The summer heat brings with it the things that “bug” us most! We’ll discuss natural ways in which we can work with plants to calm the calamities of common stings, bites, burns, and rashes (including poison ivy). Includes materials and a simple organic vegetarian lunch.

Empowering wellness through establishing a deeper connection to the natural world is easy to incorporate in everyday life – when we know how. In this workshop series we will get to know the wild medicinal herbs which we can turn to each season. Learn to transform these wonderful plants into practical, helpful products to support health and balance throughout the year. Designed for the sprouting as well as the established herbalist. Taught by certified herbalist Margo Mullein. Margo Mullein is the founder and owner of Walking Root Herb Farm and Center for Indigenous Technologies. She has been a practicing, certified Herbalist since 1998. In 2005, based on her relationship with nature, plant medicine skills, and work with mending the sacred hoop, Margo was welcomed as a member of the Native American Association of the Hudson River Valley and is trained in Coyote Mentoring and wilderness survival skills.

For more information or to register, please contact Margo Mullein by email: email hidden; JavaScript is required or phone: 518-672-7500 x 231

Architect Richard Upjohn

Saturday, June 22, 3:00 pm, followed by a reception at the church in Copake Falls
Roeliff Jansen Community Library

“The Church of St. John in the Wilderness is one of the great gems of American architecture,” says preservation architect Jack Alvarez, AIA.  The church, located in Copake Falls, is an outstanding example of Richard Upjohn’s Carpenter Gothic Style.  Built in 1852, the church today is an active Episcopal parish and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It is also a part of the Copake Iron Works Historic District and an important part of the historic heritage of the Roe Jan area of eastern Columbia County.

But time and weather have taken their toll, and restoration of the church’s weather-damaged bell tower is now underway based on  Alvarez’s plans. Alvarez grew up in the Roe Jan area and now is a preservation architect based in Albany.

On Saturday, June 22, at 3:00 pm at the Roeliff Jansen Community Library Alvaraz will give a lecture on Richard Upjohn (1802 – 1878), his significance as an architect and churchman, and the bell tower restoration now underway in Copake Falls.  Following the talk there will be an outdoor reception at the church where the Bell Tower restoration work can be seen.

The Church of St. John in the Wilderness (Episcopal) is in Copake Falls, New York.  The Rev John P. Thompson is Rector.  The church building, built in 1852, was designed by Richard Upjohn, architect of Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, and founding president of the American Institute of Architects.  The church has 70 members and serves the Roe Jan area of eastern Columbia County.  The church is located on State Route 344 in Copake Falls, on the road to Bash Bish Falls. www.stjohnw.org

John D. Alvarez II (Jack) worked for 10 years with his family construction business, then obtained a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University.  He has worked for three nationally-prominent preservation architecture firms—in San Francisco, Boston and in Albany–and worked on landmark  projects including presidential homes, Newport mansions, federal courthouses, university heritage campuses, and private clubhouses. Jack is a licensed architect and has been a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) since 2001. He is now the Principal Architect of Landmark Consulting LLC in Albany. Jack serves as a member of the City of Hudson Preservation Commission.  www.landmarkconsulting.net

Come join Hawthorne Valley Farm’s cheesemaker, Peter Kindel, for a day of hands-on cheesemaking. Learn the science and art of turning fresh milk into fabulous curds, and take home your own handmade fresh mozarella. Class size is very limited for this special workshop, so please book in advance. $20 deposit required.

Peter Kindel has been making, selling, tasting, and teaching about cheese for 18 years. What began as a hobby evolved into studying cheesemaking in France, England, and Scotland. Since, Peter has worked in highly-acclaimed cheese outlets in New York City including Picholine, Artisanal, and Murray’s Cheese. He has been a cheesemaker at creameries in Vermont, Colorado, and California and now manages Hawthorne Valley Farm Creamery in New York’s Hudson Valley.

For more information or to register, please contact Caroline Smialek by email: email hidden; JavaScript is required or phone: 518-672-7500 x 232

Meet at the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society in Copake Falls at 12:30 – 1:00 pm to start the tour.

Sponsored by the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society, the event is a benefit for the Societies’ newly established Preservation Fund.   The Preservation Fund awards grants for restoration projects at historic sites in the Roe Jan area of Columbia County.

Contact: Lucy Eldridge, 518-329-0530/ Sally Laing, 518-325-3384.

The Roeliff Jansen Historical Society, organized in 1974, preserves the history and heritage of the Roe Jan community of Columbia County, New York.  The Society is housed in the RJHS Museum , 8 Miles Road and Route 344, Copake Falls, NY.

There’s always room for herbs! Learn to design and plant culinary and medicinal herb gardens with Katherine Whiteside, author of The Way We Garden Now. Explore various techniques, and join in planting a Spiral Garden. A lunch break is included (visit our Farm Store deli or bring your own).

One of the beauties of Biodynamic principles is that they can be practiced on both a large and a small scale. This series of workshops offers a way for home gardeners and professional, small-scale farming practitioners to become acquainted with the methods and practices of Biodynamic agriculture.

For more information or to register, please contact Caroline Smialek by email: email hidden; JavaScript is required or phone: 518-672-7500 x 232

The Roeliff Jansen Community Library’s 2013 annual fundraising gala will feature cabaret singer Laurel Massé, founding member of The Manhattan Transfer, and instrumental jazz music by the Mike Schiffer trio.

The gala will be a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the library’s founding in 1913, and is being billed as “The Birthday Party for the Century.” The event will take place on Saturday, June 8, from 5:00 to 7:30 pm, at Camp Pontiac in West Copake. Gala tickets are $100. Tickets can be ordered online at Roe Jan Library website. Visit www.roejanlibrary.org and click on Special Events.

“The library’s 100th Birthday Gala entertainment is truly special,” says Chair of the Entertainment Committee, Cheryl Jones. “We will have the Mike Schiffer Trio, who did such a fantastic job last year, performing instrumental jazz. And for the showcase cabaret event, the very talented, versatile, witty, and acclaimed Laurel Massé.”

Laurel Massé began her music career as a founding member of the universally acclaimed Manhattan Transfer. She toured internationally with the Transfer for seven years, recording four albums (since, certified gold and platinum) and a movie soundtrack. Numerous television appearances included a 1974 Mary Tyler Moore television special, and the Manhattan Transfer Show in 1975. In 1978, a near-fatal automobile accident cut short her tenure with the group.

When Massé resumed her career after nearly two years of convalescence, it was as a solo artist. Her continuing development as a jazz singer led to the recording of several successful albums. Two of her early solo recordings made the Billboard Jazz charts, and one was a People magazine pick. Her 1999 recording Feather and Bone was described by the audiophile magazine The Absolute Sound as “a recording of extraordinary musical and sonic value.” As a studio singer, Massé has appeared on CDs of many artists and genres, including Tony Trischka, Barry Manilow, percussionist Layne Redmond, songwriter Carol Hall and former Manhattan Transfer cohort Janis Siegel. She appears frequently on television and radio, and was the creator and host of The Laurel Massé Jazz Show, which ran for two years on WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Ms. Massé has been part of the teaching staff of Jay Ungar and Molly Mason’s Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp since 1997 as vocal coach in jazz, western, and swing styles. In 2004 she also joined the faculty of The International Cabaret Conference at Yale as a master instructor of jazz and cabaret. Nationally and internationally, she teaches master classes in song interpretation, improvisation, and performance for professionals and amateurs, and is also an adjudicator of jazz and show choir competitions.

In 2004 she, along with the four current members of the Manhattan Transfer, received the prized Lifetime Achievement Award of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. In 2009 she was given the Bistro Award for Best Jazz Vocalist; and the same year, with JaLaLa, a vocal trio formed with Manhattan Transfer colleague Janis Siegel, and Lauren Kinhan of New York Voices, released an all-Mercer recording, That Ol’ Mercer Magic.  Once in a Million Moons, a CD recorded with renowned pianist/arranger Tex Arnold, was released in summer 2012.

Pianist Mike Schiffer, whose trio will be performing instrumental jazz music for the gala event, has been a popular performer in Berkshire venues since 1968.

“Schiffer is one of the most accomplished piano men around, as comfortable with a bunch of traditional Dixieland sidemen, as he is happy and effective improvising by himself for a silent movie, or integrating into a bop-inflected combo for which he provides a solid rhythmic background and some highly inventive solo choruses,” said critic Simon Wainrib of the Berkshire Record.

In addition to the notable performers, the library gala will feature food from area chefs and restaurants, a silent auction (including a large raffle basket), a live auction with guest auctioneer Louis Caropreso, and a slide show of photographs by B. Docktor of library patrons and donors.

The Roeliff Jansen Community Library, which is chartered to serve Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale, is located at 9091 Rt. 22 in Copake, approximately one mile south of the light at the intersection of Routes 22 and 23. For information on hours and events, call 518-325-4101, or visit the library’s website at www.roejanlibrary.org.

Palmboom studied at the famous Early Music department at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Holland where she obtained a Masters degree in Solo Performance and the First Prize with Greatest Distinction. Mariken has performed as a soloist and continuo player throughout Europe and in the United States, with such artists as Jos van Immerseel, Frans Bruggen, Jaap Schroder. She has resided in the Berkshires since 1997, where besides performing she teaches harpsichord and piano.

The appearance by Ms. Palmboom is part of the Library’s Adventures in Music series, which offers both classical and popular musical programs in an intimate setting: no audience member is more than 30 feet away from the performers. While all concerts are free of charge, voluntary contributions are encouraged.

Come join Hawthorne Valley Farm’s cheesemaker, Peter Kindel, for a day of hands-on cheesemaking. Learn the science and art of turning fresh milk into fabulous curds, and take home your own handmade fresh ricotta. Class size is very limited for this special workshop, so please book in advance. $20 deposit required.

Peter Kindel has been making, selling, tasting, and teaching about cheese for 18 years. What began as a hobby evolved into studying cheesemaking in France, England, and Scotland. Since, Peter has worked in highly-acclaimed cheese outlets in New York City including Picholine, Artisanal, and Murray’s Cheese. He has been a cheesemaker at creameries in Vermont, Colorado, and California and now manages Hawthorne Valley Farm Creamery in New York’s Hudson Valley.

For more information or to register, please contact Caroline Smialek by email: email hidden; JavaScript is required or phone: 518-672-7500 x 232

The concert is co-sponsored by the Columbia County chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Roeliff Jansen Community Library and Taconic Hills School.  At intermission, there will be an opportunity for those attending to talk with representatives of over twenty local social service organizations and learn about their services.

The event is free and appropriate for all ages.

Participating organizations include FLAME the Band, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness); Roeliff Jansen Community Library; Columbia County Mental Health Center; Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties (including Children’s and Families Div., Clinical & Rehabilitation Div. and Residential Div.); Columbia County Sheriff Dept.; Catholic Charities of Columbia County  (including the Snap Food Stamp Program); The Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley; Camphill Village;  Association for Suicide Prevention and  Jeffrey’s Journey; OASIS and Friends of the New Leaf; Philmont Hearth; COARC; CAVE; HANDLE Institute; Newman Community Residence; Special Needs Program; Recovery Center and LinKenTim Farm.

Pat Placona, Chairperson of the Roe Jan Library Program Committee says, “The library is thrilled to be part of this extraordinary event. FLAME will be enjoyed by kids and their parents alike.  We are so pleased that the library was able to join with NAMI and the Taconic Hills School to create this special evening.”

Alice Belt of NAMI says, “Great music provides the reason to really come together and know that we are community – caring, spirited, and fun – dancing in the aisles might erupt.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

The pieces on this program resound with elegance, charm, whimsy, lyricism and the exotic.  They are: ‘Morceau de Concours’ by Faure for flute and guitar;  ‘Trio Sonata in c minor’ by Teleman played on flute, oboe, guitar; ‘Histoires’ by Jacques Ibert for flute and guitar;   ‘Duet in G Major’ by C.P.E. Bach with flute and oboe; Traditional Chinese music played on the chinese pipa; and for our finale ‘Road to the Sun’ by Jobim and ‘Tico -Tico No Fuba’ by Abreu.

This eclectic mix of styles, periods and composers that includes the Baroque, French 19th-20th century, Latin, Jazz and Ethnic music has become a trademark of Winds in the Wilderness Concerts, as has the great fun we have when we invite the audience to play along with us for the finale.

The Church of St. John in the Wilderness is a landmark church in the Gothic Revival style situated in the beautiful Taconic Hills and Taconic State Park. Motivated by the beauty of the setting, the exquisite acoustics of the church and the fact that our community is home to renowned musicians, the community founded Winds in the Wilderness Concerts in 2009. It took off!  We now give four concerts a year, sharing our innovative and educational programs with a full house. We look forward to seeing you there.

Church of St. John in the Wilderness is located at 261 Route 344 in Copake Falls NY.  Concerts are appropriate for all ages. Recommended donation of $15 at the door, children free.  Reception following the concert.

This event is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Decentalization Program of the New York Sate Council on the Arts administered through the Community Arts Grants Program by the Greene County Council on the Arts.

Saturday, May 25 at 6:00 pm
Taconic State Park Pavilion, Copake Falls

Take Out Available

Tickets $15.00 Available at the Depot Deli, Bash Bish Bicycle, Copake General Store, Town Hall or by calling

518-329-3251 or 518-329-2851

Sponsored by the Copake Falls Day Committee. Make checks payable to Copake Falls Day.

Buy your tickets early! We sold out last year!

“Restoring our Architectural Heritage from Venice to Hillsdale”
Sponsored by Historic Hillsdale
Roe Jan Community Library
Saturday, May 25, 2013 @ 4:00 pm 

Matthew White, proprietor of the Hillsdale General Store and partner at the interior design firm White Webb LLC, will give an illustrated talk on Historic Preservation featuring projects he has worked on in Venice, Italy, across the United States, and in Hillsdale, NY.

Reception will follow the talk.

“We are pleased to present the evocative work of Maj Kalfus as part of the library’s ongoing program of cultural enrichment. As one of the region’s most accomplished artists, Maj has served her community as an arts advocate and teacher for many years. The library is fortunate to be able to showcase her talent”, said Jeffrey L. Neumann, Visual Arts Committee Chair.

Maj Kalfus was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her paintings and drawings are influenced by an extensive career in the fashion industry.  Her career which began in the field of fashion illustration after attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, as well as classes at the School of Visual Arts.  After working in fashion merchandising, marketing and design she re-entered the world of fine art. She joined the Studio Arts Program at SUNY Empire State College in Chelsea and participated in several shows. With a studio in Hillsdale she has taken advantage of the natural landscape and gardens with interpretations of flowers, country vistas and farm animals. Her very personal style of family portraiture has led to privately commissioned paintings and drawings. More recently she has developed a following as an art teacher with classes in figure drawing, color and design.  She has a website at www.kalfus-studios.com.

Proceeds from the sale of artwork will be shared between the artist and the library.

AGENDA

I. Silent Prayer/Pledge of Allegiance

II. Approve Minutes

III. Committee Reports

• Sewer: A. Sena
• Park & Recreation: J. Simms
• Communications: P. Cipkowski
• Highway: S. Tiger/R. Briggs
• Building Dept: A. Sena

IV. Other Business

• Cornell Coop Extension: Hudson Estuary Watershed
• Audit Update: A. Baer
• Economic Development Update: A. Baer
• Hamlet Park Lighting Update: A. Senna
• Correspondence
• Public Comment
• Other
• Pay bills

From Prohibition, to The Godfather and The Sopranos, to real-life John Gotti, the public has long been fascinated with bad behavior and organized crime. Pollok has seen a lot first hand over his 40 years of legal experience and will give a unique and compelling report. During the course of his career, he has personally rubbed shoulders with a wide array of political, business, sports and mob figures. He will share stories about several of them and tie-up loose ends on some murky cases.

Copake resident John L. Pollok was the managing partner of Hoffman & Pollok, a boutique firm specializing in criminal litigation. Clients on whose behalf he has argued include former Congressman Mario Biaggi, baseball legend Willie McCovey, mobsters Tony (Tony Pro) Provenzano and Matty (The Horse) Ianello and, in the Gambino Boss’s final successful trial, John Gotti. He has worked with a wide array of high profile lawyers, and played a key role in cases ranging from Howard Beach to insider trading prosecutions.

He’ll be taking questions at the end if you want to know whatever happened to Uncle Joey.

Peter Cipkowski will present the history of Copake Falls, its origins as the Copake Iron Works, the impact of the Harlem Railroad on the local economy, and the role of the Taconic Inn on community life. Though this is a reprise of a popular presentation given in 2011, Peter will include many new stories, some of which are actually true.

Peter Cipkowski attended Roe Jan through 8th grade and graduated from Taconic Hills in 1977. The author of two books published by John Wiley & Sons, Peter has overseen program management, business development, and marketing at Scholastic and Pearson. He now helps lead an innovative Web-based intervention system called Think Through Math. Peter has been a member of the Hillsdale Town Board for 7 years.

For more info on the Roe Jan Historical Society, visit their website.

The dog run is open for the season!

JOIN US

SUNDAY, MAY 19

AT 11 am

AGILITY 101 FOR DOGS WITH JEANINE DUNN

JEANINE DUNN has trained dogs for over 23 years. Agility is a way for you and your dog to work together as a team navigating obstacles such as jumps, tunnels and weave poles.

WHAT TO BRING: Bring water, a leash, your dog’s favorite toy, and lots of small treats. Safety first: a flat buckle collar only – no choke chains please. The aim is for you and your dog to have fun together safely.

The Old Route 22 Dog Run at the park is open from sunrise to sunset every day, is completely enclosed and is free of charge. It is maintained by volunteers and our canine-friendly community.

Menu includes: 1/2 BBQ Chicken, Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Homemade Deserts and Beverage

Take Out Only: orders start at 4 PM

Adults: $12.00  Children 5-10 years: $5.00  Under 5 years: FREE

Location: North Hillsdale Methodist Church on Route 22 (4 miles north of Route 23) in North Hillsdale, NY.

All proceeds support the building restoration project.

This is a workshop for municipal board members and interested residents, focused on the value of woodland pools and the tools you can use to protect them in your community. Through a variety of pro-active approaches, local municipalities can play an essential role to ensure the protection of these habitats and their benefits. This event is a collaboration between the Columbia Land Conservancy, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program, through a partnership with Cornell University, Hudsonia Ltd., and Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary and Center. Pre-registration is necessary. Register by going to clctrust.org/woodland or by calling Ellen Jouret-Epstein, CLC’s Community Projects Manager at 518.392.5252, ext. 208.

Stephen Buck, pianist, and Ken Law, cellist, return to the Roeliff Jansen Community Library for an encore performance on Sunday, May 12, 2013, at 5:00pm.  Len Barham of the library’s Music Team says, “This promises to be another sublime collaboration like the elegant performance of last year. Those who attended that concert were delighted by the beauty of their music.”   This Mother’s Day concert features Beethoven’s Sonata for piano and cello in g minor, Op. 5 No. 2; Fauré’s Sonata for cello and piano in g minor, Op. 117; and Grieg’s Sonata in a minor for cello and piano, Op. 36

Stephen Buck made his Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall debut through Artists International in New York, and is currently serving as chair of the piano department at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music. Active throughout the United States and Europe, Mr. Buck received his doctoral degree from Yale University School of Music where he earned his Master of Musical Arts studying with Peter Frankl. Mr. Buck graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 1995, where he studied with Ann Schein at Peabody Conservatory.

Cellist Kenneth Law serves on the faculty in the School of Music at George Mason University in Fairfax. Virginia. Mr. Law has appeared nationally as soloist and recitalist; chamber music performances include appearances at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jazz at Lincoln Center Concert Series, and Alice Tully Hall in New York City. During the summer Mr. Law serves on the faculty of the Five Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Gateways Music Festival, and Summit Music Festival in Purchase, New York.