The Saugerties community shows its generosity
Several community members recently banded together to form the Saugerties Athletics Booster Club. It was created to restore modified sports cut from the Saugerties Central School District budget and to ensure equity in sports for all students.
It all began on June 18 with a generous $25,000 donation from Jessica and Jeffrey Riozzi. Their goal was to raise $85,000 by July 31, with $75,000 for modified sports and $10,000 to establish the Booster Club. Thanks to over 500 individuals, businesses and organizations, they surpassed their goal, raising $101,000 in just 42 days! Contributions came from all corners, including a Grant D. Morse student who donated proceeds from his can and bottle returns and a Cahill student who handed over $2 with the request, “Please put this towards sports!”
As they move into Phase 2, the Booster Club will focus on supporting the school and area sports by providing equipment, training, uniforms and improved facilities. Their mission is to enhance opportunities and open new doors for kids and families in need.
Celebration at Saugerties Farmers’ Market’s harvest home dinners
It’s time to celebrate the harvest season. Every year at this time, the Saugerties Farmers’ Market organizes special dinners for a small number of guests at beautiful homes to support the market. Sometimes the host is an excellent cook and prepares the dinner. Other dinners are prepared by professional chefs at the host’s home. Each dinner is different, created by the host and the chef — but they all make use of the abundant, delicious fresh fruits and vegetables that farmers are harvesting.
The organizer of the Harvest Home Dinners is Diane Congello-Brandes. She chooses beautiful homes, great home cooks and talented professional chefs and puts them together. “I will send out the Harvest Home Dinner flyer with the dates,” said Congello-Brandes. “You need to book your dinner date ASAP, since they all sell out quickly.”
From the earliest Harvest Home Dinners in 2007, these fundraising dinners have been offered by date only. When booking your dinner, you do not know whose home you’ll go to or who the chef will be — only the date and whether or not the meal will be vegetarian. The purpose of this “blind booking” is to prevent guests from competing with each other to go to a particular chef’s dinner or to a particular home. A couple of weeks before the dinner, guests are informed where they are going, who is cooking and with whom they will be dining. “At each dinner, guests meet each other and enjoy dining together,” said Congello-Brandes. “Friendships have begun at these dinners. Whichever dinner they select, guests have been pleased with their choices.”
The host pays for the food for each Harvest Home Dinner, so that all the guests’ funds are used for market operations. The market uses these funds to pay for the kids’ art corner and live music at each market day, as well as for market staff.
“We encourage the home cooks and chefs to purchase the food for the dinners from the Saugerties Farmers” Market,” said Congello-Brandes. “This supports the market’s farmers and bakers and introduces the guests to the fresh and local tastes from the market.”
Saugerties Farmers’ Market coordinator Judith Spektor says, “We look forward to the Harvest Home Dinners each year. We have kept the dinner price the same for many years so that more community members can afford these very special dinners. They are tasty, social and supportive of the Saugerties Farmers’ Market.”
This is the beginning of the Harvest Home Dinners season. The Saugerties Farmers’ Market welcomes interested hosts, chefs and cooks. Please reach out to them at harvesthomedinners@gmail.com.
Harvest Home Dinners are scheduled with dates from August through October (see SaugertiesFarmersMarket.com). To book dinner dates at $65/per person (bring your own wine), email harvesthomedinners@gmail.com or text 845-706-6715.
Dinners sell out well in advance of the dates, so those who are interested are advised to reserve ASAP.
The Saugerties Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday (except during the Garlic Festival on September 28) through October 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Cahill School parking lot at 115 Main Street.
For additional information, email SaugertiesFarmersMarket.com, facebook.com/SaugertiesFarmersMarket or instagram.com/saugertiesfarmersmarket.
Join the family! 
