The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Grafton

Annual Tree Festival

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Saturday, November 18th, from 10 am to 3 pm, at Greywacke Meadows, 40 Dunham Rd, Cropseyville, will be the annual Grafton Tree Festival. There will be over 20 vendors, along with a food truck. Vote for your favorite decorated tree. Amy Reger will be selling canvas prints of her photos and Grafton shirts, with a portion of the profits being donated to the Grafton Historical Society. See stained glass, paintings, quilted items, handcrafted cards, wood items, jewelry, ornaments, holiday decor, and much more. Please bring an unwrapped toy for our annual donation to local children.

Depolarizing Political Conversations

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Written and Submitted by Peter Pierson
The Braver Angels New York Capital Region Alliance wishes to thank The Eastwick Press for their amazing support for the event we hosted in Grafton on October 14th. On that day, 30 Americans from Grafton and surrounding communities (including folk from Nyack and Lake Luzerne) came together for a three hour Braver Angels workshop. Braver Angels is committed to depolarizing our American political conversations; this workshop focused on Depolarizing Within.

We also wish to thank Roxborough Holdings for providing the space for us to meet, and to the Grafton Town Board and the Grafton Town Library for their support of this event.

Our Alliance and the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County are co-hosting a Braver Angels virtual event on November 15th, from 7 to 8:30 pm. You can register for that event here: https://www.lwvsaratoga.org/events/2023/11/15/meetup-better-angels. The event is an introduction to the work of Braver Angels (formerly Better Angels).

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Grafton Wine and Cheese Festival

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The Grafton Historical Society’s 22nd annual Wine and Cheese festival will be held on Saturday, October 21st, from 4 to 6 pm, at the Everett Wagar Senior Center. This fundraiser features a wide variety of wines, non-alcoholic beverages, cheeses, and hors d’oeuvers. There are also numerous door prizes and a 50/50 raffle.

Proceeds from this event fund the society’s activities including monthly programs, scholarship, cemetery maintenance work, and free access to the digital collection of the society. For information or reservations please contact Anne Kiely 518-279-3051.

Hilldale Farm Foundation Awards Inaugural Scholarships

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Submitted by the Hilldale Farm Foundation
The Hilldale Farm Foundation would like to congratulate its first two scholarship recipients. The qualified applicants are Rensselaer County high school seniors who are pursuing a degree or certification in an agriculture-related program at a New York State school.

Emilee Valade was awarded $1,000 toward her pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering Technology at SUNY Cobleskill. Emilee is a 2023 graduate of Hoosic Valley High School with experience in heavy equipment operations and maintenance, and related certifications.

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37th Annual Run for the Roses 5K Results

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Results Courtesy of Finishright.com
Below are the results along with race finish times for the 37th annual Run for the Roses 5K, which took place Sunday, August 13th, at Grafton Lakes State Park. Well over 100 runners participated, with proceeds going to the Grafton Public Library.

Male Overall: Evan Oconnor 18:18
Female Overall: Jessica O'Sullivan 21:53

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Run for the Roses 5K

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Registration is now open for the USATF sanctioned 37th Annual Run for the Roses 5K Race on Sunday, August 13th, at Grafton Lakes State Park (GLSP). The event benefits Grafton Community Library, and includes a Kids 1 Mile Fun Run.

The 5K race has an early entry fee of $25, and a day of race registration fee of $30. The Fun Run has a $10 entry fee. Register online at www.finishright.com or download an application from www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

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Valente Indicted for Manslaughter in the Second Degree

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Submitted by the Office of the Rensselaer County DA
On Monday, July 17th, District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly announced that Anthony Valente, 44, the manager of RJ Valente Gravel Quarry in Grafton, was arraigned in Rensselaer County Court on a single count indictment charging Manslaugher in the Second Degree. The indictment alleges that Anthony Valente acted in a reckless manner which caused the death of Darren Miller, 35, of Poestenkill, who was an employee at the RJ Valente Gravel Quarry.

On October 1st, 2022, Anthony Valente was operating a crane while at the Quarry and was attempting to place a diesel engine in a Caterpillar dump truck when a cable broke off from the crane

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Ethel Simmons Memorial Award Winner

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The Grafton Community Library and Grafton Historical Society jointly congratulate Jake Collen, the recipient of the 2023 Ethel Simmons Memorial Award of $1,000. He wrote an excellent essay about significant places in the Town of Grafton where he would take a new visitor. Jake lives with his parents, John and Kim Collen, and is entering his senior year at Berlin Central High School where he is a member of the National Honor Society. He has volunteered for the Robert Smith Memorial 5K Run for the past five years. Jake hopes to attend college as a computer science major.

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Grafton Summer Festival 

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This year’s Grafton Summer Festival will be Saturday, July 22nd, from 9 am to 3 pm, in the Town Park on Route 2 with vendors and booths setting up around the town green at 8 am.

There will be music in the Gazebo with Chris Rowe, Bards O’ the Glen will be performing traditional music of the Old World from 10 am to 3 pm, and sharing the stage will be Christina Reger.

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