Friday April 26, 2024 
Melvin Roads Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony
Melvin Roads American Legion Post 1231 is conducting our annual Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony at 12:00 (noon) September 11, 2019. The post is located at 200 Columbia Turnpike (routes 9 & 20) East Greenbush, New York. The ceremony is held outside if it’s sunny or indoors if it’s raining. This ceremony reaffirms our commitment to remember those that lost their lives that day and the heroes who went into the World Trade Center to help them. Clinton Heights Fire Company will fly the flag from their aerial ladder truck and render the last call for first responder’s who were lost that day. We conduct this ceremony every year to enlighten the public about the day the United States was attacked. If you care about remembering this date, please join us. NEVER FORGET
Defensive Driving Class at Gilead Lutheran Church, Brunswick on October 5
Gilead Lutheran Church will host a 6 hour defensive driving class on Saturday, October 5, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. This is a NYS DMV approved class that will offer a 10% reduction off your auto insurance and up to 4 points off your NYS driver’s license! Exciting and interactive PowerPoint presentation and never a test to pass the course!
Cost of this class is just $30 per person and must be paid at the door. Doors open at 8:30 AM. Lunch items will be available for sale for an additional cost.
Gilead church is located at 308 Brick Church Road (Route 278), Troy, New York 12180. We are handicapped accessible and have loads of free close parking. SPACES ARE LIMITED and will sell out fast -again- at this price!! To reserve your seat please call John at 518-279-9552. Please drive safely!
ALL proceeds from this class will be donated to the church.
France Magnifique
La Fédération Franco-Américaine du NY is sponsoring a trip to France, featuring the 75th Anniversary of D-Day & Normandy, April 23 – May 7, 2020. Rates include round trip air from New York, air taxes and fees/surcharges, hotel transfers, and 20 meals. Highlights of the trip: Paris, River Seine cruise, Normandy, Omaha Beach, Le Mont St. Michel, Loire Valley, 2-night Chateau stay, winery tour, Lyon, Les Halles de Lyon, Paul Boscuse Market, Avignon, Creme Brûlée Cooking demonstration, Nice, Monaco. Plenty of time to explore on your own. For more information, pricing or a brochure, call Lisa at Plaza Travel at 518-785-3338 or lisa@nullplazatravel.net.
EG Fire Company Announcements
East Greenbush Fire Company President Michael F. Lansing II proudly announces the recipients of the Barbara J. Lehmann Memorial Scholarship Program for 2019. Through the Barbara J. Lehmann Memorial Scholarship Program, the East Greenbush Fire Company provides scholarship grants to qualified applicants seeking to advance their education in their chosen field of study. The 2019 recipients are Michael Preston, Adam Riley and Nicholas Cullum. Michael is entering The University of South Caroline and will major in Sports Management. Adam will be attending Springfield College majoring in a Physical Therapy curriculum. Nicholas will begin his studies at the College of Southern Maryland majoring in Fire Service Technology. The East Greenbush Fire Company commends these three college freshmen for their admirable academic achievements and pursuit of higher education.
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
Feel Good
Boy Scout Troop 2526 Return from Summer Camp
Boy Scout Troop 2526 returned early August from a week at Camp Read Scout Reservation in the Adirondacks near Brant Lake. Twenty-eight scouts attended and stayed in tents. We went to merit badge classes, learned new outdoor skills, played games, and generally had fun. Every evening, the camp offers different special events, and our Troop did everything! We participated in a counselor hunt, and rode a zip line, then dropped into a pond. We ate cream pies as quickly as possible without using our hands in a timed contest (and swept first, second, and third place!). Many of our scouts competed in a triathlon, where we had four relay teams consisting of an archer, a runner, and a swimmer, and we took first place! We made a pasta dish in a Dutch oven cooking contest. Our troop made its own flag in an artistic competition where we won first place! Most of our troop even woke up early and jumped in the lake for the Polar Bear Challenge. We also performed songs and skits at a campfire before the entire camp. Finally, as a troop, we attended vespers, a peaceful non-denominational service where scouts reflect on their experience. This gave us a brief moment to think about what is important to us during a very busy week.
On Friday, we challenged the camp staff to a game of Ultimate Frisbee, and we won! It was so much fun, and anyone in our troop who wanted to play participated. Together we developed teamwork and built friendships that should last a long time. At the end of the week, our troop won the Best of Scout Skills (BOSS) Award.
As the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 2526, I want to thank all of the scouts who attended. We had a great group that got along well with one another, and supported each other through all of our events. I also want to thank the adults who helped make this camping experience possible. Thanks to a great summer, and a beginning to a new scouting year! If you’re interested, consider joining us!
-Tyler Michaels
Letters to the Editor
Response to Article on NY Plates by Steve Sevits
You are so correct, Steve. Your last sentence “Is Albany thinking at all” .. give this some thought. A few months ago, Cuomo was complaining that there was a “shortfall in the budget”. Then he and Lt. Gov. Cathy Hochul were bragging about taking care of illegal aliens [a/k/a undocumented migrants] in the sanctuary cities, giving them “free” college, “free” housing, food stamps, Medicare and so forth. Now, everyone knows that NOTHING is ever “free”. Someone ultimately has to pay for it. So …. good idea to raise some money ….. for them. Comrade Cuomo and his administration don’t give two hoots about the New York residents who lived in this state all their lives, worked here, paid taxes here, raised their children here. We mean nothing to them – they have their agenda to turn this state into a Socialist state and the rest of us don’t matter. Shades of Nazi Germany.
Joyce A. Blauvelt