More rattlesnakes; end of Millerton Days?; Softball in gear

July 6, 1933

‘Campers Run Into Army of Rattlesnakes’: Open warfare has broken out at the Civilian Conservation Camp at the Silvernail farm, near Boston Corners. The enemy is an army of rattlesnakes. Crews from the camp which have been working in the woods searching for pine blister rust have been encountering a large number of snakes, six, it is said, having been killed in one day and four in another. During dry weather rattlesnakes are found in places where normally they do not exist.

‘Nature Study Camp On Mt. Washington’: July first saw the opening for the eleventh consecutive year of the Northrup Memorial Camp on Mt. Washington. The site of this camp is the former home and property of Alice Roch Northrop. Mrs. Northrop was killed at the Boston Corners railroad crossing on her way up here with friends to find a camp spot for New York children. After her untimely death her property was purchased by fiends who formed a society and now conduct this camp in memory of her.

July 3, 1974

‘SAFE!’: A member of McArthur’s Porkchops [sic] crosses home base [sic], bringing in a run for team A at the Dutchfield League women’s softball game on Sunday afternoon…

‘Millerton Personals’: Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kaplan celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary with a family dinner at The Pond in Ancramdale on Sunday.

‘The Nearly New Shoppe Needs Volunteer Workers’: The Nearly New Shoppe in Millerton is appealing for volunteer workers to help out during the summer vacation season… Mrs. Reginald Pulver Sr., manager of the Shoppe, said, “We could certainly use teenage volunteers too.”... All profits are used for the benefit of the Millerton Day Care Center.

July 1, 1999

‘With Millerton Days Gone’: MFD Tractor Pull Aug. 7: Millerton — The fourth annual Millerton Fire Department tractor pull will be held Aug. 7 at Eddie Collins Field here.

The festivities get underway at 6 a.m. with a hearty breakfast. Pulling will start at 11 a.m. and last until dusk. All tractors are 1959 or older in a variety of weight classes.

Throughout the day there will be food and refreshment for sale as well as a pig roast. There will be two pigs roasted this year due to the sweet meat’s popularity last year. There will be vendor booths, music and a fishing pond sponsored by the Millerton Gun Club. More activities will be listed at a later date.

It appears Millerton Days is no more. The newly organized chamber of commerce is planning a new community event this year along the lines of an Octoberfest celebration according to Millerton Antique Center manager Stuart Miller, one of the organizers….

In the past few years, Millerton Days coincided with the tractor pull, which will go forward as planned.

‘Millerton Softball in High Gear’: Millerton — Seven teams have been battling it out on the diamond as part of the Millerton Softball League.

Right now, North East Muffler sits on top of the pack with a 7-0 record. North East’s momentum is propelled by the pitching of Wayne Silvernail (7-0). On June 16, Silvernail allowed only 3 hits in a 6-0 win against Jack’s Auto, a perennial playoff team that is struggling this year, according to Millerton Softball League President Bill Krasowski.

Other teams in the league include H & R Dichards, Millerton Card & Coin, Boices’s Home Care, Broadway Pizza and Savage Masonry.

In a pitcher’s dual[sic] for the ages, Silvernail locked horns against Bill Beattie, the pitcher for Millerton Card & Coin in a 4-3 nail biter won by North East Muffler June 22. Both men pitched great games. Bill Simmons and Jeremy Proper drove 2 runs a piece[sic] in the win. Joe Farley had an RBI double. Steven Barton smacked a home run, and Bob Runge was 2 for 2 at the plate Millerton Card & Coin.

Beattie and Silvernail are the league’s top pitchers, and they have a long history of pitching against one another, dating back 25 years to the old Wassaic League, Krasowski said.

In a 1988 tournament, for example, Silvernail was named most valuable player with 24 strikeouts, but Beattie also had 21 Ks [sic], according to Krasowski….

Krasowski said the teams in the Millerton Softball League are very competitive this year, and the margins of victory are getting slimmer. Scoring is down most likely due to the major modified pitching, a sort of sling-shot style that yields 60 mile per hour fastballs from only 45 feet away.

The league’s big tournament comes to Millerton July 31 and Aug. 1 at Eddie Collins Field…. The final game will be broadcast live on WQQQ FM radio in Lakeville beginning at 4 p.m.

‘Botanical Gardens Tour Slated for July 23’: The North East Community Center and the senior citizens “Get Together Program” invite the community to join them in a trip to The Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Stockbridge, Mass., Friday, July 23.

The day includes a guided informational tour through the colorful gardens. The gardens offer a boxed lunch for $7, or you can bring your own and enjoy lunching on the grounds.