manor_ink_dec_2021_for_web

DECEMBER 2021

HOLIDAY DOINGS

Manor set to make merry PAGES 18, 19

FREE

Sullivan County’s award-winning, youth-driven, community-supported newspaper

New Broadacre plan

still draws local ire

By Marge Feuerstein | Manor Ink Mentor

SEASON’S GREETINGS!

MI

MANOR INK

NEW ROAD BOSS

Incoming highway

head talks about

plans for the dept.

PAGE 5

WALKABOUTS

College launches

a system of trails

for community use

PAGE 3

MANORINK.ORG

Planning board wants 23 answers

Livingston Manor, NY – The saga of

the proposed development initially called

Broadacre Farm continues.

In August 2020, as the county was in the

grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, Manor

Ink reported that a “unique housing development”

combining private homes and

a working farm was being planned for the

117-acre former farm property at the top of

Hoag Rd. in the hamlet.

In September, the paper interviewed two

of the principals behind the project, Joseph

Satto and Stefan Martinovic. Satto owns

Fresh Air Realty, located in Accord, while

Martinovic described himself as a real estate

developer based in Westchester. The

plan they were preparing for the Hoag Rd.

property would be a blend of private homes

and a working farm that would preserve

the rural nature of the Manor.

Originally envisioned as three clusters of

nine houses, with much of the rest of the

property given over to a small farm and

community grounds, the project would also

include a retention lake to contain runoff

that frequently cascades down the hillside

Continued on pg. 7

RURAL LANDSCAPE Developers of the Broadacre – now Livingston – Farm property off Hoag Rd., located northwest of downtown Livingston

Manor, have submitted a revamped plan for their proposed housing, camping and farm community. Manor Ink photo

2 | DEC. 2021 | MANOR INK

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 100

IN THIS ISSUE

LOCAL NEWS

Livingston Farm submits new plan ....................1, 7

SUNY Sullivan opens public trails .......................3

Polling place mix-up ................................4

Liberty Theater to open in 2022 ........................4

New highway superintendent .........................5

Parksville Arts Center ................................9

Town and school board reports .......................11

LMFL Halloween Party ..............................13

LMCS Journalism Class Insider ........................15

FEATURES

Catskill Night Skies ................................17

Holiday doings ............................... 18, 19

Inkwell of Happiness ........................... 20, 21

Sports: .........................................22

EXTRAS

Inklings Calendar .................................23

100 issues, and we’re only getting started

Why, howdy there Inklings! Thank you so much for

picking up this copy of Manor Ink, which happens to be our

100th issue since starting the paper back in 2012 (I was one

of early staff members, though I was a bit younger then).

You can read about our beginnings in the

“wrap” – that’s what we call it in the news

business – that, well, wraps around the

December issue of the Ink. You’ll also find

comments about the paper from prominent

readers, and updates on former staff members.

There’s also an excerpt from one of

Osei Helper

our recent award-winning stories by former

Editor-in-Chief

Associate Editor Demi Budd.

In the paper proper, you’ll find a story on page 3 about

seven inviting hiking paths that SUNY Sullivan has recently

opened to the public. Pay them a visit before the snow flies!

On page 5, two new

IF YOU’RE A student in

grades 7-12 and are interested

in partcipating in

Manor Ink, let us know at

oseihelper@gmail.com.

We meet in the Art Room

at LMCS every Wednesday

from 2:50 to 4 p.m.

staffers, Mya Ross and Allison

Froehlich, talked with

the hamlet’s new highway

superintendent about his

plans for the department

and about preparations for

road conditions during the

upcoming winter months.

I myself penned a story

FROM THE EDITOR

GIFTS GALORE Read about the holiday events, like the Farmhouse

Project Makers Market at the Arnold House, above, that are

planned for the Yuletide season, page 19. Art Steinhauer photo

on page 14 about Chromebook hassles at Livingston Manor

Central School, and after talking with the administration,

how they were quickly corrected. That’s the power of the

press!

Lastly, we at Manor Ink wish all of our readers a happy

and safe holiday season, and a wonderful and pandemicfree

New Year! Now, dig in and enjoy the 100th edition of

the Ink. Many more to come!

GOATS AND GIFTS AT THE FARM!

Join us in the barn on

Saturday, Dec. 11

or Saturday, Dec. 18,

from 11am-2pm,

where we will be selling

unique holiday gift

items, and getting cozy

with the goats. Wool pillows,

upcycled wool mittens,

yarn, antique finds,

hats. A variety of handmade

and hand-picked

treasures. Cash, check,

or venmo accepted.

Defining terms

To the Publisher:

We have enjoyed recent editions

and are especially impressed with the

October 2021 Manor Ink.

MANOR INK STAFF

Osei Helper

Editor-in-Chief

Stacey Tromblee

Library Director

Amy Hines

Business Manager, Mentor

The article “Picking pronouns,

redefining gender” [by staff reporters

Nadine Osborne and Michelle

Adams-Thomas] provides some of

the best information on the subject we

Art Steinhauer

Sales Manager, Mentor

David Dann

Art & Photo, Production Editor

Michelle Adams-Thomas, Haley Fletcher,

Allison Froehlich, Emily Froehlich, Gracie

Ivory, Cassie LaNoce, Mya Ross,

Mackenzie Ward

Manor Ink Reporters

LETTER

have read or heard.

Compliments to all involved for

providing much needed clarification.

Kathy and Roland Hoeper

Livingston Manor

Kelly Buchta, Diana Fredenburg,

Marge Feuerstein, Audrey

Garro, Taylor Jaffe, Les

Mattis, Daniel Moreton

Mentors

Carolyn Bivins, Barbara Gref,

Jamie Helper, Peggy Johansen

Founders

Manor Ink, a program of the Livingston Manor Free Library, is published monthly. Reach us at divadnnad@yahoo.com .

Our mailing address is Manor Ink, 92 Main St., Livingston Manor, NY 12758. Letters and story suggestions welcome.

MAIN

STREET

FARM

MARKET

CAFE

OPEN

DAILY

Manor Ink is on the air

Hear your favorite Ink reporters share stories from the

latest edition of the paper on WJFF Radio Catskill 90.5 FM

Tune in at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month to Radio Chatskill

Teen Edition, featuring 30 minutes of news, interviews and features from

Livingston Manor’s award-winning, youth-driven community newspaper.

Or check us out on the WJFF archive anytime at archive.wjffradio.org.

NEWS

MANOR INK | DEC. 2021 |

3

SUNY Sullivan Trails

A network of seven pathways around the campus

Hiking trails

College Rd.

Leroy Rd.

LUZON LAKE

Light

bulb loop

SUNY Sullivan

Campus

Farm trail

Solar trail

Solar Farm

500 feet

N

TRAIL BLAZING SUNY students Tofowa Pyle,

Green Building Maintenance and Management,

left, and Ryan Grodin, Liberal Arts and

Science, install trail makers on the SUNY Sullivan

Solar trail. Provided photo

SUNY Sullivan’s new trail network open to all

Paths take hikers to a variety of destinations

By Manor Ink Staff

Loch Sheldrake, NY – There are many

paths to follow in an institution of higher

learning, but not all are academic. At

SUNY Sullivan, there is a new network of

paths, trails really, that offer users a ramble

through nature. Not just your ordinary hiking

trails, either – these seven connected

footpaths are so much more.

“We consider our campus a living laboratory,”

explained Larry Reeger, professor of

Green Studies at the college in this hamlet.

The school now invites the community to

enjoy seven trails that are part of the connected

system. “The trails are a living laboratory

that people can experience, enjoy

and learn from,” Reeger said.

Each trail has a theme based on what a

hiker can expect to see. “When you take

the ‘solar stroll,’ which goes down around

the campus solar farm, you’re going to see

an array of solar panels. And in the near

future, we’re going to have signage that

says, ‘Our school uses this electricity from

the sun,’ because roughly 75 percent of the

electricity that we use year round comes

from that solar array.’”

Tofowa Pyle is a work-study student who

is responsible for rolling out the trail signage.

“The woodland trail that goes into the

woods and the solar trail are fully marked

out,” he said. “A third trail goes through

Hope Farm, an organic farm and community

garden.” The farm is a fully-functioning

agricultural operation that serves both the

school and a nearby nonprofit.

“New Hope Community has been with

us for more than six years with Hope

Farm,” Pyle said. “Also part of the trail system,

the farm produces over 10,000 pounds

of organic fruits and vegetables here at

SUNY Sullivan. Most of that food goes back

to New Hope Community, which provides

AGRICULTURE, TOO Hope Farm is just one of

the destinations of SUNY Sullivan’s new trail

system. Cassie LaNoce photo

residential services to people with intellectual

and other disabilities.”

Another trail is the light bulb loop which

is blacktop and is a running, walking and

‘The trails are a living

laboratory that people can

experience, enjoy and learn from.’

Larry Reeger

SUNY Sullivan professor

biking trail. An athletics trail goes from the

parking lot all the way down to a basketball

and volleyball court. Pyle emphasizes that

a connector links all the trails together.

The college campus is open seven days a

week for the community to enjoy the trails

for hiking, bird-watching, running and

snowshoeing. With Sullivan 180, SUNY Sullivan

hopes to encourage wellness among

its students and the larger community with

the addition of the trail system. Maps and

information about the trail system will soon

be available at trailkeeper.org.

Reporter Cassie LaNoce conducted the interviews

for this story.


NEWS

Data snafu sends some

Manor voters to Roscoe

HORSING AROUND One of the popular

attractions at Rotary’s Family Fun Day are

the Belgian work horses. Manor Ink photo

Ice Carnival date set

Livingston Manor, NY – The hamlet’s

Rotary Club plans to host the 63rd

annual Ice Carnival on Sunday, Jan. 23.

Located at Rotary Park at the end of

Pleasant St., the carnival is slated once

again to include skating exhibitions,

races, games, Babich’s famous tube

steaks, hot cocoa and more. Hopefully

returning after a two-year hiatus – the

2020 and 2021 carnivals were cancelled

due to uncooperative weather and

COVID-19 precautions – the day-long

event will be open free of charge to

everyone, with a backup snow date of

the following Sunday, Jan. 30.

Rotary is also planning to hold a

Family Fun Day at Rotary Park, as it

did last March. The date for this year’s

event is tentatively scheduled for Saturday,

Feb. 12.

Vax clinics for kids

Liberty, NY – In an effort to continue

quickly and effectively rolling out

COVID-19 vaccines, Sullivan County

Public Health Services has scheduled a

second series of clinics for families who

have had their 5-to-11-year-old children

inoculated with a first dose of the FDAapproved

Pfizer COVID vaccine.

“I encourage parents to have their children

get the second shot,” said Public

Health Director Nancy McGraw. Clinics

are currently scheduled as follows:

n Friday, Dec. 10: Monticello Firehouse,

23 Richardson Ave., Monticello;

2-7:30 p.m.

n Tuesday, Dec. 14: Delaware Youth

Center, 8 Creamery Rd., Callicoon;

2-6 p.m.

n Wednesday, Dec. 15: Sullivan

County Public Health Services, 50 Community

Lane, Liberty; 2-6 p.m.

Pre-register by calling 845-807-0925.

A parent or guardian of the child must

be present at the clinic.

MISPLACED POLLS Some of the hamlet’s

voters were told they needed to cast their ballots

elsewhere on Nov. 2. Manor Ink file photo

By Manor Ink Staff

Liberty, NY – Anyone recently driving

down Main Street in this village at night

will delight at seeing the bright lights of the

new marquee of the Liberty Theater. The

marquee, which is modeled after the grand

awnings prevalent during the golden age

of Hollywood, was installed last month by

Kassis Superior Signs of Syracuse, NY, and

By Kelly Buchta | Manor Ink Mentor

is the first step in the restoration of the theater

building being undertaken by Bruce

Davidson, owner of the building and president

of Pestech Exterminating in Ferndale.

Conceived before the outbreak of the

pandemic, but delayed like many developments

around the county, the project will

include restoration of the theater as well

as space for new storefronts and offices.

Davidson hopes to have work on the new

Town of Rockland, NY – Some residents

of Livingston Manor had difficulty casting

their votes in the recent election held on

Nov. 2.

A computer data glitch involving erroneous

data input resulted in voters who live

on Old Rte. 17, and who typically vote at

the Livingston Manor Fire Dept., having to

travel to the Roscoe Community Center to

cast their ballots. Those residents were surprised

when they were told at the firehouse

that they had to go to a different polling station

to vote. Though the computer error did

not affect all Manorites, it did cause logistical

difficulties and general confusion for

some and for poll workers.

The Sullivan County Board of Elections

was notified immediately of the error. They

investigated the incident and took measures

to correct it.

“The board took care of every voter and

ensured that every vote counted,” said Lori

Benjamin, commissioner of the Sullivan

County Board of Election. “Between April

and May, all registered voters receive in

the mail an oversized postcard that details

where they are to vote and the dates when

they can vote.” It is not known if cards were

sent to some Manor voters with incorrect

location information.

MARQUEE

ON MAIN

Workers put

the finishing

touches on the

new marquee

for the Liberty

Theater building,

now under

restoration. The

owner hopes

to have the

venue open by

mid-2023.

Art Steinhauer

photo

Former theater building is a work in progress

stores and offices completed in a year, with

the theater itself opening in 2023.

Originally a single-screen movie house

in the grand tradition, the Liberty Theater

was sectioned into three separate smaller

screens and became a “multi-plex” in late

1980s in an effort to remain financially viable

in a period when home video was becoming

popular. The theater has been vacant

since it closed in the 1990s.

NEWS


5

NEW SUPER Roger Decker, with 23 years of

experience as a heavy equipment operator,

was elected Town of Rockland Highway Superintendent

on Nov. 2. Provided photo

VIETNAMESE EATERY

NUMBER THREE Bà & Me opened mid-October in the back suite of 67 Main Street, serving

up a modern take on traditional Vietnamese food to-go. Nhi Mundy, the restaurant’s

proprietor, said, “All the food we prepare is fresh, healthy, and always made with love. We

care about what we put into it.” Mundy, a marketing art director, came to Sullivan County

after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In an effort to connect to the community, she opened the

first Bà & Me in Callicoon in 2014. More locations followed in Mountaindale and Honesdale,

PA. Self taught, Mundy credits working with her mother in her restaurant growing up

as her culinary inspiration. Bà & Me is open from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to

5 p.m. on Sundays, with expanded hours coming next spring. Daniel Moreton photo

Decker ready to rock (salt) and roll

With big machines come big responsibilities

By Allison Froehlich

and Mya Ross | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor, NY – The race for

Town of Rockland Highway Superintendent

was hotly contested this year. When

the dust settled after the Nov. 2 election,

Roger Decker emerged as the clear winner.

Several weeks later, Manor Ink interviewed

the newly elected superintendent.

Roger Decker has worked as a heavy

equipment operator for the Town of Rockland

for 23 years, and has been a resident

for 25. His main duties as an operator included

digging ditches, plowing snow,

driving trucks and operating all manner

of large machines. When he steps into his

new position as highway superintendent,

his tasks will be very different, with many

changes for him.

Decker will now be responsible for helping

to manage the Highway Department’s

work crew, making sure they do their jobs

properly, ordering sand and salt for winter

conditions, making sure bills are paid,

ensuring town trucks are in good working

condition and coordinating flood emergency

responses. In addition, Decker will

need to go out early on winter mornings to

check roads to make sure school buses and

community members can get to school and

work safely.

Working in the office will be a learning

experience for the new superintendent, because

he hasn’t performed many of these

tasks before. Those include managing a

large team of employees. The Town of

Rockland Highway Department has 14 employees,

consisting of 12 crew members, a

secretary and Decker himself.

Decker said that the pandemic did not

cause a shortage of employees, although

‘I can´t do the job without my guys.

I depend on them a lot.’

Roger Decker

Town of Highland Highway Supt. elect

New owners for Morgan Outdoors

Livingston Manor, NY – Changes are

coming to the hamlet’s Morgan Outdoors

store, operated by Lisa Lyons. Lyons, who

has owned the shop for 17 years, is expanding

her horizons to focus on connecting

youth, seniors and those with barriers to

access to nature and outdoor recreation.

During the past years, Morgan Outdoors

has been not only a retail source for all

manner of clothing, footwear, books, and

hiking and camping equipment, but has

stocked an impressive selection of reading

and games for youngsters to help build

their appreciation of the outdoors.

The store itself is not going away – one

of the new owners has deep local roots and

runs Old Souls, a shop in Cold Spring, NY.

The new store, at the same location, will

continue to be an outdoor retailer in this

corner of the Catskill Park.

Lyons is looking forward to Morgan Outdoors’

17th holiday and winter season this

year and part of next, before her new location

opens in Hurleyville. She’s been a resident

for 28 years in this “small town with a

big backyard,” and has provided employment

experience and training to youngsters

for many years.

it did cause a few days of closure for the

department. When he does have to hire additional

workers, Decker is guided by their

experience. “It’s all about what they are applying

for and how they would do the job,”

he said.

The superintendent may make some small

changes in the department, but not many.

His main goal is to keep the town’s roads

safe while getting the department’s various

tasks done efficiently. He is also big on the

safety of his employees. “I look forward to

being able to serve the public and serve my

guys,” Decker said. “I can´t do the job without

my guys. I depend on them a lot.”

In winter, the highway crew takes care

of about 120 miles of road, not including

main roads. They are responsible for plowing

snow, salting and sanding, and fixing

washed out roads after floods. During the

summer, Decker indicated that they fix

winter road damage, mow the shoulders of

roads and fix broken equipment.

Roger Decker said that though he is a bit

nervous about becoming the new highway

superintendent, he also very excited about

the job. He takes the office officially on Jan. 1.

FAVORITE SHOP Morgan Outdoors will

continue to be an outdoor retailer, but will

transition to new ownership following the

holidays. Manor Ink file photo

6 | DEC. 2021 | MANOR INK NEWS

Should shops sell weed on Main St.?

Livingston Manor, NY – The Town of

Rockland Board of Trustees will hold public

hearing on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m., in

the hamlet’s town hall to discuss whether

to opt out of NY State’s law allowing the establishment

of cannabis dispensaries. Also

under consideration is the possible on-site

consumption of the drug in those facilities,

assuming they are approved.

When the state legalized the drug in

March, it gave virtually all the regulatory

powers to itself, but also allowed New

York’s towns and cities to opt out of licensing

shops that sell or facilitate the consumption

of the product. A town can do one or

both. Rockland has until Dec. 31 to make

a decision on the matter, but the town can

opt out for the present and join in at some

future time, should opinions change. The

reverse scenario is not possible.

To learn more about the state’s cannabis

use regulations, its manufacturing standards

and the protections mandated for the

health and safety of New Yorkers, visit the

state’s Cannabis Control Board’s web page

at cannabis.ny.gov.

PARTNER SPONSORS

Apple Pond Farm • Charter Communications, Inc.

Community Reporting Alliance and the Ottaway Foundation

Lazare and Charlotte Kaplan Foundation

Livingston Manor Central School

Barbara Martinsons • Donald Newhouse

Sullivan County Youth Services Bureau • Taylor + Ace

ADVOCATES

CAS Arts Center • Foster Supply Hospitality

Red Cottage/Country House Realty

Rolling V Bus Corp. • Upstream Wine & Spirits

CHAMPIONS

Chatral A’dze • Sue Barnett & Jeff Christensen • Carolyn Bivins

Rose Brown & Lester Mattis • John & Tina Carro

Catskill Abstract Co., Inc. • Catskill Brewery • Catskills Food Hub

Sarah Cherny • David Dann • Dette Flies • Vic Diescher

Carole Edwards Realty • George & Shirley Fulton

Linda Hartley & Bruce Cobb • Amy Hines & Dave Forshay

Aileen Gunther • Inside the Blue Line • Marilyn Kocher

Livingston Manor Teachers Assn. • Gina Molinet, RM Farm Real Estate

Main Street Farm • Van Morrow, Mountain Bear Craft • Peck’s Markets

Sheila & Terry Shultz • Snowdance Farm

Don & Vinny Simkin • Beth Sosin • Art Steinhauer

Town of Rockland • Barbara Trelstad • Upward Brewing Co.

Remembering Bud Wertheim (and the Giant Trout)

Manor Ink thrives on community support! Please consider becoming a sponsor at one of

the following levels: Partner, $1,000 and above; Advocate, $500; or Champion, $250. We

also welcome and are grateful for contributions of any amount. Manor Ink is a program of

the Livingston Manor Free Library, a nonprofit 501(c)3. Please send your gift or pledge to

Manor Ink, 92 Main St., Livingston Manor, NY 12758. Thank you!

Doable plan or

‘free-for-all’ ?

Continued from pg. 1

during spring snow melts and heavy summer

rains. Because the developers planned

to construct the project’s homes off site,

they contended that there would be relatively

little noise or disruption to affect residents

adjacent to the property.

Those residents, however, disagreed.

Original plan sparked concerns

Immediately after the Broadacre Farm

article appeared, the project’s neighbors

began to voice their concerns. Zintis

Muiznieks, a home owner on High St., said

he and his neighbors on Hoag Rd. had never

been contacted by the developers regarding

the plan. Two other neighbors, Helen

Williams and Nia Augello, also voiced their

concerns about drainage, potential flooding,

increased traffic and poor road access.

When Manor Ink relayed these concerns

to Broadacre’s Joseph Satto, he said he then

contacted property owners on High St. and

Hoag Rd. to “ allay their fears” and to clarify

the proposed plans. High St. was subsequently

removed as a road to be connected

to the development.

That change required a reworking of

the original development configuration.

To facilitate other changes, hydrologist

Paul Rubin of HydroQuest Environmental

Consulting in Tivoli, NY, was retained to

advise the developers on storm water design.

Randall Ardent of Greener Prospects

in Brunswick, ME, a conservation consulting

firm, was added to help “substantially

improve the perilous runoff conditions the

site experiences.” With all the reworking of

the site plan that was required, the project

going forward, according to Sacco, would

be “moving at its own pace.”

A revamped vision

After more than a year, the new plan

was presented. The design for a reconfigured

Broadacre Farm, now called Livingston

Farm, was unwrapped at the Town of

Rockland Planning Board meeting on Nov.

3. The new plan calls for only 16 singlefamily

houses and two detached duplexes,

made up of a mix of for-sale or for-rent

units. New to the design is a complex of

what the builders refer to as their “hospitality

component,” including a ten-room

inn, a ten-room guest house and 21 cabins.

In addition, they envision having a 60-seat

restaurant which they refer to as a “3-meal,

Current Livingston Farm proposal

Including 20 residences, an inn, cabins, a restaurant, camping and a farm on 117 acres

High St.

Hoag Rd.

River St.

2

1. Residential homes area

2. Agricultural easements

WILLOWEMOC CREEK

ASSESSING DETAILS Members of the Rockland

Planning Board review the new plan for

the proposed Livingston Farm development.

Michelle Adams-Thomas photo

farm-to-table” dining facility.

The hospitality component would be located

on the eastern side of the property,

with an entirely new road coming off Creamery

Rd. as the entry into the development.

The High St. connection has been eliminated

entirely, and Hoag Rd. is envisioned as an

egress only. Still included is the small farm.

After the presentation of the new proposal,

the board heard from Patrick Hins,

an engineer with MHE Engineering in Milford,

PA, who had reviewed the plans for

the board. He had scrutinized the entire

project and had 23 points that he felt needed

to be addressed before the application

could be considered. Those ranged from

things that needed to be changed, modified

2

Creamery Rd.

3. Inn, cabin, camping locations

4. Hiking trail network

1

4

or eliminated, to issues that required submission

to various governmental agencies.

With that number of issues in question, it

seems unlikely the Livingston Farm plan

will be brought back to the planning board

until sometime next year.

Residents voice objections

3

Rendering courtesy of Livingston Farm

Approximate development

boundaries

Present at the Nov. 3 meeting were some

of the proposed project’s neighbors, many

of whom have expressed concerns. They

and others are still doubtful about the effect

Livingston Farm will have on what is

already a difficult flooding situation. They

also have real concerns that the increased

traffic caused by the development will create

problems on Hoag and Creamery roads.

Many are worried that the project could

substantially alter the rural nature of the

community.

“None of the principals has experience

with agricultural projects, and I don’t think

they have a good grasp of the problem,”

Nina Augello said. Because her property

fronts on High St., she is primarily concerned

about increased runoff.

Another neighbor, Joy Oriol, whose family

has owned acreage adjacent to the Livingston

Farm property since 1986, feels

the answer to the question of whether the

hillside is a suitable place to build is an emphatic

no! “If the project isn’t scaled down

dramatically, we should assume the goal is

profits for the developers vs. the community’s

well-being,” she said.

“It’s too much, too fast,” said Jamie Helper

who lives on Creamery Rd. Because she

lives directly down hill from the proposed

3

3

N

NEWS


‘If the project isn’t scaled down

dramatically, we should assume the

goal is profits for the developers vs.

the community’s well-being.’

Joy Oriol

Hoag Rd. property owner

7

development and has never been contacted

by the builders, she feels her property is in

“a precarious position.” She fears increased

flooding and possible mud slides.

Zintis Muiznieks has been an outspoken

opponent of the project since its inception.

“We have no faith or trust in [the developers’]

experience to navigate this type of

project. We are in a reactive mode,” he said.

He added that the hamlet has been responsive

to his concerns.

Residents are not alone in their doubts.

Originally retained by the Broadacre team as

a landscape designer, Karin Ursula Edmondson

of Karin Ursula Landscapes, stepped

away from the project several months ago.

Recently, the developers reached out to her

again to “get this across the finish line,” but

she declined to rejoin the project. Regarding

the new version of the development, Edmondson

did not mince words.

“Broadacre is Disneyland – campsites,

farm, restaurant, houses, etc. The planning

process has been Disneyland since its inception.

Constantly changing, trying to fit

an angle, all angles, many angles – a freefor-all,”

she said. “Broadacre aims to turn

Livingston Manor into a suburban homeowners-association

hell. This is how soulkilling

suburbs begin.”

“During an early iteration of the plan, we

invited Karin to consult on a limited basis

with respect to a single aspect of the project

– landscaping,” said developer Joseph Sato

in reply. “She was never part of the Broadacre

team and was not privy to any discussions

regarding the larger project. After a

brief period of time, it became clear that she

lacked the necessary landscaping expertise

and understanding of sustainable development

to assist any further.” Sato added,

“That said, we believe that by implementing

an organic, regenerative farming operation

on what was, for decades, a fallow

and neglected farm, conserving a large

portion of the 117 acres in its natural state

and developing the property with minimal

site disturbance and a net zero carbon footprint,

the project embodies the exact opposite

of what she describes ... We hope that

both guests and residents alike will feel the

same excitement that a child might experience

on their first trip to Disneyland.”

8 | DEC. 2021 | MANOR INK NEWS

Ink recognized by Sullivan SBA

Callicoon, NY – At a recognition dinner

held by the Sullivan County School

Boards Association on Oct. 27, Manor

Ink was one of numerous nominees who

received the association’s 2020 “Outstanding

Friend to Education” award.

Livingston Manor Central School Superintendent

John Evans, who presented

the citation to the paper’s Editor-in-

Chief Osei Helper, acknowledged the

paper’s contribution to community journalism

and for its role in mentoring student

journalists. Also in attendance were

the Ink’s business manager Amy Hines,

mentor Marge Feuerstein and production

manager David Dann.

OUTSTANDING FRIEND Editor Osei Helper

receives the SBA award from Supt. John Evans.

Manor Ink photo

HIGH ART

FRAMEWORKS

During the renovation

of its building

on Main Street,

the Catskill Art

Society has filled

its second-story

windows with

intriguing collages

assembled from

wood scrap, repurposing

ends as

clever bas reliefs.

Michelle Adams-

Thomas photo

DID YOU KNOW?

Manor Ink is

NY State’s only

youth-driven,

award-winning

print newspaper.

Free every month

in local venues

around town or by

subscription.

MANORINK.COM

NEWS


9

Temple to be repurposed

as Parksville Arts Center

Building, long vacant, may reopen in 2022

By Emily Froehlich | Manor Ink

Parksville, NY – Adrian and Todd Perlmutter,

together with some other local

residents, are bringing the former Tefereth

Israel Anshei Synagogue back to life as a

nonprofit community arts center.

They were living in New York City, but

on the weekends they would come up

to their house on Hunter Lake and visit

Parksville. “It was almost like vacationing

in Parksville every weekend,” said Adrian

Perlmutter. Both she and Todd have artistic

backgrounds – Todd as a drummer,

while Adrian is a singer. They have done

many projects together. Todd was the producer

and musical director of the Blue Man

Group for 19 years, and Adrian was hired

to sing on tour for the group, which was

how they met.

The Perlmutters purchased the Parksville

synagogue from Lois Weinstein. According

to Adrian, “Lois’s father took care

of everything for many, many years. Buying

it was a long process – because they

ran into title issues, it took nearly five

years to complete the transaction. Initially,

the couple thought they would turn the

temple into a recording studio. After some

thought, though, they decided it should be

more of a community-oriented building.

So they decided to make it into an arts center

that the local community could come

together and enjoy.

There are several different stories about

when the synagogue was built. Some people

thought that it was erected in 1907, because

there is a painting dated 1907 in the

Parksville post office that includes the synagogue.

Other people think the synagogue

was built in the 1930s, and Weinstein, after

some research, believes it was actually built

in 1930.

The Parksville synagogue was active for

many years, but then became less and less

busy over time. The last event that was held

there was a wedding in 2007. The building

sat vacant until Adrian and Todd Perlmutter

decided to buy it.

The Perlmutters have many plans for

transforming the building into the Parksville

Arts Center. One idea is to include a

mini-movie theater. They also want to have

bands perform there. But the main thing

NEW LIFE The former Tefereth Israel Anshei Synagogue,

recently purchased by Adrian and Todd Perlmutter, right, will

become the Parksville Arts Center. The building is depicted in

a historic painting in the hamlet’s post office.

Art Steinhauer photos, top and lower right; provided photo, top right

they want is for the historic building to

serve as a center for the local community.

The couple said that they also would exhibit

art from local schools and would offer

classes in ceramics and other arts for people

of all ages.

“We would like the whole community

to be involved with ideas and planning,”

said Adrian. Both Perlmutters are very interested

in helping revitalize Parksville’s

Main Street.

Before they can open the arts center,

however, they have many renovations to

make. The couple is working with the Community

Foundation of Orange and Sullivan

Countys to write grants to fund the work.

The building’s electric wiring needs updating

and heating and insulation will need

to be installed so the center can run year

round. In addition to other smaller renovations,

the Perlmutters want to remove

the carpet because there is a beautiful oak

wood floor beneath it; they also want to remove

a drop ceiling to reveal old ceramic

tiles. They hope to offer some programming

next summer.

The new Parksville Art Center is accepting

donations. For more information, visit

their website at parksvilleartcenter.com or

their Facebook page.


TWILIGHT HIGHLIGHT

NEWS

New magazine

to feature work

by local artists

DAY’S END The setting sun provides backlighting for dried ragweed in a field along

Wilbur Klein Road in Livingston Manor. Mackenzie Ward photo

By Manor Ink Staff

PROMOTING ART Artist and publisher Robyn

Almquist has launsched ArtKill magazine to

get the word out about local creators.

Art Steinhauer photo

Livingston Manor, NY – There is a new

addition to the Catskill arts scene, as ArtKill

magazine has recently published its first

issue. The brainchild of Robyn Almquist,

interim director and vice president of the

Catskill Arts Society, the magazine will

help to highlight and publicize the works

of local artists.

“While CAS, the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance

and other venues provide excellent

spaces for local artists, I thought we needed

another avenue to feature the many fine and

diverse artists in our area,” Almquist said.

“Artists by nature do not want to push themselves

‘out there.’ They are naturally introverted

and create not to serve their careers,

but because it is what they love to do.”

Almquist admits that the name “ArtKill”

is a play on words, combining “art” with

“Catskill.” But it also serves as a kind of

inside joke, acknowledging how difficult

it can be for artists to achieve commercial

success. “Promoting oneself can be a miserable

process,” she said. “It can turn what

artists are trying to do on its head.” Her

hope is the magazine will help bring recognition

to local artists, as well as promote the

vibrancy of the local arts community.

ArtKill is a free magazine and will initially

be published three times a year – fall,

winter and summer. The next issue will

come out this month and will be available

in most venues around the Manor, including

Jitterbug, Main Street Farm, Life Repurposed,

Upward Brewing Company and the

Livingston Manor Free Library. For more

information, visit artkillcatskill.com.

TIMBERLAND PROPERTIES

PO Box 77 • 62 Stewart Ave.

Roscoe, NY 12776

James Karpowicz

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

(646) 942-8421 CELL

(607) 290-4130 ext. 109 OFFICE

james.karpowicz@timberlandproperties.net

JamesKarpowicz.com

Promote and Protect The Catskills • Join Mountainkeeper Today.

catskillmountainkeeper.org


TOWN BOARD MEETING OF NOV. 4

Minutes: The minutes of the previous

meeting were unanimously approved.

Correspondence: An email was received

from Lisa Lyons of Morgan Outdoors to

join others on a sunset walk on Round Top

on Nov. 7, to mark the fourth year since

the opening of the trail. A Shared Service

Plan was received from the county showing

IT services and road striping to be

shared with Rockland.

Old Business

Resolutions Required: The following

resolutions were required and were passed

by the board.

n Modify the highway budget as required.

n Adopt the final 2022 budget which has

an increase of .02549 percent, and certify in

triplicate copies of the budget to be delivered

to the county Legislature.

New Business

A meeting with the Open Space Institute

and John Adams regarding the purchase

of parcels that would become part of the

county Rail Trail is planned.

The high water event in the town during

the heavy rains of the last week of October

was discussed. Despite flooding on Pearl

Street, both Supervisor Rob Eggleton and

Highway Superintendent Ted Hartling felt

the work done at the former airport site on

Old Rte. 17 probably lessened the spillover

onto the street.


resolutions were required and were passed

by the board.

n Allow Fred Fries to move maps and

documents currently in the town hall basement

to the Hurleyville Historical Society.

n Sign an agreement with Middletown

Humane Society for animal control backup

as needed for the period of Jan. 1 to Dec.

31, 2022.

n Re-levy a list of parcels for the Town

of Rockland for mowing, trimming, snow

removal and salting, as approved by the

town during fiscal year 2021, in the total

amount of $630.

n Submit to the county Legislature the

unpaid sewer rents for Livingston Manor

and Roscoe in the amounts of Livingston

Manor, $41,292, and Roscoe, $32, 455.

Those sewer rents and penalties will be

levied on the 2022 tax roll.

Department Heads: Highway Superintendent

Ted Hartling: Engineering for the

Beaverkill streambank work is moving

ahead; bids are expected in the coming

weeks. A Davis Road resident requested

guard rails be installed after a family member

had an accident, but Hartling feels

there are places where rails would better

serve residents. Town trucks are ready for

winter, but part replacement is becoming a

major concern.

Approval of bills: The bills on Abstract

#21 were approved.

Public Comment: Sheila Schultz asked

about the polling place confusion on election

day and wanted to know whether the

board had decided the cannabis dispensary

issue. Eggleton said he had no answer

yet on either topic. The board has until

Dec. 31 to determine whether the town

will allow the sale of cannabis (see page 6

for a related story).

Details of all dollar amounts can be

TOWN & SCHOOL BOARD UPDATES

found on the website at townofrocklandny.com

under the minutes of Nov. 4.

TOWN BOARD MEETING OF NOV. 18

Minutes: The minutes of the previous

meeting were unanimously accepted.

Correspondence: NYSEG sent winter

safety tips, including the proper venting of

pellet stoves and other recommendations.

Old Business

A discussion of whether to opt out of allowing

cannabis dispensing or using facilities

was once again undertaken. The board

felt before it makes a decision, which must

be made before year’s end, a public hearing

should be held.


resolutions were passed by the board.

n Advertise a public hearing on opting

in or out of cannabis establishments to be

held on Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.

n Accept the bid submitted by A&F

Services to redo the courthouse roof for

$53,444. The grant received was $50,000,

so the difference will be made up from the

general fund.

New Business

Help wanted ads for a full-time assessor,

a temporary or part-time bookkeeper

and water-and-sewer operator trainee have

been put in the Sullivan County Democrat.


resolutions were passed by the board.

n Appoint Jennifer Grossman as chairperson

of the Planning Board.

n Accept the LM water and sewer budget

modifications.

n Accept the general fund budget modification.

In reviewing the modification

MANOR INK | DEC. 2021 | 11

Rockland to use grant to avoid water & sewer fee hike


SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF NOV. 17

Superintendent’s Update: Superintendent

John Evans was approached several

weeks ago by a group of parents with

questions about the PTSA. Evans explained

that the group is not a school entity,

but said he would reach out to them

while contacting the NYSPTA for guidance.

Consequently, a meeting between

the local PTA and the NYSPTA has been

set up for Dec. 1.

Sullivan 180 Grants: The district

has been awarded two “Empowering a

Healthier Generation” grants of $2,000

each. One is for “Creating an Outdoor

Learning Space,” the other for establishing

a “Sensory Hallway.” The grants were

made possible by Sullivan Renaissance and

Sullivan 180, with funding also from the

Rowley Foundation.

Tenure Appointment: Evans urged that

Kaitlyn Cross, an elementary and special

education teacher, be granted tenure in

those two areas.

Public Comment: Julia Buck addressed

the board regarding the PTSA and said the

Dec. 1 meeting will help provide guidance

on how to establish a functioning and

inclusive PTA. Colette Meadows shared her

concerns about school bullying, harassment

and assault, and expressed concerns

about how these issues are handled. Clarence

Roberts said that when he speaks with

LMCS’s principal, they are able to resolve

problems. He feels he has great rapport

with many staff members who communicate

with him about his children.

Action Items: The following items were

voted on and unanimously passed.

n Granting tenure to Kaitlyn Cross, and

ELLISON TO STEP DOWN

Tom Ellison, who has served as

chairman of the Planning Board for

the Town of Rockland for the past 20

years, will retire at the end of December.

Supervisor Rob Eggleton praised

Ellison for his hard work and attention

to detail. Jennifer Grossman, owner

of the Smoke Joint, will replace Ellison

on the board in January.

necessary to cover the shortfall of sewer

and water revenues, Supt. Rob Eggleton

found there has been a significant disparity

between Roscoe and Livingston Manor

rates of about $11 per thousand. The town

has received American Rescue Plan Act

funds of approximately $187,000 this year

and will likely receive the same amount

next year. Eggleton suggested using the

money from ARPA this year to avoid having

to raise rates. Manor’s rates will have

to be changed to equal Roscoe’s.

n Apply ARPA funds to equalize the

Manor and Roscoe sewer and water budgets.

n Renew a contract with Manor Ink of

$250 for monthly ads.

Details of all dollar amounts can be

found on the website at townofrocklandny.com

under the minutes of Nov. 18.

Parents’ concern over Manor’s PTA prompts meeting with NYSPTA

approval of the minutes of the previous

meeting, treasurer’s reports, revenue status

and budget appropriation reports.

n Warrant #A-7 dated Sept. 1-30, 2021, in

the amount of $654,996.

n CSE-CPSE and Section 504 recommendations

n Approval to dispose of nonworking

scientific balances.

Consent Agenda: The consent agenda

was approved as presented.

All action and consent agenda items can

be found at lmcs.12.ny.us under minutes of

Nov. 17.

12 | DEC. 2021 | MANOR INK LMFL NEWS

2021 TALLY How many books have you read thus far this

year? There’s still time for a few more! Stacey Tromblee photo

Try ‘shadowdabbling’ up to 20 pages

I’m concerned for your New Year’s Eve. In lieu of setting

yourself up for failure by scrawling drunkenly on

a napkin yet another resolution you already know you

won’t be able to commit to, here’s a simple suggestion for

an achievable goal: read more.

I know it’s cliché, but before you nod off

reading my column, try to unearth some

new books or else revisit some old ones

– don’t we all have bucket list books we

never did read when we were younger?

Desert island books appropriate for the

Stacey long winter ahead? Moby Dick, The Sound

Tromblee and the Fury, Ulysses – these are classics for

a reason, but let’s be real, we don’t have that much time

left. Maybe read a biography about these great authors

instead – guilt be gone.

A particularly bookish friend of mine suggested reading

LIBRARY

NOTES

twenty pages a day, or twenty pages a night,

depending on your work schedule. While

everyone else is busy scrolling through their

phones or watching TV, you’ll be so deep in a

book you’ll forget how annoying the people you live with

really are.

Reading can improve your focus, help you relax, and

help you tune out unnecessary background noise. If nothing

else, you’ll improve your vocabulary and words like

“shadowdabbled,” “moon-blanched” and “Augusttremulous”

will be commonplace at the dinner table. (Thanks,

Faulkner!)

Time to tweak your list in 2022. If signing on for twenty

pages a day is too much, how about rereading a book you

read in your twenties, and see if it still holds up? Grab a

discarded notebook from the bottom of your offspring’s

closet and start a list of books to read in the new year. We

all know our only real competition is ourselves.

Keeping track of what you’ve read will spur you to read

even more. Nothing like looking at a paltry list of books

you read last year to make you wince. Start your new year

right – straighten your disheveled post-holiday self and

get to the library posthaste!

Snowing outside and can’t make it to the library? Check

out our website for just-added links to reading lists by The

New York Times, Book Riot, Good Reads and (mostly) undisheveled

celebrity authors, at livingstonmanorlibrary.

org.

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray

go throw your TV set away

and in its place, you can install

a lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Roald Dahl

Stacey Tromblee is the director of the Livingston Manor Free

Library. Reach her at livcirc@rcls.org.

LIBRARY BOOK REVIEW

Klara and the Sun

By Kazuo Ishiguro

READING A NOVEL by

Kazuro Ishiguro is like

peeling a really big

onion. Layer after layer

is revealed until you can

perhaps see the whole

idea. His stories will possibly bring a tear

to your eye; undoubtedly, they will make

you think.

Klara and the Sun is Ishiguro’s latest

novel and he touches on a few of the

themes covered in previous works. The

plot is set in the relatively near future,

most likely in North America, possibly

after a pandemic. This is a story of artificial

intelligence, and involves an android

produced to be a companion to a child.

In a society where most school-aged

children study alone, taking lessons at

home on their devices or “oblongs,”

Klara, an AF (artificial friend) is one of

many androids waiting to be purchased

to become a companion. She is finally

selected by a highly protective mother

for Josie, a frail, sickly child. What is the

source of her illness? Will she go on to

college or die of the affliction as her older

sister had? What other purpose has her

mother in mind for Klara?

Ishaguro examines many issues in

this latest work. Set in a time and place

where technology has made even “elite”

workers like Josie’s father obsolete,

parents choose to have their children

“lifted,” hoping to ensure their eventual

success. Artificial intelligence as well

as technology of all kinds and medical

advances are examined, and even the

concept of God is plumbed. Klara, who is

powered by solar energy, pictures the sun

as a god-like figure capable of responding

to her pleas.

But the real issue Klara tries to understand

is the meaning of love. What is it?

Does it endure? Is it different between

boy and girl, man and woman, parent

and child, an individual and friends?

Indeed, can it be felt by an artificial intelligence?

Is that what she feels for Josie?

Layer after layer is peeled away as we

read through Klara and the Sun. A work

by Ishaguro is never a simple read, but

always a worthwhile one.

Marge Feuerstein

If you are interested in this book, it is

available at the library. To reserve a copy,

or any other book, please call 439-5440.

The LMFL Book Club holds monthly meetings

at the library.

Library hosts

a Halloween

pizza haunt


GHOSTLY GATHERING Festooned with spooky decorations, the patio of the Kaatskeller on Main

Street was the site of the LMFL’s Halloween party on Oct. 31. Allison Hemmer Photography photos

Livingston Manor, NY – Despite a

threat of rain, over one hundred children

of all ages turned out for a costume party

held by the Livingston Manor Free Library

on Halloween.

Cancelled last year because of the CO-

VID pandemic, the festive get together was

once again held at the Kaatskeller on Main

Street in the hamlet. The library’s Fundraising

and Outreach Committee organized the

event, with board members Michele Hemmer

and Meagan Edwards coordinating

much of the planning.

Jon Westergreen, owner of Kaatskeller,

generously allowed any kid who wanted to

assemble his or her own individual pizza

to do so. Cookies, donuts, candy and cider

filled out the holiday menu.

Spooky music played as costumed children

tried their skill at biting a donut on a

swinging string, throwing a ball through

a hanging pumpkin or punching through

a paper pumpkin to get a prize. They also

decorated holiday cookies with chocolate

and all kinds of colored icing. Library trustees

and student volunteers from Livingston

Manor Central School had decorated

the restaurant’s outdoor dining area with

lights, balloons and pumpkins, making everything

very seasonally festive.

At around 2:45 p.m., in an effort to beat

any possible rain, the costume judging took

place. Kids from four groups competed for

top honors. Top spot in the one-to-threeyear-old

group went to a child who came as

baby Yoda from the “Star Wars” saga. The

four-to-six winner was a contestant dressed

as a purple-haired troll. Lots of great looking

little movie characters, ghouls, princesses

and pirates were on display. The

competition was stiff, and all entrants received

candy as a reward.

Luckily the rain held off, so everyone

could clean up and then head for home or

for a Halloween parade over at the hamlet’s

firehouse. A great time was had by kids and

volunteers alike, and the library will surely

want to do the party again next year.

NEWS


ALL HALLOWS EVE

MANOR-FESTATIONS

Here are just a

few of the many

costumed characters

who attended

the Livingston

Manor Free

Library’s annual

Halloween Party at

the Kaatskeller on

Main Street.

Livingston Manor’s hometown paper is

now also available online at NewsAtomic:

info@newsatomic.com • 845-647-9190 • newsatomic.com


LMCS FOOD DRIVE

NEWS

Admin repairs Chromebook hiccup

Lost tabs irked LMCS students

By Osei Helper | Manor Ink

GROUP EFFORT Each year Interact holds the “Gobble

Up Cans” food drive for our local food pantry. This year

the National Honor Society also participated, and 1,560

non-perishable food items were collected by the LMCS

students for the pantry. Diana Fredenburg photo

LOGGED OUT Closing school Chromebooks caused students

to lose whatever tabs they had open. When alerted about the

problem, the administration acted to correct it. Provided photo

Livingston Manor, NY – If you’re a Livingston Manor

Central School middle or high school student, you probably

have a good understanding of the one-to-one policy

with the the school’s Chromebooks. To those unaware of

the policy the school has put in place this year, it’s a system

where each student has their own school-assigned

Chromebook to use throughout the school day, one that

they can also bring home. These chromebooks are used for

school work every day and are a fall-back just in case the

school ever goes back to full remote learning. But after a

few weeks with the Chromebooks, an issue arose.

For the first couple of weeks of school, there weren’t too

many restrictions with the Chromebooks. Students could

access a decent amount of sites and even play some games.

Over time, game sites were getting blocked for obvious reasons,

but so too were important sites that students needed

to access for school assignments, including news outlets.

But this wasn’t even the worst aspect for most students.

When students first got the Chromebooks, they found

that closing them simply timed out the screen. When reopened,

whatever students were previously working on

was still there. But for security reasons, a logout feature

was implemented.

The problem with this feature was that any time a student

was inactive on their chromebook for too long, or

closed it, they would be logged out and all of the tabs they

were working on would be closed. The student would then

be forced to recreate everything that they were working on.

For a while, this issue persisted, to the general annoyance

of student body. When Manor Ink brought the issue

up with Superintendent John Evans, right then and there

he suggested having a meeting about the issue so it could

be solved. After sitting down with Evans and laying out the

issue with the Chromebooks, the administration resolved

the problem later that day. The logout feature was switched

with a “lockout” feature, where open tabs would be saved

and students just had to put their password in to restore

their tabs.

While there are still some other issues with LMCS’s

Chromebooks, such as allowing teachers to bypass website

blocks, the fix showed the responsiveness of the administration,

the power of student intervention and the press.

SOUND MIND GONG

music counseling meditation

MARC SWITKO, L.M.H.C.

(845) 798-3365 • mswitko@gmail.com

@universethroughswitko

Gong Sample: marcswitko.bandcamp.com

INSIDER


Interact’s Red Ribbon Week promotes awareness

By Makayla Dutcher

The Livingston Manor Central School

Interact Club hosted a Red Ribbon Week

for the elementary grades in order to

teach and promote drug prevention

awareness. In addition, they focused on

achieving a bullying-free school.

The event took place from Oct. 25 to

Oct. 29. LMCS

STUDENT

JOURNALISTS

These stories are

reprinted from

the December

issue of LMCS’s

Manor Monthly.

staff and students

celebrated those

who make the

choice to leave

drugs alone and

lead bullying-free

lives. Spirit days

attached to Red

Ribbon Week

highlighted these two themes. Monday,

students wore red to show they were

“Red-y” to live a drug- and bullying-free

life. Students wore their favorite team

jerseys on Tuesday to “team up against

drugs and bullying.” On Wednesday,

students were encouraged to wear camouflage

clothing so that they could “be

all they could be, drug free.” Students

said “peace out to drugs and bullying”

by wearing tie-dye on Thursday. The last

day, Friday, students wore their favorite

hats to say “hats off to being drug- and

bullying-free.”

There was also an assembly for Red

Ribbon Week on Monday, Oct. 25, which

was titled “Mad Science” and was sponsored

by the Livingston Manor Rotary

SERIOUS FUN

The Livingston Manor

Rotary Club, along with

the hamlet’s Parent

Teacher Student Organization,

sponsored a

“Mad Science” assembly

for LMCS elementary

students during

Red Ribbon Week.

Jaime Snow photo

with assistance from the Parent Teacher

Student Organization.

In addition to the school spirit week,

the Livingston Manor Rotary Club also

hosted a night out at Rotary Park on

Wednesday evening, Nov. 3. There were

games, free hot dogs, face painting,

character drawings, information booths,

animals, Clifford the Big Red Dog and

fire trucks. The event promoted drug

awareness and education, too.

The Interact Club’s purpose in having

NEWS STORIES BY MANOR’S JOURNALISM CLASS

Red Ribbon Week was to get information

to the general public about the dangers of

drug use.

“In today’s society, there is a huge

drug epidemic. Drug overdose deaths

continue to impact communities across

the United States, as does bullying. In the

school and at the park, we hope to bring

spirit and enjoyment while promoting a

message to be healthy, and bullying- and

drug-free,” said Interact Advisor and

Rotary President Jaime Snow.

By presenting these events to the community,

it is Rotary’s hope that people

will make smart choices. By sharing

information about the harmful effects of

drugs and bullying, maybe addictions

can be prevented and those who have

been bullied will feel empowered to

reach out for assistance.

SWIFT’S ‘RED’ REVISITED

By Emily Ball

Award-winning singer and songwriter

Taylor Swift released her remake of

“Red” on Nov. 12. “Red (Taylor’s Version)”

features 30 songs, 20 of them being

from the original 2012 album, and ten of

them coming from “the vault.”

Swift has redefined the music industry

throughout her career. In June 2019,

Big Machine Records purchased Swift’s

master recordings from her first six studio

albums, even though she had tried to

buy them herself many times. That sale

and other disputes factored into Swift’s

decision to re-record each of her first six

REVIEW

albums, thus creating new masters

and giving herself complete

ownership. Her first re-recording, “Fearless

(Taylor’s Version),” was released in

April, and resulted in the original recording

falling off the charts completely.

In Swift’s attempt to make these albums

different from the original and gain

popularity, she adds vault tracks. Her

vault tracks are songs she had written

during the album’s eras, but ultimately

decided not to release them at the time. In

“Red (Taylor’s Version),” the vault tracks

feature artists including Phoebe Bridgers,

Ed Sheeran and Chris Stapleton.

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” starts off with

“State of Grace,” which is one of Swift’s

best album openers. Its upbeat intro sets

the mood for the rest of the album, which

Swift describes as “happy, free, confused

and lonely at the same time.” The album

transitions from cheery, optimistic love

songs like “Stay Stay Stay” to heartbreaking

breakup songs like “The Last Time

(feat. Gary Lightbody).” These polar

opposite songs, placed next to each other

on the track list, are meant to portray the

album’s theme.

The re-dos mostly sound similar to

the originals, just with better clarity in

Swift’s vocals and sharper production

qualities. You have to remember that she

is not re-recording to change her music,

just to gain ownership of what she has

written. The biggest change to a song on

“Red” is the remake of “Girl At Home.”

In 2012, the song had more of a country

sound to it. Now, it has been transformed

into a pop song, given the same energy

as her “Willow” remixes from last year.

If we dig into the history of “Red,”

Swift spoke about wanting to make the

album pop rather than country, but

her production company did not allow

it. The “Girl At Home” alteration was

clearly her attempt to make it what she

always intended it to be.

The ten vault

tracks on the new

album begin with

the devastating

song “Ronan.” Swift

wrote this single in

2012 about a threeyear-old

boy who

died of a neuroblastoma.

Her lyrics are

based on quotes

about him from

his mother. This

sorrowful song is

Red (Taylor’s

Version)

Republic Records

Released in 2021

No parental rating

very hard to get through because of how

heartbreakingly well she tells his story.

Up next is “Better Man” which is a

song originally written by Swift, but first

sung by the band Little Big Town. This

is not the only song she reclaimed on

“Red.” The song “Babe” is also featured

in the vault tracks, which was written

and performed by herself and the band

Sugarland in 2018. Personally, I favor

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” for both of these

songs. I feel that she captures what she

has written for both songs better than the

other bands were able to.

Picking a favorite vault track is something

I cannot do, but “Nothing New”

featuring Phoebe Bridgers would be near

the top of my list. The combination of

these two women’s voices makes me feel

something no other song can. Bridgers’

soft sound captures the feel of the hopelessness

Swift describes in the lyrics.

There are two vault songs that are

overwhelmingly upbeat and have almost

a 1989 vibe to them. “Message in a Bottle”

and “The Very First Night” have a distinctly

happy feeling compared to the rest

of the vault tracks. These two songs are

infectious, with a newly-in-love mood.

Lastly, but absolutely not Swift’s least,

is the second version of “All Too Well.”

This version is more honest and less filtered

than her last, and is even five minutes

longer. This ten minute song leaves

its listeners in nothing but awe and with

tons of fury towards Jake Gyllenhaal (the

topic of this masterpiece). Lyrics like,

“You kept me like a secret, but I kept you

like an oath,” and, “I’m a soldier whose

returning half her weight,” make this

already emotionally destructive song so

much more powerful.

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” broke streaming

records on Spotify its first day of

release. It became the most streamed

album in a day by a female artist, and is

predicted to “smash” her last re-recorded

album’s stream. Swift produces continues

to impress while displaying how

talented she is as an artist in the music

16 | DEC. 2021 | MANOR INK FEATURES

COMMUNITY RELIGIOUS SERVICES

A LISTING OF houses of worship in Livingston Manor

and the surrounding area. Please send service times

and other updates to divadnnad@yahoo.com.

n Congregation Agudas Achim

Rock Ave., Livingston Manor

439-3600

Kabbalat Shabbat service: Friday,

7:30 p.m., held via Zoom (email

virtualshabbat@gmail.com for link)

Shabbat morning service (for Bar

or Bat Mitzvahs only): Saturday,

10:30 a.m.

n St. Aloysius and Gate of Heaven

22 Church St., Livingston Manor

439-5625

Mass: Saturday, 4 p.m.;

Sunday, 9 a.m.; Monday through Saturday,

8:15 a.m. in the rectory

Adoration: Monthly, 7:30-8:15 a.m.;

Friday, 9 a.m.-noon

Confession: Saturday, 3:30-4 p.m.,

and before all masses or by appointment

n Livingston Manor Presbyterian

Church

568 Old Rte. 17, Livingston Manor

439-4410

Sunday service: 9:30 a.m.

n Grooville Free Methodist Church

DeBruce Rd., Livingston Manor

201-396-6395

Sunday service: 11 a.m.

n Livingston Manor United

Methodist Church

89 Pearl St., Livingston Manor

439-5134


n Monastery Our Lady in Beatitude

393 Our Lady of Lourdes Camp Rd.,

Livingston Manor

439-4300

Visitation: Daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

n Willowemock Baptist Church

20 Church St., Livingston Manor

866-4225

Sunday Service: 11 a.m.

n Sacred Heart Chapel

1189 DeBruce Rd., DeBruce

439-5625

n Presbyterian Church of Roscoe

Old Rte. 17, Roscoe

607-498-4468

n United Church of Roscoe

2 Church St., Roscoe

607-498-5153


n Beaverkill Community Church

101 Craigie Clair Rd., Roscoe

beaverkillfriends.org

Sunday service: 10 a.m. (seasonal)

PEACE

PIECE

Artist Marilyn

Kocher,

left, and

Anne Miller

pose with

DeBruce’s

new Peace

Dove, one

of nearly

60 around

Sullivan

County.

Provided

photo

DeDove is unveiled in DeBruce

DeBruce, NY – The unveiling of Sullivan

County’s 59th Peace Dove, celebrating the

50th anniversary of the Woodstock festival

in Bethel, was witnessed by visitors and

community members in this hamlet on Friday,

Oct. 29. The sculpture is located on De-

Bruce Road, near Knickerbocker Road and

the Frog Hollow tributary.

The dove is one of the many throughout

Sullivan County that are mapped out on a

trail by the Sullivan Catskills Visitors’ Association.

Roberta Byron-Lockwood, president

of the SCVA, opened the ceremony

as others documented the happening and

viewed the painted bird.

Anne Miller worked tirelessly to bring

the dove to DeBruce, despite numerous

setbacks and difficulties. Marilyn Kocher

designed and executed the painting with

the help of detail artists Judy LaVerde and

Tania Vanegas. The dove’s protective coating

was generously donated by Cory Gaebel

of Manor Motors.

The installation was begun by Bill Kocher

and Mike Diescher, using a very big

rock taken from the banks of Willowemoc

Creek. Tom McKay donated his expertise in

creating a stable and secure base. Sullivan

Renaissance contributed funds toward the

project, and the surrounding flower beds

were designed by Edwin and Tania Pubil

with the help of Fernando Padilla and Scott

Young.

Carolyn Bivins designed the parking

signs, and colorful baby doves by artist Ron

Lusker were recently added.

Real Estate & Custom Modular Homes

“If we can’t find your dream home, we’ll have it built for you.”

CAROLE

EDWARDS REALTY

(914) 799-5075 Mobile

cedwardsrealty@gmail.com

(845) 439-3620 Office

On the web: LivManor.com

7 MAIN STREET , LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY 12758

FEATURES


I can see for miles and miles – and way back in time

If all goes well, this month the James

Webb Space Telescope (named after the

second NASA administrator who oversaw

the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo

programs) is destined to

launch into space and may

change our understanding

of the universe.

Originally conceived in

the 1990s, and costing over

Art

$8 billion, the Webb will

replace the Hubble Space

Telescope with astonishing

CATSKILL

NIGHT

SKIES

Steinhauer

new technologies to enable scientists to

peer far back and observe the universe’s

first stars and galaxies, as well as examine

planets in other solar systems, called “exoplanets,”

for signs of life.

First, a note of explanation.

When we view the

stars or galaxies from Earth,

we are observing them as

they existed when the light from them first

emanated. This is due to the time it takes

for the light to reach our planet over the

unimaginably vast distances of space, time

which can be billions of years, given the

age of the universe.

As the universe continues to expand,

the light sources from its earliest period

become fainter and harder to observe.

Webb will enable us to see these faint

objects much more clearly, thus enabling

astronomers to see much farther back in

SKY EYE The James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch Dec. 18, will provide astronomers with

a powerful new tool for gazing at the universe – and seeing it as it was early on. NASA photo

time than was possible with Hubble. Since

the chemical elements that allow life to exist

were produced in the first generation of

galaxies, the further back we can observe,

the more we may be able to understand

about the formation of the universe and

how life came about.

The Webb telescope will not only be

more than two-and-a-half times the size

of Hubble, but it will also be placed much

farther out in space than Hubble – almost

one million miles from earth, in a particular

location where the Sun’s and Earth’s

gravities balance each other out. That will

allow Webb to keep the light from the sun,

earth and moon behind it while it looks

outward into the universe.

Another exciting capability of Webb

will be the study of planets orbiting other

stars. This includes looking for the chemical

signatures of water, carbon dioxide

and methane – the evidence of life as we

DECEMBER VIEWING

n Jupiter, Saturn and Venus all

remain visible after dusk in the southsouthwest.

Venus is the brightest and

to the lower right of the three planets.

Jupiter is the 2nd brightest and to

the upper left. Saturn, relatively in the

middle, is the faintest

n Viewing of the Geminid meteor

shower should be best in the predawn

hours of Sunday, Dec.14.

n Winter officially descends on Dec.

21 at 10:59 a.m. But the days then

become longer, so cheer up!

know it.

Astronomers will be holding their collective

breath when Webb is launched.

As with all space endeavors, any mishap

could doom the mission. It will take about

six months for Webb to reach its new

neighborhood and then the telescope will

need to unfold its sunshield and mirror,

unfurl its solar arrays to tap into the sun’s

power and complete a very long list of

requirements before astronomers can start

using it.

In addition, since Webb will be so far

from Earth, repairs will not be possible as

they were with Hubble. No wonder the

NASA team has dubbed that period “six

months of terror.”

Join or renew your membership online today! Take a tour of fly fishing history at our

museum, visit us for a trail walk, or sign up for an education program on our website.

1031 Old Rte. 17, Livingston Manor, NY • 845-439-4810 • www.cffcm.com

Coming Up

CAS Members Show

Opening: Saturday, Nov. 6, at Laundry King, 65 Main St.,

Livingston Manor; catskillartsociety.org

CAS Annual Appeal

Support CAS at catskillartsociety.squarespace.com/donations-1

Plan your visit at BethelWoodsCenter.org

CREATIVE PROGRAMS | FESTIVALS

HISTORIC SITE | MUSEUM | LIVE MUSIC

‘Your Country

Estate’

gary siegel • judy

siegel • don simkin

12 White Roe Lake Rd.

Livingston Manor, NY

Available on Airbnb.com

18 | DEC. 2021 | MANOR INK HOLIDAYS

BRIGHT NIGHTS Bethel Woods’ “Peace,

Love & Lights” offers warm holiday colors

on cold December evenings. Proivided photo

Light show returns

Bethel, NY – Once again, families can

experience Bethel Woods Center for the

Art’s magical holiday lights from the

comfort of their cars. To take in “Peace,

Love & Lights,” they just have to turn off

their headlights and follow the glow.

Powered by Healey Brothers and

sponsored by the Sullivan Catskills

Visitors Association, the display is open

for viewing from 5 to 9 p.m., Sundays

through Thursdays, and from 5 to 10

p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, now

through Jan. 2. Mondays are reserved

for pedestrians only, and benefit Sullivan

180.

Featured this year are themed areas

that include “New York” and “Holidays

Around the World,” plus the familiar

displays “Groovy Way,” “Candy

Cane Lane” and “Snowflake Alley.” To

reserve tickets, visit bethelwoodscenter.

org/events/peace-love-lights.

Gift insecurity? Ink’s guide comes to the rescue

By Michelle Adams-Thomas | Manor Ink

The past few years have been hard

around holiday time. COVID-19

has caused our once cheerful

gatherings to be risky or even

cancelled. Children have seen less of their

relatives, making it hard to know what

new interests and hobbies they may have.

Well, as I am a teen and am close to other

kids, I have a good idea what their likes

and dislikes are. When it comes to holiday

giving, here are a few gifts that will really

please your young recipients.

KID CHOICES

n Among Us Multiplayer Game | $24.99

This has been a very popular game since

2018, and especially since the start of the

quarantine. Many kids enjoy its creativity.

n Ultimate Candy Snack Box | $36.99

Even though it’s just

candy, these favorites

always do the trick.

Kids these days have

started to be bored

with other things, so

a simple treat box will

make them happy.

n Swurfer Orbit Tree Swing | $69.99

Kids love being outdoors, the fresh air and

nature. A swing is always fun to play with

and it provides exercise for a young child

who just cannot stay in one spot.

PRE-TEEN CHOICES

n Funko Pops | $11.99

I like collecting

things like characters

to decorate my room.

Funko Pops are fun little

statue figures that kids can

collect. Some can even become

valuable over time.

n Anime Books & Movies | $8.99 and up

Japanese art styles have become very

popular over time on TV and in books.

These stories have great plots and are

built around the culture. Anime books and

video-streaming rentals are also something

your child can enjoy at home.

n Converse Sneakers | $40 and up

This footwear company has been

around since 1908. Originally

for basketball, these shoes

are worn daily by

the new generation.

They can be

customized to your liking and are super

comfortable for all-day wear.

TEEN CHOICES

n LED Lights | $31.99

Their bedrooms are where teens spend

most of their time.

There they have all

the things they like in

a homey atmosphere.

But customising their

spaces with lights provides

a nice nighttime vibe in what might

be an otherwise boring room.

n iPhone 13 | $30/month with plan

Every year Apple comes up

with an even better phone.

This year’s latest model is

the iPhone 13. The new

features include 5.4 and

6.1-inch sizes, a smaller

notch, new colors, camera

improvements and 5G.

n Dr. Martens Boots | $65 and up

Dr. Martens is an ever-so-popular boot

brand. Not only is their quality

high, but they are up to date

with young fashion trends.

They are resistent to

snow, ice and water,

making them a

long lasting shoe.

While most of these gifts are available

online or at big box stores, there are also

great gifts for kids right here in town. You

can find toys, art supplies, music, hiking

and camping gear, tasty treats and books

at Manor stores, too. Happy shopping!

51 Main St., Livingston Manor • 6 am-10 pm

845-439-5430

MARYANNE LOMBARDO, D.C.

Neurologically Based Chiropractic • Infants to Seniors

1980 State Route 52 • Liberty, NY 12754

Phone: (845) 292-0702

Mail: P.O. Box 1210 • South Fallsburg, NY 12779

mychirocare@yahoo.com

The holly-jolly season comes to town

HOLIDAYS


By Kelly Buchta | Manor Ink Mentor

For merchants and restaurant owners

in Livingston Manor, the first week of December

means preparing for holiday shoppers

and diners. Decorations go up, special

promotions are launched, extra items are

added to inventories and holiday favorites

are put on the menu. Aiding in all these

preparations are various community and

business organizations, and this year is no

exception. Here are two events planned

the first weekend of the holiday season.

Saturday Dec. 4: Holiday Tree Lighting

The Livingston Manor Chamber of

Commerce, the Manor Rotary Club and

the Little Free Pantry will host the hamlet’s

annual tree lighting at 6 p.m. in the lot next

to Life Repurposed at 62 Main Street. Enjoy

hot cocoa, treats, Santa, gift bags, caroling

and more for a spirited start to the season.

Sunday, Dec. 5: Free Holiday

Tote Bag Giveaway

Livingston Manor merchants have had

a banner year. To thank everyone for their

support, the Chamber of Commerce has

created a unique tote bag to give away

this holiday season. On Sunday, Chamber

members will be in front of Sunshine

Colony at 47 Main Street, from 11 a.m.

to 5 p.m., with the handsome canvas

bags, free to shoppers who have made

their holiday purchases or have dined on

BAG BUDDY

The tote bag was

designed by the

Chamber of Commerce

as a companion

to the new 2021

Town Directory. The

free booklet, with

its rustic Catskills campground look,

has become a coveted item for hotel

guests, weekenders and full-time

residents alike. It’s filled with fun facts

about town history as well as useful

information about local businesses

and services, and is available in shops

around town.

Main Street. Present receipts for at least

$75 spent in town, and select one of two

hundred bags on a first-come-first-served,

one-per-family basis.

* * *

Livingston Manor Central School also

has plans for the festive season. School

choirs will set the mood with familiar holiday

melodies, and seniors will once again

raise funds for class activities with hearty

breakfast fare.

Tuesday, Dec. 7, and Wednesday, Dec. 8:

LMCS Winter Concerts

Elementary students are featured on

Tuesday, with middle and high schoolers

appearing on Wednesday. Performances

begin at 6:30 p.m. on both evenings in the

LMCS auditorium. The concerts are open

to the public and admission is free.

Saturday, Dec. 11: Take-out Breakfast

with Santa

Students of the Class of 2023 will serve

up pancakes and other breakfast favorites

in the LMCS cafeteria from 8 to 11 a.m.

Old St. Nick will be in attendance for

photos with children. Tickets are available

at the door or by calling by calling Janelle

Jones at 439-4400, ext. 1242.

* * *

Lastly, artisans will also be featured this

month in several special showings focusing

on the season.

Saturday, Dec. 11, and Sunday,

Dec. 12: Holiday Makers Market

The Farmhouse Project is hosting a Holiday

Makers Market at the Arnold House,

located at 839 Shandlee Rd., Livingston

Manor, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A modern

interpretation of the traditional craft fair,

the market will feature talented artisans

from studios and workshops throughout

the region, locally-sourced Christmas

trees and wreaths, cozy fires and winterinspired

cuisine, craft beer, mulled wine

and festive cocktails.

Saturday, Dec. 18: Tiny Town Toast

Help the Catskill Art Society celebrate

IN THE SPIRIT Santa consults with a youngster

during the 2020 Livingston Manor holiday

tree lighting. Carolyn Bivins photo

the Tiny House Project from 4 to 5 p.m

with a special toast to all CAS contributors.

The windows at the Laundry King,

65 Main Street, will be filled with unique

structures, and Sullivan County Poet

Laureate Eric Baylin will share some of his

favorite poems. Masks will be required for

all, regardless of vaccination status.

Chamber of Commerce member Maria Bivins

contributed to this article.

In the

Aro Tradition

via Zoom

Free one-on-one

Meditation instruction

845-439-4339

THEKAATSKELLER.COM | 39 Main Street, Livingston Manor

Call or write:

Naljorma Chatral A’dze

(845) 439-4332

khajong@gmail.com

20 | DEC. 2021 | MANOR INK INK WELL OF HAPPINESS

Sci-fi tale a mind-bender

Jeff Vandermeer’s iconic book, Annihilation,

is a tale about a group of women

sent to explore a terrifying anomaly on

the southeastern coast of the United

States, turning the land

inside the shimmery barrier

into a disturbingly

quiet, eerie wilderness,

overgrown to the point

of rendering the region

Edward

Lundquist

unrecognizable.

Inside dwell mutations

of animals, presented in

PAGE TURNERS

a very broken way. The animals themselves

are not that strange looking, but

the sounds they produce and little things

about them set the reader on edge. For

example there are,

along the coast,

dolphins, described

by the main character

as having eyes

like those of a human.

The way Jeff portrays this world is

impressive. After the buildup, the climax

is filled with mind-bending Lovecraftian

agony that is only relieved by a cliffhanger

ending, continued in the next book,

Authority.

Vandermeer’s ability to create such a

round, realistic

and unsettling

landscape is

quite impressive,

especially as you

read it. You just

get drawn in and

become one with

the story, the

characters and

Annihilation

(Southern Reach

Trilogy)

By Jeff Vandermeer

HHHHH

Science fiction,

thiller, horror(?)

Ages 14+

the meaningful writing. The book, I feel,

would be no different if it had illustrations,

because the tension of the mental

image is so powerful on its own.

I highly recommend this book, especially

if you are looking for something

artistic, creative and quick to read. I

finished this book in one evening, and,

though it is not skinny, it is fast paced

enough to truly enjoy.

To parents: This is a book for adolescents

14 years and older. It has mentions

of sex, violence, gore and a general

unsettledness throughout the whole

book. Many of its concepts are very deep

and could be hard to handle for younger

readers.

This review was reprinted from the December

2019 edition of Manor Ink.

MARKET-MADE The employees at Peck’s Market in Livingston Manor are dedicated to their

jobs, and some even use family recipes to supply the baked goods selection. Manor Ink photo

A homemade holiday treat

The holidays are about sharing happy

times with your family and simply enjoying

each other’s company. This year

the COVID-19 pandemic

is making it more difficult

to do so, but that

does not mean you still

can’t enjoy the day with

the people around you.

Michelle

Adams-

Thomas

One thing that makes the

holidays memorable is

making something with

your family. So try a

new recipe to make that happen.

Homemade items can be the best

things in the world. They come from

the heart and can mean something very

special. Many people know that Peck’s

Markets are employee-owned. The staff

at Peck’s here in the Manor are not only

dedicated to their jobs, but some even

contribute their own family recipes so

shoppers can buy homemade products.

They’ve kindly shared one of those treasured

recipes with the Ink so readers can

make memories of their own.

Debbie McAdams and her colleague

RECIPE

Jenny Marshall have worked

for the company for many

years, and each brings her talent and love

of food to the community every day by

baking a variety of delicious items for

patrons to enjoy at home. For a special

treat, you can either make Jenny’s Pumpkin

Crunch Cake from the recipe below,

or buy it at Peck’s Market. It has just the

right flavors for the holiday season.

This recipe was reprinted from the December


WIPE-OUT The first of three stories in Jeff

Vandermeer’s “Southern Reach Trilogy,”

“Annihilation” creates an eerie world altered

by a mysterious contagion. Above, an image

from the screen adaptation of the book.

amazon.com photos

JENNY’S PUMPKIN

CRUNCH CAKE

Ingredients

1 29 oz. can pumpkin

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 package yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped nuts (any variety)

1 cup melted butter

Directions

1. Mix together the first 5 ingredients

and put them into a 9 x 13-inch pan lined

with wax paper.

2. Sprinkle cake mix over the wet ingredients.

Top with a cup of chopped nuts.

Foodtasia.com photo

3. Melt butter and pour evenly over the

nuts.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

5. Turn the pan upside down on a

cookie sheet. Pull off the waxed paper.

Cool before serving.

INK WELL OF HAPPINESS


Santa’s powers might have made this movie better

I was scrolling through Netflix, like any

kid my age, when I stumbled across this

movie. I thought to myself, “This would

be perfect to review, another bad Netflix

Original, and this time it’s

a Christmas one!” After I

finished “The Christmas

Chronicles,” though, I realized

that the movie was

actually good. It dealt with

Osei Helper

themes of loss while still

being comical. It kept traditional

Christmas movie fun and ideals

while being new and innovative. If you

haven’t watched the movie, I suggest you

do, because we’re about to enter spoiler

MEDIA

PROBE

REVIEW

territory.

I’ll give you a quick rundown

of the story. A young

girl and her criminal teen

brother make a deal and stay

up to try and catch Santa Claus. When

they find his sleigh and hop in, a frightened

Santa loses control and crashes. The

rest of the movie follows them as they try

to successfully save Christmas. Now, let’s

get into the review.

When I began watching, there was

something that struck me as off. The main

character, Kate (Darby Camp), was taking

Spanish classes in school. Now, that may

not seem like much until you remember

she’s only 10. She’s taking high school level

courses. Now I could do some research on

what school she could be going to, based

on the geography and courses, but I’m

fighting deadline.

Then there’s a whole scene with Kate

By Osei Helper | Manor Ink

When I first saw the trailers for “Last

Christmas,” I didn’t plan on seeing it. The

movie just seemed like another basic romcom,

a genre that I don’t lean toward. Nevertheless,

I saw it anyway, just so I could

review a Christmas movie in time for this

month’s edition of Manor Ink. The movie is

kind of adult with its humor, so take caution

with children, but anyway, here is my

spoiler-free review of “Last Christmas.”

This movie has some familiar faces you

might recognize. The main character,

Kate, is played by Emilia Clarke (“Game

of Thrones”), and her love interest, Tom,

ON DEADLINE Santa, played by Kurt Russell, rushes to complete his rounds after losing his

sleigh in Netflix’ holiday offering, “The Christmas Chronicles.” Romper.com photo

following her brother Teddy (Judah

Lewis) around with a camera recording

him, all because he wouldn’t let her come

hang out with his friends. I just love her

reaction to seeing her brother and his

friends hijack someone’s car. She only

thinks about how she could use this as

leverage against him because she recorded

it, not that, “Oh wow, my brother

just committed grand theft auto. He’s an

actual criminal!”

Let’s talk about Santa (Kurt Russell),

arguably the best part of the movie. He’s

a lot different from your traditional Old

Saint Nick. Santa is usually fat, jolly and

is played by Henry

Golding (“Crazy Rich

Asians”). As I said, this

movie is a romcom,

meaning a romance

comedy. It has to bring

these two things to the

table to succeed, and

“Last Christmas” does just that ... kind of.

The comedy aspect was somewhat solid.

I found a good chunk of the comic scenes

to be worthy of a light chuckle. However,

the romance part didn’t seem all that

realistic. I know it’s a movie, but some

things just seemed odd, though they can be

explained with the twist.

goes “Ho, ho, ho!” This Santa is fit, kind

of annoyed and sarcastic, and refuses to

laugh. He jokes around a lot and puts the

kids in dangerous situations, even when

he “doesn’t have his powers,” which he

pretends he has lost after losing his hat.

The plot twist that Santa is powerless

is kind of undermined by the fact that

he’s seen using his powers throughout

the movie. This decision was a bad one

on St. Nick’s part. If he hadn’t pretended

to have no powers, he could’ve avoided

many of the movie’s predicaments.

For instance, Teddy is nearly killed

twice. The first time is when some thugs

Now, I said this is spoiler free, so I

won’t reveal the twist. But if you pay a

little bit of attention, you might be able to

figure it out early. I feel like the writers

thought their twist was way more clever

than it actually is. It answers a lot of questions

that you may have while watching

the movie, but that’s enough. I don’t want

to give away too much.

The acting was pretty good for the

most part, but where I really enjoyed

“Last Christmas” was in its score. Our

protagonist, Kate, is a big fan of George

Michael. Nearly, if not all, of the songs in

the soundtrack are George Michael songs.

I am personally a fan of George Michael,

The Christmas

Chronicles

Netflix 2018

HHHHH

Rated TV-PG

find him and Santa’s

magic sack, with Kate

inside. Their boss

gets angry when all

the presents in the

sack only have coal in

them and he throws

the bag into an incinerator. The second

instance of mortal peril for Teddy comes

when he is nearly killed and thrown into a

dumpster. The elves coming to rescue him

in the St. Nick of time (sorry!) mistake

him for a thug and almost, get this, cut

him in half with a mini-chainsaw. These

elves are insane.

All this mayhem could have been

avoided if only Santa had used his powers

and hadn’t hidden them.

To sum up, brother, sister and Santa

end up saving Christmas just in the, uh,

I won’t use that pun again. They save

Christmas right before time runs out. This

movie gets a rating of 3 stars out of 5. It

remains fun throughout, with a strong

cast that fits the characters well. But it has

some plot points that don’t hold together,

and there are also some unresolved story

lines. Perhaps Netflix left holes so they

could a follow up with a sequel next year?

Well, readers, I hope you all have a

happy Christmas, and don’t try to find

Santa on Christmas Eve, because you just

might ruin the holiday for everybody and

throw the planet into World War III.

Merry Christmas!



This holiday flick is romantic, funny and clever ... kind of

Last Christmas

Universal

Pictures 2019

Rated PG-13

HHHHH

HHHHH

too, so I appreciated the tribute.

There isn’t much else I can say about

the movie and its themes without venturing

into spoiler territory, but I can say that

“Last Christmas” is very much about self

discovery and finding purpose. I liked how

it ended, though I felt some aspects of the

characters’ development were rushed.

I can’t say too many good things about

this movie or too many bad things. It was

pretty mediocre. I enjoyed it more than I

thought I would, so I’ll give it a solid 6 out

of 10 stars – worth a look.




SPORTS

THINK PINK

HONOREES LMCS players Megan Cristaldi, Kristina Davis

and Julia Trotti line up on Manor’s soccer field on Oct.

15 to be saluted on “Pink Day.” The Downsville/Manor/

Roscoe combined varsity team then downed Chapel 6-0

to the delight of the crowd, with Davis scoring the final

goal of the afternoon. Art Steinhauer photo

Devils rally to bomb Bombers

By Kevin Bear | For Manor Ink

18 BLUES DEVILS

14 BOMBERS

Roscoe, NY – The Bombers of Pine

Plains made a long, two-hour trip across

the Hudson River to take on the Blue Devils

of Roscoe on Oct. 30. The Blue Devils

were looking to secure a win on their

home field against the Bombers in order

to advance to the next round of sectionals.

The Bombers got off to a hot start and

scored on a five-yard touchdown pass.

They then scored on a two-point conversion

attempt. In addition,

the defense

of Pine Plains stalled

the offense of Roscoe

on their first drive, forcing them to punt.

On their second drive, at the start of

the second quarter, Pine Plains came out

on fire – scoring on a 35-yard rush on the

ninth play of the drive. Luckily for the Blue Devils, the twopoint

conversion attempt by the Bombers was no good, but

they still found themselves down 14-0, with their season

slowly starting to drift away.

The second drive of the Blue Devils was not successful

as the Bombers stopped the offense short of the first down

marker, forcing them to punt.

During the next Bomber possession, Roscoe’s defense returned

the favor, forcing them to punt. Out of nowhere, Lakota

Dewitt blocked the punt, and the ball ended up going

back into the endzone where it was recovered by Daniel

Irwin for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt

was unsuccessful for Roscoe, but they finally got on the

scoreboard and closed the deficit to 14-6.

TD SPRINT Roscoe’s Alaniz Ruiz

hauls in a 58-yard touchdown pass

in the second quarter.

Bonnie Hoag photo

Energized by their first scoring play,

there was no slowing the Blue Devils as

they forced the Bombers to punt on the

very next possession. With the ball again,

on the second play of Roscoe’s drive, Anthony

Zamenick found Alaniz Ruiz downfield

and threw a perfect 58-yard touchdown

pass for Roscoe’s second scoring

play. Unfortunately, the two-point conversion

failed once again. At half time, Pine

Plains was still up 14-12.

The Blue Devils received the second half

kickoff, but their drive stalled and they

were forced to punt. A muffed punt by

Pine Plains allowed Morgan McKinley to

dive on the football and gain possession

once again for the Roscoe offense. This

drive, however, did not result in a score.

Several possessions later, the Blue Devils

found a hole in the Pine Plains defense and

were able to drive down field and score on a 12-yard rush

by Ruiz. The two-point conversion failed, but Roscoe saw

themselves up on the scoreboard for the first time, 18-14.

The Roscoe team was full of momentum as they had just

scored 18 unanswered points and refused to give up their

lead. The Bombers were looking to score in the final minutes

of the game for a comeback win, but their hopes were

dashed when cornerback Matthew Bowers jumped in front

of their receiver on a passing play and came down with a

juggling interception. With the interception, the Blue Devils

were able to run out the clock for the victory.

Kevin Bear is a member of the LMCS Journalism class. This

story comes from the December edition of Manor Monthly.

CALENDAR


DECEMBER

ONGOING

Livingston Manor

Free Library

Open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

weekdays, except 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10

a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Storytime

is 11 a.m. Tuesdays; Story

& Crafts is 11 a.m., Saturdays;

92 Main St., Livingston Manor.

livingstonmanorlibrary.org

Ethelbert B. Crawford

Public Library

60-minute slots for browsing;

computer use by appointment.

Call 794-4660, ext. 4 or 5 to

schedule an appointment; 479

Broadway, Monticello; ebcpl.org

Liberty Public Library

Mondays, Wednesdays and

Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesdays

and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-6:30

p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4

p.m.189 N. Main St., Liberty.

libertypubliclibrary.org

Hurleyville Arts Centre

Offering in-person yoga classes

with precautions; register at

theyogaspacehv@gmail.com;

219 Main Street, Hurleyville.

hurleyvilleartscentre.org

Catskill Art Society

Closed for renovations, but with

exhibits at Laundry King; also

offering art classes for children

Mondays-Thursdays, 9-9:45 a.m.

(ages 4-7) and 10-10:45 a.m.

ages 8-teen) at Laundry King;


catskillartsociety.org

Delaware Valley

Arts Alliance

Galleries are now open. Also

virtual exhibits on Facebook and

Instagram; 37 Main St., Narrowsburg;

delawarevalleyartsalliance.org

What’s Bugging You?

Practical solutions to

pest control problems

First Friday in December; noon-

12:30; Cornell Cooperative Extension

virtual seminar; register

at ccesullivan.org

Open Mic Night

Bring an instrument and play on

Mondays in December; 7-11

p.m.; Dutch’s Tavern, 204 Rock

Hill Dr., Rock Hill. Register at

facebook.com/rockhillnewyork

Inklings

A LISTING OF FUN THINGS TO DO

Send your event to divadnnad@yahoo.com

PLEASE NOTE With frequently changing coronavirus conditions

and safety precautions, many events listed here may again have

safety requirements. Please check websites for specifics.

Jazz at Rafter’s

With the Hal Galper Trio

Saturdays in December; 3-4:30

p.m.; Rafter’s Tavern, 28 Upper

Main St. Callicoon. facebook.

com/Rafters-Tavern

Peace, Love & Lights

Nightly in December; Sundays

throughThursdays: 5-9 p.m.; |

Fridays, Saturdays, 5-10 p.m.;

Bethel Woods Center for the

Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel.

bethelwoodscenter.org/events/

peace-love-lights

DECEMBER 1-31

Exhibit: Members Show

Through December 18; Fridays,

Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.;

Sundays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Laundry

King, 65 Main St., Livingston

Manor. catskillartsociety.squarespace.com/tinyhouseproject

Exhibit: “Art in Sixes”

Through December 23; Thursdays

through Sundays, 11 a.m.-4

p.m.; Delaware Arts Alliance, 37

Main St., Narrowsburg; delawarevalleyartsalliance.org

Lego Club

Thursday, Dec. 2; 3:30-4:30 p.m.;

Livingston Manor Free Library,


livingstonmanorlibrary.org

Concert: A Joyful

Christmas

With Eileen Ivers

Thursday, Dec. 2, 8 p.m.; Bethel

Woods Center for the Arts, 200

Hurd Rd., Bethel. bethelwoodscenter.org/events

Holiday Wreath Making

With Susan Dollard

Thursday, Dec. 2; 6-7 p.m.;

Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library,

479 Broadway, Monticello.

To register, call 794-4660 ext. 2

Santa Visits Hurleyville

Friday, Dec. 3 through Sunday,

Dec. 5; Friday, 3-6 p.m.; Saturday,

10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4

p.m.; Hurleyville Arts Centre, 219

Main Street, Hurleyville. hurleyvilleartscentre.org

Dinner with Santa

Friday, Dec. 3 and every Friday in

December; 5 p.m.; Bethel Woods

Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd

Rd., Bethel. bethelwoodscenter.

org/events

Holiday Market

Friday, Dec. 3 through Sunday,

SHTETL SOUNDS

IN BETHEL

Put a little pep into

your Hannukah

celebrations with the

boistrous music of

the Klezmatics. The

only klezmer band

to win a Grammy

award, the Klezmatics

play selections steeped in Eastern European Jewish

tradition and spirituality while incorporating eclectic musical

influences including Arab, African, Latin and Balkan

rhythms, jazz and punk. They’ll perform Sunday, Dec. 19

at 8 p.m. in the Event Gallery at Bethel Woods in Bethel.

Learn more at bethelwoodscenter.org/events.

Dec. 5; 2 p.m.; Bethel Woods



org/events

‘Back to Bach’

Zoom talk by Barry Wiesenfeld

Monday, Dec. 6; 6-7 p.m.;




The Farmhouse Project

Holiday Makers Market

Saturday, Dec. 11, and Sunday,

Dec 12; Saturday, 11 a.m.; Sunday,

6 p.m.; The Arnold House,

839 Shandelee Rd., Livingston

Manor. thefarmhouseproject.com

Concert: Gordon Lightfoot

Saturday, Dec. 11 and Sunday,

Dec. 12; Saturday, 8 p.m.;

Sunday, 2 p.m.; Bethel Woods



org/events

Cultivating Happiness

Zoom talk with Diane Lang

Thursday, Dec. 16; 6-7 p.m.;




Tiny House Project ‘Toast’

Saturday, Dec. 18; opening,

4-5 p.m.; on display in Laundry

King’s windows throughout

December; Laundry King, 65

Main St., Livingston Manor.

catskillartsociety.squarespace.

com/tinyhouseproject

Fine Upstate Vacation Rentals

Since 2007

redcottageinc.com


By Gracie Ivory | For Manor Ink

FEATURES

Melding styles, Taylor Jaffe sings her passions

Taking inspiration from her

father, her piano teacher and

artists like Beyoncé, Taylor

Jaffe’s music and her career

blossomed. At the young age of six, she

remembers watching her father play

the piano and the banjo. Jaffe has since

gone on to develop a style of music

she describes as “pop rock,” which not

surprisingly happen to be two of the

Musical Manor farm girl set to release EP of originals

genres she most enjoys.

To document her songwriting, guitar

playing and singing, Jaffe began work

on an album, an extended play or EP

record consisting of five original songs,

in the winter of 2019. After months in

the studio, she finished the recording in

the spring of 2020.

LOCAL

ARTIST

PROFILE

But following a bit of

deliberation, she decided

she needed to take more

time to really fine tune

and focus in on meticulously

detailing the EP. Now satisfied

with the resulting production, Jaffe

will release the record just before the

holidays on Dec. 10. The songs will

also be available on all streaming

services.

Jaffe currently has three singles

posted – “Just a Crush,” “I’ll Cry”

and “Losing

Myself.” The

latter tune, she

said, was her

favorite of the

songs she has

written. The

other songs

that will make

up the EP are

titled “Free

Fall,” and a

Talking Heads mashup consisting of

their songs “Road to Nowhere” and

“This Must Be the Place.”

In addition to her passion for music,

Taylor works as an Environmental Justice

Coordinator here in the Catskills.

She strives to ensure social, racial and

environmental justice. When asked

whether she wants to make this her

WHERE TO FIND

TAYLOR JAFFE’S MUSIC

To hear selections from

Jaffe’s EP, visit “Taylor

Jaffe” on spotify.com.

Find her on Instagram

at instagram.com/

taylorcjaffe/?hl=en,

or on Twitter at twitter.

com/taylorcjaffe. Or

simply scan this QR code.

primary career, she said, “Ideally, I

will be able to grow my music career

a little bit and play shows and get

somewhere big like Madison Square

Garden, but I don’t ever want to give

up the justice components of my passions.”

TURKEY SPARED

Gov. Kathy Hochul pardoned Sullivan,

a turkey living on Snowdance Farm

in Livingston Manor on Thanksgiving

Day, thus saving the bird from the dinner

table. The farm is owned by Marc

and Susan Jaffe, above, with their two

children, Theo and the subject of this

profile, Taylor.

Provided photos

manor_ink_dec_2021_for_web

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?