Annual Hillsdale/Copake Fall Harvest Festival was a huge success!

Dear Editor:


The 2nd Annual Hillsdale/Copake Fall Harvest Festival was a huge success! Despite gloomy weather predictions, the rain held off long enough for everyone to enjoy the day and all it had to offer: farmers’ wares; a bake sale; a silent auction; Halloween Face Painting by Tracy Hanselman; 4H sheep petting; Main Farm calf petting; music by local musicians (The BH Brothers, Civilian, The Varriales, The Hillsdale Hillbillies, and Paul Slusar & Chris Dellea); food, featuring a Pig Roast by the Hillsdale Fire Co.; drinks by the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts; and hay wagon rides. Many activities were ongoing throughout the day, including turkey calling demonstrations, kids’ games, pumpkin decorating, sack races, duck races in the Roe Jan Kill, a “biggest pumpkin” contest, an apple pie contest, and more.

This special event has a unique vision. Unlike each town’s individual-annual community day, it is a chance for our towns to join together at fall harvest time in the new Roeliff Jansen park to celebrate our local agriculture, and our local farmers’ wares, which are a featured aspect of the festival. We all agree that we live in a beautiful little piece of the world, and the Festival encourages us to come out and connect with nature, our community members, and be grateful for the precious land we share.

As this year’s event Chair, I personally want to thank all members of the community for your hard work, support, and generosity. Specifically, I thank our enthusiastic event participants, including Rose Rita Peterson Scarecrow Display, St Bridget Universal Prayer Garden, Cornell Cooperative Extention, Farmscape Ecology program at Hawthorne Valley, Friends of Taconic State Park, Old Rte. 22 Dog run group, Roeliff Jansen Historical Society, Trout Unlimited, and Hawk Dance Farm.

Many thanks also to our donors for donations including silent auction items, donuts from Stewarts, syrup from Camphill Village, apples from Philip’s Orchard, Love Apple Farm, and Threshold Farms, gourds from Samascott Orchard, potatoes from Staron Farm and Honey Dog Farm, pumpkins from White Oak Farm, and various vegetables from the farmers’ market.

I would like to thank our generous sponsors, including the Town of Hillsdale, Columbia County Tourism, Salisbury Bank & Trust Co, Copake Park & Recreation, Hillsdale Highway Dept., Hillsdale IGA, North Mountain Nursery & Farmstand, Roeliff Jansen Community Library, and Taconic Valley Lawn & Garden.

Finally, I would like to extend special thanks to all the volunteers, whether behind the scenes or working that day, including the Roeliff Jansen Park Steering committee, the Harvest Festival committee, and all who helped make this event so wonderful by their participation and attendance. The day couldn’t have happened without you all!

Next year’s Festival is planned for Saturday, October 2, 2010, and will be held rain or shine, as there is plenty of barn and tent coverage.

The Roeliff Jansen Park Steering committee will organize the event in 2010 and beyond: the goal is that the “Roe Jan Harvest Festival” will truly engage all the Roe Jan towns, in addition to Copake and Hillsdale, and that community members from across the region will participate in the festivities and unite through our area’s bountiful harvest. See you next year!

Most sincerely,
Christina Dellea
Hillsdale
2008/2009 Harvest Festival Chair

Our Town Board Did The Right Thing

I agree. I was happy to see that the individuals on our town board can come together, put partisanship aside, and do the right thing for the Copake community.


People can talk all they want but it's their actions that will be remembered. I hope to see more of that type of cooperation.

I'm really floored by the antics of the County's Republican Party, they might as well just vote for the Democrats.

Good Job!

R Awe

The Vote by Our Town Board

Bob, The last meeting at town hall was very interesting and important.  The vote by our town board was in the best interest of the town and I am very glad that it was unanimous. As a life-long Republican I would have had great trouble if those boys voted against your well reasoned resolution. The right to vote is extremely important to me and every American.  Please keep up the good work. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t vote for you, but I have great respect for your continued demonstration of leadership.

John Watts

The Validity of Certain Votes

I cannot be at the meeting on Saturday, but I'd like to add my voice to the debate over the questioning of the validity of certain votes in local elections.

I deplore this activity and see it as a transparent and insidious effort by county Republicans to disenfranchise, in a totally un-Democratic way, a targeted group of American citizens who are part of our community, but who may not, the Republicans fear, be voting for Republican candidates.

Sincerely,

Neil Costa 

Voter Rights

I believe if you live here even part time you have a right to vote on local issues. I grew up in Berkshire county & most of my life I have listened to locals complain about second home owners. Lets not forget they donate to local hospitals, ambulance, fire station, park etc. They have also prevented developers from destroying our local beauty. People who believe they have no voter rights are small minded ignorant individuals.

 Laurie Basinait

It is High Time to Fight Back

I appreciated your editorial ....it is high time to fight back vigorously.

If the Republican leadership does not cease their harassment, why not publish their names and the businesses they own.  It would help second home owners know enough to avoid giving them our business.. We could start by providing the information about Fingar's insurance business and go from there.

Lou  Levitt

I used to attend meetings more often under the old administration. I attended a few under the new and after the last Board meeting for the budget was going to write in. I feel that this new board has a lot of problems. Like Diane today I also felt like leaving because of all the bickering. At  the last meeting I heard upsetting comments from Karen Hallenback. I am a senior but respect seniors who are more senior then I am. They are the people who paved the way for how we live today. We deserve more respect then what she gave us. I just don’t believe in being rude.

  Also I vote for our town representatives for the good of our town. All I hear is  discension between the members. Don’t you get together before meetings to discuss what is on the agenda. It seems to me that one person doesn’t know the others persons views on the subjects to be discussed. This is like arguing in front of your kids. Argue in private and discuss the outcome in front of the residents. This is why we voted for you. Whether it’s Republicans or Democrats, we have to have unity. This is the problem with the world today, it’s a power play. We have to work together no matter what  party we belong to.

Barbara and John Gallicano

Copake, New York