Alplaus Home Town News October 2003
Editor/Publisher: Art Harris Reporter: Betty Vedder
The Alplaus Fire Company is once again holding their Halloween party and parade. It will take place on Saturday, October 25th at 1 p.m. There will be good food, fun and fellowship.
Come and join us for this special event, everyone is welcome
to attend
This event is sponsored by the Alplaus Resident's Association and the Alplaus Fire Company. The start and the finish are at the Alplaus Firehouse on Saturday, the 25th of October.
The one mile fun race starts at 10 a.m., the 5K, which is 3.1 miles, starts at 10:30 a.m. The entry fee is $3 for the one mile and $5 for the 5K.
Application forms can be obtained at Goldstocks or the YMCA in Glenville. They are also available at the Alplaus Post Office and at the end of this issue of the Home Town News.
You may register on the day of the race at the Alplaus Firehouse until 9:45 a.m. This is your opportunity to demonstrate the success of your exercise and training ability.
Why did Fall come so fast this year, while Spring came so slowly? It seems we went from "convertible" weather to sweat shirts and jackets almost overnight. One of life's mysteries is that eagerly anticipated events take so long to happen while dreaded ones come upon us so speedily.
Be sure to mark Monday evening, October 27th, on your calendar for a community meeting to hear the status of the extension of community sewers to all of Alplaus. Details on the meeting may be found in the ARA News article on Page 3 of this Home Town News.
The attention of Alplaus homeowners to maintenance, improvements, and expansions of their properties is impressive. Take a stroll around the village and note how many homes have a new and improved look.
.AWH
The Annual Fund Drive will be held on October 11th. Members will be delivering materials door to door in the Fire District.
As part of Fire Prevention Week there will be a Town of Glenville-wide open house at each fire station. In Alplaus it will run from 1 to 4 p.m., with apparatus on display, a blood pressure clinic and a chance to meet your local firefighters. It is also an opportunity to pick up an application for membership. New members are always welcomed and needed.
The Annual Halloween Party and Parade will be held at the firehouse on October 25th at 1 p.m. There will be fun and games for the children and lots of prizes. Be sure to wear your best costume!
The Alplaus Residents Association held a board meeting on October 2nd, and we have this news to report:
The Alplaus Run-Around, being run for the 23rd time, is scheduled for Saturday, October 25th. A one-mile race will begin at 10:00 a.m., with a 5-kilometer race at 10:30 a.m. The entry fee is (hold your hats!) $3 for the one-mile, $5 for the 5K. Hard to believe that price in this day and age, but we're out there to have fun-and get a little exercise-with our neighbors, so come on out and volunteer to help on the race course, cheer on the runners, or, best of all, put on your running shoes and get out on the course.
This year we'll be doing a special tribute during the awards ceremony to race founder Baxter Josselyn, who passed away last fall. Baxter had the idea for a neighborhood race and made it happen for many years, and it was that race that drew my husband Charlie and me to Alplaus. Come join us as we remember a wonderful man. Volunteers for the race can call Charlie Casey at 399-5714 to sign up. A race form is included in this edition of the Hometown News.
A public meeting to answer questions about the status of sewers in Alplaus will be held at the firehouse on Monday, October 27th at 7 p.m. The good news reported October 2nd is that a new engineering firm has given the Town of Glenville a bid and their cost projections look to be substantially less than $700 per year. More details will follow when I have them. We hope to have petitions in hand for people to sign that night, and will distribute a fact sheet with cost estimates prior to the meeting. If you're interested in helping to distribute fact sheets and/or circulate petitions to those unable to attend the meeting, please call me at 399-5714.
Good news was also reported by Alplaus traffic safety committee chairperson Alice Culver. The Town of Glenville passed legislation that will limit the weight of trucks that can pass through Bruce Drive. We're awaiting signs that will be posted before trucks arrive at Bruce Drive. This should make life a bit quieter in our little hamlet. Many thanks are due Alice for her many hours and tireless persistence on that committee.
We are forming a nominating committee for next year's board members and officers. If you are interested in serving your community by serving on the Alplaus Residents Association board, please let me know. It's a great way to meet your neighbors and feel like you're making a difference-and I speak from experience!
Barb Casey, President ARA
Our first meeting of the fall at our new starting time of 7 p.m. was chockfull. We started planning our Halloween party for Alplaus kids on October 25th, as well as our Election Day Bake Sale on November 4th.
We'll be there bright and early so come see us for pies and other home baked goodies. We had a lovely evening with other members of the Glenville Auxiliary Association and raised over $70 for our adopted retired firefighters.
For those of you looking for bargains, we've lowered the price of our small sweatshirts from $22 to $15. You can purchase them from Cathy at the post office. They make a great gift!
Our next meeting is October 20th, a week earlier than our
normal meeting date to accommodate my trip to Costa Rica. Come join us at
7 p.m. if you'd like to learn more about us. You can also call Robin at
399-4911 or see Cathy at the post office.
The Alplaus Fire Company notes with regret the loss of our past Chief and current member of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Bob Vogel, who died in June at the age of 69. He had been in declining health for some time.
Bob worked for GE and later RCA for 40 years. His fire department service began with Rotterdam District 2, where he grew up, and thirty years with the Alplaus Fire Company. He was always good for tales of "the old days in Rotterdam".
Bob is survived by five children, Robert Vogel of Seattle, Washington, Sherrie Koehler of Melrose, John Vogel of Alplaus, Tammy Vogel of Vero Beach, Florida, and Nancy Applebee of Schenectady, his good friend Pauline Selig, and six grandchildren.
Interment was in the family plot at the Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery, Niskayuna.
Ruth E. Donlon of Corinth, formerly of Glenville passed away on September 26.
Survivors include her husband John Donlon, of Corinth, who was from Alplaus and who lately was noted for his sketches for the children at the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Alplaus, and her two sons, Thomas of Alplaus, Paul of Long Island, and two daughters, Karen Bouthillier of Ballston Spa, and Sheila Epting of East Glenville, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
We would like to express our heartfelt sympathy to Ruth Donlon's family. Her husband, Jack, was born and brought up here in Alplaus and some time after their marriage they lived here on First Street with their children. They had two sons and two daughters. Many of us know her son Tommy, his wife, Tammy, and their children, Nicholaus and Brittany. They live here on Second Street.
Jack and Ruth together can bring back pleasant memories and caring thoughts of years gone by. May the family know peace and comfort of these meaningful memories. Your friends and neighbors share your loss.
Interment was in St. Anthony's Cemetery, Glenville.
Welcome to Cole Patrick Austin Nappi, son of John and Amy Nappi, who was born in September. Cole is the seventh grandchild for Carl and Diane Nappi!
This show will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 25th and 26th at 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Senior Center on Worden Road. Everyone, Town residents and Senior members, is invited to show their works or come to browse.
If you do needlepoint, crochet, knitting, woodcarving,
wood working, sculpting or sketch and paint in charcoal, pastels, watercolor,
oils or any medium we would love to have you display your talent at our
art show. You don't have to be a senior to display.
The October luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14th from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. This is held in the Fellowship Hall of the Alplaus Church. Everyone in the community is invited.
Bring a dish of food to share if you can. It's an afternoon of good food, fun and fellowship to enjoy. There's even bingo if you like to play.
Come join us, we're looking forward to seeing you.
Harry will be holding his clinic on the second Thursday of October, the 9th. This is held at the Firehouse from 3 until 5 p.m.
Be sure to mark your calendar to stop by for a checkup.
Harry will be patiently waiting for you.
Alplaus Fire Station
The October luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14th from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. This is held in the Fellowship Hall of the Alplaus Church. Everyone in the community is invited.
Bring a dish of food to share if you can. It's an afternoon of good food, fun and fellowship to enjoy. There's even bingo if you like to play.
Come join us, we're looking forward to seeing you.
This important day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4th from 6:00 a.m.
until 9:00 P.m. We are reminding you early so that all registered voters
in our district will remember to come to the Firehouse to cast their votes
for the people of their choice.
It's the month of October and time for daylight savings to end. The last Saturday of the month falls on the 25th so we must push the clock back one hour at midnight. If you don't care to stay up that late just push it back before you go to bed. You won't want to sit in church on Sunday waiting an hour for the service to begin.
As you may have noticed, recently workers have been busy with this very special project of renovating this building. A new tile floor has been installed within. The whole interior has been painted along with the trim painting on the outside. The kitchen has been completely rewired. The next steps are to put up insulation and sheet rock.
We are most thankful for the positive community spirit with this project. The willing workers and donations are very sincerely appreciated. Since we are entering the final stages there is yet some assistance needed for completion. Together we can physically, financially and successfully finish our project.
We are looking forward to one joyous GRAND OPENING for
everyone to attend!!!
Turkey is a favorite travel destination for my wife and me. Last Easter Sunday Turkish Airlines landed us in Istanbul for an 18 day guided tour. We went despite the unsettled politics in the middle-east that prompted the State Department to recommend against the visit. We went despite imminent U.S. invasion of neighboring Iraq, and despite the hard feelings caused by Turkey's refusal to allow American troops to cross Turkey in support of that invasion. Most of our prospective traveling companions were less venturesome however. 22 of them chickened out so only 11 of us arrived in Istanbul. As it turned out there was never ever even the slightest hint of any danger (not counting the earthquake, that is).
We discovered that tourism was in general collapse in Turkey. Europeans were also wary of the situation and were staying away in droves. Our tour company, we learned, had cancelled all our future tours. So why on earth did we persist on going? We were drawn back by the great warmth of feeling and welcome for Americans that we experienced on a previous trip. Many Turks are trying very hard to be like Americans and to transform Turkey into a likeness of America.
We have been corresponding with one young man who was a senior in high school when we met him during a sunny afternoon stroll in Iskenderun. He has since become an English teacher at a school in the Cappadocia area. Our itinerary included Cappadocia so we planned to meet him there. But alas it was not to be. Turkey has universal military service; two years for every young man. He was in the army and located in Urfa, a city far away to the east (near the Iraq border), so we never met.
Previously, we had traveled parts of Turkey that tourists seldom see; the Central, the East and the Black Sea coast. This time we visited the western part of the Mediterranean coast, the "Turquoise Coast", the area most popular with tourists. Turkey has been a crossroads of activity throughout human history. No matter where you go, North, East, South or West history accompanies you, ancient, modern, military, secular, and religious.
In Istanbul we visited the Topkapi palace built by Sultan Mehmet 11, the conqueror of Constantinople 800 years ago and the home of every Ottoman sultan since then. We had a boat ride up the Bosporus to the Black Sea and to a museum filled with Turkish modern art. In Ankara, the capital city, we visited the national museum with exhibits dating back 8000 years, and a Hittite stone carving from 1500 BC portraying Gilgamesh, the mythical king of Uruk and subject of the earliest story ever written.
In Cappadocia we hiked down into an underground "city" where early Christians and others used to hide when invading armies passed by. Nearby Konya treated us to a "Whirling Dervish" demonstration, which turned out to be an ancient religious ritual from 1100 AD.
Antalya, jewel of the Turquoise coast, was a central location for visits to the ruins of several ancient cities. Aspendos had the best-preserved Roman theater. Perge was a site on St. Paul's visitation circuit. Phaselis was founded in the 7th century BC as a colony of Rhodes, and at Myra we explored the church of the 4th century St Nicholas whom we know today as Santa Claus.
Near Izmir (ancient Smyrna) Aphrodisiac (1st century BC) has a temple to Aphrodite. Pergamum was an ancient medical center, the physician Galen worked there, but the important architecture was carted off to a museum of the same name in Berlin 150 years ago. A cottage near Ephesus is enshrined as the last dwelling place of Mary the mother of Jesus. Ephesus itself has the temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The church St. Paul founded in Ephesus later received a letter from him as recorded in the New Testament. St Paul also founded a church in Smyrna and we visited its successor, St. John Poliycarp. That was a surprise since Turkey is 98 percent Muslim and we had not previously heard of any active Christian churches in Turkey.
After crossing the Dardanelles to the Gallipoli peninsula, the site of a WWI invasion by the British as they tried and failed to capture Istanbul, we visited the battlefield and museum. One exhibit, a collection of bullets hit by other bullets in mid-air, testifies to the extreme ferocity of the fight. The battle was a standoff after each side suffered two thirds casualties, so the British withdrew. Afterward the Turkish general, Moustafa Kernal, deserted the Ottoman army, went to Eastern Turkey, raised his own army, and conquered the Ottoman army. He then created and defended the Republic of Turkey and became known as Ataturk, the father of Turkey. Every city, town, and village has a memorial to Moustafa. We passed his huge memorial in Istanbul on our way to the airport for the return flight home.
Alplaus
Fire Department Calls in Sept
Alplaus Fire Departmen
Calls by Date & Time for September 2003
Incident# Date AlarmTime Call Type Location # Fire Fighters FF-Hrs
000111 05 SEP 2003 19:03 Medical Emergency Glenridge Road 9 3.0
000112 07 SEP 2003 18:51 Medical Emergency Brookside Drive 9 5.9
000113 09 SEP 2003 10:16 Vehicle Accident Glenridge Road 5 3.2
000114 09 SEP 2003 15:45 Mutual Aid Scene Freemans Bridge Rd12 15.0
000115 10 SEP 2003 06:50 Medical Emergency Maple Avenue 7 2.3
000116 15 SEP 2003 04:59 Medical Emergency Hetcheltown Road 5 3.2
000117 22 SEP 2003 15:15 Medical Emergency Maritime Drive 6 2.5
000118 22 SEP 2003 21:32 Medical Emergency Maplewood Drive 5 2.9
000119 22 SEP 2003 22:07 Medical Emergency Riverside Drive 5 0.7
000120 23 SEP 2003 11:01 False Alarm Fire Glenridge Road 4 3.5
000121 23 SEP 2003 12:17 Other Emergency Woodcrest Drive 4 0.9
000122 28 SEP 2003 19:14 Other Fire Glenridge Road 12 3.4
23rd Alplaus Run-Around
Saturday Oct. 25, 2003 10 a.m.
Start and finish at the Alplaus Fire House
Events:
Start Times: 10 a.m. One-Mile Fun Run 10:30 a.m. 5K Race
Entry Fee: $3 for the One-Mile Fun Run, $5 for the 5K Race
Awards:
Divisions:
Refreshments: Cider, Coffee and Doughnuts
Sponsors: The Alplaus Residents Association and Alplaus Fire Company
Contact: Charlie Casey, 399-5714
Entry Form -- Enter One Event Onlv
Mail entry form and fees to: Alplaus Run-Around, c/o Charlie Casey, 12 Second St., Alplaus, NY 12008. Make checks payable to Alplaus Residents Assoc. (Day-of-race registration is open at the Fire Station until 9:45).
Name: ____________________________________________________
-
Address: City-_________________ State _____ Zip ________
Alplaus Fire District Resident: Yes___ No ___
Age: (day of race) ____ Sex ___ Event (one only): 5K _____ 1 Mile Fun Run- ____
I hereby waive and release any and all rights and claims for damages I may have against you and the municipalities through which the run will take place, as well as any other person or groups connected with the run for any and all injuries which I may suffer while taking part in the run or as a result thereof. I also certify that I am in good physical condition and have trained for this event.
Signature: ___________________________________ (parent/guardian if runner is a minor)
Date _____________