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Fairgoers at this year’s Dutchess County Fair from Aug. 20-25 enjoyed thrilling rides on the Midway, including on this flying chair ride. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.
Photo by Olivia Valentine
RHINEBECK — The Dutchess County Fair has ended for the season, which ran from Aug. 20 until Sunday, Aug. 25.
The Dutchess County Fair designated 12 acres of the fairgrounds to showcase local livestock. This included 12 barns housing dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, and rabbits, three show arenas with daily scheduled events, and workroom demonstrations.
Besides offering dozens of themed gardens, waterfalls, and ponds filled with koi and colorful flowers, the fair also travels back in time with the “turn of the century treasures.” It features a century museum village, the firefighters’ museum, a working blacksmith shop, and a gas-powered engine show.
Classic treats like candy apples and cotton candy fed the masses at the Dutchess County Fair. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.Photo by Olivia Valentine
Free entertainment included live music, frisbee dogs, a stilt circus, racing pigs, a petting zoo, dock dogs, a fishing tank, and a VR tractor ridealong. Musicians who performed included Tracy Byrd, Kameron Marlowe, Conner Smith, Kissnation, Bluffett, and Grammy-winning artist Rick Springfield.
Agencies represented included the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Medical Reserve Corps, Animal Response Team, and more.
A major partnership with the fair is ThinkDifferently, implementing accommodations for individuals and families with disabilities.
“ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday was born half a dozen years ago with the understanding that institutions like this and places like this often are difficult for individuals with any amount of disability to access,” U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-19) said.
Elizabeth “Tilly” Strauss’, the Town of North East’s clerk, and her father, Julian, won two blue ribbons at the Dutchess County Fair for his maple syrup. From a third-generation farm in Dutchess County, Julian started making maple syrup about 14 years ago, naming it Home Farm Maple Syrup. This was his first year competing at the fair, winning four ribbons. To learn more about Julian’s syrup, visit @homefarmmaplesyrup on Instagram or email homefarmmaple@optonline.com
Photo by Olivia Valentine
The ferris wheel at the Dutchess County Fair ran all week, taking visitors high into the sky. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.
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POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess County Comptroller A. Gregg Pulver filed an audit request of the New York Department of Public Service Commission Thursday, Aug. 15.
Pulver sent the letter to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli over concerns about recent rate hikes by electric and gas utility provider Central Hudson. Pulver said the utility has practiced bad corporate citizenship by hiking rates and refusing to address problems in its billing department despite soaring corporate profits.
As of Friday, Aug. 23, the state comptroller’s office has not responded to Pulver’s audit request. “Tom DiNapoli is very responsive to needs, I’m sure we will hear something shortly,” Pulver said.
Pulver’s concerns center around the approval process for the rate increase. He said he wants more information about how exactly the PSC balances customer concerns with the financial materials supplied by Central Hudson.
The PSC requires utilities in New York to file regular rate plan approvals. That process takes 10 to 12 months to complete. “It was a litigated case,” Central Hudson Director of Media Relations Joe Jenkins said. “Which means it was essentially put on trial.”
During that process, interested parties, industry experts, employees of Central Hudson and concerned customers give their testimony and recommendations to the PSC. In this case, the Office of Investigations and Enforcement conducted an investigation of Central Hudson’s billing issues and PA Consulting was hired as an independent monitor to verify Central Hudson had rectified the issues and to make further recommendations to the PSC.
After that deliberative process, the PSC issued a rate plan that allowed the utility to increase revenues from electric by 5.5% and from gas by 7.3%. The average customer would see an approximate $12 increase on electric bills and a $9 increase on gas as a result.
Pulver also raised concerns over Central Hudson’s billing practices. “People were getting billed for three or four or five times what they used to do,” Pulver said. “It was an atrocious time.”
Jenkins said Central Hudson has ironed out these issues. In July PA Consulting, the independent monitor hired by the PSC, issued a report stating Central Hudson had resolved its billing issues and that bills were accurate moving forward.
As part of the approved rate plan, the PSC mandated Central Hudson must make recommended investments in billing and customer service, including implementing monthly meter readings, and that ratepayer funds could not be used to pay for those investments.
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Hans Pedersen, age 7, of Sharon, showed his Guernsey, Paisley, at the Dutchess County Fair on Saturday, Aug. 24. The calf was born Dec. 12, 2023, and is from Coon Brothers Farm in Amenia.
Photo by Olivia Valentine
RHINEBECK — The Dutchess County 9th annual Agricultural Forum was held on Aug. 22 at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.
Local farmers, elected officials, and representatives from conservancy organizations attended the forum to discuss agricultural history and how the industry is a critical component of the county’s economic success, generating over $45 million in sales.
A. Gregg Pulver, Dutchess County Comptroller and farmer, began the forum by introducing representatives of the agricultural community and elected officials who share the same vision: “the promotion of agriculture, horticulture, mechanical and domestic arts, fine arts, and allied sciences through education, instruction, display, and competition.”
The Agricultural Society is a non-profit corporation with 80 members and 16 directors on its board. The group oversees all aspects of the well-known Dutchess County Fair and handles all off-season events.
They receive no funding from Dutchess County or other local governments. According to their website, “All agricultural fairs in New York State receive premium money through NYS Ag & Markets. The money received from NYS Ag & Markets plus additional funds donated by the Society is given to the Dutchess County Cornell Cooperative Extension for 4-H premiums.” Three-quarters of their annual income comes from the Dutchess County Fair, yet all profits they earn from operations are returned to their facilities.
However, during the forum, many farmers discuss their struggles with maintaining support from local communities and residents.
“You can buy stuff from Amazon that you didn’t even know existed,” Eric Ooms, New York State Farm Bureau Vice-President, said. “There is stuff you can buy now that you never could get before, so you don’t have the local support that you once had, that, frankly, we all miss.”
Ooms discussed the death of dairy farms and how he has been seeing a major decrease in the industry. “It’s sad for me that there are fewer dairy farms, and there used to be a ton,” Ooms said. “But the positive is that people are doing things that would have been crazy to even think about trying 20 years ago, but we have those opportunities.”
The Agricultural Society has been very involved with the local youth and supports them in many different ways. First, they give out up to $25,000 each year in scholarships. Pulver also announced the creation of a Junior Fair Board, which establishes an environment for the youth to be more involved with the community.
“We have some of the junior board members here,” Pulver said, “Thank you for sitting up there and the work that you do and advocating for not only agriculture but the future of the fair.
“We were talking about that on the radio earlier. Making sure that this energy continues here, that the youth is involved with knowing some of the old, long-standing traditions and carrying them out, and learning how some of the tough decisions are made.”
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MILLERTON — The Town of North East’s planning board is holding a public hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 28, to consider the Bank of Millbrook’s site plan application.
The Bank of Millbrook applied to open another branch on Route 44, where Elizabeth’s Jewelry and Fine Gifts is located. The Site Plan is seeking approval to have the bank contain a drive-through within that location. With the relocation, Elizabeth’s Jewelry announced they are not closing and are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.
The location of the building caught the Bank of Millbrooks’ attention, and they have been applying for approval since April. When they were looking to move their Amenia branch, it took the bank about 30 days to get approval.
The public hearing will occur at 7:35 p.m., Aug. 28, at the North East Town Hall. The application is open to be looked at. To request a copy, email pb@townofnortheastny.gov.
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