Friday April 19, 2024 
News From Averill Park CSD
Are you interested in running for the Board of Education? As part of this year’s budget vote, community members in the Averill Park Central School District will elect two (2) members to the Board of Education. If you are interested in becoming a Board member, contact the Board Clerk at 518-674-7085 to obtain a nominating petition. Nominating petitions must include signatures of 57 qualified voters. Completed petitions must be received by the Board Clerk by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 17. They should be dropped off at 146 Gettle Road, Averill Park, NY 12018.
The girls varsity basketball team won its ninth straight Section 2, Class A championship, defeating Catholic Central 62-49 in the title game. Taylor Holohan was named the Tournament MVP. Great job, team!
March is Music in Our Schools Month! The Middle School and High School combined for a terrific instrumental concert on March 8. The two schools will hold a combined choral concert on March 21 at 7:00 p.m. Algonquin Middle School students put together a stellar performance of Frozen, Jr. for their Spring Musical. Bravo, to everyone involved in bringing the show to life!
As always, for the latest news from the District, please visit our website – averillpark.k12.ny.us. You can also follow AP on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Submitted by Dr. James Franchini, Averill Park CSD Superintendent
Rensselaer Co. Home Bureau Community Workshop
Rensselaer Co. Home Bureau Community Workshop will be Thursday, April 13, 2023, 10am at First Ref. Church, Wynantskill.
Walker totes, bear sweaters & apron shirts. Bring covered dish to share with own place settings. Also bring a friend.
Rensselaer High School Hall of Fame
This year’s Rensselaer High School Hall of Fame Recipients are: Virginia Habinak Poole Cleary, 1969; Jay Foust, 1981; Tracy Foust, 1983; Nancy Hardt, 1977; Superintendent Joseph Kardash; Tessa Kent, 2002; Deborah Halacy, 1971; Gordon Noel, 1964; Joseph Polsinello, 1966; Joel Preston, 1986; John Preston, 1981; Deborah Reinmann, 1974; Gary Roberts, 1986; Richard Wark, Jr., 1979.
The nominees will be honored at this year’s banquet on April 29, 2023, at the Franklin Terrace on Campbell Avenue in Troy from 5 pm-9 pm. If you are interested in attending the banquet, dinner reservation forms can be found at the school, on the Alumni website at https://rensselaernyalumni.org/ or on Facebook at Rensselaer Grade Schools and HS Alumni | Facebook.
Dinner reservations are due no later than April 10th. If you have any questions, please feel free to email alumniassociation@nullrcsd.k12.ny.us.
Easter Bunny will be visiting the Rensselaer Craft Fair
The Class of 2024 and the Alumni Association of the Rensselaer City School district will be holding a craft fair at the high school, 25 Van Rensselaer Drive, Rensselaer, NY 12144 on March 25 from 9 am- 2 pm.
There will be over 60 vendors/crafters, food, raffles, and a 50/50. The Easter Bunny will be stopping by from 11 am- 1 pm to visit with the kids and will bring along his friend and school mascot Rammy the Ram.
Come down and spend the day, shop, and have some fun! If you have any questions please feel free to email alumniassociation@nullrcsd.k12.ny.us or call
518-436-8561.
Kiwanis of NG provides CPR/AED class for youth
Kiwanis of North Greenbush recently held a CPR/AED class for teens in the community. Fourteen youth earned an American Heart Association 2-year certification; the class was provided by Pulse Career Solutions, and sponsored by Benetech Inc, Wynantskill.
Kiwanis welcomes community-minded individuals to join our club.
Meetings are held 2nd and 4th Weds of each month at NG Town Hall, Main St, Wynantskill. More info @ https://k20729.site.kiwanis.org/
Transfiguration Parish Book Nook is Open
The Book Nook at Transfiguration Parish on Hillview Drive in Speigletown is open on Saturday morning, March 18, from 9:00 am until noon. The donations keep pouring in and our shelves are full. The buy-one, get one March specials are on authors William Johnstone and Danielle Steele. Children’s books and romance novels are 12/$1. Stop by and browse through the best kept secret in the area. Thanks for your continued support and see you at the Book Nook!
Volunteers Needed at Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park will host a Volunteer Open House on Sun., March 26th at the Welcome Center. Do you love the park? Have you been coming to the park for years and would love to help keep the park beautiful? Are you new in town and are looking for a great community? Whatever your reason, the park could use your help! The informative session will take place from 2pm-4pm on March 26th.
Grafton Lakes has a growing volunteer base. Volunteers can get involved in a range of activities with varying level of commitments. At this session, visitors will talk to the Trail Crew Leader, the Volunteer Gardener, the Friends Group, volunteer education assistants, and others about their experiences and why they love volunteering at the park.
From gardening to a welcome center greeter, to being a volunteer Fire Tower Steward, to a program assistant, to helping with trail work- if you have a passion for something in the park, we can work together to utilize your skills to make the park a better place. No commitment required to attend. Volunteers earn benefits such as program and boat passes the more hours they serve. Volunteer gatherings such as hikes, movie nights, picnics, and more are scheduled throughout the year.
Registration encouraged, but not required. Light refreshments will be served and small door prizes given away during the event. Call 518-279-1155 to register.
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.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 79.5 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456.
We Want You!
Love exploring park-like, historic cemeteries? The Friends of Oakwood Cemetery volunteer group is hosting a Volunteer Recruitment Open House on March 26th from 1-3pm and March 30th from 5-7pm at the Gardner Earl Chapel at Oakwood Cemetery, 186 Oakwood Ave, Troy, NY 12180. Light refreshments will be served!
Learn about opportunities to get involved based on your interests and available time. Are you interested in data entry and office work; grounds work or gardening; assisting with researching, writing, and conducting tours; helping with community outreach; or have another talent you can offer?
We want to hear from you. Let’s talk! 518-272-7520. www.oakwoodcemetery.org
Wednesday Night Food Truck Event is back in North Greenbush!
We hope that everyone had a great off-season time the past couple of months. We are contacting you to let you know that we will be having Food Truck Night again here in North Greenbush!!! The Town of North Greenbush is looking for food trucks to participate in the WEDNESDAY Night Food Truck Event for the 2023 season.
We will again be having Food Trucks @ town hall between 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. We are planning on the start date of Wednesday, May 24th. This year’s event will go all the way to August 9, 2023. We are asking anyone interested in participating again to contact the Town Clerk, Janice Hannigan Kerwin, @ 518-283-4306 or feel free to email anytime at townclerk@nullnorthgreenbush.org if you have any additional questions.
East Greenbush VFW Auxiliary Seeking Flea Market Vendors
The Auxiliary to East Greenbush VFW 7338 is seeking Vendors for their scheduled Flea Market on April 22, 2023.
For further information, please contact Lynda Essenter at (518) 248-0324 or via email at schoolrn52@nullaol.com.
Are You Ready for Your Lenten Journey?
Yes, it is that special time of year once again. The humbling yet exhilarating season of Lent is upon us. You may be looking for opportunities to interact with fellow “travelers” during this time of self-reflection.
Well then, how about the ecumenical Friday Lenten Services to share the good news with a variety of local clergy? They are held at the Church of the Covenant (the round church) in Averill Park.
A brief (about 30 min.) service begins at 12 noon and is followed by a soup-and-sandwich lunch… to continue every Friday through March 31.
A free will offering will go to Unity House of Troy. Hope to see you there as we “travel” to our glorious destination, Easter on April 9!
Fred Erickson, Church of the Covenant
Art Call for an Averill Park Exhibition
Stratigraphy: Celebrating Layering in the Arts, is an art exhibition to be mounted at the Arts Letters & Numbers studios, Faith Mills, in Averill Park on May 27.
We are thinking of Amos Eaton – the first stratigrapher in the country, who mapped the route of the Erie Canal and the rock of our watershed – and of all the ways that art can be layered: the paint, the collage, the poetic images, the musical notes the stitches, the gestures, the impasto …
Deadline for proposals (all media, representational or performative) April 1. Deadline for delivery of material May 24. Sponsored by aGatherin’ with Arts Letters & Numbers. gather@nullagatherin.com.
Bingo at South Schodack Volunteer Fire Co.
The South Schodack Volunteer Fire Co. is having Bingo the first and third Sundays each month through May. Doors open at noon with card sales starting at 1:00 PM and games start at 2:00 PM.
South Schodack Volunteer Fire Co. 1563 Bame Rd., Castleton, N.Y. 12033 (518-732-2082).
Artwork Needed for Community Wide Art Show
The First United Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Rd. East Greenbush is looking for artwork of all kinds done by all ages for a Community Wide Art Show. The Art Show will debut on March 25th, 2023. All artworks will be due by March 19th at 2:30 pm.
The theme of the art show is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Art can have one item of the theme or incorporate the full theme. Please email Amber Telford at Youthleaderamber@nullgmail.com for the Art Work agreement form and any questions. You can also call 518-477-9693 and leave a message for Amber.
Sand Lake Historical Society Announces 2023 Schedule
SLHS will be presenting the following public programs, from January to June 2023:
April 11th, Covid-19 History Project. Committee report and presentations and a sharing of experiences from the SLHS Covid History Project. Let’s make Covid history!
May 9th, Annual Meeting. Elections, annual report to the membership – and more!
June 3rd, (tentative) Annual Gala. Final date and location to be announced. Don’t miss this highlight of our year!
June 13th, The Pretty Fantastic Mr. Fox. Albert Rodmond Fox, industrialist, glassworks owner, State Senator, mover-and-shaker, and the Fox who gave us Fox Mansion. Learn about one of Sand Lake’s early leaders and speculate on why we live in Averill Park and not “Foxboro.”
All SLHS programs (unless otherwise noted) are held at the Sand Lake Town Hall Courtroom, 8428 NY Rte. 66, Averill Park, beginning at 7:00 pm. More information at http://sandlakehistory.org/. Like us on Facebook.
St. Jude the Apostle Knights of Columbus Bottle & Can Donations
WYNANTSKILL – Help Support Local Charities – St. Jude the Apostle Knights of Columbus has teamed up with 6 Center Redemption located at 461 Main Avenue in Wynantskill to accept bottle and can donations that have a NYS deposit.
This is to support local charities and those in need.
• Bring your clean, NYS deposit empties to 6 Center Redemption in Wynantskill.
• Say they are to support the St. Jude the Apostle Knights of Columbus.
• They do the rest, that’s it!
Thank you for your support!