Roxbury

By Julia Green
Roxbury Planning Board Chairman Joe Farleigh said Wednesday he believes that things are “in pretty good shape at this point” in terms of the wind turbine application process during the town’s monthly planning board meeting, adding that he believes the public comments submitted during the SEQR process were “quite inclusive” and doesn’t suppose anything has been left out.
The comments received during the public hearing phase of the process in response to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are still in the hands of LaBella Associates, the primary technical consultant being solicited by the planning board, as the planning board awaits feedback in order to proceed with the drafting of the Final Environmental Impact State-ment.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has announced the winners of the Rensselaer Medal. Karly Bolger of Roxbury is this year’s honoree at Roxbury Central School.

Whet Paint, an annual event that has become one of the most popular days in The Roxbury Arts Group’s busy calendar, returns on Saturday, Aug. 30. Over 40 artists have signed up to receive canvases at RAG in the morning. From there they will go out into the streets and fields of the surrounding area and create fresh and inspired works of art. They will return to RAG with these paintings at 4 p.m., and the paintings will be hung on the walls of the Hilt Kelly Hall and sold at a silent auction during one of RAG’s most lavish gallery receptions.

Catherine Fleming of Wells Bridge, a former teacher for several years at Roxbury Central School, celebrated her 94th birthday at her home Thursday, Aug. 21. She received six telephone calls and 23 cards. Miss Fleming is in good health and still remembers her individual students when teaching at Roxbury.

Kirkside Island will be the site of a 10 a.m. outdoor worship service on Sunday, Aug. 31. The Roxbury United Methodist Church and the Jay Gould Memorial Reformed Church are sponsoring the service as a kickoff for Roxbury’s Turn of the Century events. Music will be supplied by the Roxbury Brass and the choir will share a special anthem.

Roxbury’s maple-lined Main Street is a living showcase of 19th-century architecture, with the entire hamlet on the State and National Register of Historic Places. On Saturday, Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., owners of some of Roxbury’s finest grand dames will graciously open their doors in a “once-a-year opportunity” to take a leisurely tour inside. Student docents will explain how these homes and their features reflected 19th-century life in this Catskills hamlet.

Dora Fowler of Grand Gorge received a special birthday gift on August 13. Her longtime co-worker and friend Esther Snyder sang “Happy Birthday” with piano accompaniment over the telephone. Dora has enjoyed a visit from her daughter Cynthia from a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee. The women visited Dora’s sister Catherine Van Woert in Milford. They also spent a delightful afternoon with Dora’s first cousin Carl Filer and his wife Esther of Union Springs.

The annual African Dance Party at The Roxbury Arts Group promises to be an especially lively one this year, with the Bernard Woma Ensemble, joined by traditional dancers, leading the festivities on Friday, August 22 at 8 p.m. Admission is $10. The group will also offer a free children’s concert and workshop at 2 p.m. Both events will take place in the Hilt Kelly Hall on Vega Mountain Road, Roxbury.

See the early history of baseball come to life all Labor Day weekend in Roxbury’s magnificent Kirkside Park, as the Roxbury Nine vintage team hosts the Harry M. Keator Vintage Base Ball Tournament. A full weekend of action and emotion is guaranteed as eight of the northeast’s most competitive vintage ball clubs converge on Roxbury in the western Catskills. The action begins on Friday evening, August 29, and continues full throttle all Saturday and Sunday, August 30 and 31, with the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. — a match the Roxbury Nine has never lost.

Roxbury’s annual Turn of the Century Days is packed with “all the agreeable pursuits of 1898” on both Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 30 and 31. With many new events and features, this is definitely the time to visit the 19th century, even if you’ve been there before. Here is a handy guide to what’s happening when, so you won’t miss your favorite part of the 19th-century.