PINE PLAINS — Ready to combat the continuance of COVID-19 cases, the Pine Plains Pharmacy plans to keep its partnership with the Pine Plains Central School District (PPCSD) going, as they continue to hold COVID-19 vaccine clinics for the area in 2022.
With Pine Plains resident Kathy Bartles coordinating the clinics and her team of volunteers and nurses poised to administer the vaccines, the pharmacy is on the lookout for qualified local nurses interested in volunteering their services.
Since last February, Bartles said she and her team have been working to arrange COVID-19 clinics throughout the Pine Plains community.
Last May, Bartles reported they administered close to 2,800 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with a couple thousand more doses administered in the fall.
Almost a year later, Bartles’ vaccination team is comprised of 15 people, some of whom were there when the team originally formed last winter.
Along with support personnel and nurses, Bartles’ team includes people who work sorting residents into different categories at the clinic, depending on what version of the COVID-19 vaccine they’re getting; whether they’re getting their first, second or booster shot; and whether they’re children or adults.
To date, Pine Plains Pharmacy owner and pharmacist Nasir Mahmood said they’re currently offering the Pfizer and Moderna versions of the COVID-19 vaccine in first, second and booster shots.
Around 300 doses are typically administered at each clinic, both to children (ages 5 and up) and adults (ages 12 and up).
In addition to the clinics held around every three weeks at Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School, located at 2829 Church St. in Pine Plains (Route 199), Mahmood said they’ve also done clinics at other sites around the region, including at Millbrook and Dutchess Day Schools.
Reflecting on their success getting the community inoculated through these local clinics, Mahmood said, “Obviously we want as many vaccines injections into people’s arms as we can, and we have seen the difference in these clinics. People have come for the first and second doses… These people are being convinced that they have to do this, which is encouraging.”
From her perspective as the coordinator behind the clinics, Bartles said, “It’s very satisfying because there are a lot of older people for whom getting to Poughkeepsie for a clinic or dealing with the appointment software and things like that is pretty intimidating, so it’s been satisfying because we know we’re helping the people who need it who wouldn’t necessarily get some place else easily.”
On top of thanking her team members for their efforts, Bartles gave thanks to Mahmood for his invaluable work in securing and distributing the vaccines.
She also thanked PPCSD Superintendent of Schools Martin Handler and his staff for making arrangements and setting up the clinics at the high school campus.
“Our partnership with the Pine Plains Pharmacy makes these critical vaccines conveniently available to our residents and our students,” Handler said. “We are pleased to offer our facility to support this effort.”
Though the clinics have been running smoothly so far, Mahmood pointed out that each clinic has only a three-hour window in which it can run, during which time those running the clinics must get everyone vaccinated.
“Mostly we’ve been doing OK, but we need help,” Mahmood said. That’s why organizers are reaching out the public now.
Regarding requirements, Mahmood said volunteers are needed who are currently registered as nurses who can spare three hours at the clinics.
Those interested in volunteering should contact Bartles at 518-398-7568 or the Pine Plains Pharmacy at 518-398-5588.
The next Pine Plains COVID-19 vaccine clinic is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 1, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School cafeteria, and will offer the Moderna and Pfizer versions of the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot to children and adults.
For more information, call Pine Plains Pharmacy at 518-398-5588 or go to www.pineplainspharmacy.com.
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.
