Awards and recognition

The Catskill Mountain News and Columnist Margaret S. Inge are pleased to announce the 12th annual Catskill Best Service Awards. Readers selected those businesses and individuals who consistently deliver extraordinary service via ballots submitted during the months of November and December.
The tally of the over 500 ballots received includes more than 450 different businesses and 520 individual service providers in 78 categories. They are located across the region, giving testimony to the fact that customers will travel far and wide for quality service.

Ballston Spa — Roxbury resident Tristan Mulder, whose alias is Teton Fox, just returned home from  Heluva Rukus  where over 250 shooters from all over the east coast came to compete at  the New York State Cowboy Action Shooting Championships held in Ballston Spa on September 18-20. 
Mulder took second place in the boys’ Young Gun category, which is for boys ages 14 to 16.

Delhi — The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will recognize several businesses and individuals for their service to the county’s business community at its 2009 Annual Awards Dinner.
Delhi Telephone has been selected as Business of the Year. "They continue to research the telecommuting needs of their individual and business customers regularly," stated Mary Beth Silano, executive director of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.

Andes Central School held its 2008-2009 Athletic Banquet on Wednesday, June 10.

By Julia Green
The newly christened Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards dinner last Wednesday at The Andes Hotel to honor a number of its members for their accomplishments and commitment to local business.
“Each one of our businesses make up the fabric of our community,” said Carol O’Beirne, executive director of the chamber. “We have been able to grow our chamber at a time when other chambers are shrinking.”

Roxbury — The cover story of the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler Magazine is The 2009 Stay List: 129 Hotels We Love.  The Roxbury is thrilled to announce that it was chosen out of thousands of hotels in North America to be included on the prestigious list. The Roxbury was one of only 30 hotels selected from the Eastern Half of the United States.  In total, 90 were selected from the United States, 13 from Canada, 14 from Mexico, and 12 from the Caribbean.

Scott Stanford, son of Fleischmanns resident Arlene Stanford, won his fourth Emmy Award on Sunday, March 29 for Excellency in New York Sports Broadcasting. Stanford joined the WWOR My9 News Team in 2003 and now anchors the weekend sportscasts including a Sunday sports wrap up. He covers the sports beat as a reporter during the week.

Two New Kingston brothers have recently graduated from their respective military trainings. Ryan Rosa was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps on Nov. 21, 2008 at Quantico, Va.

By Julia Green
At its annual holiday party at the Binnekill Square Restaurant on Sunday, the Margaretville Rotary Club honored Dr. George Levy with the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship award. Levy was presented with a certificate, lapel pin and medallion as emblems of the award.
Dr. Levy, a dentist who practiced locally for many years, joined the Margaretville Rotary Club in 1970 and has been a faithful member for the past 40 years. He served as the organization’s president in 1975.

By Julia Green
Margaretville graduate and Ellenville boys’ head soccer coach Max Mead was named the Mid-Hudson Athletic League Coach of the Year at the close of the fall season. The Ellenville boys finished the season with a 7-11 record and advanced to the sectional semifinals after winning their first sectional game since 1990 and their first sectional game in Class B competition. They also won the Nelson Tournament, held in Fleischmanns, the past two years.