Taconic Parkway extension; a Dairy Goat princess
From the Archives: Thursday, April 17
From the Archives: Thursday, April 17
‘Bog Hollow Road Called Worst’; Supervisor Joseph B. McEnroe, of the Town of Amenia, has expressed the opinion that the Salt Point turnpike, the subject of much controversy of late and the cause of a protest meeting staged by Grange representatives before the highway committee of the Board last week, may be bad, but the Bog Hollow road in his own town is worse. Declaring that “it’s the worst road in Dutchess County” and that it has been bad for a number of years, Supervisor McEnroe said that a crowd of protesting taxpayers could be produced as easily to demand improvement of the Bog Hollow road as of the Salt Point highway.
'Taconic State Parkway May Be Continued’; The Taconic State Parkway may be completed as far as Freedom Plains in Dutchess County if anticipated federal public construction funds become available and if the State Highway Department agrees to continued construction of the parkway north instead of rebuilding the Poughkeepsie-New Hackensack-Hopewell Junction highway, it was made known last week-end by Paul T. Winslow, executive secretary of the Taconic Park Commission.
‘About Millerton’; Stephen Kryoski has moved from Boston Corners to the Ganung farm at Spencer’s Corners.
Mrs. Albert Berger, of New York City, spent the week-end [sic] with her husband in Millerton.
‘Excavation Halts’; Excavation work at the site of the new office building to be erected in Centre [sic] Street was interrupted Tuesday when the crankshaft of the motor driven shovel broke.
‘Village Adopts Softball Field’; The Village Board of Millerton at its April 9 meeting resolved to convert the hardball field at Eddie Collins Memorial Park into a softball field.
The Board based this play on the fact that the hardball field was not getting much use and that the Pine Plains Softball League which includes teams from Millerton requested that the field be converted so the softball teams could play there from May until September.
‘Meg Merwin Crowned Dairy Goat Princess’; Meg Merwin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Merwin of Millerton, was crowned the 1975 dairy goat princess at the annual dinner meeting of the Progressive Dairy Goat Club on Friday night, April 11.
‘Library Slates Story Hour’; In observance of National Library Week, the Millerton Free Library is having a story hour for children of all ages on Saturday, April 19, at 10 a.m. In addition, for this week only, all overdue books may be returned without paying fines.
A new selection of phonograph records from the Mid-Hudson Library System is available for loan.
‘New Mural Graces NE-Millerton Library’; MILLERTON - The Millerton/ North East Library gave a colorful boost to its children’s section, installing last Friday a mural by prolific Lakeville folk artist Kathy Clegg.
Millerton Mayor Michael Cawley donated his labor, deftly trimming and hanging the 4-foot-by-10-foot mural, an acrylic pastoral scene depicting animal characters from well-known children’s books.
‘Silvernail Honored For 50 Years With Fire Dept.’; MILLERTON - The Millerton Fire Department honored Bernie Silvernail for 50 years of service. Mr. Silvernail was given a fireman’s lamp.
‘Photos Sought For Rail Trail Brochure’; MILLERTON - The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) needs color photographs and slides for its revised trail brochure and its updated slide show. For the brochure, shots of people using the Rail Trail and obeying the rules are preferred.
The LED sign in front of Amenia's Town Hall on Route 22 warns passing motorists of the current temporary burn ban, in effect from Oct. 2 to Oct. 15.
A statewide burn ban is in effect as of Thursday, Oct. 2, the New York State Governor's office announced in a press release.
The temporary ban is in effect until at least Oct. 15, and the statement released by the governor's office said the restrictions will be re-evaluated prior to the Oct. 15 deadline.
Lighting fires for brush or debris disposal and large, uncontained fires for cooking or other purposes are banned until at least Oct. 15 under the statewide order. Backyard fire pits, contained camp fires no larger than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in diameter, and small, contained cooking fires are still permitted under the burn ban.
New York State has faced dry conditions all autumn, triggering drought watches and warnings across most of the state.
Dutchess County, along with the other counties in the Catskills region, are under a drought watch according to the Department of Environmental Conservation's drought condition map.
Dutchess County is currently under a "high" fire danger rating, according to the DEC.
LAKEVILLE, Conn. — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 11:00a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 76 Sharon Rd., Lakeville.
A complete obituary will appear in next week’s Lakeville Journal.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com.
Volunteers were hard at work putting the finishing touches on the crucial creepy decorations for the Haunted Fortress of Stanford on Sunday, Sept. 28.
STANFORD — Greg Arent led a devoted team of volunteers on Sunday, Sept. 28, in a final push to prepare Stanford’s Haunted Fortress for opening day.
Final touches included cleaning the bottomless pit, scrubbing the pirate ship, raking the graveyard and dressing the dolls. By 2 p.m., about 20 volunteers had assembled to creepify the beloved local landmark.
Many of the volunteers have been coming back for years, Arent said, dedicating time and valuable skills to the town-owned haunted house that was constructed by the artist Peter Wing.
Arent has been building sets in his free time for forty years, but he started out volunteering with the Haunted Fortress in 2014 when his children wanted to get involved, he said. At that time he would help out one or two days a year. That grew into a leadership position over the course of a decade.
On Sunday, Arent was touring the decrepit grounds checking light bulbs, soundtracks and other set details to contribute to that perfect spooky ambience.
Nathan Miller
When it’s all said and done, the Fortress will be ready to welcome visitors starting on Friday, Oct. 3, with shows running from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays. The Haunted Fortress is entirely staffed by volunteers, Arent said, including the actors that don costumes to scare visitors. Anybody aged 6 and up can volunteer to act in the horror show, and families often will volunteer to take over a scene.
“I love it because every scene is different every night,” Arent said. “Sure there are going to be vampires in this scene, but this family is going to do it different from these three kids from Bard, who are going to do it different from these three middle school kids.”
The sets themselves were all built from recycled material to be as creepy and decrepit as possible, Arent said. Concrete culverts adorn the sides of a bridge over a stream, stacked vertically with a cone on top to elicit a fortress’s spires. Reclaimed lumber bolted to a fence evokes a dark and scary forest blocking any escape. A rusting tractor with a steel box welded above the seat sits on a set of rails with two cars attached to it, mimicking a wrecked train with it’s inner mechanisms exposed and blowing steam on passersby.
This year the Haunted Fortress is following a haunted circus theme featuring clowns and other carnival staples alongside the classic settings of the Fortress.
The team of volunteers is dedicated and numerous, and the Stanford Highway Department lends a hand too, Arent said, but there’s always a need for skilled labor at the local attraction.
And the group appreciates all the help they can get. “Whatever you’re interested in and capable of doing,” Arent said.
The haunted pirate ship marks the spot where groups of visitors are paired with their ghastly guides for the remainder of the Haunted Fortress tour in Stanford.Nathan Miller
From left, Jim Milton, Spencer Parks and William J. Clark stand with Joseph Olenik on their first day working under him as the head of Public Works on Monday, Sept. 29.
MILLERTON — The Village announced a leadership change at the Highway Department on Friday following the resignation of Superintendent Peter Dellaghelfa. Police Chief Joseph Olenik will step into the role, effective immediately, officials said.
Olenik will continue to serve as Police Chief.
The decision was made Friday, Sept. 26, during an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees following Dellaghelfa’s resignation.
Mayor Jenn Najdek said the “amicable split” with Dellaghelfa was part of an ongoing annual employee review process, adding that turnover is not uncommon in small municipalities. She expressed her gratitude for Dellaghelfa’s service over the last four years.
The Board went into Executive Session on Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 for “matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person,” but village officials could not comment on the specifics of those discussions.
The leadership shift will allow the Village to “better respond to the changing needs of our residents and community,” announced the Board in a press release shared with The News. “The Mayor and Board are excited to see Joe expand his impact on Millerton and we’re confident this change will bring lasting improvements to operations, communications and community engagement.”
Police Chief Olenik, who will continue his leadership role within the Millerton Police Department, said he is looking forward to the added responsibilities.
“I am excited to help move the department forward and rebuild it after the devastating fire,” Olenik said. “I am also looking forward to working with the dedicated staff and helping the residents of Millerton by making needed changes and repairs.”
Though Olenik will assume additional responsibilities as he leads the Highway Department, the Millerton Police Department will continue to operate separately — but with the same shared goals of supporting the village community.
William J. Clark installs the leaf container he and his colleagues built. Leaves from the Village will be delivered to McEnroe’s Organic Farm for composting.Aly Morrissey
Mayor Najdek added that Olenik has extensive supervisory and administrative experience that, given the imminent need to rebuild the Highway Department building, will be critical. In addition to managing the upcoming construction, his first orders of business will include making sure the village is on track for leaf pick-up and snow removal, working to ensure the right equipment and personnel are in place.
Olenik held his first meeting with the Village Highway Department on Monday, Sept. 29 and discussed a new leaf container — built by Millerton’s Highway Department — that will support efforts to collect leaves. The leaves will then be turned over to McEnroe’s Organic Farm for composting. While the team configuration — which includes Jim Milton, William J. Clark, and Spencer Parks — will be new, Olenik said they are not strangers. “They’ve always helped me out and I’m looking forward to working with them more closely.”
The Board said in a statement the Village is in good hands moving forward. “Joe’s leadership style — hands-on, structured, and community-focused — makes him well suited to guide this department through the transition.”