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Greetings from Copake
Copake Connection is an online newsletter brought to you by the Town of Copake. This newsletter will publicize community events throughout the Town of Copake and will be published once a month, on the 15th of the month. The editor is Roberta Roll. All submissions should be sent to roberta.roll@gmail.com no later than the 10th of the month. The newsletter will be distributed to anyone who wishes to subscribe. Simply click the mailing list icon below.
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Table of Contents
From the Supervisor's Desk
Solar Update
Copake's Financial Health
Copake Fire Company
Renewable Energy Open House
Copake Summer Park
ZBA
Pomeroy Railroad
Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market
Grange Events
Copake History
Lasagna Feast
Roe Jan Library Gala
What's Happening at the Library
Copake Outdoors
K.I.S.S.
Red Cross Blood Drive
Memorial Bricks
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From the Supervisor's Desk
Healthcare in Copake
Two days before the May Town Board meeting, a friend called to say he had heard that the Columbia Memorial Health office in Copake was being closed. About ten years ago, the Copake Hamlet Revitalization Taskforce, chaired by Roberta Roll, worked very hard to convince CMH to open a Rapid Care Facility in Copake. The Community Rescue Squad supported the project by welcoming CMH as a tenant and gave CMH two years free rent at the beginning of their lease term. State Senator Kathy Marchione gave $350,000 toward the establishment of Copake Rapid Care. The Taskforce, along with Copake Community Service, Inc., raised $25,000 towards the project, including a $5,000 contribution from Rheinstrom Hill Community Foundation, Inc. It was an effort led by the town and it received support from the entire Roe Jan area.
The groundbreaking was in 2015, and in 2016 the new facility opened its doors. The opening of Copake Rapid Care was hailed as a vital contribution to the healthcare of our rural community. Copake was extraordinarily grateful to CMH. It was, therefore, very sad for all of us to see CMH forced to reduce its hours during the pandemic, and even sadder when, more recently, Rapid Care closed. Still, CMH maintained doctor’s offices here in Copake.
A few weeks ago, I heard the new CEO of CMH, Dr. Dorothy Urshel, speak at the breakfast meeting of the Columbia Economic Development Corp. We spoke and I urged her to come to Copake to meet with us. This week, on hearing the rumor that CMH was leaving Copake entirely, I called her again. Dr. Urshel will be coming to meet with me this week. The good news is that no decision has yet been made to leave the Copake office.
Copake Rapid Care was a very important addition to Copake and we want to see it remain here for many years to come. We look forward to building a strong and fruitful relationship with CMH. I am doing whatever I can to encourage them to stay here in Copake and will report back to you when I have more news.
Jeanne E. Mettler
Supervisor
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Solar Update
On March 28, the NYS Office of Renewable Siting (ORES) told Hecate Energy Columbia County that the siting application for its proposed Shepherd’s Run solar facility project remained “incomplete.” This was ORES’ third Notice of Incomplete Application (NOIA) to Hecate. Hecate must return again to the drawing board and provide responses to the 20 pages of additional requests for information ORES is seeking. Hecate has 90 days to respond.
Hecate first announced its intention to build a 60-Megawatt, 255-acre solar factory in Craryville in January, 2020, so its continuing inability to file an application with all of the information required for ORES to make a completeness determination must be frustrating to the multinational, Chicago-based energy company. But Hecate is apparently not alone in its frustration.
In an April 27 editorial, the Columbia Paper revealed frustration of its own, as well as a remarkable lack of understanding of the state’s siting permit application process. Perhaps you read the editorial, entitled “Is there a way?” Supervisor Mettler’s response to the editorial should be in this week’s Columbia Paper. The editorial reported that solar facilities have “blossomed” in a few Columbia County communities. This is true, but the critical point is that these installations are much smaller than Shepherd’s Run would be, and each was reviewed and then authorized by the town where it is located. Shepherd’s Run is much, much larger, so under state law, Hecate can bypass Copake’s Zoning Code and Planning Board procedures and seek approval directly from ORES.
The editorial failed to demonstrate even a basic understanding of what ORES is supposed to do, or what it does when it kicks back Hecate’s repeated attempts to file its application. It asserts that “ORES has a year to issue each permit” and because it hasn’t done so with the Shepherd’s Run proposal, “it’s as if the agency is toothless.” ORES is anything but toothless. It has the extraordinary power to force a town to accept the presence of a gigantic solar factory; it can waive any local law or procedure it deems “unduly burdensome” to the state’s ability to reach its carbon-reduction goals — Copake’s Zoning, Planning, Comprehensive Plan, and Agricultural Protection Plan to name a few. It also operates under regulations written for it by Hecate’s own energy consultant. That is why with other small, upstate towns we have sued to overturn the ORES regulations — to make the process fair, and not, as the editorial claims, “to block the Hecate project.”
The reason un-“toothless” ORES keeps issuing Hecate NOIAs is because ORES is supposed to evaluate a siting application objectively. It should be trying to determine how the project would affect Copake’s farmland, wetlands, the Tagkhanic Creek, and historic sites. It can’t even pretend to do so without all the facts. Perhaps the editorial writer doesn’t care about these things; we live here, and we do. If and when Hecate files all the information ORES needs, ORES will then have a year to make a decision on the application.
The editorial declares, “It’s no longer a matter of whose property value is most at risk…” Easy to say when you live nowhere near Craryville and the almost 200,000 solar panels Hecate wants to deposit along the gateway to Copake Lake and the hamlet of Copake.
“Find a compromise,” the editorial commands. Here’s the problem with that idea: Hecate has refused to compromise. The project is too big; it’s poorly sited; it would be poorly screened. We’ve said this for three years, but Hecate won’t budge. Make no mistake: Hecate is in it for the money and changes cost money.
There is a lot of misinformation floating around about the Hecate proposal, and the editorial only adds to it. We all need accurate information and we’re trying to get it. At our request, an administrative law judge ordered Hecate to give us shape files containing data that may help answer questions about the likely environmental impacts of Shepherd’s Run. We are analyzing the files now. Everyone should want to know how the project would affect the local environment, including the water supply. Even if you don’t live here.
Richard Wolf
Deputy Supervisor
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Copake in Good Financial Health
At the April Town Board meeting, the board approved several Resolutions to transfer funds from the unassigned fund balance to reserve funds. The board transferred $250,000 to the Capital Improvement Reserve Fund, giving that fund a balance of over $2,025,000; $100,000 to the Equipment Reserve Fund, giving that fund a balance of over $1,075,000, and $100,000 to the Repair Reserve Fund, which brings that fund to a balance of $709,629.
Supervisor Jeanne Mettler commented that although the original purpose of the Capital Reserve was primarily to fund the town’s share of the hamlet reconstruction, the funds are also for other capital improvements elsewhere in the town. Supervisor Mettler stated that the board allocated $300,000 in the 2023 budget to build the cold storage building at the highway garage. With the increase in prices which has occurred since the pandemic, the new building will exceed the budgeted amount by approximately $125,000. Later in the summer, the board will need to withdraw funds from the Capital Reserve to help pay for the cold storage building. “The point is,” said Supervisor Mettler, “that we have planned ahead and have the money to address the shortfall.”
The transfers approved at the meeting further implement the Fund Balance Policy which the board passed in January 2022. At the request of the supervisor, the town accountant, Robert Patterson, recently analyzed town’s fund balance from 2019 to 2022. His report demonstrated that from 2019 to 2022 the town’s reserves have almost tripled. Since the end of 2019, the town has increased the amount in reserve accounts by over 2 million dollars. The overall fund balance at the close of 2022 was over a million dollars higher than it was in 2019.
The town has benefitted from high sales tax and mortgage tax. It has also benefited from interest; in 2022, the town collected $34,807 in interest. From January 1, 2023 to April 30, 2023 the town has earned $44,234 in interest. Additionally, the town has a CD which will mature in June and pay approximately $22,000 in interest.
In the 2023 budget, the town board proactively budgeted for several projects to be completed this year. “The bottom line” said Supervisor Mettler, “is that this board is taking good care of the town’s money. We are accomplishing positive things in Copake while maintaining the fiscal health of the town.”
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Copake Fire Company Celebrates Milestones and Accomplishments
Copake Fire Company No. 1 is preparing to celebrate its 100-year anniversary. The Fire Company was formed in 1925, and today, forty-three volunteers continue to proudly serve our community as firefighters, fire police officers and support team members.
There’s also a retirement in the works: Copake Engine 1431. It was purchased new in 1989 as part of the Copake Fire District fleet of emergency vehicles. Annual maintenance has kept the vehicle serving well, but as with all things, age eventually results in deterioration - in this case, the vehicle’s body, driveline, fire pump and overall diminishing of capabilities.
The Copake Fire District follows an ongoing fire apparatus replacement plan, and as such, specifications for a new Engine 1442 have been prepared to replace Engine 1431. The new fire engine is being constructed of materials to also provide a thirty-year working lifespan. The new Engine 1442 will have additional capabilities beyond those of Engine 1431 to include increasing the on-board firefighter crew from two to six firefighters; offering new technology with the ability to deploy a biodegradable wetting agent used in conjunction with its on-board water supply to result in quicker and lasting fire containment; and larger compartmentation to support a dual role of carrying both firefighting and automobile extrication equipment such as the “jaws of life” rescue tool system. For more details and to read the full article, click here.
Copake Fire members attained an all-time high in volunteered hours in 2022. Copake Fire answered 97 calls for emergency fire/rescue service in 2022, responding to fires, water rescues, CPR/AED cardiac arrest and EMS assistance, wildland search and rescue, storm emergencies, and requests for public assistance. Additionally, our volunteers accomplished an extraordinary 2337 personnel hours of training through attending the fire district's training/drill program. Answering emergency calls, attending training drills, and conducting public service events to include providing fire prevention education resulted in Copake Fire members volunteering 5878 personnel hours of service to our community in 2022.
Copake Fire is always looking for new members for our “Join the Team” program. If you would like to learn more about becoming a member and are willing to learn new skills and respond to an emergency helping people in their time of need, please consider giving Copake Fire a try, becoming part of our team as a firefighter, fire police officer or support team member.
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Renewable Energy Open House
On Saturday, June 3 there will be an open house to find out more about renewable energy at 26 Chrysler Pond Rd. from 10am to 2pm.
There's been lots of talk lately about renewable technologies. Come see and learn first-hand about the options for renewable energy from someone who uses them every day. You’ll see heat pumps, home solar, battery storage, an electric vehicle -- even a pneumatic woodsplitter.
Gary and Judy Siegel will be happy to show you around their home and answer questions. The event is sponsored by the Copake Climate Smart Task Force.
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Copake Park Summer Program is Back
The 2023 Park Season will run from July 5th through August 11th
COPAKE RESIDENTS ($100 per camper or $250 per family)
Registration Runs from May 13th – June 24th
OUT OF TOWN RESIDENTS ($175 per camper or $350 per family)
*If space is available* Registration Runs from June 3rd – June 24th
Applications can be found here or our Facebook Page. All applications must be turned in at the Town Hall.
TO SUCCESSFULLY ENROLL A CAMPER, YOU NEED THE FOLLOWING:
1. Application form filled out and signed
2. Copy of Recent Physical (within the last 18 months from the start of the 2023 program)
3. Payment made
4. Application turned in to the Town Hall no later than return date indicated
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ZBA Needs Alternate Member
If you would like to get more involved with town government and town matters, Copake has an opening for you.
The Town Board of the Town of Copake will be accepting letters of interest and resumes for the following position:
Alternate Member needed for the Zoning Board of Appeals
Please send letters of interest/resumes by NOON on June 20, 2023 to Lynn Connolly, Town Clerk, 230 Mountain View Rd., Copake, NY 12516 or email copaketownclerk@townofcopake.org.
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Pomeroy Railroad Opens in Copake Falls
Friends of Taconic State Park (FTSP) will celebrate the grand opening of the Pomeroy Family Railroad at the Copake Iron Works in Taconic State Park on Wednesday, June 7 at 2pm. The public is invited to attend the celebration and take an inaugural ride on the railroad.
The opening ceremonies will feature remarks by Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner of New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and William G. Pomeroy, Founder and Trustee of the William T. Pomeroy Foundation. Other dignitaries attending include Deryn Pomeroy, Trustee of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett, Copake Town Supervisor Jeanne Mettler, and Edgar Masters, Chair of the Taconic Region Commission. Jim Mackin, president of the FTSP Board of Directors, will officiate.
The Pomeroy Family Railroad, built and operated entirely by volunteers, will run on a 950-foot loop and pull two ore carts retrofitted to carry children and adult passengers. The train replicates the narrow gauge railroad that circumnavigated the Copake Iron Works during its 19th century heyday. The original train transported iron ore from the nearby mine (the area now known as the Ore Pit Swimming Area) to the blast furnace located in the center of the Iron Works. The railroad is expected to attract many visitors to Taconic State Park and educate them about the area’s rich industrial heritage.
The Pomeroy Family Railroad is the only full-scale railroad operating in all of New York State’s 180 parks. Friends of Taconic State Park built it entirely with private funding to showcase the historic Copake Iron Works and its Visitor Center, Museum, and Blast Furnace. The completion of construction of the Pomeroy Family Railroad was made possible by a significant contribution from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
The Pomeroy family has a special connection to the Copake Iron Works: their ancestor, Lemuel Pomeroy, founded the Copake Iron Works in 1845. Lemuel and family members are buried in the nearby cemetery of the Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Copake Falls. In addition to the Pomeroy Family Railroad, several individual components, including the engine and passenger cars, are named for ancestors of the Pomeroy family. Interpretative signage recently installed at the site will inform visitors of the important Pomeroy family history.
Friends of Taconic State Park identified the re-creation of the narrow gauge railroad that once circumnavigated the Copake Iron Works as a priority project in 2010. Following several years of planning and permit seeking, construction of the railroad began in September 2021. The train is operational and will be open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays from mid-June until late October.
Friends of Taconic State Park was established in 2008 to support cultural, recreational and educational activities within the park, with the preservation of the Copake Iron Works National Heritage Area Site its priority. The group has implemented a 20-year plan to create a pre-eminent site of historic iron-making and a national destination for tourists in Copake Falls. The Copake Iron Works Visitor Center features a video documentary chronicling the history of the site and an extensively interpreted trail from the Copake Iron Works to the Bash Bish Falls, for which trail maps are available. To learn more about Friends of Taconic State Park, visit www.FriendsofTSP.org or email info@friendsoftsp.org.
Photo: Three of the volunteers who helped build the railroad. From left to right are Copake residents Logan Carroll, Edgar Masters and Jim Conklin.
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Farmers Market Opens Soon
The Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market, operated by CHFM, Inc., launches another season on May 20. This season will run through November 18th, being held every Saturday from 9-1. With about 30 vendors, we set up at the Roe Jan Park on Route 22, Hillsdale, across from the Roe Jan Community Library.
Almost all of our terrific farmers, food producers and artisans are returning this year. We welcome several new faces, as well -- macarons from Le Petit Chien, Chaseholm Farm cheeses, Ukrainian prepared food from Authentic Eats by Oleg, fresh fruits from Hickory Creek Farm, poultry from Steadfast Farm, ready-to-eat Asian American foods from Shiso Foods, and more. The full vendor list can be found at https://www.copakehillsdalefarmersmarket.com/vendor-list/
CHFM, Inc has its own exciting news -- we have been approved as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, opening up new opportunities for grants and sponsorships. We recently were awarded a grant from Berkshire Taconic's Fund for Columbia County for needed software and equipment, for which we are grateful.
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Grange Events
Saturday, May 20, 9am - 12 noon - Outdoor Gear Freecycle. Do you have used outdoor clothing and equipment you’d rather not put into the landfill? Bring it to the Grange for a new adventure. And if you are looking for something, you might find it here. Jackets, vests, rain gear, hiking boots and poles, skis and boots, skates, skateboards, fishing gear, paddles, rackets, hats, hiking trail books, etc. Drop off items on Friday, May 19, 4:00-5:30pm or Saturday, May 20, 8-9am.
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Saturday, May 27, 9am - 1pm - Sixth Annual Plant Sale. This popular event will inspire you and your garden! A wide variety of perennials, annuals and shrubs will be available. Get there early for your favorite picks!
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Thursday, June 1, 7pm - Mamaliga Klezmer Band. Don’t miss this critically acclaimed and award winning band, which melds the klezmer melodies of old country Yiddishland with new era sensibilities, crafting intricate arrangements of original and traditional tunes to make you laugh, cry and dance. Tickets: $15 at the door. Go to copakegrange.org/events for more info. Reception afterward.
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Friday, June 2, 7-9pm - Open Mic Night. Live open mic is on and it’s great! The first Friday of every month. Come on down to the Grange and join us with your instruments, songs, poems, stories, skits, etc. Or just come to relax, have fun and be inspired. We have a piano. For more information, contact copakegrange@gmail.com.
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Saturday, June 10, 1-4pm - Fly Fishing with Bill. Bill Newcomb will give a demonstration of fly-tying, history of fly fishing, area history and fishing area streams, and lots of practical advice. Then, a fly casting demonstration at a nearby pond, weather permitting, with audience invited to participate. Ages 10 and up. Reservations not required, but suggested. Rods not necessary, but you may bring your own. RSVP copakegrange@gmail.com
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Sunday, June 25, 11am - 2pm - Third Annual Cupcake Celebration. A sweet event! The cupcakes are creative, confectionary masterpieces, and what’s more…they are delicious. All cupcakes are for sale, and prizes will be awarded, including one for the ultimate Copake Cupcake.
For more information about the Grange and events or to join, go to copakegrange.org. The Copake Grange is located at 628 Empire Rd., Copake, NY 12516.
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Copake History
A Recollection of Lester Hutchinson, Wally Funk and Henry Folger (who started the Auction House)
(Here’s another installment of the late Joe Michaluk’s “memoir,” actually the series of emails that Joe sent to his family over the years.)
Lester Hutchinson had a “filling station” where he did some auto repairs. The building eventually became Folgers auction barn. I recall him being an older man, tall and lanky. But, isn’t everyone tall when you’re 8 or 10 years old? There were tall gasoline pumps with glass towers in front of the garage. The pumps were operated with a hand crank, and gas was pumped up into the glass tower. This tower was calibrated in gallons for all to see. When the desired amount was in the tower, it was then drained by gravity into the vehicle. Hutchinson was a gentle, quiet man. At the time I knew him, he no longer did repairs. Harvey Roberts and Frank Stang took care of auto repairs in Copake. One of the delights that we kids enjoyed was stopping by and asking “Hutch” about his horseless carriage. It was his pride and joy, and he loved to let us kids come into the garage and look at it. It had front and rear seats, no top, and a steering lever for the driver. The engine was mounted in the rear and ran just fine. I don’t recall it ever being driven around town.
Wally Funk owned a farm at the north end of Main Street, aka “Dead Man’s Corner. One thing Wally was known for, and all in town smiled about, was his driving. He had an old Model A Ford truck that he drove; never saw him in a car. Perhaps he didn’t own one. Anyway, Wally would start the truck and hold the gas pedal to the floorboards as the engine screamed for mercy. Then he would shift into gear, pop the clutch, the poor truck would lurch straight up about a foot, and Wally was off to the races ....... at 20 mph! The people at Hedges store and Frankie Stang’s garage always knew when Wally left home.
Henry Folger arrived in Copake toward the end of “The War” when I was in my early teens and bought Wally’s farm. He previously produced and sold milk on Long Island. Since, even back then, farmland on Long Island was a rare commodity, he bought all of his hay and grain. Even though there was acreage on the Funk farm, Henry ignored the diggin-in-the-dirt aspect and bought baled hay and grain. That was not a good choice and he soon gave up farming. Lester Hutchinson had passed away, and in the early 50s Henry bought the filling station next door and started an auction . . . [business] . . . in the old, long-closed garage.
Photo: Lester Hutchinson and his car.
I hope you enjoy Joe’s precious memories. Got an old family diary to share some parts with Copake’s history lovers? Contact me, Howard Blue, at copaketownhistorian@gmail.com
Howard Blue
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Come to the Library Gala!
The Roeliff Jansen Community Library’s Gala returns this year from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 1 at the Catamount Lodge at Catamount Mountain Resort, 78 Catamount Road in Hillsdale, NY.
La Tavola food truck will serve a selection of wood-fired pizzas and Aloha Tacos will serve Hawaiian-inspired tacos, along with tasty mini desserts. Attendees will enjoy wine and local craft beer and live music from local jazz group, the Luke Franco Trio.
To continue prior years’ tradition, there will be a silent and live auction at the gala. Among the items to be auctioned this year are a Millbrook Winery tour and wine tasting, an Ancram Opera House season pass, a customizable photo shoot from award-winning local photographer Jane Feldman, NY Mets tickets, a Catamount season pass, gift certificates from local restaurants, handmade items from local artists, and more. Gala committee members are still soliciting unique and interesting items and services. If you would like to make a donation please contact mlgrossrjcl@gmail.com.
The gala raises a substantial portion of the library’s annual operating budget each year. In 2022, 47% of the library’s budget relied on fundraising alone. Please consider attending this grand get-together to help ensure the library can continue providing materials and services to the Roe Jan community.
Gala tickets may be purchased for $125 online through the library’s website at https://www.roejanlibrary.org/fundraising-events/ or by check or cash at the library. Host tickets can be purchased for $275. Hosts will be listed in the gala program.
Roeliff Jansen Community Library Business Partners Herrington Fuels, Herringtons’s Lumber, Millwork & Building Supplies, and Bank of Greene County are sponsors of the 2023 Gala.
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What’s Happening at the Library?
Thursdays, May 11, 18, & 25, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Photo Composition: Three Sessions to Better Photos. The single most important route to great photography is composition. It’s not the camera, it’s your eye. Come with whatever you have. From smartphone to film to digital, from amateur to pro model, composition remains the same — and knowing how it all works will change the way you look at the world through a lens, and the results. In three sessions over three weeks participants will learn the rule of thirds, foreground, mid-ground, background, leading lines, frames, centering, light, depth of field, portraits, storytelling and more.
These workshops are taught by Gerald Seligman, who has been a photographer for over 50 years, with photos published in newspapers and magazines and featured in galleries and on album covers. He spent most of his career working in the international music industry and has lived in Rio de Janeiro, London, and Berlin. He travels the world much of the year, every year, facilitating his photography. He lives in Spencertown, NY. He has taught photo courses at the McSilver Institute for Poverty, Policy and Research, New York University; for the Josephine Herrick Project; and locally at the Art School of Columbia, among others.
Students should commit to the full three sessions. Registration is limited to 20 participants. Register by emailing director@roejanlibrary.org.
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature and administered in Columbia County by the Columbia County Council on the Arts dba CREATE Council for the Arts.
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Thursday, May 18, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Books Marks! Book Club. Join our nonfiction book club, Book Marks!, led by Circulation Librarian Robin Gottlieb. Meets the 3rd Thursday of every month. For May, we are reading The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War by Peter Guardino (April 2020). Copies available through the Mid-Hudson Library System and on Libby. Email circulation@roejanlibrary.org for more information.
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Saturday, May 20, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Art Exhibition by R J Rosegarten Opening Reception. The Roeliff Jansen Community Library is delighted to present new work by local artist R J Rosegarten in a new exhibition entitled, “Ring Around a Rosegarten.” Mr. Rosegarten’s work recombines and revitalizes the past by assembling familiar, unrelated objects into three-dimensional art, breathing new and whimsical life and meaning into them. The mixed-media compositions in Rosegarten’s new exhibition reflects fascinations he’s had with individual objects at different times and places in his 25-year career.
Rosegarten and his wife, Doreen Rappaport, author of 85 children’s and young adult books, have been full-time residents of Columbia County for 23 years. Rosegarten’s work has been exhibited in galleries in the Berkshires, Columbia County, Long Island, and Maine. The exhibit will run through June 30.
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Saturday, May 20, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Cookbook Club. Join our Cookbook Club led by Outreach Library Associate, Fran Colombo. Meets the 3rd Saturday of the month. If you would like to join, email outreach@roejanlibrary.org to find out more information. For our May 20th meeting, we will be preparing any recipe by Nigella Lawson, no specific cookbook required.
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Thursday, May 25, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Tea Time at the Library. Who couldn't use a little tea and conversation? Join us for discussion, crafts, guest speakers, and local brews from Harney and Sons Tea. This month join Linda Levitt, master gardener, for some gardening tips!
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Sunday, May 28, 3:00 p.m.
Concert: Armen Donelian. Pianist Armen Donelian returns to the Roe Jan Library, with Jay Anderson (bass) and Dennis Mackrel (drums), for an afternoon of jazz featuring selections from Donelian's new album, Fresh Start, including both standard and Donelian originals.
For forty years, pianist, composer, and Fulbright Scholar Armen Donelian has distinguished himself as a performer, recording artist, educator, and author. In 25 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle and Far East, he has appeared since 1975 as a featured solo pianist, leader of his own quintet and trio, and with Jazz legends including Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Paquito D’Rivera, Mongo Santamaria, and Billy Harper.
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature and administered in Columbia County by the Columbia County Council on the Arts dba CREATE Council for the Arts.
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Tuesday, May 30, 6:15 p.m. on Zoom
Webinar: The Story of Japanese-American Internment during World War II. Join Peter H. Irons, the lawyer who represented the Japanese Americans whose internment convictions were overturned in the 1980s, for an online discussion of one of the most disturbing events in US history–the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II. Peter Irons is an American political activist, civil rights attorney, legal scholar, and professor emeritus of political science at University of California, San Diego. He has authored many books on the US Supreme Court and constitutional litigation.
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Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
Playtime with Tia. We are remixing our Circle Time with Tia into Playtime with Tia!
Preschoolers and their families are invited to join Tia in the Children's Room to socialize and play! Each week, a special craft will be provided.
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Wednesdays, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Homeschool Wednesdays. Tia, the Library’s Children’s & Youth Services Associate, will be sharing stories and activities for homeschooled kids in the Children’s Room every Wednesday.
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Thursdays, starting June 1, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Qigong & Tai Chi at the Library. Qigong and Tai Chi are approaches to movement that have been practiced for hundreds of years and are particularly helpful for dealing with stress, limited ability to move, those wishing to develop better balance and flexibility, and they can be practiced by nearly everyone, young and old. Although Tai Chi is generally practiced standing, Qigong can be modified to allow participants to be seated.
This weekly drop-in class, open to all, will be taught by David Haines, who has been a practitioner of Qigong, Tai Chi, and mindful movement for 50 years, a teacher for 40 years, and a certified Trager Movement practitioner for 35 years. Since moving into the area in 2006 he has taught at Omega Institute, Simon's Rock college, Columbia-Greene Community College, as well as various libraries, senior centers, and school district community education classes.
Classes will be in the Roe Jan Library Community Room or outdoors, weather permitting. Wear comfortable clothes.
This project has been supported by a grant from the Fund for Columbia County of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
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Saturday, June 10, 5:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Roeliff Jansen Community Library Gala 2023. Support the library by attending the Library’s annual fundraising Gala. Join us for food, music, auctions, and fun at the Catamount Lodge. Aloha Tacos and Pizza Guys food trucks will be providing the food for the evening, and Luke Franco, a soft jazz musician, will provide the music.
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Thursdays, 3:30–5:00 p.m.
Chess Club. Chess Club is here at Roe Jan Library! We have boards but feel free to bring your own. For beginners and pros. All ages welcome. Learn how to play or challenge a neighbor!
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Thursdays, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
English-Language Tutoring by Appointment. Free English-language tutoring will be available between 6:00 and 7:30 p.m. by appointment on Thursday evenings. This tutoring program is intended primarily for adults. Instruction will be one-on-one or in small groups with Yvonne Acevedo and will be geared toward everyday conversational needs. Free childcare will be provided for children ages 3 and up. Please e-mail director@roejanlibrary.org or call 518-325-4101 to schedule an appointment.
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Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.
Playtime with Tia. We are remixing our Storytime with Tia into Playtime with Tia!
Preschoolers and their families are invited to join Tia in the Children's Room to socialize and play! Each week, a special craft will be provided.
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First Saturday of the Month
RJCL Monthly Prose Writers Group: Writers Wanted! Writing can be an isolating experience. This peer-led prose writers group meets on the first Saturday of the month on Zoom. The group is a safe environment that offers support and feedback to writers of all levels working on fiction, non-fiction, memoir, essay and the occasional Haiku.
If you would like to be part of a supportive and helpful writers group, contact Regina Colangelo at 914-954-3494.
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Copake Outdoors
Copake Outdoors, the local group dedicated to having fun hiking, biking, kayaking and swimming in and around Copake, will have its next outing on Saturday, June 3 at 9:30am at Jug End State Reservation in Egremont, Massachusetts.
The Jug End Loop Trail offers either a 3 or 4 mile hiking option and runs through a mix of open fields and woodlands. It offers some beautiful scenic views of the Berkshires.
It also has access to the Appalachian Trail.
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If you wish to submit an article or notice regarding a community event taking place in the Town of Copake to the Copake Connection, please e-mail: thecopakeconnection@gmail.com. All submissions should be received by us by noon on the 10th of the month.
For more and current information on Meetings in Copake and events throughout the Roe Jan area, go to the Copake Website.
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Contact
Copake Town Hall
230 Mountain View Road
Copake, NY 518-329-1234
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