Community

Roxbury — Celebrate naturalist John Burroughs’ 175th birthday with a visit to Woodchuck Lodge on July 7 or 8.

The Lodge, located at 1633 Burroughs Memorial Road, will be open for free tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Follow signs from NYS Route 30 to Hardscrabble Rd., just north of the hamlet of Roxbury.

Margaretville – Thirteen photographs by Arkville artist David Leveson are now on view at the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC), 905 Main St., in Margaretville.

Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit in the boardroom weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through August 31. All of the photographs are matted and framed, and are available for purchase.

The Margaretville Fire Department will celebrate its 125 anniversary with a series commemorative events, including a parade along Margaretville’s Main Street on Saturday, July 7 starting at 11 a.m.
Gordy McMurray, an MFD member for 52+ years, will be King of the Parade. A special float carrying past fire chiefs will include Bob Lange and Robert Hunt, who are coming back to the area to visit for the occasion.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Recent activity hints at progress in the decade-long journey of the Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park.
Last week The LA group, a landscape architecture and engineering firm based out of Saratoga Springs, announced they have recently assembled the team to move forward with the project, including the design of a golf course.

However, a spokesman for Crossroads Ventures, the company behind the resort project, says they still have a ways to go before getting approvals.

Still submitting info

By Jay Braman Jr.
Governor Andrew Cuomo last week appointed two new members to the Board of Directors of the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority, otherwise known as ORDA.

He added Ulster County Legislator John Parete and Coalition to Save Belleayre Chairman Joe Kelly to the ORDA Board. The appointments follow the governor’s decision earlier this year to have ORDA take over management of the state-owned Belleayre Ski Center in the Town of Shandaken. ORDA currently operates Whiteface and Gore ski centers in the Adirondacks.

By Brian Sweeney
Members of the Class of 2012 celebrated their graduations on Friday and Saturday at area high schools.

Andes
Andes had 10 graduates who were honored at Friday evening’s outdoor commencement.
Matthew Armstrong gave the valedictory address and Ashley Terry offered the salutatorian speech.
Class members also included: Sage Beemer, Lonny Chin, Desirae Coss, Kevin Fronckowiak, Marissa Heannings, Arianna Kole, Michael Maxim and Matthew White.
Former ACS teacher and administrator Joseph Grieco gave the commencement address.

By Jay Braman Jr.
There’s a type of store usually called a “Mom and Pop” operation. One can buy milk there, and cigarettes too, and all sorts of goodies for the kids. Everyone knows the names of the owners, and they know the names of their customers. The hours are long and the work is hard, but so what. It’s theirs. It’s owned by Mom and Pop.

Now there’s a new store opening in Big Indian that expands on that a bit.
It could be called a “Mom and Pop and Daughter and Grandson” operation. A mouthful, true, but true nevertheless.

Margaretville — There will be a reunion of the descendants of John and Elisabeth Fairbairn,
who came from Roxburghshire, Scotland and married at Bovina in 1841, later residing in New Kingston, and Hardenburgh, on Saturday, October 13 at the Margaretville -New Kingston Presbyterian Church.

The church is located at the corner of Orchard Street and Mountain Avenue in Margaretville. The festivities will begin at noon, rain or shine.

Anyone attending is asked to bring a dish to pass for a crowd, your family, and any family

Mt. Tremper — One lucky lover of the Catskill Mountain region will win a $1,500 prize in August when his or her descriptive tag line is selected by the Catskill Park Resource Foundation for use in an advertising and promotional campaign to attract new and returning visitors to the region.
Florida, the Sunshine State! Pure Michigan! Virginia is for Lovers! It’s Bettah in the Bahamas!

Each of these successful tourism venues has spent millions publicizing these slogans. And it works. Each area has become an important tourism destination and/or markedly increased its business.

By Brian Sweeney
Two children were killed last week when the All-Terrain Vehicle they were riding on collided with a dump truck in the Town of Gilboa.

Officials from the Schoharie County Sheriff’s Department said the victims were the ATV driver Jeffrey Jones, 16, of North Blenheim and a passenger, Brittany Paes, 12, of Gilboa.