Greetings from Copake
Copake Connection is an online newsletter brought to you by the Town of Copake. This newsletter will publicize community events throughout the Town of Copake and will be published once a month, on the 15th of the month. The editor is Roberta Roll. All submissions should be sent to roberta.roll@gmail.com no later than the 10th of the month. The newsletter will be distributed to anyone who wishes to subscribe. Simply click the mailing list icon below.
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Table of Contents
From The Supervisor's Desk
Solar Report
Town Hall Exhibit
Office of the Aging
Aging in Place
Bicentennial
Copake Highway Department Vacancies
Town Boards Have Openings
2022 Roe Jan Ramble
Memorial
Autumn Leaves
Trunk or Treat
Farmer's Market
Grange Events
Roeliff Jansen Historical Society
Copake History
Help Make the Hamlet of Copake Festive
What's Happening at the Library
Copake Outdoors
Taconic Hills Central School Offers Life Learning
Eco Tips
COVID Tests
Memorial Bricks
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From The Supervisor's Desk
Albany comes to Copake
In the past week, the town of Copake has been visited twice by members of New York State government. On October 7, members of the board of the new Office of Cannabis Management and the Cannabis Control Board visited a small farm just up the road from Town Hall. On October 13, members of NYS Empire State Development came to Copake to tour the Hamlet of Copake in relation to our Grant Application under NY Forward. I was pleased to be part of both tours.
The first tour highlighted a small farm owned by husband and wife team Jasmine Burems and King Aswad. The couple is farming land which is part of the Copake Town Center Farm. NYS officials were in Copake to applaud the couple’s venture in growing cannabis. The farmers gave a tour of their 13 strains of cannabis. They intend to harvest 350 plants this fall.
As this brand-new industry takes off, New York State says that it is seeking to achieve social equity and create a “national model for [a] safe, equitable and inclusive industry.” Both Ms. Burems and Mr. Aswad are black, and spoke eloquently about how exciting it was as minority farmers to be part of this new industry. The state’s presentation stressed the potential economic impact of this new industry. I was delighted to meet and welcome these new farmers to our community.
More details and a video of the press conference can be seen here.
A week later, members of the New York State Empire State Development team participated in a tour of the Copake Hamlet, visiting various businesses which are included in the town’s NY Forward Grant Application. If the town is successful, Copake could be awarded a grant in the amount of between 2.5 million and 4.5 million. The funds can be used for local business projects and also public works projects.
In this regard, huge thanks must go to Margaret Irwin of River Street Planning who has assisted the town pro bono. Additionally, the town owes huge gratitude to Roberta Roll, who, as a member of CEDAC, has spearheaded and shepherded this entire effort. Roberta, we cannot thank you enough.
It is expected that the town will learn the results of the application later this year.
Jeanne E. Mettler
Supervisor
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Solar Update
On September 27, the NYS Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) told Hecate Energy Columbia County that the information most recently submitted by the Chicago-based developer was insufficient for ORES to conclude that Hecate’s siting permit application for Shepherd’s Run was “complete.”
ORES issued a second “Notice of Incomplete Application” and required Hecate to provide another supplemental submission addressing each “deficiency” described in a 17-page Hecate to-do list.
So, two years and nine months into its efforts to get the State’s approval to build a large solar energy facility in Craryville, Hecate has again been told that its application requires considerably more work: internal inconsistencies need to be explained and resolved and vague summary claims need to be replaced by clear, data-supported statements capable of analysis and verification by ORES’ staff. Only then can ORES “complete its review and make a recommendation approve or deny the requested Siting Permit.”
An example of Hecate’s lack of specificity in its application concerns Hecate’s unwillingness to incorporate most of the ad hoc Working Group’s recommendations into the Shepherd’s Run proposal. In its Supplemental Application response to ORES’ first Notice of Incomplete Application, Hecate vaguely asserted that it already had made significant changes to the proposal in response to the Working Group’s recommendations. To its credit, ORES refused to accept Hecate’s broad claim. Instead, it directed Hecate to “specifically identify and reference the Working Group’s recommendations” that it had adopted. When Hecate provided specifics, ORES learned what we already know: that Hecate is unresponsive to the community’s biggest concerns about Shepherd’s Run, because maximizing profits outweighs Hecate’s so-called desire to be a “community partner.”
One of the recommendations is the proposed creation of a 300-acre community-accessible green space to protect view sheds, effectively screen many of the solar arrays from nearby homes, and offer nature walks and bicycling trails to Copakeans and visitors. Hecate refuses to adopt this visionary recommendation, which could turn Shepherd’s Run from an eyesore into a tourist attraction. Hecate also refuses to provide financial compensation for homeowners with properties that would be most directly and adversely impacted by Shepherd’s Run. ORES is requiring Hecate to provide much more information about Shepherd’s Run’s likely impact on view sheds, and is requiring visual simulations of view points that the Town Board has long requested of Hecate.
The potential negative impacts on wetlands and local waterways — in particular Taghkanic Creek, an important source of drinking water for Hudson —from the construction and operation of Shepherd’s Run has been raised anew by a group of concerned citizens. At the Town Board meeting, the board passed a resolution calling on ORES to continue to deem Hecate’s Shepherd’s Run application incomplete unless and until Hecate can prove conclusively that there will be no negative impact on water quality. In the meantime, Copake’s Environmental Engineering firm is conducting a comprehensive review of this critical issue.
As proposed, Shepherd’s Run is too big and poorly sited for our small town. We will continue to pursue all avenues to resolve our concerns. ORES appears to be taking a careful look at what a 60-megawatt solar installation would mean for our rural community, but we object to both the process by which its regulations were adopted and the substance of those regulations (which were written by an energy industry consultant with Hecate as a client). Our pending appeal of the lawsuit challenging the ORES regulations proceeds.
Richard Wolf
Deputy Supervisor
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Town Hall Exhibit Continues to Delight
The town hall continues to welcome visitors to “Celebrating Copake’s History: A Town Hall Exhibit."
The exhibit, which opened to the public on August 13, is a permanent exhibit comprised of 24 historic panels, as well as a collection of enlarged historic post cards and numerous original paintings depicting local scenes. Visitors have expressed praise for the exhibit, some remembering Copake from years gone by and others seeing Copake’s past for the first time.
The exhibit is the culmination of over two years work by a three-member ad hoc committee appointed by the town board in early 2020. The members of the committee were Copake artist Nick Fritsch, Town Historian Howard Blue, and former town clerk, Vana Hotaling. The exhibit includes two of Mr. Fritsch’s paintings, on loan to the town: “First Town Meeting 1824,” a painting of the house where the first Copake town meeting was held on April 4, 1824, and “Depot,” which is a painting of the railroad depot at the intersection of County Route 7A and Route 22.
The exhibit may be viewed whenever the town hall is open, although access is curtailed on the fourth Monday of each month when Court in session. The town hall is open to the public Monday-Thursday, 8:00am to 4:00pm and Saturday 9:00am until noon.
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County Office for the Aging Institutes Exciting New Plan
Columbia County Office for the Aging Administrator Kevin McDonald and his team are expressing excitement over a recently instituted not-for-profit pilot program designed to help county seniors remain in their homes.
Known as EverHome Columbia, Inc., the program’s goal is to demonstrate how a combination of in-home services and technology can be used to support the opportunity for Columbia County residents to safely age in place.
Although currently in its pilot stage, in the first six months or so EverHome has already made an impact on the lives of the handful or so enrolled individuals and their loved ones. The pilot will last 18 months and serve approximately 400 families. For those interested, contact the county Office for the Aging at 518-828-4258.
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Town Seeks Members for Bicentennial Committee
The Town Board has put out a call for members for the Bicentennial Committee, inviting both full and part time residents to participate in planning the town’s celebration of 200 years.
At the August Town Board meeting, three Copake residents were appointed as honorary co-chairs of the committee: former Supervisor Angelo Valentino, former Planning Board Chair Edgar Masters, and longtime resident Flora Bergquist. The board is now calling for applicants to serve on the committee.
Copake’s first town meeting was held on April 4, 1824. The committee will plan an event to commemorate the 200th anniversary of that date and will also organize a calendar of events to be held in 2024 into 2025, which may include public meetings, ceremonies, gatherings, a parade and performances. It is the board’s intention that the committee will celebrate and publicize the history of Copake and encourage interest in Copake’s rich past.
Those interested in volunteering for the committee should deliver a letter of interest to Lynn Connolly, Copake Town Clerk no later than October 27, 2022 at 12 noon. Applications may be mailed or delivered personally to Lynn Connolly, Copake Town Clerk, to 230 Mountain View Rd., Copake, NY 12516 or may be emailed to copaketownclerk@townofcopake.org.
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Town Boards Have Openings
If you would like to get more involved with town government and town matters, Copake has many openings for you.
There are currently openings on the Board of Assessment Review, Ethics Board, Park Commission, Planning Board, and Zoning Board. Information and job descriptions can be obtained from the Supervisor at (518)329-1234 ext. 1. Letters of interest and resumes should be mailed by October 17, 2022 to 230 Mountain View Road, Copake, NY 12516 Attention: Lynn Connolly, Town Clerk or email copaketownclerk@townofcopake.org.
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2022 Roe Jan Ramble Bike Tour is Huge Success
2022 Roe Jan Ramble Bike Tour is Huge Success
The 2022 Ramble, held on Sept. 17, celebrated its 10th anniversary, as well as its return after two years of COVID-related cancellations. The ride recorded the largest attendance ever, with 609 registered riders plus 54 additional walk-ins.
With well over 600 riders participating, there were no injuries reported. The riders chose between six rides, the longest being 62 miles in length and the shortest being just 10 miles. Riders returned to the Copake Memorial Park to listen to Slink Moss and his band, Slink 101, and buy homemade lunch from Community Christmas Baskets, Ltd. The local charity made several thousand dollars.
The ride was co-sponsored by the towns of Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale. It was also supported by 32 local businesses, contributing $4,415 plus barter items, which covered the entire cost of the event. Riders ride for free, but the event is a fundraiser for the Harlem Valley Rail trail. The ride raised over $22,000, earmarked for the trail in Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale.
The ride is organized by a three-town committee chaired by Copake resident Tom Goldsworthy. The committee meets for months before the event. Tom reported that 47 volunteers worked on event day and helped plan the event.
Participants come from all over the local and tri-state area to ride in this popular event. Based on the addresses provided at registration, the geographic breakdown was:
- Columbia County - 22.1% (of which 14.2% was Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale)
- Dutchess County - 20.4%
- New York City - 12.3%
- Westchester County - 11.4%
- Massachusetts - 10.4% (mostly Berkshire County, but some from Boston)
- Connecticut - 8.1%
- Ulster County - 4.3%
- Albany & Capital Region - 4.1%
Other locations indicated: Syracuse, Herkimer, Saratoga, Glens Falls, and from outside New York: Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Chairperson Tom Goldsworthy expressed special thanks to Bill Gregory, Copake Highway Superintendent; Bob Callahan, Copake Parks Department; Richard Briggs, Hillsdale Highway Superintendent; Peter Doty, Community Rescue Squad; Lt. Heath Benansky and Dep. Dayna Scott, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
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Memorial Planned to Honor Larry Proper
The Copake Town Board has announced a special Town Board meeting to be held Saturday, November 26 at 10:00am for the purpose of honoring the late Lawrence O. Proper.
Lawrence “Larry” Proper was a beloved and long time Town of Copake employee. He served as the Town Clerk and Highway Superintendent and was deeply involved in the community. Larry died November 29, 2021.
The meeting will be followed by refreshments and the public is invited to attend.
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“When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall”
Seniors: Need help with cleanup?
Bryan Van Tassel, who is Copake’s Summer Camp director, is also a teacher at Taconic Hills School and coaches modified football at the school. Bryan has very kindly reached out to the town with an offer to have his team help seniors with fall cleanup.
The town has been working with Keith Thomas, President of the Young at Hearters, to put together a list of Copake residents who would like to avail themselves of this generous offer.
The Team will be in Copake to rake leaves on Saturday, October 22 from 9:00am until noon. If you would like your leaves to be raked please contact Supervisor Jeanne Mettler at copakesupervisor@townofcopake.org- or call 518-329-1234 Ext 1. Please contact the Supervisor by noon on Wednesday, September 19.
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Shop Local and Fresh at the Farmers Market
Farmers Market Still Going Strong
Harvest time is in full swing at the market and there are 6 markets left in which to partake of the abundant fall produce - squashes and pumpkins, greens and herbs, carrots, beets, and potatoes. Think soups and pies galore!
Drawing from vendors in Copake -- Yonderview Farmhouse, Hamlet Hound, Bash Bish Honey, and Taconic Trading -- Hillsdale, Claverack, Philmont, Ancram, Chatham and beyond, your local fresh market remains a terrific source for healthy and handmade foods. Local artisans bring their hand-crafted items, everything from pottery to clothing to note cards - great for gifts and adding to your own home enjoyment.
You can shop for produce, plants, meat/poultry/cured meats, eggs, cheese, baked goods, beer/wine/spirits, coffee, honey, maple syrup, jams/jellies, prepared food, pesto, pickles, and a variety of specialty items such as spiced pumpkin seeds, natural body care, bitters, lemonade, breakfast sandwiches, and gluten-free products. See the full list at:
Notably, CHFM not only accepts but doubles your SNAP (food stamps). This is an important part of the market’s mission, as they believe healthy food should be available to all. They also accept other assistance programs like Fresh Connect, Double Up, and Farmers Nutrition Program.
With a spacious layout inside Roe Jan Park, ample parking (including handicapped), umbrella tables, live music, hand washing station, weekly artisan crafters, and kids' programming partnered with the Roe Jan Community Library, you and your leashed dog can make the Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market a very special weekly visit.
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Grange Events
Friday, Nov. 4, 7-9pm - Open Mic Night. LIVE and IN-PERSON! Live open mic is on and it’s great! Come on down to the Grange and join us with your instruments, songs, poems, stories, skits, etc. We have a piano. Masks are suggested, except when performing. For more information, contact copakegrange@gmail.com.
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Saturday, Nov. 19, 3:30pm - Movie and Pizza Night! Join us for the classic movie, “On the Waterfront,” a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. The musical score was composed by Leonard Bernstein. Stay after the movie for dinner - pizza, salad and dessert. Movie admission is by donation. Dinner is $10.
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Saturday, Dec. 3, 4-5:30pm - Open House. Come on down to the Grange for some holiday cheer. We’ll have hot chocolate, cider, and other festive treats, as well as music - songs and carols for the season.
The Grange is located at 628 Empire Rd.
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Roeliff Jansen Historical Society Sponsors Benefit Performance
The Village Cidiot will be performed on Oct. 23 at 2pm at the Ancram Opera House as a special benefit performance for the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society.
Written by Lauren Letellier, Hillsdale Town Historian, the play is the ultimate fish-out-of-water story, chronicling her reluctant move from Manhattan to the tiny upstate town of Hillsdale, only to find that things she’s worked so hard to acquire - from her LinkedIn network to her urban wardrobe - are useless. Grieving losses both personal and professional, she must create meaning in a new life she never planned for.
The performance will be followed by a wine and cheese reception and talk-back with the author. The Ancram Opera House is located at 1330 County Route 7, Ancram, NY.
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Copake History
A Copake Treasure Makes the National Register of Historic Places!
This is an article about pride – local pride – pride in the place where you’re from or where you live. It’s a story first about hurt pride and then about regained, or at least growing, pride.
As most residents of Copake know, some thirty years ago the town lost its movie theater, a beloved institution, to arson. Also, not too many years ago, Copake residents were saddened when the former Holsapple House, filled with so many memories, was torn down. Gone too are at least a couple of Copake’s charming houses and barns (the barns mostly the victims of arson). It’s probably accurate to say that these losses have damaged residents’ pride in their town.
On the other hand, in recent years Copake folks have rejoiced at resident Tom Goldsworthy’s renovation of the ca. 1868 octagonal house located on Main Street. It’s now once again a lived-in house. In addition, there is reason for optimism concerning the future of the now decrepit 19th century railroad depot on Route 7A, which many had given up as a lost cause. According to the depot’s owner, Stephanie Sharp, an Australian who’s only lived in the town for two years, she is not only currently pursuing the permits needed to repair the depot, but she is also planning the preservation of Empire Road’s former “Little School,” which she also bought.
Following on the heels of the octagonal house’s restoration, Catherine Mikic, owner of the ca. 1845 18-acre Sweet Homestead located on Center Hill Road, has succeeded in getting it listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Mikic is a social entrepreneur and co-chair of Copake’s Historic Preservation Committee. The homestead is the fifth National Register property in the Town of Copake. Others include the Copake Grange, Copake United Methodist Church and Cemetery, the Memorial Clocktower and the Copake Iron Works. Mikic plans to restore the farmhouse compound and preserve the working farmland for new adaptive use by a future owner-operator and site steward.
The Sweet Homestead was part of an original 240-acre farm acquired in 1841 by Fyler Dibble Sweet (1808-1889) and his wife, Dorothea Decker (1811-1875). The Sweets and their nine children grew it into a successful farming enterprise. The National Register Nomination recognizes the homestead as “a good example of a rural Hudson Valley homestead” with “a rare collection of mid-19th century agricultural outbuildings that remain virtually unaltered.”
So, what, one might wonder, is the significance of Mikic’s achievements? Well, for one thing, her compound, particularly its Greek Revival farmhouse, is a wonderful example of “vernacular architecture” that is dictated by local customs and needs, as distinct from architecture taught in schools of architecture. She explains that “historic vernacular architecture is disappearing and increasingly at-risk. This listing recognizes the cultural significance of an authentic family farmstead as an important and under-represented part of New York State’s cultural legacy.”
The Sweet Homestead’s State and National Register district boundary includes the homestead and the original barn complex portion across the road (which is under separate ownership) with a total of eleven contributing resources. The district features the farmhouse, built in the popular Greek Revival style as a symbol of the new American democracy. The homestead includes the farmhouse and semi-attached work shed, dooryard, icehouse, chicken coop, recreation yard, and a small ca. 1855 dwelling at the homestead’s southern edge attributed to Milton Trafford, a master carpenter. The barn complex includes the main barn, horse stable and carriage house, animal stable and corn crib, situated near a barnyard and wagon path. The barn complex historically included a ca. 1910-1920 dairy barn and two silos that were destroyed by arsonist fire in 1992.
The Sweet farm was among the town’s earliest deeded properties, at a time when the area was evolving from Livingston Manor-owned tenant farms to independent ownership. It was home to four generations of the Sweet-Sherman family between 1845-1923. For nearly half a century, Fyler Sweet grew diversified cash crops such as oats, hay, rye, potato, and Indian corn, and produced wool and butter for market. In the 34 subsequent years, grandson Frank Sherman (1868-1938) developed the enterprise into a dairy farm, reflecting the larger patterns of farming history in Columbia County. In 1902, Sherman was among the sixty-three founding members of the Copake Grange and was unanimously elected its first Master. In 1950, the property’s sixth owner, Adrian Dinehart Langdon and his wife, Ethel B., sold the farm to Bradford Wilsey Peck (1914-1984) and Harriet Wilkerson Ackley (1914-1985), when it was known as Bull Spring Farm. Son Charles A. Peck assumed ownership in 1982. The farm has since been subdivided, and the homestead was the last remaining parcel sold in 2020.
So that’s what we have to say about this plan to restore a bit of Copake’s past. How SWEET it will be. Won’t Copake folks be even that much prouder?
By Howard Blue and Catherine Mikic
Also, have you seen the fabulous 24 panel exhibit on Copake’s history in Town Hall? It can be seen during regular town hall hours, including Saturday mornings
Finally, got any diaries, old letter or photos relevant to our town’s fascinating history that you’ll let Howard Blue scan? RSVP copaketownhistorian@gmail.com
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What’s Happening at the Library?
Calling all Artists! Pick Up Your Mini Canvas Now. Drop off Your Mini Canvas Now. The 2nd Annual Mini Art Exhibition returns, featuring Roe Jan Library patrons! If you took a mini canvas, please return it to the library for the show ASAP. We are still accepting late submissions. The exhibition will be on display from mid-October through November (after which you can pick up your piece for your own collection). Come show off your mini masterpiece!
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On Display, September 1 - October 29
Nature Drawings and Bird Prints by Lynn Croton and Liz Rudey. Lynn Croton is an artist and educator who lives and works in Florida and upstate New York. Her sculptures, drawings, and ceramics have been exhibited in the US, Japan, and Korea. Her most recent drawings are influenced by abstract plant forms, calligraphy, and the color green. Liz Rudey is a printmaker and ceramic artist. She is Professor Emerita of Art and Art Education at the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University. She began studying printmaking at the Art Students League in 2015 while on sabbatical. There, her subject became endangered birds. The aim of this and previous exhibits is to underline the fragile beauty of nature and the struggle to preserve and honor that beauty.
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Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
Circle Time with Tia. Preschoolers and their families are invited to join Tia in a circle for stories, fun activities, laughs, and more!
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Wednesdays, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Homeschool Wednesdays. Tia, the Library’s Children’s & Youth Services Associate, will be sharing stories and activities for homeschooled kids in the Children’s Room every Wednesday. We will have special guests from Vine Gate Lavender Farm, the Audubon Society, Greater Hudson Promise, and Possibilities Farm.
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Thursdays, 9:00-10:00am
Senior Balance and Strength Class. Dr. Paul Spector is leading his popular Balance and Strength Class on Zoom. These classes introduce exercises that improve postural stability, core strength, spatial body awareness, sensory integration, agility and coordination. For more details, including login information, please visit our website at www.roejanlibrary.org/adult-programs/.
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Thursday Afternoons.
Lego Club. Join us every Thursday for an afternoon filled with Legos and fun in our Children’s Room. Check with us on social media for our weekly themes!
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Thursdays, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m
Homework Help. Need a quiet place to get your homework done? Having trouble with an assignment? K-12 homework help is available at the library for English and Spanish speakers. Se habla español. Volunteer tutors are welcome to apply. Questions? Visit the library or call for more information.
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Thursdays, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
English-Language Tutoring by Appointment. Free English-language tutoring will be available between 6:00 and 7:30pm by appointment on Thursday evenings. This tutoring program is intended primarily for adults. Instruction will be one-on-one or in small groups with Yvonne Acevedo and will be geared toward everyday conversational needs. Free childcare will be provided for children ages 3 and up. Please e-mail director@roejanlibrary.org or call 518-325-4101 to schedule an appointment.
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Saturdays,10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Storytime with Tia. Tia, the Library’s Children’s & Youth Services Associate, will share stories and related activities for kids in the Children's Room every Saturday starting at 10:30 a.m. We hope to see you there!
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Saturdays through November 19, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Friends of the Library Bookstore OPEN. Lower Level of the Library. Masks required. For updates, follow our Instagram @roejanfriendsbookshop or @roejanlibrary. To donate books, e-mail caskhan@gmail.com to make an appointment.
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Monday, October 31, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Trick-or-Treat at the Library. Come to the library in costume and trick or treat. All children who come trick or treating will get a treat--a free book of their choice!
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Wednesday, November 2, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Hot Topics in Healthy Aging – Clearing up Common Questions: Aging. The third in a series of interactive lectures by Dr. Paul Spector designed especially for seniors but of interest to all. Some now argue that aging is a pathology that can be treated. This program will present a review of the remarkable advances in our understanding of aging and how to slow it down.
Paul Spector earned his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. After years of clinical experience Dr. Spector formed Pantheon and Meaningful Fitness (personalized health organizations designed to assist individuals in attaining their highest level of function). Over the past 15 years his focus has been on preventive health, behavioral change, motivation, aging, meaningful goal-setting and how to apply scientific advances to maximize both physical and psychological peak fitness.
This program will be presented in person and online. For login information, email director@roejanlibrary.org. This project has been supported by a grant from the Fund for Columbia County of the Berkshire Taconic
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Monday, November 7, 4:00 p.m.
Joy and Gratitude, A to Z Workshop. Everywhere we turn, we are told to count our blessings and to embrace gratitude. After all, the books and magazine stories tell us gratitude is a direct route to joy. Moreover, it makes us healthier, mentally and physically. But how do we begin to count our blessings? And more importantly, how do we make gratitude part of our everyday activities?
This 3-session workshop, led by Claudia Ricci, is designed to show you one way you can make gratitude part of your day, from the moment you wake up until you go to bed. It starts with a tiny journal. Each morning, participants will devote one page of their journal to a letter of the alphabet, beginning with A, and ask themselves, “What words that begin with this letter bring me joy and happiness? What things make me feel grateful?" If you stick to the routine for several days running, it can turn into a morning (or evening or any time of day) ritual. There is a snowball effect: the more you focus on gratitude, the more you find yourself thinking about the things that make you thankful and bring you joy.
Claudia Ricci, PhD, formerly was a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal and a prize-winning reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, where one of her projects was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She has published three novels, one of which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her new novel, Pearly Everlasting, is due out this fall.
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Wednesday, November 9, 5:30 p.m.
Roe Jan Writers Series: Gene Aronowitz, Phyllis Carito, Philip Palladino, and Al Stumph. Local writers Gene Aronowitz, Phyllis Carito, Philip Palladino, and Al Stumph share their new book, Travel Light and Other Explorations. Members of the 10:00 Wednesday writing collective, named for the time they meet to support and critique each other's writings, will read from their poetry, essays, memoirs, and fiction and talk about their collaborative enterprise.
Gene Aronowitz
During his 84 years, Gene was a jock in his adolescence, an underachiever in high school and college, and later, the recipient of a master’s degree and a Ph.D. He was a U.S. Marine reservist, a social service and mental health administrator, a public official, and a management consultant. Aside from this book and a recent volume of memoirs, both in a literary vein, he’s the author or senior author of six articles in professional journals, and the editor or senior editor of five books related to Mental Health. He’s married with 4 middle-aged progeny, plays the harmonica and baritone ukulele, dabbles in genealogy, volunteers often and is a Course in Miracles practitioner.
Phyllis Carito is a Bronx Italian, a poet, writer, and educator. Her publications include poetry books: barely a whisper, and The Stability of Trees in the Winds of Grief; and a novel, Worn Masks. Other poems and stories have appeared in: “Gathering Flowers: Living with the Death of a Child,” Passager Journal, Voices in Italian Americana, Vermont Literary Review, Inkwell Review and Trolley NYS Writer’s Institute. She lives in Kinderhook with her dog Kali.
Philip Palladino
Philip was born and raised in Troy, New York. He has lived and worked in upstate New York his entire life, initially as a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. He married and embraced a career as a guidance counselor in Chatham, New York. His memoir Enjoy What We Have is a tribute to his late wife who encouraged him to have fun. That fun has led him to travel and to love anew.
Al Stumph
Al is among those who, after earning academic degrees and being ordained Roman Catholic priests, determine they have chosen the wrong profession. Shortly after that insight, Al married and found himself comfortably involved in child and adult welfare work for the next thirty years. In 2002, he set that profession aside and opened a lawncare business for the summer months, while producing and selling custom built wood furniture during Northeastern winters. Al’s essays, poems, memoir, and fiction have been published in newspapers as well as professional and literary journals for the past fifty years. He has also published four books and edited others. His grandchildren keep him in touch with the beauty of our world.
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Copake Outdoors
Copake Outdoors, the local group dedicated to having fun hiking, biking, kayaking and swimming in and around Copake, will have its next outing on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 9:30am.
Last month, the group hiked up Alander Mountain. This month’s hike will be easier;
they will take the South Taconic Trail Extension from the Rudd Pond area up to an overlook and then north for another short distance. Depending on how far people want to go, the round-trip distance will be 4-6 miles. It’s a moderate hike, with mild elevation gains and varied terrain. Wear sturdy shoes, as the leaves can be slippery at this time of year, and bring water and a snack if you need it.
We will meet at 9:30am at the trailhead on Shagroy Rd., just north of Millerton, off Rudd Pond Rd.
For more information go to:
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Taconic Hills Central School Offers Life Learning
The mission of the Taconic Hills Central School District’s Continuing Education Program is to provide community members with a range of academic, athletic, artistic, business, hobby and recreational workshops at the K-Life Learning Center campus.
Open to current certificate holders per NYS Department of Health requirements for annual recertification. Instructor Robin Semp is a Certified Lifeguard and Instructor by the American Red Cross. Must be 15 years old, complete blended learning portion online, continuously swim 300 yards (crawl stroke and breaststroke), retrieve a 10-pound brick from 12 feet, tread water for 2 minutes.
Personal Finance Class
What is up with your finances? Learn or expand your knowledge of personal finance. Get a handle on financial terms, budgeting, investing, insurance, social security, credit and more. You will have opportunities to ask questions and to play financial games. Laptop internet access required. You will not be sold anything. Advisor: Rob Lazarus
Pre-registration and payment are required. Classes begin October 20, 2022.
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Eco Tips for Healthy Living
This month’s tips are for the birds.
The migrating birds, that is. Autumn means that thousands of birds are on the move, migrating to their winter homes. Some of these are raptors - you might see hawks, ospreys, falcons, eagles and kestrels. You’ll also see many species of songbirds, including thrushes, warblers, nuthatches and finches. Some of the birds will migrate all the way from Canada, through New York State, and on into Central and South America. Some will winter over here, depending on food supply. (And just so you know, most of our American Robins stay put here for the winter. Some of our Eastern Bluebirds do, too!).
There are some things you can do to help the birds survive and make their migrations easier. Put out birdseed - most of them love black oil sunflower seeds. But make sure you put your bird feeders away in a safe, enclosed place for the night, so as not to attract bears, especially in the fall and spring.
One of the very important things you can do is to turn off the lights at night. The DEC launched a ‘Lights Out' initiative aimed at keeping non-essential outdoor lighting from affecting the ability of birds to migrate successfully. When birds migrate, many of them rely on the stars, the constellations, to help them navigate. Outdoor lighting can cause them to lose their bearings and become disoriented, a phenomenon known as fatal light attraction. Help the birds stay on course and make it home. Another advantage to turning off unnecessary outdoor lighting is that you will reduce your electricity usage and bills!
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Expiration Dates on some COVID Test Kits are Extended
The Copake Town Clerk’s office has been distributing “At-Home” COVID test kits throughout the spring.
At this point, the town still has a limited number of tests available to citizens, but the expiration dates on some of the boxes have passed.
We have been advised by Director of Emergency Management David Harrison that the
expiration dates have been extended by the FDA and that up-to-date information is
available from the FDA website. To check to see if the expiration of a test kit has been
The list of test kits and relevant information is at the bottom of the page.
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If you wish to submit an article or notice regarding a community event taking place in the Town of Copake to the Copake Connection, please e-mail: thecopakeconnection@gmail.com. All submissions should be received by us by noon on the 10th of the month.
For more and current information on Meetings in Copake and events throughout the Roe Jan area, go to the Copake Website.
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Contact
Copake Town Hall
230 Mountain View Road
Copake, NY 518-329-1234
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