Schuylerville Chamber of Commerce

EVENING WITH ST. NICOLAAS

2010-12-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's December, folks, whether you're ready for it or not. And with December comes our big Dutch celebration, the annual Evening With St. Nicolaas, complete this year with a Festival of Trees and Craft Fair, sponsored by the Schuylerville Community Theater, and Story Time with Julie Martin reading “The Mitten” by Jan Brett. The Trees, Entertainment, Story Time and crafts will be located at the Town of Saratoga Town Hall. Children and St. Nicolaas, on his white horse, attended by his Piets, will gather at the corner of Spring St. and Broad, Rts.4 and 29. St. Nicolaas will lead us all on a lantern parade through downtown to light the village tree. There will be carolers, story tellers, food and drink, along with festival revelers. Timetable for the various events follows:

*10AM The Festival of Trees sponsored by the Schuylerville Community Theater. Beautifully decorated Christmas Trees, Wreaths, Kissing Balls, Entertainment and Crafts for your shopping pleasure!

*3PM Story Time with Librarian Julie Martin reading, “THE MITTEN” by Jan Brett followed by a craft activity for children.

*4:15PM Children may pick up lanterns to accompany St. Nicolaas in his parade.

*4:45PM St Nicolaas Arrives !! The Parade Begins!

*5:30PM St Nicolaas ceremony and Tree lighting at Schuylerville’s Village Park.

Most businesses will be open for the celebration, displaying their holiday wares and decorations, and many will be offering refreshments. Schuyler Sweets will be selling Chocolate, St Nicolaas Chocolate Letters and serving goodies; Dwell will be open for your holiday shopping, as will Olde Saratoga Bike & Boards. Gallery on the Hudson will be open for gallery viewing and refreshments, as will Riverfront Studios and The Gallery Down Under. The Canal Street Arts Center will be offering finely crafted items in the holiday shop; Old Saratoge Books and Dana Clark Accounting will be open and serving treats. The Canal Crossing Mosaic Workshop and Badger's Cigar Den will be open for visitors, and Second Hand Rose will offer 10% off everything in the shop all day. Turning Point Rotary will provide coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to warm you as you stroll, Eli's will have goodies to go with it, and and if you'd rather drink than eat, Old Saratoga Wine and Spirits will be serving "Gluvein", warm wine punch. Byron's Market will top off the evening with their delicious pea soup.

So put on your warmest woolies and join the fun as we continue our Dutch Christmas tradition. SEE YOU THERE!

SWEET PEA THANKS VICTORY MILLS

2010-08-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

(A personal note from the webmaster, Dotty Robinson)

After four years living at large, Sweet Pea, the gray “ghost dog” of Victory Mills is home. She was captured Monday evening on the porch of the St. Stephens parish hall by Douglas Durning and Nancy Knapik, who had seen her taking refuge in their sand barrel, especially during storms. A Katrina rescue who had lived in a succession of shelters for most of the year afterward, Sweet Pea dug her way out of our fenced yard the day after we brought her home in June, 2006. She has been literally running scared ever since.

For several weeks, she came to our back porch during the night to eat the food we left out for her, though no amount of coaxing or chasing could snare her. Neighbors tried to catch her too, and kept us up to date on her whereabouts. I did a daily “Sweet Pea Sweep” to make sure she had not been hit by a car. When duck hunting season started, however, with shots heard all around us, Sweet Pea high-tailed it into town. Flyers posted throughout the area yielded many phone calls but no dog. House to house canvassing revealed that many Victory Mills residents were finding their cat food left on the back porch was disappearing rapidly, and many people had seen her walking down the street, “just as if she was going somewhere”, one person said. She was seen by the post office, in the cemetery, at the mill, everywhere, it seemed, but could not be caught.

As days went by, and then weeks, we worried about the coming winter. We hoped her fluffy chow coat would protect her. Bob Donisthorpe and Lorraine Petralia reported that Sweet Pea seemed to be taking shelter in a leaning piece of scrap metal behind their house, down by Fish Creek, so they started putting out food for her. That was almost four years ago, and they put out the last bowl of food on Monday before they learned that she had been caught.

Many, many times through the years we discovered people who had been feeding Sweet Pea. Claudia Nevins would put out leftovers for her when her husband Bill spotted the dog approaching. “My friend Cathy up on the hill said she’s been feeding her too,” said Claudia, “and she said the dog drinks a lot of water”. Gail Sullivan reported the dog’s habitual path through her back yard, and Mayor Jim Sullivan saw Sweet Pea most evenings as he took his evening walk. “She looked in really bad shape recently,” he said. So Dr. Patti Jolie provided worming medicine, which Bob and Claudia planted in the food they put out.

Ed Cross, our local animal control officer, had been trying to trap Sweet Pea, without success, for a long time. He redoubled his efforts as her health deteriorated. When he called to tell me the news, he sounded incredulous. “Those people will be the heroes of the town!” he said. And indeed they are. Doug took the dog to the nearby vet, Dr. Sarah Schug, who stayed after hours to treat her many ailments and inoculate her. With the help of our daughter, Linda Cook, and our grandchildren, Austin, Hannah, and Graham, we brought Sweet Pea home to recuperate.

We didn’t know that Nancy and Douglas were keeping track of Sweet Pea, just as we never knew who all the people were who called about her, watched out for her, and fed her. What we do know is that there are a lot of very, very nice people in Victory Mills, and to them we, and Sweet Pea, are forever grateful.

SPRING IS HERE!

2010-04-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

Now that the temperature has gotten over 80' we can safely say that spring has arrived. Another sure sign are the beautiful lilac postcards that are appearing all around town, heralding the coming Gardener's Weekend on Mother's Day weekend, May 8th and 9th. We are fortunate to have Jeff Young, "Vermont's Mr. Lilac" again this year, for discussion and hands-on workshop. The theme this year is "Lilacs & Herbs", so a session on growing and cooking with herbs will feature Penny Sandora from nearby Northeast Corner Herb Farm in Fort Ann. Area garden shops will be open all weekend, giving discounts and demonstrations. A full, fun weekend for all ages.

If you see a lot of people walking around town dipping into their bags of chocolates, it's because they've just visited Broadway's newest shop, Saratoga Sweets, down on the corner.Bob's Easter confections of bunnies and eggs, in white and dark chocolate as well as milk chocolate were flying off the shelves the past few days. Fudge, turtles, chocolate pops, and traditional bon-bons all get our two thumbs up.

Print Says, across the street, is featuring a Small Business special of 20% discount through May. Cara at Dovegate's Kitchen at the Inn is offering a soup and salad lunch for only $5.95, and Bob at the Alcove Marina, south of town, has specials on food and drink going every weekend.

Fair weather brings out bicylclists of all ages and stages, and it also means Monday night Rides, heading out from Olde Saratoga Bike & Boards at 6:00 PM every Monday. There are two paces of rides, for cyclists who are very fit and those who are not so. Distances vary, beginning about 15 level miles and going up to 25-30 miles on more challenging terrain. And speaking of cyclists, for a real treat, go across the river and check out the world class cyclists at next weekend's Tour of the Battenkill.

This week is school vacation and next week starts baseball season, softball, lacrosse, and track. Tennis season has already started - did you see our triumphant players featured on the front page of the local paper? Lots going on, much to see and do, so get out and enjoy our nice community!

SAINT NICOLAAS FESTIVAL

2010-01-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

It couldn't have been more perfect: beautiful flakes of snow started to fall just as Saint Nicolaas began his ride down Broadway, the stores twinkled with colorful lights...... but let our fearless leader take it from here:

Saint Nicolaas will be back next year! Thanks to the many good people who made this year’s St. Nicolaas (Sinterklaas) celebration a big success. We are already planning for his arrival next year.

In 2009 Schuylerville’s celebration of its Dutch heritage was more authentic than ever. Photos of our “Sinterklaas” festivities are showing up on the websites that carry news of Dutch cultural events around the country. As our celebration continues to evolve, it will surely fill its intended role as a unique enough event in our media market to boost the good name of our community to a higher awareness in the surrounding area. As such it joins our other three “signature” events, the Gardener’s Weekend/Lilac Festival, the Turning Point Parade, and, as of 2009 the Schuyler Skiff, specifically designed to raise awareness of the potential of our area.

A special thanks to the committee, Marie Foster, Lois Dudley, Susan Miller, Carol Hammer, Kate McMahon, Joanna Albertson, Mary Roberts and Deb Mathis. Thanks to Mary and Deb for the two beautiful Dutch villages, and to Mary for all the costumes. Thanks to Lorraine Thompson, Ralph Brooks, the Community Theater, and the Methodist Choir for the music; to Mayor Sherman and the Village crew for the new tree, the pole decorations, and the clean-up of the street and park; to the “over sixties” (Bob, Bob, Dave and Richard) who set up the bandstand; to the Garden Club for the beautiful wreaths and decorations; to the Lions Club for the children’s lanterns; to the Rotary Club for the coffee and coco; to Chris Tucker for the sound system; to the State Police and the Sheriff’s Office for the traffic control; to the merchants and businesses who stayed open and served treats and welcomed visitors; to our marching Burgermeisters John Sherman and Tom Wood; to all the great kids who served as “Piets”; to Karlene Bulson and her wonderful white horse “Dell”; and, of course to the Saint himself, Walter Grom.

Next year we would like to have many more activities for young people, especially the little ones. Please make your ideas and suggestions known – AND - if at all possible - volunteer for the committee.

Warm wishes for an early Spring,

The Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce
/ by David W. Roberts, President

GALLERY OPENING

2009-11-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

We have just the thing to lift your spirits during these difficult times: an opening reception of the Holiday Show at the Riverfront Studios, 96 Broad Street on Saturday, the 7th, from 5:00 till 7:00, complete with munchies and music by Ria Curley and her band. The West Gallery will feature small works by artists from past shows and exhibits. In the East Gallery, Laura Von Rosk and Deb Hall will present new work. Come meet the artists and enjoy an evening of great jazz!

We probably fail to fully appreciate what this wonderful gallery has accomplished in its relentlesss pursuit of the finest artists from the area, and beyond, to exhibit and demonstrate their skills for us. The recent live demonstrations by Skidmore faculty artists got rave reviews from the SRO crowd. Next time you read about an artist's demonstration at the gallery, do yourself a favor and come to be inspired.

Schuylerville is fortunate to have many prominent artists and craftsmen living and working here. Doug Klein, of Saratoga Clayworks, has his home and studio across from the monument, and offers classes, workshops, and group tours and demonstrations. Ivy Associates, a relatively new gallery on Broad Street, features continuing exhibits of outstanding artists. Sue Reynolds, an artist herself, although some of us remember her best as My Fair Lady, runs the Gallery on the Hudson, upstairs at 92 Broad Street, featuring local artists. Schuylerville resident Noah Savett is a sculptor of national renown, and his daughter Cassandra is a recent honor graduate of Alfred and a fine potter and artist in her own right.

These are but a few of the artists in our midst. Though Schuylerville has been known in the past as a battleground or hub of river transportation, it always has and always will have the beauty of its riverfront location. Current museum exhibits of Hudson River art, commemorating its 400th anniversary, attest to that. Small wonder artists are attracted to the area. Come join some of them on Saturday, or any other day the galleries are open.

2009-10-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Initials - A Dutch Tradition! In the 16th and 17th centuries, according to old Germanic traditions, letters made from pastry were presented to children at birth as a symbol of good fortune and this became a part of the St Nicholas legend in the 19th century. A bread dough letter was used to identify whose gifts were hidden in a shoe or under a sheet. Then the children had to find their initial in order to see what else St Nicholas had left for them. When the Dutch, famous as traders, brought home cocoa beans along with coffee, tea and spices from exotic lands, their love affair with chocolate began. They learned to make some of the finest chocolate in the world. Soon, the St Nicholas’ letters were made from chocolate and the tradition continues to this day. The Dutch chocolate makers keep St Nicholas supplied with enough chocolate letters for every household in Holland – and even have plenty for us!

The Dutch Tradition of Chocolate Initials continues!
Just in time for Schuylerville’s St. Nicholas Day Celebration, Saturday, December 5th, 2009. Orders for Chocolate Letters are now being taken for delivery in the first week of December and throughout the Holiday Season. Chocolate Letters, in either Dark, Milk or Sugarless Chocolate, 3 x 4 inches in size, come individually packaged in a festive box. The cost is $6.00 each and can be ordered by calling or emailing Marie Foster, 518-695-5609 or mailto:fostermr@verizon.net Please make checks payable to the Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Good fortune to all who receive the first letter of their first name in Chocolate! Delicious!

SCHUYLERSKIFF

2009-10-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

An Autumn Colors rowing race for single shells – “The Schuylerskiff” will be held on Sunday October 11th on the Hudson River in Schuylerville NY. The first of what will become an annual event will see eight winners sent off to Italy to the World Singles Championships – “The Silverskiff” – held each November in Turin.

The Schuylerskiff is being organized by the Saratoga Rowing Association and the Schuylerville Chamber of Commerce. It will kick off with a musket volley at the starting line at 8:00 AM by Revolutionary Era re-enactors involved in the Surrender Week activities at the Saratoga National Historical Park.

Judy and Phil Dean will host the race at the Schuyler Yacht Basin located at the bridge in Schuylerville. Prizes are sponsored through the generosity of The Fort Miller Group and the Adirondack Trust Company.

The Schuylerskiff is a “head” race in which competitors race against the clock. It will be open to all four classes of rowers each with a men’s and women’s division: Juniors A, B & C; Elite & lightweight, Open & lightweight and Masters A, B, C & D. Junior racers will compete over 4 kilometers and all the others will be 8 kilometer races. The course is set “down and back” with the start and finish lines both visible from the Yacht Basin.

Spectators are encouraged and welcome. Spectator parking is in Fort Hardy, and boat parking is at the beach across from the Yacht Basin. Registration and award ceremonies will all be at the Yacht Basin.

The Champlain Canal Tour Boat Company will be on-site offering fans opportunities to ride out on the river, Schuylerville galleries, eateries and merchants will all be available to greet rowers and their friends. All three National Park venues, the Schuyler House, the Victory Monument and the Battlefield, will be open and celebrating Surrender Week. There is a reggae concert at Saratoga Apple in the afternoon, and the Schuyler Farms Corn Maze will have hayrides for families of rowers.

METTAWEE RIVER THEATER COMPANY PERFORMANCE

2009-07-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Mettawee River Theater Company Performs

“Beyond the High Valley - a Quechua story”

On the Historic Schuyler House Grounds
(Schuylerville, NY) Utilizing large-scale and highly decorative puppetry, the Mettawee River Theater Company will perform “Beyond the High Valley - a Quechua story” on Friday July 24 at 8:00pm on the grounds of the historic Schuyler House on Route 4 in Schuylerville. Please bring flashlights and lawn chairs to this free event. If weather is uncertain for this outdoor event, please call 854.9357 after 5:30pm to confirm the performance
The Quechua people are descendants of the Incas, and their villages are located in the Andean highlands of Peru. As the story begins, a giant condor spies a young woman tending her family’s llamas in a meadow. He sweeps down from the sky, transforms into a dashing lover and then carries her off to a rocky crag. Her unlikely rescuer is a creature of dazzling ingenuity, a plucky little hummingbird. This production will incorporate a range of puppets and other visual elements realized on many different scales, expressing the vast distances, radiant sky and rugged, vertical thrust of this fierce and beautiful terrain.

Performing arts were highly popular during America’s Revolutionary War period. In fact, British General John Burgoyne who faced a devastating military defeat at Saratoga in 1777 went on in life as a highly successful playwright. Performing arts were an integral part of 18th century life and “Beyond the High Valley” is presented as part of “Arts-in-the-Parks” at Saratoga Battlefield and in partnership with the Schuylerville Chamber of Commerce.

SUMMER'S HERE

2009-07-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

There was a bright yellow object in the sky this morning that seemed to indicate that the rainy season in Schuylerville might be over and the summer fun can begin in earnest.

Start the season on the water, taking a trip on one of the Champlain Canal Boat Tours. The M/V Sadie is now operating through Labor Day from 10 AM till 7 PM, offering both the waterfall and lock-through excursions on a trip lasting about half an hour. The Caldwell Belle will cruise by the Northumberland waterfalls and the cascades at Fort Miller, Tuesday through Saturday at 1:30 and Sunday at 5 PM, for a 1 1/2 hour trip. Or you can sail downriver to the battlefield park and through one of the canal’s deepest locks on a 3-hour journey. Full schedules are at http://www.champlaincanaltours.com.

The battlefield park is a beehive of activity this summer. They are offering Saturday evening interpretive strolls, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Meet at the flagpole in the Visitor Center parking lot and caravan to the tour road stops highlighted each evening. Water bottles, bug repellant, and comfortable walking shoes are suggested. The programs are free of charge. This weekend, Ranger Joe Craig will discuss “Damaged, Displaced and Dead”, the often dire consequences to soldiers and civilians during the Campaign and Battles of Saratoga. For more details, go to www.nps.gov/sara.

The battlefield park is also offering Friday morning interpretive walks in July and August, at 9 AM. Participants should be able to walk two miles over uneven ground, for two hours, and should bring bug spray and drinking water. This Friday’s walk will cover the Bemis Heights battle of October 7, 1777, and on Friday, July 25th, the subject will be “Why Saratoga”, or, why did the American forces choose to stand and fight here?

If that’s not enough battlefield park activity for you, there will be a bike tour on Wednesday, July 15 from 6 to 7:30 PM. The guided bike tours will cover various sections of the battlefield, giving participants a unique opportunity to learn about the Battle of Saratoga. Riders should meet at the Visitor Center and wear helmets.

Right here in town, there are group bike rides through the surrounding countryside every Monday evening from 6 to 8. Meet at Olde Saratoga Bike & Boards and prepare to have a blast.

And speaking of bikes, aren’t the colorful flower-bedecked bicycles gracing our village streets wonderful?? Besides the bikes, the newly planted flower beds make the village most attractive! Kudos go to Mary Roberts and the crew of garden club members and others for this abundance of flowers! To see many more flowers, go to the Schuylerville Garden Club’s Flower Show on Saturday and Sunday, the 11th and 12th, in the Town Hall.

Artwise, there will be an opening reception at the Riverfront Studios on July 11th from 5:00 to 7:00, with music provided by Tumbleweed Gumbo. Featured artists are Jeffrey Hessing, Hideaki Miyamura, Rita Dee, Dahl Taylor, Phil Rogers and special guest, Celeste Susany. In the East Gallery there will be A Tribute to the Hudson River, juried by James Kettlewell. These exhibits will continue through August 22nd. Also, Ivy Associates Art Gallery is continuing to feature the paintings, prints, and drawings of Don Wynn. Hours to view this exhibit are Thursday through Saturday from 11 to 3, and Sunday from 1 to 3.

To wind up with music, come tap your toes to the tunes of True Grass on Saturday, the 11th, at 7 PM at the Music on the Hudson bandstand at Fort Hardy Park. If you want to enjoy dining by the river, bring your food and friends to join the fun at 6:00 - a nice way to spend a Saturday evening!

A NEW "OLDE SARATOGA"

2009-05-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

That New York State has the highest taxes in the country is a national disgrace. We all agree. That our vast maze of overlapping local governments is horrendously inefficient there is no disputing. It is numbing to think that in the name of tax relief the best our State legislature can think up is a cap the amount by which taxes can be raised.

Voters and taxpayers are righteously indignant. Most are looking for a way to “just say NO!” – Or - better yet, kick the political establishment somewhere where it hurts. Who can’t identify with some part of that feeling?

Our politically savvy Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo has gotten a good whiff of this sentiment. He is sponsoring programs that would make it easier for governments to “consolidate” and theoretically become more efficient. The pundits say he has earned some important political capital in so doing. Some in our area are actively seeking the dissolution of local Village governments; a case and point, the governments of the Villages of Schuylerville and Victory.

It is very easy to point out the ungainly nature of government at such a local level. After all, in the case of these two governments, both incorporated in the 1800’s to meet the needs of energetic mill-town economies, every thing within their boundaries has changed since their inception except the governments themselves. The mills are shuttered, the railroad torn up and mainstreet has been malled practically to death. The economy that supports the village residents today no longer represents the economic efforts of the local businesses and industries which called these governments into being in the first place. It is a fact that these governments remain as “micro” entities now contained within a completely changed “macro” economy.

Obsolete? Maybe, but before we throw them all down, we should remember that smashing uncomfortable furniture with a hammer doesn’t make it any more comfortable. Before we dissolve or consolidate our ancient governments we have to ask the questions: dissolve into what? And consolidate with whom? Eliminating the Village governments, while tempting, is not going to automatically make our situation any better, or, for that matter, reduce the cost of doing things that Town governments weren’t designed to do. The Town of Saratoga, for example, is a broad county subdivision also containing huge rural landscapes, farms, recreational lake properties and suburbs of Saratoga Springs. Those interests don’t necessarily share the needs or the potential of the river communities to their east. Nor are they likely to want to subsidize anyone else’s needs through a raise in their own taxes.

Rather than basing our actions on what it is we don’t want, it would be more productive to focus on what we do. It would be better to consider an area, which could become a natural “macro” for the current Schuylerville/Victory community. Such an area would include the major assets of each village joined with their surrounding neighborhoods to create a viable entity within which to plan a healthy forward platform for development. Such a platform could support the needs of the population and spin-off businesses of the huge development in the Luther Forest just down the road.

Many of the observers of the current economic crisis are predicting that the successful communities of America’s future will not be based on suburban sprawl and so totally reliant on the automobile. They will be denser, better planned, fully integrated communities which can constitute a viable local economy on their own. If you inventory the assets of Schuylerville/Victory and their immediate surroundings… the amazing river, the public infrastructure and its potential for expansion, the downtown and its potential for renewal, the possibilities for carefully planned growth … just such a community can easily be envisioned.

Think of an area beginning roughly at the bridge in Northumberland and running south to Coveville, from the river west to Grangerville. Like pot bound seedlings set out to grow strong, all landowners in such a subdivision would see their property values increase as the community blossomed into a new more realistic context. And, by the way, governance of such an area might be ideally suited for the corporate powers village governments were originally meant to provide. In addition, such a village could exist on both sides of town lines (e.g. Northumberland and Saratoga) just as the Village of Cambridge does today in White Creek and Cambridge.

It is always easier to be against something than it is to build something new. At this moment in our country’s history it is time to be positive, to live up to the potential for greatness which is our constitutional endowment. It would take spending the State’s consolidation planning grants studying this, many nights of meetings, public debates, referenda, and all that to bring about a rebirth of the River community. I am not interested in the hammer to the furniture approach. I am interested in contributing to building something new and better. I would call such a new community “Olde Saratoga”

Dave Roberts, President, Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce

More May Goings-On

2009-05-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Can't forget the Dutch - they're so much a part of our community. This weekend the Dutch Reformed Church is hosting their Dutch Heritage Weekend both Saturday and Sunday, with the opening ceremony at 11:30 Saturday, followed by a Dutch Luncheon and a canal cruise. Sunday will feature a Dutch style worship service, a Mother's Day Dutch Tea, and folk storytelling. An evening lecture by Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer winds up the festive weekend. Get on your wooden shoes and join the fun!

Another May special is Old Saratoga Eye Care's Educator Appreciation Month during which all teachers and staff members will get 20% off eyewear. A great time to replace those glasses with the paper clip holding the bow on..... or maybe order prescription sunglasses for the bright days ahead.

Now get back to planting all the plants you bought at the plant sales!

A BIG BUSY WEEKEND

2009-05-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

There’s a big weekend coming up here in Schuylerville. The Gardeners’ Weekend promises to be another big hit. There are events scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday plus tours and sales at local garden centers. Or you can just walk around town and admire all the newly planted lilacs sponsored by local groups and planted by FFA students from the high school.

If you want to choose from a full selection of flower and vegetable plants, go early to the Schuylerville Garden Club’s annual plant sale . Hours are 9 to 12 Saturday at the Youth Commission Building at Fort Hardy Park. For further information, call Kathy at 695-3915. Lilac and hydrangea starter plants will also be sold as part of the Gardener’s Weekend at the park - again, come early.

Evening entertainment this weekend will be provided by the Schuylerville Community Theater’s production of “Company” at the high school. This sprightly Steven Sondheim musical will be presented Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 PM and Sunday afternoon at 2:00.

If flea market shopping is your bent, cross the river to John Tedder’s new weekend sale at his pole barn behind 42 Old Schuylerville Road. Vendors are welcome to join in this new venture, to be held Saturdays and Sundays through October. For more information, go to John’s blog at www.teddersrandomnotes.com/blog/2009.

And for something really special, follow the Pottery Trail to visit the studios and shops of area potters. Our own talented Doug Klein will be creating and selling his beautiful works of art at his studio at 100 Burgoyne Road, across from the monument. Lots of things to do this weekend - get out there!

2009-04-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Schuylerville is coming to life with the advent of spring. Gardens are blooming with daffodils and crocuses, and forsythias are popping out their yellow heads. So it’s the perfect time to start planning for the Chamber’s Spring event, the Gardener’s Weekend, to be held on May 9th and 10th. Last year’s premiere Lilac Festival was a resounding success, so it only makes sense to expand the concept and include hydrangeas in the programs. Lilac expert Jeff Young will again be our featured speaker, and this year he will take on the rejuvenation of the ancient Schuyler Estate Lilac. There will be a children's potting shed, a garden tea, and a sale of lilacs and hydrangeas - come early!

Local garden centers will be having activities all weekend: Schuyler Farms will offer tours of its greenhouses and children's activities as well as discounts on lilacs and hydrangeas. Olde Saratoga Home & Garden will hold an herb workshop and tours of their solar greenhouse on Sunday. Fish Creek Garden Shoppe will demonstrate making unique plant markers at their workshop on Saturday. Phillips Garden Views will open their greenhouses and have discounts on gifts.

The Chamber has begun to plant specimen lilacs around the village, in the hope that in a few years a map can be prepared and visitors can view many different colors and varieties at a festival of lilacs. With this in mind, area organizations are being asked to sponsor one or more lilacs to be planted by the Future Farmers from the high school. The cost of sponsorship is $50 per lilac, and checks can be sent to Mary Roberts at 168 West River Rd. This is a great project that will literally grow and bloom, so get on board!

Other signs of spring are the baseball and softball games, the track teams running through town, and bicycles everywhere. One of the biggest cycling races in the country is taking place this weekend just across the river, winding through the roads of Cambridge, Shushan, Salem, and Greenwich. On a smaller scale, the Monday night rides from Olde Saratoga Bike & Boards will begin again on Monday at 6:00, and every Monday thereafter. Both beginning and advanced riders are welcome to join the group.

If all this activity sounds a bit much, just take a stroll along the river - guaranteed to lift your spirits. And if you happen to see a bald eagle perched on a tall tree on the far bank, so much the better.

2009-02-04T11:16:00.001-08:00

Times are Tough? Buy Something From a Neighbor.

Ever hear of the multiplier effect? It’s the economy’s equivalent of “what goes around comes around.” That’s right. If you spend your money locally YOU will get some of it back.

“Think of yourself as being at the center of your own consumption Solar System with emanating rays of purchasing power,” says Michael H. Schuman, author of The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition. “Each purchase you make triggers purchases by others. For instance, a dollar spent on rent might be spent again by your property owner at your local grocer, who in turn pays an employee, who in turn buys a movie ticket” This is the multiplier effect. “The more times a dollar circulates within a defined geographic area and the faster it circulates without leaving that area, the more income, wealth, and jobs it generates. This basic concept in community economics points to the importance of maximizing the number of dollars entering a community and minimizing their subsequent departure.”

“The multiplier obviously diminishes with geographic distance,” Shuman continues. “The farther from home you go to make a purchase, the less of the multiplier comes back and touches your community. Buy a radio down the block, the multiplier is high; buy it ten miles away, the multiplier weakens; buy it mail order, and your community gets practically no multiplier.”

The most obvious boundaries for the multiplier benefits are the taxing subdivisions within which we live. All business generates taxes of one kind or another. Businesses that are paying taxes to the school district, for example, are paying in to a pool of money that we would all have to top up with our own cash if they didn’t.

The Schuylerville community has many local businesses that compete for our money with national chains. If you are comparing their products dollar for dollar, don’t forget the multiplier effect. For every dollar you spend locally, you get a financial return.

Think of Byron’s Market, Curtis Lumber, Saratoga Apple, and Parisi’s Appliance House. Think of Mid-Town Service, Joe’s Garage, Shelly’s Barber Shop, Olde Saratoga Bike and Board. There are many more: the bank, insurance agency, the restaurants… you probably know one, some or most of the folks who own or work in those places. You can probably even guess where they will spend the money you spend with them.

When times get tough, spend with your neighbors. The multiplier effect will put some of that money right back in your pocket, and remember… what goes around, comes around.

Dave Roberts, SCofC President

Hudson Anniversary

2009-01-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

This year marks the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the Hudson River. Looking for the elusive northeast passage to Asia, he sailed the Half Moon up the river in 1609, a decade before the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Also in the year 1609, Samuel de Champlain’s expedition reached Lake Champlain. To make this a bicentennial as well as a doubly quadricentennial year, 202 years ago Robert Fulton brought his steamboat Clermont on its maiden voyage up the Hudson. Many events have been planned to commemorate these historic feats; some events require a bit of travel but we will be be able to enjoy other activities right here in Schuylerville.

Beginning with the armchair variety of travel, the Old Saratoga Historical Association is sponsoring a reading and discussion of Tom Lewis’s fine book, "The Hudson, A History". There are still a few books available at the library for those who wish to join the discussion at the library on March 12th, at 7:30 PM. The book is also available in paperback, or used: ask Rachel at Old Saratoga Books.

Winter weather makes indoor activities appealing. Happily, several area museums are opening exhibits relating to the history and settlement of the Hudson River valley. The Albany Institute of History and Art is presenting “Hudson River Panorama, 400 Years of History, Art, and Culture”, beginning on February 7th. The exhibit will explore the people, events, and ideas that shaped the the valley, and the influence that the river had on the settlement, agriculture, transportation, and industrial growth of the area. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10-5. Their website gives directions to the museum: http://www.albanyinstitute.org.

The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls is presenting the first major survey of marine artist Thomas Chambers’ work, opening February 8th. Chambers’ mid nineteenth century marine and landscape paintings contained many Hudson River scenes and were celebrated for their lively pattern and color. The Hyde Collection is at 161 Warren Street, http://www.hydecollection.org. Their hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5, Sunday, 12-5.

An exhibit at the New York State Museum (http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibits) has an exhibit “Light on New Netherland”, only on view until February 9th. It examines Dutch history in colonial America, beginning with Henry Hudson’s voyage in 1609 and continuing with fur trading and the establishment of communities throughout the eastern seaboard. The state museum is open daily, 9:30-5.

For the youngsters, the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology at at 250 Jordan Rd. in Troy is presenting “Horseshoes and Waterwheels, New York’s Tech Valley of the 1800’s”, as well as “The Living Indoor Hudson River”, featuring live animals and touch-screen games. Museum hours are Thursday-Sunday, 10-5, http://www.cmost.com.

These should keep you busy until warm weather brings some outdoor happenings. We are looking forward to having family fun activities down by the river, our own Hudson Riverfront. Keep tuned for announcements of spectacular events to come!

Dotty Robinson, SACofC webmaster

Welcome to our blog!

2008-12-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

Now that the storm has left us with a beautiful coating of ice on our world and a lot of time to stay indoors, it's the perfect time to launch the Schuylerville Chamber of Commerce's new blog. We hope this will be a place where you can read news about our area, contribute news of your own, or just comment about life and events around town. We will soon have jazzier graphics, and a photo gallery on the website for your enjoyment too.

The Chamber held its annual meeting last Tuesday at the new town hall. Members reveled in the afterglow of the wonderful St. Nicholas Day events - and the wine and warm cider enhanced the glow. President Dave Roberts reviewed the signature events sponsored by the Chamber throughout the year, starting with the enormously well received Gardner's Weekend and lilac festival in the spring, an event which actually make money. The Turning Point Parade in August has gotten bigger and better every year, as has the former Dutch Christmas, now St. Nicholas Festival.

Other events that brought visitors to Schuylerville were the nationally renowned Mettowee Players' performance at the Schuyler House in July, the Art Walks, and Music on the Hudson, which was not as well attended this summer as it had been in the past. Local musicians were the biggest draw, leading to the conclusion that more of the same is in order.

Annual meetings mean elections, and the Chamber's election resulted in the election of Dave Roberts as President, Bob Foster and Mike Dudley as Vice-Presidents, Dave Penzer as Treasurer (now there's a surprise), and Mary Lynn Tedder as Secretary.

So much for official business. There are many current issues that are fodder for bloggers: start by checking out Andrew Cuomo's remarks in today's paper about consolidating the proliferation of small local governments. And winter activities abound: basketball games at the high school, Christmas concerts, skiing and snowboarding at nearby ski ares, and of course shopping, shopping, shopping. Our local shops have unique treasures, so always look here first. And when you come home to check your e-mail, check out our blog and offer your comments. We'll be looking for you!