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October 3, 2009
Extra credit
A good read
Sports
Distance learning is bringing college classes to high school.
Authors delve into the culture and characters of their community.
OT thriller, close contests, and oh yes, football picks.
Page 2
Page 3
Pages 8-9
Jeremiah laid to rest, townspeople pay tribute to fallen soldier By Mary Jane Dower denpubs@denpubs.com
The casket bearing Jeremiah Monroe’s body is carried into St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Chestertown Saturday for the fallen soldier’s funeral by a detachment of soldiers from Fort Drum. Photo by Mary Jane Dower
HORICON — Under sunny, clear autumn skies Sept. 26, the people of northern Warren County paid tribute — in a manner not witnessed here for generations — to one of their own who while serving his nation, gave the ultimate sacrifice. Jeremiah Monroe, 31, the first soldier from North Warren Central School to be a casualty of war — and the first locally to die on duty since World War II — was killed Sept. 17 while on patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Monroe’s funeral at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Chestertown was attended by an overflow crowd. But later, the collective grief of area residents was even more apparent. After the funeral, hundreds of people stood alongside the highway from Chestertown to Horicon paying Monroe tribute as his hearse drove past. This funeral procession was more than 300 vehicles long. Monroe’s mid-morning funeral was attended by New York Police, Warren County Sheriff ’s officers, American Legion members, and the Veterans Mobile Honor Guard. They all stood at attention with flags waving in the cool breeze as the casket was carried from the hearse by Army soldiers from Fort Drum, directed by Major James L. Terry, Commanding General at Fort Drum. Chaplain Major David Esselle of Fort Drum conducted the service. He invited friends and relatives to talk about Jeremiah. Nikki Monroe, a cousin, shared her memories of youthful fun, including playing the Dukes of Hazzard with Jeremiah and Robert, pretending to be going 100 miles per hour while the car was parked in the driveway. She finished talking with the Irish blessing that she had used at his father ’s funeral only a few months ago. John Kenyon and Jeremy Moon also talked. Deacon Bob Wubbenhorst read Psalm 23, talking of overcoming the fear of death. Rev. John O’Kane led the 400-plus at the Church and overflowing crowd on the front lawn, in reciting the Lord’s Prayer. He said that Jeremiah had followed his sense of duty.
See MONROE, page 12
Arts & Entertainment
‘American Roots Music’ at Indian Lake Theater By Laura Cormack denpubs@denpubs.com
Fall color has hit the Adirondacks with full force. The leaves are approaching peak in this photo shot on Rt. 28N between Newcomb and Minerva. Photo by Lindsay Yandon
INDIAN LAKE — Skip the frills and fluff — those looking to get out for an old-fashioned good time should not miss Tom Akstens and Neil Rossi in concert at the Indian Lake Theatre on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 pm. Special guests of the event will include The Kossoy Sisters. Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased by calling the arts center at 352-7715, or online at www.adirondackarts.org/indianlaketheater.html. Akstens and Rossi have been playing together for much of their lives. They attended the same high school and as youngsters were steeped in music written before the depression that made a comeback the 1960's. Performing on their own, the duo frequenting venues such as Club 47 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they heard such legendary artists as Slap James, Muddy Waters, Mississippi John Hurt and Bill Monroe. They have since become a bit of a sensation in the folk music realm, although Akstens prefers to define the duo under a differ-
Tom Akstens and Neil Rossi Photo by Laura Cormack
ent genre - American Roots Music. This aptly named genre includes many different styles of music that are rooted in the history of this country and can describe music in the blues, folk, jazz, and bluegrass traditions, among many others. “We've started to use this term in the last 5 to 10 years,” said Akstens. “It's a broad term that captures the excitement of many different genres and hails to the era of the 1920s. When these people played, they weren't thinking
in genres; it was just the music that was engrained in them.” American Roots Music has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years, a phenomenon that Akstens attributes to a desire for simpler, purer music that is unfettered by big record deals and corporate influences. “People are fed up with corporate entertainment,” said Akstens. “There's an authenticity in all this stuff that's lacking today.”
See MUSIC, page 4