MILLERTON — Countless North East and Millerton children and adults will be saying thank you for the gift of reading as they bid good-bye to “Miss Kristin” of the NorthEast-Millerton Library (NEML), who will leave on Aug. 24 to take her “dream job” as a librarian at a nearby elementary school.
For just less than a decade, Kristin McClune, youth services coordinator, has introduced hundreds of young patrons from birth through adulthood to the pleasures of the written word. She’s done so with the numerous free programs at the NEML as well as by partnering with organizations such as the North East Community Center (NECC), the NECC Farmers Market, the 1858 Irondale Schoolhouse, the Webutuck Elementary School, The Wassaic Project and the Sharon Audubon Society.
McClune knows from personal experience just how important that early introduction to reading can be in a child’s development. She said she’s “incredibly grateful for the opportunity” she found as an adult to be able to contribute to the Millerton library.
Looking back, McClune said, “I had a very difficult time as an early elementary student. I was legally deaf until I was 3. I had to repeat kindergarten and had a very, very rough time in first grade.”
Things did happily change for her, she said, “When I got into second and third grade. I had these two incredible teachers who got me talking and got me really excited about school. I went from reading below grade level and not really interacting with my peers to having a birthday party in second grade and loving to read and loving to go to the school library.”
McClune also appreciates the role public schools play in children’s lives.
“My heart has always been in giving back,” she said. “That experience for me was transformative.”
Since third grade, her ultimate goal has been to work as a librarian in a public elementary school. Toward that end and during her time at the NEML, in addition to her many community volunteer positions, McClune has been working diligently at the State University at Albany for a Masters of Science in Information Science with a concentration in School Librarianship, a degree she’ll complete in the spring of 2023.
But McClune is not willing to leave her NEML family behind. Even as she looks forward to moving on, she said, “I hope the library will consider me if they ever need volunteers or anything. They’ve been good to me. A few students I’ve known for a long time [as in, since they were 2] have asked if they can still talk to me about books sometimes. I told them of course.”
Not surprisingly, McClune said, “I have so, so many feelings… This is a wonderful job and a wonderful community. I know that… someone like me — who needed this opportunity to grow and learn — is going to take my place here.”
NEML Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson also has mixed feelings about McClune’s impending departure.
“She will be missed,” said Leo-Jameson, “but we are just very excited and proud of her and so happy we were able to play a part in her journey.”
Lauding McClune’s many contributions, she added, “She was always thoroughly involved and truly cares about who comes in to the library and participates.”
In addition to continuing existing programs, McClune initiated others including the recently-developed Nature Scouts at Rudd Park, Dungeon and Dragons, Trunk or Treat at Halloween and Story Hours.
Leo-Jameson noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, McClune’s help was instrumental. With her assistance, the library was “able to quickly pivot to bring all the children’s programs online,” said Leo-Jameson.
To celebrate McClune’s many contributions, her last day at the NEML on Wednesday, Aug. 24, will officially be designated “Kristin Day,” with patrons being encouraged to come to say goodbye at the library at 75 Main St. Community members are invited to pop by whenever they’d like and also to enjoy refreshments at 4 p.m.
Leo-Jameson recognizes McClune will leave big shoes to fill and that the process of finding someone may take some time, but noted they’re already looking for a replacement.
“We are very fortunate to have some retired teachers who volunteer at the library, some who are on our board, and they are going to help us fill in on her programs,” noted an appreciative Leo-Jameson.
For more information, call 518-789-3340 or stop by in person.
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.
