The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Stephentown

Allen E. Sicley Sr. – Obituary

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Stephentown – Allen E. Sicley, Sr., 94, passed away on Tuesday, October 17th, 2023 at the Mt. Greylock Extended Care Facility in Pittsfield, MA.

He was born in Sand Lake, NY on April 8th, 1929, the son of the late John and Thressa (Maxon) Sicley. He was raised in Berlin, NY and was a graduate of Berlin High School, class of 1948. He married Marion C. Palmer on August 6th, 1949 at the Stephentown Federated Church. [Read more…] about Allen E. Sicley Sr. – Obituary

Vietnam Veteran Statue Unveiled

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Submitted by Stephentown Memorial Library
Capping off a day filled with Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit veterans events, members of the Stephentown Veterans joined the Director and Trustees of The Stephentown Memorial Library (SML) at the library at 7 pm on Thursday, September 21st to unveil a statue of a wounded Vietnam veteran available to view at the library on an ongoing basis.

President of SML’s Board of Trustees Jennifer Peabody kicked off the unveiling, welcoming all assembled to the library. Jen spoke of what a wonderful opportunity it is for the library to greet and support members of Stephentown Veterans as well as other town organizations at events like this, strengthening and reinforcing our community bonds. She reminded those gathered that SML’s mission has always included the honoring of Stephentown’s active military and veterans.

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Stephentown Town Board Highlights

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by Denise Wright
The September 18th board meeting was brief but active. After the approval of paying the bills, which included slabs for the generators and three field trips for the Berlin Summer camp, the minutes from the August 21st meeting were approved. Then, the meeting minutes from the September 11th meeting were approved.

The new highway department truck will be discussed on October 9th. According to Supervisor Roder, the town's budget allotted $25,000 from the justice court but has only brought in approximately $10,000, which means the town is anticipating a deficit.

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Gilman J. Gervais – Obituary

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Pittsfield – Gilman “Gil” Joseph Gervais passed away peacefully on Sunday evening, September 17th, 2023 at the Berkshire Medical Center. Born in Madawaska, Maine on May 24th, 1934, he was one of 10 children to Medley and Anne (Chase) Gervais.

Gil grew up in Maine, traveled for many years as a horse jockey and trainer, and moved to Stephentown in 1966 where he resided with his wife until 2022 when they moved to Pittsfield. After retiring from the horses he ventured into construction where he worked on commercial projects, residential projects, and installing in-ground swimming pools. Gil had a vast array of hands-on knowledge which he was proud to pass along to his son. He was an easy-going, friendly man who could get along with just about anyone. [Read more…] about Gilman J. Gervais – Obituary

Stephentown Town Board Highlights

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By Denise Wright
The August 21st town board meeting was less than an hour but highlighted some great things.

After approving paying the bills and minutes from the July 17th and August 14th special town board meetings, the transfer station reported that the clean-up day on June 9th was a great success. It cost a total of $5,551.03, which is $1,210.42 more than in 2022. Last year, approximately 16 tons of construction/demolition materials were collected, and that nearly doubled this year. The town board reported that materials ranging from electronics to mattresses were collected. One resident thanked the board for holding a day like this because it decreases items left along roadsides.

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Wreaths Across America

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 Mobile Education Exhibit

Submitted by the New Lebanon Town Clerk
On Tuesday, September 19th, the Wreaths Across America (WAA) Mobile Education Exhibit (MEE) will be at the New Lebanon Jr/Sr High School, 14665 Rt. 22. The event, sponsored by the Stephentown Area Veterans together with the New Lebanon and Berlin American Legions, will be open to students from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm, and the public from 3:30 to 7 pm.

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Free Movie Screening 

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Looks to Encourage New Volunteers

Submitted by Mary Grant
The Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) relies solely on volunteers to respond to emergencies in our community. When you call 911, it's not a paid professional coming to help, it’s your neighbor. Members are a diverse group from all walks of life, in all age groups, with many different talents and interests. What members share is the desire to help neighbors and our community. SVFD needs additional help to keep doing all we do. We especially need some younger members of the Stephentown community to step up and join us.

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Raising Money for Suicide Prevention

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September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (SPAM), a time dedicated to addressing a difficult topic and to raising awareness through promoting preventative measures and spotlighting mental health support. Heather's Heart Forge in Stephentown will host their Heartbreaker Competition, an annual forging competition hosted by the business's owners, farrier and bladesmith Steve Wayne and artist Heather Papoojian, and a mini Renaissance Faire to raise funds and awareness for SPAM. The Heather's Heart Forge sadly knows the pain of suicide following the death of a young apprentice. In the aftermath, Wayne and Papoojian have established the Thomas M. Wilson Scholarship to support young promising blade/black smiths.

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Free Screening of Movie Filmed on Local Farm

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Mount Meadow Farm, located in Stephentown and owned by John Senter and Cynthia Blair, was filmed in the summer of 2021 for the psychological thriller Abaddon's Pit by 454 Productions. The farm exterior as well as the interior of the farmhouse and outbuildings feature prominently in the film, which will screen at the New York City Chain Film Festival on Saturday, August 12th.

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Early Morning Dam Break Causes Road Closure

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Courtesy of the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department
At 5:48 am on the morning of July 24th, the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department (SVFED) was paged out for a service call for a flooded roadway in the area of 1315 Garfield Rd. Car 1 was on scene to find that a large barrage of water was coming down off the adjacent hill and running directly into the residence owned by Fire Police Lt. Ian Lanier. A beaver dam had become unstable at the edge of an approximately 44 acre pond above the residence and ultimately gave way from the pressure. Garfield Rd was closed between Joe Ward Rd and Gentile Rd. Car 1 and a Rensselaer County Highway Superintendent gained access to the pond area and found the source and the breach in the dam. Garfield Rd sustained damage from the hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that made its way down the hill and ultimately into the Kinderhook Creek. The SVFD would like to thank the members of the Rensselaer County Highway Department for working to get the roadway reopened as soon as they can. Additional thanks goes out to NYS DEC and members of the Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety for their assistance throughout the afternoon. 

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