Altamont Art In The Park - Saturday

It's not too soon to start thinking about shopping for the holidays, and it's not too late for a lovely outdoor craft fair on a beautiful autumn day. Art In The Park is a juried show, happening this Saturday, from 10am to 6pm on the green in Altamont, NY.

The publicity says "The various artists range from glass to fiber art, watercolors to oils and pottery to photography with a few woodworkers and a jeweler or two thrown in for good measure!" My beau is one of the woodworkers, so stop by and say Hello - I'll be helping him at the Quiltboxes tent.

The event is sponsored by Desolation Road Studios and the Altamont Free Library. Kudos to Jim Miller of Desolation Road for all his hard work organizing this event! (FYI, most of the artists in the show have items for sale in the shop at Desolation Road, on the green in Altamont.)


What: Art In The Park, Juried Art/Craft Show

When: Saturday, Oct. 8th, 10am - 6pm

Where: Village green, Altamont, NY [map]

Free Concert: 3 - 5pm, features the 3J’s

This event was originally scheduled for last Saturday, but thankfully Jim invoked the rain date. The forecast for this Saturday is gorgeous - sunny and in the 70's. Please come on over, and enjoy some early autumn color on the scenic drive to Altamont.

Art In The Garden - Sat., July 16, 2011

Saturday, July 16 from 10am to 4pm.

Free admission
Held rain or shine

A juried art show and sale will be held at the Demonstration Gardens at the Robert C Parker School, North Greenbush, NY.

Features Jewelry, Pottery, Sculpture, Photography, Painting, Notecards, Stained Glass Mosaics, Woodworking (QuiltBoxes!), Textiles, and Collage.

See pictures on FaceBook at Art In The Garden - Rensselaer County.

Sponsored by the Rensselaer County Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

South End Meeting

The meeting of the Rensselaer's South End Neighborhood Association will be held on Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rensselaer Knights of Columbus located at 200 East Street.

Guest Speakers will be Sarah Stern Crowell, AICP, Director of the Planning & Development Agency for the City of Rensselaer and Peter Sheehan of The Sierra Club.

Don't forget to check out the City of Rensselaer's new official web site at: www.rensselaerny.gov.

North End Meeting

The North End Neighborhood Association (8th and 9th Wards) is having a meeting Thur., April 14 at 7pm. Please note the new location is the Washington Ave. firehouse.

Guest Speakers will be Heather Leddick from the Rensselaer Senior Center and Sharon Butler from the Rensselaer Building Department.

Don't forget to check out the City of Rensselaer's new official web site at: www.rensselaerny.gov.

Maple Weekend!

March 19-20 and 26-27, generally 10am-4pm daily. Learn more and find a participating sugarhouse at the New York State Maple Producer's Association or the Upper Hudson Maple Producer's Association.

We drive all the way to Kent's in Berlin for our fix - read a detailed description of our 2009 visit. (It's a nice drive, mostly following the route of the colonial-era Eastern Turnpike through Rensselaer county.)

I've discovered that it's better to buy several small jugs, rather than one large one, to help keep the freshest flavor. (The air in a half-empty jug seems to diminish the zippy maple taste.)

I'll post a great maple-walnut muffin recipe later this weekend - check back.

Christmas In The City

The Rensselaer Youth Bureau and The Boys & Girls Club partner to present:

CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY
SATURDAY, DEC. 12TH, 2009
3:00PM—5:00PM

Boys & Girls Club, 544 Broadway Rensselaer, (518) 465-3403

Residents of Rensselaer are welcome to join in the holiday festivities!!

Free food, activities, crafts, and meet Santa in person!!

Come judge the Chili Cook-off between the Police Dept. and the Fire Dept.

Also, the Boys & Girls Clubs's annual 50-50 Super Raffle is now in full swing. With each $100 donation, participants will receive a chance to split the pot with the Boys & Girls Club. In addition, your raffle ticket is also your ticket to the organization's annual cocktail party from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 15 at Casey's Restaurant. Tickets are available from any board member, by calling 465-3403, or by stopping by the club located at 544 Broadway.

Doane Stuart Christmas Chapel

The Doane Stuart School will celebrate its annual Christmas Chapel at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the school, 199 Washington Ave. Call 465-5222 for information.

This traditional, candlelight celebration is open to the public. All guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy, to be placed under the Christmas tree; toys will be donated to local charitable organizations.

Library Events

December Events at the brand new Rensselaer Public Library
[676 East Street, Rensselaer, NY - the former Dollar Store building].

Computer Class
"Introduction to Microsoft Word"- Thursday, December 10th at 6:30 PM. Sign up is required, space is limited.


Saturday Family Storytime
"Gingerbread" Sat., Dec. 12 at 1 PM. Listen to stories and decorate cookies. No sign up required, but children must be present at start time to participate.

Friends of the Rensselaer Library is a support club that raises money and advocates for our library. New members welcome! Next meeting, Mon., Dec. 14 at 6:30 PM.

Game Day- Dec. 29th, all day, games and activities for kids ages 10-14. Drop-In Crafts will be available on the 29th, 30th and 31st.

Photos are from the library's grand opening in November (click to enlarge). Come check out this great new facility!

Book signing

Ernie Mann will be signing "Railroads of Rensselaer" at Friar Tuck in the Rensselaer Train Station, Friday, December 11 from 4pm to 6pm. There should be an adequate supply of books.

Library Grand Opening Set

I was delighted to receive an e-mail with this sneak preview of the new Rensselaer Public Library. (Click to enlarge.)

Library Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting: Mon., Nov. 16th at 3 PM.

Open House: Sat., Nov. 21st, 11am-2pm.
Featuring local author Ernie Mann signing his newly published book "The Railroads of Rensselaer"

Music and Children's Activities, Refreshments Served

New Library: 676 East Street, Rensselaer, NY (the former Dollar Store by Amtrak). This location has parking and is handicapped accessible. Check out this PDF of their new floor plan. Watch the library's Events Page for information.

If you don't have a library card, this would be a great time to get one. Did you know you can search for a book online, save it in a wish list, and order it to be delivered to the library when it's available (and return it to any local library, regardless of where you picked it up)? You'll get an e-mail when the book arrives, and another just before it's due, and you can renew online. If you're in a hurry, you can even see which libraries have the title checked in, so you can drive right over to get it. Pretty slick!

Upcoming Events

There are lots of events in Rensselaer over the next week. Scroll to the bottom of the blog for the calendar, and click on the events to see more details, click on "More Details" for links:

Sat., Nov. 7:

• Open House, Rosewood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, 11am-1pm
• Book Signing, Railroads of Rensselaer, Borders at Crossgates, 2-4pm

Sun., Nov. 8

• Breakfast Fundraiser for Fire Victims, Leonardo DaVinci, 320 Broadway, 8am-12pm
• Veterans Service Parade, Rensselaer, 10-11am (unconfirmed - please comment if you have details)

Tue. Nov. 10

• Doane Stuart Interfaith Chapel Dedication, 199 Washington Ave. (Business Attire), 5-7pm
• Shine a Light on Lung Cancer - George Educ. Center, UAlbany E. Campus, 6-8pm
• Sewer System Discussion - Bulmar Communications Bldg, HVCC, 7-8pm

Thur. Nov. 12

• North End Neighborhood Assoc. Meeting, First Baptist Church, 1101 Washington Ave., 7-8:30 pm

Public Meeting: Sewer Study

Times-Union: Sewer system discussion set at HVCC

An update on study plans for repairs to inadequate sewage systems along the Hudson River will be held Nov. 10 at Hudson Valley Community College.

The study is being done by cities of Albany, Troy, Watervliet, Rensselaer, Cohoes and the village Green Island as a condition of their water pollution permits under the federal Clean Water Act. ...

When: Tue., Nov. 10, 7 p.m.
Where: Bulmer Communications Building at HVCC [campus map].

Breakfast Fundraiser

Times-Union: Rensselaer raises funds for victims of blaze

The Rensselaer Eagles will hold a pancake breakfast fundraiser for those who lost their homes in a fire on Green Street on Sunday.

When: Sunday, Nov. 8, 8 a.m. to noon
Where: Leonardo da Vinci Lodge, 320 Broadway, Rensselaer

Previous post: Early AM Fire on Green St.

Ernie Mann Profile

The Record: Five Questions: Ernie Mann

Ernie Mann is a Rensselaer resident and longtime railroad memorabilia collector who recently authored “Railroads of Rensselaer,” which was published under Arcadia Publishing’s Images of Rail series. Mann will be signing copies of his book at Borders in Crossgates Mall on Nov. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Earlier post: Ernie Mann's "Railroads of Rensselaer"

"Rensselaer County’s Hudson River"

Kathy Sheehan, Rensselaer County Historian, will explore the history of the towns and cities that border the Hudson River from Schodack to Schaghticoke using historic maps, photographs, letters etc. from the Rensselaer County Historical Society archives.

October 18, Sunday, 2 PM, Rensselaer City Hall, 62 Washington Street.

Rensselaer City Candidates 2009

Mayor:

Daniel J. Dwyer (D), Incumbent
Edward S. Kosinski (R, I, C)

President of Common Council:

Harry Adalian (D): Web; Facebook; Twitter
Gloria Fonda (R, I, C)

City Clerk:

Maureen G. Nardacci (D, I), Incumbent
Ashlee E. Giacalone (R, C)

City Treasurer:

Susan L. Lupian (D) , Incumbent
Claude P. Manna, Jr (R, I, C)

Alderpersons:
Ward 1:

Marion L. Webber (D)
Dawn M. Gillan (R, I, C)

Ward 2:

James D. VanVorst, Jr (D, I)
Albertine M. Felts (R, C), Incumbent

Ward 3:

Philip J. Elacqua (D)
William J. Lithgow (R, I, C), Incumbent

Ward 4:

Gretchen A. Euvrard (D)
David M. Gardner (R, I, C )

Ward 5:

Dominick M. Tagliento, Jr (D), Incumbent
Bernard Maskell, Jr. (R, I, C )

Ward 6:

Brian J. Stall (D, R, I, C ), Incumbent

Ward 7:

James F. Casey, Jr (D)
Frank J. McClellan (R, I, C)

Ward 8:

Richard J. Mooney (D, I), Incumbent
K D MacDonald, Jr. (R, C)

Ward 9:

Margaret M. VanDyke (D)
Dennis R. Walters, Jr. (R, I, C)

Rensselaer County Legislator, District 6 (City of Rensselaer)

John M. Mooney (D, W)
Michael E. Stammel (R, I, C), Incumbent

If you see any mistakes above, or if you are a candidate with a web page, blog, Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or professional biography that you want linked to your name, please e-mail bathonhudson@gmail.com.

There's a Ward Map in the City Clerk's office, or find your Ward at NYS Polling Place Lookup (they call it "Election District").

Attend the League of Women Voters Candidates' Debate at the Rensselaer High School Auditorium, Thur., Oct. 22nd, 7-9p.m if you have questions or comments for the candidates.

Flu Shot Clinics

Click here for a Flu Clinic Locator (seasonal flu shots only) from the American Lung Association. (I linked to a search for 3 miles from 12144, but you can redo the search.)

Meet Your Candidates

Thanks to Rich Mooney for posting the following election season events on his 8th Ward Website.

North End Neighborhood Association, Pot Luck and Meet the Candidates Night
First Baptist Church, 1101 Washington Ave, Rensselaer, NY
Thur., Oct. 8th, Dinner at 6, Meeting at 7pm

Meet the 8th and 9th Ward Alderperson Candidates Rich Mooney and Peggy Mink-VanDyke
Angie B's, 1204 Washington Ave, Rensselaer, NY
Thur., Oct. 15th, 6-7p.m.

League of Women Voters Candidates' Debate
Rensselaer High School Auditorium
Thur., Oct. 22nd, 7-9p.m.

Electronics Recycling

The Record: Get rid of old electronics

Rensselaer County government, along with e-Lot, will sponsor an electronics recycling day Oct. 17 in the upper parking lot of the Rensselaer County office building located at 1600 Seventh Ave [Troy].

Residents can drop off appliances and electronics for free but there is a $50 charge for televisions and $5 each for computer monitors.
...
Residents who wish to attend the event are asked to enter the upper parking lot by Congress Street. The event, sponsored by the county Environmental Management Council, an office of the Legislature, will run from 9 a .m. to 2 p.m.

Eerie Tales at Crailo

The Record (Greenbush Life): Fort Crailo a spooky look at the Hudson River Valley

On Oct. 17, The Fort Crailo Historic Site in Rensselaer will be the place to hear all about some of the more eerie tales of the Hudson River and surrounding areas.

For the past four years, Fort Crailo has taken advantage of their old Dutch cellar, decorating it for the Fall/Halloween season and gathering listeners to sit in on tales of yore.
...
After the story times, which are 2 p.m. for kids, and 4 p.m. for older kids and adults, there will be refreshments and a craft for all to join in.

Crailo Historic Site is at 9 1/2 Riverside Ave. in Rensselaer. Check out their Facebook Page too.