Copake scores with inaugural pickleball tournament

Sixty-four teams competed on all four pickleball courts at Copake Memorial Park on Saturday, June 1.
John Coston
Sixty-four teams competed on all four pickleball courts at Copake Memorial Park on Saturday, June 1.
COPAKE — Teams of pickleball players converged in this rural hamlet on Saturday, June 1 for a daylong inaugural tournament.
Organized by the Copake Economic Development Advisory Committee (CEDAC), the tournament drew 64 teams that faced off in morning and afternoon play on four town courts in Copake Memorial Park.
Pickleball has been around for decades, starting with ping pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball in the 1960s, and by the 1990s was being played in all 50 states, according to USA Pickleball, its governing body.
Jayne McLaughlin, a USA Pickleball Volunteer Ambassador, was on hand Saturday to answer questions and advise on rules.
Players came from as far away as Lanesville, Massachusettes, north of Boston. Many others drove up to Columbia County from as far south as Poughkeepsie and from across the Hudson in Woodstock.
Pickleball’s popularity continues to grow, and credit is given to communities that support the sport, which also is popular among retirees.
Richard Wolfe, supervisor of the Town of Copake, pointed to the newly installed four courts the town built.
“In the winter we flood the courts and we have ice-skating,” he said.
Watching from the sidelines. Photo by John Coston
CEDAC steering committee spokesperson Vicki Sander said 18 volunteers helped organize and manage Saturday’s tournament, including other steering committee members Signe Adam, Art Boniati and Rob Lazarus, who thanked CEDAC member Bill Boris-Schacter for helping make the event a success. Ten local businesses also sponsored the event: Broadway Plumbing, Copake Boat and Ski, The Greens at Copake Country Club, Herrington’s Hardware, High Voltage, Inc., Hillsdale House, Key Bank, Kneller Insurance, Moore-Bridger Tree Service and Robert Patterson, CPA.
Strong sun and a light breeze made for a summery feel. Players dinked away and drove home some hard winners as family, friends and other players watched from lawn chairs. An Aloha Tacos truck provided a much needed food break in between matches.
Organizers fielded 32 teams in the morning and 32 in the afternoon. Winners announced in three divisions of play were:
Division One:
First Place Todd Proper, Hillsdale; Oliver Correa, Craryville
2nd Place Susan Kaiser, Red Hook; Laurie Vosburgh, Rhinebeck
3rd Place Ivan Taub, Claverack; Bruce Leder,Claverack
Division Two:
First Place Matt Jankowski, Olivebridge ;Tom Hubbel, Kingston
2nd Place Jennifer Carpino, Hurley; Ann Lord, Hurley
3rd Place Jesse Feldmus, Rhinebeck; Courtney Hannaford, Rhinebeck
Division Three:
First place Brad Quick, Staatsburg; Daniel Berthold,Rhinebeck
2nd Place Tuck Voller, Lee, MA; Norma Comalli, Lee
3rd Place Robert Coco, Pittsfield MA; Carolyn Coco, Pittsfield MA
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.