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Calendar
CALENDAR OF EVENTS - NOVEMBER
City of Little Falls
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Common Council Meeting - November 2, 2021 - Bills 6:30 pm and Regular Session 7:00 pm in the Common Council Chambers in City Hall.
Police and Fire Board Meeting - November 8, 2021 - Bills 6:30 pm and Regular Session 7:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.
Recreation Committee Meeting - November 9, 2021 - 6:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.
Golf Commission Meeting - November 17, 2021 - 8:00 am at the Little Falls Municipal Golf Course. Urban Renewal Agency Meeting - November 17, 2021 - 8:00 am in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall. Tourism Committee Meeting - November 18, 2021 - 8:30 am in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.
Board of Public Works Meeting - November 22, 2021 - Bills 6:30 pm and Regular Session 7:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference room in City Hall.
Little Falls Public Library
11/5 Make a Bracelet 3 PM
11/16 Make a Badge Holder 3:30 PM
11/13 Thanksgiving Make & Take 10:30 AM
Mondays Lego Robotics 3:30 PM
Mondays Creative Writing for Tweens/Teens 5 PM
Tuesdays Nutrition for 55+ 1 PM
Wednesdays Toddler Time 10 AM
Thursdays TASC Prep Class 9 AM
Thursdays Coffee & Coloring 2 PM
Fridays Afterschool Snacks for Kids 3 PM
Saturdays Learn to Crochet class 11 AM
Saturdays World War I Zoom Class 1 PM
All month long: Art show by Gary Glinski
Little Falls Elks
$1000 drawing on Friday November 26th. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at lodge. $100 raffle on Saturday, November 6th at 5. Tickets are $100 and available at the lodge. Open bar, food and many cash prizes!
We will be serving dinners on Friday, November 19th starting at 5:00 prepared by Ruth!
We are part of the pub crawl on Friday, November 26th serving a baked potato bar and chili.
2021-2022 Home Energy Assistance Program - HEAP
In an effort to help income-eligible households cope with the higher fuel bills of winter, New York State participates in the federally funded “Home Energy Assistance Program,” commonly known as HEAP. HEAP may be able to help you if your source of heat is:
Electricity, Kerosene, Propane, Oil, Natural Gas, Wood/Wood Pellets, and Coal/Corn
BENEFITS
HEAP Grants are ordinarily limited to one per household, per heating season. The grant amount is based on your fuel type, household size, household composition and household income during the four (4) weeks prior to your application. grant, you must meet income guidelines and residence requirements and you must pay for heating energy directly to a fuel company OR as a part of your rent.
There are certain living situations, which do not qualify for HEAP. The following DO NOT qualify:
• Tenants of government subsidized housing where heat is included in rent • Individuals paying room and/or room and board in a private residence • Residents of care facilities, dormitories, group homes or institutions • Those who have no heating responsibilities
Income Guidelines
Maximum Household Size Gross Monthly Income 1 $2,729.00 2 $3,569.00 3 $4,409.00 4 $5,249.00
EMERGENCY HEAP
If you have an energy-related emergency, such as a utility termination notice or less than a quarter tank/ ten-day supply of heating fuel, you can apply for a HEAP emergency benefit. You may be eligible if:
• Your income is at or below the current income guidelines, you receive SNAP, Code A SSI, Family Assistance and you do not have available liquid resources to meet the emergency -and- • You receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance(SNAP) benefits -or• You receive Temporary Assistance -or• You receive Code A Supplemental Security Income (SSI Living Alone)
APPLICATION
HEAP From Page 4
to determine your eligibility and grant amount. You must give basic information such as your name, address, and telephone number. You must provide copies of photo ID or birth certificate, social security cards and income for everyone in your household. All information is treated as highly confidential and in accordance with the New York State Personal Privacy Protection Law which took effect on September 1, 1984.
DOCUMENTATION
When applying for HEAP you will need to provide identification and proof of gross income for everyone who lives in your home. Depending on circumstances, you may use birth certificates, a marriage license, driver’s license, rental receipts and copies of current paystubs or pension statements. We cannot use bank statements for proof of monthly income.
• Social security/Disability/ SSI • Pension/Veteran’s Benefit • Dividends (from stocks, bonds) • Alimony/Support (or court order) • Payroll, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment Insurance Benefit • Rentals (received from tenants/roomers/real property) • Interest (up-dated on pass books, savings, checking, CD’s, etc.)
You will also have to provide a copy of:
*Recent fuel/utility bill (containing name, address and account number) if you pay for heat separately or *A statement from your landlord stating that your heat is included in your rent.
NOTIFICATION
Social Services, whether your application has been approved or denied. If approved, both you and your fuel provider will be informed and an appropriate payment will be made to your fuel provider.
APPLICATION PACKET
Persons 60 years of age and over, SSI recipients living alone or with a spouse only (Code A), may contact the Office for the Aging for an application packet which will further explain the program, your rights under the program and instructions for filling out your application. All others are invited to contact the Department of Social Services HEAP program at 315-8671220.
QUESTIONS?
This information is provided by the Herkimer County Office for the Aging and presents basic information about the HEAP program. For information, current income guidelines, answers to individual questions or assistance in completing your application, please contact the OFA HEAP office at 315-867-1195 or 315-867-1370.
Visit our website for more information at www.herkimercounty.org then “services/departments”, then “Office for the Aging”.
Visit Herkimer County, Office for the Aging, County Office Building, 109 Mary Street, Suite 1101, Herkimer, NY 13350. Call 315867-1195
2021 Little Falls Cheese Festival turned out to be big!
LITTLE FALLS, NY – After its cancelation in 2020, the sixth Little Falls Cheese Festival held on October 2, 2021, exceeded all expectations including its attendance record set in 2019.
Between the lingering COVID pandemic and a date change from steamy and hot mid-July to cooler early October, the Little Falls Cheese Festival committee had been keeping expectations in check. “We just didn’t know,” stated Teri Chace, one of the organizers. “Would people come out? Would our vendors do well enough to make it worth their while? Would the things we’d tried to improve work out?”
Not only did people show up, but attendance was also way up. Based on data from the two entry booths on each end of East Main Street and analysis of drone footage, this year’s Cheese Festival hosted approximately 8,000 people over the course of the day – shattering the festival’s previous record of approximately 6,000 in 2019. One of the improvements was instituting shuttle parking from Veteran’s baseball park on the east side of the city and from the Industrial Park on the west side—both quick trips into the city. Even with the unexpectedly large crowds, there was space for everyone’s vehicle, and the buses, running continuously all day, conveyed cheese-lovers back and forth without a hitch.
Another improvement was a Food Truck Food Court, moved off Main Street, down to the M&T Bank parking lot. There, attendees could order freshly prepared food and drinks, then sit under open-sided tents to savor their snacks and listen to live music before returning to the main festival to continue strolling, sampling, and shopping.
The vendors had an incredible day, a welcome and needed boost for many of them after a rough past year. Many vendors began to sell out by mid-afternoon, not just the artisanal and farmstead New York State cheesemakers but also the gourmet food and wines and spirits purveyors. “It was my best show ever,” said Juli Webster of the Mustard Seed. “You knocked it out of the park and made it a fabulous day for us,” declared Laurie Schild of Farm Girl Cider Vinegars. Cheesemakers Cindy and Tim Powers of Poplar Hedge Farm commented “It was amazing talking with so many people and even after selling out, they were stopping and asking questions.”
Live music performed all day the length of the festival added to the festive atmosphere. Some people came in cheese hats, others purchased cheese-festival-themed souvenirs such as keychains, stickers, and t-shirts from the Souvenirs Booth. Local brick-andmortar shops and city restaurants had a banner day. Melanie Pagan of the Loft 32 West boutique reported that she “made more in one day than what I made in the whole YEAR before,” and Mangia Macrina’s Pizza down in Canal Place reported, “a huge day, a sellout Saturday!”
“We plan to keep our festival in autumn, going forward,” Chace confirmed. “It was a wonderful day. The DPW and the police department were so supportive. But big credit goes to our amazing volunteers, who helped the vendors set up and tear down, kept the day running smoothly, and gave visitors to Little Falls a warm welcome. We could not have done it without them!” And as Mayor Mark Blask commented in a widely shared Facebook post that evening, everyone “loved it! The goodwill and publicity Little Falls gets after such a successful event is immeasurable.”
The Little Falls Cheese Festival is New York State’s premier gathering of cheesemakers, running the length of Main Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Keep up to date with future plans by following the Little Falls Cheese Festival on Facebook, Instagram, or visiting
Little Falls Community Co-Op
littlefallscheesefestival.com.
Bulk foods, spices, supplements, and hard to find items at discounted costs. Beauty products, housewares, gardening equipment, seeds, gifts, local products, books and more!
Mon: Closed Tue: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Wed: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Thu: 9:30 AM - 8:00 PM Fri: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Sat: 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM Sun: Closed
River Hills Properties The Mosher Team Call 315-868-4596
FITNESS From Page 1
“I was born in the house that my husband and I now own. I lived there until I was three and my dad purchased the farm from my grandfather. I was a dairy farmer’s daughter,” she said.
She went to college to become a vet tech and worked for the Little Falls Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Spaulding for thirteen years. “I loved it there and had a great job.”
Daukontas has two children and her husband teaches in Dolgeville. “We were high school sweethearts and both from the area.”
“It was after the birth of my second child when I really got into fitness as most people do. I had a baby and I was ready to shed some pounds. I think historically speaking, most women tend to start running, eat lots of salads and do plenty of cardio,” she stated.
Her sister had heard that if women lift weights, it was better for them and for fat and weight loss. “I started going to the local Y in Little Falls and I just fell in love with resistance training and training with weights. I felt like it was the only thing I’d tried in my life that I could stick with that gave me results.”
She said that nutrition is always a problem for women because of the number of fad diets that are out there. “There are all these different things, and what should you do? That’s what led me to get certified in nutrition almost four years ago now. At first, it was purely for my own interest, but then there were a lot of women that reached out to me and asked for help.”
Daukontas found out that there was a real need for that kind of help and education, and she started helping other women as a ‘side hustle’ while still working as a vet tech and mom.
“I would see women at
Pohlig’s
HOME FURNISHINGS
ESTABLISHED 1888
Paint & Paint Sundries Flooring & Ceramic Tiles Window Shades & Treatments Mattresses Wallpaper & Borders
634-636 E. Main Street P.O. Box 93 Little Falls, NY 13365 P. (315) 823-2640 F. (315) 823-2641
my house and we’d go through weight training, their food journal I’d help them with healthier alternatives and what they’re eating and how to read a food label. You’d think most people would know these things, but the way marketing is so confusing now - when they say low sugar or low fat you think it’s healthier. But, when you turn it over and read the ingredients and understand what you’re eating, you might think differently,” she stated.
While she was doing all of this, she realized that a lot of women wanted to know what she did and to be able to exercise the same way. “I really couldn’t give them training or a plan because I wasn’t certified. So, a year after I finished my nutrition certification, I impulsively purchased the personal training certification, which took me six months to complete.”
At that point, she was able to combine the two
Please See FITNESS Page 15
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