September 2015

Fleischmanns First Monthly Meeting Highlights September 2015

Meeting opened by Pres. Winifred Zubin at 9:30

Financial Report- Winifred reported that the Leadership Committee met on July 1 and reviewed the proposed 2016 budget. There is funding for all special events. Our major donors have renewed.

Cauliflower Festival- Good opportunity for member renewal. Marilyn Ringel reported that volunteers are needed. The event is September 26th from 10-4pm.

Howl…ween_ Yvonne Reuter reported that plans are underway. Both the Children’s and Adult parties will be at La Cabana this year. There will be a DJ, food, cash bar-entrance fee for Adult party is $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Central Catskill Chamber of Commerce- Carol O’Beirne reported that the Scenic By-Way is underway. Strategies include: graphics, the logo is a cat paw, and social me-dia. There is also a theme song by Molly Mason and Jay Unger. The Maple Festival is the dedicated event for Fleischmanns. John Duda is the voting representative from Fleischmanns.

Marge Miller, Town of Middletown Supervisor, report-ed on the status of the pedestrian bridge and the status of DEP buy outs.

Old Business: Winter Event, need to explore further. We need to get started on the 10 year anniversary of Fleisch-manns First. It was suggested that the kickoff be the Maple Festival.

The next meeting will be Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 9:30am at LaCabana

***CELEBRATING ONE HUNDRED YEARS***

Fleischmanns First Pumpkin Festival Returns September 27th

After a successful first year of growing pumpkins in 2013, we were thwarted last year as the entire crop of pumpkin blossoms were consumed by resident groundhogs. Regrettably, we had to cancel the Festival but we are back with a vengeance this year. Over 50 large pumpkins are dotting the patch and growing.

This year’s festival will begin at 11am, Sunday, September 27th at the Pumpkin Patch, adjacent to the Fleischmanns Community Garden and Apple Orchard, across from Fleischmanns Park. Families will have the opportunity to pick their very own pumpkin and take it by hay wagon, courtesy of Crazy Acres Farms, to the Main Street Gazebo where the following activities will be offered free of charge: face painting, pumpkin decorating and scarecrow making.

Additionally, apple cider pressing will be demonstrated by Ryan Trepani of Catskill Forest Association and cider donuts baked by Zephyr will be offered. Fleischmanns Fire Department will join in the festivities with a chicken barbecue, $7 a half chicken.

Join Fleischmanns First in celebration of the harvest

from 11am-2pm, Sunday September 27th. Admission

and participation is free for all!

Foothills Shoe Opens on Main Street Marc Levenshus, owner of Foothills Shoe, has been driving through Fleischmanns on a regular basis for the last three years and has noted what he called “the positive changes to Fleischmanns.” The fixed up properties on Main Street, the new tennis courts and playground and the approval of the forthcoming Belleayre Resort are all contributing factors for his deci-sion to move Foothills Shoe to Fleischmanns. Now six weeks since the move, Marc is delighted with what he describes as more steady traffic in the store and he reports a higher “conversion rate”, the percentage of people visiting the store and buying an item, than in the Margaretville store. He “couldn’t be more pleased!”

Story Continued on Page 3…..

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Fleischmanns Then

Making a Living in Fleischmanns…

The beauty of our Catskills setting has long attracted artists to the Fleischmanns region. Obviously Woodstock is the epicenter of Catskills art, but the Hudson Valley and the greater Catskills area all were attractive to painters. Over the years, a number of artists

have made Fleischmanns their home.

The first of note, Paul Sawyier, had been active in Kentucky for many years be-fore he 'discovered' the Catskills in 1914. He quickly moved here, and died in Fleischmanns in 1917. Sad to say, he did NOT make much of a living as a paint-er, and at the end of his life, depended on much charity. Quite a number of his late works are scenes of Fleischmanns and the surroundings.

This pastoral view looking down Breezy Hill Road towards the Old Fire Hall is typical of his Cats-kills works.

Several generations later, begin-ning in the 1930’s, a painter named William Panchak discov-ered our area, and was actively

painting here until his death in 1980. Recently we learned that he sold his paintings from Main Street storefront now the home of Fur, Steel and Feathers. He is buried in Mt. Tremper. His view of Main Street shown here gives a very different view of the Old Fire Hall.

Not well-known at the time, but subsequently quite famous, was Alfredo Santos. He lived here off and on from 1968 to 1985 and was active; but it was only much later, when the mural he had painted in the 1950's at San Quentin Prison in California gained prominence that his work started to be appreciated more. Zoom Gallery has held several showings of his work, including visits with him. Mr. Santos died earlier this year.

All three were enormously talented and inspired by the beauty of Fleischmanns as are we all!

Skene Library Programs for Fall Saturday, September 26 at 2 PM, Skene Memorial Library in Fleischmanns will present a program on Health Insur-ance choices for Seniors. Presenting this important topic will be Donna Martino, from the Delaware County Office of the Aging. With ‘Open Season’ approaching, all Medi-care enrollees are faced with a mass of plans from which to choose. Ways to evaluate what works best for each individ-ual will be discussed. The presentation will also be of bene-fit to those approaching Medicare eligibility and who are wondering how to navigate the broad spectrum of offerings.

Saturday, October 10 at 2 PM, Skene Library will host film-maker Eva Zelig (part-time resident of Halcott) who will show her documentary film 'An Unknown Country. The film tells the little-known story of refugees from Nazi per-secution in Eastern Europe who found an unexpected wel-come in Ecuador. Featuring firsthand accounts and archival material, the story chronicles the exiles' perilous escape and difficult adjustment as they remade their lives in an un-known land. A discussion with the film-maker will follow the showing.

There is no charge for these programs. For more infor-mation, call Skene Library at 845-254-4581.

Painting by Paul Sawyier

Painting by William Panchak

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Skene Library Fall Hours

Tuesday-Friday: 1 PM - 5PM.

Saturday: 10 AM - 2 PM.

Foothills Shoe Opens on Main Street Continued… The new store has a different format, changing from self-service to full service. He and the two staff members help customers with fit and style. Marc has been looking to open a new business consistent with the shoe business and thus the new store offers an array of apparel, caps, t-shirts, sweaters, socks, and fleece wear in addition to shoes, boots, sandals, and rain wear for women, men and kids. Want a Fleischmanns cap or T-shirt, Foothills has them; shoe and clothing brands such as Merrill, Columbia Sports, Timberland, North Face, Redwing, Sorel and Sperry Topsider North Face are to be found in the store now. Soon clothing from Under Armour, North Face Apparel and footwear from Birkenstock will be added. Marc’s first retail experience in Fleischmanns was as a vendor at the Fleisch-

manns First Memorial Day Street Fair four years ago. Since then when he sold over 75 Fleischmanns T-shirts and many pairs of flip flops, he knew Fleischmanns Main Street would be a good spot for his growing business. Welcome Foothills and Marc!

Gardening Hint from Transition Catskills Have Japanese Beetles been feasting on your vegetables of flowers this summer? Here’s a way to combat them in an environmentally safe way.

Popillia japonica, an invasive species, hitched a ride on a ship and disembarked at a U.S. port sometime before 1912. The beetles, not destructive in their native Japan, incubate lawns during their larval stage. Females only lay about 3 eggs at a time, but may mate and burrow into the grass repeatedly, depositing up to 60 eggs by the end of summer. The grubs pupate and emerge as iridescent beetles in July. And that's when the carnage begins.

As the insects feeds on a plant it sends out a distress signal, attracting more beetles. That's why hordes of beetles will often single out one plant, feeding until all that's left is a pathetic skeleton.

Fortunately, the equipment needed to combat Japanese beetles is simple and inexpensive. Don't be tempted to purchase traps. They only attract more beetles to the area. All you need is a cup of soapy water and a spray bottle with equal parts apple cider vinegar and water.

The best time to dispose of Japanese beetles is in the morning when the insects are sluggish. Carefully remove the beetles and drop them in soapy water. As beetles feel the plant being jostled, they let go and fall back. You can hold the cup under the leaf and let them fall into the suds. Some will fall to the ground. Remove all the beetles you can from the leaves and hunt down the fugitives hiding in the mulch. Their shininess makes them easy to find. Repeat process until there are no more beetles on the plant. Lightly apply the vinegar spray to top leaves in late afternoon to prevent sun scald and your plants should remain beetle free. Transition Catskills is part of a worldwide network of grassroots community initiatives that seek to address the world’s most pressing challenges with citizen-led action. We promote successful backyard gardens, which help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and make our region more self-reliant.

Happy Fall!

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Fleischmanns Flyer Editors

Rob Alverson

Paula DeSimone John Duda

Jeanne Malaxos Michelle Sidrane

If you have something you’d like to submit to be included in the Fleischmanns Flyer please write to:

msidrane@gmail.com or PO Box 111, Fleischmanns, NY 12430

POSTAL PATRON

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KINGSTON NY PERMIT NO. 773

Fleischmanns First MARK Project

PO Box 516

Arkville, NY 12406

Printing and distribution of the Fleischmanns Flyer is made possible in part by grants from A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation and The Pasternak

Family Foundation.

September/October Calendar

Fleischmanns’ Events ~ Save the Date!

Sept. 21st Monday, Village Board Meeting, at 6:00 pm at the Skene Memorial Library

Sept. 24th Thursday, FAB: Fleischmanns Alliance for Business Meeting, Skene 5pm

Sept. 26th Saturday, Cauliflower Festival, Margaretville, 10am-4pm

Sept. 27th Sunday, Fleischmanns Pumpkin Festival, 11-2pm, Pumpkin Patch and Main Street

Oct. 2nd Saturday, Fleischmanns First monthly Meeting, 9:30 am, La Cabana Come & meet your neighbors and support your village

Oct. 12th Monday, Village Board Meeting at 6:00 pm at the Skene Memorial Library

Oct. 31st Saturday, Fleischmanns First Howl…ween, save the date

The Village Planning Board Meeting, as needed, (1st Tuesday) @ 5:30 pm, Skene Library Zoning Board Meeting, as needed, (3rd Thursday) @ 6:30 pm, Skene Library

Check with Village Clerk regarding meeting statuses & agendas.

For Village info, please contact the Village Clerk, Lorraine DeMarfio @ 845 254 5514 To have your activity posted here, please contact the Fleischmann's Flyer