To experience ‘Real Gardens,’ take a July 8 tour of Amenia

AMENIA — After three years of pandemic pause, the Amenia Garden Club is back in floral action with its much-anticipated annual tour of local garden showplaces. This year’s theme is “Real Gardens of Amenia.” The event has been a community favorite for more than 25 years.

The event will be held on Saturday, July 8, rain or shine. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

New to the tour this year is the Wassaic garden created by Nancy Link in the heart of the village between Old Route 22 and a steep hill. Veteran garden tour participant Maxine Paetro is ready to show off her cottage garden in bloom at Broccoli Hall. Garden Club Board member Andy Durbridge is welcoming visitors to his small orchard, display of perennials and grasses, seasonal containers, and more.

Garden Club President Ken Monteiro and Leo Blackman will be showing their Neverest garden, where they have intentionally and artfully replaced established invasives with native plantings. Visitors will notice how they are doing it with visible success.

Teeniepaw Cottage and its garden, tended by Emily Fuller, features native plants and lots of pollinator flowers that bloom all summer and attract bees and other beneficial winged beings.

Always a favorite stop on the tour, Garden Club board member Paul Arcario will welcome guests to Jade Hill, a renowned garden on a steep slope that offers water features and even a pagoda.

In addition to the annual garden tour, the Garden Club’s volunteers are responsible for a variety of community projects, including the restoration and maintenance of Borden Park in Wassaic.

Tickets for the Garden Tour are $20 and may be purchased through the Amenia Garden Club website at www.ameniagardens.org

Latest News

Back to school

Back to school
Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.


Keep ReadingShow less
schools

New Millerton police cruisers arrive to replace fire-ravaged vehicles

New Millerton police cruisers arrive to replace fire-ravaged vehicles

Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik shows off the new gear. Brand new police cruisers arrived last week.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The Millerton Police Department has received two new patrol cars to replace vehicles destroyed in the February 2025 fire at the Village Water and Highway Department.

The new Ford Interceptors are custom-built for law enforcement. “They’re more rugged than a Ford Explorer,” said Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik, noting the all-wheel drive, heavy-duty suspension and larger tires and engine. “They call it the ‘Police Package.’”

Keep ReadingShow less
police

Amenia back in court over Kent Hollow mine

Amenia back in court over Kent Hollow mine

The main entrance to Kent Hollow Mine at 341 South Amenia Road in Amenia.

Photo by Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Amenia residents and a Wassaic business have filed suit against the Town Board and Kent Hollow Inc., alleging a settlement between the town and the mine amounts to illegal contract zoning that allows the circumvention of environmental review.

Petitioners Laurence Levin, Theodore Schiffman and Clark Hill LLC filed the suit on Aug. 22. Town officials were served with documents for the case last week and took first steps in organizing a response to the suit at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4.

Keep ReadingShow less
kent hollow mine

Historical Society talk to explore the life and times of a Revolutionary Era loyalist

Historical Society talk to explore the life and times of a Revolutionary Era loyalist

AMENIA — While the courage and perseverance of Revolutionary era patriots is well understood and celebrated, the stories of the fate of British loyalists in New York are not as clear.

Seen as the initial event in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Amenia Historical Society will present a talk titled, “The Plight of a Loyalist in Revolutionary New York,” examining the journal of Cadwallader Colden, Jr., spanning the period of 1777-1779. The speaker will be noted author, genealogist and historian Jay Campbell.

Keep ReadingShow less
things to do