News

Summer officially begins June 21 and the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown will welcome the season by leading three guided tours of the historic Village of Margaretville. The tours will begin at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Binnekill Square Park on Main Street, across from NBT Bank. The easy walk covers about a mile of village streets.

The Auxiliary of Margaretville Hospital and Mountainside Residential Care Center teamed with Margaretville Central School for a successful blood drive at the school on May 29. Students, school personnel and community members were invited to donate blood. In total, 37 donors participating in the blood drive, which was held in the school auditorium.

Time flies when you’re having fun. This year, the Catskill Mountain Railroad Company is celebrating its 25th season operating tourist trains along
the Esopus Creek in the beautiful Catskill Mountains.   
Historically, the Catskill Mountain Railroad’s Scenic Train has traveled along a 12-mile round-trip between Phoenicia and Boiceville. With its all-volunteer workforce, and its continued effort to expand, the Catskill Mountain Railroad is proud to announce a new extension to its scenic train ride.

Farm owners thinking of adding sheep and goats to their livestock base are encouraged to attend a farmer education day on June 20 in East Meredith.
Sponsored by the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, this full-day event will inform new and experienced sheep and goat owners of the nuances and benefits of co-grazing these pastured browsers successfully.

Historic church was built in 1908 and reconstructed in Grand Gorge 50 years ago

By Julia Green
The Pilgrim Holiness Church in Grand Gorge commemorated the 50th anniversary of the reconstruction of its sanctuary building on Saturday with a day of celebratory activities, including a 10 a.m. service followed by lunch at the Grand Gorge Civic Center. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the original construction of the building in June 1908, which first served an Advent Christian congregation.

The Andes Central School Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) contest culminates this Saturday, June 7 with the winning students dropping buckets of slime, water balloons, and whipped cream on the folks they selected as targets. 
The fun starts at 10:30 a.m. and all the action will take place behind the Andes school.  The public is invited to watch and help applaud these students for their reading efforts.

By Julia Green
A mother buffalo, accompanied by her calf, was one of three of the large animals that were shot over the past week after reportedly escaping in April from a farm in the Bovina/Bloomville area. According to a Bloomville source, who asked to remain anonymous, 13 of the animals escaped as they were being unloaded by their owner, reportedly a New Hampshire resident, at a Bloomville area farm where they were going to be pastured. Seven of the animals were reportedly shot by the owner immediately after they got loose, two were shot last week in the Bovina area and one, the nursing mother, was killed Monday in Bull Run.

By Brian Sweeney
Anthony Albanese of Scotia has been hired as the superintendent of the Margaretville Central School District.
Mr. Albanese was selected from more than 40 candidates who applied for the position. He will succeed John Riedl whose retirement becomes effective July 1. Mr. Riedl has been MCS superintendent since 2002.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The City of New York has extended the deadline for Phoenicia to decide whether it wants to accept a $17-million sewer deal, prompting residents on both sides of the issue to spout off at a town board meeting Monday.
Shandaken Supervisor Peter DiSclafani told the audience that he and Councilman Vince Bernstein met last week with city officials, who agreed to spend $12,000 to study a plan to use a different type of treatment system in Phoenicia.

By Jill Ribich
The MARK Group celebrated its 30th anniversary with a gala dinner and party at the upper lodge of the Belleayre Ski Center Saturday evening. The event was attended by over 150 past and present board members, founders, supporters, and recipients of the work of the MARK Group.