Andes

By Julia Green
Despite the lingering chill of the Catskill winter, spring is on its way, as evidenced by the ring of aluminum bats coming from baseball diamonds in local schoolyards. Area schools are getting into the spring swing of things as baseball, softball and tennis teams open the season this week.

By Jeffrey Ashton
Kerry McCracken, an Andes Central School teacher, was in a bad automobile accident in November. As a result of the injuries sustained, her right leg had to be amputated. In the months following her accident, Kerry has undergone a tremendous amount of therapy, both physical and mental. After seven weeks of being in intensive care and undergoing an intense physical therapy regiment at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital, she returned home to South Kortright to her husband Jim and three small children, Logan, age seven, Aileen, age five and Delan, age three.

By Julia Green
First-year Margaretville head coach Bill Lonecke returns a strong roster from the 2008 Lady Blue Devils’ softball team, including five seniors and three 2008 Delaware League All-Star selections. Lonecke was an assistant with the Blue Devils last year and fills the vacancy left by Robyn Lukaszewski, who accepted a teaching position in the Rondout Valley school district.
“Only having 11 kids this year, they look really good,” Lonecke said. “I only have one girl who is new who came up from modified this year. The rest of them are returning players from last year, and last year we won the Upper Delaware League, and I think we have a real good chance to repeat it.”

By Julia Green
Area school superintendents are wrestling with declining state aid as they attempt to prepare their 2009-2010 annual budgets.
In spite of waning funds, however, superintendents at Andes, Margaretville and Roxbury central schools have prepared budget drafts that have only minor tax levy increases and will therefore have minimal impacts on local taxpayers.

It was a brother-sister victory at the Andes Central School Spelling Bee last Wednesday. Serena Bacon correctly spelled “originality” to win the bee among students in grades 4 and 5 while her older brother, Torin, correctly spelled “easel” to win the bee for students in grades 6 through 8. Both winners received an mp3 player and qualified to compete in the regional spelling bee at the RAG building in Roxbury on May 2.

By Matthew J. Perry
Last Saturday—a crisp but sunny second day of spring—dozens of Andes residents turned out for a celebration at the refurbished town library to enjoy music, food, socializing and, for many, a first look inside the 1840s Main Street building since construction was completed.
Trustees, librarians, architects and town officials were on hand to greet guests and offer tours.

Andes — At CitiHope a team of young men recently volunteered their after-school and evening hours to help pack a $3.9 million airlift shipment of humanitarian medicine bound for the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia. 

Andes — Bird-On-A-Cliff Theater Company, of Woodstock, presents the hysterically funny play “The Squires Inn” at the Andes Hotel on Saturday, March 28, 7 p.m.
You be the detective and you solve the crime! There’s prizes and surprises!  Step into the world of mystery and intrigue.  Mingle with unusual characters.  Watch for clues.  The action is fast and the laughter contagious.  You will be kept on the edge of your seat as you try to solve an exciting who-dunnit while you indulge on a three-course traditional English country fest.  It is a challenge you will long remember!

Andes — The trustees and staff of the Andes Public Library invite everyone to a Grand Re-Opening Party on Saturday, March 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. After a renovation, re-structuring and energy-efficient remodeling by contractors Denison-Finn, the library has moved back from temporary quarters to its permanent site at 242 Main Street in Bohlmann Park. The work was accomplished with grants from the State of New York, the O’Connor Foundation, and donations from local residents.

In conjunction with the National Education Asso-ciation’s Read Across America Day, CROP students at Andes Central School held a birthday celebration in honor of Dr. Seuss on Monday, March 2.