News

Globe Trotting, a world music and improvisational group, will appear in one of the area’s most intimate and acoustically perfect venues, the Denver Valley Old School Baptist Church on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. The concert is part of the Denver Valley Music Festival presented by The Denver Valley Preservation Committee, Inc. The ensemble consists of world class musicians with a wealth of experience with jazz and world music stars, who have individually toured the globe, appear on numerous recordings and have been featured in several films. Their sound is unique, rich and unforgettable.

The Historical Society of the Town of Middletown (HSM) will welcome scholar and author Carol Berkin as the featured speaker at its Fourth Annual Meeting Sunday, Sept. 7 at the New Kingston Valley Grange Hall, Cemetery Road, Margaretville. Prof. Berkin’s topic will be courageous women of the American Revolution. Her talk, “It Was I Who Did It: Spies, Saboteurs, Couriers and Other Heroines of the Revolution,” is made possible by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Margaretville Hospital and Mountainside Residential Care Center Auxiliary will host its fifth annual Fashion Show & Buffet Luncheon on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 12:30 p.m. at the Purcell Parish Center, Margaretville. Eleanor Barrack will again be the fashion designer utilizing clothing items donated from the auxiliary's Thrift Shop. All the clothing being modeled will be for sale. Many of the items are brand new with original tags.

The Belleayre Region Lodging & Tourism Association (BRLTA) will hold its Season Kick-off Party and Membership Drive on Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Overlook Lodge at Belleayre Mountain.
All local business owners are invited to attend the pre-season mixer, which will feature a complimentary “Country Barbecue” and a cash bar. The event will provide guests with the opportunity to renew membership, mingle with people in the tourism industry, and learn more about the benefits associated with BRLTA membership.

A nonprofit workshop on “Board 2.0: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining a Motivated Board of Directors in the 21st Century” will be offered by the Council of Community Services of New York State (CCSNYS) on September 13. The presentation will be held from 10 am to noon at The Roxbury Arts Group’s Walter Meade Gallery in Roxbury. Board 2.0: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining a Motivated Board of Directors in the 21st Century will be presented by Valerie Venezia, vice president of membership & marketing, CCSNYS and Andrew Marietta, Central NY Office Manager.

By Matthew J. Perry
Two members of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) appeared in Delhi on August 20 before the Delaware County Board of Supervisors to provide an overview of natural gas drilling and persuade those present that the DEC is ready to deal with a rush of speculation.
State Assemblyman Clifford Crouch, also in attendance, was active in the discussion that followed the DEC presentation, explaining positions of state lawmakers and fielding questions from supervisors who expressed both curiosity and skepticism concerning Albany’s oversight of local issues.

By Julia Green
Don’t pull out your dollars just yet: the Family Dollar chain store initially planned for the property adjacent to the Margaretville Post Office isn’t setting up shop in Margaretville quite yet.
“We as a company just elected not to build there,” said Tom Nash, senior vice president for real estate, in an interview. “We re-evaluated the market area and felt that that particular location did not meet our criteria.” Nash said that he doesn’t know if the company will be exploring options to build a retail location anywhere in the Delaware County area.

By Matthew J. Perry
Despite the fact that drilling for natural gas is months away, if not years, debate is now concentrating on whether New Yorkers can get their gas—assuming the Marcellus Shale is indeed filled with it—at a cost the land can sustain. Meanwhile, disturbing reports from the west, where shale plays have been underway for several years, have stoked fears of wells on tightly-spaced units and the creation of an industrial zone in the Catskills.

By Julia Green
Roxbury Planning Board Chairman Joe Farleigh said Wednesday he believes that things are “in pretty good shape at this point” in terms of the wind turbine application process during the town’s monthly planning board meeting, adding that he believes the public comments submitted during the SEQR process were “quite inclusive” and doesn’t suppose anything has been left out.
The comments received during the public hearing phase of the process in response to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are still in the hands of LaBella Associates, the primary technical consultant being solicited by the planning board, as the planning board awaits feedback in order to proceed with the drafting of the Final Environmental Impact State-ment.

Congregation Bnai Israel in Fleischmanns will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. with a program of song, videos, inspirational messages and special refreshments. “Positively Israel” is the title of a presentation by Ronnie Gold, a former national officer of Na’amat, Pioneer Women, who lived in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem with her husband from 1980 to the mid-90s. Mrs. Gold, a member of the congregation, is a Woodstock artist.