For the first time in 125 years and for the last time until 2070, two popular faith-based holidays will coincide. This year, Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 28 and will be celebrated by many American families as they gather together to enjoy the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. On the same day, people of the Jewish faith will also be celebrating Chanukah with the lighting of the second candle of the menorah.

Both holidays are happy, celebratory occasions marked by feelings of gratitude and, well … thanksgiving. Chanukah was declared a Jewish national holiday over 2000 years ago to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the successful Maccabean Revolt against their oppressors. In the United States, the Pilgrims and Puritans emigrating from England in the 1620s carried with them their tradition of Days of Thanksgiving, and in 1621 gave thanks for a good harvest, which became the basis for the annual holiday that draws family members home. President George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in 1789, and in 1863 Thanksgiving was celebrated for the first time on the same date by all the states, thanks to a proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. On Dec. 26, 1941 Congress established the national Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November. On June 15 of this year some enterprising person or persons registered the domain name www.thankukah.com. It appears that nothing has happened on the website yet, and the name may be for sale, but it may become a valuable website in 2070.

Regardless of the reasons for celebrating, it is certainly appropriate to be grateful for all we have in our community and country. Gratitude is a health-related emotion so, whether it be Chanukah, Thanksgiving or simply a day set aside to appreciate one another and the place where we live, I wish you a very happy holiday.

Accepted but unacceptable

As a routine part of the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, the Town of New Paltz has ‘accepted’ the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) submitted in support of the application of Wilmorite, Inc. to construct 13 buildings housing over 700 people as part of a for-profit venture they have named “Park Point.” Having accepted the submission, the Planning Board now moves into the role of a teacher who, having accepted a submitted paper, must decide whether to give it a passing or a failing grade.

In a previous column, readers learned of the “Wilmorite Whoppers” contained in the FEIS, brought to light by a Planning Board-commissioned independent review of Wilmorite’s claims regarding the financial impact of the project on our community. The outside consultant’s report, which the Planning Board required be made part of the Appendices to the FEIS, clearly shows that Wilmorite overstated the financial benefits of the venture to the New Paltz economy and understated the cost of the community services it would require, to the tune of millions of dollars. Couple this with Wilmorite’s attempts to pay no real estate taxes for the next 25 years and you have a recipe for disaster for our town.

Basically, the independent review negated the facts contained in the FEIS, as well as the basic methodologies used, and this should clearly lead to the Planning Board’s assignment of a failing grade in their ‘Findings Statement’. A public hearing is scheduled for this project for Dec. 9 and now is the time for all concerned residents to show up and make their voices heard. The entire unacceptable FEIS can be viewed and downloaded from the Town of New Paltz website and is available in hard copy from the Planning Board secretary at the Town Hall.

New Paltz Musicales

Garvan at Shea O’Brien’s would like everyone in our community to know that Irish harpist Lynn Saoirse and folk musician Tobias Anderson will be joining Betty and the Baby Boomers on Dec. 7 for a wonderful evening of holiday music at the Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, to be followed by a reception. All proceeds from this Christmas time benefit concert will be donated to help the needy in our community. Details can be found at RedeemerNewPaltz.org. Hope to see you there!

The Rosendale Improvement Association Brass Band will be a part of Frozendale Daze this coming Saturday. (photo provided)

Now that we’ve got all that turkey and stuffing under our belts, ’tis the season for Hudson Valley venues to pull out all the stops in getting folks into the mood for the various light-filled holidays that circulate around the Winter Solstice. The historic manses that line the river are decked out in period finery, Santa sightings are becoming commonplace and towns are hosting parades and tree-lighting ceremonies. So it should come as no surprise that our nearest neighbor to the north bolsters its claim to the title of the Festival Town with an annual blowout the first weekend in December called Frozendale Daze. It’ll be back this Saturday afternoon, Dec. 7, with lots of fun activities for all ages — most of them free of charge.

This cheery cold-weather event, staged all along lower Main Street (Route 213), was originally a project of the Rosendale Chamber of Commerce. But about five years ago, local massage therapist Jesse Scherer stepped into the role of ringmaster for the entire extravaganza, which she sees as essentially “community-generated…. Everybody pitches in.”

During the early years of Frozendale Daze, Scherer was in charge of the Winter Gift Sale component of the festival, which showcases handmade gift items by local craftspeople. “It started in some houses, then moved to unused storefronts on Main Street,” she explains. As the sale expanded to involve anywhere from seven to 20 vendors per year, multiple empty stores were pressed into service. And mysteriously, these formerly unrentable commercial spaces developed a pattern of being turned into successful businesses following their reintroduction to the public via the Winter Gift Sale. “We bring a little bit of magic to Main Street,” says Scherer with a twinkle in her eye.

This year the Winter Gift Sale will be hosted in two already-thriving storefronts: Ann Citron’s Canaltown Alley space, behind the Rosendale Theatre, and Fre Atlast’s TRANSnDANCEnDRUM Center at 415 Main Street. Citron also makes the theatre itself part of the festival, with two screenings of A Muppet Christmas Carol at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Both offer free admission, thanks to sponsorship from Ulster Savings Bank.

Though most of the activities will happen between noon and 6 p.m., Frozendale Daze actually kicks off at the Rosendale Library at 10 a.m. with a half-hour holiday storytelling session with Miss Annie. The library will also be running its annual Holiday Booktique all afternoon. The Soiled Dove will feature a Dollar Vintage Junque Sale, and vendors of various sorts will be set up at many other Main Street businesses.

Just beyond the east end of Main Street, Rosendale Wine and Spirits will be hosting a wine-tasting, and near the western end, the 1850 House will offer wine and cheese. Vision of Tibet at 378 Main will serve Tibetan tea, and the Alternative Baker will be offering hot cider and cookies. Another beverage giveaway that has become quite a Frozendale tradition happens at Town Hall: mugs with the town’s logo, filled with hot chocolate, absolutely free.

As you wander along Main Street sipping your hot drink, you may find yourself serenaded by the Rosendale Improvement Association Brass Band as it marches by. Hop aboard a hayride or get your picture taken with Santa and his Elves, courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce. Among the many other kid-friendly activities will be a live puppet show titled Main Street Happening, presented by the Redwing Blackbird Theatre at 413 Main at 2 p.m. At the Rosendale Café you can try your hand at cookie-decorating, with live music from 1 to 5 p.m. TelEyre, Shabbat Rusciolelli, Andrea Maddox and Shamsi Ruhe will be playing: “all local, soulful, favorite female performers,” according to Scherer.

Downtown Rosendale’s art galleries are getting in on the fun as well. Roos Arts will offer a family-friendly papercraft and ornament-making workshop called “Light Me Up,” accompanied by hot cider. And the Lovebird Studio will host a show and sale of works by Scott Ackerman (who designed the 2013 Woodstock Film Festival poster), Amy Ackerman, Paul Heath, Andy Milford and Matt Pleva — all priced at $100 and under.

What with all this strolling up and down the street and ducking in and out of the cold, by late afternoon you should have worked up an appetite for some nice hot comfort food. Follow your nose to the Big Cheese’s soon-to-become-a-new-restaurant space at 4 Hardenburgh Lane, between the Rosendale Theatre and Town Hall: That’s where the savory entries will be heating up for Frozendale Daze’s annual Mac-and-Cheese Bakeoff, which gets underway at 5 p.m. The judges for the competition, fittingly, are Rosendale’s actual town justices, Robert Vosper and William Pape. The winning chef will take home a $50 gift certificate, while the rest of those in attendance will get to devour all the contending casseroles.

A serving of somebody’s special recipe for homemade macaroni-and-cheese sounds like a fine way to cap off a festive day in Rosendale, and a good demonstration of what Scherer means when she says that Frozendale Daze “creates a warm feeling among the community, and brings us back to the basic aspects of coming together as a community…Each store becomes like a new living room. You leave the day feeling like you actually interacted and got to know people, like you were at a party. People feel enriched.”

Sounds like an afternoon that could turn even the most miserly Scrooge into a benevolent neighbor, with friendly Rosendalers standing in for the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Check it out for yourself this Saturday!

Pictured are some of the participating artists in Unison’s Arts & Crafts Fair (L-R) Leonie Lacouette with handmade clocks, Helene Bigley with stoneware, Annie O’Neill with handpainted earthenware platters and Stuart Bigley with paintings and mixed media works. Nineyear-old Lena Pileggi and Digger the dog were on hand to liven up the photo session. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

If you’re in a pinch with gift buying this year, one event in New Paltz might have something to offer. Unison Arts Center’s 23rd annual Arts & Crafts Fair will take place Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 at the New Paltz Middle School.

“It’s lots of wonderful handmade objects — everything from handmade jewelry to brooms and pottery and furniture. It just a really wide array of lovingly handmade objects,” explained Christine Crawfis, with Unison.

When people buy paintings or pottery, sometimes the artist remains a mystery — just a signature on the piece. That’s not the case with the Arts & Crafts Fair.

“One of the real gifts is that you get to have a conversation and meet the person who actually made the object that you’ll be giving,” she said.

Variety isn’t an issue at the fair: There are potters, painters, woodworkers, leatherworkers, jewelers and glass blowers. Visitors will see crafted dolls, artisanal baskets and photography.

“It’s a great opportunity to not only buy wonderful, unique gifts for the holidays. But also it supports living artists and it supports Unison, who is their local art center,” Crawfis said. “We think of ourselves as their connection to local and living artists.”

Craig Andrews, of Birdhouse Brokerage, will be at the fair selling his popular model birdhouses. They work to make functional, usable outdoor birdhouses that double as scale models for Cape Cod and Colonial-style homes.

After 17 years of making birdhouses, assuming that people were hanging them outside, Andrews learned that some customers had a secondary reason for buying them.

“A lot of our customers decorate indoors with them, but yet we make them for the birds,” he said. “They’re functional.”

Craig and Christa Andrews have been going to Unison Arts & Crafts Fair for years as a vendor, which the birdhouse maker describes as a “good mix” of different items. They’ve been going long enough to befriend other craftspeople at the fair.

“A good crowd comes out. We had a great crowd last year,” he said. “As far as the number birdhouses we sold, it was one of our best in years.”

Annie O’Neill, of Gardiner, will be there selling her pottery — which features highly stylized animals inspired by Mexican folk art.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in Mexico. So I’m very influenced by the exuberance and color and humor that a lot of Mexican artisans have in their work,” O’Neill said.

Her hand-built platters and bowls are also functional. “They could be for eating,” she explained. But with the intricate line work on each piece O’Neill makes, it might be hard to want to put one of her ceramic creations on the dinner table.

Unison Arts & Crafts Fair run from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It’s at New Paltz Middle School, 2 South Manheim Boulevard, in New Paltz. Admission is $3 for adults, but kids 16 years old or younger get in free.

For more information about the fair, check out www.unisonarts.org.

Local historians Bob Larsen and Robi Josephson on the foundation of the old Enderly farmhouse near Split Rock in the Trapps region of the Shawangunks. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

The release of the gripping and provocative nonfiction book An Unforgiving Land, by local authors Bob Larsen and Robi Josephson (Black Dome Press), positions a hardscrabble, subsistence post-Civil War mountain community in stark contrast to today’s thousands of acres of breathtaking land under the protection of the Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park for modern-day conservation, recreation and one of the “Earth’s last great places.”

What has become a rich environmental and recreational resource for hikers, bikers, climbers and nature-lovers, in the belly of the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge, was at one time, for more than 150 years, the lifeblood, home and community of 50 families who foraged the unforgiving mountainside for food. Although they called themselves “farmers,” there was little to farm save their main harvest: huckleberries, which were unique and plentiful within the Shawangunks.

“There was a village store, similar to an old-time country store, in the Trapps Hamlet, where community members would come in, buy what they needed; the owner would write down their name, what they owed and that sum would be paid back once the huckleberry crop was harvested,” said Larsen, a veteran Mohonk Preserve ranger who became a cultural researcher of the rich and little-known life of the Trapps community families that settled in the Shawangunks on the western side of the ridge shortly after the Revolutionary War.

Walking through the remains of the now-vanished community along Clove and Trapps Roads, Larsen explained why they came. “They were the poor Dutch immigrants,” he said. “All of the good farming land on both sides of the Ridge was already taken. This was the only land they could afford, and it was poor, very poor farming land.”

So the Trapps family settlers became stonecutters, charcoal-burners, hoopmakers for barrels and of course, huckleberry-pickers. “They owned a cow or two, some goats and chickens to be able to produce milk, cheese and poultry; but other than that, they survived on what they could forage in this wilderness.”

He and Josephson pointed to the ever-popular Mohonk Preserve watering hole Split Rock and noted that the Trapps community utilized this perfectly formed wedge between two rock formations and a waterfall to build a sawmill. “It was a sawmill powered by the water that they dammed, but it only allowed for a down-cut, which resulted in one log a day,” said Josephson. “It was a labor of love and of need.” The timber that they harvested and cut was used to build their homes and barns, which never had any utilities, even into the 1950s when the last of the families remained.

They had no electricity, running water, plumbing or fertile soil. These were old-time, hard-laboring immigrants just trying to produce enough to survive off. They had their own store, a one-room schoolhouse and a chapel where they would rotate between a Methodist and a Reformed minister. While most families had their own personal burial ground in their backyards, there was also a common cemetery, just at the base of the High Peterskill Trail, which was established in 1845.

A perfect marriage was formed when the Smiley family began to buy up land and open their hotels at Minnewaska and at Mohonk. “This was the first time that the Trapps hamlet community had steady income to rely on,” said Larsen, “and the hotels needed their skills. They needed stonecutters for the Mohonk Tower; they needed carpenters and laborers to build the hotels and the auxiliary buildings; they needed staff for the laundry, maintenance and restaurants. The Trapps families were right here and had the skills necessary, and also would simply walk to work each day on the carriage roads.”

A foreshadowing of the journey on which Larsen and then Josephson would embark with their groundbreaking research and long-awaited book on this colorful cast of characters who inhabited the mountain for a century-and-a-half came when Larsen, then of New York City, was camping near Split Rock as he was part of the vagabond climbing community that was blazing new routes on the Trapps cliffs. “We were camping just down the road [by Split Rock, off Clove Valley Road] and sitting around the campfire when Irvin Van Leuven stopped by,” one of the last remaining inhabitants of the Trapps hamlet community. “It was fascinating to talk with him, learn about his life on the Ridge. He was an old-time person, someone a bit outside of time and we loved listening to his stories.”

Little did Larsen know at the time that, along with Josephson, he would unearth not one but dozens of stories and interviews of this remarkable community from those who lived there and their descendents, filled with so many intriguing tales, history and of course folklore that led to this book, and also a place on the State and National Historic Registers. In New York it is the only landmarked subsistence community on record — and what a fascinating record of life it is.

The book, which includes incredible photos from the families themselves, can be purchased at Inquiring Minds in downtown New Paltz, as well as Barner Books across the street, Rock and Snow, Handmade and More and Dedrick’s Pharmacy or online at www.blackdomepress.com, at Josephson’s website, www.robijosephson.com, and the Trapps Mountain Hamlet Facebook page.

The two said that they are indebted to the last surviving generation of Trapps Hamlet family members, who opened their homes and hearts to them, as well as their descendents. “They’ve become treasured friends of ours and this book could not have been written without their invaluable contributions,” said Johansen.

The book hit the stands this October to rave reviews. Larsen and Josephson, who are cultural resources in and of themselves, will be doing a book reading, signing and question-and-answer session at Inquiring Minds on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m.

Oksana Ryabinkina (photo by Maria Pianelli)

While working as a makeup consultant at My Market in New Paltz, Oksana Ryabinkina noticed something peculiar — many products in the cosmetics industry contained undesirable chemicals.

Equipped with a degree in chemistry, Ryabinkina realized harsh chemicals, such as parabens and petroleum-based products, were often linked to allergic reactions, rashes, skin irritation, violent coughing, headaches and dizziness.

Alarmed, she yearned to promote products containing natural, organic ingredients. Although Ryabinkina helped expand My Market’s selection, she desired to open a one-stop shop for customers’ needs.

This September, Ryabinkina’s dream became a reality with the debut of Looking Good, a beauty supply store.

Located in the Cherry Hill Center, Looking Good offers an expansive selection of natural skin care and makeup products. The store also sells vitamins, supplements, anti-stress relievers and remedies.

“The most beautiful cosmetic you can wear is healthy skin,” said Ryabinkina. “We do not do plastic surgery, but you can look 20 to 30 years younger if you know the right products to use.”

Looking Good provides customers a wide array of products, featuring goods from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Greece and Australia. Each product possesses fewer chemicals than the leading brands in the industry, which often include parabens, artificial colors and dyes.

In addition to selling international products, Ryabinkina enjoys promoting brands close to home, among them, Made with Love, a skin care line based in Gardiner.

“At Looking Good, you can do all your shopping in one place — from hair to toes,” said Ryabinkina. “We carry a lot of brands for any need: body, face, hair, gifts, men’s, children’s and mineral makeup from all around the world. Many of the products sold contain essential oils and things such as lavender, sugar cane, jojoba oil, cedar wood, frankincense, lemon oil, grapefruit and juniper.”

Looking Good also offers walk-in makeup consultations in order to encourage customers to test-ride products.

“Everyone’s skin is different,” said Ryabinkina. “We want to help them recognize which product will make their skin look amazing.”

Each Saturday, the budding business features live demonstrations from skin care specialists and make-up artists. At this time, representatives from Made with Love and Kiss my Face have given free presentations at the store. This Saturday, Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a specialist from Annemarie Borlind will offer their services to customers.

Though her business is but a few months old, Ryabinkina has high hopes for Looking Good’s future.

“As a new business, it takes time to get people know you and where you are,” she said. “Eventually, we’re going to get massagers and make-up artists to be here all the time.”

Looking Good is located at 246 Main Street in the Cherry Hill Center. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/lookinggood217 or call 255-5020.

Nat Angstrom. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

For Nat Angstrom, a Shakespearean actor and New Paltz Central High School alumnus, one project has stayed at the forefront of his mind — creating a theatrical company to bring together talented, young actors in New York City.

“The idea behind the company is that there are several actors I’ve worked with throughout my career. They’re all people that I felt were really good, really interested in a similar style of Shakespearean theater,” Angstrom explained. “I wanted to get them together and see what that group could do — get them all together in the same room.”

Bottoms Dream is the name of that newly formed theater company. The name comes from a line in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — one of the Bard’s most famous, beloved comedies. Nick Bottom, a character in the play, is an actor. He musters his friends to put on a play-within-a-play in William Shakespeare’s classic.

“It shall be called ‘Bottom’s Dream’ because it hath no bottom,” Bottom says in the play.

Angstrom, who’s played Bottom in a number of productions, and his collaborator Caitlin White related to that idea. The two wanted to make an opportunity for themselves, their friends and the talented actors they knew.

Angstrom, 27, grew up in New Paltz — technically in Gardiner — out near Dressel Farms. He first caught the acting bug in high school, went on study at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and then at Oswego State University for a theatre degree. But our corner of Ulster County is also where the idea for Bottoms Dream’s first show emerged. Angstrom and White brainstormed the idea during a visit to Gardiner’s Whitecliff Vineyard.

They decided to do a musical adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” featuring music from Bard Rock — musicians who’ve set Shakespearian lines to a modern indie soundtrack.

“That’s sort of their whole thing. They play at bars and things like that. They do musical renditions of Shakespeare songs. Not ‘musical’ like ‘Show Boat,’ but kind of Mumford & Sons,” he said. “It’s a folk-rock take on it. It has a Decemberists, Mumford & Sons feel.”

Angstrom added: “Then we listened to this music. We’re really good friends with them. We thought this stuff should really be produced into a full stage production. But it wasn’t really in their plans to do that.”

They leased the rights to the songs from their friends at Bard Rock, and sat down to adapt and edit “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” into a version that felt more streamlined — like a movie.

Last year, members of the Town of Lloyd Events and Beautification Commitee decorated Highland in anticipation of “Light Up the Hamlet,” which will take place this year on Friday, Dec. 13. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

Highland will host a holiday tree-lighting and festivities at “Light up the Hamlet” on Friday, December 13 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in downtown Highland at Vineyard and Main Streets. The event will include hot chocolate, candy, toasted marshmallows, games, giveaways, caroling, the tree-lighting and a visit from Santa Claus. For more information, call 691-2144, ext. 100, or visit www.townoflloyd.com.

The other day I was talking with a guy about allergies. Yes, that’s right; all you women out there who think that the only things we guys talk about are women and sports, you’re wrong.

Anyhow, he was talking about the fact that he has two dogs and that his young daughter is allergic to dogs.

“But you still keep the dogs?” I asked. (One of the reasons my wife and I have never had a pet dog or cat is because she is allergic to almost all domesticated animals and sometimes I think this includes me.)

“Yes,” he said. “They’re just so great. When I get home, they are so happy to see me.”

And there it is; he said it in a nutshell. One of the reasons we love our dogs is that they love us in a way that no human being can. Think about it. Can you imagine your spouse reacting to your walking through your front door the way your dog does? Here’s how I see it: When you get home your dog reacts, every time, as if he thought you were never coming back. He is genuinely ecstatic to see you.

Your spouse? You’re lucky if she even notices you’ve come home. And if she does, just about the most you can expect is a brief kiss and a kind word or two. And this is in a good marriage. In a not-so-good one, you’re lucky if your walking through the door doesn’t lead to an argument.

So let me ask you this: When was the last time your dog argued with you?

Now okay, dogs aren’t the perfect companion. They don’t offer much in the way of conversation. Also, you do have to take them out. But even here, it’s a pretty good situation vs. your spouse. You don’t have to take your dog out to dinner — at a restaurant that’s not your favorite and is really a bit too expensive. On the other hand, several times a day, you have to take him out to go to the bathroom. And when it’s cold and you’re tired, this is not something you are eager to do.

And walking your dog can also be a problem when you encounter what every dog owner dreads: Another dog. I have always wondered why it is that dogs typically become crazed when they see another one. It’s as if they’ve never seen another member of their species and are over the top with emotion when they do. They pull at the leash, they bark, they go nuts. And so does the other dog. And if they get near each other, they start sniffing around in a way that can be very embarrassing and there is always the possibility of a fight.

But it’s the sheer excitement they show that has always amazed me. I mean, dogs are everywhere. There are millions of them in our country. Okay, I could understand the excitement if you owned an orangutan and had him or her out for a walk and you encountered someone else with their orangutan. Now that would be reason for your orang going wild. But when you’re a dog and you see another dog? What’s the big deal?

But still, overall, as the huge number of people who own dogs — even when it causes a loved one to have trouble breathing — will attest, dogs are, in many ways, a big improvement over people. They love you unconditionally. They are genuinely happy to see you every time you come home. They don’t drink or abuse drugs. And when you have them outside literally on a leash, you won’t hear them say they feel like you always have them on a leash.

They are like children who never grow up. True, many of them have ADHD, but since they aren’t boys in school, this doesn’t present a major problem.

And yes, every once in a while they will bite someone and this will lead to a lawsuit that will destroy your life. But isn’t this possibility a small price to pay for a genuinely loving companion who really wears her emotions on her paw and will never try to fool you by wagging her tail when she really isn’t happy?

Theo Salamone proudly shows off the clove orange ornament he's made for his Mom Renee at Mountain Laurel's Winter Faire last Sunday.

Carol Jordan of New Paltz sets the tone for winter fashion wearing the goods she's purchased from local vendors at last Sunday's Mountain Laurel Waldorf School's annual Winter Faire and Outdoor Marketplace.

Five year-olds Joaquin and Raffi eagerly eye the preparation of the burgers they've been promised at last Sunday's annual Winter Faire at the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School in New Paltz.

Apple cider donut in hand, six year- old Zoey Stone mugs for the camera whil her little sister channels her inner Garbo at the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School's annual Winter Faire & Outdoor Marketplace held last Sunday.

Last Sunday, the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School in New Paltz held its annual Winter Faire & Outdoor Marketplace. Trees, gifts, ornament crafting and hot food were available, and a festive tone was established by the voices of fine singers.

Photos by Lauren Thomas

With the sounds of flute, harp and mandolin in the air, revelers gathered at the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School. Tables full of homemade yarns, pottery, crafts and delicious foods were there to greet them for the annual Winter Faire. Indoors, parents and kids watched as the Star Penny Puppeteers put on a production of “The Shoemaker and the Elves.”

Rosana Workman, a teacher at the school and a puppeteer in the show, noted that their production was meant to get people into a festive mood.

“It’s a winter story of magic and color,” Workman said.

Music plays a huge part in a Waldorf education, because the schools mandate music lessons and choir for each student. It’s a part of the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the original founder of the teaching style. New Paltz’s school has three student orchestras.

Steve Bernstein, one of the music teachers at Mountain Laurel, noted that each student must learn to play the recorder and the flute. And music is blended into the curriculum for everyday lessons.

“I think it’s the education that really helps them receive the music,” Bernstein said.

Bernstein also played mandolin for the puppet show, which he noted mark special occasions at the school. “We try to do a puppet show for some of the bigger events,” he said.

Helen Stubblefield Anderson sat before a spinning wheel turning unprocessed wool “roving” into yarn. Kids and some adults watched, transfixed by the process.

The owner of the fiber art studio Helen of Memphis noted that dark gray yarn she was working on — which vacillated from thick to thin — would eventually be used for a knit hat.

“It’s such a simple process. The wheel does most of the work,” she said.

Winter Faire has a long history with the school, which was founded in New Paltz in 1983.

“We’ve had this fair for the last 20 years,” explained Judy Jaeckel, the school administrator. The celebration started back in 1995, when Mountain Laurel moved from the outskirts of New Paltz onto South Chestnut Street.

“We needed something joyful. We needed something for the community,” Jaeckel said.

The celebration, of course, draws out a lot of parents and students from the school. But it’s open to the whole community. And that’s the point of it, she added.

“It brings so much life to downtown New Paltz,” the administrator said. “It’s a gift to the community.”

Jaeckel was quick to thank the local businesses that helped out with the Winter Faire, including Japanese noodle restaurant Gomen Kudasai and The Village TeaRoom.

For more information about Mountain Laurel Waldorf School, or Waldorf education in general, head to www.mountainlaurel.org.

Last weekend, the New Paltz Rotary Club invited children and adults alike to P&G’s Restaurant to share their holiday wishes and snap pictures with Santa. All funds raised from pictures with Santa go directly to St. John Bosco Child and Family Services. Pictured left to right are: Michael Filette, Frankie Natoli, Hannah Fillette, Santa and Rotary Club member Sue Doyle. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

As Friday-night bar patrons slowly filtered into P&G’s Restaurant, children and parents congregated to one brightly lit corner. Sitting there on a bench was the man of the hour: Santa Claus.

Old Saint Nick posed for pictures with the kids as part of an annual charity event sponsored by the New Paltz Rotary Club. According to the North Pole’s jolly gift-giver, the Xbox One, Rainbow Loom bracelets, Barbie dolls and art supplies were all the rage this year.

“Kids wrote their lists. They mailed it to Santa. They’re excited that the elves are making this stuff,” Santa said.

Friday, the first day of the Rotary’s “Photos with Santa” event, saw about 20 people show up for pictures. Saturday, the second day, has traditionally been the busier time for the event.

“All of the proceeds go to St. John Bosco Child & Family Services,” explained Jeff Smith, New Paltz Rotary’s past president.

Each year, Rotary club members have raised, on average, $500 for the Walden-based boarding home for foster kids. P&G’s owner Mike Beck adds to that.

“P&G’s has matched that every year,” explained Rotary member Joe Moriello. That means St. John’s gets about $1,000 — instead of just the $500 raised through Santa photos. “P&G’s has been really great.”

Photos With Santa has been going on for almost a decade. It’s an event that New Paltzians and — especially — local Rotarians have grown to love and expect.

According to Matt Eyler, the club president, Rotary is doing a lot more than people expect in New Paltz. This month, they started an Operation Warm drive for winter coats, donating them to Family of New Paltz — which is in dire need of winter clothing.

Eyler also noted that the club wanted to branch out in 2013. “We decided we’re doing a lot of kids. But we were not doing enough for the elderly,” he explained.

For senior citizens in the Mountain View and Wingate nursing homes — in New Paltz and Highland, respectively — Rotarians have also devised something called the “Healing Garden.” It’s a raised planting bed on wheels, normally placed at the entrance of the nursing homes. That gives seniors a chance to interact with a garden. The wheels also mean that handicapped or immobilized patients can have the gardens rolled to them.

To learn more about what New Paltz Rotary Club is up to, head to http://www.newpaltzrotary.org/.

Frozendalians wave to fellow Frozendalians on the hay ride down main Street last Saturday.

Dawn Deevy of Stone Ridge and Cindy Joao of Rosendale pose for a photo in front of the Rosendale Theater during Saturday's Frozendale Daze.

Members of the Rosendale Improvement Association Brass Band set a lively tone during their performance at Frozendale Daze last Saturday. Left to right: Edward Kurtz on tuba, Melissa A. Wood on accordian, Alex Ferguson (in mid air) on the trombone, Karl Raacke on trumpet and Jim Luchner on the sax.

Veteran Frozendalian and barber Bill Brooks joyfully leads the hayrides down Main Street last Saturday.

Cheerful riders on the hay wave to the crowd on the sidewalks of Frozendale last Saturday.

Photos by Lauren Thomas

Meme Hanley, Director of Development for Orange County Land Trust.

Meme Hanley of Gardiner has recently joined the staff of Orange County Land Trust as director of development. In her new position, Hanley will be responsible for all aspects of fundraising to support the operations and land protection programs at the nonprofit land trust. Hanley brings with her ten years’ experience in fundraising for land trusts and additional experience working in communications at Boston’s leading anti-poverty agency, Action for Boston Community Development. In her most recent position as development officer at Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz, she handled many fundraising activities including special events, membership, annual fund drives and planned giving.

Meme states she has chosen to work in the land trust sector of the non-profit world as she feels “protecting land is one of the most permanent things we can do to benefit people and the environment. When land is protected, we ensure that future generations can benefit from the views, open spaces and outdoor recreation that we are lucky enough to enjoy today.”

“We are delighted to have Meme join our dedicated staff here at Orange County Land Trust,” said president Marlena Lange. “She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in fundraising and land protection and a sincere commitment to conserving our environment and preserving our open spaces.”

“Coming to OCLT has been a real pleasure,” Meme said. “The commitment of the staff, volunteers and community is truly remarkable and I know we will make a real difference together.”

Lenape Elementary School students participate in sport stacking.

Guinness World Records Day for physical education students at Lenape Elementary School took place on Thursday, Nov. 14. For the second year in a row, students participated in sport stacking, which involved stacking plastic cups in different formations for at least 30 minutes. Sport stacking helps with concentration, left and right directionality and bilateral coordination (using both the right hand and the left hand independently). A new Guinness World Record was set with 555,932 people in “Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations in One Day.” The event was coordinated by physical education teachers Suzanne Wirth and Dal Veeder.

Principal’s List, Grade 12

Sophie Madeline Andrews, Benjamin Apuzzo, Reminy Bacon, Marygrace Bauer-Gluckmann, Michael Benenati, Amy Bishop, Anthony Bonilla, Marissa Bravo, Kayla Brill, Kole Ethan Brownstein, Athalie Brutus, Honour Butler, Natasha Bynum, Hudson Carroll, Madison Carroll, Verenice Castellanos, Deja Clement, Elizabeth M Corey, Jayne Cosh, Morgan DeSimone, Angelica Dickerson, Brynn Eckert, Kyle Eckert, Miranda Fariello, Aodhan Fogarty, John Vincent Fullam, Gabriel H. Henderson Gaston, Kathryn Gaudette, Anna-Grace Nicole Gerber, Liana Glaser, Adin Gold, Megan Grant, Austin Hekking, Emma Hoffmann, Elizabeth Jobson, Doaa Khalifa, Colden Everett Kimber, Cameron Otto Kucera, Kevin Le, Alice Lee, Bernice Lee, Rebecca Malinowski, Kayleigh Marshall, Marcelina Martynek, Claire Nicole McAllister, Katelyn Messina, Jenna Moranski, Emma Murphy, Sergio Alexander Nazaire, Magdalena Maria Pankowska, Elazia Pollard, Ari Raskin, Dylan Rauch, Dakota Reinike, Alexis Ricci, Max Gatewood Satter, Danielle Schmalz, Tal Schwartz, Zachary Schwarz, Benjamin Mitchell Smith, Courtney Smith, Layla Cybele Stover, Lindsey Takacs, Julia C Vogt, Kelly Wingfield.

Principal’s List, Grade 11

Michele Amado, Lauren Elizabeth Apuzzo, Ruby Anna Forest Bard, Richard Matthew Berger, Fiona Torrone Bohan, James Creedon Boyd, Christian John Burke, Kenrick Cai, Joseph Clark Ciccone, Mikayla Iris Cochrane, Ariela Tova Cohen, Julia Anne Cohen, Sean William Copeland, Rees Curtin-DeTar, Katherine Amy Curtis, Martin James Desmery, Taylor A Digilio, Claire Factor, Matthew Louis Gottstine, Sara Cathleen Hanrahan, Ally Brown Hartmayer, Jared Mitchel Hinson, Mason Erich Hooper, Lea Elena Jones, Josh Andrew Joseph, Frank (Franco) Julia-Wise, Matthew (Mateo) Julia-Wise, Juna Keehn, Emile-Victor Kuyl, Eric Lawson, Karl Harry Linneman, Ryan Marschall Macaluso, Megan Ashley Mastro, Kara Astrid Mattsen, Lorenzo Roberto Mazzuca, James Kiernan McColgan, Nathan Paul McPherson, Mark Milhaven, Lauren Ashley Mullady, Louis Gerardo Navarro, Anaise Nicolas, James John O’Connor, John Edward O’Connor, Samantha Rose Olarsch, McKenzie Wilson Osborne, Timothy James Otis, Sebastian Leandro Pannuto, Megan Nicole Phelan, Danielle Margaret Read, Jenny Christine Rich, Brenn Richards, Alanna Catherine Rose, Kyle Joseph Scagnelli, Chloe Siegel, Stephanie Silva, Perpetua S Smith, Teague Francis Capner Stover, M Cosmo Sweeney, Georjon Tanzi, Harrison Zraly.

Principal’s List, Grade 10

Isabella Marie Alvarez, Jasper Liam Baur, Tyler Black, Christopher Bravo, Cecilia Marie Brill, Courtney Brill, Jeremy Paul Brownstein, Cierra Catherine Bruck, Joseph William Brunning, Caitlyn M Callahan, Whitman Bay Carroll, Danny Carubia, Theodore D Chazkel, Jessica Cohen, Morgan Cozzolino, Adriana Lucia Crimi, William Michael Cymbal, Maya Caproni del Rosario, Katelynn Demskie, Chloe Driscoll, Meldies Estrella, Madeline Kate Finnegan, DigVijay Ravindra Ghule, Madison Leigh Giuliani, Rachel Goland, Clara Griffin, Alexandra Hekking, Alexandra Jacone, Kyle Jansen, Adam Joyner, Matthew Kanan, Alexa Kane, Samantha Bryce Kaplan, William Kay, Michael Kenney, Mohammed T Khan, Michael Krebs, Eric Louis Lasko, Lillian Lawrence-Paine, Kayla M Ludwig, Sara Lutz, Eric Joseph Macaluso, Kira Zhixiao Magnani, Lia Miao Miao Magnani, Alessandro Antunez De Mayolo Mauceri, Ariana Antunez De Mayolo Mauceri, Isabella Antunez De Mayolo Mauceri, Meaghan Kathleen McElroy, Jessica Rosemary Merten, Daniel Morabito, Caroline Murphy, Cinthia Navarro, Michael Paino, Sydney Alexa Pece, Lauren Marie Penzato, Brandi Nicole Peters, Olivia Profaci, Tiana Ramic, Mitchell Rigano, Kristina Marie Rivera, Sophia Eulalia Romano-Clinton, Sarah Catherine Rubin, Samantha Ann Schmalz, Maya M Seyler-Wetzel, Ryan Austin Smith, Shoshana Rose Smith, Luke Sturgis, Hannah Takacs, Alisha Alyona Tamarchenko, Darren Tsai, Patrick Joseph Varuzza, Kelly Rene Vinett, Brendan Woolsey.

You may know of Bloomingburg, a village in neighboring Sullivan County, incorporated in 1833. According to the 2010 census, the community has a population of 420. With such a small number of residents, you might think that a land-use proposal that could easily triple that number would attract some attention. Well, such a proposal finally has, although about seven years too late.

In 2006, the Village Board first learned of a proposal for 125 homes. The residential development was pitched as ‘second-home’ townhouses located on a golf course. As outlined in a recent Times Herald-Record article, by February 2008 the project had ‘morphed’ and was presented to the Bloomingburg Planning Board as a proposal for 200 townhouses and 102 single-family homes, with the possibility of senior housing as well. A month later, the project developer added 93 patio homes to the mix, for a total of 395 dwelling units housing anywhere from 800 to 1,000 new residents and likely more. Nothing amiss here; all perfectly legal and the proposal process was conducted during open public meetings.

However, that the ‘Bloomingburg Syndrome’ had befallen this historic village was clearly indicated by the fact that only eleven members of the 400-plus community residents attended the public hearing, three of which were representatives of the developer. That same evening the Planning Board granted final subdivision approval for the project. The vote was 3-2.

The full manifestation of the syndrome finally became evident when, in the fall of this year, as the frames of the hundreds of dwellings began to appear, complaints mounted over the potential environmental, economic and cultural impact of the project, and the beat of public outcry has continued to grow ever louder and more vociferous. Bloomingburg has a real problem on its hands and the root cause was the ‘apathy virus’.

The 2010 census shows that over 14,000 of us reside in New Paltz, with almost half that number living within the boundaries of the village. How many community members do you think have attended a recent town or village Planning Board meeting? How about a Town or Village Board meeting? I’ll tell you. Absent a specific hot-button issue, many such meetings garner far fewer than the eleven individuals who came out for the one at which the Bloomingburg Planning Board granted its final subdivision approval for the 395-unit townhouse development. Beware the Bloomingburg Syndrome.

Some of you may be thinking, “Well, that’s all well and good for some! Between work, the PTA, Little League, piano lessons, soccer practice, pediatrician appointments, basketball games…(fill in your own blanks), I barely have any energy left to put a meal on the table and help with homework.” The lives of my own three daughters and their four children show us daily the pressures on the average family in any community, and of course meeting attendance is not the only measure of interest and involvement.

Low attendance may also be explained by the fact that we elect Town, Village and School District officials whom we have vetted and now trust to do the right thing on our behalf. Sadly, the past five years, beginning with the rejected School Board plans for the Middle School, the debacle of the two years and over $100,000 wasted by our Town and Village Boards on the consolidation issue and, most recently, the dubious behavior of SUNY and the Town of New Paltz officials with regard to the Wilmorite/J.A.M. of New Paltz/Park Point tax evasion attempt have shown us that blindly trusting in the decisions made by our government leaders can sometimes lead to consequences we are not happy with. Some politicians actually count on community apathy in order to push forward certain pet projects.

To be fair, I understand that when the only non-governmental person at a public meeting is the videographer, elected officials may perceive that the community doesn’t care about an issue or take its silence and lack of input as a form of passive consent.

So, as we look forward to a new year, is there anything we can do to protect ourselves in the coming year from the Bloomingburg Syndrome? I believe there is. Having just returned from Colorado, it is clear that the citizens of several communities I visited appear quite satisfied with their local governments, their taxes and the services provided for them. People in these communities keep involved by using ‘Community Involvement Groups’ in much the same way that some municipalities use ‘Neighborhood Watch’ groups. It can be as simple as having a single community member commit to following a major event for one month and reporting back at the end of that time on the status of the issue. Citizens can then decide whether attendance at a meeting or making a public comment would be useful in helping to guide the decision-making process of their governmental officials.

Just as we have a “One Book, One Community” event each year, local residents could establish “One Neighborhood, One Issue” monthly get-togethers as a possible antidote to the ‘apathy virus’ and the dreaded Bloomingburg Syndrome.

Ken Hassett

Typically, a Town Board’s last meeting of the year is a quiet affair — a time for tying up loose ends and making official proclamations of appreciation to public servants whose terms of office are coming to a close. Matters of significant importance are traditionally left to the incoming board to wrestle with at its first convening in the New Year, known as the “organizational” meeting.

When the Rosendale Town Board held its final meeting of 2013 on Dec. 11, the usual plaques were handed out and warm-and-fuzzy speeches made. But then, recently reelected and cross-endorsed town supervisor Jeanne Walsh stirred up a potential hornet’s nest of controversy by orchestrating a carefully choreographed sequence of resignations and appointments. The result, and Walsh’s apparent intent, was the reappointment for one more year of longtime councilman Ken Hassett, whose two-year term was ending after his reelection bid this past November failed.

Two Town Board members’ terms were set to expire as of Dec. 31: Republican Hassett and Democrat Manna Jo Greene, who is moving on to become Rosendale’s representative in the Ulster County Legislature. Democratic candidates Jen Metzger and Chris Pryslopski — former chairs of the Rosendale Environmental Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, respectively — were elected to fill Hassett and Greene’s slots on the Town Board effective Jan. 1, 2014. Hassett took third place in the election, with 881 votes to Metzger’s 1,162 and Pryslopski’s 1,043.

But a third vacancy on the Town Board was expected to open up effective Jan. 1, following incumbent Republican Bob Gallagher’s resignation to take up his new post of Rosendale’s highway superintendent. Rather than allow the newly configured board, with two Democrats and one Republican (incumbent Bob Ryan), to nominate and vote for candidates for Gallagher’s replacement, Walsh staged a complicated parliamentary maneuver last Wednesday night that returned Hassett to the board to fill out the final year of Gallagher’s term without input from the two election victors.

First, Walsh moved to accept Hassett’s resignation, effective immediately. Then she nominated former Rosendale Republican Committee chair Otto Scherrieble as a placeholder on the board for the last three weeks of Hassett’s term. With only Greene voting “No,” Scherrieble was sworn in on the spot.

Next, retiring highway superintendent Carl Hornbeck tendered his resignation effective Dec. 22 instead of Dec. 31, the timing of which Walsh claimed was necessary “for retirement purposes.” Then Walsh nominated Hassett to finish out the last year of Gallagher’s term. Again, only Greene voted against Walsh’s motion.

Asked by Greene to walk through the steps of what had just happened one more time for clarification’s sake, Walsh stated, “I’m happy to go on record as saying I believe Ken [Hassett] is the best person for this position. He’s given his life to this town. He’s put in 16 years as town councilman and I believe he’s the most qualified for the position. We are going to have two new councilpeople on the board and a new clerk and I think it’s in the town’s benefit to have an experienced councilperson on the board.”

Finally Gallagher, who had already tendered his resignation, was appointed to fill out the rest of Hornbeck’s term, effective Dec. 23. Hornbeck was appointed building manager for the new Rondout Community Center in the former Rosendale Elementary School, a part-time position.

Walsh’s rationale for her actions preempting a January vote on filling Gallagher’s board seat was met with warm applause by many residents at the sparsely attended meeting and stunned silence by others. Neither Metzger nor Pryslopski was present; but word apparently got around Democratic circles quickly afterwards, as the New Paltz Times began receiving statements of protest that same evening.

“I just learned that at tonight’s Rosendale Town Board meeting, supervisor Jeanne Walsh engineered a complicated scheme in order to reappoint Ken Hassett, who lost his re-election bid, back onto the Town Board,” wrote Rosendale Democratic Committee chair John Schwartz in an e-mail. “The only word to describe this is ‘shenanigans.’ Supervisor Walsh has singlehandedly overturned the election results. This is disrespectful of the voters. There were other, highly qualified, moderate candidates who would have been excellent and respectful stewards of our town government.”

“I found the secrecy of the whole thing upsetting and contrary to the spirit of collaboration I had hoped for,” said Metzger a few days later. “I had made an effort to be involved in this process as an incoming Town Board member, but was shut out. I could not even get information about when the appointment to fill the vacancy would be made, despite a direct request. Going forward, it is my great hope that my colleagues on the Town Board will approach the job of governing in a more collaborative and transparent fashion.”

Pryslopski adopted a similar tone of polite indignation: “Ken Hassett and I have worked together in the past and we will do so once again. However, I was surprised at the way in which he was reappointed to the council. There are more transparent, inclusive and common methods of filling a vacancy on a board that would have been truer to the democratic process and fairer to our voting public. I hope that we will see greater transparency and inclusiveness in January, when the new Town Council will consider applicants for our various town boards.”

However out-of-the-ordinary the appointment process may have been, the die is now cast and Rosendale’s Town Board members old and new will have to find ways to sit at the same table peaceably and productively through 2014.

The Giving Tree at Woodland Pond (clockwise from top left): Concierge Lisa Cea, Woodland Pond resident Len Kapner, Resident Services Director Sarah Hull and Woodland Pond resident Marilyn Di Lascio. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

For seniors living at Woodland Pond at New Paltz, generosity isn’t all that unusual. Local food pantries have come to rely on what the elders donate each week. But Christmas time also called for something special — a Giving Tree. The tree — like the ones sponsored by some churches — came decked out in ornaments listing a needed gift, plus the age and gender of the recipient.

“It’s been toys. It’s been clothes. It’s been cash,” explained Sarah Hull, the director of residential services for Woodland Pond. “This is the second year we’ve done this. The residents are really generous.”

Woodland Pond adopted two families this year for the purposes of gift giving. Family of New Paltz is the beneficiary of those gifts. The local shelter and food pantry found the needy families and helped facilitate the gift exchange.

The tree — near a window in the cafeteria — was piled with toy cars, clothes, notebooks Lalaloopsy dolls and a teddy bear. Len Kapner, a resident of the independent living section of the home, said he was excited to give.

“It’s a Christmas thing to do,” Kapner said. “There are people who are less prosperous than we are.”

Many of the people living in Woodland Pond come from New Paltz or the area. Kapner and Marilyn Di Lascio, another Woodland Pond resident, hail from Santa Monica, CA and Toronto, respectively.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to give back to the community,” Di Lascio said. “It’s good to be able to help people who are lacking things. And we’re kind of like a family here.”

Lisa Cea, Woodland Pond’s concierge, also happens to be a volunteer with Family of New Paltz. She’s the reason why the retirement community decided to help the charity.

In her four years at the continuing care retirement center, Cea has taken up the weekly or biweekly collection of food from the seniors.

Woodland Pond’s giving tree last year was — as it is this year — one among many. Altogether, Family brought gifts to about 500 kids in 2012.

Normally, the gift drive goes to help kids up to the age of 15, but this year Family of New Paltz decided to add the mothers of the family to the list, Cea added.

For more information about Woodland Pond, head to http://wpatnp.org/.

This past year the Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO) at SUNY New Paltz undertook a wide-ranging project to improve watershed resiliency in the Saw Mill Brook, a tributary of the Wallkill River in the Hudson River estuary watershed. SUNY New Paltz students, faculty and staff from a variety of disciplines and departments presented their work related to this project last week at a symposium organized by CRREO. Pictured on the left are SUNY students Inova Javier, Rosario Caceras, Marlene De La Rosa and Annie Courtens who did a survey on the use of water fountains by students living on campus. On the right are John Beischer, Katie Weiskotten and Emma Lagle who did a survey on the environmentalism of students living on campus. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

All semester long at SUNY New Paltz, a certain tide has been rising. Flowing through the course work of roughly 200 undergraduates of all disciplines — including science, art and sociology — has been an investigation of water.

Students did everything from testing local waterways, looking at how rain reacts to porous pavement on campus versus traditional blacktop. Art students created rain barrels and survival guides either made from or inspired by nature.

For KT Tobin, the associate director of SUNY’s Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach, the “Water at SUNY New Paltz Symposium” is helping start a much-needed conversation about water use and climate change. While scientists, social scientists and educators have been talking about increased flooding and Superstorm Sandy, they’re doing so within the “silo” of their own discipline.

“We need to talk to each other,” Tobin said. “We need to talk to each other — together — not separately.”

For instance, Caitlyn Maceli, a junior studying environmental geochemical science, spent her time this year creating a project to test rainfall events in the ponds on campus — which are connected to the Wallkill River’s watershed.

David Richardson, an assistant professor who mentored Maceli on the project, said he thought it was important for students to get thinking about how their actions impacted water on campus — and beyond.

“It was nice because we were able to bring some ecological theories and ideas they were talking about in class into the lab — and understand their direct impacts and how they play a role in the ecology on campus,” Richardson said.

Sociology students approached their projects, understandably, from a different angle. They tested people’s stated environmental beliefs against their practices.

“Water at SUNY New Paltz” specifically studied the Saw Mill Brook, a tributary of the Wallkill. At least ten professors and about 200 students participated in the multidisciplinary project. It’s one part of a much larger initiative — the Hudson Estuary Watershed Resiliency Project, which is a partnership between Cornell Cooperative Extension and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Funding for the project came from a $219,434 curriculum infusion, which allowed faculty to buy supplies — “including a water-testing buoy and supplies,” Tobin explained. Other funds went to help put green infrastructure in place to improve “watershed resilience” in the Saw Mill Brook.

Overall, the Hudson Estuary Resilience Project is aimed at getting people educated about the perils of increased flooding and weather disturbances related to climate change. In the face of Irene, Lee and Sandy, they want to create strategies to help combat that problem.

Matthew Friday, the graduate coordinator for the college’s art department, noted that they also looked at the Fallkill Creek in Poughkeepsie as a project area.

In partnership with the Children’s Media Project, SUNY New Paltz Art Department grad students studied the ecology of the Fallkill watershed and walked the creek with the high school students.

“So to physically interact and engage with it, rather than talking about it in the abstract or making pretty paintings of it, but to actually go there and say, ‘We’re going to encounter this site physically before we really care about it,’” Friday said.

The grad students and high schoolers foraged for edible foods to create a meal. Before the first bite of the forest-grown salad greens, they were skeptical.

“Once they got out there and did it, they loved it,” he said.

That wasn’t all they did though.

“We created this urban forager guide. So this is all made of locally sourced ingredients. The paper is locally sourced. The ink is black walnuts. It’s literally ‘of the place,’” Friday said. The guidebook itself describes how to find edible foods locally.

To learn more about the Fallkill art project, watch this video on YouTube.

To learn more about the Hudson Estuary Watershed Resiliency Project, head to http://climatechange.cornell.edu/hudson-estuary-watershed-resiliency-project/.

To see what’s going on at SUNY New Paltz, head to www.newpaltz.edu.

Last week, under the direction of Joseph A. Martellaro, the Highland High School Concert Band presented their Winter Concert. Pictured (L-R) are French horn players Sara Kassel, Zane Sullivan and Brian Donahue. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

The hours of practice and hard work put in by the students of the music department at Highland High School were realized in a fine Winter Concert in the high school auditorium on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

The school’s Jazz Band took to the stage first. Under the direction of band director Joseph Martellaro, the nine-piece group kicked off the concert with an upbeat “Samba Manana,” composed, said Martellaro, by his old friend and fellow musician, Harry Stone.

Tristsan Reynolds on tenor sax and Tommy Curtin on trumpet soloed.

An interesting arrangement of Henry Mancini’s classic “Pink Panther” followed, with Celia Gottlieb soloing on alto sax. The musicians then performed a cool jazz interpretation of “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow” and finished with a selection written by another friend of band director Martellaro’s, Mike Carubia’s rhythmic “Barbecue Sauce,” punctuated with impressive work on the drums by Dan Russo.

The mood became more formal as the Santa-hat-wearing jazz band dressed casually in black were replaced onstage by choir director Lynda Keech’s Chamber Choir; nine young men attired in dress pants, tuxedo shirts and bow ties and eight young women wearing full-length navy blue satin formal dresses, looking lovely against the backdrop of the navy blue curtains of the auditorium.

The Chamber Choir, a smaller subset of the Concert Choir that would close the show, performed a four-song program of holiday music. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” and “Sing We Noel” was followed by “Ocho Kandelikas (Eight Candles), a Hanukkah song in the Ladino (Spanish-derived Sephardic) language. When Keech introduced the number, she cautioned the audience that it might sound like the choir was mispronouncing Spanish, but assured the crowd that wasn’t the case. The repetition in the song was somewhat hypnotic, and with the pleasing vocal variety to it supplied by the Chamber Choir, it left this listener wanting to hear it again. The Chamber Choir finished their portion of the evening with “On With the Snow,” a pretty medley of several of the classic snow-themed Christmas carols.

The show continued with the Concert Band, filling the stage to capacity with some 59 members, including among their number the jazz musicians who’d performed earlier and some of the choir members.

Band director Joseph Martellaro led the group through “Da Vincian Visions” by Larry Clarke. According to material included with the evening’s program, the composition is a tribute to the da Vincian model of creativity: in the same way that da Vinci was known to critique a work from every possible angle, “Da Vincian Visions” uses a theme-and-variation approach to explore one musical theme from varied angles. The piece was complex, feeling like a dramatic movie score in parts, and ably assisted by solos on French horn by Sarah Kassel and the flute of Priyanka Talagadadeevi.

The mood remained dramatic with the performance of the third and fourth movements of Gustav Holst’s “Second Suite in F,” consisting of “Song of the Blacksmith” and “Fantasia on the Dargason,” based on folk songs and rhythmic folk dances. According to the program notes, “Song of the Blacksmith” was meant to evoke the sparks flying from a blacksmith’s anvil as he rhythmically hammers hot metal and “Fantasia” incorporated the English folk song “Dargason” with the Elizabethan love song “Greensleeeves” intertwined into the melody. Soloists for the challenging work included Kelly Stohr on clarinet, Danielle McGrath on trumpet, Ben Ratick on tuba and Celina McAleer on alto sax.

The Concert Band moved into holiday mode with “An Irving Berlin Christmas,” a medley of familiar tunes including White Christmas and Happy Holiday, and closed with “Selections from Brave.”

After a brief intermission to re-set the stage, the 39 members of the Concert Choir came onstage to close the show with holiday selections, “Sing With Joy (from Judas Maccabaeus),” “Home for Christmas,” “Celebration of Light,” “O Bambino” and the rousing finale, “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.” The Concert Choir was joined for the final number onstage by two Highland High School choir alumni, Andre Diaz and Frankie Piscopo, who despite being dressed considerably more casually than their counterparts, fit right in vocally with the group.

A few flakes were in the air as kids awaited the arrival of Santa on a fire truck in Highland last Friday evening. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

Despite frigid temperatures, a sizable crowd of families attended the Town of Lloyd’s annual Light Up the Hamlet event on Friday, Dec. 13. The streets of downtown Highland were blocked off to traffic to foster a block party atmosphere in which kids and their parents could roam freely.

Santa Claus kicked off the evening’s events after arriving in town via fire truck, escorted by local police (as only befitting such a dignitary). After Santa flipped the switch that lit up the Christmas tree and the oversized lighted globe ornaments on the street posts, he made his way to his makeshift quarters for the evening at Santa’s Workshop across the street from the tree.

Town of Lloyd Events Committee chair Kate Jonietz said they’d planned things a little differently this year to avoid the crowds of children that descended on Santa all at once at last year’s event. This time around, kids were given “passports” that gave admission to five separate events around town. Each child was asked to get their passport stamped by at least three of the “station masters” at each event before bringing their stamped passport back to Santa’s Workshop where his head elf would grant admission to see Santa Claus.

Two of the “stations” were held at the First United Methodist Church. “Follow the Star” was a live nativity story in the meeting room. The other station was inside the main church where the Highland High School Chamber Choir sang under the direction of their choir leader and piano accompanist, Lynda Keech. Listeners could indulge in a bit of homemade fudge, cookies or other appetizing sweets at the bake sale there or buy an entire box of the treats to take home for later.

Another “stampable activity,” as Jonietz worded it, was a Girl Scout-sponsored ornament-making workshop where kids made all-natural bird feeders to hang on trees outside. Yet another station was at “From Stage to Screen” where there were other holiday crafts to make, and the last event to get a passport stamped was the fire pit in the center of town, where under gently falling snowflakes, marshmallows were toasted and s’mores were the order of the evening.

The event was sponsored by the Highland Downtown Business Association in conjunction with the Town of Lloyd Events Committee, which in addition to Jonietz includes AnnMarie Meisel, Stephanie Fraino and Joseph Indelicato. Jonietz’s family was much in evidence on Friday night helping out, too. “Oh, I couldn’t do any of this without the support from home,” Kate said.

The community of Highland didn’t forget about the less fortunate children in the area, either, donating generously to the Toys for Tots drive held by the Town of Lloyd Police Department.

And even after a late night lighting up the hamlet, Santa Claus braved substantial falling snow the following day to make an appearance at the police open house on Saturday, Dec. 14 to take photographs with kids who brought toys to add to what the police had already collected for distribution.

But then again, what’s a late night and a little snow to Santa Claus?