PINE PLAINS — In celebrating the county’s rich agricultural identity, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced the appointment of the Dutchess County Agricultural Advisory Committee’s (AAC) first two youth leadership members at its annual Agriculture Breakfast this spring.
The Agricultural Advisory Committee is responsible for reporting to and advising the county executive on issues and policies regarding agriculture and agri-business in the county, and for facilitating “implementation of the programs outlined in the Dutchess County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan,” according to www.dutchessny.gov.
“We’ve discussed the possibility of adding youth to this board for almost a year now,” said Chair of the Dutchess County Legislature Gregg Pulver (R-19), himself a Pine Plains multi-generation farm owner and farmer who serves as a member of the AAC.
In seeing all of the FFA students who attended the committee’s annual meeting at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck in April, Pulver said the committee recognized it didn’t have any actual youth members to represent themselves on it.
With help from the entire committee, Pulver credited Mark Condon, a professor at Dutchess Community College and a member of the AAC, as the catalyst for installing the two student members.
Pulver said Condon came up with the criteria for seeking the new youth leadership members. He explained the committee wanted students involved in agriculture in some fashion, so they looked to the county’s FFA and 4-H students as potential candidates. It also looked for leadership skills and a commitment to attending AAC meetings. In the end, the committee decided to pick a junior and senior to give the it continuity going forward.
“All of the candidates were great,” Pulver said, adding, “The two that we picked we think will do a great job representing the youth of agriculture.”
The 2022 Agriculture Breakfast was held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck on Friday, April 22. It was with great excitement that Molinaro announced Stissing Mountain High School senior Cailin Halladay and John Jay High School junior Jenna Franco had been appointed to the Agricultural Advisory Committee and its Education Subcommittee.
According to Molinaro’s office, the Education Subcommittee’s role reports to and advises the county executive on issues and policies regarding agriculture and agri-business, and provides “organization and leadership in carrying out the vision of the agricultural plan.”
Cailin will serve a one-year term on the committee while Jenna will serve a two-year term.
“I think we have two great students that will represent Dutchess County’s interest in agriculture,” Pulver said.
As advisor to the Pine Plains FFA, ag teacher Stephanie Rhoades said the appointment to the AAC will be an exciting opportunity for Cailin.
“There is great value in having young adults get involved with local government,” Rhoades said. “This opportunity will allow Cailin to use her leadership skills gained through her FFA involvement and will help her learn more about agriculture in Dutchess County. FFA members like Cailin are the future leaders of agriculture and our community so it is very important to invest in youth and provide them with these opportunities.”
Rhoades also extended a shout out to Rebecca Cossa from the Dutchess County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) FFA for encouraging Cailin to apply to the AAC.
“I’m really excited all about the appointment,” Cailin said. “I’m just really excited to advocate for the youth of Dutchess County because I think it’s very important that their voice is heard.”
An active member of the Pine Plains FFA for the last seven years, Cailin currently serves as an officer and a reporter with her school’s FFA chapter this year.
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.
