News

The Delaware County Fair in Walton will open Monday and feature a demolition derby at 7 p.m.
Tuesday’s program will feature a free grandstand all day and night with the firefighters’ parade with bands at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday will be children’s day at the fair and the grandstand will feature modified truck and tractor pulling.

Air-conditioned museums may be interesting for an hour or two, but to really get a feel for times gone by, it’s much more fun to try your hand at some of the skills and crafts that your great-great-grandparents would have used every day.
Come to Roxbury during Turn of the Century Days over Labor Day weekend and you can learn how to spin wool into yarn, weave at a hand loom, cane a chair, weave an Adirondack-style “pack” basket, and hew wood beams. During Saturday’s house tours, you can step inside a 19th-century home where the layout and furnishings still reflect the culture and habits of 100 years ago.

By Matthew J. Perry
During the heavy rains of late July, the threat of flooding hovered over much of the Catskills—and a new automated phone service made sure that residents had the word. Delaware County has a grant-funded contract with Hyper-Reach, a Rochester broadcast notification service that provides software and phone banks that can reach thousands of households in the event or threat of any emergency.
The service went into action last Wednesday after heavy rains had already swelled county streams.

By Matthew J. Perry
The majority of the seats were filled in the Delaware Academy auditorium on Thursday night in Delhi by landowners, concerned citizens and even a handful of land men working for gas companies.
Everyone was hungry for information, and two experts working with the Central New York Landowners Coalition (CNYLA,) which organized the meeting, supplied three hours worth on natural gas speculation, drilling and leasing. It was a scratch into the surface of an issue that could reconfigure—or scar—the face of Catskill mountain communities in the coming years.

By Brian Sweeney
An internal investigation by the New York State Police has cleared all troopers of any wrongdoing in the accidental death of Trooper David Brinkerhoff in an April 2007 gunfight at a Margaretville farmhouse. The classified report was obtained by The New York Times under the Freedom of Information Law.
During a gun battle with fugitive Travis Trim, Trooper Brinkerhoff was killed by a shot to the back of the head from fellow Trooper Norville Yearwood. The troopers, part of an Elite Mobile Response Team, had stormed the farmhouse in search of Trim.

By Brian Sweeney
Roxbury Central School Superintendent Dr. Craig Carr has announced his resignation after three-and-a-half years on the job. The RCS School Board accepted Dr. Carr’s resignation at its July 21 meeting. Dr. Carr will be leaving the district on August15. He has accepted a position as superintendent of the Central Islip Union Free School District.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Longtime Phoenicia resident Tina Rice has announced her candidacy for a seat on the Shandaken Town Board. Rice, a 10-year member of the town’s Recreation Committee and well-known to residents who participate in the popular Shandaken ski program, said Tuesday that she would appear at the town’s Republican Party Caucus and ask for the party’s support.
If endorsed, Rice would face off against Democratic incumbent Doris Bartlett.

The geological history of the Catskills and the secret life of dragonflies will be topics of a pair of free, family-friendly presentations on August 2 and 3 in Roxbury, sponsored by Woodchuck Lodge, Inc.

Twilight on a lovely evening, rolling fields, passing farms, and the rhythm of the rails are all on track as the Delaware & Ulster Railroad offers another moonlit excursion. Music, food, fun and a little romance play a part in this magical evening train ride through the scenic Catskills as the D&U rolls out of the Arkville depot on Saturday, Aug. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

The inimitable duo of Mikhail Horowitz and Gilles Malkine is returning to Andes and will be performing at the Pleasant Valley Meeting House on the Tremperskill and Bussey Hollow on Saturday, Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. The performance is sponsored by the Andes Society for History and Culture.