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Essex Theatre Company, Inc.

Presents

Bring this ad to the concession stand and get a bottle of water for FREE! Limit 1 per customer per show

ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS

See below for details

PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron

87460

Saturday,ÊJ ulyÊ16,Ê2016

>>

In ARTS | pg. 11

‘Next to normal’

ETC offering repeat performances

www.SunCommunityNews.com

>>

In OPINION | pg. 6

>>

Somewhere over the Rainbow is a family milking the system

In NEWS | pg. 5

The race for 21st

Incumbent Stefanik amasses huge war chest

Illegal dump discovered at Essex County Fairgrounds

DEC now reportedly involved in examining site

ed, far beyond the watchful eye of government officials. For years, local residents have been dumping construction debris, household trash and other waste down the pit. By Pete DeMola And each spring, Essex County has gone in and quietly pete@suncommunitynews.com cleaned up the property, which is not classified as a landfill. Now, the state Department of Conservation may be pursuWESTPORT — A ravine snakes its way behind the Essex County Fairgrounds, cutting through about 25 acres of dense ing an active investigation into the dumping, which is illegal under both local and state law. forest. The parcel, located behind the horse rings, is mostly seclud-

AÊ bus

>> See DUMP | pg. 15

Photo by Pete DeMola

Blueberry growers hope for bumper crop

forÊ heroes

Growers: Steady rain, consistant heat favorable conditions for the fruit

AuSable Valley Central donates bus to North Country Honor Flight CUMBERLAND HEAD — North Country Honor Flight processions are a staple of summer. Beginning in early-spring, veterans are picked up at their homes in the wee hours by local law enforcement officials and esPete corted to the Plattsburgh Oval, where DeMola residents and dignitaries gather to send off Writer their heroes. The second leg of the trip sees the vets shuttled to the Plattsburgh Airport, where they depart for a day visiting monuments in Washington, D.C. A newly refurbished bus will see the World War II and Korean War vets and their guardians riding in style. North Country Honor Flight had been using the bus for years as part of an agreement with AuSable Valley Central. But when the vehicle reached the end of its lifespan with the district, Superintendent Paul Savage had an idea: Why not donate it to the non-for-profit organization? The district did. The veterans organization quickly raised $7,000 for repairs and modifications through donations des-

This wagon filled with corroded and rusty cans of paint and other chemicals sits beneath an anti-dumping sign at the Essex County Fairgrounds.

New wheels: Veterans stand in front of the newly refurbished North Country Honor Flight bus in Cumberland Head on Friday, July 8.

By Pete DeMola

pete@suncommunitynews.com

Photo by Teah Dowling

ignated specifically for the project. The full-sized bus, now painted bullet gray and wheelchair-accessible, is adorned with military insignias from each branch of the service. Betty Boop also makes an appearance, as do scenes from Iwo Jima and D-Day. “Transporting our hometown heroes,” it says on the side. A special permit was also obtained to outfit the vehicle with blinking red and blue lights. “It’s not just a paint job,” said North Country Honor Flight Director Barry Finnegan. “It’s a rolling piece of art.” Following completion of the work Friday afternoon at Precision Auto, veterans boarded the bus and received an escort across the city to North Country Classic Cruisers in Cumberland Head, where the group was met with fanfare.

AU SABLE FORKS — Local producers have their fingers crossed for a bumper crop of blueberries this summer. Gray Densmore, owner of the Valley View Farm in Ticonderoga, said they’re zeroing in on harvest time. Peak season is short: The window ran from July 16 to Aug. 23 last year. Densmore hopes this spring’s temperature fluctuations won’t lead to a smaller yield, bucking the smaller-than-normal budding he observed earlier this season. “Our crop is great, we’re concerned about numbers,” Densmore said. “Everybody’s kind of waiting to see.”

>> See BUS | pg. 15

>> See BLUEBERRIES | pg. 15


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