Columbia County Current

Columbia County Fair Just Two Days Away!

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The Columbia County Fair Opens Wednesday, August 31, 2016! This year marks the fair’s 176th annual happening. As always, the fair grounds will be packed with rides, attractions, and entertainment. Following are just a few examples of what the fair has in store for us this year.

LONESTAR
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 • 7:00pm
MAIN STAGE, GRANDSTAND
Known for merging their country roots with strong melodies and rich vocals, Lonestar, comprised of Richie McDonald (lead vocals), Michael Britt (lead guitar & backing vocals), Keech Rainwater (drums), and Dean Sams (keyboards & backing vocals), has amassed RIAA-certified sales in excess of ten million album units since their national launch in 1995, and achieved ten #1 country hits including “No News,” “Come Crying To Me,” and their crossover smash “Amazed” (which was also #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

DEMOLITION DERBIES
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31 • 6:30pm
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 • 6:30pm
GRANDSTAND
Enjoy the crashin’, smashin’ action of our annual Demolition Derbies. Catch 3 heats, 4 cylinders, 6 cylinders and 8 cylinders, both nights plus a Special Mini Van heat on Wednesday night. Over $1500 in prizes given out.

MONSTER TRACTOR PULL
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 • 4:00pm
GRANDSTAND
What started out many years ago with farmers bringing their favorite tractors out of the fields to the local fair and pulling the heaviest stone boat the furthest has progressed into the HEAVIEST MOTOR SPORT IN THE WORLD! Watch these modified, Super Stock and Super Farm class tractors and 4 wheel drive trucks roar past the Grandstand in hopes of a full pull, bragging rights and points towards the circuit championship!

PAINTED PONY CHAMPIONSHIP RODEO
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 • 3:00pm “SLACK” COMPETITION
5:00pm RODEO START
GRANDSTAND
Capture the excitement of bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding. Hold on to your cowboy hats during the team roping, calf roping, and steer wrestling, and as the ladies race against the clock in the barrel racing contest.

EUDORA FARMS
PETTING ZOO – DAILY
Experience the all-new interactive, hands on exotic animal petting zoo. It includes 20-25 rare and exotic animals from around the world. Animal ambassadors such as, “Little Joe” (the wallaby) “Juliet” (The Scotch Highlander) “Humphrey” (The Camel) “Rascal” (The Fennec Fox) and “Kevin Bacon” (the Pot Belly Pig). All the animals bring smiles to all who meet them! Young and young at heart will enjoy Eudora Farms Petting Zoo and the thrill of a camel ride.

BRAD MATCHETT COMEDY HYPNOSIS SHOW
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31 • 8:30pm
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 – 8:30pm
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 • 8pm
NORTHGATE STAGE
In family friendly Vegas style Hypnosis Show, C.H. Brad Matchett uses only volunteers, no actors, just people who want to experience the great feeling of Hypnosis. Hypnosis can often be described as a deep state of Relaxation. One hour of Hypnosis is like 6 to 8 hours of sleep. We all go in and out of Hypnosis every day, driving, reading a book, watching TV even playing video games.

Eat & Drink

In addition to the countless food options, and deep-fried “insert something crazy here”, available on the fair midway, there is also one of my favorite fair attractions, the Beer Pavilion. Located behind the main grandstands, this is the perfect spot to grab a cold beer, and mingle with friends. You can also bring your fair food into the large tented pavilion. DJ Jack Bogarski returns to the Beer Pavilion for his 19th consecutive year, and will provide the musical entertainment in the pavilion. for all ages during the day The Beer Pavilion is open daily from 7pm to close.
21 and over only

Times/Location/Admission

The Fair opens at noon on Wednesday, and 10am the rest of the days. The fair will close each night at 11pm.
The Fair is located in Chatham, NY, at the Columbia County Agricultural Society
142 Hudson Ave. Parking is free.
Admission is $10 for teens and adults ($15 on Sunday). Kids age 12 and under get in free every day. On Thursday, admission is free for everyone age 18 and under.

For more info, including the full schedule of events, and a map of the fair grounds, visit www.columbiafair.com, by clicking here.

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National Parks Free This Weekend

Technically, the last day of summer for 2016 is September 21. That’s the day before the first day of autumn (September 22). However, here in the USA, Labor Day is the traditional end of summer, and the day is quickly approaching. What better way to celebrate the penultimate weekend of summer than visiting one of our nation’s National Parks? To sweeten the deal, this weekend (August 26 to 28, 2016) all the National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone!

WHY FREE?
2016 marks the 100 year anniversary of the National Park Service. In fact, the actual birthday for the Park Service is August 25. To celebrate this centennial, the Parks Service is hosting 16 free admission days throughout the year, and August 25 to 28 is the latest batch. These free admission days provide a great opportunity to visit a new park, or check in on an old favorite.

MORE ABOUT THE PARKS & ADMISSION.

National parks are commonly referred to as “America’s Best Idea”, and there are more than 400 parks available to everyone, every day. The fee waiver includes entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

There are currently 124 national parks that usually charge an entrance fee. The others are always free. While these free days are great, National Parks are always an economical trip, with entrance fees that range from $3 to $30 (you probably can’t even but a single lunch at a theme park for less than $30). Fourth grade students can get a free annual pass through the Every Kid in a Park program, and active duty military and citizens with a permanent disability can also get free passes.

FIND A PARK
The National Park Service makes it easy to find a park in your area, or on your vacation route. The park service’s website, nps.gov, has a Find A Park page, where you can use a drop down menu of every park listed alphabetically, or select a state on the map for more info on the parks in that state.

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Behold! New Lebanon Program, Farm Animal Rescue

Behold! New Lebanon is a living museum of contemporary rural American life. Their mission is to offer the public unprecedented access to contemporary rural American life — its people, their skills, ingenuity and heritage. One of the ways the museum accomplishes it’s mission is through educational and informational programs, such as the following.

Farm Animal Rescue with Claudette LeFebvre

UR_Claudette-Lefebree_IMG_4536 From Behold! New Lebanon:
“In addition to owning and running the B&B at the Retreat at Pease Farm, Claudette LeFebvre offers a home for many rescue animals including a blind horse and his companion donkey, many chickens, and goats. She walks you through the farm, explaining why it was important to her that she save these types of animals, and how she came to being an animal rescuer. She shares what it takes to keep up on the farm. You can feed these friendly, lovely animals, creating a lasting experience for all ages.”
Details:

DATE: Saturday, August 27th, 2016. 1pm to 3pm
COST: $10.00
WHERE: Meet at the Behold! Station, 15 minutes before program.
Latecomers cannot be accommodated.
TheBehold! Station, and General Store, is located at 438 Route 20, in New Lebanon, NY 12125
CONTACT: By phone – 518.720.7265, or by email – info@beholdnewlebanon.org

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Harlem Valley Rail Trail

If you have ever been to the Wassaic train station, which is the farthest north that Metro North travels, you may have seen the sign for the Rail Trail (above). The trail is a paved pathway for walkers and bikers (bicycles), that begins at the train station, then heads up the eastern side of Dutchess County before heading into Columbia County. There are currently 16 miles of completed trail stretching from the trail head in Wassaic to Orphan Farm Road in Copake.

The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) hopes to eventually create a 42-mile unbroken path that extends all the way to Chatham. As of now, there are three breaks in the trail: from Chatham to Hillsdale; between Millerton Station and under Mountain Road; and from Black County Road to Orphan Farm Road in Copake. The HVRTA just announced that two bids for the trail’s completion came in under budget, so it looks like the project will be moving forward. 57b0f958bf90e.image

To the right is a map that details the existing rail trail, and the ultimate completed trail.

For more info,
visit hvrt.org by clicking here.

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Road Trip – Nantucket Island, MA

You don’t have to hop on a plane at Albany to head to the Islands. Nantucket Island, is a short drive, and ferry trip away from Columbia County. It’s about a 3.5 hour drive to Hyannis, MA, where you can catch a ferry. There’s the traditional ferry, which is a large boat with multiple decks, a cafeteria, and plenty of comfy seating. That boat takes a little over two hours, and is my preferred way to go. If you are in a rush, and want something a little faster, check out the fast ferry, which leaves from the same port. This is a smaller boat, and generally more crowded, but cuts the travel time down to one hour.

Traditional_Nantucket_Ferry — The traditional ferry at the Hyannis port

Both ferries take the same route, which brings you past the Nantucket lighthouse, and into the harbor.

Once on shore, you will be in the island’s historic town, which is like traveling back in time, but with modern shops, art galleries, restaurants, and bars. There are also walking tours of the historic town, and a night time ghost tour. The small town also has a movie theater, a museum, and a beautiful library in the historic Atheneum building, which are always nice for a rainy day.

Natucket Main st — Nantucket’s Main Street

Nantucket_Atheneum — The Nantucket Atheneum library

You can spend plenty of time, and money, shopping in town, but the real drawl of the island are the beaches that surround it. Pick up a free map on the ferry, which shows the locations of beaches, and bike trails to reach them. Each beach is a little different. The closer to town the beach is, the more crowded it might get. If you head out to Madaket, end your day with a sunset viewing drink at Millies. In Siasconset, look for The Summer House Bistro below the cliff.

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Here are a few helpful tips for your visit.

1. You don’t need a car on Nantucket, in fact, bike’s are a much better way to get around, and see the island. You’ll find bike rentals on the island, on the road leading from the ferry, into town. There is plenty of parking in Hyannis, and the ferry provides free shuttle service to/from the outlying lots.

2. The traditional ferry is $37.00 for an adult round trip ticket. No reservations required, unless you want to bring your car to the island.

The fast ferry is $69.00 for one adult round trip. Reservations are recommended.

For more information or to book a fast ferry reservation, visit The Steamship Authority site, by clicking here.

3. Plan to spend at least a weekend, which is still not enough time. There are B&Bs, and hotels on the island, plus a large offering of vacation rental homes. Rentals tend to rent on a weekly basis (Saturday to Saturday).

4. Nantucket is expensive, so save up before you set sail.

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