New Paltz/Gardiner seniors welcome William Minifie
The New Paltz/Gardiner Senior Club will meet on Wednesday, November 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the New Paltz VFW social hall, located on Route 208 south of the Village of New Paltz. The program will feature writer, artist, contractor, photographer and Broadway singer William (Bill) Minifie, who will entertain the group with “Patriotic Songs of Broadway.” Also, help salute veterans at the club’s annual Flag Ceremony.
For additional information, call Kathy Rivera at (646) 361-5190.
Ring out for climate on October 30
The 26th United Nations Summit on Climate Change Conference — a gathering of 197 countries known as COP26, will take place in Glasgow Scotland, from October 31 through November 12. Join with our sisters and brothers in the UK and in the historic tradition of ringing church bells as a call to prayer, celebration and in this instance, WARNING.
We add to the tradition an invitation to all houses of worship and neighborhood gatherings to have a call to worship, blowing a shofar, banging pots and pans or sing songs in support of Caring for Creation.
Interfaith Earth Action members have planned the following for October 30:
Reformed Church, 92 Huguenot Street in New Paltz: Gather at 12:45 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join in, along with New Paltz United Methodist, Redeemer Lutheran, St. Andrew’s Episcopal and Quaker Friends in ringing the church bell. Whoever joins in ringing can ring the church bell until they are ready for the next bell ringer. When the last bell ringer finishes, participants will gather on the front steps of the church to sing “If I Had a Hammer” and after that, to pray for the leaders, key speakers and the 197 participating countries by name.
Jewish Congregation of New Paltz will be making noise in solidarity at 1 p.m. at their Community Center parking lot on Route 32 North. The primary noisemakers will be shofar blowers, including Rabbi Bill Strongin. In addition, others will be making noise in various, creative ways.
Quaker Friends and attendees will be joining in wherever they are and with whatever means they have, to sound out for the climate. Some will be joining Women in Black in front of the Elting Library.
Across the Town and Village, houses of worship, community groups, schools, businesses, neighborhoods and individuals are all called to join in the bell ringing. Some of the other participants to watch and listen for at 1 p.m. are: the bells at Van Den Berg Hall on the SUNY New Paltz campus will be chiming and Tin Horn Uprising will be playing at Elting Library. Look for a group from the Student Christian Center and the Episcopal Campus Ministry ringing bells and offering prayers from 1 to 1:30 p.m. on Parker Quad, near Parker Theater.
Let the bells ring out as a warning, for the urgency of the dangers we now face.
Having a bell is not a requirement — banging pots and pans will suffice. If you’re interested in joining in “making good noise” (like good trouble!), please contact Jim O’Dowd at jimmyodowd@yahoo.com or call (845) 255-4170.
The event is sponsored by New Paltz Interfaith Earth Action and the Caring for Creation Committee of the Reformed Church of New Paltz.
Rental reform efforts to begin with a registry in New Paltz
New Paltz Town Council members were ready to tackle the issue of regulating short-term rental properties, but have decided to take some other steps first. Taking a page from the Village’s code book, the plan is to pass a law requiring that most rental properties have to be registered and that safety inspections be conducted annually. With that data in hand, it will be easier to understand how to better regulate short-term rentals in the Town. The proposed rules would call for any rental property to have a local manager, if the owner is more than 15 miles distant.
— Terence P Ward
Town of New Paltz seeks volunteers
The Town of New Paltz is looking for volunteers to serve on the Board of Assessment Review, Bike/Ped Committee, Environmental Conservation Board, Ethics Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Police Commission and Public Access Committee. Interested parties may submit a letter of interest and résumé to the supervisor’s office at PO Box 550, New Paltz NY 12561 or e-mail assistant@townofnewpaltz.org.
Fall leaf pickup in New Paltz
The New Paltz Highway Department will begin leaf pickup on Monday, October 25. Residents must put leaves in piles on the shoulder of the road, just off the blacktop. Leaf piles must only be leaves, with no brush mixed in, as it breaks the machine. Brush will not be picked up. No bagged leaves will be picked up. All roads in the Town will be serviced multiple times until leaf piles are gone or the first big snow.
For additional information, call the Highway Department at (845) 255-5050.
Book & art series at Gardiner Library
The Gardiner Library presents a book and art series on Saturday, November 6 at 11 a.m. Ages 4 to 6 step inside the picture book Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet and try some of the art techniques used by this favorite author. Other series date: December 4.
Preregistration is necessary and limited. For more information and registration, contact Carolyn at cthorenz@rcls.org. The Library is located at 133 Farmers’ Turnpike. Call (845) 255-1255 or visit www.gardinerlibrary.org.
Creative Collage: Virtual Tour/Art Workshop at Gardiner Library
The Gardiner Library hosts “Creative Collage: Virtual Tour and Art Workshop” on Tuesday November 2 from 4 to 5 p.m. Ages 5 to 11 will discover the fun-filled collages of three famous artists – Henri Matisse, Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock – while on a virtual tour of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center. After, work alongside the museum educator to create your own collages.
Supplies needed: scissors, glue, paper and collage materials such as colored papers, magazines and wrapping paper. Paint or drawing supplies are optional.
Contact Nicole at nlane@rcls.org to register and receive the Zoom link. The Library is located at 133 Farmers’ Turnpike. For more information, call (845) 255-1255 or visit www.gardinerlibrary.org.
Town of Gardiner seeks volunteers
The Town of Gardiner has existing and upcoming vacancies on the following boards and committees: Assessment Review Board, Parks & Recreation, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. The Town of Gardiner is also looking for a part-time building inspector. Interested parties should send a résumé with letter of interest to Supervisor Majestic at supervisor.tog@gmail.com or mail to PO Box #1, Gardiner NY 12525.
Grab & Go trick-or-treat stations in New Paltz
Five Grab & Go trick-or-treat stations will be set up within the Village of New Paltz on October 31 from 3 to 5 p.m. Last week, Melissa Gruver and her eighth-grade classes at the New Paltz Middle School helped stuff 4,350 bags full of candy for this year’s Halloween event. Halloween in New Paltz is back in full swing this year with the return of the Halloween parade and the New Paltz Youth Program’s annual haunted house. And in a tradition that started last year due to COVID, there will be five Grab and Go candy stations around town. Youth can collect a free small goodie bag with Halloween candies while supplies last. Social distancing is required and face masks/coverings are encouraged. Station locations include the New Paltz Youth Program, 220 Main Street; One Epic Place, 122 Main Street; Elting Library, 93 Main Street; Farmers’ Market lot, corner of Main and North Chestnut Streets; and the Reformed Church Educational Building, 92 Huguenot Street.
Retired men to meet November 1
Retired Men of the New Paltz Community invite retired men everywhere to the monthly breakfast meeting on Monday, November 1 at 8 a.m. at the New Paltz Plaza Diner. Suzanne Holt will discuss her experience on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in 2019 (Lisbon, Portugal to Santiago, Spain) and offer advice for anyone who might be considering it.
For additional information, contact Ed Rogers at rogersezed@gmail.com or (845) 255-7420.
SUNY New Paltz Distinguished Speaker Series features Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson
SUNY New Paltz presents its annual Fall 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series: An Evening with Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson on Wednesday, November 10 from 5 to 6 p.m. Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson is a racial equity strategist, an educator, a reverberating voice for the disenfranchised and a true champion of the BIPOC community. She is also the founder and CEO of the Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP) and DEEP Corporate Consulting Partners.
She will speak about “The Culture of DEI: Creating and Manifesting Belonging.” What does diversity, belonging, inclusion and equity (DBIE) mean, how can it be achieved and why is it necessary not only to engender trust, but also to gain and keep the trust of the underrepresented persons who can often be harmed during DBIE work? In her thought-provoking and interactive session, Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson will focus on key learnings on how to achieve DBIE.
General admission is complimentary. A $10 donation is suggested to support educational opportunities for SUNY New Paltz students. A WebEx link and digital program will be provided before the event to ticketholders. To register, visit https://webapps.newpaltz.edu/marketplace/store/221/item/641.
Resnick Lecture Series continues with Rena Blumenthal
The Resnick Lecture Series on “The New (?) American Anti-Semitism” continues on November 3 at 7:30 p.m. via WebEx. Rena Blumenthal, the featured speaker, will make a presentation titled “Thoughts on Anti-Semitism after a Year of Pandemic TV Watching.”
Blumenthal worked as a psychologist for 15 years in New York City and Jerusalem before attending the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College outside of Philadelphia, where she was ordained rabbi in 2003. She worked at Vassar College for 11 years through 2014, where she served as the assistant director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and as the Rose and Irving Rachlin advisor for Jewish students. Since 2014, Blumenthal has worked as a freelance rabbi, which includes consulting for college campuses, teaching, the leading of services and officiating at life-cycle events. She has also served as a hospital chaplain.
To join the presentation, use this link: https://newpaltz.webex.com/newpaltz/j.php?MTID=m0201155df0bc78f4fff605da9a709142. No preregistration is required. For additional information, contact soring@newpaltz.edu.
Join the family! 
