AMENIA — Almost six years since it first opened in Millerton to offer the community a taste of authentic Mexican cuisine, Avocado Cafe recently expanded its business in northeastern Dutchess County by opening up a second location in Amenia.
As owner and operator of the Avocado Cafe, Ivan Carrera said he was originally drawn to the idea of opening up a cafe in Millerton when he saw that there were few Mexican eateries around, and he wanted to try to open a place that would cook authentic Mexican food.
“We wanted to open with good food and fast service,” Carrera said. “We wanted to try to make good food and fast food at the same time.”
This coming May will mark the sixth anniversary of the Avocado Cafe’s opening in Thompson Plaza, located at 208 Route 44 in Millerton. From the tasty range of burritos to the more traditional Mexican dishes, customers have been delighted by all of the menu’s offerings — particularly the beef and pork dishes — and when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the village, customers offered the cafe their support by ordering take out.
“We always try our best to please our customers,” Carrera said. “They keep us open.”
Though the cafe was initially affected by the pandemic by a drop in revenue and orders, he said customers have now seen that the cafe is following all COVID-19 safety protocols (requiring face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, social distancing, etc.), and they are now more comfortable coming into the cafe. That said, the cafe is still only offering take-out only at this time.
Given the positive feedback he received from customers in Millerton, Carerra said he started to think about expanding before the pandemic struck. Believing the pandemic wouldn’t last forever, Carerra said he and his employees felt encouraged to move to south to Amenia, which is in the same plaza as the popular and long-time seasonal ice cream stand, Fudgy’s, on Route 22. He emphasized that he hasn’t closed his Millerton location, which continues to operate in Thompson Plaza seven days a week from noon to 8 p.m.
After two months of renovations that started this past fall, Avocado Cafe opened at 4789 Route 22 in Amenia on Saturday, Dec. 26.
Though the new cafe features the same menu as the Millerton Avacado Cafe, Carrera said the Amenia restaurant will add new dishes like rotisserie chicken and offer margaritas, Sangria, beer and wine once it gets its liquor license. Planning to take advantage of the patio area, he said he will offer outside dining for customers during warmer weather.
Avocado Cafe is currently operating in Amenia on Mondays through Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m.
By this spring, Carerra hopes to change the hours to keep the cafe open seven days a week from noon to 9 p.m. He also hopes to have more customers come in once the pandemic is over, though he said he has to see first how customers respond to his food.
“We are hoping that the Amenia location will have a lot of people because every town has their own taste,” Carerra said. “We’re just hoping we’re going to be able to give them what they like.”
For more information on the Avocado Cafe in Amenia, call 845-233-8389 or go online, to www.avocadocafe.net.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
