Friday April 19, 2024 
Twelfth Night Returns to Crailo and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Sites!
Join us for an evening of merriment! On Saturday, January 7, 2023, Crailo State Historic Site will again welcome visitors for its annual Twelfth Night Celebration. From 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. the site will host an open house with Yuletide decoration, live music, reenactors, hearthside cooking by a crackling fire, 17th & 18th century inspired refreshments and other Dutch Albany traditions! In addition, the Marketplace Museum Shop will be open, as well as our museum exhibits.
Then cross the river, where the celebration continues at Schuyler Mansion’s “Salutations of the Season!,” with 18th-century inspired refreshments, live music, wassail toasts around the bonfire (weather permitting), and a good time for all! Special Combination Admission to both sites: $8 adults/ $7 seniors and students/ $2 children under 12. Single site admission also available.
Twelfth Night, or the Feast of Epiphany, was one of the traditional holidays celebrated by the Dutch and English of 17th and 18th century New York. Falling on January 6th, this was the final holiday of the season, marked by unsurpassed feasting and revelry. Come and celebrate with us! Snow date: Sun., Jan 8th, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Once part of the Van Rensselaer family’s vast landholdings, today Crailo tells the story of the early Dutch inhabitants of Albany and the upper Hudson River Valley. Located at 9 ½ Riverside Ave in historic Rensselaer, the museum is open by appointment Nov – Apr. For further information about this and other site programs and events, please call (518) 463-8738, visit www.parks.ny.gov, or find us on Facebook.
Grafton Food Pantry Polar Plunge
Polar Plunge on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at Grafton Lakes State Park’s Annual Winter Festival.
Proceeds to Benefit Grafton Food Pantry. Check-in starts at 11:00 AM, Plunge at 11:30 AM
Prepaid registration required and limited to the first 100 people. Check-in and plunge will be near the beach.
Donation fee of $25 includes t-shirt, $15 entry without shirt. We recommend a robe/towel and slip-on footwear.
Heated changing rooms are available a short distance away. For more information or to confirm registration call Ray at 518-663-5648, leave message if no answer, or email to kofc14164@nullgmail.com.
Registrations must be received by Jan. 11 to guarantee t-shirt.
Registration form also available at Grafton park website. Or find us on Facebook K of C council 14164.
Make checks payable to Knights of Columbus Council 14164 and mail entry to: Polar Plunge c/o Ray Dozois, 210 Keefe Road, Troy, NY 12180.
38th Annual Ice Fishing Contest at Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park will host its 38th annual Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, January 14, 2023 from 5:30 AM – 2:00 PM. Join in on the fun as several hundred anglers brave the cold temperatures for their chance to make a winning catch on several of the park’s ponds.
Registration begins at 5:30 AM and ends at 11:00 AM (or 12:30pm for youth) on January 14th in the park’s maintenance building, accessible via the Main Entrance. There is a $10 registration fee required for all participants ages 16 or older, with no fee for children under 16. All participants 16 and older must have a valid NYS fishing license to fish in the park at any time, including during the contest.
Big cash prizes are awarded for adults with 1st place fish and the longest length catch in all three categories of trout, walleye/chain pickerel, and yellow perch. Winning entries will receive gift cards and other prizes. Awards ceremony will take place at 2:20pm.
Tournament areas are located on Second Pond, Mill Pond, Dunham Reservoir, Shaver Pond, and Long Pond. Please note that due to preparations for our annual Winter Festival (January 21st), ice fishing is not permitted adjacent to the beach on Long Pond. In the case of soft ice, the Ice Fishing tournament will be postponed until Sat., Feb 4th.
Grafton Lakes State Park is located off of Route 2, twelve miles east of Troy, New York. Please use the park’s main entrance on Grafton Lakes State Park Way for this event. There is no entrance fee for this event. For more information, please call the park at 518-279-1155.
38th Annual Winter Festival at Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host the 38th Annual Winter Festival on Saturday, January 21, 2023. The Winter Fest will feature outdoor events along with indoor exhibits, food vendors, and family-friendly recreational activities. The event is free of charge and will take place from 11:30 AM-3:00 PM.
Adults can join in a guided snowshoe outing, learn to fish, or borrow snowshoes for a free demo around the park. For the kids, the Winter Fest offers its popular snow bowling hill, snowball toss, and ice skating, as well as horse drawn wagon rides. Other outdoor offerings this year include free snowmobile rides! Warm up inside with balloon animals, crafts, community tables, and live animals. Refreshments will also be available for purchase.
The Polar Plunge, benefitting Our Lady of the Snow Parish’s food pantry, kicks off the main events at 11:30AM. As always, the Plunge includes a playful prize for the silliest costume offered by the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park, so start planning your January beach attire! To pre-register for the Plunge, please call Ray Dozois for more information at 518-663-5648, or call the park welcome center at 518-279-1155.
Note that this year’s Ice Fishing contest is being held on the weekend before, Saturday, January 14th. Please call the park for more information: 518-279-1155.
Grafton Lakes State Park is located off of Route 2, twelve miles east of Troy, New York. Please use the park’s main entrance on Grafton Lakes State Park Way for this event. There is no entrance fee for this event. For more information, please call the park at 518-279-1155. A full schedule of events will be available in early January on the park’s website (parks.ny.gov).
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which are visited by 78 million people annually. A recent s
Rensselaer Plateau Alliance January Speaker Series
RPA warmly invites you to Culverts and Aquatic Organism Passage on the Plateau with Andy Dangler and Melissa Toni as part of our January Speaker Series. Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 7pm on Zoom
Many different agencies fund, permit, and deliver projects involving culverts under roadways. This discussion covers the Federal level of involvement in culvert replacement and the incorporation of Aquatic Organism Passage through the culverts. We will talk about the biology of the streams on the Plateau, how culverts interact with the watercourses, and the regulatory setting at the Federal level regarding replacement, rehabilitation, and restoration of culverts and stream crossings. The discussion will include several local examples, including the July 2021 flooding events.
Pre-registration is required. The suggested voluntary donation is $5, though any amount is welcome. Head over to rensselaerplateau.org/events to register and receive the zoom link or reach out to Dan Morse at dan@nullrensselaerplateau.org for more information.
Rensselaer Plateau Alliance Presents January Nature Book Club
You are warmly invited to RPA’s Nature Book Club, with Rama Hamarneh, PhD. One evening a month, we will meet on Zoom to discuss a book we have read, and the work’s relationship to nature. We will explore multiple aspects of nature in literature – represented through multiple genres and authors from around the globe.
January’s meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 31 at 7pm on Zoom. The Zoom link for each meeting will be sent out to the book club email list a few days before the meeting. The book club is free to attend, and all are welcome.
For January 2023, we’ll read All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot. All Things Bright and Beautiful is the beloved sequel to Herriot’s first collection, All Creatures Great and Small, and picks up as Herriot, now newly married, journeys among the remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales, caring for their inhabitants—both two- and four-legged. Throughout, Herriot’s deep compassion, humor, and love of life shine as we laugh, cry, and delight in the portraits of his many varied animal patients and their equally varied owners.
This book is available through the Upper Hudson Library System in physical format, on Hoopla via the library as an ebook and audiobook, at Market Block Books, and through other book sellers. Head to rensselaerplateau.org/rpa-book-club for more information.
Nassau Community Connections to Host Securing Your Financial Future Educational Event
On January 12th at 7:00 p.m., Nassau Community Connections is proudly hosting its first Educational Event of 2023, Securing Your Financial Future. The event will take place at the Nassau Community Connections Center at 40 Church Street, Nassau, NY 12123.
Barry Rings, Jr, CFP, Financial Advisor with Allen Financial Consultants Inc. and Hal Allen, Founder and President will engage the group on the topic of Securing Your Financial Future. This educational event is designed to help the group understand how to adequately prepare for retirement while avoiding common pitfalls and risks. With 50 years of combined experience in the financial profession, Barry & Hal bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in helping folks achieve and maintain financial independence.
Notepads and pens will be provided for note taking. No RSVP is required for the event. Be sure to attend to learn more about securing your finances for now and for the future!
Johnny Rabbs Big Band
On Saturday Feb. 4 2023 The Sons of The American Legion will be hosting Johnny Rabbs Big Band with special guests The Tichy Boys and Blue Hand Luke,performing all your rockin’ favorites.
This is our largest fundraiser event of the year and as part of The Legion Family our main goal is to raise funds aimed at improving the quality of life for our nations children and veterans.Advance tickets are available at The American Legion,111 Main Ave. Wynantskill for $ 15.00 ea.reserved seating is available with a 4 ticket minimum purchase.
Doors open @ 6:00 pm, band starts at 7:00.Supporters can enjoy food and drink specials ( by Giuliano’s Catering ) outside food and drink prohibited, This event has sold out quickly the past 9 years,so reserve early, tickets are limited. For more info call Bill 518-441-0013.
Green Island Rod & Gun Club Indoor 3D & Vegas Shoots!
The indoor 3D shoot will begin on Friday, Jan.6th. Fast line will start@ 6:00pm, Reg. 7:00pm.
Saturday 8:00am- 12:00 noon. The fee will be $5.00.
The kitchen will be open for food & beverages !
The shoot will run for 10 weeks!
Indoor Vegas Shoot will begin on Tuesday, Jan.10th.@ 6:30 pm! The fee will be $5.00 (The kitchen will not be open ).
The shoot will run for 10 weeks !
Any questions please contact Shawn bushey (802) 338-0507. Frank Soucy (518) 268-3368.
Be safe have fun !