Screen star news; July 4th postponed; dairy woes

The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn, Vivian Sukenik, Nancy Vialpando and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.

June 22, 1933

‘Screen Star Opens House on Mountain’: The summer home of Miss Grayce Hampton, screen actress, is being made ready for her arrival later in the month. The housekeeper, Mrs. Neilson, has already come on from California. Mrs. Dodeworth, as she is known to her friends in town, has not been here for several years.

‘Fourth Fiesta is Postponed to Labor Day’: Alas and alack! The best laid plans — and so forth and so on. The monster celebration planned by five organizations of Millerton for the fourth of July has been postponed to Labor Day.

The reasons are two: First, the Millerton Fire Department has planned a field day for the September holiday with a big parade, masses and masses of visiting firemen from other towns and all sorts of fixings, so it was finally decided that the entire civic effort of the village should be concentrated, this year, on the event.

Second, both Sharon and Pine Plains, it was discovered, had already made arrangements for celebrations of the fourth and it was felt that three big celebrations in a small geographical triangle might result in spoiling all three, thus, with characteristic chivalry, the Millerton organizations decided to give way.

June 27. 1974

‘Higher Production Costs Threaten Area Dairymen’: Area dairymen, now caught in a major struggle with higher production costs and low milk prices, say the outcome will determine for many whether or not they continue working their farms.

“It’s a lot tougher than it looks from the outside,” said Lakeville dairy farmer Henry Belter. “Milk prices are low,” Amena dairyman Ray McEnroe III commented, “ and grain prices are high. Unless something is done about it a lot of farmers are going to be in a lot of trouble.”

June 24, 1999

‘Resident Decries BC Mining Plan’: North East — At the Town Board meeting last Thursday, Boston Corner resident Henry Klimowicz publicly denounced a proposal to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) by Fortunato Palumbo for a 72-acre gravel mine in the nearby town of Ancram.

“We’re looking at a 72-acre mine over 25 years for cement block and future construction and demolition waste reclamation,” he told the Town Board. “I’m opposed to both.”

He warned against the influx of garbage from New York City.

“We should be leery of digging holes,” he said….

The mine would be parallel to future sections of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, and the aesthetic impact could be greater in North East, since the mine would be located in an isolated area of Ancram.

A DEC public hearing is expected to be held in mid July….