MILLBROOK — It seems like everything that happens lately is done virtually, and the Scholastic Art Awards are no different. The awards program, first implemented in 1919, is a visual arts competition open to students in grades seven through 12; it is a national competition. There is also a portion of the program devoted to literature.
This program looks to identify students with exceptional artistic talent. The Millbrook Central School District is part of the Hudson Valley Art region. The awards allow students the opportunity for recognition, scholarships and the chance to publicly exhibit their work. Silver and gold medalists also get to show their work at the Rotunda at SUNY New Paltz, but this year there was a virtual showing instead due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gold Key winners will have their work judged nationally. That can lead to a national medal and their art being shown in a national exhibition. That competition originated in 1929, and some very prestigious scholars have competed over the years, including Andy Warhol, Ken Burns and Robert Redford.
Millbrook art teachers Jillian Barnes and Michelle Cring were proud to announce that 11th-grader Callie McGuire’s digital artwork, “Close Up in Nature,” was nominated for the American Vision Award. Thousands of pieces were submitted in the region, and McGuire’s was one of only five to be selected as an American Vision Award nominee. It will be on exhibit until Wednesday, March 17, when the winner will be announced.
Other Gold Key winners from the Millbrook district were Alexis Anderson, grade 12; Madeline Marchant, grade 11; and Brennan McGuire, grade eight. Silver Key winners were Callie McGuire, grade 11; Anna Bonelli, grade 10; and Madison Krueger, grade eight. There was a virtual ceremony on Friday, Feb. 5 for the winners. All of their artwork can be viewed at www.barnesart.weebly.com/scholastic. The artwork is listed in many different categories: painting; drawing and illustration; digital art; sculpture; fashion; glass and ceramics; cartoons; and several others.
Callie has studied at the Art Effect in Poughkeepsie, and will be looking at colleges, maybe applying for an art scholarship. She enjoys working in more than one medium, and especially likes working with colored pencils. Her subjects vary, but she really likes doing portraits and drawing animals.
Her brother, Brennan, who is in eighth grade, also won a Silver Key award with his photography, for a piece entitled, “Balance.”
Asked if artistic ability runs in her family, Callie mentioned that her grandparents were into crafts, and they were very close to each other. They moved to Myrtle Beach, S.C., two years ago, and she recently lost her grandmother to COVID-19.
Callie said she knows that art is definitely in her future and she will be choosing some type of art as her major in college; she’ll look into studio art, art therapy or possibly illustration.
Callie is also accomplished in sports, and plays on the Varsity Volleyball team at Millbrook High School; she started playing in seventh grade. She likes English, but math, not so much.
Over the summer Callie brightened the days of many of her neighbors during the pandemic by doing paintings on sea shells and leaving them in people’s mailboxes while out riding on her bicycle.
The Millbrook Central School District said it is proud of all those who entered the art competition and congratulated those who won Gold or Silver Keys. It noted those who earned honorable mentions: Isabelle Rubbo, Sadie Krueger and Devin Jarvis.
Teachers Barnes and Cring said they were very pleased with the efforts of their students, and are very proud of them all.
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.
