BlueStone Press

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

Published the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month | Vol. 28, Issue 3

February 3, 2023 | $1.00

Rosendale Library’s information sessions become listening sessions Thomas Childers BSP Reporter The Rosendale Library will hold three listening sessions – at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, and at both 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 20. The sessions are in place

of what were public information sessions on the library’s now-canceled planned purchase and move to the Belltower building on Main Street. Library director Katie Scott-Childress said, “Anyone can attend, however we ask that you provide your address so that we know if you are a

resident of Rosendale.”

The Thursday session is already showing as full on the Rosendale Library website.

Scott-Childress said, “We are turning to the community to learn what they envision for their public library.” The

library plans to take what they have learned at these listening sessions and be “responsive to the community’s needs … the listening sessions may not be limited to just these three sessions,” according to

See Library, page 5

Reserve seats now for Rondout’s production of ‘Mamma Mia’

1830s Federal house, one piece at a time PAGE 11

Cast of “Mamma Mia” rehearsing choreography

See the full story by reporter Jeff Slater on this issue's BSP Neighbor's Page

Schoonmaker to play field hockey at University of New Haven PAGE 12

Turning 5? Parents, sign them up for Rondout schools PAGE 6

Rondout Valley High School will present the musical “Mamma Mia,” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24 and 25, and 2 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 26, in the school’s auditorium, at 122 Kyserike Road, Accord.

Set on a small Greek island, Sophie, played by RVHS’s Sadie Heagney, dreams

of a perfect wedding, one which includes her father giving her away. The only problem is that Sophie doesn’t know who he is. Her mother refuses to talk about the past, so Sophie decides to take matters into her own hands. Sneaking a peek in her mother’s old diaries, she discovers three possible fathers and secretly invites all three to the wedding, convinced that she’ll know her father when she sees him.

When all three turn up, it is not as clear as she thought!

Come enjoy music and lyrics by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and ABBA's songwriter Stig Anderson. Tickets, $15 for adults and $10 for students/seniors, can be purchased ahead of time by calling 845-687-2400, ext.

4103, or emailing hsmusical@rondout. k12.ny.us.

New market planning to open Ann Belmont BSP Reporter Residents of the Woodstock area are probably familiar with the Harana Market on Wittenberg Road, "an Asian market serving homestyle Filipino food." Eva Tringali and Kris Mauricio, co-owners of the market, went in front of the Town of Rochester Planning Board on Jan. 9 to discuss their application for a new Harana Market in Accord. They have purchased property at 5125 Route 209 and intend to repurpose the grey barn-style building on site as a market/cafe with offerings similar to their Woodstock store (which they plan to close), with indoor seating for up to 40 people.

“We’re not making many changes to

See New market, page 9

5125 Route 209, Accord. Photo courtesy of Coldwell Banker

Page 2, February July 1, 2022, 3, 2023, BlueStone BlueStone Press Press

Flourishing transplant You’ve made the area your home since 2016. What brought you here?

We raised our two kids in Chatham, New Jersey, about an hour from the city but also on the edge of horse country. Our daughter, Emma, got the horse bug and general love of animals at a young age. We spent years coming up to the area to watch her compete in horse shows at HITS in Saugerties. During this time, we gained a familiarity with the general area spending our free time around Saugerties, and Visit the folks Woodstock Kingston. When next door our youngest, Paul was going off to college we decided we wanted to move closer to the city and find a place in the Hudson Valley to be able to enjoy all the area has to offer. We love hiking, biking, skiing and the Hudson Valley’s incredibly diverse population.

On our first trip to Stone Ridge, we met with Laurel Sweeney at Nutshell Realty and immediately developed a bond. The first home she showed us was the one we purchased. It was initially going to be a weekend home, but it soon felt more like our primary home, and I made the switch to living upstate full time.

Q&A

Tell us about your family and your background.

I grew up in the Midwest, in Minnesota and Kansas. My grandfather was a wheat farmer in Kansas. Maybe this is why I felt an immediate connection to our farmhouse (circa 1800) in Accord. We moved to Berlin, Germany, for several years before moving back to the States to Indiana.

While in Berlin, I was able to travel around Europe. Some of my most memorable trips were to Norway and Hungary. Living in Berlin during the Cold War and experiencing the wall as a child still impacts who I am and how I view the world.

Erika McCord Brown Age: 'Older than I once was but younger than I’ll be' (Paul Simon) Profession: Developer/designer Town: Accord

I graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in communication studies. While at Northwestern, I met my husband, Tim, and we’ve been together ever since. We raised our two kids in New Jersey. Our daughter is a software engineer living in Brooklyn, and our son is pursuing his PhD in chemistry at Columbia. It’s great to have them both in the area, and they come upstate on a regular basis.

Tell us about your past work experiences.

Soon after college, I started in advertising, where I produced commercials.

I was working freelance with two very talented directors in Chicago. I started as a production assistant and worked my way up to production manager and producer. I would travel for weeks to places like Moab, Utah, filming on location for a variety of clients, and island hopping in

the Caribbean filming cruise line commercials. Among other things, this was the first time I had ever been in a helicopter for some terrifying shots of the Grand Canyon. I don’t ever need to repeat that.

I had the great pleasure of working with some incredibly talented stylists and art directors. I learned how to take simple 2-D storyboards and bring them to life. We moved to New York just as I started raising a family so location work was much more difficult. I signed on with a special-effects studio doing work for HBO, Nickelodeon and various television stations. We moved to the New Jersey suburbs, and when my second child was born I stopped commuting to the city and redirected my efforts toward working in development and event planning. This allowed me to be closer to home and my kids.

What are you doing currently and why are you passionate about it?

After moving upstate full-time I started working with Amanda Rehbein Studio out of New York as a project manager and stylist. She gave me the push to start my own company, Bone Hollow Studio. We are a boutique, woman-owned development company. In conjunction with Jeromy Wells of Hudson Valley Homes & Renovations, I’m designing and developing homes in the Stone Ridge area. I purchased about 20 acres in May of 2021.

We’ve built two homes thus far – one was sold in May of last year, the other went on the market in January 2023.

What do you see in your future?

We are currently in the process of finishing a third home and have the plans completed for two more after that. My goal is to create a fusion of architecture, landscape and interior design, with the environment taking the lead. I love creating unique homes that reflect a deeply personal connection to the land. My hope is to be able to share this connection with others, one custom home at a time.

--Compiled by Jeff Slater, BSP Reporter

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Publisher Lori Childers Editor Gregory Childers Assistant Publisher Thomas Childers Copy Editor Linda Fite Office Manager Martha Brittell Graphic Artist Jan Melchoir Reporters Ann Belmont Anne Craig Pyburn Emily Reina Dindial Amber Kelly Chelsea Miller Michelle Vitner Jeffrey Slater Brooke Stelzer Calendar of Events Editor Donna Cohn Viertel

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BSP Corrections The article titled "Reactions to 'incident' in municipal lot" in the Jan. 20 issue of the BSP stated the location of the incident as the Town of Rochester municipal parking lot near Veterans Park, off Scenic Road in Accord. The incident referred to in that article actually took place in the municipal lot located behind the Accord firehouse.

In the story titled “Marbletown raises exemption for seniors,” printed on Jan. 20, an error was made in a quote by Laura Cunningham. The quote reads, “They

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say well we won’t count Social Security and pensions”; in fact, those amounts are counted toward a senior’s income when calculating for the exemption. Additionally the town supervisor misstated the income limit amounts during the town meeting.

Please see the story in this edition for an updated explanation on the town’s senior exemption program and proposed exemption amounts for 2023. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 7.

BlueStone Press apologizes for the errors.

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BlueStone Press, February 3, 2023, Page 3

Contractor storage areas subject of proposed zoning amendment Ann Belmont BSP Reporter The Rochester Town Board met for a public hearing on Jan. 26 on proposed local law DD, entitled "Contractor Storage Yards," which are defined in the law as following: "Contractor Storage Yard – a parcel or a portion of a parcel used for the storage of tools, equipment, materials, vehicles, containerized debris, and other raw materials ancillary to work being performed off-site, for someone other than the contractor, by a contractor engaged in such work. This definition of a contractor storage yard excludes private landowners and their personal equipment for noncommercial use on private property; and entities solely engaged in agricultural activities."

The main points of the proposal are: "Storage of building materials, supplies, parts, etc., shall be indoors unless otherwise permitted by the Planning Board.

Storage yards, equipment and vehicles shall not be located within 100 feet of any property line.

"Storage yard equipment and vehicles related to the contractor's business shall be parked in the rear of the property or be screened from adjacent properties and the public right-of-way.

"Not more than 15% of the total lot area or 1 acre, whichever may be less, may be used for the stockpiling of material used by the contractor for a storage yard.

"No more than 4 vehicles propelled by their own power (i.e., not including trailers) with a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or more shall be stored outdoors at a contractor’s storage yard, unless mitigating measures are authorized by the Planning Board at Site Plan approval."

The only public comment at the hearing came from Zorian Pinsky, who is a member of the Planning Board. He suggested that, for clarity, the wording of the law be changed from "storage yard" to "storage area." He also pointed out that it might be hard to for someone to determine how much their vehicles weigh. On a personal level, Pinsky complained that "the manager of a religious camp" down the road from his house "owns a construction company in New Jersey. He brings old equipment that's about to die" and leaves it at the camp. "I've been living here eight years; every year there is more."

Pinsky also thought that the law should deal with issues that might arise around noise and flammable materials.

The public hearing was held open until a date to be determined, and Pinsky's comments were noted.

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Page 4, February 3, 2023, BlueStone Press

New leadership at Marbletown Planning Board considering driveway inspections Amber Kelly BSP Reporter The Jan. 23 Planning Board meeting at the Rondout Municipal Center had a full quorum with Max Stratton, chairman, secretary Shawn Marks, town attorney Tracey Kellogg, board members Harry Hansen, Dave Cobb, Dan Proctor, Scott Boyd, Sharon Klein, Brendan Masterson, Jim Economos, and alternate Ilan Bachrach.

Stratton has served on the Planning Board as member, vice chairmn, and now chair. Prior to that, he served on the ZBA for several years.

Brendan Masterson is a new board member and has been an alternate on the ZBA for three years and is commissioner of public works for Ulster County.

Jim Economos has joined the Planning Board and is president of Stone River Gear, which supplies promotional products.

“First on agenda,” Stratton said, “the Ulster County Bank expansion … we don’t have anything new except a response from the Ulster County Planning Board. We do have Nadine (Carney of Peak Engineering) here representing.”

Carney said that they are hoping to have building plans from an architecture firm within the next few weeks.

Klein asked if there were any plans to reduce the parking area. Carney said no.

Hansen said, “One of the comments the county made was that they were hoping maybe you’d just designate some [space] but put it in reserve for later.”

Briefs Woman perishes in High Falls fire As reported in the Kingston Daily Freeman, Jone G. Miller Schoen, 80, died as the result of a fire at her home on Mossy Brook Road. The 911 call went out in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 22, and the High Falls Fire Department and other Ulster County fire companies responded to reports of a fire fully involving the house.

Miller Schoen’s husband, Steven, survived the fire.

No further details have been forthcoming. There was no comment from local emergency responder departments, which referred all questions to the state police, who, citing ongoing investigations, also would not provide information before press time for this issue.

Mohonk Preserve February volunteer orientations and trainings As spring approaches, it’s time for volunteer orientation and training at Mohonk Preserve. New volunteers are welcome and needed in all activities. Orientations will take place at the Preserve or by Zoom.

This month’s volunteer group and trainings include: Peregrine Watch, 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, via Zoom, and Phenology, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, via Zoom, and Phenology Field Training, in person at Testimonial Gateway, mandatory for new volunteers, 1-2:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25.

Jim Economos of Stone River Gear is welcomed as a new member of the Planning Board. Photo by Amber Kelly

“Later? As in phase 2?” Carney asked.

“On an as-needed basis?” Hansen said, “Yes.” A new application from Laura Sullivan of 424 Tongore Way, Kingston, seeks to eliminate an unnecessary right of way and combine two parcels into one. Several property owners prior to Sullivan had planned to put in a road, so had created a right of way but never built the road. There is no nonconformance by this – it is dissolve and combine. The board accepted the application, opened Type II SEQRA, and accepted the designation.

Regarding the MC Atwood minor subdivision 4606 Atwood Road, Stone Ridge, the board accepted the application as written,

the only condition being that the driveway must be inspected to get the CO (certificate of occupancy).

A new application from Peter and Stacy Sindt of 226 Van Wagenen Lane, Kingston, and Peter and Jennifer Buffet of 176 Hidden Valley Road, Kingston, was accepted and opened. It is basically to convey 1.2 acres from one parcel to another parcel.

Proctor asked, “Where are you going to put the house?”

Peter Sindt said, “As far back as I can. It is going to be about a 1,000-foot driveway from Ashokan Road.”

“This is just before it dips down into Hidden Valley, right?” Stratton asked.

“Headed down, just on the slope. My

Check the website at mohonkpreserve. org/volunteer for descriptions and requirements for all volunteer activities and a link to register online.

To get involved but not available to attend a scheduled orientation, contact Andy Reynolds, volunteer programs manager, at volunteers@mohonkpreserve. org or 845-255-0919, ext. 1269. In case of inclement weather, call the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center at 845-255-0919 for status of trainings.

ambulance service is crucial for the health and safety of our community. I thank the leadership of the Wawarsing Town Board, whose investments in EMS will produce outsized and dramatic returns that make our community a much safer place to live."

The Kerhonkson-Accord First Aid Squad is a not-for-profit organization that has been serving the community for over 50 years.

This past year, the squad received increased subsidies from the towns of Rochester and Wawarsing to defray the increasing costs of providing community ambulance service, as well as to secure more modern medical equipment. One recent acquisition by the squad with town subsidies, a mechanical CPR device, was credited with a saved life shortly before the new year.

The squad responded to 838 calls for service last year and is actively recruiting volunteers. The squad will provide professional-level training, and no prior experience is necessary. Those interested in volunteering should contact Captain Tara McCarthy at 845-645-7282.

Wawarsing solidifies partnership with KAFAS The Town of Wawarsing has officially signed a contract with the Kerhonkson-Accord First Aid Squad. This solidifies the squad's role as the primary ambulance service for the Kerhonkson portion of the Town of Wawarsing, and for backup ambulance service throughout the entire Town of Wawarsing when Ellenville's squad is treating other patients. The squad serves portions of the Town of Rochester and Town of Wawarsing, and previously received a contract from the Town of Rochester.

According to squad president David Linscott, the partnership between the squad and the Town of Wawarsing is vital for ensuring the safety and well-being of the community. "We are extremely grateful to supervisor Terry Houck and the entire Wawarsing Town Board for their leadership and dedication to the safety of our community," said Linscott. "This contract ensures that our neighbors will continue to receive the highest level of emergency medical care when they need it most."

Squad advisory board chair Charles Nerko emphasized the importance of investing in community ambulance services, stating, "Having a reliable and local

Women’s Club of Rosendale Scholarships The Women's Club of Rosendale will once again sponsor two scholarships for students residing in the Town of Rosendale. Rosendale students graduating from high school this June and planning to attend a two- or four-year college should obtain a scholarship application from the guidance department at Rondout Valley High School. Call Lynn Wells at 845-6872400, ext. 4213, or email lwells@rondout. k12.ny.us. Applications are also available at the Rosendale Library, at 264 Main St., Rosendale, and on the library’s web site, rosendalelibrary.org.

A second scholarship is available to Town of Rosendale residents graduating from SUNY Ulster this spring and planning to continue their education at a four-year

property originally went to Hidden Valley frontage, and I traded that with Pete,” Sindt said.

The resolution was approved.

Last up was the proposed 10-room hotel at 4321 Route 209. A $300,000 bond has been done. A hook-up was added in the pond for fire trucks. The plan is to break ground in March, with projected opening in 2024. The application was accepted as written.

Marks said, “To piggyback onto what Dave and I have been talking about with the fire coding with a private driveway, there is a degree of vagueness in there. It basically just states that it shall be able to support the load of the fire apparatus. So often when someone puts in a driveway, we don’t even get a phone call until they are waiting for a building permit. Then we have to go out and kind of play detective and figure out what was the genesis of the driveway, how did you build it, did you take photos, do you have something to prove to us. You can look at a driveway and not know what is underneath it.”

“Going forward, for any subdivision, we are going to need to see what the makeup of the road is going to be,” Stratton said.

“We are going to need to be requiring inspections to just make sure that things are done properly. I think maybe as a board what we might want to do is draft up some of our ideas and put something together to make recommendations to the Town Board. Constantly improving – that’s what we are shooting for.”

Peregrine watch volunteers at Mohonk Preserve. Photo by Karen Maloy Brady

college or university. Applications for this scholarship should be submitted through the Ulster Community College Foundation Inc. Visit sunyulster.edu/foundation for

Marbletown Democrats to hold endorsement meeting via Zoom A special virtual meeting by the Marbletown Democrats Committee to consider appointment of interim officers following the death of Carolyn Hansen, chairperson, and also replacement interim members of the committee, will be held via Zoom 7-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6.

Also being discussed will be the endorsement of Democrat candidates at the municipal level in 2023 elections. This early February special meeting is necessary to meet the timetable expected from the Ulster County Board of Elections. All interested voters are encouraged to attend and to participate. The meeting ID is 833 3981 7158.

For further information, contact John Harrington, vice chair, Marbletown Democrats, at john.p.harrington15@gmail.com.

BlueStone Press, February 3, 2023, Page 5

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Library from page 1 Scott-Childress.

When asked if the Rosendale Library’s legal counsel informed them that a public vote was not necessary, Scott-Childress said, “There are legal gray areas and we do not have to share that information.” She recommends a close reading of the special district legislation that establishes the Rosendale Library.

In the special district legislation, a bond issue needs a public vote. However, it does not say that a loan application such as the low-interest USDA loan requires a public vote. As reported last month in the BlueStone Press, Scott-Childress said, “Normally a library – if they are doing a capital

BlueStonePress.net project and need to get a bond – will have a special election, a referendum, and the public will vote on it. It’s likely that will happen in this situation too.” Scott-Childress said in our interview that “the board of trustees are elected and we are accountable to the community.”

When asked on Feb. 1, why the Rosendale Library board of trustees decided not to move forward with the purchase of the Belltower, Scott-Childress said, “The lack of a letter of support from the town board, making the USDA low-interest loan unavailable, and the divisiveness and misunderstandings that happened out of the gate on social media and [signs]in people’s yards impacted the library's decision. We want the library to be a place where we bring the community together and be an expression of what the community wants.”

When asked if there is any possibility

of the Belltower move still happening if enough support is generated, Scott- Childress said, “A real-estate sale is different than a municipal project that can take years. We are dealing with a person who is selling the property for a limited time, and it was time to fish or cut bait.”

Scott-Childress said, “We are dissuaded and back to square-one at listening mode.” They are listening for solutions to the problems that board member Lauren Miller referred to last month in the BlueStone Press: “As a mother of a young child, I am wracked with guilt over the fact that I, a library board member, take my child to neighboring libraries that can provide a much more comfortable and safe environment for young children. My Rosendale and Tillson friends with young children do the same. However, while the benefits of a larger, improved library are, in our opin-

ion, innumerable, I am not attempting to convince those who do not frequent or do not believe in the value of the library. I am simply providing you with what drives us, maximum value, minimum burden.”

When asked about how the library puts its mission into action, Scott-Childress said, “There are lots of programs where people are meeting each other and people are working together and want to learn …

The library is a manifestation of the aspirations of a community. Books used to be enough, now that is only part of the goal to help the community learn new things … The library has a writing accountability group where people are working together to hold each other accountable to meet their writing goals … Everything at the library is free, and it is one of the last free indoor spaces.”

Find it on bluestonepress.net

Page 6, February 3, 2023, BlueStone Press

Briefs

DEI – teaching kids to be kind and respectful at Rondout Amber Kelly BSP Reporter

The RVSD kindergarten registration and screening program will begin soon for all children who will turn 5 on or before Dec. 1, 2023. Universal pre-K applications will be available on March 1 for both the 3-year-old and 4-year-old pre-K programs.

Rondout kindergarten and pre-K registration The Rondout Valley School District kindergarten registration and screening program will begin soon for all children who will turn 5 on or before Dec. 1, 2023.

For a child who will be eligible to enter kindergarten in September, visit https:// bit.ly/3CUxOrE to provide the child’s information no later than March 25. Once this form is submitted, a full registration packet will be sent out. Upon completion, the school will contact the parent or guardian to schedule the child’s kindergarten screening. For assistance or more information, contact Kerhonkson Elementary School at 845-626-2451, or Marbletown Elementary School at 845-687-0284.

In addition, universal pre-K applications will be available on March 1 for both the 3-year-old and 4-year-old pre-K programs. To be eligible for the programs, children must be either 3 or 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2023, and a resident of the Rondout Valley School District. Applications can be printed from Rondout’s website, rondout. k12.ny.us, or picked up at the District Office beginning on March 1. Applications must be received by noon Friday, April 28.

The lottery for pre-K spots will take place in May. For more information, call 845-6872400, ext. 2401, or email dgottstine@ rondout.k12.ny.us.

At the Jan. 24 meeting of the Rondout Valley Board of Education, held in the district office, Chris Schoonmaker, board vice president, gave an overview of a newly formed committee.

“We actually had our second DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) meeting tonight just prior to this meeting, learning again about all the great things we are doing from an inclusivity perspective,” Schoonmaker said.

“Tonight, we ended up hearing about the ‘no place for hate’ program that is being held in the elementary schools. The purpose of this is empowering students and challenging bias. Really the focus is getting kids to learn how to be kind and respectful of others, recognizing diversity.

“There’re four phases of this program.

The first is to form a committee. They call these peace ambassadors, and the individuals that are a part of this sign a pledge, basically a ‘no place for hate’ promise.

“I’m doing a climate survey to gather a kind of baseline of where we are for bullying and all that within the schools, and then implement activities. Those activities are student driven, so the committee comes up with all these cool activities, and they get their peers involved. Their peers will see what is happening with the concept of rolling out, essentially, the anti-bias, ‘no place for hate’ type of concepts.

“Some cool things about this promise that the kids sign is ‘to do my best to treat everyone fairly, do my best to be kind’ – I’m paraphrasing here – to tell a teacher if they see bullying, that their goal is to make everyone safe and happy,” Schoonmaker said.

“Some of these activities that the kids have come up with is … some have created song lyrics, and music all tied to the general curriculum. They created a play, and I believe the name of the play is ‘Body Image and Name Calling.’

“Then teachers and counselors will take the next step and take students and discuss the themes of the play. It is truly a

student-driven learning exercise. They did a flash mob earlier this year outside of the school, and they created a big peace sign with all the students standing.

“In our first meeting we received an update on what they are doing in the middle school and the junior high, which is also an anti-bullying curriculum. It is not this exact one, but they are doing very similar approaches,” Schoonmaker continued.

“We didn’t have any community member participation in the meeting, so we have asked Meg Braren to come up with a way of getting more participation in this meeting, whether we are doing some kind of Zoom or whether we are YouTube live streaming, we want to be transparent with the community on all the good work we are doing.

“DEI is not a scary concept. I think just making a visual for everyone in the community to see that the stuff we are doing is normal, just teaching kids to be kind and respectful. It’s really not about anything more than that.”

Rosendale's new board member gets sworn in on Feb. 1 Ashley Sweeney was sworn in as town councilmember for Rosendale. This follows Ernest S. Klepeis's resignation after four years of service on the Rosendale Town Board. Sweeney was appointed to the position, with her term ending on Dec. 31, 2023. Sweeney said, "I am excited to be embarking on this new journey with the Town of Rosendale as a councilmember.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Rosendale and look forward to the year ahead of me."

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On the right is newly appointed Ashley Sweeney and on the left is the Rosendale Town Clerk Mandy Donald.

BlueStone Press, February 3, 2023, Page 7

Board could 'potentially change' senior exemption amounts after public input

The Rosendale Street Festival is a family-friendly, not-for-profit grassroots organization that was started in 1978 to showcase local talent and to celebrate the birthday of Rosendale icon Uncle Willy.

Today, the Rosendale Street Fest continues this tradition and has evolved into a two-day event that closes Main Street and boasts six stages, more than 70 bands,

over 100 of the best vendors in the Hudson Valley, a dance party, kids crafts and short films. This year’s festival is slated to take place Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16.

Street Fest is an entirely volunteer-run event, and proceeds go to supporting the Kingston, New Paltz and Rondout Valley school district music departments.

Community members are always welcome to join the committee. Planning meetings are held live at the Rosendale Theatre or on Mountain Stage in Willow Kiln Park and also on Zoom. There are also a variety of volunteer opportunities available during the two-day event, and volunteers are always needed. For a schedule and more information about

volunteering, email Dana at rsf.volunteering@gmail.com.

In February, the music committee will begin to accept submissions from artists who want to perform, and the vendor committee will start to sign up vendors.

A logo contest will also be launched in February, as the committee is looking to freshen up the festival logo.

“The festival exists because of the amazing committee, the musicians who volunteer their time and talent, and our sponsors,” said co-chair Carrie Wykoff.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the festival can reach out to rsf.sponsor@ gmail.com.

Stone Press.

Laura Cunningham, a Marbletown resident, stood to speak at the Jan. 17 board meeting and said, “I’m very glad that you’re addressing this because it’s been a matter of concern to a lot of people. I think it’s no secret that we have a lot of low-income seniors in our town, and there also are self-employed people in the arts and I feel they’re also suffering, and they’re old.”

She said this week that she was disappointed in the exemption amount the town board is considering and the amount the Rondout School District passed, "Seniors in Marbletown are getting a raw deal on tax exemptions,” she said.

“These laws already exist, we are just increasing the limits,” Parete said.

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and potentially change the considered changed amounts after public input on Feb. 7.

“If board members want to increase them, we can amend after the public hearing,” Parete said on Jan. 26.

Similarly, the board will have a separate hearing on Resolution 17, which increases the income limits for a disabled person with limited income. The disabled exception rates have historically been the same as the senior exemption rate amounts.

Parete added, “Rondout [Valley School District] gives 50% exemption at $24,000 and under. Marbletown is considerably higher.”

A story on the school district’s senior exemption was printed in the Jan. 20 Blue-

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At the Jan. 17 the Marbletown Town Board meeting members passed a resolution to set a public hearing relative to the senior citizen tax exemption for 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Rondout Municipal Center. An opportunity to be heard will be given to the public. Town supervisor Rich Parete said, “I will ask Jeremy [Baracca, town assessor] if he can come to the meeting to answer questions.”

“That would be great, and we can get a sense for how much it’s increased,” said councilman Tim Hunt.

Councilman Ken Davenport added, “How many people does this affect? I don’t know what I’m voting on.”

“We can ask Jeremy,” said Parete, “He can pull these numbers for us. He can tell us … We are bound by state law to do this.”

During the Jan. 17 meeting, Parete misstated the tax exemption numbers.

The current exemption is 50% for under $29,000 in income, and the sliding scale goes to $37,399.99 for 5%.

There are currently 105 Marbletown residents getting the senior tax exemption.

In an email, after the meeting on Jan. 26, Parete said the town is considering 50% exemption at income of $37,000 and working on a sliding scale from there to 5% at $44,500, which would be effective on July 1, 2023.

The town has the ability to legally raise the exemption level to $50,000 in income.

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Memoriam Constance Halstead Bartle

STONE RIDGE—Constance "Connie" Halstead Bartle passed away on Jan. 12, 2023. She was born Jan. 1, 1930, in Maybrook, the daughter of L. Kenneth and Martha Brown Halstead. Connie graduated from Maybrook High School as the salutatorian of the Class of 1947. On Aug. 11, 1951, Connie married Julian "Joe" Bartle in Maybrook. Connie and Joe moved to Stone Ridge (known as "High Ridge" at that time) in 1961 with their children. Connie was a member of the Christ the King Episcopal Church, Bartle where she was actively involved in the church community. She was a lover of reading and books, was a den mother for the Cub Scouts, and co-chaired the Stone Ridge Library Fair in the 1960s.

Connie was an avid golfer and a member of the women's league at Stone Dock Golf Course in High Falls. She was a member of the N.Y. State Grange of Accord. Connie worked as a bookkeeper for Agway in Accord and as a teaching and office assistant at Marbletown Elementary School. Connie was predeceased by her parents, her sister, Dolores Aiello, her husband, Joe, her son, Mark Bartle, and her daughter-in-law, Julie. Connie is survived by her children, Gary Bartle and his wife, Deborah, of Midlothian, Virginia, April Bartle Longto of Stone Ridge, and Julie Bartle Martin and her husband, Brian, of Stone Ridge; her grandchildren, Kristen Gray, Kenna Bartle, Victoria Beaulieu, Paris Martin and Liam Martin; and her great-grandchildren, Abigail, Ryan, Kinsley, Jaxon and Paisley.

Visiting hours were held Jan. 23 at Humiston Funeral Home, Kerhonkson. A Mass was held Jan. 24 at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Stone Ridge. Burial followed in Wallkill Valley Cemetery, Walden. Memorial contributions can be made in Connie's name to the charity of your choice. Condolences may be left for Connie’s family by visiting www.humistonfuneralhome.com.

Kristine A. Carlson

STONE RIDGE—Kristine A. Carlson of Kingston passed away on Jan. 19, 2023, at home, after a courageous, almost two-year long battle with cancer. She was 62. She was born on March 12, 1960, in Bronxville to the late John and Vivian (Fedde) Carlson. Kris received a nursing degree from Ulster County Community College and worked in the nursing profession from 1993 to 2021.

She enjoyed watercolor painting, photography, close friends and her rescue cats. She was active in the Morning Carlson Star Christian Fellowship. She is survived by two brothers, Bruce (Nancy) Carlson of Arizona and Craig (Susan) Carlson of Colorado, and a cousin, Eric (Patricia) Fedde of Stone Ridge, two nieces, two nephews, and many close friends. There will be a memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Morning Star Morning Star Christian Fellowship at 83 E. Chester St., Kingston. Kris asked for memorial donations to be sent to Hudson Valley Hospice or the Morning Star Christian Fellowship in Kingston. To leave a personal condolence, visit www.GJMoylanFuneralHome.com.

Dorothy Parker-Marrone

KINGSTON—On Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, Dorothy Parker-Marrone went home to be with the Lord. With her race finished she leaves behind her daughter, Bridgette Parker; granddaughter, Jordan Elizabeth Parker, two brothers, Charles Josten and John Josten, and many nieces and nephews. She was a strong woman both in character and her faith.

She was truly loved by so many of her friends and church family. This world has lost a wonderful woman of God a Parker-Marrone bright light as He called her home so unexpectedly. But while we cry for a moment at our loss let's remember Dot and what she would say. Be happy, celebrate that she's no longer suffering and she is home with Jesus and all her family who has gone before – her parents, Esther (Pearl) and William Josten, her sisters Jane Williams and Margaret Josten, but most important the love of her life, Salvatore Marrone. She would always say one day closer.

So today we are one day closer to home, one day closer to our Lord, and one day closer to seeing her beautiful smile once again. With her love and faith she made a difference in the lives of so many. So we will soon have a celebration of her life.

Devout physician with a lifelong commitment to serve Kenneth Gerald Johnson, M.D

HIGH FALLS—Kenneth Gerald Johnson, M.D., 97, a cardiologist, U.S. Navy veteran, and innovative champion of bringing the benefits of modern medicine to the edges of American society, passed away at his residence in High Falls on Jan. 28, 2023. Dr. Johnson’s distinguished career bridged the worlds of academic medicine and public health. He was a clinical professor of cardiology at Yale; director of medicine and epidemiology at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Japan, a U.S. government-funded agency overseeing the medical needs of survivors of the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their families; associate professor of medicine at Cornell-New York Medical College, where he was director of epidemiological research; and a full professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School where he established the Department of Community Medicine, serving as its first chair.

Devoutly Catholic with a strong ecumenical spirit, Dr. Johnson’s practice of medicine was guided throughout his professional life by his deep moral principles. He participated in the development of the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program that soon became the Faith in Action movement, a national organization of social and medical communities of all faiths that spread to all fifty States and U.S. Territories. As a senior consultant to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (no family connection), he designed and oversaw two major well-funded national programs, one relating to perinatal care in underprivileged areas, particularly in several western states such as Oklahoma, the other to elder care for underserved seniors. Dr. Johnson also played a formative role in the creation of a cooperative fellowship program for training physicians and physician assistants from the Mid-Hudson Family Health Institute and Dermatology Services of Kingston. In recent decades he has been a friend and supporter of the Woodcrest Bruderhof Community of Rifton, taking a special interest in the development of scholarship programs at The Mount, the Community’s high school in Esopus (formerly Mount St. Alphonsus Academy).

Born on Feb. 12, 1925, in Brooklyn, Dr. Johnson was the third son of William Johnson and Mary McPartland Johnson. As a youth, he worked at the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Opera while attending Xaverian High School. Upon graduating at age 16 in 1942 he set out to earn a college degree before turning 18 and answering his country’s call. What made this goal attainable was single-minded determination, a keen logistical sense, and sufficient time to study during lengthy subway rides. He enrolled in three institutions: New York University, Fordham and Manhattan College, the last of which granted him a bachelor’s degree in 1944 shortly before his 18th birthday. He duly presented himself to the Draft Board at Grand Central Station, was selected for the Navy, and served on the USS Boston, which saw action during the Battle of Okinawa. Discharged from the Navy in 1946, he began his medical studies at Long Island College of Medicine, and after receiving his degree he completed his residency requirement, combined with a fellowship in internal medicine and cardiology, at Yale University Medical School.

No adequate account of Dr. Kenneth Johnson’s life can ignore the presence in his life of Marie-Louise Tully, whom he met at the Newman Center at the Long Island College of Medicine when he was in his third year and she in her first. They were married

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on June 10, 1950, and moved to New Haven, where Marie-Louise earned a Ph.D. in microbiology before enrolling in Yale Medical School. For nearly 77 years, the Drs. Johnson were a couple whose friendships were all joint friendships, their sense of mission and commitment was shared equally, their journeys were made together, whether to Japan, Ecuador or Rome to revisit old friends, or to the Bahamas where they assisted at a vaccination clinic run by a missionary to whom they were devoted. Indeed, the Johnsons loved to travel, and the medical care they gave to individuals at home or abroad always had a pastoral character. From their permanent bond they drew unending strength. In Rome, the Drs. Johnson took a special interest in the members of a professional group newly formed in Germany, the Catholic Integrated Community, to which they provided mentorship and financial support. During their three years in Japan decades earlier they had forged a lifelong attachment to the members of the Jesuit community, one of whom, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, was called to Rome to become the Superior General of the Society of Jesus and remained their close friend until his death. Pope John Paul II awarded the couple the Papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in 1994 for distinguished service to the Catholic Church. Dr. Marie-Louise Johnson died at their home early last June.

Dr. Johnson is survived by his brothers-in-law, William D. Tully, of Rutherford, New Jersey, and Robert E. Tully of Salisbury Mills; sisters-in-law, Eileen Conway Tully of Albany, Jeannine Ryan Tully of High Falls, and Anne Harrick Tully of Salisbury Mills. He was predeceased by his brothers, William, James, and Joseph Johnson, sisters-in-law Dolores, Rena and Madeline Johnson, and nieces Diane Robertson, Cherilyn Nicholson and Jamie Lynaugh, and by his brothers-inlaw, James H. Tully Jr. and Martin F. Tully, and sisterin-law Judith Sheehan Tully.

There will be no calling hours at the George J. Moylan Funeral Home in Rosendale. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Peter’s Church, Rosendale, at 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 7, followed by United States Navy and American Legion Post 1219 Military Honors and Final Blessing at St. Peter’s Cemetery, Rosendale. Memorial donations may be made to St. Peter’s Church, P.O. Box 471, Rosendale, NY 12401.

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BlueStone Press, February 3, 2023, Page 9

Community morns loss of Jone Miller Jone Miller

HIGH FALLS—Friends, neighbors and members of the Hudson Valley art and social justice communities are mourning the loss of Jone Miller. At the age of 80, her earthly life ended on Jan. 22, 2023, in an unspeakably tragic fire that destroyed the home she shared with her husband, Steven Schoen, since 1973.

Jone was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Sept.

14, 1942, to Goldie Senderwitz and Earl Miller. Though she was small in stature, her passion to inspire, defend, nourish and heal as many lives as possible was unstoppable. Jone dedicated her life to service, searching out the underdogs and the injured, the people our culture often tries to hide away. She worked in psychiatric centers and prisons, with indigenous women and children on reservations in South Dakota, and with teenagers lost in the shadows of city streets. To all of them she offered her love and support.

She also lovingly cared for her mother for 15 years while Goldie’s Alzheimer’s disease slowly progressed.

Jone was a graduate from Emerson College and The New School. She used her master’s degree in drama therapy and her skills as a writer and artist to help empower people and shine a light of hope on their lives, both for their own inner journeys and for the world to see as well. She made invisible lives visible again.

Jone was also a Holocaust historian and documen-

New market from page 1 the exterior of the building,” explained the architect for the site, Michael Lockwood.

Tringali added, “We’re not really adding and expanding” the space, but returning it to its former use as a food service business (it was a pizza restaurant in the early 2000s). Board member Rick Jones pointed out that since then the building has been used as a gym and yoga studio, and the zoning code for food service businesses has changed since the time it was a pizza place. Requirements for restaurants have changed.

Tringali said that they won't technically be running a restaurant. She believed that legally Harana Market can have up to 40 seats for “takeout,” which, she clarified, is a definition that is dependent on “how the food is packaged.” In effect, if customers are eating from takeout containers, then it’s takeout food, even if they are eating at the cafe.

There was also a discussion about the definition of "commercial events." Tringali and Mauricio’s current application does not provide for any commercial events such as weddings on site. Board mem-

tarian, dedicating much of her research on the horrors of Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. And while she never shied away from looking into the darkest experiences in our human histories, she was, in fact, always vibrant and emotive, dressing in every shade of purple and decorating her long dark hair with colorful wraps and beads. Her favorite mantra was “Happy New Day!”

ber Marc Grasso gave them some more specifics: Selling tickets and having cover charges are markers of commercial events, and it's also a question of scale. Tringali asked if it would be a problem to advertise Sunday brunch, or have groups such as clubs meet there. The bottom line, Grasso said, would be to stick to the allowed seating and parking places in their application.

Another issue is how much noise the business can have outside. The application mentions music. A small acoustic band might be permissible. Beyond those parameters, the board advised, Mauricio and Tringali would have to redo their application to include the possibility of having commercial events, with all the parking and other requirements that type of application entails.

The talk turned to water and septic systems. The board wanted to know how much use and traffic the Harana will have as compared to the pizza place – how much water use, septic system capacity.

The pizza place was open seven days a week, Tringali replied, plus evenings, but Harana Market will be open fewer hours and thus use less water. As far as county health department approval, “all that is in progress” and will be brought up to current code, she assured the board.

Lockwood estimated they’ll use no more

than what the septic system was originally designed for.

Because the property abuts the Rondout Creek, board chairman Bruce Psaras wanted information about the high-water mark and how far below the building it is. The new bridge on 209 in Accord has substantially reduced the risk of flooding in that area, Grasso noted, but it's still a concern, as is the steep drop-off to the creek at the site, which is a safety issue.

There is a fence, but it's inadequate, Psaras said. Tringali assured him that it will be improved or replaced.

Jones had more questions, including the layout of the parking lot, entrances and exits, “Dark Sky” lighting standards (which specify that businesses should cut the brightness after hours by 50%), outdoor seating, providing a break room for the employees, and landscaping to provide some vegetation to conform to Rochester's aesthetic standards, such as shrubs and ornamental grasses, "something that’s not going to get eaten up by salt on the road … or deer." Also, “Make it really obvious” that there’s no parking on Route 209, requested Jones.

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Jone Miller with her husband, Steven Schoen

Jone and Steven collaborated on many projects during their lives together. Most notably, the New York City based Floating Foundation of Photography, which Steven co-founded with his mother, Maggie Sherwood.

Jone was also an active volunteer for many community-based programs over her 50 years as an Ulster County resident. Since the start of the pandemic, she was a dedicated volunteer for the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network. Not only did she help with their weekly food distribution program for local immigrant families, but every single week she brought her delicious soups to nourish the volunteers as well. Jone loved to feed people and she did this with more than just food. She fed our weary spirits by sharing her magical and dramatic stories with us and by listening to our stories as well.

Jone Miller was one of a kind. Her playful and loving presence will be missed by so many, but none as much as her beloved husband, Steven. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in February.

Jone is survived by her husband, Steven Schoen, and her brother, Gary Miller of Plano, Texas. Arrangements were provided by Moylan Funeral Home in Rosendale.

A celebration of Jone Miller’s life will be planned for the spring. Donations can be made in her honor to the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, ulsterimmigrantdefensenetwork.org or 888-726-7276.

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February 3, 2023

Page 11

Old Kings Highway welcomes 1830s Federal house – one notched piece at a time Chelsea Miller BSP Reporter It can safely be said that there are, by and large, two kinds of people – old house people and new house people. However, David Wyncoop and Rebecca Reeder, the duo behind Muddykill Ventures, are thoughtfully challenging the divide, saving one old house at a time and giving each home the love and care it might need to survive in the 21st century.

Both Wyncoop and Reeder are longtime residents of this area. Wyncoop grew up on Schoonmaker Lane, Stone Ridge, and attended Rondout Valley schools. Shortly after graduation he began his career as a builder – founding Still Meadow Habitat and Home nearly 30 years ago. Reeder arrived in the area in the mid-’90s and found her way into the film industry, specializing in special effects via an unusual route.

“About 20 years ago, I was on the Rondout Valley school board and I was volunteering for the production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’,” says Reeder. “We were figuring out how to build Audrey 2, and it turned out that and one of the kids’ dads, Peter Kunz, had a world-class special effects shop in High Falls ...” The students and Reeder headed to the studio and enlisted the pro crew’s help in constructing Audrey 2. Reeder enjoyed the process so much that she continued to work with Kunz. The shop, now run by Peter’s son, Johann, has since moved to Gardiner, and Reeder continues her work with Empire FX today.

Reeder’s and Wyncoop’s timelines meet in 2010. In addition to her work in special effects Reeder was doing some taping, painting and spackling on the side and worked on a few jobs with Wyncoop. Within a few years, the jobs became a joint venture.

Muddykill Ventures was essentially founded out of their shared love of old houses and desire to fortify and steward them into the future.

“We love all of the old, beautiful buildings in this area,” says Reeder. “What turns us on about each of our projects is not just not just the act of restoration – it’s the making old new things, bringing these houses back.”

The couple has completed six projects to date in the area, including an old pig farm, an 1830s summer home of the Livingston family on the Hudson, and a sweet little house on Mohonk Road in High Falls. When asked what makes them say yes to a project, Wyncoop laughs and responds, “… if everyone else is walking away.”

Each project presents unique challenges and possibilities. In addition to restoration and bringing everything up to code, a large part of the work includes a bit of a treasure hunt for material – one of Reeder’s favorite parts of the job. “We’re basically always looking for architectural salvage for our projects,” says Reeder. “We’re always working

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David Wyncoop in the Finne House

on some historic building that’s missing something, and we like to put things back where they belong. Basically, we’re regulars at Zaborski Emporium and Hudson Valley House Parts.”

In 2018, their quest for architectural salvage led the pair to Craigslist, where they happened upon an intriguing listing. A man named William Heinrich was selling an entire 1830s Federal style house in Salem, up in Washington County, called the Finne House. However, there was a twist – the entire house had been taken apart, tagged, and painstakingly “palletized,” meaning the entire house was completely apart and stacked on pallets for transport. It was an opportunity the pair simply couldn’t pass up. As it turns out, the seller is a house nerd, very much like Wyncoop and Reeder, and had the intention to reconstruct the house. He had not only painstakingly labeled every single board, nail, banister and piece of molding with small metal tags, he had also created a handwritten guide explaining exactly how the house went back together. When Heinrich moved in a more modern direction he listed the

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house on Craigslist hoping to find the right buyer – and find the right buyers he did.

“I’d seen palletized barns, but I’d never seen anything like this,” says Wyncoop. Reeder notes, “Buying a house on a pallet, it’s a huge leap of faith that every piece of that house is on that pallet.” And every piece was in fact there – save for the front door, which had been stolen when the house was originally taken down. (Don’t worry – Reeder says they have since salvaged the same door for the project.)

The building itself is historically significant, and both Wyncoop and Reeder wanted to build the house somewhere where it would make sense. They purchased land on Old Kings Highway, which feels fitting, says Wyncoop.

“We wanted to put the house somewhere that it felt like it belonged, and we’re excited that we were able to put the house up in the middle of the Rest Plaus Historic District on Old Kings Highway, which used to go from Albany to NYC and was the primary mail route.”

Guided by the incredibly comprehensive handwritten instructions that Heinrich created, Wyncoop says the process has been incredible. “Every day, I’m amazed that they did this in 1830,” says Wyncoop. “Things that I needed a crane for, they hand raised.”

The house is timber frame, and comes together with pegs – essentially, there are no nails, everything gets notched together, which was a fun challenge for Wyncoop. “When things are going up it gets a little scary, but then the notches meet and it’s pretty cool. Once the rafters were on, the house was totally stable – that was exciting. It really went back together amazingly well.”

The original house is 28 by 20 feet, on the smaller side, and after looking closely at the form of the structure, Reeder and Wyncoop felt that there was the intention of an addition. They approached adding the addition, which holds the kitchen and the master suite, by imagining the shape the building would have taken over the years.

“The prevailing thought of preservationists today is that a building evolves through the years,” says Wynoop.

“We chose the ’20s as the approximate period when the house might have had some updating – an addition, new windows, etc. We also chose a different building style to set it off from the original.”

The Finne House will be complete this spring, and Reeder and Wyncoop are at the point of the process where they can really start to feel the house. “We’re at that moment when you walk in the door, everything is stabilized, and you know the house has been saved,” says Reeder. “There is a true feeling of the house when you are in it, you can feel the history.”

To keep up with this and other projects, follow @muddykillventures on Instagram.

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Athletics, recreation & fitness

February 3, 2023

Rondout indoor track teams score unprecedented Section 9 victories Schoonmaker signs letter of intent to play field hockey at University of New Haven Jeff Slater BSP reporter It’s been quite a few weeks at Rondout.

On Friday, Jan 20, the boys and girls track teams won the Section 9 championships at West Point for the first time ever. It was a convincing victory for both teams.

Jake Maloney, varsity coach, said, “The girls and boys indoor track and field teams made history Friday night at West Point where both teams won the OCIAA Division titles in the same season for the first time ever. The boys defended last year’s title, and the girls won their division, convincingly beating the next closest team by 125 points. Both teams showed great allaround talent and depth scoring multiple places in most sprint, jump, distance and throwing events.”

For the boys team, seniors Ryan Britt and Morgan LeBlanc led the jumps, taking first and second in the long jump and first and third in the triple jump. Thomas Clark won the high jump and Morgan LeBlanc took second placing in all three of his jumping events. Jackson Paley had a personal best of 10½ feet in the pole vault, taking second. On the track, senior distance runner Chris Jordan took first in the 3200-meter, second in the 1,600 meter and anchored the second place 4x800 relay team. In the hurdles, seniors Chris Kay and Julian Browne took first and second. Freshman Jacob Kraft took first in the 1,000 meter with a come-from-behind victory.

For the girls, senior jumper Kayla Oates took first in both the long jump and the triple jump and second in the high jump.

Jacqueline Kennedy won the 55-meter dash, took second in the long jump as well as the 300 meter dash. Junior jumper Merryn Arms tied for first with Sierra Hikade in the pole vault and took third in the high jump.

The distance team also dominated the track, with eighth grader Greta Sutherland-Roth taking first in the 3,000 and second in the 1,500, Isabel Kinsella took second in the 3,000 and third in the 1,500.

Eighth grader Hannah Chapin took first in the1,000 meter and Vivian Gonzalez took first in the 1,500 race/walk. The girls distance team also won the 4x800 meter relay. Olivia Waruch took second in

Rondout Valley indoor track Section IX champions boys and girls teams

Riley Schoonmaker, fresh off her successes in indoor track, has signed a letter of intent to play field hockey at the University of New Haven.

the 600, fourth in the 300, and anchored the winning 4x400 relay team with Riley Schoonmaker, Joleigh Kozak and Mackenzie Heyl, who also took second in the triple jump. For the girls throwers, Victoria DeGraw took second in the shot put, Caitlyn Sindt took third, and Riley Schoonmaker took third in the weight throw.

Andrew Ugolino, distance coach, said, “Our girls and boys distance runners have put a lot of time in this season to be fit and to be competitive in the final laps of the races. They work hard and support each other. Their success is well-deserved.”

“I am very proud of the outstanding work from both the boys and the girls team,” said senior Chris Jordan. “We have managed to improve as a unit every year.

Town of Marbletown Youth Soccer volunteers wanted AYSO 965 Rondout Soccer Club is currently looking for youth volunteers to help coach.

Practices are Tuesday or Thursday evenings, and games are Saturday mornings.

The fall season will begin Saturday, April 8, and run through Saturday, June 10.

No coaching experience is necessary.

Training will be provided, and volunteers

will be partnered with a lead coach. Be a part of making this program a success for the kids of the community.

For more information, contact one of the regional commissioners, Theresa DiLuvio or Melissa Burns, at rc@rondoutsoccer.com or the coaching coordinator, Maxwell Mead, at coach@rondoutsoccerclub.com.

I have no doubt Rondout will continue to thrive long after my class graduates due to the exception efforts being put forth by all our newcomers. It’s a great program and I’m excited to see what more we will accomplish in the future.”

The state qualifier meet is scheduled for Feb. 25. Kayla Oakes in the triple jump and Jacqueline Kennedy in the 60-meter dash have qualified for the nationals on March 11 in Boston.

Riley Schoonmaker, fresh off her successes in indoor track, has signed a letter of intent to play field hockey at the University of New Haven. Her coach had this to say about Riley: “She joined the field hockey program in middle school and dedicated herself to the sport. She is a

four-year varsity player. She is responsible and dependable and was named team captain her senior year due to her leadership. As great as she is on defense, she is equally explosive on attack. The 11 assists she had this year speak of her ability to be impactful in our circle. She also leads the charges on defense shutting down opponents’ scoring opportunities. Her accolades are many, including All-State, first team Section IX her senior year and junior year as well as third team her sophomore year. She also was named the RVFH Most Outstanding Defender in 2022.”

“I’m really excited and very appreciative to all those who helped to make this signing ceremony happen for me,” Riley said.

“The first time I picked up a field hockey stick was in second grade, and after that day I knew it would have a big impact on my life. Throughout my four years on varsity at Rondout and my club experience with Hudson Valley I developed a love for the sport. I knew I wanted to continue playing through college. In the beginning of my college search, I had no idea where I’d end up, but I wanted to make sure I found the right fit for me. I’m very thankful for my coaches Nanette Simione and Sharen Sarsen for guiding me as a person and a player throughout this journey. I am excited to grow as a student/athlete at the competitive D2 level. I am grateful to my friends, family and teammates for their support throughout the recruiting process.

Although I will always cherish my time at Rondout Valley I am happy now to be a part of the New Haven family.”

Congratulations, Riley Schoonmaker, and all members of the indoor track teams. Go, Ganders!

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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

February 3, 2023

Gopher Gave Up Shadow, schmadow…

I’ve got no clue anymore.

Rest in peace, Jone To the Editor: You knew her. Even if you didn't know her, you knew her. Because she was that ideal we all seek in our friends, our family, indeed in every co inhabitant with whom we share this planet: someone who exhibited unbridled selflessness, endless charity, and eternal care and concern for her fellow man, woman and child.

It would be impossible to list all her acts of good will and volunteerism. Because she was there whenever there was a need. Someone was ill so she prepared meals to take to them (only organic and free-range ingredients, lol); did you need a ride home from the hospital after a procedure? She would be there to offer that transportation. Which student can't afford art supplies for her class?

One trip to Catskill Art Supply, and that situation was remedied.

In fact, I wonder how many truckloads of art supplies she actually purchased in her lifetime. Because art was her "go to." A way of both exploring society's ills. As well as curing them. She encouraged those marginalized populations she worked with to express themselves with paint and canvas. Prisoners, our indigenous peoples, the homeless, the undocumented. She revered the pieces they created, the personal stories that would be told through this art. She embraced this therapy wholeheartedly but always lamented the pain that would be laid bare upon that paper.

Just last week, she looked at me with such sadness and asked, "What did Carlos do to deserve such a difficult life?

He's an innocent." Carlos, a homeless 7-year-old refugee she was working with in Kingston. That empathy, authentic and mournful, was how Jone responded to anyone suffering, anyone somehow in need.

That's how I know you must have seen her, because all of us are in need at some point, and she would be there: that tireless advocate, always dressed in purple, in sartorial sync with her beloved soulmate, Steve. Fighting the good fight against poverty and injustice with a powerful 1960s flower child vibe. And an indefatigable hope for the future.

Thank you, my extraordinary friend, for a life well lived.

For a life of unconditional love. For a life that genuinely made a difference.

Michael Cacchio Rosendale

friendly and helpful and will answer wide-ranging questions, help solve problems and direct patrons to reliable sources for accurate information. For those of you who are library patrons, I encourage you to show your support by acknowledging and thanking the people who work there and to share your experiences with neighbors who may not be aware of the value of this precious resource.

For those who may be wavering in their support, I ask only that you educate yourself before making judgments based on misleading or secondhand information that may not be accurate. If you cannot easily visit, go to the website https://rosendalelibrary.org to see all of the resources that are available to the entire community at no charge. Some of these, such as movies, e-books, audio books, are available without physically visiting the library.

The only thing the Rosendale Library lacks is sufficient space, increased parking and the necessary active support of the entire community to fulfill its ambitious mission of creating a more educated, inclusive and cooperative community in Rosendale. At a time when libraries, education and freedom of speech are under attack in other parts of the country, it is important to come together and agree on what is valuable to our community. Surely a vibrant library is one of the valued assets of a healthy society.

Please join me in voicing your appreciation for this local treasure.

Thomas Sarrantonio Rosendale

Senior tax exemption income Show some love for the Library limitations should be higher To the Editor: After reading the article about the Rosendale Library (Jan. 20, 2023) I am writing to express my support for the director, Katie Scott-Childress, who has breathed new life into the library. I have witnessed recent changes in the library first hand (my wife works there) and I can say unequivocally that the library has expanded programs and services to better serve the community. Katie works tirelessly to reach out to all sectors of the local population. There are senior programs, children's programs, outdoor programs, art workshops, game groups, book discussion groups and much more. If you have not visited the Rosendale Library recently, I urge you to visit and explore all that is available. The librarians are

To the Editor: This is so important for seniors in Marbletown and Rochester: While at the last Town Board meeting, a resolution was considered, errors were stated.

The limitations should be higher and self-employed persons' tax returns should be accepted as they are by the IRS and NYS and other communities’ tax officers, but not in Marbletown. All freelance artists, writers and self-employed persons are not getting a fair assessment if their filed deductions are not acknowledged. If the tax returns are good enough for the IRS and NYS tax authorities, why not here? Tax returns are required with the application for the senior tax exemption. There are many misconceptions about the tax exemptions. Most seniors think they

refer only to STAR, but STAR can be in addition to the Senior Tax Exemptions offered by the assessor's office, and are much more valuable. Having a Senior Tax Exemption could mean as much as a 50% reduction in your tax!

The existence of this valuable tax exemption is not publicized and misinformation is stated even in official postings and meetings. The senior tax exemption sets limitations on the income amount that qualifies. The higher the limitation, the better for the taxpayer. A low limitation such as $24,500 is unrealistic in this current economy. I don't see how a person over 65 can survive comfortably on such an income and pay a high local property tax.

Add Social Security and a pension, and many seniors are not eligible yet are forced to live on an inadequate fixed income.

The reality is that the exemption limitation can be as high as $50,000 or even $58,000 on the sliding scale. Other communities are raising their limitations to help seniors.

If the limitation is indeed $37,400 as the assessor has told me twice, what was suggested as the "new'' raise is not a raise at all, except perhaps on the sliding scale. If the board is actually willing to go up $13,000 they should use the actual figures, not the mistaken $24,000 that was cited in the meeting.

I feel the limitation should be at least $45,000. That would make a real difference and help many of the residents here who need it the most – older people with limited low or even modest income. To apply for the exemption, applications are at the assessor’s office and online: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/orpts/ rp467_fill_in.pdf If you want to be heard and influence this urgent situation, attend the next public hearing on Feb. 7, at 6 p.m., at the Marbletown offices on Lucas Avenue.

Laura Shaine Cunningham Stone Ridge

CEO of Joule Power explains To the Editor: Local energy news has been chaotic and confusing these past two years, shining a light on the importance of consumer protection and the impacts of the high cost of energy. With New York’s emission reduction goals and the opportunities for all utility customers See more letters, page 15

What’s your opinion? Write your letter to the editor.

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BlueStone Press, February 3, 2023, Page 15

Lint for sale Dear Wally – I recently saw an online ad for (2) 50 gallon bags of dryer lint. The seller said they had accumulated the lint over a few years, that it had some cat hair in it, but not to worry because the cats were fixed, and that the lint ($20 each bag) might make for great pillows. Then they signed off with “serious inquiries only,” which made me laugh. – Confused

Dear Wally Wally Nichols

Dear Confused – Let me introduce myself. I am also Confused. Perhaps we are related? This is so weird. However, I will say that since I saw a man’s diseased and detached toenail on eBay a few years ago* and subsequently watched in horror as a frigging bidding war ensued, exactly zero things online surprise

me anymore. *The toe nail became available as an a la cart purchase BECAUSE the disease had detached it, yet that aspect was upsold as added value, as might a detached garage or utility shed on some Hudson Valley real estate listing. This whole mess of a human body-part-for-sale spectacle was pre-Covid, so we can’t even blame wall-climbing boredom or spouse-hating cabin fever, or the brain twisting nuances of long Covid. The seller (No big deal, I’ll grow another one!) just thought his ex-body part had value. It did not. And yet … it did. Two lost souls with eBay

More letters from page 14 in mind, it is important to address persistent confusion surrounding energy decisions.

During this time, Joule Community Power’s community-based renewable electricity program, Hudson Valley Community Power, saved customers more than $7 million in electricity costs and helped avoid 25,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent emissions between July 2021 and July 2022.

The Joule program unfortunately came to a halt in July 2022 when the selected supplier, Columbia Utilities, broke its contract and ceased serving customers, despite continued advocacy and legal action by Joule against Columbia, in coordination with eight of the partner-municipalities and two local residents. The Public Service Commission supported these actions and has opened an investigation of their own. The PSC also investigated Central Hudson’s billing system errors and confirmed what we all already knew, namely that Central Hudson’s billing issues were not caused by Hudson Valley Community Power and are significantly more widespread. Joule continues to act for the community members, supporting the State’s investigation by advocating on behalf of consumers and supporting the development of solutions.

Meanwhile, the Joule program protected customers

accounts raced to a Pyrrhic victory that cost one a lot of money, and both a hobbling dharmic demotion with a (detached) side of pride-loss. Yes, they got their 15 minutes of fame, but no one remembers them now. Except me. And now you. They weren’t even wangled by the seller. Eyes (and wallets) (and competitiveness) wide open …

Lint for sale. The utter audacity of people to polish a turd and repackage it as ambrosia never ceases to amaze me. Let’s unpack this offer a bit. If you purchased this – and I don’t even know what to call it because it’s not quite garbage and it’s not quite hazardous material, and it’s not quite safe, and it IS quite gross – you’d be reinforcing a commerce cycle that ends with the seller thinking their exhaled breath is worth selling. (They probably have already put it up there next to their bottled farts.*) * A hard and humiliating way to turn a buck. I tried. It failed. I decided to go to college instead.

Of the many yellow flags (yellow being the color of cat pee) in this offering, the cat hair gives me the greatest pause (want to say paws, but I won’t …) because if it’s presented with a sense of defensiveness, as in, “Hey, potential buyer, don’t worry about the indelible and embedded reek of territorially splattered male cat piss over the years that you will have to drift off to sleep choking on if this bag of fibrous mystery is rendered into pillow guts,” you can only imagine what’s in there that IS NOT being disclosed. Oy. All the things that get on clothes that make you need to wash them (and then dry them) in the first place are super sketchy. Topping the list of bodily humors: blood, bile, pus, lipstick, baby batter, and everything else that goes into, and comes out of, a human body. A good wash-

from market volatility by providing fixed electricity supply rates. After Columbia’s breach of contract and after saving customers the collective $7 million, customers were simply returned, with no interruption in service, to the original opt-out arrangement whereby Central Hudson makes the electricity supply decisions, which is predominately from non- renewable sources.

What’s next? Joule is taking the needed steps to offer Hudson Valley Community Power municipalities a new electricity supply contract this spring. Currently 13 cities, towns and villages are taking the steps which will enable them to contract a new protective electricity rate for their residents and small businesses, with the opportunity to continue to save residents money while strengthening consumer protections. Municipal leaders continue to act to protect their residents and move towards a cleaner energy future.

Jessica Stromback CEO, Joule Community Power

Thank you for your continued service and dedication To the Editor: UlsterCorps would like to thank everyone who participated in our 14th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration of Service on Jan. 14, 2023,

ing machine can only do so much extirpation. The next stop is the dryer, which is by definition not a washer, so a second pass at cleaning is less of a thing than a lint trap residually collecting round 2 of the remaining ick.

One must sort of pinch their nose and take one for the queen*, as they say, on the deep hygiene front in this world (unless you work at a microchip assembly plant). Hope for the best and, to the extent possible, avoid public laundromats … Because if you think YOUR home-generated ick is icky, multiply that by 10 and then square it whilst in the public domain. Don’t believe me? Go stand by the hot buffet at Wholefoods for an hour and watch humanity crumble in real time. *Ooof, the queen is dead. Long live the queen anyway …

What level of delusion or desperation causes a grown adult to value their discarded lint at three times what a new, safe, cat pee-free Target pillow costs? That might be a question worth taking to therapy. And more to the point, shouldn’t you (seller) be paying us to help you avoid a house fire?

“Serious inquiries only” made me snort up my coffee when I read it. OK, fine. I have a serious inquiry and it is, WTF is wrong with people??

Not sure how all this made me feel a little better about Minnesota’s grossest polyp, MyPillow Guy, but it did …

– Wally Got a question for our advice columnist, or just want to send him some *free* lint, which he will promptly list for sale online and sell back to you? Email him at cwn4@aol. com. Serious inquiries only …

at the Rosendale Recreation Center. We are so grateful to our event sponsors and supporters: Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, Family of Woodstock, March Gallagher, Mental Health Association in Ulster County, Michael DeWan Appraisal & Assoc., People’s Place, Raising HOPE, Rondout Valley Growers Association, RCAL, SUNY Ulster, Town of Rosendale, Ulster Literacy Association, and Ulster Savings Bank. Many thanks to Angel Food East, Blackboard Bistro, Deborah & Michael DeWan, Gia Bella’s, Hudson Valley Farm Hub, Hurds Family Farm, Keegan Ales, Seasoned Delicious, The Alternative Baker, The Bakery, The Big Cheese and The Rosendale International Pickle Festival for the delicious food; to Green Cottage for the centerpieces; to the wonderful musicians – Love Is Love; Sound Engineer Jason Sarubbi, Split Rock Studio; to speakers Loriman Rhodell, Manna Jo Greene and Rev. Evelyn Clarke for their inspiring recollections and remarks; to Dr. Willie Yee for bringing his magic; to the volunteers from Kingston High School Honors Society, SUNY Ulster and SUNY Ulster SGO, Bard’s Class of 2026 and Center for Civic Engagement for helping out on the day of the event; and last but not least, to each of our community’s volunteers, for their service.

Beth McLendon Albright UlsterCorps, Stone Ridge

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Your friends and community

February 3, 2023

Theater is back at Rondout with exciting production of ‘Mamma Mia’ later this month Jeff Slater BSP Reporter For the first time since 2020 Rondout Valley High School is putting on a play. “Mamma Mia” is being performed Feb. 24, 25 and 26.

The musical, based on the songs of the pop group ABBA, is about a woman, Donna, who owns a hotel in the Greek islands and is preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of two friends. Meanwhile Sophie the daughter has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in hopes to find her real father and have him escort her down the aisle for her big day.

“We decided on ‘Mamma Mia’ this year because it is a very fun, high-spirited show and that it is known by the kids and community,” said Randy Loder, coordinator of the production and orchestral pit conductor. “It is our first show since 2020, and we needed to bring an exciting show to the community as a welcome back to musicals at Rondout. The last show we did was ‘My Favorite Year.’ We were going to do a show last year but we lost our director, Kevin Archambault, to cancer. Rehearsals for ‘Mamma Mia’ started in December, and we have been working hard since then. The entire process is a fast one, which we find gets more students involved,” said Loder.

Robin Baker, director of the musical, said, “This play has such an uplifting and joyous theme that we kind of felt, after the last couple of years where things were down, that moving forward. These kids haven’t had a musical in over three years so this was kind of new to them. Only the seniors had an opportunity to be in a musical before, so we felt that we wanted to make sure we did something they were more familiar with and not something that’s so foreign, and they know ABBA. The whole team picked the musical.”

The cast even had a visit from famed actor Amanda Seyfried, who played Sophie in both “Mamma Mia” movies.

Senior Sadie Heagney, a junior who plays Sophie, said, “I love being in theater, and in this play there’s a role for everyone. There’s so much going on it’s not like the focus is on the main cast. It is centered around the music. It feels very magical. I’m so excited about the performance – it’s going to be amazing and great to see all my friends and family in the crowd.”

Junior Mica King, who plays Sam, one of the dads, and also is on the wrestling team, said, “I think it’s fun. It’s very upbeat through the whole story and a lot of their songs, and ABBA songs are really fun. I’m really excited. I’ve been doing acting for a while but have never done a full musical so it’s going to be very fun.”

Junior Nadia Weldin, who plays Donna the mom, said “I’m enjoying it. I have grandparents who know ABBA. A

Cast of “Mamma Mia” with Amanda Seyfried (seated, center), who played Sophie in both movies.

lot of people know their songs already. Just going into it, so many songs are really fun to sing and even listen to.”

The other leads in the play are as follows: Miles Oulette plays Bill, G Hart plays Harry, Laszlo Beke plays Sky, Alexandra Oliveri plays Tanya, Fiona Fraser-Gross plays Rosie, and Veronica Kwieciniski plays Ali. It takes a lot of folks to put on a production like this.

Lucas Rau is vocal director, Peter Hauser is doing scenic design and is a co-producer, Kristine Jarvis is co-producer, Thomas Netter is choreographer, Grace Obee does costumes, Dave Bowers is technical director and lighting designer, Joe Picuri does sound design, and Nick Bodnar is the builder.

Stage manager Ethan Martin said, “I’ve been doing theater since I was 6, and I’ve been on stage and off stage, and I knew Thomas Netter from the Performing Arts Center in Rhinebeck. He asked me to be the stage manager, and this my first time being a stage manager. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it turns out because it’s a great group of kids and [they’re] really talented, and with a great staff around them, so I’m really looking forward to seeing the final product.”

“What I love most about the musical is the collaborative nature of the performing arts. It seems more and more

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that competition is valued in our society more than collaboration. I love watching these students come together and work so hard toward a common goal. It is great to see them support and help each other. They really form a tight family through this process, and that is what I look forward to the most,” said Loder.

“There is no bigger crowd pleaser than ‘Mamma Mia’ – everyone knows at least one ABBA song. When you have that upbeat music and a beautiful set and fun costumes you will be immediately transported to Greece without needing to go through customs,” Loder said. “A large part of what makes Rondout a special place is our music program, and there is no better way to bring a community together than enjoying the excellence of our musical,” he said.

The show will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 26. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. There is reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by phone at 845-687-2400, ext. 4103, or at the website hsmusical@rondout.k12.us.

See you there!

BlueStone Press, January 6, 2022, Page 17

‘Solitude, Tarot & the Corona Blues’: Catherine Arra mines gems from tough times During the darkest days of the pandemic experience, the suffering was both pretty much universal and excruciatingly individual, and a great many people found themselves having to dig deep and discover, recover or uncover their inner resources. Faced with unprecedented floods of isolation and uncertainty, often punctuated by tragedy and wrapped in layers of inconvenience. The coronavirus and its spiraling impacts felt a lot like a vast gray blanket covering and muting the business of everyday life as we’d known it.

Anne Most fortunately for lovers Pyburn Craig of poetry, Catherine Arra has distilled her reflections on this curious time into the first half of this book, her eighth published collection. From the opening line, ”And we went into the desert of quarantine,”

Book Review

Kudos

Exterior of the Bevier House. Photo courtesy of the Ulster County Historical Society

Ulster County Historical Society awarded Technical Assistance Grant The Preservation League of New York state and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts announced that Ulster County Historical Society has received a 2022 Technical Assistance Grant. This $3,790 grant will fund a building condition survey for the Bevier House.

“With this support from the Preservation League of NY State, the board of trustees of the Ulster County Historical Society will have the key tool it needs to plan for the continuing annual maintenance and capital improvements to the historic Bevier House,” said Pamela Herrick, director of the UCHS. “We feel very fortunate to be working with historic preservation consultant Matt Alexander, of

the reader settles in to share a deeply personal journey made universal with lyrical language and translucent imagery.

And despite Arra Cover being faced with heavy stuff in the midst of it all, some of the moments she captures are sheer joy, like the description of a pandemic “pod” in the last verse of “Cooking in the Time of Corona”: “Witches in the wisdom of friendship/they drink too much, tell secret stories, dance/and make videos only they will ever see.”

The last poem in the first half, “Brindisi,” finds renewal omnipresent in “...connectedness/spontaneous embraces/unmasked joy seated/With local honey wedge of brie, chilled prosecco/after-covid tea.”

Yet Arra gazes unflinchingly at the darkness too, capturing the ache when death severs a connection and brings

Catskill, whose client list includes many local historical museum properties.”

Alexander’s building conditions assessment report will document the existing conditions and fabric of the Bevier House, portions of which date from about 1714, and will identify immediate and long-term maintenance needs as well as an annual maintenance schedule. This planning document will help the organization seek funds for maintenance needs as stewards of the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bevier House includes exhibition galleries, program space and collections storage and work areas all housed within the stone structure.

Ulster County Historical Society is the oldest historical society in New York state, originally founded in 1859. It collects and preserves objects and archives which document the history of Ulster County. The Society interprets the history of Ulster County through changing exhibitions, educational programs, and partnerships with other county organizations.

SUNY Ulster announces president’s and dean’s lists for fall 2022 A total of 114 students who attended classes on a fulltime basis at SUNY Ulster have been named to the president’s list for the fall 2022 semester, reported Dr. Alison Buckley, president, SUNY Ulster. The list, compiled each semester, is comprised of students whose final average for the period of all courses taken is 3.75 and higher, plus other requirements.

The full-time fall 2022 president’slList, by area, includes the following: Roaa Aboueida, Sophie McCarthy and Patrick Ruger of Accord; Daniel Harkin, Desmond Iaia and Gianna Koch of Cottekill; Ava Allen, Michael Goodin, Rosa Onderdonk-Knaus and Hiroshi Sawka Hamaguchi

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its inarguable finality to a conflict, the peril of orphaned fawns, the ache that comes with knowing some things just can’t be fixed. In “Badass” she sketches an internet warrior we’ve all met and hoists him on his own petard as he “promotes his profound manhood.”

In the book’s second half, Arra gives poetic voice to each of the archetypes of the major arcana of the Tarot with crystal renditions of their presence in our modern lives. By the last page, anyone who enjoys depth psychology will be awed at the immanence of her conjured characters and turning the pages back to re-read.

Arra, who taught English and writing at Rondout Valley High School until 2012, has fine-tuned each line to perfect pitch – it’s poetry that’s beautiful for both its accessible simplicity and the deeper notes it evokes. Her warm, strong energy offers a strong hand to hold as we gaze into those deeper quarters, and one hopes she’ll keep the sharp, sweet observations coming.

“Solitude, Tarot & the Corona Blues” is available at KelsayBooks.com and Amazon.

The Town of Rochester’s 2023 Youth Paint Class at the Harold Lipton Community Center had a snowman theme. Assistant recreation director Bethany Dennin guided the children, ages 8 and up, as they created snowmen they haven’t been able to build outside. Photo

by Manuela Michailescu

of High Falls; Danny Fallaha, Natasha Hefele and Berlin Koehler of Kerhonkson; and Carmine Carlucci, Dominic Carlucci, Emma Gillis, Emmet JeckerByrne and Otto JeckerByrne of Stone Ridge.

A total of 36 students who attended classes on a parttime basis at SUNY Ulster have been named to the president’s list for the fall 2022 semester, Buckley reported. The list, compiled each semester, is comprised of students whose final average for the period of all courses taken is 3.75 or higher, plus other requirements.

The part-time list, by area, is as follows: Amber Shamson of Kerhonkson, John Jones of Rochester, Aurora Gill of Rosendale and Wendy Stewart of Stone Ridge.

A total of 151 students who attended classes on a fulltime basis at SUNY Ulster have been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester, reported Kevin R. Stoner, vice-president for academic affairs, SUNY Ulster. The list, compiled each semester, is comprised of students whose final average for the period of all courses taken is 3.30 or higher, plus other requirements.

The full-time fall 2022 dean’s list, by area, is as follows: Olin Andrews, Logan Erlwein and Daniel Palladino of Accord; Lili Vitek of Cottekill; Skylar Barringer, Italia DeGrote, William Hamling, Gillian Marcel and Eliza Thurst of Kerhonkson; Sequoyah London and Maria Rodes Arbulu of Rosendale; and Andras Beke, Elizabeth Buley, Adrian Cristian-Fernandez, Naomi Koch and Kya Lowery of Stone Ridge.

A total of 54 students who attended classes on a parttime basis at SUNY Ulster have been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester, Stoner reported. The list, compiled each semester, is comprised of students whose final average for the period of all courses taken is at least 3.30 or higher, plus other requirements.

The part-time fall 2022 dean’s list, by area, includes the following: Catharina Christiana, Jeremiah Flaherty and Deowaher Rabanillo of Accord; Emily Handschuh of Cottekill; Alexus Woinoski of Kerhonkson; Elana Kellerhouse of Rosendale; and Alexa Peck of Stone Ridge.

Arts, culture & entertainment

Page 18

February 3, 2023

A sense of time The slide into winter is long and slow. For years, I dreaded the period between the last of the leaves and the first snow. Cold creeps in by inches, bleeding the color from the landscape. The first frost glosses the grass white. The freezes that follow strip the vegetation down to bony branches and hollow stalks. I hated the deepening cold and the dimming days.

I would have much preferred to burrow under a heap of blankets until the crocuses open their small, violet mouths to announce the coming of spring.

But not anymore. Shoulder season has become my cue to stop clutching at what was and accept what’s coming. I stop mourning the loss of those vibrant autumn leaves and look for the subtle color that still remains in the world. There is plenty to be found. The blond in the dead grass. The dusty redness painting the branch tips of blueberry bushes. Colors as quiet as falling snow. And just as beautiful.

I’ve made a practice of shifting my mentality from resistance to submission. I’m not a Zen master. My act of surrender takes effort. But by this December, I was ready.

I was hiking into the evenings, acclimating to the dark and the cold. I was psyching myself up for chilly nights around the fire. For stew. For the delicious sort of nesting that can only happen in winter.

And then I left for New Zealand. The country sits in the Southern Hemisphere where summer is well underway.

When I arrived, it was decidedly not sweater weather.

I stepped off the plane into a lush wonderland. New Zealand is known for its wild variety of bird life. Kia, an emerald alpine parrot. Pukeko, with its color-blocked suit of black and blue feathers. Variegated oyster catchers, who would cry pitifully when I came too near on my beach walks. The morning chorus was back, as were the other accoutrements of late spring. 9 p.m. sunsets! Fresh strawberries!

I want to tell you that my relief over having escaped winter was intense and immediate. That I marched right into those 60-degree afternoons without a care. But the

Jodi LaMarco

A field of lupines on the South Island of New Zealand. The country sits in the southern hemisphere where summer is well underway. Photo by Jodi LaMarco

truth is, being uprooted from the cadence of the seasons is disorienting. It took weeks to reacclimate to the warmth and sunshine I had so gracefully relinquished. I was no more prepared for June in December than I would be for December in June.

I often thought of my house. My thermals folded neatly in my dresser, unworn. I imagined my dormant garden, likely buried by a recent blizzard – or so I had assumed.

I was shocked when, on more than one occasion, I was sent pictures from home sans the snowy ground I had expected. I was skipping winter, but it seemed the Hudson Valley was too.

From New Zealand, I flew to California. The friend with whom I would be staying said I could expect May weather in January. I arrived in the middle of rain storms caused by the “atmospheric river” you may have heard about on the news.

“Come to California, he said,” I muttered to myself.

“The weather is great, he said.”

When the deluge finally ended, daffodils emerged followed by magnolia blossoms. Not the exotic flowers of another country, but the very ones we have back home.

Our flowers. But in January. Once again, I was deeply confused.

I’m eager to end my seasonal jetlag. It’s as though some circadian-like rhythm not only tethers me to the cycle of night and day, but to the turning of the year. When I return to New York, it will be spring in name but not in spirit. I don’t care. I’ll happily take those lukewarm days.

The ice clinging to the shadowy places on the mountain.

The skunk cabbage. The whole package. I’m ready to be back where I belong.

Februarys past in the Rondout Valley February 27, 1863 – New Paltz Times The Rondout Courier states that on the 7th instant [of this month] three lads, named Frank and Abraham McCloud and James Hendricks, were skating on one of the ponds in the town of Rosendale, when the ice gave way and precipitated them to the bottom. The crooks of their skates became entangled, rendering them helpless. Alarm being given, Mr. Christian Kamerer went to their assistance. … While prospecting with a pole to ascertain their exact position, one of them caught the pole, and was hauled up with the others linked to his feet by the crooks of the skates, by which they were saved.

From the archives

February 12, 1864 – New Paltz Times Linda The First National Bank of Ellenville has put in circulation Tantillo some $40,000 of its currency – mostly in $10 notes. [Private commercial banks issued banknotes in the United States starting in 1781. National Banks, created in the 1860s, could issue their own currency until 1935.]

February 15, 1872 – New-Paltz independent The Friends of Temperance in Ulster County are requested to observe the 22nd of February (Washington’s Birthday) by holding meetings, in their towns and neighborhoods, for the advancement of temperance principles and action.

During the past few years this day has been set apart for such purposes. Let there be still more general observance of it, according to this plan for promoting the welfare of the families of our country.

February 15, 1872 – New-Paltz Independent Two suits are pending in the Supreme Court in Ulster County against teachers for assault and battery on pupils.

February 17, 1876 – New Paltz Times A 100-pound bear will be put up as a prize for a grand shooting match, at the Hotel of Abram Sammons, Rosendale, on Washington’s birthday, February 23rd, at 10 o’clock A.M. The bear is tame as a dog. So says the Rosendale Blade.

February 16, 1884 – New Paltz Independent L. G. Bowen employed twenty-eight teams while filling his ice houses this past week. The ice was taken from the

Binnewaters, and was ten inches thick.

A number of teams were drawing cement stone from the Norton Cement quarry at Binnewater to the High Falls works, last week.

February 6, 1885 – New-Paltz Independent It is gratifying to learn, as we do from Superintendent Deyo, that the Ellenville glass factory suffers no lack of orders sufficient to keep one furnace in operation. They have a contract for more than a million and a half wine bottles; and another for ten millions of panel bottles for medicine. These wares alone would make from five to eight hundred [railroad] carloads. Besides they have orders for a variety of other wares.

February 16, 1922 – New Paltz Independent and Times Reforestation in Ulster County.

Sixty five plots with a total of 557,375 trees have been set out in Ulster County since the beginning of the movement for the reforestations of idle and denuded lands, according to figures compiled by the Conservation Commission.

These are exclusive of a state plantation of 20,000 at the Eastern New York Reformatory at Napanoch …

Thank you BSP subscribers!

BlueStone Press, February 3, 2023, Page 19

Coyotes … have you heard 'em?

It's been awhile since I have heard the howls and yips of those wily night creatures, coyotes. My next-door neighbor concurs; it's been a couple of years at least. So I decided to ask around the neighborhood to find out if anyone else hears them at all. It turned out that my location is an exception.

I got affirmative answers from a couple of residents of Oxbow Road less than a mile east of here.

Oxbow dead-ends into steep forested slopes where a band of coyotes could have a comfortable getaway after visiting the human habitations for whatever they can find, be it a wandering chicken, Ann Belmont cat, mouse or vole. Peter Mortenson, a chicken owner on Oxbow (with a high fence and large dogs), says, "Barely heard them when I first moved here in '96 ... seems more now. Probably due to less hunters and trappers in the woods. Always love to hear their celebratory yapping! Kind of raises your awareness a notch." Mortenson has noticed that their presence is related to prey availability. "Last year we had a boom in the bunny population and I knew it was just a matter of time before the coyotes heard the dinner bell."

To the west, even closer by, Tim Gay on Upper Cherrytown Road told me that he occasionally hears them "late at night, somewhere up the mountain behind [my house] along Sapbush Creek." Behind Gay's house, the land rises steeply toward the Vernooy Kill as it flows down from the falls, all state forest land. My house is also at the foot of that rise, but around the other side of it. Maybe coyotes avoid our side because, since the pandemic began, there

Wild Things

Horoscopes As we go to press all the planets are in direct motion and will be until late April. Then Mercury will initiate the slowing process by turning retrograde once again.

Presently we find that seven planets fall within little over a 60-degree orb with only Mars and Uranus separated from their colleagues. Venus is conjunct Neptune, leading us to believe the words we are hearing contain many untrue promises. In addition, Pluto is conjunct Mercury. Does this mean we're losing confidence in our leadership? The full Moon on the 5th falls in the sign of Leo – leading us to depend heavily on our leadership.

ARIES: 3/21 to 4/19: Mars, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 3rd solar house with Jupiter in your 1st solar house. Your warm reception when meeting new people is encouraging when Joanne promoting your ability in the Ferdman handling of your business – and of course helps increase your income. The full Moon in Leo will add to the confidence that is placed on your unique ability to solve problems.

Your Zodiac

TAURUS: 4/20 to 5/20: Venus, your ruling planet, is conjunct Neptune in your 11th solar house and is busy adding income and assets to your accounts. You have also added an additional bit of creativity to your work ethic that has proven to be valuable to your employer and has also added income. At the full Moon, you may come to the realization that you're in better shape than last year at this time.

GEMINI: 5/21 to 6/20: Mercury, your ruling planet, is conjunct Pluto in your 8th solar house. You have been struggling to make a significant change in your work but find the results do not quite meet your expectations. The income is adequate, but the additional help is not up to par. The full Moon on the 5th in Leo suggests that perhaps you started too soon.

CANCER: 6/21 to 7/20: The Moon child deals with the full Moon in Aquarius on the 5th of the month. This is the time you're thinking of breaking into a new territo-

Coyote on the prowl

are more humans living up on top of the slope above my next-door neighbor and me. The Upper Cherrytown side is still wild, so the coyotes must feel more at ease hanging out there.

"We also hear them in the woods to the south," said Gay's husband, Bob Gibbons, adding, "It's a call for a kill."

I must disagree, Bob! It wouldn't make much sense to advertise that you are about to kill something – that would alert your prey, or that you have killed already – that'd be an invitation to other predators. Their vocalizing is basically territorial in nature. Coyotes mate for life (a short life usually, just a few years) and establish a family dominion, which they defend from others of their kind.

Gay and Gibbons believe the coyote population is increasing and or there are more people living up here to

ry with ideas that will add new purpose and meaning to your everyday life. With Mars in your second house, you want to break away from the same old, same old and are dreaming of something new and exciting. As you plod along and think about your situation the idea will come.

LEO: 7/21 to 8/22: The Sun, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 7th solar house of partnership. It is also conjunct Mercury and Pluto. This time is well spent meeting new people, whether for business or pleasure – since you are due to receive recognition in some form.

The full Moon in Leo shines the light on your work and recent accomplishments.

VIRGO: 8/23 to 9/22: Mercury, your ruling planet, is positioned on the cusp of your 6th solar house of daily work and your health. It is also conjunct the Sun and Pluto. You may be working on an important goal and tend to work overtime to accomplish everything yesterday – and thus the concern for your health. The full Moon on the 5th will force you to slow down. You will finish the work on time.

LIBRA: 9/23 to 10/22: Venus, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 6th solar house of daily work and health.

It is also conjunct Neptune, extending a love of beauty to include a very creative tendency – making this a very uplifting time when it brings thoughts that lift you out of the ordinary. The full Moon on the 5th may provide you with a spell of temporary fame.

SCORPIO: 10/23 to 11/22: Mars, one of your ruling planets, is positioned in your 8th solar house where change takes place. It is now in direct motion and moving to make things happen while Pluto, your other ruler, is positioned on your 4th house cusp of home and family. The two planets cover the span of activity for the Zodiac at present. Together they place you in control of your actions for now.

SAGITTARIUS: 11/23 /21: Jupiter, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 5th solar house of romance and children. It is the largest planet and usually brings prosperity. In the 5th it can also bring to fruition a creative project you've been working on forever; If so, it’s the time to advertise and promote the virtues of your project to bask in the glow of success, however temporary.

CAPRICORN: 12/22 to 1/20: Saturn, your ruling planet, is positioned in your 2nd solar house of money, an apt place for an ambitious soul. In addition, now that Mars is direct in your sixth house, it is possible for you to continue the pursuit of success and

hear them. It's interesting to reflect that the coyotes are here as a direct consequence of the fact that the wolves and mountain lions who used to roam the forests of the Northeast were so efficiently killed off by settlers. The coyotes are filling an ecological niche, migrating into New York state from Canada starting around 90 years ago. They apparently have ways of coping with humans that the species they replaced did not. They reproduce faster than wolves. And like many successful creatures, they are not picky eaters. If they can't find a juicy mouse or vole (or chicken, or small dog, etc.), they'll eat insects, nuts and berries Or long-dead carrion. Years ago when we first moved here, a dead fawn materialized at the edge of the yard next to the road. What should we do with it? We decided to dig a hole and bury it. This was a learning experience. First of all, to dig a deep hole in the Catskills with nothing but a shovel is almost impossible, as any of our neighbors could have told us. After much struggle with rocks, we had a not-deep hole. Finally, we dumped the fawn in there but its four hoofs ended up sticking out of the ground.

It stayed buried for a couple of weeks, as I recall. Then one morning the hole was empty; part of the carcass was nearby. More disappeared overnight. After three or so days there wasn't a trace left of that fawn. It could have been a bear, but I don't think so. Coming back to eat the carcass over several nights doesn't seem like a bear's style.

It must've been coyotes ... but it almost felt as if a nocturnal spirit animal had been there.

Maybe above all, they survive because they know how to be invisible. I know not everyone wants them around, but not being a chicken or pet owner, I get a pleasurable electric thrill along my spine when I hear coyote voices, out there somewhere in the night, the sound of pure wildness and the sheer joy of being alive.

leadership for which you are so well known. The full Moon on the 5th will help you feel comfortable as you achieve your goals.

AQUARIUS: 1/21 to 2/19: Uranus, your ruling planet, remains positioned in your 4th solar house and continues its emphasis on home and family. You may be working on a creative project for the future, but your primary focus is maintaining the health and well-being of those close to you and supporting them in relative comfort. The full Moon on the 5th may find you partying with a group of friends.

PISCES: 2/20 to 3/20: Neptune is your ruling planet and continues positioned in the closing degrees of your 1st solar house. (The second house concerns money.)

Venus is now conjunct Neptune, pointing to your talent and creative nature while Jupiter enters the 2nd house, pointing to an increased income from working at home, Mars in the 4th. So, get to work!!!

Joanne can be reached at 561-744-9962. She is available for private telephone consultations if you want more information relating to your personal chart. Treat yourself – and you will learn what to expect from the current transits and receive an overview of long-term goals. Remember to read both your Sun sign and your Ascendant.

PAW Plans

~ Pet Annual Wellness ~ Want to help a local pet in need?

When you enroll in a PAW Plan, a donation is made to a local pet up for adoption.

Ask us for more details!

We See Cats, Dogs and Small Breed Practice Book online or with our APP!

845-687-7800

3056 Route 213, Stone Ridge NY, 12484

Page 20, February 3, 2023, BlueStone Press

FOR THE FAMILY Winter Hoot, this weekend, at the Ashokan Center Hoot is part world-class concert, part community supper, and part all-ages nature retreat, Feb. 3-5, at the Ashokan Center, 477 Beaverkill Road, Olivebridge. Friday, Feb. 3, will kick off with a locally sourced dinner and an inspiring screening of the documentary "Inhabit: a Permaculture Perspective.”

The film will lead into an open discussion with the filmmaker Costa Boutsikaris and neighboring farmers and growers, followed by an open jam-session where attendees are encouraged to join in.

Saturday at the Winter Hoot boasts a full day of music and dancing. No partner or previous experience is required for the mid-day and late-night square dances, cornerstones of the Hoot experience.

Meanwhile the Ashokan Center’s friendly and skilled Outdoor Education staff will lead blacksmithing workshops, indoor kids zone activities, and a laid-back instrument “petting zoo” where anyone can try their hand at a variety of musical instruments. Sunday morning offerings include yoga with Sara Trapani, founder of Whole Sky Yoga, Stone Ridge, or a guided hike with Ashokan Center educator Del Orloske (weather permitting) and a farewell community sing in the resonant performance hall space.

Friday dinner must be reserved for $25.

For more information, visit hoot.love or ashokancenter.org.

Free painting worships for Valentine’s Day and more with Stone Ridge artist Jill Obrig Hurley Library will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with a painting workshop of “Love Birds”! Come join award-winning Stone Ridge artist/educator Jill Obrig for an afternoon of fun painting the love birds in the moonlight, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, at the library, 48 Main St., Hurley. Also at the library, Arts Mid-Hudson and the Hurley Library will present a four-part workshop on “Ancient Birds,” 4:30-6 p.m., beginning Tuesday, Feb. 7. Travel through history to see the most amazing birds that walked the planet. Pick one and learn to illustrate the bird through the art of cut-paper sculpting and pop-up page design. The project is for four days.

Finish earlier if wanted, and if a day is missed, the meeting can be provided via Zoom. Register at 845-338-0290 or hurleylibrary@gmail.com.

Rosendale Seniors monthly meetings The Town of Rosendale Seniors meetings are held at the Rosendale Recreation Center, 1055 Route 32, Rosendale, twice a month, excluding November and December, at 1 p.m. every second Wednesday (Feb. 8), a social meeting, this month with a Valentine’s theme, and fourth Wednesday (Feb. 22), a business meeting where members are kept informed of the resources available to them. The Rosendale Seniors are proud to sponsor a tour to Branson, Missouri, courtesy of Diamond Tours, Sept. 16-24, nine days and eight nights. The tour consists of motorcoach transportation with eight nights lodging including four consecutive nights in the Branson area, 14 meals of eight breakfasts and six dinners, admission to six fabulous shows – three morning shows and three evening shows. Cost is $1,029/pp double occupancy. Call Chickie Steritt at 845-658-2414 or Hal Sampson at 845-658-9020 for more information. For videos and group pictures, visit grouptrips.com/chicky.

Rondout Valley Lions Club New members, men and women of all ages, are wanted and encouraged to join the Rondout Valley Lions Club, serving the towns of Marbletown, Rochester and Rosendale since Oct. 18, 1950. During this time, they have helped those in need, whether it is for sight, hearing, medical emergencies or any worthwhile cause. “We serve” is their motto, and this is what they do.

The Lions meet at 5 p.m. on the second Wednesday (Feb. 8), at the Soyuzivka Ukrainian Heritage Center, 216 Foordmore Road, Kerhonkson, and at noon on the fourth Thursday of every month (Feb. 23) in the conference room of the Rondout Municipal Center, 1925 Lucas Turnpike, Cottekill. For more information on being included in the club’s next meeting, contact Sue Curcio, president, at otrlsc@gmail.com or Janet Sutter, treasurer, at janet.sutter@aol.com.

Ellenville Regional Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop Valentine Day Sale Lots of great items for your loved ones, a surprise gift with every purchase, and 30%

is required by calling the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 845-255-0752.

Email nicholas.martin@parks.ny.gov for more information.

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. Saturday, Feb. 18, hosted by Carolyn Van Ness, 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.

.

Composting is a great way to manage food scraps.

Photo by Francesco Vanietti

‘Introduction to home composting,’ a free workshop As part of their “Looking Toward Spring” community series, the Rosendale Recreation Commission presents “Introduction to home composting,” a workshop brought to the community by the staff at the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Rosendale Recreation Center, 1055 Route 32 North, Rosendale. The program, designed for new/beginner composters, will introduce the environmental and horticultural benefits of composting and the basic principles of how to do

off all items, will be the highlights of the Ellenville Regional Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop Valentine’s Day Sale, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 9 and 10, at the hospital, 10 Healthy Way, Ellenville. Call 845-647-6400 for info.

Give blood at American Red Cross Blood Drive in Marbletown and be entered to win a trip to Florida The American Red Cross will host a blood drive, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday, Feb 11, at the Marbletown Community Center, 3564 Main St., Stone Ridge. All blood donors will automatically be entered to win a trip for two to Florida, including round-trip airfare, a three-night stay at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach and a $100 voucher to Ocean Hai restaurant, pus a $750 gift card for expenses.

Those giving blood will also receive a $10 Amazon.com gift card via email. For more info and/or to schedule an appointment, visit redrossblood.org.

‘Animal Tracks along the Stream’s Edge’ at Minnewaska Join Nick Martin, park educator, 9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, Feb. 11, for a combination recreational and interpretive 3-mile hike along Lower Awosting Carriage Road and Mossy Glen Footpath. Along the way, the group will look for clues of wild animals in the form of tracks and footprints in the snow. A limited number of snowshoes are available for participants to borrow from the Education Department, with advance registration. Plan to arrive by 9:10 a.m. if borrowing snowshoes.

If there is insufficient snow cover, this program will be offered as a hike. If conditions are icy, participants are encouraged to bring microspikes or other ice traction devices. Meet in the Lower Parking Area. Preregistration is required by calling the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 845-255-0752.

Lumagica’ and hot chocolate, winter weekends at Stone Ridge Orchard Enjoy the amazement and deliciousness of the “Lumagica” illuminated walking trail, locally made hard cider and hot

it correctly. Composting is a great way to manage food scraps like fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, stale bread and other scraps or spoiled food so they don’t go to waste. Participants will learn about the various compost bin options and the pros and cons of each composting system. At the end of the seminar, students will learn why compost is beneficial for soil health, and how to use their finished compost right in their own backyard.

For more information, call 845-6588198.

chocolate bar, noon-8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Feb. 12, at Stone Ridge Orchard, 3012 Route 213, Stone Ridge. Experience the winter days with light and warmth. Visit Stone Ridge Orchard on Instagram, Facebook, stoneridgeorchard.com, or call 845-687-2587 for tickets and more information.

Marbletown Seniors meetings Open to all those over 55, whether living in Marbletown or not. 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, March 3 (bring a dish to share or drop $3 in the basket on the food table), and at 1 p.m. on the third Friday, Feb. 17 (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 Donna Lamerson at 845-750-8616 or trip chairperson, Sharon Letus, at 845-687-9162.

Great Backyard Bird Count walk at Minnewaska Join Nick Martin, park educator, 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 for a winter outing in the Peter’s Kill Area of Minnewaska. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual, four-day, citizen science project that was launched in 1998 and is coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada. The GBBC invites people to count birds in their backyards, their favorite outdoor places, or anywhere birds can be found and submit observations to these organizations.

For this count, participants will slowly walk various trails near the Peter’s Kill Area of Minnewaska to search for birds.

The total estimated distance of this walk will be up to 2 miles. Participants are encouraged to dress warmly in layers, wear warm boots or shoes, and bring binoculars. Visit birdcount.org to learn more about the GBBC. Program will be canceled in the event of rain or snow. Meet at the Peter’s Kill Area. Preregistration

ARTS, MUSIC, BODY & MIND Awosting Falls Carriage Road and Mossy Glen Footpath hike Join Nick Martin, park educator, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 4, for an approximately 4-mile hike to Awosting Falls and beyond.

A limited number of snowshoes are available for participants to borrow from the Education Department, with advance registration. Plan to arrive by 9:30 a.m. if borrowing snowshoes. If there is insufficient snow cover, this program will be offered as a hike. If conditions are icy, participants are encouraged to bring microspikes or other ice traction devices. Meet at the Peter’s Kill Area. Preregistration is required by calling the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 845-2550752.

‘The Expressive Figure’ studio course with Kerhonkson’s Keith Gunderson This workshop will be held 9 a.m.-noon Thursdays, Feb. 9, 16, 23 and March 2 in Studio 1, at the Woodstock School of Art, 2470 Route 212, Woodstock. “Despite the importance of drawing what we see, it is the application of what we know that breathes life into the figure,” said Kerhonkson artist Keith Gunderson. “The Expressive Figure” explores both these parameters with special emphasis on providing the student with intentions that develop techniques of visualization, of media and surfaces, and the dynamics of the drawing space. For cost, supply list and more information, visit woodstockschoolofarts.org or call 845-679-2388.

For more on Gunderson, visit keithgunderson.com.

Hike around Lake Minnewaska and along the scenic Beacon Hill Loop Join Laura Conner, environmental educator, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 for a 3-mile, loop hike along the Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, Beacon Hill Footpath and Beacon Hill Carriage Road.

Meet at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson.

Preregister by calling 845-255-0752.

History reading club talks about ‘The Bright Ages’ by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry Clio’s Muse, a history reading club, will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, via Zoom to talk about “The Bright Ages” by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry. The word “medieval” conjures images of the Dark Ages with centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth: This was a remarkable period in human history. To join the group, email Sarah Robertson, Stone Ridge Library programs manager, at sarah@stoneridgelibrary.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 1 is Feb. 13, and for Group 2 on Feb. 6 and 27.

Email carra22@aol.com to join.

Views Across the Ravine Walk at Minnewaska Join Laura Conner, environmental educator, and Joshua Grosse, Student Conservation Association and

See More events, page 21

BlueStone Press, February 3, 2023, Page 21 Events continued from page 20 AmeriCorps member, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, for a morning stroll along the Castle Point and Millbrook Mountain carriage roads to reach Kempton Ledge and Patterson’s Pellet. Meet at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson. Preregistration is required at 845-255-0752.

Hike to Echo Rock at Minnewaska on Valentine’s Day Join Laura Conner, environmental educator, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, for an approximately 4-mile round-trip walk along two carriage roads to reach the picturesque Echo Rock.

Meet at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, 5281 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson.

Preregistration is required by calling 845-255-0752.

Mystery book group discusses ‘Elementary, she read’ by Vicki Delany The book for February for the Mystery book group that meets, 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, in the activity room, at the Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge is “Elementary, she read”

by Vicki Delany. Murder pays a visit to Gemma Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes-themed bookshop in this clever first installment in a captivating cozy mystery series. To join the group, email Sarah Robertson, programs manager, at sarah@stoneridgelibrary.org.

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.

Little Ones Learning Center in Accord Little Ones Learning Center is a free early-literacy program for ages 0-6 located in the Rochester Reformed Church, 5142 Route 209, Accord. Story Times are held, 10 a.m.-noon, Wednesdays and Saturdays and 3-5 p.m. Thursdays. Little Ones also supports literacy learning through sensory experiences, art, music, interpretive play, etc. Nearly 3,000 age-appropriate books are available for loan to in the home. Friends of Little Ones, Inc., a notfor-profit 401(c)3, operates the learning center which can be contacted by "liking" the Little Ones Learning Center on Facebook, calling 845-626-4112, or visiting littleoneslearningcener.org.

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

See More events, page 22

In-person 2-hour workshop ‘Restorative Yoga & Sound Bath’ with Marely Corniel at Whole Sky Yoga

It’s “A Recipe to Die For” in Murder Café’s interactive dinner theater performance where four bakers prepare an original Valentine’s Day dessert. Murder is also on the menu, as CSI investigators determine “whodunit and why.”

Murder Café of Rosendale 25th anniversary edition of its Valentine-themed mystery dinner In celebration of its 25th year in operation, and its return to live and safe performances, Murder Café of Rosendale will be offering a new version of its popular Valentine-themed whodunit, “A Recipe to Die For.” This dinner theater performance, which offers music, mystery and comedy, will be presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Venue at the Best Western, 503 Washington Ave., Kingston.

Murder Café owner Frank Marquette, who wrote “A Recipe to Die For,” explained the plot of the performance: “Four celebrity bakers will be asked to prepare an original Valentine’s Day dessert recipe, and each new concoction will be tasted and rated. On hand to oversee the bake-off will be Danny Glaze, the master of ceremonies, and celebrated food critic Francine

Enjoy a rejuvenating restorative yoga experience, led by Marely Corniel, 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, in the Sky Room, at Whole Sky Yoga, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge. Relax on bolsters and blankets to support the body in floor postures, encouraging deep and absolute comfort.

Postures are held for 5-20 minutes, giving the body plenty of time to unwind and soften. The workshop ends with a sound bath that soothes the nervous system, vibrates on a cellular level, and helps move into a meditative state. Enjoy crystal singing bowls, voice toning, gong, chimes and shamanic drumming. Admission is $30/$24 members.

For registration and information, visit wholeskyyoga.com or call 845-706-3668.

Lydecker, who, along with several audience members, will act as judges. Murder is also on the menu, and it will take a visit from local CSI investigators to determine whodunit and why.”

“A Recipe to Die For” is interactive, and three guests will be cast as judges. Those who guess “whodunit” will be eligible for prizes. The cast features the talents of Ellen Pavloff, Josh Ezra, Ken Stallon, Michelle Kafel, Samantha Mileski and Frank Marquette.

The entertainment is suitable for all ages, costumes are encouraged but not required, and guests will be encouraged to follow CDC regulations. Tickets are $75 per person and include a three-course dinner with entrée choice. They can be purchased by visiting murdercafe.net or by calling 845-475-7973.

Go see the paintings in color! “Courtyard #9” 10 x 8 inches, acrylic on paper, Ted Dixon

Stone Ridge Library Foundation Online Valentine’s Raffle

Stone Ridge Library Foundation shares the love with Valentine’s raffle, just in time for the special day of sweets and spirits.

Support the library, enter now – $10 buys a chance to win three fabulous prizes. First prize, a case of Prosecco from Stone Ridge Wine & Spirits; 2nd prize, three bottles – red, white and bubbly – from Bluebird Wine and Spirts in Accord; and 3rd prize, gourmet Valentine’s Day chocolates from Lagusta’s Luscious (lagustasluscious.com) and six bags of gourmet popcorn from BjornQorn of Kerhonkson.

All raffle tickets must be purchased by 2

p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, with winners announced that evening.

Purchase tickets online at stoneridgelibrary.org or in person, at Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge.

Venmo to @StoneRidgeLibrary-Foundation. For more information, contact SRL Foundation coordinator Aimee Tumbore at foundation@stoneridgelibrary.org or by calling 845-687-7023, ext. 7.

‘Painting Abstractions,’ new works by Rosendale artist Ted Dixon In honor of Black History Month, Rosendale artist Ted Dixon will present his exhibit, “Painting Abstractions,” for the month of February, in the gallery at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale, with the opening reception 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb 4.

Through the application of acrylic paints on paper and canvas, Dixon explained, “My work reflects the investment in the belief that less is more.” And in today’s world of visual and verbal overload, he attempts to send the viewer on a journey of discovery and clarity across the painted surface. “My goal is to create images that speak to a point in time that someone will embrace, be moved by, and cannot live without.”

As the second child of seven, born and raised in New York City, Dixon has made Rosendale his home since 2009.

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

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‘Soil to Soul, indoor composting with worms’ with Johanna Hoffman

Events continued from page 29 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.

Slow Jam First Sundays at the Rosendale Library Join other musicians at the Rosendale Library’s monthly slow jam, 3:30-5 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month, to play old time, folk songs, bluegrass, Western and other homespun type songs. Participants play at a slower pace so everyone will have a chance to learn the songs. All musicians and acoustic stringed instruments are welcome.

No audience, no pressure, just lots of fun. To play in the Slow Jam, participants need to purchase the song book for $5.10. Copies are available for pickup and purchase at Rosendale Library, 264 Main St., Rosendale. Bring a chair to sit on if needed, a capo, and a music stand.

Masks are required. Visit rosendlelibrary. org or call 845-658-9013 for registration and more information.

MaMA Sunday Gatherings continues virtually Marbletown Multi-Arts of Stone Ridge’s Sunday Gatherings provide meditation on various spiritual matters and issues, and continue virtually via Zoom, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each Sunday.

Newcomers are always welcome. Meeting ID is 824 6639 6032 and Passcode is 294808. For more information, visit cometomama.org or call 845-853-5154.

Mindful Mondays with Aimee Trumbore Join the community at 2 p.m. Mondays, in the activity room, at the Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge, to develop awareness, cultivate more presence, and strengthen the ability to bring mindfulness into day-to-day life. These weekly drop-in sessions will include a short talk on the topic of the week, guided meditation, and opportunity for discussion. All levels of practitioners are welcome, no previous experience required. Mindful Mondays are led by Aimee Trumbore, certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher. For info, visit stoneridgelibrary.org or call 845-687-7023.

Early morning birders at Minnewaska Designed for both birding enthusiasts and those just looking to learn the basics, this series, 7 a.m. Tuesdays, will offer various outings led by Nick Martin, park educator, or an experienced birding volunteer. Participants should bring binoculars and water and wear appropriate hiking shoes. Outing destinations will be determined the day of the program. Poor weather conditions trigger a program cancellation. Participants will meet at the main entrance to Minnewaska between 6:30-7 a.m. Participants must arrive prior to the start of the program. The Park Preserve gates will be locked at 7 a.m. Late arrivals will not be allowed in the Park Preserve. The total number of participants is limited to 25, first come, first served. For more information, call 845-255-0752 or email nicholas.martin@parks.ny.gov.

Mahjong, Tuesdays and Fridays at Stone Ridge Library The Stone Ridge Library hosts ongoing weekly mahjong for beginners at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and at 10 a.m. Fridays for more advanced players, in the activity room of the library, 3700 Main St., Stone Ridge. New members are welcome. No registration required. Just walk in. For info, call 845687-7023 or visit stoneridgelibrary.org.

Scrabble meet-up in Rosendale Join the group 1 p.m. Tuesday afternoons for a game of Scrabble, at the Rosendale Library, 264 Main St., Rosendale. Come and make new friends or play with old ones. The Library provides the game, just bring the love of wordplay. For more information, visit rosendalelibrary.org or call 845-658-9013.

Meditation on Tuesdays at Kiva This weekly meditation, movement and conversation group , at the Kiva, at Marbletown Multi-Arts Center, 3588 Main St., Stone Ridge is held 7:30 p.m. each Tuesday and led by Wes Ostertag and Ev Mann. For more information, visit cometomama.org or call 845-853-5154.

Lil Dagover in Fritz Lang’s “Destiny” (1921), a Gothic love story

Sunday Silents presents Fritz Lang’s ‘Destiny’ (1921), a Gothic love story Fritz Lang directs this gothic tale of love, which asks the question, “Is love stronger than death?”

In “some time and some place,” a loving young couple is riding in a carriage on a country road when they pick up a hitchhiker, offering him a ride into town. Little do they know, this stranger is Death himself, who has recently bought a plot of land that he has turned into a walled garden for his captured souls. When Death distracts her, the woman’s lover disappears. Death offers her a deal: He will transport her to alternative realities in which she and her young man will occupy alternative personae, in love and in peril. If she can

save a life in any of these, Death will spare her lover. In each story, her attempts to save a life fail. Finally, she realizes the meaning of the tales and takes the only step she can to reunite herself with her lover.

“Destiny” will be shown, with live musical accompaniment by Marta Waterman, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale. Admission is $6. Sunday Silents is made possible by the generous support of Jim Demaio, State Farm Insurance agent, New Paltz.

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

Second Sunday Supper, chili to go and ‘Souper Bowl’ food collection

Charles "Honi" Coles with Brenda Bufalino. Photo Courtesy of the American Tap Dance Foundation

Tap workshops with Brenda Bufalino at the Rosendale Theatre Brenda Bufalino, international performer and tap dance master, will teach an eight-week tap workshop for advanced beginner-intermediate levels, noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 8, 15, 22 and March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, at the Rosendale Theater, 408 Main St., Rosendale. Complete the series or go to individual classes for $25/ class.

For more information, visit rosendaletheatre.org or call 845-658-8989. For registration, email brendabufaline@yahoo. com. For more on Bufalino, visit brendabufalino.com.

Wintertime Cooking Class with Holly Shelowitz Join Holistic Health Community of Stone Ridge as they present this in-person hands-on cooking class with certified nutrition counselor and culinary educator Holly Shelowitz, 3-5

The Rondout Valley United Methodist Church will host its Second Sunday Supper at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, (at the new earlier time for the winter months), at the church, 25 Schoonmaker Lane, off Route 209, Stone Ridge. The featured main dish will be chili, for both carnivores and vegetarians.

All are invited to meet and greet other members of the community, dine together and enjoy one another’s company. Second Sunday Suppers are free and held on the second Sunday of every month (except July and August). And, since it is Super Bowl Sunday, there will be the chili-to-goby-the-pint fundraiser for youth missions from 4-6 p.m. while supplies last, suggested $5 a pint.

The "Souper Bowl" food collection for the Rondout Valley Food Pantry will also be going on throughout the day. There are empty paper bags at the church that people can return with nonperishables (including pet foods) and personal care items, though items without bags will also gladly be accepted.

Sunday worship at RVUMC is in person at 10 a.m. or online anytime at rvumc.org.

For more information, call 845-687-9061.

Need prayer? Call Pastor Caroline at 845687-9090.

p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Marbletown Community Center, 3564 Main St., Stone Ridge. The class will be making vegetarian soup and gluten-free quick bread.

Shelowitz For registration and more information, visit holistichealthcommunity.org or call 845-867-7008.

This Holistic Health Community of Stone Ridge free program on indoor composting with worms will be held, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at People’s Place Wellness Empowerment Center, 775 Broadway, Kingston.

In this workshop, participants will work with Johanna Hoffman of Community Compost Hoffman Company and learn how worms digest organic material and create worm castings, what worms can and can’t eat, how to set up and maintain a worm bin at home, and how to harvest and use vermicompost to enrich soil and boost the health of plants.

Each participant can build a basic worm bin during the workshop. Materials and worms will be provided.

Community Compost Company is a local, women-owned, food scrap pickup service producing organic compost and soil amendments available through Hudson Soil Company. Hoffman, soil specialist at Community Compost Company and Hudson Soil Company, leads research to optimize compost quality and develop new soil products. For more information, visit holistichealthcommunity.org or call 845-867-7008.

Joél Mejia of Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

‘Growing Superfoods at home,’ a free workshop with Joél Mejia Holistic Health Community of Stone Ridge presents this Soil to Soul free program, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at People’s Place Wellness Empowerment Center, 775 Broadway, Kingston.

Learn the basics of hydroponic growing and leave with a new appreciation for healthy eating and a free grow kit to take home. Discover how plants can be grown in something other than soil, what superfoods are, and how microgreens are one of the healthiest foods on the planet.

Look, touch, and taste in this interactive workshop, led by Joél Mejia, an urban farmer and founder of Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms, a worker-owned cooperative.

The cooperative is an urban farming initiative to both tackle food insecurity in low-income neighborhoods and provides a pathway to building equity as an owner of the business. For information, visit miohmyfarms.com, holistichealthcommunity.org or call 845-867-7008.

Find what you’re looking for

Page 23 Services Offered

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Page 24, February 3, 2023BlueStone Press

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