Friday April 26, 2024 
Nassau Lake Association Seeking Crafters/Vendors/Garage Salers
Nassau Lake Association (NLPIA) 3rd Annual Lawn Sale 6/10, 9am-3pm, the same date as the Nassau Community wide garage sale.
Location: the ballfield on Nassau-Schodack Rd., East side of the Lake. To reserve a spot we’re asking for a $15 donation, which will go toward the new clubhouse. Plenty of room and parking. There will be food and beverages available as well as a 50/50 raffel and gift basket raffels.
Contact Jim or Deb Prime on Facebook or by phone, Deb Prime 518-466-2631, Jim Prime 518-776-0041 for more info and to sign up. Hope to see you there!
East Greenbush CSD Budget Vote and Board Election
The East Greenbush Central School District has proposed a school budget for 2023-24 that maintains all programs and services with a 0.5% tax levy increase. The proposed budget, totaling $108,812,882, would include staffing additions, technology upgrades, facility improvements and funding to continue the Pre-K Program.
Residents will vote on the proposed school budget on Tuesday, May 16.
Other items on the ballot include the purchase of eight replacement school buses from the Bus Purchase Reserve Fund with no impact to taxpayers and the election of three individuals to serve on the Board of Education.
For more information including polling place locations, visit www.egcsd.org/budget.
News From Averill Park CSD
Averill Park High School’s Maryssa Crosier and Jason Strickland were part of a group of students from the Questar III BOCES New Visions program that presented to superintendents and principals from the region on mental health awareness in schools. The group prepared a presentation as part of their government class, focusing on the need for more mental health awareness for both students and teachers. Great job, Maryssa and Jason!
Seven of our Spring athletic team have been designated as NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Teams. Congratulations to the following programs: Baseball, Softball, Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse, Boys Outdoor Track & Field, Girls Outdoor Track & Field, and Boys Tennis!
Averill Park High School students Brady Battista, Hazel Miller and Nicole Wing had their artwork selected to be a part of the Questar III BOCES Regional Exhibition. Way to go, everyone!
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
St. Stephen’s Spring Tag Sale – May 13
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, 751 County Route 7 (directly off Route 150), East Schodack, NY will host its annual Spring Tag Sale on Saturday, May 13th at 9 am. We are just a few miles from Routes 9 & 20 directly off of Route 150.
Grab some bargains and maybe a Mother’s Day gift. We have something for everyone! The sale is in the basement fellowship hall – so we will be there rain or shine from 9 am to 3:30 pm. We hope you will join us. Sale proceeds will go towards repairs to the steps leading to our church sanctuary.
Nassau Lake Park Improvement Assoc. Meeting
Come join us Thursday May 11, 7pm at the Nassau VFW on Lyons Lake Road for our annual Spring meeting.
We will be discussing the 2023 season on the Lake, talking about this years yard sale (June 10) at the ballfield, docks and maintaining the areas around said docks, July 4th boat parade and much more.
A reminder that dues are due and will be accepted at the meeting. As always, we are looking for new members, volunteers and folks that just care about making this a great place to live. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Looking For Arts & Craft and Food Vendors for June 16th-18th Kiwanis Summerfest
The Kiwanis Club of Sand Lake is reaching out to Capital Region crafters and food vendors to take part in our annual, weekend-long Summerfest, one of the largest summer fairs in Rensselaer County.
The carnival rides, major area bands, adult and youth activities and evening fireworks during the June 16-18th event attract hundreds of people each year.
So this is an event you will not want to miss. Please contact Janet at jmalecki@nullnycap.rr.com for more information and to sign up.
Save the Historic West Sand Lake Firehouse
When I addressed the Town Board at my appointment as Town Historian back in 2013, I mentioned that I took my job seriously, as “a sacred trust” to care for the history of Sand Lake.
When it came to my attention that the 1873 West Sand Lake Firehouse and the 1913 Fire Hall would be demolished to build a new facility I listened in disbelief. The last few years have seen rehabilitation and repurposing of numerous historic buildings. The Knights of Pythias Hall/Bonesteel Furniture building in West Sand Lake is now Dater House Americana Antiques. The old Nash/Horton Store is nearing completion as the Sand Lake Mercantile.
We are also grateful for the hard work of Janis and Marty Keary and Kevin Tighe for bringing back to life the Old Daley Inn at the Crooked Lake Hotel and the Glass Lake Inn. A great investment of planning, time and money have gone into restoring these historic buildings. Working together we have made Sand Lake a destination.
Please stand and make your voice heard in support of preserving the old firehouse. As a community we should be able to find a way to not only preserve but repurpose this historic structure. The Sand Lake Historical Society, by the way, needs a home. For more information, call 518 674-2026. Also, come to the Sand Lake Historical Society Gala on May 21, 1:00 at the Arlington House, 518 281-4398 for Gala ticket info.
AARP Defensive Driving Course
All RESIDENTS 18 AND OVER are Invited to Attend AARP Defensive Driving Course
Refresh your driving skills. Learn the new safety rules. You may be eligible for a reduction in your auto insurance.
Wed, May 31, 2023. 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Everett Wagar Senior Center, 2 Roxborough Rd., Grafton.
Course fee is $25 AARP member / $30 non-AARP member. Payment by check or money order (made out to AARP) is strongly preferred. If paying in cash, exact change is needed. Bring to course driver’s license and, if member, AARP card. 30 minute lunch break, recommend bringing your lunch. Can eat in classroom. Please arrive 15 minutes early.
Call to sign up at (518) 279-3413. Material needs to be ordered.
Third Annual Lawn Sale
Nassau Lake Association (NLPIA) is looking for crafters, vendors and garage saler’s for our 3rd annual lawn sale on June 10th coinciding with the Nassau Community Wide Garage sale from 9AM to 3PM. Reserve your spot with a $15 donation towards the new NLPIA clubhouse (please bring your own table).
There will be food and beverages available as well as a 50/50 raffle. Plenty of space and parking, located at the ball field, Nassau-Averill Park Road on the East side of Nassau Lake. Please contact Jim Prime (518)776-0041.
Columbia High School Senior Wins Bronze Medal at NYS SkillsUSA Championships
Columbia High School senior Will Inman ’23 won a bronze medal in HVAC at the 2023 NYS SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Championships last week in Syracuse. He qualified for the state championships by winning the SkillsUSA Area III Regional competition in March.
During the state competition, contestants took a written test and then completed a circuit of different stations where they were tested in their knowledge of HVAC such as heat pumps, propane furnaces, window air conditioner units and compressors.
“It was fun,” he said. “I thought of it as a learning experience.”
For the past two years, Mr. Inman has attended technical education classes in the HVAC and Renewable Energies program through Questar III BOCES at the Robert H. Gibson Technical School in Troy. He receives classroom instruction and training for HVAC for half of the day at that school and attends regular classes at Columbia for the other half of the day.
As part of his technical education classes, Mr. Inman has learned about the design, installation and repair of HVAC systems and emerging technologies. He also has a part-time job installing HVAC systems for a local company.
Following graduation in June, Mr. Inman plans on attending SUNY Delhi to study Plumbing and HVAC.
Western Governors University Offers Two Scholarships for Rural NY Residents
To help remove rural barriers to higher education, accredited nonprofit and online Western Governors University (WGU) has announced the new Learn Where You Live Scholarships exclusively for residents of rural communities. Valued at up to $3,000 and awarded at $750 per six-month term for up to four terms, the scholarships are available to new or returning WGU students living in rural areas, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the latest Census figures, 2.5 million New Yorkers live in rural areas, including 31.7% of residents (392,263) in the Capital Region.
“For many rural New Yorkers, it’s just not feasible to drive an hour or more to a college campus, especially if they have work and family obligations,” said Rebecca Watts, who oversees operations in New York as regional vice president for WGU. “Completing a degree program can change lives, families and communities, and WGU is doing what we can to remove the barriers of distance, time, and cost.”
In addition, for those New Yorkers who live in a T-Mobile service area for internet service, WGU offers the Online Access Scholarship, which provides students with a laptop, internet service and a webcam to pursue their education studies.
WGU has more than 60 online bachelor’s and master’s degree program in business, IT, education, and healthcare. WGU serves more than 3,400 students and more than 6,300 alumni in New York.
Both scholarship application deadlines are June 30 and more information is available at www.wgu.edu/learnwhereyoulive and www.wgu.edu/access.
Buy Mother’s Day Gifts at Trinity Church Lansingburgh’s Spring Fest on May 13
Trinity Church Lansingburgh will hold its 18th annual Spring Fest on the church grounds, 585 Fourth Avenue, Troy, from 9 AM until 2 PM on Saturday, May 13, 2023. We will be selling special spring flower arrangements, both fresh and artificial, in teacups and mugs – perfect for Mother’s Day gifts. Hand-crafted items, homemade baked goods and selected garden plants will be available for purchase.
There will be a basket raffle. Coffee and donuts and lunch menu items will be sold. Free tours of the historic church building and the graveyard will be given throughout the day. For more information call (518)892-8865 or visit www.trinitychurchlansingburgh.org.
Castleton-Schodack Memorial Day Parade
The Castleton-Schodack Memorial Day Parade will “step-off” on Monday, May 29th at 10:00am.
The parade will begin at the corner of Boltwood and Seaman Avenues and will conclude with a brief ceremony at Mountain View Cemetery. We will have five divisions with the VFW Post 7337 leading the parade. As we take time to honor those who served our country, we would like to show our appreciation to any veteran or Gold Star Mother in our community by asking that they join us in the special seating area that has been reserved for them during the ceremony.
We are honored this year to have as our Grand Marshall for the parade Mr. Jeff Conlin, an Army Vietnam veteran. The Community Appreciation Award will be presented to Carol and Bud Wilkinson, in recognition of their many years of volunteer service to our community. Our guest speaker will be Ryan Marshall, an Air Force OIF OEF ODF veteran. Please join us on the day that we honor those who have served their country so valiantly.
Dunham Hollow- West Stephentown Scholarship
The scholarship committee announces the availability of the Dunham Hollow-West Stephentown Scholarship. The scholarship is in memory of Frank Johnson. It is open to anyone (graduating senior, post graduate, or adult wishing retraining) living within the boundaries of the Averill Park School District and has been accepted to a trade or vocational school.
The deadline for submission of an application is May 15th. Scholarship applications may be obtained by contacting the Averill Park High School guidance department at 518-674-7025 or by emailing jcuilla@nullcfgcr.org.
Elmer A. Grogan Scholarship
Applications are being accepted for the scholarship award of $300.00 for the best essay on “What Freedom Means To Me” by a graduating senior from Brunswick Central School District or Berlin Central School District who is continuing on with his or her education. The essay should not be less than 250 words or not more than 500 words. The scholarship is being given by the Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340 in memory of a former member Elmer A. Grogan.
The deadline for applications is May 31st. Applications are available at the guidance counselor offices of both high schools and should be mailed to Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340, PO Box 361, Grafton, NY 12082, attn: Commander Len Claus, Jr.
Sand Lake Historical Society 2023 Schedule
SLHS will be presenting the following public programs, from January to June 2023:
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.