The Nutcracker

I got this email from Rebecca Ffrench this morning. It seems that her girls are performing in The Nutcracker this holiday season. Attending would be a great way to support your neighbors and have some holiday fun too! See below for details:

Hello all!

I'm emailing to let you know the Catskill Ballet Theatre is performing
The Nutcracker in Kingston's UPAC Theater (on Broadway) on December 9, 10, and 11. The Friday and Saturday performances are at 8pm and the Sunday performance is at 2pm. Tickets may be purchased at ticketmaster.com (link below) or from the UPAC box office.

http://www.ticketmaster.com/Ulster-Performing-Arts-Center-tickets-Kingston/venue/129

Tickets are $27 (+5.60 service fee for Ticketmaster) for adults and $20 for children (+4.90 TM fee).

Camilla and Anna will be performing as party scene children, mice, and candy canes.

It’s a really fun event. We hope you can come and really appreciate your support.

- Rebecca Ffrench

Recent Town News

For anyone who would like to know how their tax money is being spent you can click on the link below which will take you to the Shandaken website. Once there you can download the comparison between last years budget (2010) and this years budget (2011). It is a good way to see where our money is being spent.

http://www.shandaken.us/news/1311/

Those of you who would like input on the school tax portion of the property taxes might want to attend the next town board meeting. At that meeting, Onteora School Superintendent, Phyllis McGill, along with Onteora board members, will meet to discuss the planning of next year's budget. They are looking for community input.

The upcoming town board meeting is scheduled for this Monday, December 5th, 7:00 pm, Shandaken Town Hall

Turkey Trot - A Great Success!!

This morning's running of the first annual Phoenicia Turkey Trot (fun run/walk/wobble) was a triumph! It was a beautiful day and the community turned out in force. They had 327 participants register and 293 finish the race! About $3900 was raised for the library. I am happy to say that Woodland Valley was well represented! (see photos below) I participated myself and took a few snapshots with my phone along the way to show you all. Mark your calendars for next year. I think this is the start of an awesome annual event!!

Clarification Note: While this year the race benefited the library, in future years it may benefit something else. The event was organized by Heather Roberts and Patty Rudge, both of whom are very interested in helping all of us be healthy thru activity, and in creating fun community events. I had thought that this would be a library event every year but Max Resnick wrote to me to give me more insight on the process. Thanks Max!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even in a year as difficult as this last one, there are always things for which we can be grateful. The beautiful animals that roam freely through the forest around us are among them. Below are some great images of Tom Turkey strutting his stuff. He is a magnificent animal indeed! I am grateful that such a beautiful creature lives right here in our valley and once in a while puts on a beautiful show!

I am also grateful to Dennis Havel for taking these wonderful photos and sharing them with everyone on the blog. He has sent a lot of fantastic images over the past year and I want take this opportunity to thank him for sharing his talent with his neighbors!

Whether you are spending your holiday in Woodland Valley or going to visit loved ones in the big, wide world, I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Phoenicia Library Turkey Trot

First Annual Phoenicia Turkey Trot, Saturday, November 26th, 9am benefitting Phoenicia LIbrary Rebuilding Project

Registration is $10 for individuals or $20 per family. Groups are encouraged to run as well. Free Turkey Trot Tee shirts will be provided to the first 100 registrants (there are already over 60 registered). Also, all registrants will be automatically entered to win a new bicycle, courtesy Overlook Mountain Bikes in Woodstock, NY.

Registration and sign in begins at 8:00am - 8:45am at the Parish Hall, Main Street, Phoenicia (across the street from St Francis de Sales Church).

To pre-register, visit www.runreg.com (search Phoenicia Turkey Trot) or contact Heather (845) 688-7064 or Patti (845) 254-4126 or via email at catskillmtnpt@hvc.rr.com Registration forms are also available in Phoenicia at the Phoenicia Library and the Phoenicia Supermarket, Ave Maria Drive; Tender Land Home, Mama’s Boy Market and the Nest Egg, Main Street.

Go Turkeys.

Climate Change Warnings For Our Area

There was a very interesting article in the Huffington Post last week about the future effects of climate change in NY. I think this is a very important read because it talks specifically about what we can expect in this area going forward. It also has recommendations for steps we can take to prepare. Check it out:

Huffington Post - Scientists Warn New York Must Prepare For Climate Change Now

Fawn Hill Road Repairs Continue

The Fawn Hill Road repairs continued this week. The town seems to be making headway on stabilizing and protecting the embankment. I took some photos and have posted them below so you can see how the work is progressing.

Updated Satellite Images of Woodland Valley

Dennis Havel sent me the following message earlier this week.

"You might want to alert blog readers that Google Earth has updated satellite images of the area within the last 2 weeks. The Northern half of Panther Mountain and Woodland Valley is now high resolution images including street views of Phoenicia. Very cool!

The South half of Panther and Woodland Valley are still the old blurry images."

- Dennis

For those of you who don't know, Google earth is a very cool, totally free way to view your neighborhood (and for some even your house) from space. Over the past couple of years the imagery of Woodland Valley has gotten increasingly hi-res. They are not all done and it is not as detailed as you can view in the city (with street views available) but it is still pretty cool. If you have never tried it I would totally recommend checking it out!

Deer Season Opened Today

Regular deer hunting season opened today here in the southern zone of NY State. Which is why you might have noticed a lot more trucks parked at the side of Woodland Valley Road. The regular season is open from November 19 to December 11th. For all other hunting season information you can go to the NY DEC website below:

NY DEC - Hunting Season

Remember, if you are going into the woods during hunting season to wear your bright orange clothing. You also might want to tie a bright orange bandana around your dog if he/she frequents the forest at this time of year. If you don't have any bright orange to wear you can get some in Phoenicia at Morne Imports. Let's keep everyone safe!

Phoenicia Rotary/Sharp Relief Fund

For those of you who have made contributions to the local reliefs efforts by the Rotary here is some updated information about the distribution of the funds. Looks like they are doing a great job of getting assistance to those in need.

The Rotary/SHARP Storm Relief Status: as of 8 November 2011
Total Contributions - $49,034.00
Total Grants Issued - 129
69 Completed $ Grants - $30,838.00
60 Prepaid $99.00 Supermarket Certificates - $5940.00
Administrative Costs - $12.00 (cost of checks)
Remaining Funds - $12,242.00

Free Community Thankgiving Celebration

Free Community Thanksgiving this Saturday, November 19th, 2pm at Parish Hall, Phoenicia

St Francis de Sales and Phoenicia Rotary will once again host the community dinner complete with turkey and all the trimmings, thanks to fabulous Chef, Jerry Bender.

There is no cost for the dinner. If anyone knows of a shut-in unable to attend please call Cheryl 688-5132 to arrange for a home delivery. And, we will happily accept dessert donations.

Reminder - Library Meeting Tonight

This is a reminder that the library meeting is tonight in Town Hall. Here is the announcement from the library.

Thursday, November 17, 7pm, Shandaken Town Hall
Phoenicia Library Rebuild Update

Though you may not see real progress yet, the Phoenicia Library is moving closer toward rebuilding 48 Main St. We hope to be back in the building by next year at this time. The library’s building committee has been consulting with the architects of North Engineers, Kingston, exploring the best possible scenarios for rebuilding, including; refining the “flow” and use of the space, a first floor lavatory and other ADA considerations, improvements in the areas of energy efficiency, and creating more space that is usable by the community for meetings, programs and so forth. In addition to the incredibly generous donations and fundraising efforts sponsored by the community, the library recently applied for and was awarded a Construction Grant from New York State, and will rely on our insurance claim as we endeavor to fund the rebuild project.
On Thursday November 17th at 7 PM, we will hold a community meeting at Shandaken Town Hall to present our progress to date. Please attend and provide us your valuable input. We are so thankful for all of the incredible support!

Brief Power and Phone Outage

There was a brief power outage last night in the valley. The lights and phone went out about 10:00 pm and stayed out until somewhere between 1:00 and 1:30. There has been a fair amount of wind over the last couple of days and I suspect that was the root cause of the outage.

The power wasn't off long enough to cause any major problems. The temperatures are in the 50's here and so nothing will freeze even if the power remains off. But right now everything is back on and hopefully it will stay that way.

Recycling Old Computers & Electronics

I don't know about you but I have been looking for a place to take my old TVs to be recycled. Melinda Stickney-Gibson sent me this a few days ago. I don't know too much about it but I think I am going to try it out.

Here are the details from the poster:

Easily Recycle Old Computers & Electronics Free for Businesses and Households! Vehicles Unloaded for You!

WHEN Businesses*
Fri. November 18th, 2011, 12PM–4 PM
Households
Sat. November 19th, 2011, 9AM–1PM
WHERE
400 Stockade Drive, Kingston
off Schwenk Drive, across from Kingston Plaza

Items Accepted
Computers, servers, monitors, printers, keyboards, VCRs, batteries, cell phones, terminals, cables, wires, power supplies, fax machines, radios, modems, CRT monitors corded and cordless telephones, TVs, CPUs, copiers, scanners; cassette, CD and DVD players; typewriters, stereo equipment & more.

*Businesses, School Districts & Government Agencies – Registration Required, email support@themacworks.com, or call the Chamber at 845-338-5100. Households - Just show up on Saturday 11/19/2011, from 9AM–1PM.

The Mac Works and Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce sponsor this popular electronics take-back event for businesses and households. Thank you to our partners: WeRecycle!, Ryan & Ryan Insurance, Wells Fargo Advisors, Deegan Development Group, and the Ulster County Development Corp. A special thank you to Sustainable Hudson Valley for their instrumental role in helping this event launch.

www.werecycle.com
www.sustainhv.org
www.ulsterny.com

Occupy Cozumel Videos

Here are some underwater videos from Tommy Healy. They are really cool. As Tommy says in the comments, if you want to know what diving feels like just watch the turtle in the first video as he glides effortlessly through the water. Very cool!

Occupy Cozumel

That is Woodland Valley's own Tommy Healy "swimmin' with the fishes" (you have to say that with an accent like Marlon Brando in the Godfather) in the picture above. Actually Tommy told me they are sardines (my cats are so jealous!). Here is what Tommy had to say about the photo:

"Here is a photo of me taken at 60 feet on a reef called Palancar Gardens. I'm in one of the mini canyons with 1000's of small bait fish."

I hope Tommy keeps an eye out for the big fish that might find him as well as the sardines a tasty treat!

Election Results

Here are the initial, unofficial results from the Shandaken vote. I believe that the absentee ballots still have to be counted but it is unlikely that they will change any of these results.

Supervisor - Robert Stanley
Town Board - Vincent Bernstein
Town Board - Alfred Higley Jr.
Town Clerk - Joyce Grant
Highway Supervisor - Eric Hofmeister
Assessor - Heidi Clark
Assessor - Carol Seitz

Proposition 414 to raise the library budget by $11,000 a year looks like it has passed despite the fact that several people told me that they didn't vote on the question because they either didn't know it was on the back of the ballot or forgot to turn it over.

If you would like to see the exact numbers so far here is the link to the Ulster County Board of Elections. Just click on Shandaken when you get to that page.

http://election.ulstercountyny.gov/local.html

Turn The Ballot Over!!!

TO ALL SHANDAKEN VOTERS - The library referendum is on the BACK side of the ballot!! Please remember to flip your ballot over to voice your opinion on increasing the library budget. This is a very important issue and apparently people are missing it because they did not know or didn't remember to flip the ballot. PLEASE TURN YOUR BALLOT OVER to weigh in on this decision!!!

Vote Today!!!

Don't forget to go to the polls today to cast your vote for town government officials. In a small town like ours every election is important!! The positions that are up for your consideration are: Town Supervisor, 2 Town Board Members, Town Clerk, Highway Supervisor and 2 Assessors.

If you want to look up your polling place or see a sample ballot you can go to the Ulster County Board of Elections website below. They have added new features recently and that is one of them. So go to the site, look toward the bottom of the page. The second item down with a large yellow splash and a red NEW sticker on the left says "look up your polling site and view a sample ballot". Just click on that link and it will ask you for your address and date of birth. If you enter it you can see the ballot.

http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/elections/

Recently, the Woodstock Times did in-depth articles about the different candidates running in this election. Here are the articles about the choices for the different positions:

Supervisor: http://www.woodstockx.com/2011/10/17/shandaken-supervisor-candidates/
Town Board: http://www.woodstockx.com/2011/10/22/rivals-square-off-for-shandaken-board/
Town Clerk & Highway Supervisor: http://www.woodstockx.com/2011/10/29/shandakens-other-candidates/

There is also a referendum on the ballot about raising the library budget. The Watershed Post did an interview with Bernie Handzel, chair of the Proposition 414 Referendum Committee, who makes the case for the library on the proposal. If you would all like to read it you can go to:

http://www.watershedpost.com/2011/funding-phoenicia-library-case-voting-yes-prop-414

As always Woodland Valley residents vote in the Phoenicia Firehouse.

So today's the day, get out and vote!!!!!

Remember To Mail Your Absentee Ballot

I got an email earlier asking me to remind everyone to mail their absentee ballots. Apparently, there are many absentee ballots that have been issued that have not been returned to the Board OF Elections.

They must be postmarked no later than November 7, 2011 or hand delivered to the BOE by 5 pm on Tuesday, November 8th. If you know anyone who has an absentee ballot, please ask them to vote and put it in the mail or deliver it to the BOE at 284 Wall Street on or before 5 pm on Tuesday, November 8th. They cannot drop them at their poll site. If they are going to their poll site then they have to vote in person.

The absentees may well make or break some races in the county. Now is the time to follow up and get the ballots voted and mailed back to the BOE.

Only 57% of Democratic absentees have been returned. Only 62% of the Republican absentees have been returned. Please return them if you have them!!!! Every vote counts!! Please make your voices heard!!!

Phun In Phoenicia Tonight

There are several events in Phoenicia tonight that are worth mentioning. The first is the Shandaken Theatrical Society benefit. Many WCA members are involved with the theatre. It is a wonderful asset to the community! Here is the details on that event.

“Songs From the Silver Screen”
The Red Carpet Leads To Phoenicia

On Saturday, November 5, the STS Playhouse off Main Street in Phoenicia will be host to Songs From the Silver Screen, a gala benefit concert for the 124-year-old theatre.

Renowned jazz cabaret duo Ann Osmond & Dennis Yerry are joined by Grammy nominated writer-performer Robert Burke Warren for a show featuring an eclectic mix of memorable movie music, spanning many decades and styles.

“From Fred Astaire to Judy Garland, Tom Jones to Dionne Warwick, Irving Berlin to Harold Arlen and Burt Bacharach to Simon & Garfunkel; we’ve had such a great time compiling this world-class material,” say Osmond and Yerry. “And it’s a real treat collaborating with Robert Warren. We relish every opportunity to work together.”

Last year, Songs From the Silver Screen was performed for a sell-out crowd in Woodstock. The trio is excited about the opportunity to share it with a larger audience. “For those who did catch the show last year and look forward to the encore performance, we are reprising much of the original program and have added several new “reel” surprises as well,” adds Yerry.

Ann Osmond is a singer and actor with roots in the theatre and Dennis Yerry, an accomplished jazz pianist and composer. Their unique arrangements and rich harmonies have a fresh energy and an air of timeless elegance. Robert Burke Warren, best known locally as Uncle Rock, is a performer whose experience extends from rock and roll clubs to the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End.

The concert is a benefit for The STS Raise The Roof Fund. “This has been a very tough year for our community, this benefit will allow us to make much needed repairs to our building” says STS Board President Linda Burkhardt. “Without repairs we could experience severe damage this winter.”

The concert is on November 5 at 8 pm. Reserved seating tickets are $20 and can be purchased at STSPlayhouse.com. Drinks and refreshments will be available and everyone will have a chance to win valuable door prizes. For more info call STS at 845-688-2279.
_______________

And there is another great live music performance at the Empire State Railway Museum. The evening features Spuyten Duyvil a very cool 7 piece band. Come check it out if that is more your style.

Flying Cat Music Presents
Spuyten Duyvil in Concert
at the Empire State Railway Museum
Saturday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m.
Door opens at 7:00

70 Lower High Street, Phoenicia
off of Route 28, just east of the village

$12 or $10 w/RSVP to flyingcatmusic@gmail.com
For information call 845-688-9453

Spuyten Duyvil Website: http://www.spuytenduyvilmusic.com/

There are some political events around tonight but I promised I wouldn't talk politics here on the blog. But they are happening if you are interested in finding out.

Phoenicia Library Rebuild Update

For all of you wondering how the library is doing these days I pulled the information below from the Friends of Phoenicia Library page on Facebook. I plan to attend this meeting and I hope you will too. And remember that the referendum to increase the library budget is on the ballot on Tuesday so make sure that you weigh in on that issue.

Here is what the library staff had to say about the rebuilding efforts:

Though you may not see real progress yet, the Phoenicia Library is moving closer toward rebuilding 48 Main St. We hope to be back in the building by next year at this time. The library’s building committee has been consulting with the architects of North Engineers, Kingston, exploring the best possible scenarios for rebuilding, including; refining the “flow” and use of the space, a first floor lavatory and other ADA considerations, improvements in the areas of energy efficiency, and creating more space that is usable by the community for meetings, programs and so forth. In addition to the incredibly generous donations and fundraising efforts sponsored by the community, the library recently applied for and was awarded a Construction Grant from New York State, and will rely on our insurance claim as we endeavor to fund the rebuild project.

On Thursday November 17th at 7 PM, we will hold a community meeting at Shandaken Town Hall to present our progress to date. Please attend and provide us your valuable input. We are so thankful for all of the incredible support!

Halloween Fun In Phoenicia

Sunday in Phoenicia was very festive indeed! Many residents came out to share the spirit of the holiday. The parade was great (as usual) and the snacks and refreshments in Parish Field were delicious! I took a few photos to share on the blog with folks that couldn't attend. All the photos below were taken in Phoenicia except for the last one. I spied a WCA member at the Woodstock Halloween parade and just had to add it! Great costumes everyone!!