Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper
The snow is a perfect setting for this Saturday’s open house for Grafton’s Festival of Trees. It will be held at the Everett Wagar Senior Center from 10 am to 2 pm. Santa will visit around noon time, and there will be music around 1 pm. Light refreshments of the season will be served.
Please join your neighbors and friends to check out these trees and support our community.
The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department along with the Grafton Ladies Auxiliary will be serving an All You Can Eat Buffet Breakfast on Saturday, December 27, from 8 to 11 am at the Grafton VFW – Fire Hall on South Road (County Route 85). Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, eggs (made to order), sausage gravy & biscuits, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast, orange juice, coffee and milk are on the menu.
The cost is $9 per adult, $4 for kids 12 and under and free for kids five and under. We look forward to serving you!
• Snow Crafts – Saturday, December 27, from 1 to 3 pm. Kids of all ages are invited to come make some crafts outside in the snow. We will be making our own free form snow candles decorated with natural items (parents will need to help supervise young ones) and making our own maple syrup taffy in the snow. All crafts will be completed outside so please dress appropriately. There is a $1 materials fee.
[Read more…] about Dyken Pond Winter Break Family Activities
• December 12, Friday
Outdoor Tykes at 10:30 am. Join with other pre-school age children for a fun outing in the Park. Bundle up for a short hike where we’ll move like the animals and then come inside for a lantern nature craft. Meet at the Shaver Pond Center, 194 Shaver Pond Road in Grafton, NY. Pre-register, please, by calling 279-1155.
• December 17, Wednesday
Wandering Wednesday and Holiday Gathering at 4 pm.
Take a hike with Friends President Dorothy Surprise. Please bring a flashlight as night will fall during this program before you’re out of the woods. For the holiday party, bring a potluck dish to share. If weather permits, we’ll light a bonfire to welcome in winter. The hike begins at the Shaver Pond Center, 194 Shaver Pond Road in Grafton. To register for event listings and receive Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park program location details, visit http://www.meetup.com/Friends-of-Grafton-Lakes-State-Park.
• December 23, Tuesday
Treasure Hunt at 10:30 am.
Use a treasure map to discover clues and search for signs of critters along this one mile exploration. If we succeed in finding all our clues, a treasure awaits. The cost is $2 per person or $5 per family. This is recommended for five to ten years olds, but younger siblings are welcome to tag along. This event will be held at the Shaver Pond Center, 194 Shaver Pond Road in Grafton. Please pre-register by calling 279-1155.
Grafton – Ken Vanderhoef, patriot, entrepreneur, patriarch, died weeks from his 85th birthday at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, NY, on December 4, 2014, surrounded by his family.
by Paul Bouchey
Given the advent of the internet and the proliferation of ever-changing digital devices, now virtually everyone has easy access to an enormous amount of information hitherto available primarily on the written page in the form of books. These developments have led many to predict the inevitable demise of the traditional library. Yet, as Mark Twain once observed, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The same can be said of libraries.
[Read more…] about Grafton: Not Just Your Grandfather’s Library Anymore
On Saturday, December 6, at 11 am, local children’s book author William Middleton will be reading from his books as part of Grafton Community Library’s Holiday Gathering. Parents are invited to bring their children to celebrate the holidays with friends, enjoy cookies and refreshments, make an ornament for the Christmas tree and hear Middleton read from some of his books, like Gordon the Goldfish, the Autumn Ball, Chipmunk Jamboree and more.
The Holiday Gathering will start at 10:30 am and go until 1 pm. For more information visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org.
Girl Scouts are sponsoring Caroling for Cans and special collections to help feed families this winter. Local Girl Scout Service Unit 154 is organizing a special holiday food drive to help food pantries and Berlin Elementary School meet a growing need for food supplies.
More families than ever are turning to local food pantries in Berlin, Grafton and Stephentown for help. The need for supplemental food has become so great that Berlin Elementary School (BES) is supplying food directly to families for weekends and during holiday periods. These organizations are having trouble keeping their shelves stocked.
The community is invited to Caroling for Cans, a Christmas carol sing along on Wednesday, December 10, from 5:30 to 6 pm at the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Berlin. You can help by attending this important holiday event and bringing a non-perishable donation for the food pantries/school.
Many local organizations are asking their members bring a food donation to their next meeting and we have learned that several groups have already taken up collections of food or money to donate; thank you to every person and organization that is extending a helping hand.
The following locations will host food drop-off boxes throughout the month of December: Berlin Elementary School, Gardner’s Coffee Shoppe, Grafton Library, Grafton Town Hall, Petersburgh Post Office, Petersburgh Town Hall, Stephentown Library, Stephentown Town Hall, Stephentown Trading Post with more locations to come.
Please consider making a food donation at one of these many collection sites. If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Girl Scouts at 279-3772 or 733-6488.
To participate in the Tree Festival at the Everett Wagar Senior Center, just decorate a 2 to 5 foot Christmas Tree for the Festival of Trees in Miniature. Trees will be displayed from Sunday, December 7, through Sunday, December 21. Trees may be traditional or completely original, no taller than five feet and should be in place by December 7.
Local businesses, organizations and individual community members are invited to participate. Prizes will be awarded. Categories for prizes will be – Business or Organization, Adult Group, Adult Individual, Child Group, Child Individual, Most Original and Open House Best Traditional.
Open House
An open house will be held on Saturday, December 13, from 10 am to 2 pm. There will be entertainment and a visit from Santa. Refreshments will be served. Judging will take place before the open house If you are interested in displaying a tree, please call Donna Walker at 279-3275 or the Senior Center at 279-3413.
