Grafton

Babcock Lake resident and Grafton Community Library Trustee, Nancy Chase, invites the Library community to the second installment of the “Summer Book Club at the Beach” at the Babcock Lake Beach Gazebo on August 20 at 7 pm.

August’s book selection is The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden. Copies are available at the Library. Participants are invited to gather at the Babcock Lake Beach Gazebo shortly before 7 pm to have a swim and then join in a lively book discussion.

For more information contact the Library at 279-0580 or visit graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

submitted by Richard Terpening 

On Saturday, August 16, from 8 to 11 am the Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340 and the Grafton Volunteer Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary will be having a fundraiser breakfast for Seth King at the Grafton VFW – Fire Hall on South Road (County Route 85) in Grafton. The donation for adults is $11 and $6 for children. Children five and under will be admitted free. There will also be a 50/50 drawing, raffles and a pie sale.

Seth King graduated from Berlin Central High School in 1998. He immediately entered the United States Air Force where he trained with the Security Forces. King’s first post was Elmendorf, Alaska; his second post was Baltimore, Maryland, at Bethesda. He served in Iraqi Freedom and is a member of the Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340. Seth is an Eagle Scout from Brunswick Troop 537.

After leaving the military, King was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in 2009 and underwent chemotherapy. He was in remission for four years. In December of 2013 he went for a routine physical, and the doctors confirmed that the lymphoma had returned. He completed another round of chemotherapy; however it is not enough – he is also facing a bone marrow transplant.

His medical insurance covers his treatments thanks to the Veterans Administration. But he will be leaving for Seattle, WA, on August 13 for no less than three months of testing, treatment and the transplant. King’s family is facing additional travel and other unforeseen medical related expenses.

Donations can be deposited at any Pioneer Bank branch payable to:

Seth King Benefit Account or mailed to:

Carner, Etman, Smith V.F.W. Post 6340, P.O. Box 361, Grafton, NY, 12082.

On Wednesday, August 20, at 7 pm, the Grafton Historical Society will present local Civil War historian Mark Bodnar, who will present the details of the prominent Harris and Rathbone families of Albany and unfold this story of love, misfortune and tragedy.  This is a sad, ghastly, yet true story of two local people who witnessed the first presidential assassination in our country.  This 45 minute Power Point® lecture is filled with images of the people, places and documents of that era.  You won’t want to miss this educational and factual account of Clara Harris and Henry Reed Rathbone. The event will take place at the Grafton Town Hall.

After the program, please join us for a special summer treat of strawberry shortcake and cold drinks.

Mark Bodnar was born in Troy and raised in Watervliet.  He received his primary education in Watervliet, and graduated from Catholic Central High School and Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.  His interest in the Civil War began in grammar school and was re-ignited in the late 1980s.  Since that time Bodnar has become highly involved in Civil War research and education local to the Albany area.

Bodnar’s niche in Civil War studies is focused on individual, local soldiers and what they did during the war, predominantly those buried in Albany Rural Cemetery.  As a result of his many years of research at Albany Rural, he is considered the leading authority on Civil War soldiers and prominent civilians from the Civil War period buried in that cemetery.

Bodnar was the primary contributor and leading consultant of the book of Civil War soldiers buried in Albany Rural Cemetery, currently in its second printing.  Mark was also a contributor to the recent book published by the Times Union newspaper, These Exalted Acres: Unlocking the Secrets of Albany Rural Cemetery by Paul Grondahl in 2013.

Bodnar is currently in his second and final term as President of the Historical Society of the Town of Colonie.  He is also the founder and President of The Civil War Buffs Dinner Club and is the Vice Chairman of the New York State Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.

The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department along with the Grafton Ladies Auxiliary will be serving an All You Can Eat Buffet Breakfast on Saturday, August 30, 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!

Charles Farrell of Grafton, a member of the Class of 2016, has been named to the Marist College Dean’s List for the Spring 2014 semester.

Marist is an independent comprehensive liberal arts college with an enrollment of 4,700 full time undergraduate students. Founded in 1929, the College offers 44 major fields of undergraduate study and 12 graduate degree programs. Marist is included in the Princeton Review’s 2013 guide to the top colleges and universities in the U.S., The Best 377 Colleges.

Marist is also ranked tenth in the northern United States in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 “Best Colleges” guide and is listed by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as one of the best values in private colleges and universities.