County Fair cattle call; unearthed skeleton on Morehouse Farm; McLean Ford on tire recall

The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.

August 23, 1934

‘Entries Come In Fast For County Fair; All Space Taken In Several Departments; Auto Races Slated’; RHINEBECK, August 22 — Entries have been coming in so rapidly for the exhibits at the Dutchess County Fair at Rhinebeck, to be held August 28th to 31st, with auto races on Sept. 1st, that in several departments no more space is available.

Superintendent Tozier, in charge of the 4-H Club exhibit, states that 109 head of cattle alone will be shown by boys and girls of Dutchess County. The fair management has allotted an extra tent of 2,400 square feet of coverage to house this exhibit, in addition to the 8,800 square feet of tent space originally allowed for this outstanding display.

G. Herbert Allen, general superintendent of cattle, predicts that the entire cattle show will house over 300 head of the country’s best. Henry G. Traver, in charge of Guernseys; Frederick Ham, at the head of the Holsteins; and William Telfer, sponsoring the Jersey exhibit, all report heavy entries.

‘Car rams barn at North East center’; James H. White, 46, of Danbury, and his son, Harry, 6, escaped with minor cuts and bruises Saturday when White’s automobile ran off Route 22 at North East Center, broke off an electric light pole, hurdled a ditch and crashed into a barn on the William M. Sadler farm. According to Police Chief Van De Bogart, who investigated, White said he had fallen asleep. The accident occurred at about 3:45 P. M. and considerable damage was done to the car.

‘Unearth Skeleton On Morehouse Farm’; The skelton [sic] of an adult person was unearthed last Thursday on the Henry J. Morehouse farm on the Amenia-Sharon road by a steam shovel which was being used to dig gravel for the new Sharon-West Cornwall highway. According to reports of the find, workmen did not see the skelton [sic] when it was scooped up by the steam shovel, but discovered it when a truck load of gravel was dumped on the road.

Dr. J. S. Chaffee, health officer of the Town of Sharon, made an examination of the skelton [sic] and reported that he believed it had been buried for about twenty-five years.

August 28, 1975

‘Grange Places 2nd At County Fair’; Millerton Grange 796 won second place in the Grange exhibit at the Dutchess County Fair, Rhinebeck, this past week. All of the displays were centered on the nation’s bicentennial and the Millerton theme was “The Industrial Evolution: 200 years of American Progress.”

The display featured old equipment, tools, and items and the modern equivalent and its effect on the lifestyle of the people. Also featured were fruits, flowers, vegetables and baked goods.

There were 12 granges throughout the county represented and Millerton was 1.1 points behind the first place winner, Pleasant Valley. The committee for the local grange was co-chaired by Helen Lachler and Hugh Leighton.

‘Guide Dog Homes Sought’; Temporary homes are being sought for 10 Labrador retriever puppies who will eventually become guide dogs for blind persons.

John Byfield, director of training for the Second Sight Dog Foundation of Smithtown, N.Y., has explained that the pups need to live in a stable family environment from the age of 6 weeks until they are a year old. This litter will be ready for distribution in early October.

The Labrador retriever pups are now at the home of Leon Silvernale, Rudd Pond Farms, Millerton, N.Y.

August 24, 2000

‘Firestone tire recall hits McLean Ford’; MILLERTON — If you listen to John McLean, owner of McLean Ford on Route 44, one of the most notable things about the recent recall of Firestone tires is that lawyers everywhere are sure to go into a litigation feeding frenzy. And customers are getting some great deals on new tires.

However, the problem, especially in northern states, may be overstated. “We’ve had no problems ... never,” Mr. McLean said, referring to his dealer-serviced vehicles.

McLean’s has many customers waiting to have tires replaced, and now dealers are allowed by Firestone to use any of a long list of tire brands.

“People love it,” he said of the recall, which authorizes free-of-charge replacement of all recalled tires.

According to the Firestone Web site, bridgestone-firestone.com, 97 percent of the incidents involving defective tires were reported in southern states, where road temperatures are naturally the highest. When tires are inflated on the low side, or about 26 pounds per square inch (psi), as opposed to the tire manufacturer’s recommended 30 psi, the tire’s sidewall can peel off and cause a blowout at high temperatures.

The discrepancy in recommended tire pressure is sure to generate lawsuits between Firestone and Ford, he said.

The recall affects all North America-produced Radial ATX and Radial ATX II tires in size P235/75R15, according to the Firestone Web site. Also, Wilderness AT tires in that size produced in Decatur, IL., are being recalled.

‘Water Tower Work May Start Next Week’; MILLERTON — It looks like the painting of village water tower is imminent .

At Monday’s monthly meeting, Village Trustees voted to accept a bid from a New Jersey firm, U.S. Engineering, to paint the tower inside and out, as early as next week. Mayor Michael Cawley said the company is now doing work on a similar project in Connecticut.

‘Fire Truck Getting Workout’; Millerton Fire Department First Lieutenant Jim Milton said the new fire truck, delivered Aug. 10, is getting much use in its maiden few weeks, including a call on the day it was delivered. New awnings were installed on Aug. 15, and a few glitches in the operation of the truck were fixed.

The department is looking into starting an auxiliary, Mr. Milton said, which will be joined by honorary members.

Also being considered is a retirement plan, or “service award program,” for department members, through a points system. The move may also help in the recruitment of younger volunteers.

‘Skinner Top Fisher’; MILLERTON - At the Millerton Fire Department Tractor Pull, Saturday, Aug. 5, the Millerton Gun Club had a fishing pond for children.

Kyle Skinner won a fishing pole for catching the biggest fish, a golden trout.

The pole was donated by Matt Jenks.