Mid Hudson Times Nov. 14 2018 | Page 2

2 Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, November 14, 2018 IN THIS ISSUE Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 City of Newburgh.. . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Crossword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . 8 Meadow Hill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Town of Newburgh. . . . . . . . . . . 23 Newburgh Heritage. . . . . . . . . . . 10 New Windsor.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Police Blotter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Service Directory. . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 PUBLIC AGENDA WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 Town of New Windsor Planning Board, 7 p.m. Town Hall, 555 Union Ave., New Windsor. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15 Town of Newburgh Planning Board, 7 p.m. Town Hall, 1496 Route 300, Town of Newburgh. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 City of Newburgh Budget Forum,5:30 – 8 p.m. Newburgh Activity Center, 401 Washington Street. EARLY DEADLINES The Mid Hudson Times will go to press one day early next week to ensure delivery before Thanksgiving. Deadline for all classified and display advertising for the Nov. 21 edition is Friday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. Deadline for all calendar submissions, press releases and letters to the editor is Thursday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. FACES OF NEWBURGH Watching from a window on Broadway By KATELYN CORDERO [email protected] A young boy runs into the shoemaker shop at 281 Broadway Street in 1950. He runs through the front of his grandfather’s shop, with shoe casts and thick leather lying about ready to be sewn together. He follows the smell of his grandmother’s cooking above the shoe shop ready to eat whatever food she has ready for him. For Nick Valentine this was life in the 60’s. Life meant walking down Broadway to Sally’s Fish Market around the corner to pick up fresh fish for his mother. It was an easy life lived within the four miles of the City of Newburgh. A memory he held on to as the city grew and changed. “This is the same building I would come to everyday after school as a child,” said Valentine. “Having the building still in my name, it means a lot to me. There’s so many memories here.” It was in the city where he discovered his calling in life, further down Broadway at the original Broadway Tailors. As an HOW TO REACH US OFFICE: 300 Stony Brook Court Newburgh, NY 12550 PHONE: [phone], FAX: [phone] Emails may be directed to the following : ADVERTISING [email protected] CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS [email protected] TO REACH THE EDITOR [email protected] FOR THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT [email protected] PUBLIC NOTICES [email protected] WEBSITE www.timescommunitypapers.com The Mid Hudson Times (USPS 000-5947) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh, NY 12550, with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, NY Single copy: $1 at newsstand. By mail in Orange, Ulster or Sullivan Counties: $40 annually, $44 out of county. Periodicals permit at Newburgh, NY POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mid Hudson Times, 300 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, NY 12550. Valentine still has the first piece of clothing he ever made, at the Fashion Institute of Technology. eighth grader he spent his time after school watching his uncle and his tailors in awe as they brought fabric to life. “It was when I first came to the store as a kid that it clicked within me that I wanted to work with my hands,” said Valentine. “I knew it, I don’t think I ever waivered in what I wanted to do.” Valentine knew from early on his calling in life was to become a tailor like his uncle. He worked tirelessly to make it happen. He would sit in the tailor shop with a broom and dustpan in hand sweeping up and cleaning the floors. He had to prove himself for his uncle’s old Italian tailors to give him the time of day to teach him the tricks of the trade. Eventually they saw he had enough passion, desire and natural talent to set aside some time to take him on as a student. “They were true craftsmen,” said Valentine. “I learned from the best. Once they knew I was real they would correct me and say ‘no, you’re using the wrong stitch.’” When Valentine graduated from high school he knew the only thing he wanted to do was sewing. When he heard about the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) he knew he found the place he wanted to go for college. “I walked in with my mom and there’s fabrics and there’s sewing and there’s sewing classes,” said Valentine. “Classes where they were teaching you about the fibers and all of the history, it was incredible!” Valentine graduated from FIT with his associate’s degree and decided to come back home to Broadway Tailors. He turned down many corporate positions along the way to keep the family business going. Valentine never left the city of Newburgh, he watched it grow and change through the window of his shop on Broadway. In the 1980s when he decided to move Broadway Tailors into his grandfather’s shoemaker shop at 281 Broadway he would wake up every morning to sweep the sidewalk and clear the gutters filled with hypodermic needles and debris left from the night before. He swept without a doubt in his mind that Newburgh would return to the city he knew as a kid, where you could send your kids down the street without a second guess. Most Newburgers know him as Mayor Valentine, a title he held for 12 years. He ran the city from his little office in Nick Valentine at work at his tailor shop on Broadway. the back of Broadway Tailors, where everyone knew to find him. “It was an incredible life experience,” said Valentine. “I met incredible people because of politics. There were great memories with great people and great families.” His time in city hall brings him happiness and a huge smile to his face, but it also reminds him of the trauma the city went through as they searched for the body of a young boy who went missing or pulling a family out of the Hudson River. These memories stick with him to this day as he recalls his time as mayor. “I did miss it when I left,” said Valentine. “But I wanted to leave when I still loved it. I didn’t want to stay too long, where I felt that I needed to leave.” Broadway Tailors continues to be a hub for the Newburgh community. Walking in through the doors you will be greeted by Valentine’s big cheery personality and a warm smile. He celebrates 55 years working as a tailor and has no intention to stop anytime soon. If you would like to visit Valentine at Broadway Tailors they are open Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday and Monday by appointment.