend is an artist who lives in another state, and she was planning to sell some items at the open house.

So, I jumped at the chance to see her and spend some time with friends. The possibility of animals and a cowboy was a bonus.

As soon as I got home from the post office, I did what most Around town well-educated information hunters do, I hopped on Facebook.

I wanted to find out what barn, what animals, and what I was agreeing to. I was not trying to shovel horse poop or do-si-do but I’m open to lots of things. You know, like the cowboy thing. Anyway, I first messaged my artist friend and she told me all about Black Crow Mustangs. She also said it was a love project of an old classmate. Admittedly, I had no idea who the classmate was. I knew his name only. I’ve forgotten a lot about high school so this is not surprising. I told my friend I’d see her there.

Kelly Wright

There was a cowboy. Here’s Mike and JackDaw. Photo

by Cedar Hill Photography

Just outside of Tillson, I pulled into the Black Crow Mustangs farm. There was, indeed, a barn. So, I strolled up the drive to see three studs, one of them was talking.

Mike Keefer – Mustang Mike to those in the know – was talking about his horse, the barn, and the mission. I stood mesmerized for a moment and then strolled into the barn. I found my friend selling gear for Mike. I literally laughed out loud when the first thing I saw was a T-shirt that said ‘Save a cowboy, ride a mustang.’ Immediately, I was 100% in the saddle. There were tote bags that said

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‘Giving a Sh!t since 2022,’ bath soaps that said ‘Buck Off,’ and candles that said ‘Peace, Love, Horsesh!t,’ Now, I appreciate him keeping it kid-friendly with the exclamation points, but it just made it even funnier to me.

I was giggling and enjoying the taste of barn life when I turned around and saw Mike. He was telling someone the story about him riding his horse, Crow, down Main Street, New Paltz. Crow is a majestic black mustang who loves walking on Main Street, seeing all the people and shops, and pooping. Which he did. On Main Street. Like all good dog owners do-do, Mike cleaned up the mess and went on his way. Well, the folks in New Paltz went a little berserk on Facebook. See? I told you this is where the most well educated information hunters go, but it is also where the most complaining complainers go to spout misery on their soapbox. However, little did they know that horses are allowed on the streets and have been around way longer than any BMW or hybrid. I mean, seriously, people.

Are you not aware of history? Anyway, this gave Mike the perfect opportunity to use the catchphrases on his gear, spread awareness, and educate people about his mustangs. So, yay for flipping hate around and getting back in the saddle, again.

Now he works with the Bureau of Land Management and helps find homes for America’s wild mustangs. Y’all – yes, I was in a barn so I can say y’all now – might know Mike from Pizza Barn in Accord. It was replaced for quite a while with 30 Minutes of Everything … well, except pizza. His pizza was made from all natural, organic ingredients and was delicious. Now, his mustangs are all natural, organic and simply amazing. It’s sort of funny that Mike went from a barn to a barn. I guess that is his life path. I mean, talk about doing something great! I feel good when I get to work on time. Mike must feel good every day when he rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes these amazing animals.

If you’re interested in stopping by, Black Crow Mustangs is located on 211 Springtown Road in New Paltz. His website is www.blackcrowmustangs. He has information on all the beautiful horses, how to adopt, purchase gear and tack, or you can donate and help Mike continue his good work.

BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 27

Holiday treats from around the world We are well accustomed to the sugar cookies and the Christmas hams that permeate the holiday menus here in America these days. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the odder delicacies that have historically existed during the holidays, and even to take a peek at some that still do exist.

According to littlethings.com, in medieval times, the wealthy would roast peacock or turn it into a pie. In Greenland they Wally Nichols served up hundreds of little birds inside a hollowed-out seal. In an age when there wasn’t a lot of other fun things to do, which is to say the 18th and 19th century, a Twelfth Night cake was served up as a dessert, and it had a bean and a pea baked in. Whoever found the bean was

deemed king for the night, and whoever found the pea was deemed queen for the night. Some cultures made a vegetable and tuna gelatin that survived all the way into the 1960s!

Goose pie was also a favorite and it contained rabbit, turkey and duck. The Norwegian masses feasted on sheep’s head, and it is now considered a delicacy. South Africans would prepare and eat emperor-moth caterpillars that would be fried to a crisp during the holidays. Jellied confetti chicken from the 1950s contained veggies, mayo, chicken and lemon juice and was topped with a heavy cream, and the whole brick looked like a dead bird. The Norwegians come up again on the list of holiday ick with a dried codfish drenched in a lye solution for several days then baked, fried and soaked. And finally, a Christmas tree made out of shrimp, plucked from the ’70s, and I can almost imagine the holiday party with everyone smoking cigarettes and dropping their car keys into a bowl.

Currently, and less disgusting if I may editorialize, hol-

iday treats from around the world include the (le?) Buche de Noel (or yule log), which is a sugary explosion of cocoa powder, eggs, sugar and vanilla and decorated with icing sugar and fruit.

Christmas in Russia is celebrated Jan. 7 in accordance with the Orthodox Julian calendar. Shuba is a holiday favorite, and it’s also known as “herring under a red coat.”

Far from France’s sugar bomb, the main ingredients are pickled herring, hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise and grated carrots, beets, potatoes and onions.

In Ethiopia, Yebot Wot is a very popular holiday dish. This lamb stew is a supplemented with tomatoes, garlic, butter and a traditional Berber spice mix.

In Peru, spiced hot chocolate is a holiday favorite and gets its kick from cinnamon, chili powder, cloves and nutmeg and is served with cake.

Horoscopes

GEMINI: 5/21 to 6/20: Mercury, your ruling planet, is positioned with Venus and the Sun in your 8th solar house of making viable change while Mars is retrograde in your 1st solar house. This planetary picture has you in the position of not knowing where you are, or what you want.

The new Moon in Capricorn suggests you may desire a different career that will bring greater satisfaction.

Mars retrograde is positioned in your 8th solar house of change while Pluto is positioned with the personal planets in the 3rd of communication. This is not the season for serious consideration of either choice – making it wise to delay any major decision until after the New Year.

Put a fork in it

As we approach this holiday season Mars, our planet of action, continues to upset plans haphazardly with its retrograde motion for another month while our planet of communication, Mercury, turns retrograde on the 29th for its three weeks of missed mail, missed appointments and poor purchases. And all this at the busiest time of the year. The personal planets are joined by Pluto at the Midheaven in the sign of Capricorn – placing us in the center of the multitude of projects that make the holidays so special and time critical. The new Moon on the 23rd also falls in the sign of Capricorn, adding more stress as we try to please and satisfy all on our list.

Your Zodiac

ARIES: 3/21 to 4/19: Mars, your ruling planet, continues in the 3rd solar house of Gemini Joanne with its focus on communication.

However, its retrograde motion Ferdman may cause you to misread the signals given you by close friends and family – only to be compounded when Mercury also turns backward. The new Moon on the 29th will make you aware of a better choice. Will it be “too little, too late”?

TAURUS: 4/20 to 5/20: Venus, your ruling planet, is positioned with the Sun and Mercury in your 9th solar house of education and information. Uranus, positioned in your 1st solar house, is in poor aspect to Saturn in your house of career and shows little help finding interesting prospects for new work. This is especially true while Mars continues its retrograde motion. However, the new Moon may offer an alternative.

CANCER: 6/21 to 7/22: The new Moon in Capricorn falls in your 7th solar house of partnerships, the perfect place to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends.

You will be involved with the mishaps of the two retrograde planets, Mercury and Mars, but the togetherness with family will feel great. And better still – the memories of a special time.

LEO: 7/21 to 8/22: The Sun, your ruling planet, is positioned with both Mercury and Venus in your 6th solar house of daily work and health. Retrograde Mars is positioned in your 11th solar house of income from career, creating an uncertain income caused by unexpected events. The new Moon in Capricorn may help you stabilize your work environment and make it easier to stabilize your income.

VIRGO: 8/23 to 9/22: Mercury, your ruling planet, is on the cusp of your 6th solar house of daily work and health. Saturn is also in the 6th house and in good aspect to Mars. You may be feeling not quite up to par, but your workload is completed and ready for holiday festivities.

With the new Moon in Capricorn on the 23rd your energy will return as you face the New Year.

LIBRA: 9/23 to 10/22: Venus, your ruling planet, is positioned with Mercury and the Sun on the cusp of the 5th solar house of children and creativity. It is also in good aspect to retrograde Mars. If you have travel plans for the holidays you arrive safely without scars. The new Moon on the 23rd will find you celebrating the holidays with family and friends.

SCORPIO: 10/23 to 11/22: Mars and Pluto, your two ruling planets, continue in poor aspect to each other.

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This list goes on and on, of course. Whether it’s sugar cookies or sheep heads, happy holidays and bon appetit.

SAGITTARIUS: 11/23 to 12/21: Jupiter, your ruling planet, is positioned with Neptune in Pisces on the cusp of the 5th solar house of children and creativity. The personal planets and Pluto are positioned in the 2nd solar house of income. This may result in the primary quest to increase your income – especially due to the needs of this season – whereas creativity and children mean long-term satisfaction. Try not to lose sight of one for the other.

CAPRICORN: 12/22 to 1/20: The planetary picture for your sign shows little sign of movement. The personal planets remain in the 1st solar house with Pluto also in attendance, while your ruling planet, Saturn, rests in your 2nd house of money. However, we also find home and family require attention – they need some creativity in the program. Will it be a short vacation or something else equally special?

AQUARIUS: 1/21 to 2/19: Uranus, your ruler, continues in the sign of Taurus in the 4th solar house of home and family. Is it possible your family members are each going their separate ways this year? Their plans may change unexpectedly – retrograde Mars getting ready to change circumstances for the season. Your personal planets are positioned in the 12th house with no control over where or how you celebrate the holiday season.

PISCES: 2/20 to 3/20: Neptune, your ruling planet, remains conjunct Jupiter on the cusp of your 2nd solar house. The personal planets are positioned in your 11th solar house of earned income, suggesting you may well be working this holiday. “Oh well!! I'm used to it. That's my income.” Vacation time will arrive later in the new year.

Joanne is available for private/personized consultations at 561-744-9962. Treat yourself – learn what to expect from the current transits and receive an overview of your longterm goals.

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Page 28, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press

FOR THE FAMILY ‘Movies With Spirit’ at Rondout Valley UMC on Saturday This Saturday's movie is "Joyeux Noel" ("Merry Christmas"), based on the actual events of Christmas 1914 and the unofficial "Christmas truce" between the warring soldiers in the trenches of the Western Front.

The film will be screened at 7 p.m. at RVUMC, on the corner of Route 209 and Schoonmaker Lane, Stone Ridge. There is no charge, but donations are much appreciated. The Movies With Spirit series, organized by Gerry Harrington of Kingston, seeks to stimulate people's sense of joy and wonder, inspire love and compassion, evoke a deepened understanding of people's integral connection with others and with life itself, and support individual cultures, faith paths and beliefs while simultaneously transcending them. The films are screened in diverse houses of worship and reverence across Ulster and Dutchess counties at 7 p.m. on the third Saturday every month. The series has no religious affiliation. Screenings are followed by a discussion.

High Falls Civic Association Menorah Lighting for Hanukkah Join the community, 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, on the Green, 2nd Street, Sue Paterson Way, High Falls, to light up the hamlet for the lighting of the Menorah for the first night of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, at 4 p.m. The High Falls Civic Association has been creating community since 1938. To become a member and/or more information on this and other events, email highfallscivicassociation@gmail.com or visit the High Falls Civic Association on Facebook.

Winter Soulstice Community Gathering Join the community and gather at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale, to honor the turning of the wheel of the year. Come eat, sing, dance and celebrate. This will be an open mic so bring songs, poems and solstice stories. Make a dish to share, label it with ingredients, and have a plate and cutlery. The tavern will be open for drink sales. Admission is by donation. For more information, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call 845-6588989.

Bring in the light at Lifebridge Sanctuary in Rosendale The Lifebridge Foundation invites the community to their 18th Annual Solstice Celebration, 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Lifebridge Sanctuary, 333 Mountain Road, Rosendale. Bring in the light with community reflection, meditation, music and conversation. Experience the Peace Candle 2000 Lighting Ceremony, Global Silent Minute, and the reception that follows.

The Mission of Lifebridge Foundation is to promote the concept of the interconnectedness of all life and One Humanity.

All are welcome to this free event. For more information, visit lifebridge.org or call 845-658-3439.

Ellenville Regional Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop Pre-Holiday Sale Shop local and support the hospital, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 22 and 23, with 20% off everything at the Ellenville Regional Hospital Gift Shop, 10 Healthy Way, Ellenville. For more information, visit erhny.org or call 845-6476400.

Christmas Eve hike to Echo Rock at Minnewaska Join Nick Martin, park educator, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, for a 4-mile Christmas Eve hike to the scenic vista of Echo Rock. Leaving from the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson, the group will walk only on historic carriage roads during this recreational program.

Meet at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center. Preregistration is required by calling the Visitor Center at 845-2550752.

Rosendale/Tillson Post 1219 Christmas Day Dinner The Community Christmas Day Dinner, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, at the Rosendale/Tillson American Legion Post 1219, 794 Springtown Road, Tillson, is open to everyone and free of charge.

Call/text Sue at 845-853-9052 with the name and how many people will be coming to dinner. A limited number of deliveries in the Town of Rosendale will also be available for shut-ins. To donate dishes of food, make a monetary donation or volunteer, call Debbie at 845-5143812.

Torn paper collage, a ‘crafternoon’ program for kids, at the Rosendale Li-

.

Youth and recreation assistant director Jess Phelan and rec director Jill McLean hang out with Santa Claus.

Marbletown lights up!

Community invited to ‘Light Up Marbletown’ with parade and illumination The Light Up Marbletown parade will be held Saturday, Dec. 17, with a rain date of Sunday, Dec. 18. Lineup for the parade will be at 5:30 p.m. at Marbletown Park, with a 6 p.m. start.

The route will go up Tongore Road to Atwood Road to Pine Bush Road to Schoonmaker Lane to Route 209 and end at the Stone Ridge Firehouse.

Awards will be given out for best decorated parade vehicle, theme, and holiday music can add to an award-winning float.

The parade will coincide with residents displaying their luminaries at 4:30 p.m. Luminary packets will be available on the back porch of the Marbletown Community Center, 3564 Main St., Stone Ridge, with the first packet free, and any additional packets at $5.

brary Register at rosendalelibrary.org or call 845-658-9013 for this crafty handson event for kids, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, at the Rosendale Library, 264 Main St., Rosendale.

Warm up by saving lives Give the gift that requires no bow. The holiday season is here, a lifesaving blood donation is urgently needed. Donate blood, 2:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, in the social hall at the Rosendale Community Center, 1055 Route 32, Rosendale. As a thankyou, all blood donors will be entered into a drawing to win a year's supply of Mrs. Fields cookies. Visit donate.nybc.org or call 800.933.2566 to make an appointment.

‘Lumagica,’ a spectacular holiday light experience, at Stone Ridge Orchard Stone Ridge Orchard, a 200-year-old historic working farm on 115 acres in Stone Ridge, transforms into a frosty Winter Garden as the dazzling “Lumagica” holiday light trail makes its debut.

Guests will be treated to a spectacular light show, timed to music and featuring over a half-million lights including shooting stars, giant whimsical creatures and breathtaking surprises. The “Lumagica” light experience will immerse guests in visual storytelling through five different magical spaces, Deep Freeze, Tales of Time, Garden of Color, Nature on the Pond and The Shooting Stars. More than 500,000 LED lights illuminate sculptures, holiday decorations and tunnels, creating a holiday event for both young and old. To get into the spirit, visitors

All lit up at last year's popular event. [file photo]

For more information, email youthandrec@marbletown.net or call 845-6787-7500.

can grab a warm drink and an illuminated wand on their way in to begin the trail.

At the end of the walk, participants can enjoy the warmth of the fire pits, plus hot food, cider doughnuts, and seasonal drinks available for purchase. “Lumagica” runs 3:30-9 p.m. daily through Jan. 3, at the Orchard, 3012 Route 213, Stone Ridge. Admission ranges in price according to age, with children under 3 free, and adults starting at $28 and up.

For more information and/or purchase tickets, visit stoneridgeorchard.com or https://tinyurl.com/lumagica-sr.

Marbletown Seniors meetings The Seniors hold their meetings at the Marbletown Community Center, 3564 Main St., across from Key Bank in Stone Ridge, at noon on the first Friday, Jan. 6 (bring a dish to share or drop $3 in the basket on the food table), and at 1 p.m. on the third Friday, Jan. 20 (bring a dessert to share or drop $2 in the basket on the dessert table), each month. All trips leave from, and return to, Marbletown Reformed Church, 3750 Main St./Route 209, Stone Ridge, across from the post office. Call Sharon Letus, trip chairperson, at 845687-9162 for information.

ARTS, MUSIC, BODY & MIND Sonic Tonic Winter Solstice Sound Immersion tonight Join Thomas Workman, Katie Down, Peter Blum and Ev Mann in this “horizontal” concert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at the Kiva, behind MaMA,

3588 Main St., Stone Ridge. Be bathed in a multitude of euphonious sounds, Himalayan singing bowls, gongs, crystal bowls, monolinas, hand pans, drums, rattles, flutes, shruti box, digeridoo, tamboura, vocals and more. Donation is $25 at the door. For more information, visit cometomama.org or call 845-853-5154.

Local author Cait Johnson book reading and signing, ‘Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging’ This event will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Rosendale Library, 264 Main St., Rosendale.

“Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging” is a wise and playful guide to aging with a sense of magic and spirit, presided over by four loving, feisty old witches, one for each season: Root Witch in her cave by the roots, Winged Witch in her treehouse, Merwitch by the seaside bonfire, and Kitchen Witch in her river cottage.

Every season is filled with wild wisdom, rich with simple formulas and recipes, inspiring rituals, playful activities, fun quizzes, meaningful meditations, and much, much more, empowering women to embrace their elder years with curiosity and verve. For more information, visit caitjohnson.com, rosendalelibrary.org or call 845-658-9013.

Sounding Soulstice hosted by Onome Breathe, move and sing at this “Soulstice” edition of Sounding, 3 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Kiva, at Marbletown Multi-Arts Center, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge. Admission is $27. For more information, visit cometomama.org or call 845-853-5154.

Death Café group discussion via Zoom; free & open to all Circle of Friends for the Dying’s Death Café is a group-directed conversation with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counseling session; it is free and open to everyone.

Death Cafés are held on the 18th of each month, with the next discussion 10-11:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, via Zoom, discussing different types of losses, death, relationship, empty nest, environmental, retirement, job loss, move, illness, loss of function – any of these that can bring a sense of loss of identity. For more information and registration, visit cfdhv.org.

Writers’ group with Cathy Arra Two separate writers’ groups meet 4-6:30 p.m. on alternate Mondays at the Stone Ridge Library in the activity room, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge, with a maximum of 10 participants in each group. The program is designed for those who are actively writing and publishing work and who want to participate in a structured, critical feedback process. Cathy Arra, a poet, writer and former teacher of English and writing in the Rondout Valley School District, facilitates the groups. The next meeting for Group 2 on Dec.19. Email carra22@aol.com.

Conversational French with Claudine Brenner A native French speaker, born in Paris and raised in Europe, Claudine Brenner chose Stone Ridge as her place to retire following a 30-year government career abroad. Culture, medicine, travels and anything/everything culinary are favorite subjects that she would love to share and exchange with others, speaking in French. The program she is offering via Zoom is held 1-2 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month, with the next conversation hour on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Visit stoneridgelibrary.org or call 845-687-7023 to sign up.

Mystery book group discusses ‘Death at the Chateau Bremont’ by M.L. Longworth The group will meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, in the activity room at the Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge, to discuss “Death at the Chateau Bremont” by M.L. Longworth. Set in charming and historic Aix-en-Provence, France, the book introduces readers to Antoine Verlaque, the handsome and seductive chief magistrate of Aix, and his on-again, offagain love interest, law professor Marine Bonnet. When local nobleman Etienne de Bremont falls to his death from the family château, the town is abuzz with rumors. Verlaque suspects foul play and must turn to Bonnet for help when he discovers that she had been a close friend of the Bremonts. To join the group, email Sarah Robertson, programs manager, at sarah@stoneridgelibrary.org.

Scenic winter hike around Lake Minnewaska and along Beacon Hill Join Laura Conner, environmental educator,

See More events, page 29

BlueStone Press, December 16, 2022, Page 29 Events continued from page 28 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, for an approximately 3-mile hike along the Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, Beacon Hill Footpath and Beacon Hill Carriage Road. The carriage roads are relatively easy walking; however, the footpath does include some hills and tricky footing. If conditions are icy, participants are encouraged to bring Micro Spikes or other ice traction devices. Meet at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson. Call 845-255-0752 to preregister.

Stone Ridge Library presents Spanish conversations with Francisco and Varcia via Zoom ¿Hablas español? To brush up on Spanish conversation skills and meet other language lovers in a friendly and stress-free environment with facilitators Francisco Rivera and Varcia Venetzanos, join the class on Zoom, 1-2 p.m. every fourth Tuesday of the month, with the next session on Dec. 27. All levels are welcomed. ¡Hasta entonces!

Rivera was born and raised in Spanish Harlem in NYC and is a long-term resident of Marbletown. Venetzanos, also of Marbletown, is a native New Yorker. She is also a fluent speaker of Greek, which was her first language. Sign up at the SRL online calendar at stoneridgelibrary. org or call 845-687-7023.

Enjoy the season with the Rosendale Library Walking Club Meet at Rest Plaus Road, just South of Route 209 and north of Lucas Turnpike, 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, for the Rosendale Library Walking Club. For more information, visit rosendalelibrary.org or call 845-6589013.

Marbletown’s Mira Fink watercolor and acrylic paintings solo show Come to Mira Fink’s exhibition of paintings, upstairs at The Bakery, 13A North Front St., New Paltz. Visitors are asked to wear a mask, as the space is small. The show will run through Dec. 30. The Bakery is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. For more information, visit mirafink.com.

Tree portraits by Cottekill painter Kristin Flynn, at the Stone Ridge Library “Joy for me is being outside in the woods where trees are constant friends,” said Cottekill painter Kristin Flynn, whose tree portraits are featured through Dec. 31 at the Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge, in the activity room of the library. “My tree portraits strive, respectfully, to document their beauty and honor their lives. I play with color, at times contrasting and changing, to add focus and emotion to a composition.” Flynn holds a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design, an A.A.S. in textiles from Rochester Institute of Technology, and she studied painting at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon. Currently she is an adjunct associate professor at SUNY Ulster in the fashion design program she created.

For more information, visit stoneridgelibrary.org or call 845-687-7023.

New Year’s Eve Journey Dance Let go and bring in with dance through a variety of musical styles and prompts on a journey of physical and emotional transformation, 3:30-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Kiva, at Marbletown MultiArts Center, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge.

Blend freestyle and structured movement to inspire dance from the inside out. Admission is $15-$20 by sliding scale. Register at sandplay555@gmail. com, call 845-242-7580, visit clearmindarts.com or simply arrive.

First day hike at Minnewaska, frozen waters Join Laura Conner, environmental educator, 1-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, and hike to the bridge across the Mossy Glen Footpath, where the group will observe the icy cascades of the winter stream. When conditions are cold enough, a volcano-like structure of ice forms beneath the waterfall of Awosting Falls. Although the walking is mostly flat, surfaces may be very icy, so participants are encouraged to bring Micro Spikes or other ice traction devices and to dress appropriately for the cold. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18. Meet at the lower parking lot. Preregistration is required by calling the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 845-255-0752.

See More events, page 30

High Falls Food Co-Op Holiday Open House

Fishbowl is Bob Wallner, Harvey Boyer, Nicole Ryan, Chris Milletari and Sevan Melikyan.

Fishbowl at the High Falls Cafe The High Falls Café, at 12 Stone Dock Road will present the dance band Fishbowl in their annual Ugly Sweater show, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the café. Prizes will be given to those wearing the most “outrageously distinctive” holiday sweaters. Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jim Pospisil will

perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, and Breakaway with vocalist Robin Baker will help ring in the New Year with a blowout party, beginning 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31. Table seating is limited and can be reserved by calling the café at 845- 687-2699.

For information, visit highfallscafe.com.

Join the community at the Co-op, located on the corner of Route 213 and Lucas Turnpike, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, for a Holiday Open House. The Co-op will be serving hot spiced cider, eggnog and cookies to shoppers, members and friends.

Pick up some holiday recipe ideas, see what’s on sale, check out their holiday-themed crafting kits for kids, beautiful beeswax candles, lovely housewares and organic candy selections.

Enjoy some small-town holiday cheer as part of the High Falls Conservancy’s Countdown to Christmas festivities for High Falls. And see what great products are available for sampling that day.

For more information, visit highfallsfoodcoop.com or call 845-687-7262.

Participants in the Christmas Bird Count spend the day listening, looking for and counting birds. Pictured here is a cedar waxwing bird.

Soul Purpose at the Falcon, 2017, (left to right) Robert “Cue” Gerhards, guitar and vocals; Sara Espinosa, lead vocals; Dr. Lori Morris, alto, tenor and soprano; Rich De Crosta, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals and percussion; Francis Ralston, bass; Jerry Teters, drums, percussion and vocals; and James Prosser on keyboards and piano.

New Year’s Eve Celebration with Soul Purpose and celebrations from around the world Join the community to ring in 2023, beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale. The celebration will feature festivities from around the world on the big screen, a photo booth for the memories and dress to impress, live music and dancing with Soul Purpose starting at 9 p.m., traditional New

Year’s Eve rituals from other countries, fun New Year’s Eve party favors, and a sparkly toast and a sweet snack at midnight. Uncle Tony’s Tavern will be open with lite bites and beverages for sale.

For more information, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call 845-658-8989.

Drumming in the New Year, a multi-generational drum circle

New Year’s Dinner and Dance at the Ashokan Center

Calling all ages! Gather and drum in a vision of peace for 2023, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale. Drummer Fre Atlast will guide the rhythmic journey of songs and chants of peace from multiple cultures and traditions. Bring drums and percussion instruments.

Some drums will be available. Dancers and chanters are encouraged to attend.

This is an event for the whole family and beyond. This is a safe space to play for all levels. Admission is by donation.

For more information, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call 845-658-8989.

Come ring in the New Year at Ashokan and enjoy great live dance music, a sumptuous spread of late-night snacks, and a friendly, fun-loving crowd, with music by Jay & Molly with Swingology, Rose and the Bros, the Russet Trio, caller John Krumm and Casey Carr, and much more! A limited number of reservations are still available for New Year’s Eve dinner and a sing-along before the dance.

Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Ashokan Center, 477 Beaverkill Road, Olivebridge. Dinner is followed by the sing-along; dancing in two dance halls, 8 p.m.-1 a.m.; and a bountiful snack table plus a cash bar featuring local beers and wines and coffee, tea, lemonade all night long, 11 p.m.-1 a.m. For info, visit ashokancenter.org or call 845-657-8333.

MinnewaskaShawangunk Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a bird census, first proposed in December 1900 by ornithologist Frank Chapman as an alternative to the Christmas “Side Hunt,” a popular 19th-century sport that caused a decline in bird populations. Participants of the “Side Hunt” would form teams and whichever team killed the most birds won the hunt. The first CBC was held on Dec. 25, 1900, with 27 participants. The CBC is the oldest citizen science project in the United States, with this being its 123rd year. Participants in the CBC spend the day listening, looking for and counting birds within a predetermined area.

Taking place between Dec.14 and Jan. 5, the 5th annual NYMS (Minnewaska-Shawangunk) Christmas Bird Count circle will be joining the thousands of other circles in North America, Central America, South America, the Pacific and Caribbean, in this winter tradition. On Saturday, Dec. 31, interested parties will be searching a 15-mile diameter circle for birds, which includes most of Minnewaska State Park Preserve. Field teams should be prepared for a full day outdoors. Residents with bird feeders in the Minnewaska-Shawangunk CBC circle may also participate by counting birds at their feeders. To participate in counting birds at home for the CBC, the feeder must be within the limits of the count circle. See a map of the circle at https://arcg.is/1bqrPK0.

Contact Nicholas Martin at nicholas. martin@parks.ny.gov or 845-255-0752 no later than Dec. 27 for an assignment or to learn how to report an at-home bird feeder count.

Page 30, December 16, 2022, BlueStone Press Events continued from page 29

ONGOING LISTINGS SahasraYoga in-person and Zoom classes with Kyra Sahasrabudhe at RidgeWell Fitness All levels and abilities are welcome to join these in-person hatha yoga classes taught by Kyra Sahasrabudhe (CYT) of Stone Ridge, 10-11:15 a.m. Mondays and 9-10:15 a.m.

Wednesdays, at RidgeWell Fitness, 3555 Main St., Stone Ridge; and in the virtual (Zoom) class 5-6:15 p.m. Tuesdays. Props and modifications are offered in class allowing students to make each pose/ asana their own. For cost and all info, email sahasrayoga21@gmail.com or call 845-750-7808.

Scrabble meet-up every Tuesday at the Rosendale Library Join the community, 1 p.m. every Tuesday, at the Rosendale Library, 264 Main St., Rosendale. To register for the group, visit rosendalelibrary.org or call 845-658-9013 In-person story times at Little Ones Learning Center in Accord Little Ones Learning Center, a free early-literacy program for ages 0-6 located in the Rochester Reformed Church, 5142 Route 209, Accord, continues its in-person story times, 10 a.m.-noon each Wednesday and Saturday. Enjoy stories, crafts and lots of fun. For more information, call Little Ones Learning Center at 845626-4112 or Mary Lee, LLC treasurer, at 845-626-7249.

Stone Ridge Library Knitting Group The Stone Ridge Library Knitters meet 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays in the activity room at Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge. All ages and experience levels can join, and drop-in knitters are also welcome. Bring your own supplies, do as much as wanted, and ask for help or advice if needed. Donations of yarn to the library get made into items for sale at the Library Fair and during the winter holidays for the benefit of the library.

Some group members also knit things for local hospitals or for U.S. troops. For more information, visit stoneridgelibrary. org or call 845-687-7023.

Every Saturday, Nia, Empowering, joyful and inspiring This cardio movement practice blends dance, martial arts with mindfulness, and is held, 11 a.m.-noon Saturdays, at the Kiva, at Marbletown Multi-Arts Center, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge. Freestyle and structured choreography mingle with eclectic world music moves the body and frees the mind. The class is led by Therapeutic Recreation and Certified Nia and Yoga Instructor Jayne Mielo. Admission is $15-$20 sliding scale. Email jaynemielo@gmail.com for more information and to register.

Every Monday, Tuesday and Saturday at the Redwing Blackbird Theater in Rosendale Join the community at the Redwing Blackbird Theater, 413 Main St., Rosendale, 3-5 p.m. Saturdays for the Punch Opera Hand Puppet Show, workshops and museum tours; 5-7 p.m.

Mondays for open workshops to create, paint and prepare puppets and signage for events; and 5-7 Tuesdays for group rehearsal for upcoming gigs. The group is always looking for people to join for shows, parades and marches. For more information, visit redwingblackbirdtheater.com or call 845-658-7651.

Stone Ridge Farmers & Makers Market Join the community and meet local farmers and makers, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays, May-December, rain or shine, at Stone Ridge Orchard, 3012 Route 213, Stone Ridge. The weekly event features justpicked fruit and vegetables, local meats, fresh baked goods, apple cider, hard cider, and a celebration of maker-made specialty foods and products. Local vendors include 1857 Spirits Barber’s Farm Distillery, Bonticou Ducks, Breezy Hill Orchard, Cooper’s Daughter Spirits at Olde York Farm, Faithfully Yours Atelier, Hepworth Farm, Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, Kingston Bread and Bar, Knoll Krest Farm, Lilly Bear Treats, Meat Things, Momemade Dog Treats, Namai, Ram’s Valley, Ritual Powders, Stone Ridge Orchard, Terra & Twine, the Ardent Homesteader, Tree Juice Maple Syrup and Marvin Gardens. Come and make a day of it, meeting the alpacas, having a picnic under the big apple tree. Enjoy pizza and locally sourced fare by the Stone Ridge Orchard chef or have a drink at the farm bar. For more information, visit srfmm.com or call 845-687-2587.

23rd annual dinner theater performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’ Everyone has seen Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the Ghosts of Christmas from a theater seat. This season, why not dine with them? Kick off the Christmas holiday season with song, laughter and nostalgia as actors and carolers bring scenes from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to life. Adapted from Dickens’ classic, the script was written by Rosendale residents Frank and Kristen Marquette. This is the 23rd season of the Marquettes’ interactive dinner theater version of “A Christmas Carol.”

The Venue, at the Best Western in Kingston, will present this unique dinner show, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21. The event will include Victorian carolers at tableside before the show and during the dinner break.

The performance will be preceded by a reception where guests will meet Ebenezer Scrooge, the Ghosts of Christmas, the Cratchit family including Tiny Tim, and

Frank Marquette as Charles Dickens, the narrator of “A Christmas Carol”

Nephew Fred.

Tickets can be secured by visiting murdercafe.net or by calling 845-475-7973.

Music with the Teri Roiger 4tet and more at Lydia’s Café Enjoy live music 7-10 p.m. Saturday nights at Lydia’s Café, 7 Old Route 209, Stone Ridge. Upcoming performances include Jimmy Madison & Friends with legendary drummer Jimmy Madison; Tim Regusis, keyboard; and Tarik Shaw, bass, on Dec. 17, and the Teri Roiger 4tet performs, 7-10 p.m. and DJ Roiger Mark from 10 p.m.-midnight on Dec. 31, New Year's Eve. Artwork by Fran Sutherland is on display, with proceeds from sales going to Doctors Without Borders Ukraine. For more information, call 845-687-6373 or visit lydias-cafe.com.

Hanukkah at the Kerhonkson Synagogue Celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with a communal candle lighting, 6 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Kerhonkson Synagogue, 26 Minnewaska Trail, Kerhonkson. Bring a menorah to light and a dessert to share. Join the community and

light the candles together, eat delicious potato lakes, and enjoy the delights of the dessert buffet. For more information, email kerhonksonsynagogue@gmail.com or visit kerhonksonsynagogue.org.

Sky Lake Meditation Retreat Practicing mindfulness together invites steadiness and stability, a settled confident openness to the personal and societal struggles of daily life. This annual holiday meditation, Dec. 27-Jan. 2, at Sky Lake, 22 Hillcrest Lane, Rosendale, provides an intensive opportunity to fully immerse oneself in five days of mindfulness-awareness practice. In addition to daily meditation practice, participants hear talks, have lively group conversations about

practice and meditation in action, engage in embodiment practices, and meet with experienced meditation teachers. Join for a day or the week of meditation, retreat and renewal – in person, in house and online. This program is open to all levels of meditation experience. Limited scholarships are available.

For more information, registration and applications, visit skylake.shambhala.org under programs.

Ghidorah, the three-headed monster, battles Godzilla.

Creature Features presents ‘All Day Dinosaurs’ Big trouble for puny humans when “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) at 3 p.m., “The Giant Behemoth” (1959) at 5:30 p.m., and “Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster” (1964) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, are screened at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale.

In “Kong: Skull Island,” a team of scientists, explorers and soldiers arrive on an uncharted island where prehistoric animal life dominates, and Kong is King! Their scientific journey soon becomes a matter of survival as they battle to escape from a world where death is around every corner.

With “The Giant Behemoth,” It’s

London’s turn as an enormous, radiation-spewing dinosaur “Behemoth” storms and stomps through the city on its way to its original spawning grounds.

With visual effects by Willis O’Brien (“King Kong,” “Son of Kong” and “Mighty Joe Young”), “The Giant Behemoth” would be England’s first entry into “Dinosaur on the Loose” territory and would give us our first look at London menaced by an atomic monster dinosaur!

And “Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster” exploded onto movie screens in 1964 with three lightning-spewing heads destroying everything in its path. Can Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan come together long enough to outbattle the unstoppable Ghidorah?

Admission to each of the films is $10 general, $6 for members and those in costume.

For info, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call 845-658-8989.

“The Polar Express” is one of those Christmas movies one can't help but love.

‘Polar Express’ and ‘Santa Doesn’t Need Your Help’ and caroling, a free family event Doors open at 12:30 p.m. for this festive afternoon beginning with a holiday sing-along at 1 p.m., a short film, “Santa Doesn’t Need Your Help” at 1:15 p.m., and the featured film, “Polar Express” at 1:25 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale.

“Santa Doesn’t Need Your Help” (based on a book of the same title) is an award-winning short film that’s delighted audiences of all ages. When a K-Pop band shows up to “save Christmas,” it’s the last straw! So Santa must prove to the world that he can still do his job. What follows is a laugh-out-loud adventure about refusing help. Will Saint Nick discover the true meaning of Christmas? Or will he ruin everyone’s holiday because he’s too stubborn to admit when he’s wrong? Author-director Kevin Maher (local resident and Rosendale Theatre volunteer) will be selling and signing copies of the book on which the film was based in the lobby.

“The Polar Express” (also based on a book) features human characters animated using live action and motion-capture CGI animation. It tells the story of a young boy who, on Christmas Eve, sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole stop outside his window and is invited aboard by its conductor. The boy joins several other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas. The film stars Tom Hanks, also one of the film's executive producers, in multiple distinct roles, with Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett and Eddie Deezen in supporting roles. For more information, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call 845-658-8989.

Find what you’re looking for

Page 31 Instruction

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Sell it now! $15.00 for the first 20 words. ($.25 for each additional word) All classified ads must be paid for by the end of Tuesday before our Friday issue date. The newspaper is printed on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month.

Billing privileges are extended to display advertising clients and accounts placed for six months or more.

Our mailing address is PO Box 149, Stone Ridge, NY 12484.

Please call 687-4480 for more information.

We take credit cards!

Winter’s coming!

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Fall / Spring Clean Ups. Discount rates.

845-893-5644 Dependable Rides For Seniors Retired social worker and overall mensch will transport you safely and respectfully to all daily errands and appointments ~and wait with you~ Affordable Rates Ira @914.466-9505 Rose Hill Antiques 5066 Route 209 in Accord, ten miles south of Kingston or ten miles north of Ellenville.

Open Saturday and Sunday, 11am5pm. 1500 square feet of Art Deco, Vintage Art Pottery, country and formal furniture, selections of 19th and 20th century lighting, vintage photos, and decorative accessories.

Something for everyone. rosehillantiques.com 845-594-5752. BUYING antiques and used furniture Down to Earth Landscaping Koi Ponds, Patios and Decks, Yard Maintenance, Tree Trimming Fence Installation and Repair and Snow Removal FULLY INSURED Ben Watson 845-389-3028 BluestoneExperts.com yy www.fb.com/downtoearthny

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9 until Dusk...... through the New Year... XOX

December 16, 2022

TOWN OF MARBLETOWN Rondout Municipal Center 1925 Lucas Avenue, Cottekill marbletown.net 845-687-7500 Town Board December 20 @ 6:00pm Zonging Board of Appeals December 21 @ 6:00pm Housing Committee December 27 @ 7:00pm Town Board January 3 @ 6:00pm Planning Board January 9 @ 6:00pm CPAB Meeting January 10 @ 5:00pm

TOWN OF ROSENDALE All meetings held at Rondout Municipal Center unless otherwise noted, 1915 Lucas Avenue, Cottekill townofrosendale.com 845-658-3159 Zoning Board of Appeals December 20 @ 7:00pm Economic Development December 21 @ 5:30pm Police Commission December 27 @ 3:30pm Youth Commission January 2 @ 7:00pm Town Board Workshop January 4 @ 7:00pm Town Board Meeting January 11 @ 6:00pm Environmental Commission January 12 @ 6:30pm

TOWN OF ROCHESTER All meetings held at Harold Lipton Community Center unless otherwise noted 15 Tobacco Road, Accord townofrochester.ny.gov 845-626-7384 Historic Preservation December 19 @ 2:00pm Recreation Commission December 21 @ 9:30am Environmental Conservation December 27 @ 6:00pm Town Board Audit December 29 @ 6:00pm Town Board Meeting January 5 @ 6:30pm

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RONDOUT VALLEY CSD BOARD OF EDUCATION District Office, Kyserike Rd, Accord BOE MEETING January 10 @ 7-9pm BOE MEETING February 7 @ 7-9pm

BSP classified ads start at $15! email: bspmartha@gmail.com or call BSP at 845-687-4480

BOE MEETING February 21 @ 7-9pm Confirmation of meeting times through individual town offices is recommended.

Page 32, December 16, 2022BlueStone Press

Water Testing & Treatment for over 25 years

James Lyman Reynolds architect 3555 Main St, Stone Ridge Iron, Hardness, Sulphur, Bacteria - UV Treatment, pH - Green Staining

845.687.9161 4303 US Route 209 | Stone Ridge, New York 12484

jameslymanreynolds.com

(845) 687-0420 • aquacheckllc@gmail.com

Custom Showers • Ceramic & Stone Tile Stone Veneers • Full Bath Build-Outs • Insured

845-687-4745

Accessories -- Sales Accessories Sales--Installations Installations Cars --Trucks Trucks -- RVs Cars RVs -- Boats Boats OVER 45 www.davescarcare.com YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE VALLEY

THE MAD HATTER .

CHIMNEY SWEEP CO INC

Flynn O’Connor

COMPLETE AUTOMOTIVE DETAILING

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Call

SPRING CLEANING

Matthew Flamhaft 845-687-9735 www.visitvortex.com/Matthew_Flamhaft

Wayne W. St. Hill, DDS, MAGD

SPECIAL APRIL/MAY/JUNE

MEMBER NATIONAL CHIMNEY SWEEP GUILD

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Medenbach & Eggers

Stone RiDGe DentiStRy

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212 Fair Street Kingston, NY 12401 P: (845) 331-3600 F: (845) 334-9465

4305 uS Highway 209 • Stone ridge, ny 12484 PHonE (845) 687-0047 • Fax (845) 687-4783

www.gagnoncpa.com

info@mecels.com • www.mecels.com

PC Perfection

Edgar P. Campbell Joanne C. Whalen

Helping Human Beings Cope with Computers since 1986

Counsellors At Law

Tutoring, Sales, Repair, Cleaning

Taking Care of Your Legal Needs!

Alan Silverman

• Wills • Real Estate • Elder Law • Estates

(845) 687-9458

Injured? Call us

(914) 948-7700 (845) 687-0353 3536 Rt. 209 Stone Ridge, NY 12484

All Types of Roofing Fully Insured

alan.silverman.computers@gmail.com http://alan-silverman-computers.com

Sanitall

Stone Ridge Insurance

HudSon Valley Green CleanerS

Serving All of Your Insurance Needs

Steam Vapor Sanitizing SerVice ChemiCal Free!!!

100% Green Cleaning testing and removal of

Emergency Well Pump Service Plumbing Repairs & Installation Water Filtration Systems Radiant Heat Flooring Oil & Gas Heating Systems-Installation & Service Septic & Drain Field Installation/Sump Pump Installation

Licensed Master Plumber #136 • Fully Insured riceplumbingandheating@gmail.com • riceplumbingandheating.com

Donald J. Giamei, Agent donaldgiamei@hotmail.com

mold. allergens. deep Cleaning.

Michele Aversano, Licensed Associate michelesri@outlook.com

Reconstruction/Remodeling Post Construction & Seasonal Clean Up

PO Box 341, 3669 Main Street, Stone Ridge Phone 845-687-2828 | Fax 845-687-2829 stoneridgeinsurance.net | Like us on

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Commercial & Residential. Insurance Claims Accepted.

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All Motor CArs Creating thoughtful, livable spaces.

sales & service

ltD

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