AMENIA — Despite the heat, enthusiasts of all ages came to the Amenia Free Library to attend a tie-dying workshop on Saturday, June 22. The event was held on the patio to allow the youngest participants the creative freedom they might need when wielding the colors.
This was not the first such fabric-dying workshop. Others had proven popular and were worthy of repeating, explained workshop leader Beth Hale, noting that it would be her last day on the job.
“It ‘s been a great job, a great place to be. I am going to miss it,” Hale said.
The planning for the event was apparent, with an organized array of free white cotton tee shirts provided in all sizes from the smallest for children up to the adult sizes. And there were book bags, backpacks, and scrunchie hair elastics, all freely available for the dying process.
Diligently working on their colorful creations at the Amenia Free Library on Saturday, June 22 were, left to right, Ian Pelico, 6; Wilmer Pelico, 4; and Ashley Dota, 8, in foreground.Leila Hawken
The dye chosen for the occasion was Basic Tulip brand, Hale noted. There were plenty of colors to choose from. The youngest children were not shy about determining that they would need to combine several colors for their envisioned rainbow effect. Once the dying was done, the still-tied wet items were dropped into baggies for the trip home.
Also participating in the event was newly hired program assistant Megan Marshall of Stanfordville, who will work alongside program assistant Hope Bruzzi on a variety of future programs to be sponsored by the library. Marshall had begun her duties on Tuesday, June 18.
“I’m really excited to work with everyone,” Marshall said, praising the library staff. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Creative Writing, and a Master’s in Library Science. She said that she does considerable work in arts and crafts, painting, mixed media, and pottery. And she has experience in volunteering to work with a range of age groups.
Marshall said that she is enjoying connecting with the community.
“It’s really nice to talk with everyone when they come into the library,” she added.
Beth Hale demonstrated how to bind a tee shirt to prepare it for the next steps.Leila Hawken
Olivia Wickwire, no. 2, tags out a runner at first base. The Webutuck Warriors varsity softball team beat the Germantown Clippers 14-7 at home Friday, April 25.
Yelling from the dugout is apparently just as important to the game as throwing. Webutuck players cheered and shouted at their teammates on the field the whole afternoon. Photo by Nathan Miller
The game started off with an early lead from Germantown. The Clippers scored three runs in the first inning.
The Warriors responded in kind with a run of their own in the bottom of the first. The real magic started to come in the second inning, when Webutuck held Germantown with no runs and managed to rack up five in the bottom, brining the score to 6-1 at by the end of the second inning.
Abby Keefer, no. 8, waits at third base for an opportunity to run to home plate. Photo by Nathan Miller
On the mound, Webutuck pitcher Madison Kruger, no. 10, showed great skill dispensing of batters. Kruger struck out 16 batters through the game.
In the fifth inning, Germantown’s batters managed three more runs, spurring the Warriors back into action in the batters box. Webutuck responded with six more runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Germantown managed another run in the sixth, but Webutuck scored two more, brining the score to 14-7 going into the top of the seventh.
Webutuck Warriors pitcher Madison Kruger, no. 10, racked up 16 strikeouts during the game.Photo by Nathan Miller
A few hundred feet away the varsity baseball squad played against the boys from Germantown.
The Warriors won that matchup 4-3 after a tie-breaking run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Webutuck pitcher Troy Brazee led in strikeouts with six. Zach Latrell had two and Pearse Williams had one.
Tim Middlebrook, President of the Columbia Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, left, Amenia Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, center, and Amenia Historical Society President Betsy Strauss unveiled a new historical marker at the Old Amenia Burying Ground on Saturday, April 26. The marker commemorates revolutionary war veterans buried at the cemetery where the Red Meeting House once stood on Mygatt Road.
The gathering at the old burying ground on Saturday, April 26, began with Middlebrook, president of the Columbia Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, talking about the process of acquiring the sign from the Pomeroy foundation. He thanked the Burke family, longtime neighbors of the burying ground, for the work they and their father, Bill Burke, had done with the cemetery.
Bill’s son, Stephen, said he and his father spent a lot of time mapping and cleaning the burying ground. “Putting the stones back up,” he said. “Putting them back up again.”
Stephen said his father had completed a map of the burying ground with the identifiable plots. That was part of Bill Burke and Betsy Strauss’s work with the historical society to find revolutionary war veterans and attain historical recognition for the cemetery.
“It’s pretty impressive, it’s all this poster board that he put together,” Stephen said. “When I first saw it I said ‘wow.’ Then my sister Karen said ‘Oh we’eve already translated all that and into this.’ I thought I had found a hidden gem.”
Tim Middlebrook of the Sons of the American Revolution and Amenia Historical Society President Betsy Strauss told the crowd of neighbors and historical society members about the centuries-long history of the Old Amenia Burying Ground and listed the names of the known Revolutionary War veterans in the cemetery. Photo by Nathan Miller
After Middlebrook’s remarks, the crowd moved into the burying ground for snacks and mingling, where the graves of revolutionary war veterans had been marked with American flags.
Betsy Strauss had lists of the names for visitors:
Col. William Barker
1740-1820
Daniel Bartlett
1755-1837
John Bates
1756-1801
Maj. Simeon Cook
1726-1811
Maj. Robert Freeman
1727-1798
John Garnsey
1734-1799
Robert Hebard
1737-1798
Capt. Job Mead Sr.
1735-1819
Job Mead Jr.
1761-1838
Capt. Abiah Palmer
1758-1834
Capt. Elijah Park
1744-1795
Capt. David Parsons
1748-1812
David Rundall
1757-1848
Samuel St. John
1752-1785
