Features

By Julia Green
Mitchell Hull did something a little special for his birthday this year: he witnessed history. Hull, an eighth-grade student at Margaretville Central School, attended the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference in Washington, D.C., from Jan. 17-21, and was a spectator at the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

By Margaret Inge
In its 11th year, the Catskill Best Service Awards continues to serve as a testament to the value of excellent service. The volume of votes cast substantiates the fact that customers appreciate the difference and are anxious to express their appreciation. Quality of service is a primary factor in the success of every business. Join us in congratulating those businesses and service providers who have distinguished themselves to their customers by the consistent delivery of high quality service.

By Brian Sweeney
A longtime Arkville business is expanding its offerings thanks to the introduction of two new partners in the operation.
Maine Black Bear has been run by Bruce Beddoe for more than 27 years. The business traces its origins to Bruce traveling to Maine to pick up (Bruce lived in Maine and came here on the weekends with his truck to sell) fresh seafood and selling it from his truck along Route 28. A few years later, he officially opened a seafood market in a small building near the Dry Brook Bridge.

By Julia Green
Sneakers will be the footwear of choice for Margaretville Central School basketball coaches on Friday night, when MCS takes part in the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer Awareness Week.

By Julia Green
It is a country that spent its fair share of time in the national news spotlight in recent months for many of the wrong reasons, including a disputed presidential election, a major outbreak of cholera, and an inquiry into the country’s diamond-mining process following claims that the industry was plagued by violence and other transgressions.
But the Zimbabwean “diamonds in the rough” that are coming to the Catskills at the end of January have little to do with the mining of precious stones.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — On Tuesday, Jan. 13, New Kingston resident Fran Faulkner and her sister, Sandy Holsten of Landenberg, Pa., boarded the Queen Mary 2 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a 90-day cruise around the world.
Faulkner and Holsten’s accommodations aboard the liner are located in the central part of the ship, ensuring a smoother ride, and include two beds, a loveseat, desk, closet space, bathroom and a sheltered balcony. Upon arriving in their cabin, the women reclaimed their luggage, which they had shipped with the Cunard White Star Luggage Service a week prior to embarking.

By Julia Green
The number one item on nine-year-old Margaretville resident Cameron Passarelli’s Christmas list this year was a kidney. A close second was a Nintendo Wii.

By Brian Sweeney
When Heather Gockel took her position as Roxbury Town Justice on January 1, she and her father, Middletown Town Justice Glen George, became the first daughter-father judge team in Delaware County history.

By Julia Green
The A&P store in Margaretville is closing its doors this month, on the threshold of the company’s 150th year of operations.

By Matthew J. Perry
Andes residents kicked into the holiday season Saturday with a town-wide effort that celebrated the past, the present, and of course, a certain gent from the North Pole.
In what is hoped will become a yearly extravaganza, local merchants teamed with the Andes Society for History and Culture to create an attraction that celebrated both the season and the town.