| Time | Saturday, June 4 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm |
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| Location | Octagon Barn, 588 Middle Road in Knox (use Delanson 12053 for GPS directions) |
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| More Info | The Dudley Observatory, chartered by the State of New York in 1852, is the oldest independent organization in the United States supporting research and education in astronomy and the history of astronomy. Now, Dudley Observatory is extending its astron- omical activities to the Hilltowns, to property on Middle Road in Knox. Beginning this summer, Dudley telescopes will be viewing the skies from a new angle on "the Hill." You are cordially invited to attend a First Light Star Party to intro- duce Dudley Observatory Helderberg Site to the Community on Sat- urday, June 4 at 8 PM, rain or shine, at the Octagon Barn, 588 Middle Road in Knox (use Delanson 12053 for GPS directions). Amateur astronomers and families are invited to bring telescopes and binoculars. All are welcome. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, and to RSVP please call 894-8589. Sincerely, Zenie Gladieux, Chair Helderberg Hilltowns Association Dudley Observatory, 107 Nott Terrace, Suite 201, Schenectady, New York 12308; tel. 518-382-7583 |
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Star Party to introduce Dudley Observatory to the Hilltowns community
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Helderberg Hilltowns Association Comittees 2011
Helderberg Hilltowns Association
Hi, Hilltowners,
Attached is the list of committees, for lack of a better term, that we have been hammering on over the past few meetings.
Under each committee is a list of activities HHA has decided it would like to see happen in this area, and in some cases a list of names of folks who have volunteered to work on said committee.
Some activities have already been done; I marked those in red ink.
Some activities are in the works, either by our own group or by another one that we know of. Those are marked in green. Those identified by the group as of prime importance are numbered.
The remaining list of items – let’s call it a wish list- are in blue. These offer some guidelines as to where we might put our energies in the next year or two.
I think it’s important for us to realize that HHA can’t do all of these things. Nor do we need to. What we do need to do is to check with as many other Hilltowns organizations as we can and identify what they are doing, so we can check it off our list and avoid duplication of effort – both ours and those of other busy folks.
We all belong to and have contact with many other organizations. That’s the beauty of this group, that it brings to one table so many individuals with so many diverse contacts.
I’d like to ask you to utilize those contacts on our behalf before our next meeting on 4/18. Please take the attached list and see if you know of any organization (or individual, for that matter) who is doing or planning to do any of the things on our list. When you find such a group or calendar of activities, would you please email to all of us the information: type it in, scan and email a flier, email us a link to their website. However, but let’s make a concerted effort to collect information so that we’ll have it to digest on the 18th.
And by the way, Dawn is making great strides in developing our own brochure. We’ll be emailing copies to you soon.
Thanks-
Zenie
Click on link then on symbol for list of committees
Monday, March 21, 2011
MARCH MEETING OF HHA
HELDERBERG HILLTOWNS ASSOCIATION
Report of March meeting - 03/07/11. Called to order 7:10 p.m. by Zenie at Helderberg Lutheran Church (formerly St. Paul’s) in Berne. Many thanks to Jack Milner, our host, for shoveling the walkway and providing a tour of this beautiful old building. Present: Zenie Gladieux, John Elberfeld, Jane McLean, Jack Milner, Anna Wolfe, Amy Pokorny
COMMUNICATIONS:
- Randy Grippin has a scheduling conflict, but wanted to advise us that the Berne Town Park may be available for weekly farmer markets; he has been speaking with Berne Supervisor George Gebe.
- Cheryl Frantzen: The Second Annual Knox Conservation Council Fall Festival will be on October 8th, Columbus Day weekend, during the Albany County Firemen’s Muster being hosted by the Knox Fire Department.
- Bonnie Kohl emailed that she won’t be able to do the squash wholesale growing project this year; the government requires a stiff fee for permits which she can’t absorb. Tom Gallagher, Cooperative Extension farm rep, won’t be able to assist her this year as his coverage has been extended to 9 counties due to budget cuts. She reported that the farmers who participated in the project last year did well.
WEBSITE: John has continued to work a bit on the site, but there has not been much activity. He will contact people who are on the site to discuss their web page. We discussed how we can continue to contact people to add to the site? We can seek articles in the Altamont Enterprise, the Greenville Pioneer, the Albany Times Union, and the Schenectady Gazette about the website after we polish it and make decisions about community calendar. Amy will send to John her spreadsheet with the names of local small businesses to be contacted. We can use community contacts to do a direct mailing to local organizations: a one page flyer describing our group and explaining how to use the information on our website to better publicize their own efforts.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR: We spent some time discussing the needs of a community calendar. John was asked if we could have links to community calendars of local papers? (Probably not). Can we set up a simple way for organizations to submit their information, such as a spreadsheet? (Possible, but our website format MediaWiki doesn’t automatically sort entries by date, which would make it impossible to group entries by date.) Mediawiki would allow entries to be set up by categories [ex. church, recreation] but not by date within categories. Date sorts would be by entry date and not by event date. To be useful the calendar must allow entry by the public, tie events to the correct dates and allow events to be grouped by date and possibly by category. John will check Hal Miller’s website to see how events are entered there and will check freeware sources for possible community calendars. (N.B. A sample calendar is being tested on the website as of 3/11; please check it out - Zenie)
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: We need to develop an “elevator speech” presentation about our group and ask to present it at the Town Board meetings in all four towns soon. Berne and Knox Historical societies already have historical drive-yourself tours which could be made available to the public quickly. Do Rensselaerville and Westerlo have something similar that we could use?
COMMITTEE FOR ACTIVITIES: The remainder of the meeting was devoted to discussion of the Proposed Areas of Interest [from last meeting]: which do we need and what should the responsibilities for each be? We decided that each area will be a committee; we will need a Chair and volunteers to work on each committee; the Chair of each committee will be a member of the Steering Committee. The Proposed Areas of Interest list from last meeting was evaluated for relevance and efficiencies. Some of the items on the original list have already been completed or are in process; these have been flagged as follows:
- = things we’ve accomplished;
- = activity in process. Top priority items have been tagged. Volunteers will be sought to populate these committees; please call or email Zenie with your interest.
HILLTOWNS COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Chair Dawn Jordan, John Elberfeld, Zenie Gladieux
- Create website,
- Create Hilltowns community calendar,
Develop a publicity kit for HHA,
- develop a web page for each local business, with a link to any existing website
Help businesses develop own websites
Develop an “elevator speech” presentation to be put on disk,
1) Present ourselves to the town boards to urge cooperation in promoting and supporting Hilltowns activities
2) Develop and promote a ”buy local” campaign to the Hilltowns
AGRICULTURAL: Chair Amy Pokorny
- Farmers’ Market at Octagon Barn,
- October Harvest Festivals in Knox and Medusa,
Help promote Heldeberg Market,
Reestablish a wholesale growing project (now inactive),
1)
- Develop a Farmers’ Market at the Berne Town Park
Explore establishing a community cannery,
Explore offering classes on home canning and freezing (in cooperation with Coop Extension?) Organize classes in farm activities (free help for farmers?)
2) Organize classes on designing home vegetable gardens
HOSPITALITY: Anna Wolfe
1) Identify public restrooms in the Hilltowns, put them on our maps & website
2) Identify lodgings, put on maps & website
Promote availability of weddings/family reunions/ business picnic catering by local businesses
Tie tours and events to existing local services and activities
Promote use of local products in restaurants
TOURISM: Zenie Gladieux
- Develop maps and documentation for drive-yourself tours
Develop farm tours, perhaps by topics of interest, i.e. sheep-shearing .
1) Organize town-wide garage sales for each town
2) Organize open house studio/antique shop toursIdentify and publicize one or more “scenic byways”
Work with towns to set up visitor centers for maps and brochures
Organize weekly thematic tours during summer months: baby animals, alternative energy, fiber arts, fall foliage, maple products, pumpkins, Xmas trees, etc.
Improve local signage for businesses
Develop interface with Albany County Visitors Bureau
RECREATION: Gerry Chartier, Dan Driscoll, Jack Milner, Chad Jemison
- Promote the Long Path and develop links with it from other areas
1) Develop a series of seasonal hikes
2) Develop ATV/snowmobile link on website
Arrange classes for hunting or fishing with other organizations
HISTORICAL/LIBRARIES: John Elberfeld, Jane McLean
- Genealogy Days in September and October 2010,
- Establish a link to Hal Miller’s website
1) Organize training class with experts for historical societies and libraries
2) Genealogy class for public
3) Organize school programs with historical societies: going into school with “suitcase” of information; (Helen L, Mary K, Carol W?)
Build an inventory of old homes in each town
CULTURAL/EDUCATIONAL: Amy Pokorny
- Hilltown Players, contradances in Rensselaerville
- Contradances at Octagon Barn [Paul Rosenberg via Amy]
- Star parties at Octagon Barn with Dudley Observatory
1) Hilltowns-wide “studio Open Houses” for artists and crafters
Band concerts
Arts and Crafts shows
NEXT MEETINGS - All at 7:00 PM:
- 03/28: Knox Town Hall: John and Jane
- 04/18: Westerlo at Dormansville Hiawatha Grange : Jack Milner
- 05/09: Rensselaerville: Barb Husek
Respectfully submitted, Phoebe Beebe
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
REPORT OF RECENT MEETING OF HHA
HELDERBERG HILLTOWNS ASSOCIATION
Report of February meeting - 03/07/11. Called to order 7:15 p.m. by Zenie at Rensselaerville Library, Rensselaerville, NY. Present: Zenie Gladieux, John Elberfeld, Jane McLean, Gerry Chartier, Jessica Duval, Barb Husek,Jack MilnerHELDEBERG MARKET: Sarah Gordon reported via email: recent week was the best week ever; products include produce, meats, eggs, and breads at www.heldebergmarket.com
CONTRACT GROWING: Bonnie Kohl reported via email: she met recently with Tom Gallagher, Ralph Douty, and her husband to review last season. She is seeking 25-35 farmers who want to be part of the group for the coming season. For more information, contact Bonnie at 797-3959 or bkohl@fleursdallumage.com.
DUDLEY OBSERVATORY: Ron Barnell, Dudley Observatory Site Committee, reported via email: Dudley is looking at a site in Knox for their observatory, although their offices will continue to be off-hill. Ron has asked to attend April meeting to discuss plans, including rural land initiative and diminishing light pollution in the Hilltowns.
WEBSITE/MEDIA:
- John has added info on how to do publicity for Hilltown events, including a comprehensive list of organizations to contact in various media complete with phone numbers and email addresses.
- Gerry brought to our attention the educational program Division of Soil and Water is offering on how to work with the media, 9:00-4:00 on 03/24, at the Cooperative Extension center in Voorheesville. The program is free and designed for farmers and people in farm support organizations. It is an interactive, hands-on program: how to present positive benefits of agriculture to media, taught by professionals. Call Barbara Silvestri in Ag&Markets to register.
-
- - developing a unified Hilltown presence
- - cultivating a vibrant local economy
- - safeguarding our rural culture and heritage
- - encouraging stewardship of our agricultural lands, forests, and open spaces.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF INTEREST: At the meeting of 5/18/10, part of the meeting involved breaking the attendees into groups and asking each group to develop ideas for projects that might benefit their group. During subsequent meetings other ideas were added to the lists as well. Zenie passed out the original ideas; a copy is appended to the minutes.
Zenie has realigned these initial ideas into proposed areas of interest; a copy of that document is also attached to the minutes. During the ensuing discussion, other ideas were brought up, including:
- - kiosks for maps/tours
- - adding recipe exchange to website
- - town-wide garage sales: Rensselaerville in May, Berne July or August?
- - helping historical societies and/or libraries share resources
- - each area committee set up two activities to be completed by 12/31?
- - need improved communication to town governments about what HHA is doing
- - how can we coordinate town activities?
- - keep youth [middle-high schoolers] in mind, geocaching, clubs at school
- - beekeeping class
- - Dutch Barns
- - energy tour: can HHA help Helderberg Community Energy during energy fest in April?
- - Hilltowns Community Support
- - Agriculture
- - Hospitality
- - Services
- - Tourism
- - Recreation: Gerry will continue to work on trail project with trail committee
- - Historical: John and Jane will chair this committee
- - Cultural
- - Classes
NEXT MEETINGS:
- 03/28: Knox: Monday, March 28, 2011, 7:00p-9:00p Place TBA - Presentation by Dudley Observatory - Contact Zenie Gladieux at (518) 894-8589 for more info.
- 04/18: Westerlo: Jack will find place
- 05/09: Rensselaerville: Barb will find place
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
1869 Harper's New Monthly Magazine
The Helderbergs - Originals
Thanks to John Elberfeld for this post:
Scans of the original article from 1869 Harper's New Monthly Magazine - The Helderbergs - purchased on eBay by John Elberfeld in December, 2010.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
MICHAEL H. BARCKLEY
- Thanks to John Elberfeld for transcribing and posting information on Michael H. Barckley from images, letters and documents in the collection of the Knox Historical Society at the Saddlemire Homestead museum in Knox
Here are some highlights from the biography of Michael Henry Barckley.
Landmarks of Albany County
Michael H. Barckley, born in the town of Knox, graduated at Union College, raised a company in his town, was wounded at Cold Harbor and died July 6, 1864.
Heroes of Albany
Michael Barcklay - Michael, born in Knox in 1840, educated in the public schools, and grew to manhood on his father's farm; when the civil war broke out he was active in raising a company and went to the front as lieutenant of Company K, Seventh New York Heavy Artillery; at the battle of Cold Harbor he was wounded by a bursting shell, taken to a military hospital at Washington, D. C., where he died from the effects of his wound, 1864; he was unmarried; his memory is preserved in Altamont where Michael Barckley Post, Grand Army of the Republic, is named in his honor.
Carnival of Blood
The following excerpt is from Carnival of Blood, by Richard Keating:
- Page 3: - In the rural hamlet of Knox, in farm country ten miles west of Albany, young Michael Barckley gained a commission as first lieutenant in Company K, primarily because he was a recent college graduate, but he had also managed to convince twenty-one men from the small community to enlist in the Regiment. His recruiting efforts were then a cause for admiration and celebration, during the patriotic euphoria which gripped the Northern States in the summer of 1862. Three years later, Barckley and sixteen of the twenty-one were dead, and the mood would be far different."
- Page 154-6: - Another popular officer was struck down that day. Nearly two years earlier, when he had been mustered in as a First Lieutenant in Company K, Michael Henry Barkley had been presented with a sword and sash, and a belt and pistol, given to him by the citizens of his small home town of Knox, in rural Albany County. At the ceremony , he had been reminded that the Bible "cursed [him] who keepeth back his sword from blood." And then they had sent him off to war, with a prayer that invoked God, not only to protect him, but also to grant him an honorable death and a heavenly salvation: " May God sustain you in your trials, give you a valiant heart, shield you from evil, and return you and your comrades to us again in peace. If it may be, or if it must be, that you fall, be yours an honored grave,...by and by to enjoy the bliss of heaven."
- In accepting the gifts, the Union College graduate promised "...to hold them sacred, to use them where duty calls, and never return them dishonored." Keeping his word, his sword had been blooded during the assault, and on that Sunday morning, when a Rebel shell fragment ripped through his right leg just above his knee, his trial was indeed about to lead to an honored grave. In an effort to save his life, his leg was amputated above the knee that same day. Three days later, while waiting to be put aboard a hospital transport, he wrote to his father, explaining the situation, and urging him not to worry: "Do not be alarmed, as I am getting along first rate." But Barckley was destined to die in a Washington hospital on the evening of July 6. Just before his death, he remarked to his mother, "I could not die in a better cause."
- At his funeral in the Knox Dutch Reformed Church four days later, his sword lay amongst flowers strewn upon his flag-bedecked coffin. His pastor described the ceremony: "Citizens from every direction flocked to the house in mourning until the church was filled to its unmost capacity, the vestibule crowded, and the grounds in front filled by a multitude from far and near.... After the ceremony, the assembly followed his remains, in slow and solemn procession, to the new cemetery and on a most beautiful spot, overlooking the place that gave him birth,.... was deposited the lifeless form of the once loved and noble youth...."
Sword
Michael Henry Barckley's sword is on display at the Saddlemire Homestead in the center of Knox beside the Fire House and in front of the Knox Town Hall. Thanks to Allan Dietz for reminding us.
Burial
Lt. M. H. Barckley is buried in Knox Cemetery.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
CONGRATULATIONS!
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Jennifer May (Bees Knees), Sally Ryan (Girl & The Goat), Craig Lee (Prospect), Lee Celano (Mike's on The Avenue), for The New York Times Top from left Borscht with grass-fed beef and local vegetables at Bees Knees Cafe in Above from left Wagyu beef with potatoes, cippolinis, trumpet mushrooms and spinach at Prospect in San Francisco; Louisiana crab and crawfish cakes at Mike's on the Avenue in New Orleans. | | |||
The Bees Knees Cafe has hit the NY TImes! This Sunday's travel section! Preview online. The 4 Towns are San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans and ... Preston Hollow!
- Heather Ridge Farm web site.
- Heather Ridge Farm Facebook page.
Heather Ridge Farm
989 Broome Center Road
Preston Hollow, NY 12469
518-239-6234
989 Broome Center Road
Preston Hollow, NY 12469
518-239-6234
Thanks to Tim Lippert for calling this to our attention: "Here’s a ‘Local” farm exceeding all expectations in quality and marketing. I’m really proud of John and Carol for their hard work and accomplishments. Berne could have five or six of these type operations!!"
37 Acres given to Huyck Preserve
Huyck Preserve neighbors Jeri and John Woodhouse formally donated 37 acres of their long-held family property to become part of the Huyck Preserve. The land includes fields and shrub habitats, but is dominated by a pristine quality emergent marsh.
Located just along Route 85 just north of Rensselaerville, this large open wetland is easily viewed and can be enjoyed by all. This land has terrific birding potential and is on the edge of being suitable habitat for the endangered bog turtle. Along with being protected in perpetuity, this wonderful gift will be highly valued at the biological field station for research and education opportunities.
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