Friday March 24, 2023 
Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade
The Hoosick Falls St Patrick’s Parade and Irish Fest will celebrate its 31st. Anniversary on March 12th, 2022. Over 30 years ago, local Irishmen Mike Conway and TJ Carmody wanted to find a way to keep the Irish Culture and history alive in the Hoosick area, and decided that a parade was the ticket!
The history of the Hoosick Irish dates back to when Irish immigrants made their way to Hoosick Falls in the mid-1800s during the Famine.
Each year the parade has grown and the Irish Fest has become a First Night like event. With Irish music, dance and food at the Hoosick Armory and entertainment food and drink at other community locations. The day begins at 1:00 PM with over 40 Marching Units and Floats and is followed by the Irish Fest.
The Parade will begin in Wood Park, Down Main, John, Church St, Willard and Back down Main.
This year’s parade will feature The Taconic Pipe Band, The Yankee Doddle Band, The Fifes and Drums of Olde Saratoga, The Cambridge Band and The Vermont Field Music Fyfe and Drums.
For more information on The Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade and Irish fest, Contact Kevin O’Malley at
518-894-5035.
Also feel free to contact Kevin if you would like to enter your own family, civic organization or business float. It is a great way to show your Irish spirit and/or promote your business or cause.
The Kiwanis Club of East Greenbush is holding a Comedy Night Fundraiser
Featured are national headliner John Mulrooney and opener Pat DaBiere, the show will be held on Saturday, April 9th, at the Melvin Roads American Legion Post at 200 Columbia Turnpike in East Greenbush.
Doors open at 7 PM and the show will begin at 8 PM. There will also be a Chinese auction and a 50/50 raffle. Advance tickets sell for $30 or $35 at the door. Contact Steve Van Zandt (518) 859-2875 or Vinny Catelotti (518) 331-3798 for details or tickets. All proceeds benefit Kiwanis programs for children and communities.
The Capital District Sportsman Center Events
All events are conducted for NO CHARGE at the Sportsman Center located at 13 Babcock Lake Rd. in Grafton NY.
March 11, 2022 7:00pm-9:00pm- Wildlife Diseases Discussion
NYS DEC Pathologist Kevin Hynes will discuss Chronic Wasting Disease, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, Rabies and more
Learn to recognize signs, effects on wildlife and impact to humans
March 12, 2022 10:00am-1:00pm- Wildlife Identification for Youth Interested in Outdoors
CDSC Executive Penny Spiezio accompanied with NYS DEC Wildlife Staff
Learn to recognize Tracks, Scat(poop), Wildlife Habits, Identify Gender, and More
March 18, 2022 6:00pm-8:00pm- Trail Camera Workshop
Photographer Ed Maleady III will cover Camera types, Location, Settings, and Wildlife Behavior
Trail Camera use is for Locating Target Game, Wildlife Observation and also utilize for Home or Property Security
As a sponsor, Pettengill Archery is donating a Tactacam XB Cellular Camera that one of the participants will go home with.
April 9, 2022 1:00pm-4:00pm- Turkey Hunting Workshop
Members of CDSC successful in harvesting turkey will be presenting
Calls & Calling, Blinds, Decoys, Strategies will be some of the topics
You can register for any of these events at https://cdsc.education/upcoming-events/ . Register soon as most of these have seating limits.
Obtain more information by emailing cdsdonmcc@nullgmail.com
8th Annual Dustin Mele Memorial Concert Event and Fundraiser
Saturday, March 19, 2022, 6PM at Brown’s Revolution Hall, 425 River St. Troy, 12180. $20 minimum suggested donation at the door.
Proceeds benefit three organizations, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP); National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and Rensselaer County mental health and emergency assistance programs through Catholic Charities CoNSERNS-U program, all in memory of Dustin.
World renowned musician/singer/songwriter Jeff Dayton, known for his 15 years as Glen Campbell’s bandleader and guitarist will kick-off the evening’s performances. Regional band favorites The Kyle Bourgault Band, Super 400 and Soul Sky will also perform. The Kyle Bourgault Band has been working on a special project, a full set of music by The Eagles. Additional guest musicians include Steve Candlen, Chris Carey, Frank Daley, Tom Flynn, Chris Garabedian, Chris Gill, Todd Hanhurst, Brian Kane, Heather Kovar, Tommy Love, Scotty Mac, Eileen Markland, Luke McNamee, Tony Perrino, Johnny Rabb, and Rich Romano.
Joe Mele lost his son Dustin to suicide in 2013. A veteran of more than 40 years on the local music circuit, Joe rallied the area’s elite musicians to raise awareness of the growing suicide problem. Dustin’s friends and family believe that with erasing the stigma of depression and making proper mental health care more easily available, lives can be saved. Suicide is at epidemic proportions and touches more and more lives and families every day. Over the past 9 years, the Mele family has gone above and beyond to try to bring awareness and assistance to those who are struggling in the Capital Region.
For more information on the Annual Dustin Mele Memorial Concert including online donation links, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DustinMeleMemorial.
On behalf of Dustin’s family, friends, and all who will be helped through the benefiting organizations, we thank all attendees and donors for your support!
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County Expands Digital Literacy Education Program
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County (CCE) has begun planning for its expanded Digital Literacy education program. The expansion is being pursued in response to the growing digital skills gap within the county, as revealed by the pandemic closures and the increase in the number of online and remote services being provided by governmental agencies.
Residents without proper digital literacy skills are expressing increased frustration and anxiety surrounding the use of technology to accomplish everyday tasks, such as job searches, registering to vote, or finding reliable information online.
CCE will be providing in-person training to learners of all ages throughout Rensselaer County’s libraries, senior centers, and community-based organizations. Providing training events at familiar locations close to home is a key factor in alleviating some of the anxiety experienced with learning new technologies. In-person training formats will include more personalized “Bring Your Own Device” tutoring, formal small group trainings in computer labs, and custom content based on the individual needs of each community.
Libraries, senior centers, and other community-based organizations within Rensselaer County that work with populations in need of digital literacy training and resources should reach out to Delia Hubbard, Digital Literacy Resource Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension, to discuss how the expanded program can fill the needs of their communities. Ms. Hubbard can be reached at (518) 272-4210 x108 or via email at dmh347@nullcornell.edu.
Award-winning Author Sandra Cisneros Visits HVCC on April 8
TROY – Acclaimed writer Sandra Cisneros will visit Hudson Valley Community College on Friday, April 8, to discuss and share her work, including a new novel published in 2021.
Open free to all, the program will be at 11 a.m. in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center Auditorium on the Troy campus. Cisneros’s writing depicts the lives of immigrants trying to find their way in an often-unwelcoming world.
Her coming-of-age classic, “The House on Mango Street” (1984), tells the story of Esperanza Cordero who is determined to build a future better than others expected her to have. The book is translated into more than 20 languages and is required reading from middle school through college across the U.S. Cisneros’s first novel in nearly 10 years, “Martita, I Remember You” (Vintage Books, dual-language edition, 2021), is an intimate story of memory and friendship. As a young woman, Corina leaves her Mexican family in Chicago with dreams of becoming a writer in Paris. Though brief, her time in the City of Light takes on a lasting glow due to her new friends, Martita and Paola. The women lose touch over the years, until a long-forgotten letter brings back Corina’s days in Paris with startling immediacy.
The writer’s many awards include NEA fellowships in both poetry and fiction, the Texas Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur Fellowship, the National Medal of the Arts, and the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by SUNY Purchase in 1993. She is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico, and currently lives in Mexico. Time will be allotted for Q&A and a book signing.
The event is presented by the Cultural Affairs Program in collaboration with the English, Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language Department. Per the author’s request, audience members must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and wear a mask.
Contact Debby Gardner at d.gardner@nullhvcc.edu or (518) 629-8071 for more information.
The Lion King JR. Performance by the Goff Drama Club
Disney’s The Lion King JR. is playing at Columbia High School on Friday, March 18th at 7pm & Saturday, March 19th at 2pm & 7pm.
The 60-minute musical, designed for middle-school aged performers, is based on the Broadway production directed by Julie Taymor and the 1994 Disney film. The Goff Drama Club cast & crew of 70 students is led by Lorraine LaVoie, Rebecca Stevens, Hannah Decker and Jean Hirt.
The Lion King JR. tells the story of the epic adventures of a curious cub named Simba as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destiny as king. Along the way, the young lion encounters a colorful cast of characters including spunky lioness Nala, charismatic meerkat Timon, and loveable warthog Pumbaa. To claim his rightful place on the throne and save his beloved Pridelands, Simba must find his inner strength and confront his wicked Uncle Scar. The Lion King JR. features classic songs from the 1994 film such as “Hakuna Matata” and the Academy Award®-winning “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” as well as additional songs penned for the Broadway production.
Performances of Disney’s The Lion King JR. are open to the public. Admission is Adults $10 – Students/Seniors $8.
Rensselaer HS Hall of Fame Induction Dinner
RHS Alumni Association Hall of Fame Inductions Dinner will be held April 9, 2022 from 5-9pm at Birch Hill 1 Celebration Way Castleton NY. Reservations required via school website https://www.rcsd.k12.ny.us/. Select Rensselaer Jr-Sr High School from the menu, then Alumni Association. $47pp adult, $15 children under 12yrs. includes hors d’oeuvres and full course meal. Menu choices, listed on the website with payment, via check made out to “Rensselaer Alumni Association”, must be sent to 25 Van Rensselaer Dr., Rensselaer, NY 12144 no later than March 31, 2022.
Inductees for this year are: Rikki Terry Allert ‘95; Jon Badi, Sr ‘62; Jay Corcoran ‘66; Carol Davis ‘72; Philip Foust ‘76; Frances Harrison, Faculty, Posthumous; Edward “Eddie Angel” Heeran ‘71; Bryan Leahey ‘74; Jacklyn Nixon, Staff; Capt. Grant Staats, Rrtd. ‘78.
Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade
The Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade is less than a month away. Saturday March 12. 2022 at 1:00 PM. Floats, Bands, Marchers, Cars, Trucks, Tractors and Horses are welcome. Cash prizes will be awarded for the best floats. This year’s theme is Irish fairies, Legends and Myths.Get your friends, family, businesses or service organizations to enter and join the fun!.
To enter contact Kevin O’Malley at 518-894-5035 or email hoosickkid@nullgmail.com.
For More information on the parade check out our Facebook page: Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade and Irish Festival.
Sand Lake Center for the Arts 2022 Juried Art Show Call for Submissions
Artists of all media are invited to submit up to two works for a juried show at Sand Lake Center for the Arts July 1 through July 31, 2022. Twenty pieces will be selected. Awards will be presented for first ($300), second ($200), third ($100), and people’s choice ($100). There is no submission fee for this show.
Art should reflect the concepts presented in the song “When I’m Gone” by Phil Ochs. Song lyrics are included on our website, www.slca-ctp.org. Submissions should be sent to assvsubmit@nullgmail.com in jpeg form by June 1, 2022. Selections will be announced by June 20, 22. Selected pieces must be delivered to SLCA by June 30,2022.
For more information, visit www.slca-ctp.org or call 518-674-2007. Sand Lake Center for Arts is located at 2880 NY 43, Averill Park, NY.
HVCC offers noontime concert series,
in person or live stream
TROY – A series of Thursday noontime concerts begins Feb. 17 at Hudson Valley Community College. The performances are live in the Bulmer Auditorium on the Troy campus and live streamed at www.hvcc.edu/culture. Each hour-long event is free and open to all. (Masks are required indoors on campus.)
The concerts — all at noon in the Bulmer Auditorium — are:
March 24 — Jim Gaudet & the Railroad Boys — Singer/guitarist Jim Gaudet is joined by stellar musicians on fiddle, mandolin, piano and upright bass to deliver a blend of bluegrass and rockabilly reminiscent of Hank Williams, Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe.
April 21 — Double B & the New Orleans Drive-by Band — Area mainstay trumpeter Bob Button and six band mates — playing sax, guitar, harmonica, accordion, Hammond organ, bass, trombone, tuba, drums and spoons – stir up a gumbo of dance music and soulful ballads that is a hearty mix of jazz, New Orleans funk, R&B and Gospel-infused soul. The concert series is presented by HVCC’s Cultural Affairs Program. Visit www.hvcc.edu/culture for live stream access. Call (518) 629-8071 for more information.
Castleton Boat Club
Spring 2022 History Lecture Series
92 South Main Street, Castleton, NY 12033
Join local historians and USCG Licensed Captains at the Castleton Boat Club for an informative and enjoyable series on Castleton and Hudson River history. Admission fee of $5 per person. Light refreshments provided prior to the lecture. NYS COVID guidelines will be respected.
Friday, March 25, 6:30-8:00 PM – Ice Harvesting Industry on the Hudson and in the Northeast: Tom Ragosta is the City of Watervliet Historian, and curator of the Watervliet Historical Society Museum. He has studied the Ice Harvesting industry of the Northeast. This presentation focuses on the methods and techniques used on the Upper Hudson.
Friday, April 22, 6:30-8:00 PM – The Industrial age of the Upper Hudson: Join Rensselaer County Historian, Kathy Sheehan, for an in-depth look at the industries and businesses on the shores of the Upper Hudson. These are the industries that built the Capital District.
Friday, May 27, 6:30-8:00 PM – Steamboats of the Hudson River: Captain Stanley Wilcox is the author of the full-color book “HUDSON: FROM TROY TO THE BATTERY”. He is a USCG licensed captain and has worked the river for many years. In this presentation he looks at the boats that brought Albany and Manhattan together during the age of Steam Power.
For more information, or to preregister, call 518-708-7995 or email laurawhiterivers@nullgmail.com
Extension Holds “Spring Garden Day”
RENSSELAER COUNTY – Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County will hold its 24th annual “Spring Garden Day” virtually, on Saturday, March 12. Using Zoom, the cloud-based video communications format, we’ll have a webinar-type program from 9:45 AM to Noon.
Garden designer, consultant and writer Robert Clyde Anderson will discuss how to revolutionize your garden in his talk, “Perennial Planting The New Wave Way.” For friends of trees and shrubs, Fred Breglia, Executive Director of the Landis Arboretum, will talk about “Promoting Plant Health Through Proper Pruning.” A great selection of garden-related door prizes will be given away. You’ll need to download the free Zoom app to participate.
For registration information, visit http://ccerensselaer.org/ or contact Cornell Cooperative Extension at (518)272-4210 or mmp74@nullcornell.edu