Personally speaking – Livia Vanaver
Ever since she and her husband Bill Vanaver and their dance/music troupe the Vanaver Caravan moved from Queens to the Hudson Valley, Livia Drapkin Vanaver has become a renowned dancer/choreographer/educator here and abroad. Just this past week she was asked to choreograph a five-minute dance routine to the tune “I Love New York,” which more...
Kyle Shand returns to the area to help his grandfather at Meadow View Farm
Kyle Shand, 26, has returned to his roots, literally and figuratively, as he recently moved back to his grandfather’s circa-1820 house to help him farm, manage and promote the all-organic produce, fruit and meat at Meadow View Farm off Phillies Bridge Road in Gardiner. After retiring from his longtime real-estate business, Kyle’s grandfather Bart Colucci...
Personally speaking – Barbara Wood
Barbara Wood, a lifelong dog-lover, jumped at the opportunity to put her passion and skills to work when Planet Pet Grooming on Main Street in Rosendale became available for sale. Although she took ownership of the business in late 2012, Wood had already “fallen in love” with the business and its former owners when she...
First woman ever to finish Boston Marathon is Gunks runner now
What started out as an innocuous enough desire — to run a marathon, specifically the Boston Marathon — catapulted then-20-year-old Syracuse University undergraduate Kathrine Switzer into an iconic female sports figure when she decided to run in, and then completed, the “men’s-only” 26.2-mile race in 1967, despite being tackled by the race director. In fact,...
Cancer survivors, friends ready for Relay For Life
When Relay For Life comes to SUNY New Paltz, cancer survivors and the people who care for them will have a chance to fight cancer on the racetrack this Sunday, April 28. It won’t be the first time. “We’ve been having the event in New Paltz, annually, since 2004. This last year was a big...
Personally speaking – Vicki Jackson
For almost three years, Vicki Jackson, longtime owner of Aphrodite’s Antiques on Main Street in downtown New Paltz, has been building up a second, more roomy antique shop in a circa-1888 brick building at 11 Milton Avenue in the hamlet of Highland. “New Paltz has always been so good to me and such a vibrant...
Jessica Roach receives an award
Jessica Roach, United States Navy E3 airman, receives the Military Order of World Wars Award of Merit from command master chief Chris Angstead during her March 8 graduation ceremony from naval boot camp at the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. In a class of over 800 recruits, Roach was one of only six...
Creating a Ludwig Day
For many people, the first time that Ludwig Montesa noticed you, came running down Main Street and said hello – when you got into his good graces – was a rite of passage: You’d become a part of the New Paltz’s social fabric. He was always quick with a hug, a high-five, a goofy face...
Personally speaking – Justine and Phil Leger
Justine and Phil Leger, owners of the über-popular Bridge Creek Catering company, have just this past week opened up their first restaurant: the Bridge Creek Café, located on the upper floor of the Water Street Market in downtown New Paltz. “Our catering business is fairly mature, and we felt the need to expand our presence...
Eva Hayes recounts her oceanographic adventures
Not many college students know how to manage a complex rigging system, navigate by the stars alone or judge distance through dead reckoning. Few have spent as much time on board a sailing ship as has Eva Hayes, 20, of Gardiner. The Northeastern University sophomore, and New Paltz Central High School alumna, spent six weeks...
Personally speaking – Mohammed Serdah
Mohammed Serdah grew up with two things: a love of New Paltz and a work ethic that he gained from his father, Radi Serdah, a local business-owner. His parents met at SUNY New Paltz, fell in love with the area and decided to settle here and raise their family. “I can’t thank them enough for...
New Paltz Rescue Squad looks back on 40 years of community service
This year the almost-all-volunteer New Paltz Rescue Squad (NPRS) celebrated its 40th year of serving the community. Established in 1973 by a handful of dedicated citizens, the Squad had the use of one small ambulance. While the original homegrown, community-based and family-like atmosphere is as strong today as it was in 1973, the NPRS now...