Jingle All The Way, Thru parade

PINE PLAINS — The Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center campus was bursting with Christmas cheer on Friday, Dec. 11, as the Pine Plains Elementary PTA hosted a Jingle All The Way, Thru holiday drive-thru parade for district students and their families. 

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., a steady stream of students and their families navigated their cars through the Seymour Smith parking lot, where holiday displays of all shapes and sizes were set up, featuring different traditions from the holiday season. 

From the holiday-themed banners hanging off the fence surrounding the playing fields to the Hanukkah station to Bee Bee the Clown’s Mrs. Claus station to the Grinch driving an ATV, the parade offered an abundance of holiday cheer for those driving along the parade route. 

School district staff and families also pitched in, adding to the festivities by decorating their vehicles and waving to those passing by. Some of the participants handed out treats and others dressed up for the occasion. 

As spectators made their way through the parade, the Pine Plains Elementary PTA encouraged students and their families to consider writing letters to residents in local nursing homes; the PTA even provided a drop box for any outgoing holiday cheer.

— Kaitlin Lyle

With help from their families, members of the Pine Plains Central School District’s Transportation Department waved to families driving by a brightly decorated school bus. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

From left, with that timeless tune, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” playing out of their car’s speakers, Jaylen, Teyden and Alyssia Beliveau paid homage to the holiday song by decorating their Jeep as a reindeer with Maliah (front and center) playing the role of Grandma. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Emilia Ross waved to those passing by, along with her mother, Pine Plains Transportation Supervisor Lauren Ross, and her King Cavalier, Samantha. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

With help from their families, members of the Pine Plains Central School District’s Transportation Department waved to families driving by a brightly decorated school bus. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Latest News

Fallen trees injure man, destroy fences at dog shelter

Two uprooted locust trees still lie in the yard in front of Animal Farm Foundation’s original kennels where they fell on a fence during a storm on Thursday, June 19.

Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Fallen trees, uprooted and splintered during a thunderstorm, injured a man, destroyed fences and damaged a dog kennel at the Animal Farm Foundation facilities in Bangall.

Isaias Nunez was cleaning along a road on the property with Marco Ortiz, another employee of the dog shelter, when the storm rolled in on the afternoon of Thursday, June 19.

Keep ReadingShow less
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit millertonnews.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less