MILLERTON — These days, the gym is off limit, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that’s sweeping the globe. But there is something local residents can do who are eager to get some exercise: head outdoors. With 140,000 visitors expected again during the coming year, seasoned athletes and weekend warriors can walk, run, bike or even spend a few quiet moments contemplating nature on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Lisa DeLeeuw, the Rail Trail’s executive director, will be beside them every inch of the way — at least in spirit.
Starting her work after her daughter, one of the first interns for the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) in the early 2000s, piqued her interest, the Colorado State/SUNY Delhi biology and microbiology major said, “the thing that keeps me going from day to day is seeing how much people love the trail. That’s why I do this.”
Also the town clerk and tax collector for Gallatin, DeLeeuw, who shuns the spotlight, is typically in the HVRTA office three days a week, though with the COVID-19 health crisis that’s changed a bit. However, she notes, technology keeps her connected to this “labor of love,” so she is constantly “doing whatever needs to be done when it needs to be done.”
Dick Hermans, Rail Trail Association chairman, says that she is central to the organization’s functioning, managing everything from maintenance to procuring grants.
DeLeeuw demurs that she is not a “grant writer” who could solicit for any cause, but that she has been successful in her requests for the Rail Trail because, “I live the project. And I think that comes out in my writing — the passion of the project.”
In addition to receiving support from the county for the Dutchess portion of the trail, she said, “We’ve been very, very fortunate to have gotten a tremendous amount of grant money. We live and die on grant money and the generosity of our membership. That’s where all our funds come from.”
Hermans added that DeLeeuw’s talent on paper and in management is bolstered by her “friendliness and her outgoingness with people who might contact the Association, which has resulted in benefits way beyond what you might expect.”
He cites a major contribution that came from a man who left his house to the HVRTA simply because she had made time to connect with him when he often called just to chat.
DeLeeuw was quick to note, however, that she took the time to speak to the elderly man simply because “I always make time, because sometimes there just needs to be a connection... a voice on the other side of the phone. I just didn’t know there would be something at the end,” in this case a house, which sold in a bidding war and which, in turn, financed a good piece of construction on the Copake section of the trail.
That urge to connect extends to all aspects of the Rail Trail, including the benches along the way. DeLeeuw emphasized that it can be emotional.
“Those benches are all very special… are all touching someone’s heart, and I deal with all of the people that have given them.” One honors a deceased fiancée and “looks to the view she saw from her window as she was passing. There are two which we call the lovers’ benches. The woman gave a bench for her husband — just when it was put up she passed away, so then he donated one for her across from his.”
DeLeeuw noted whether remembering someone’s mother or a dog at its favorite spot, “They all have a story and they all are very symbolic of people who feel they have a part and a small ownership of the trail, just as do we all who have any connection. It feels like we all own it.”
Emphasizing that sense among 700 Association members, she points to the late founder, Elinor Mettler, and a Lin-Manuel Miranda quote, which will be placed in a Copake garden in her honor: “A legacy is planting seeds in a garden you will never see.”
Dutchess County Communications Director Colleen Pillus advised trail users to observe social distancing of at least 6 feet while keeping active.
The trail can be used year-round. Check with www.hvrt.org for more information.
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.
