Thursday April 25, 2024 
Poestenkill Youth Summer Camp
Poestenkill Summer Camp will be held July 8th-August 2nd at Poestenkill Elementary School from 9am-4pm. Each week will be filled with field trips to a variety of locations around the Capital Region including Grafton, Billy Beez, Fun Plex, Liberty Ridge Farm, Valley Cats, Zoom Flume, etc., art projects, STEM challenges, physical activities, water activities and visitors to camp. Swim lessons will be offered at Grafton. Registration information can be found at www.bit.ly/PoestenkillYouth
Contact Town Office at 518-283-5100 with any questions. Submitted by: Tiffany Buker, Camp Director, Town of Poestenkill
Lansingburgh Historical Society
Lansingburgh Historical Society will open the Melville House, 2 114th St., Troy, NY, on July 13, 2019 from 10 am to 2 pm. Our guest “Artist of the Month” will be Kathleen DeRosa. Kathleen is a graduate of Russell Sage College and has traveled extensively even living in a kibbutz! Kay is also the beloved photographer posting her pictures, old and new to the “We Were Burghers Once and Young” Face Book Page. Her book “Lansingburgh Through My Lens” is a compilation of her photos lovingly taken throughout Lansingburgh. She will give a brief talk, have books available for purchase and autographing that day. For further information, please call John or Mary Ellen Ward at 518-885-4295. A $5 donation is always appreciated.
Veterans Hall Open House – Saturday, July 20, 2019 10:00-2:00
Veterans Hall Honors All Veterans Past and Present. This building is located on the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds and is comprised of a group of volunteers who feel passionate about thanking our veterans. Many have visited Veterans Hall during the fair or have come to an Open House to pay tribute to our veterans and say thank you. Everyone knows and loves a veteran and many come to share that connection. Some come to see a picture, a clipping or perhaps an item donated by family or a friend of a veteran that served our country. In addition we are compiling a list of veteran’s names from Rensselaer, Saratoga, Albany, Washington, and surrounding counties. We can use your help in this endeavor. This will be an ongoing objective for years to come. Getting your veteran’s name on the list is free, easy and a good way to ensure his/her service will be remembered. A form can be obtained by contacting Jody at 518-859-2988 or Lorraine at 518-753-6936. Thank you for your service!
Nassau Village Historian hosting local history presentations
Nassau Village Historian Kurt Vincent will be hosting three “encore performances” of local history presentations at The Nassau Free Library in July and August. Beat the heat in the cool Community Room as the illustrated slideshow “Nassau at 200” traces this history and development of Nassau Village and the surrounding areas in our bicentennial year. Originally presented in March for the Esquatak Historical Society, the Library shows will take place on Monday, July 15 and repeated on Tuesday, August 13, both at 6:30 pm. On Tuesday, July 30, also at 6:30 pm, “Trolleys Across the Hudson” will trace how Southern Rensselaer County once was home to the first intermodal light rail system in America. Through period photos, personal recollections and even a few sound effects, take a ride on the trolley from downtown Albany all the way to beautiful Nassau. This show was first presented at the 2018 Nassau Local History Fair. All presentations are free. The Library is located at 18 Church Street (US Route 20) in Nassau Village.
Leave Fireworks to the Professionals!
The Fourth of July holiday is rapidly approaching, and with it, the annual fireworks shows. Although sparklers and similar items can be bought and sold in much of New York State, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) urges New Yorkers to leave these devices to trained professionals. Instead, FASNY encourages New Yorkers to attend one of the many professional fireworks displays offered throughout the State.
All fireworks, including sparkling devices, are extremely dangerous. Despite their toy-like appearances, sparklers can seriously harm their users. The tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of approximately 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which can cause severe burns. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), sparklers cause roughly 25 percent of all fireworks-related emergency room visits, the most of any type of fireworks-like device.
“FASNY warmly wishes all New Yorkers a happy, safe Fourth of July holiday. Should any emergencies arise, do not hesitate to dial 9-1-1. New York’s brave volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians will be ready to respond, as they always are,” said President Klein.
RPEA Photo of the Day
Photo of Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA) Board of Directors at their summer meeting held at Pat’s Barn in Rensselaer. The Board is holding a Proclamation from Governor Cuomo recognizing the association’s 50th anniversary.
The Retired Public Employees Association is a not-for-profit advocate for current and future public service retirees. Founded in 1969, RPEA represents the interests of nearly 500,000 retirees and their spouses from New York state and local governments, public authorities, and school districts. RPEA is New York’s only public retirement agency that solely works to protect retiree benefits, dealing entirely with the protection and enhancement of health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and other earned benefits.
SWINGING WITH ICE CREAM
Grandpa picked the boy up from school
Two or three days each week.
Once at Grandpa’s house, the boy would ask,
“Will you push me on the swing?”
Grandpa always said, “Yes!”
But first he made the boy an ice cream cone.
Swinging with his ice cream cone,
The boy would plead, “Tell me a story, Grandpa.”
“Tell me about that road job you worked on…
The one where there were lots of rattlesnakes.”
Grandpa would tell that story…and many more
As the boy listened intently.
This swinging…ice cream…storytelling
Would go on for close to an hour every day.
It was time well spent
By two guys who loved each other dearly.
Every man and boy
Should be so lucky !!
~Llyod Barnhart
West Sand Lake, NY
It Looks to me
When I see a woman wearing spikes
Showing off a look she apparently likes
I wonder what she hopes to gain
Exchanging comfort for certain pain.
As I shuffle around in my flat heels
I can only .imagine the pain that she feels.
I think about what her motive could be
The values that separate her from me.
I often consider that all through the ages
The standard of beauty goes through changes.
Oriental women have bound their feet
For admiration and love, perhaps to compete.
Implants and surgery, hair dyes and tattoos
Can improve our looks and chase the blues.
But even if a woman follows fashion to the letter..
I have to wonder…does she like herself better.
*****. *****. *****
Let me climb down from my judgmental high horse:
I can’t pretend I’m on a different course.
If I could face the world as I entered without make up
I would put on a mask as soon as I wake up.
Ladies and sisters, do whatever it takes
To make life better when each one of us awakes.
If stiletto heels does it for you, who am I to complain
It’s eye shadow that saves me from narcissistic pain.
Sylvia Honig
Wynantskill
The Joys of Country Living
How lucky we are that my pet possum poem inspired Naomi Boel’s delightful story of the precious pet squirrel that dropped happily into her family’s lives. That’s one of the joys of country living.
A sudden wildlife intrusion happened to me ten years ago before I moved to Wynantskill. As I was having breakfast one morning, a large green frog suddenly hopped out from behind the television set and proceeded to hop rapidly past me toward the door. Astonished, I raced after him…or her…caught him after a brief struggle and took him outside where he hopped away without so much as a thank you. I couldn’t figure out how he got into my house. He was too big to squeeze into any openings, but I soon forgot about it.
A week or two later I noticed hundreds of tiny black spots in the huge plastic child’s swimming pool I had filled with water for my dog’s wading pleasures. Puzzled…I soon realized they were tadpole eggs. My green froggy visitor had left her calling card.
I researched tadpole food and hoped it would sustain the hundreds of tiny tadpoles that appeared and grew bigger every day. In desperation, I found a young woman who agreed to scoop out some of them for her pond, but the crowding got worse, possibly harming them. So, I began scooping out dozens at a time and driving them quickly down to the nearby creek and watched as they swam gaily into the clear rushing water.
Soon the hundred or more I had left turned into tiny perfect little green frogs before my eyes. One by one they were able to hop out of the pool and hop away into the nearby wetlands. I missed them all, every perfect little big frog replica.
I try to imagine why this mother frog found or chose me to be the godmother, but I was honored. I suspect that animals instinctively know who will take care of them when they are in need.
Naomi Boel’s baby squirrel had hit the jackpot. My hundreds of baby frogs were almost as lucky. But the big winners were Naomi’s family and me: godparents to a few of nature’s wildlife.
~Sylvia Honig
Wynantskill, NY
Hoffman Cleaning Thanks Veterans
Hoffman Carpet Cleaning is committed to creating a healthy environment for its residential and commercial clients and has now introduced a Forever Veterans program, giving veterans a permanent 10 percent discount on its services as a way to show appreciation to active duty individuals and those who have served in the military.
“Hoffman Carpet Cleaning would like to thank the men and women who have served our country. To show our respect for their service, we are honored to announce our 10 percent military discount to all veterans and active duty members. We truly cannot express our deep gratitude for their service and this is one way to assist these individuals and families,” said owner John Wojtusik, in explaining the new program.
For more than 20 years, Hoffman Cleaning has been dedicated to creating a healthy living and working environment for families. Services include floor cleaning and care, fine rug cleaning and repair, upholstery cleaning, cleaning fabric drapes, mattresses, stone surfaces, tile and grout, as well as cleaning of automobiles, boats and recreational vehicles. Fabric protectants, allergy treatment services and pet odor and stain removal are some of Hoffman’s specialty services.
John Wojtusik is a knowledgeable resource for answers about cleaning methods, recommendations and advice, and allergy treatment in homes, offices and cars. He may be reached at 518-451-9410 or at hoffmancarpetcleaning.com
Letters to the Editor
Rarely does one find a coalition compromised of Democrats, Republicans, Campaign for Liberty, Heritage Foundation, the ACLU and the NAACP all on the same side of a single issue, that of civil asset forfeiture.
“Law enforcement can confiscate property it seizes from individuals and businesses without ever filing criminal charges.” Even worse, the agency taking the property typically gets to keep the proceeds, which poses an obvious financial incentive to engage in this practice.” “Federal law enforcement can confiscate property it seizes from individuals and businesses without ever filing criminal charges.”
Civil asset forfeiture sounds more like the actions of a totalitarian state than America. Over the past years the Justice Department has seized 11,739 automobiles from individuals.
Current congressional action is aimed at reigning in this practice which violates constitutional grounds.
Your car, your cash, your business or even your house can be confiscated at any time by a governmental agency without any conviction of criminal charges. This practice must stop. Contacting your congressional representatives and protesting civil asset forfeiture is imperative. The greater voice which can be given to opposing civil asset forfeiture, the more strength will be exerted on abolition of this immoral and unconstitutional practice.
Steve Sevits
“ON TYRANNY”
On July 4, 1776, the people who were to become known to history as the original citizens of the United States of America did something unprecedented in the history of the world – they called out the King of England as a tyrant to the candid world.
In that July 4th Address to the candid world known to history as the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers stated as follows with respect to tyranny, to wit:
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.
A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
End quotes
And today, the history of the present King of Poestenkill, Dominic Jacangelo, is once again a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over this Town.
In the Town of Poestenkill, we, the people are once again faced with the despotism of a tyrant, this one named King Dominic, the first of his name, who has refused his Assent to OUR Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good, which once again brings us back to these words from the Declaration of Independence, to wit: A Prince like Dominic Jacangelo whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people, because of his depraved indifference to human life and his callous disregard for the established rights and health and well-being of the citizens of the Town of Poestenkill.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul R. Plante
Check Out Flipster!
Wynantskill, New York— Flipster provides digital access through your library to the magazines you know and love. Read the complete contents of over 60 popular digital magazines on your computer or mobile device. There is no separate account to set up, your library card grants you access from wherever you are. Titles include People, US Weekly, The New Yorker, Forbes and many more. The free Flipster app for your mobile device is available on the iTunes Store and on Google Play. For links and more information, see the library website: northgreenbushlibrary.org.
North Greenbush Public Library, 141 Main Avenue, Wynantskill, NY 12198
Journalist and Author John Gray Receives Outstanding Citizenship Award
Vice-Chair of the Rensselaer County Legislature, Kelly Hoffman, presented John Gray with an “Outstanding Citizenship” resolution at the May meeting of the Legislature.
Gray is an Emmy Award winning journalist with over 25 years in the news business. He has written several books about his dogs and has brought joy and comfort to those that read them. Gray has donated over $25,000 from the proceeds of his book sales to animal shelters.
Hoffman praised Gray as a great humanitarian who grew up in South Troy, delivered The Record newspaper as a boy, and still lives in Rensselaer County. John was joined by his wife Courtney and their adopted blind and deaf dog Keller, who was featured in Gray’s recent book “Keller’s Heart”.
Rensselaer County Recovery Helpline
1-833-467-3123
Do you need help with substance use issues? Are you interested in volunteering for the helpline? The Rensselaer County Recovery Helpline offers information, local resources, and referrals for individuals and their families regarding substance use issues. The toll-free line is available 7 days a week from 9am-9pm. Each volunteer chooses shifts of 4 hours at a time to be on-call. When someone calls the number, a volunteer answers on their own smartphone, and can enter information to a database on their own computer, allowing for easy and quick access to resources. The information is sent to one of the 9 leaders, who will then assist the caller. If you or someone you know needs information, resources, or a referral for a substance use problem, call 1-833-467-3123. For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact Renscohelpline@nullgmail.com
Rafi Topalian
July 20th 7pm Ill be performing our national anthem at Times Union center Empire football game..Premium seating still available .SECTION 103 For every ticket purchased you’ll get a FREE entry to win one of 25 area GC/PRIZES/JEWELRY (see full list on our flyer on our facebook pages Rafi Topalian owner Top custom jewelers rafitop@nullaol.com 518-272-2000..More discounts available..Dont miss this opportunity to see the season closer for EMPIRE FOOTBALL-True champions !!!!