Friday April 26, 2024 
Vandals Lash Out After Vocal Hearing
The Town of Sand Lake Planning Board held another hearing regarding the proposed party barn. Over 35 people made statements in opposition to the application for a SPECIAL USE PERMIT, and even more submitted additional comments after the hearing. The hearing is available on the Town’s website and we urge everyone, concerned citizens and Town Board members alike, to view the hearing, and hear what the people had to say. There are now over 70 active members of the Barnes Road Area Neighborhood Association. And we intend to stay united, active and involved in Town matters .Since the hearing, a person or persons unknown have trespassed on private property and vandalized and stolen yard signs of people defending the Ag District from the commercial party barn . We have not had this kind of criminal activity in our area before. Concerned neighbors are on the alert, patrolling the area to deter further damages and are prepared to involve the authorities if necessary.
Cynthia Brocks, Sand Lake
Lets Play “Football”
The leaves are turning stunning hews of orange
The air is crisp thus begins fall
It’s time for the men of steel to put on their
Helmets And pads to play football
The fans wear peculiar makeup and funky clothes
What they were thinking, only God knows
They gather in groups like the dog pound
Where human canines and fake bones can be found
The hearty players run up to the line
The first hike is made after the whistle is blown
The fans anxiously wait for the ball to be thrown
The quarterback scrambles for his life
Trying to avoid a sack which leads to strife
Many successful players give the Lord the glory
Showing how faith and prayer tell a happy story
The sport requires dedication and determination
This captures everyone’s imagination
Every play is planned with extreme precision
Yet circumstances require they make a quick decision
They play no matter what the weather
Rain cold and even snow
Players slip and slide and put on a good show
The crowd is loyal and stays till the end of the game
Because life without football wouldn’t be the same
You take out your team jersey to wear
Because you hope its lucky, if not, it shows you care
The game is so close its coming down to a field goal
You pray it goes in and doesn’t hit the pole
The kick is up and it is …….. good !
The game ended just the way you hoped it would
Some fans are glad, yet others are sad
Either way there is another game next week
Football is always an adventure that I shall seek
Donna Masters, Troy
Make America Great Again
Saying “Make America Great again” will make some people go berserk.
It’s because it sounds to them as if they may have to do some kind of work.
They flip the switch on the wall, it eliminates the dark
They don’t care if we have power in Stephentown,
They live in Averill Park.
It wasn’t done for you or me, they paved a stretch of 43
So they could ride more comfortably
When they go to Jiminy to ski.
And speed and put other’s lives in jeopardy.
“It’s all about me” is their motto,
They learned it while still on the bottle.
Or was it while they were at their mother’s breast?
When she sang to them that “You’re the best” and “far superior to the rest.”
They don’t see their selfishness is a sickness at its best,
And will hurt them in the end, but until then my friend,
Let’s make America great again.
People like me and you who care, and are prepared to share, can
Make America greater than it’s ever been.
God Bless America!
From Alps Mountain to Canajoharie
These are lands that I know and love
God Bless America, my home sweet home.
Dean Evans, The Outhouse Poet, Stephentown, September 14, 2020
I’m talking about Dublin
I’m talking about Dublin
her hills of emerald green
and her young ladies
are as petty as you have ever seen
I’m talking about Dublin
her sky is royal blue
and her young men
grow up loyal and true
I’m talking about Dublin
with her walls of cobblestone
in every house you’ll find a dog
with every dog you’ll find a bone
I’m talking about Dublin
land of my Father and Mother
the home where I lived
with my seven sisters and eight brothers
I’m talking about Dublin
with her beautiful open land
where the air is so clean
and her people so grand
I’m talking about Dublin
where I visit every year
and still when I see her
my heart sheds a tear
I’m talking about Dublin
so if I hear you talking about her too
you better show her some respect
or I’ll give you the ole Dublin one, two
I’m talking about Dublin
Walter De BELL, Troy
Empowering Upstate New York
I think it’s very important for candidates running for state and local office to give voters a glimpse of their positions on national issues and an optimistic vision to address them.
To that end I would like to suggest a winning position on a key issue that has thoughtful mainstream voters concerned.
It’s that New York City voters outnumber upstate voters and effectively control the entire state. There are two widely accepted legislative/constitutional solutions to this:
One solution is to refashion our bicameral state legislative bodies to resemble the federal model that has the benefit of the Electoral College. Our federal Congress and Senate utilize the Electoral College to protect small states from domination by the more populous states. If we in upstate New York counties had such protections, our representation in the state Senate and Assembly would be more balanced.
Another solution to this problem which has been around for quite a while would be to divide New York into two or three autonomous zones. One proponent of this solution has gone so far as to suggest renaming the Upstate zone, calling it New Amsterdam.
These solutions are politically impractical as they would require the lengthy endeavor of making it through the Constitutional Convention process before becoming law.
There is a more expedient political solution and that is for our next gubernatorial and legislative candidates to run on a platform that includes giving more control of New York’s big cities to those city’s mayors.
Candidates embracing this idea can use the rift between Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to garner electoral support from the Mayor’s loyal constituency.
Proposing this political solution at campaign events will connect with voters on an intellectual level. It will resonate with those who support the less practical legislative/Constitutional solutions and give a glimpse into the candidate’s statesmanship, vision and ability to simplify complicated problems.
David Crawmer, Wynantskill
I don’t have the answers to yet
I’m not afraid of dying
I’m just not ready yet
I still have lots of questions
I don’t have the answers to yet
At times I feel like I’m lost
and I may never be found
To proud to ask for help
when picking myself up off the ground
Some mornings I question
how my life would be
If I gave my soul to you
so it could finally fly free
Not wanting to doubt you
but I know you’d want me to ask
Yet giving up ones soul
is not a simple task
Looking deep inside myself
never knowing what I’ll see
Not finding any answers
it’s more like watching a scary movie
So how can I believe in you
because I really want to
But if I don’t believe in myself
how could I be any good to you
I’m not a very strong man
still my knee’s they won’t bend
I can’t believe you want them to
even when I come to my journey’s end
I’m not afraid of dying
I’m just not ready yet
I still have many questions
I don’t have the answers to yet
Walter De BELL, Troy
People’s Republic of Averill Park?
I’ve managed a team in China for over 10 years and visit Beijing frequently. When visiting Tiananmen Square, I have to go through security where everyone is searched – not for weapons, but for propaganda. The Chinese government wants to ensure that its citizens don’t share any contrary opinions with each other publicly. They control the newspapers, television stations and Internet. And while the efficiency with which they can enact legislation is impressive, I know that I am far better off to be in a country that values freedom of speech – perhaps the most important and vital right that we have in America.
One of the concerns I have with our current White House administration has been censorship. Our president seems unwilling to have an open dialog with people who have different views and instead turns to name calling. When the media asks him tough questions, he eliminates their ability to attend further press conferences. It seems that he is trying to control the media so that only his opinions and views are conveyed to the citizens. Just like China.
Thus, I found it deeply disturbing when someone vandalized the two pro-Biden signs I had put on my front lawn. It wasn’t the government who was censoring me, but one of my fellow AP citizens, taking on the role of an oppressive government and deciding to destroy the message with which they disagreed. They decided that free speech should no longer be tolerated here, and they removed my signs, like Chinese soldiers.
I love Averill Park. We all support our fine schools and our diverse community. We all look after each other and try to make our lives a little easier and better. I hope the person who vandalized my signs realizes that this sort of behavior should NEVER be accepted here or anywhere in a country that truly values free speech. It’s ok and valuable for us to disagree; we should openly discuss our opinions to understand each other’s point of view – not suppress or vandalize each other.
Adam Stewart, Averill Park
The Tea Leaves Told a Different Story
My life plan promised far-flung glory
But tea leaves told a different story.
Pleasure was the underpinning
Good deeds second-fiddle to winning.
High ambition defined my youth
Success I deemed would provide the truth.
I was primed to run the race
I planned to take the prize with grace.
But fate for me had a different plot
Success, alas, was not my lot.
I learned to live a simple life
Enjoy the good, accept the strife.
Happiness is a simple pleasure
A life well-lived is the utmost treasure.
Sylvia Honig, Wynantskill