Alplaus Home Town News October 2002
Editor/Publisher: Art Harris Reporter: Betty Vedder
The Home Town News is bulging with news about your neighbors and what's happening in and around Alplaus this month. It took a while to get all the contributions to fit along with a couple of Halloween pictures. I especially thank the regular contributors for getting material to me in time for a getaway weekend Judy and I planned for Maine over the first weekend in October.
Cliff Hayes sent me a piece about two old friends who returned for a brief visit to Alplaus . It's very nice to hear about people we once knew and how they are doing. Thanks, Cliff. I hope more of our readers will take time to send some personal news like yours.
Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour at the end of the month. If you don't, you run the risk of being early for all your Sunday outings.
Art's new e-mail address: arthur.harris@earthlink.net
With the stamp price increase in June, we had to deal with limited stamp designs for a while. I am happy to say we now have some very interesting commemorative stamps available. We have teddy bears, bats, dogs & cats, musicians, ladies in journalism and poets, just to mention a few. We also have the Hero stamps which cost $.45. The difference from the price of the normal $.37 stamp goes to victims of 9/11. I'll do my best to keep these stamps in stock. Some stamps are back ordered because the demand has been so great. There is a listing at the Post Office to show what is available. If you have a special interest, I'll do my best to get them for you.
I would also like to send out a very personal thank you to the Alplaus Ladies Auxiliary for their very kind and generous donation to Alplaus Post Office for its restoration. What a wonderful, talented group of women to be associated with. While I'm on the subject of the Ladies Auxiliary, please come in to the Post Office and support their fall fund-raiser by ordering bulbs for your gardens. The information and order forms are available right here for you to look at. There are also more Alplaus sweatshirts on the way.
Kathy Boyle, APO Postmistress
The fall pickup of limbs and brush in the town will start on Tuesday, October 15th. It is very important to bundle and tie your twigs and short branches. Your loose brush must be bagged for easy handling.
It would be wise to be prepared on time so you don't miss
your pickup day.
This is a reminder of daylight saving time ending. Push your clocks back on the morning of October 27th. If you attend church on Sunday don't forget the change.
Our November HTN comes out on Monday, November 4th. The following day is
Election Day on the 5th. Keep this date in mind, all registered voters come
to the Firehouse and cast your vote for the people of your choice.
This will be held at the Glenville Senior Center on Saturday November 2nd, all day 7 AM until 7 PM. There will be pancakes, French toast, sausage, applesauce, coffee and beverages.
It's all you can eat prepared by the Rotary Club, a great supporter of the Glenville Seniors. The cost is: adults - $5.00, 12 yrs and under - $3.00, under 2 - free.
The Seniors and the Etude Club of Schenectady will present "A Musical Treat". This will be held at the Center, 32 Worden Road, on Thursday, October 17th at 1:30 PM. The program will feature a Gershwin medley, selections by a flautist and a string quartet with ragtime music and gay nineties favorites.
We would like to mention that our own gifted friend and
neighbor, Joanne Rautenberg, will accompany the soloist on the piano. There
is free admission and everyone is invited to this event. Refreshments will
be served. This should be a memorable musical treat.
The covered dish lunch will resume on Tuesday, October 8th in Fellowship Hall in Alplaus Church at 11:30 AM. It will be good to get together after the summer vacation. Everyone is welcome to attend, bring a dish to share if you can. You'll be sure to have good food, fun and fellowship.
Halloween Party and Open House
The Alplaus Fire Company will once again hold its Open
House and Halloween Party for the children and adults on the same day. This
will be on Saturday, October the 26th. The Open House will begin at noon
and the parade at 1 PM at the Firehouse. Activities are planned for kids
of all ages. Bring the young ones in costume and slip one on yourself if
you're so inclined.
Everyone is welcome; families, neighbors and friends. Delicious
goodies will be served throughout the afternoon. Come join us for lots of
fun.
Fire prevention week is scheduled for October 7th through the 12th. At this time the Fire Company will be holding their annual fund drive. This is the time to show our appreciation for our dedicated firemen who give of their time, talents and energy to protect us.
If you have ever considered joining the force this would
be an excellent opportunity to do so. In fact you might start thinking about
it, now. Remember to come on out to see your firehouse, the trucks and the
equipment at the Open House on Saturday, October 26th at noon.
From Tif Bailey
Elizabeth B. Fithian, 84, of Hopewell Township, NJ died on Thursday [9/12/2002] evening at The Cumberland Manor Nursing Home following a long term illness. She lived at 7 Mohawk Avenue for about 15 years and enjoyed the activities at the Alplaus Methodist Church and the fire department auxiliary.
Her son, Tif Bailey, and family have moved from Alplaus, but want to thank the community for welcoming Elizabeth and making her final years most enjoyable.
Alplaus Fire Station
Harry Casey has been laid up with a back problem for a few weeks. He was not able to hold his clinic in September but hopes to resume in October. It will be held on Thursday the 10th from 3 until 5 PM.
We're wishing Harry a complete recovery and looking forward to seeing
him in October. Watch for the sign in front of the Firehouse.
This was a sports headline in a recent Gazette paper. The members of the Nappi family from St. Jude Lane are well known as active neighbors here in Alplaus. Chris returned a kick of 88 yards for a touchdown to lead Union to victory over Worcester Polytechnic Institute. This was the biggest play of the game. You can be proud, that was a great achievement, Chris.
An added note, as we looked through previous October HTN issues we found another article about Chris in 1999. It stated: " On September 9th Chris Nappi led the Niskayuna Warriors Football Team to a 47 - 7 victory over Catholic Central. He scored all six touchdowns and rushed for 227 yards, quite an accomplishment for anyone, let alone a high school junior" It makes you think we might have the makings of a professional football player here. We'll have to keep an eye on him.
Vicky has been the organist for Alplaus for over twenty years. She has recently
taken a new position as organist for the Burnt Hills Methodist Church. She
was always devoted to her Alplaus Church position and often took on related
activities beyond her duties as organist. Her outgoing warm personality
has certainly been an asset while working with others.
We do realize she has excellent talent in her music ability
and wish her the very best with her new endeavors. She certainly will be
missed in the church and always well remembered.
From Harry Casey's Home Page: Alplaus Weather
September 2002 Summary
(Harry's weather data will be available later in October.)
October 2002 Moon Phases
The Old Farmers Almanac for Oct. 2002
Forecasts for Region 6: Upstate New York
Recently Jeanne has been in and out of Ellis Hospital and Sunnyview with a hip operation. She seems to be doing great with her recovery.
Keep up the good work, Jeanne, and you will soon be kicking
up your heels again.
We held our covered dish supper and meeting at the firehouse and very much enjoyed the good food followed by a lively meeting. We did very well from both our flea market and sweatshirt fundraiser and, in fact, are ordering more sweatshirts. If you've been wanting a larger size sweatshirt we should have them available at the post office in several weeks. We discussed our 4th of July float which Linda Kroder once again created for us with her creativity and verve. Many thanks, Linda. We also thank the Beautification Committee for all their hard work around the post office, firehouse and Schwarz Memorial park. The flowers looked beautiful and with the dry summer we appreciate the efforts it took to keep them that way!
We reported a profit on our first ever Art Craft and Flower Show and were happy to be able to make a donation to the post office renovation fund. We appreciate all the efforts Kathy Boyle McGarry and her band of volunteers have put into making it a village showplace.
In order to pay for our various activities we are currently taking orders for spring bulbs (which you plant in fall) at the Post office. Daffodils, Tulips, etc., are the first indicators that our long winter is over so why not indulge in some bulbs for your garden. Orders will be taken until October 15th and bulbs will be available within 2 weeks after that in plenty of time for planting.
We had hoped to announce a Red Cross blood drive but the date fell through. Stay tuned for our blood drive in the spring when we will be looking for 50 people to volunteer to donate and "give the gift of life".
Next month on the 26th we will be assisting with the annual Halloween Parade and Party for the kids. Please join us at the fire station for lots of goodies and fun. Our next meeting is October 28th at 7:30 PM at the Post Office Community Room.
If you are interested in attending or learning more about
us, please call Robin at 399-4911.
The Alplaus Residents Association board met on Wednesday September 25th and several topics were discussed. The Alplaus Run Around has been saved. Charlie Casey and his wife Barbara have agreed to take charge of this event. The date of the event is slated for October 26th @ 10:00 AM. You may register for the event at the firehouse at 9 AM on the 26th, the day of the event.
The firehouse open house is also slated for that date. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Thanks to a successful year, the ARA has offered to donate money to the fire department to help sponsor the annual Halloween Party. Andy Coppola accepted the offer of the donation. Pizza and soda will be served at the party. This will be in addition to the traditional cider and donuts. This looks to be a real special party this year and we hope that as many Alplaus residents as possible can come and enjoy the company of their neighbors.
Unfortunately, there is still no definitive word on sewers. We are keeping up efforts on the town to see that residents get the best proposal so that we can decide for ourselves whether we want to have sewer service in the areas currently not served. Patience is a fine thing to have!
Please note the release from the town (below) regarding the storage of boats, other vehicles, and material in yards.
Thanks, Rick Fleming, ARA President
From the Town of Glenville Building Department
With the fall season fast approaching, we would like to remind Glenville residents that storage of RV's, pop-up campers, boats, snowmobiles, and similar vehicles is not permitted within residential front yards unless enclosed within a garage. Also, such vehicles located in side or rear yards are to be parked on an existing driveway or an apron of concrete, brick, block, asphalt, crushed stone, or any finished surface that prevents growth of grass or weeds.
Also, yards in all zoning districts are not to be used for the storage of merchandise, equipment, building materials, junk, garbage, or unregistered vehicles, unless otherwise permitted by the zoning ordinance.
By Cliff Hayes
Doug Clements and Tom Bates, former residents of Alplaus, visited on 9/21/2002.
Doug was raised on 14 Second Street (now the Donlon residence) where his parents resided until about 1980. Now retired and living near Orlando, Florida, he returned to the area for his 50th High School reunion at Burnt Hills Ballston Lake. Doug, as a teenager, was quite active as a boy scout in troop 36. The scouts held paper and scrap drives to help finance trips to Thousand Islands. Doug had an album with pictures of these trips. Also he was a newspaper carrier in town as that was a main source of the news media in those days. Doug has two grown sons, one living in Virginia and the second living in the Orlando area. Also, he has a brother George living in California who visited Alplaus last year. Doug had to leave early to engage in more activities at the reunion.
Tom lived at 343 Alplaus Avenue (now the Isles residence) where his parents resided until about 1970. Tom is a retired pediatrician living near Burlington, Vermont on Lake Champlain. Tom was my next-door neighbor and he revived some old "war stories" and some devilish acts as kids in Alplaus. We took a walk through Alplaus from the east side of the bridge. At the bridge we noted the large tree on top of Cashen's hill in the rear of Hecklers farm (now the Abatto home) where we spent many winter days sleigh riding to the ice covered creek; not too much TV back in those days. We met the Ironsides (formally Bundy's) where Tom recalled the enormous garden Mr. Bundy grew and was raided a few times. The Concord grape vineyard is still producing and yummy. At the end of Hill Street, between the Winchesters and Watkins homes, a path would lead through the fields to willow bend on Alplaus creek. This was the swimming hole for the kids in the summer until about August 1st when the water became stagnant and not too clean. The EPA and the Glen Hills Club was not even a thought. As we proceeded to the firehouse, Tom again recalled how the firemen in the winter (cold in those years) would fill what is now the parking lot so the kids could skate. This was a win-win situation as it kept the kids off the creek and the firemen could test their hoses and pumpers. We stopped at the Post Office and admired the renovations and reviewed a book of old photos provided by Kathy via Bob Culver. Tom has three grown children: two daughters and a son. One girl lives in Colorado and the other two live in Vermont. After cool refreshments at 340 Alplaus Avenue, Tom returned to Vermont.
According to the "History of Firefighting and the
Alplaus Fire Department" by Elmer Pfaffenbach, 1963: This tree, located
at the southeast corner of the Firehouse, was planted by the Alplaus Boy
Scouts, Troop 36 on April 13, 1933. It was grown from a nut picked up at
Mount Vernon, Virginia, George Washington's home
