Southern Ulster Times Nov. 29 2017

T IMES SOUTHERN ULSTER Vol. 14, No 48 3 NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 5, 2017 3 ONE DOLLAR Ready for tip-off Shop Local Pages 35-36 Gift Guide SERVING HIGHLAND, MARLBOROUGH AND PLATTEKILL Harvest celebration St. Augustine hosts annual Thanksgiving feast Stone steps set in place at Milton park By MARK REYNOLDS [email protected] The core Thanksgiving Day crew; L-R front Debbie Rosen, Lt. James Janso, Judy Shepard, Rev. John Lynch and Rich Gorres. Back row, Sgt. Phil Roloson, Lillian Mertes and Mark Schmitt. By MARK REYNOLDS [email protected] On Thanksgiving Day St. Augustine opened its gymnasium and laid out a feast for the Highland community, something they have done for the past five years. Through donations and the hard work of a dedicated group of volunteers, the scrumptious meal brought together a large gathering of people who shared the gift of friendship and gratitude on a beautiful sunny fall afternoon. Rev. John W. Lynch said the volunteers spend months preparing for the dinner. “They all took a role and were happy to do it. There was lots of cooperation and no drama – smooth, happy and eager to reach out. Their hearts were in it,” Fr. Lynch said. “This dinner is for everybody in the community, not for just one faith, not for one economic level, but for everybody no matter what your need may be, everybody is welcome.” Continued on page 2 WWW.SOUTHERNULSTERTIMES.COM In an ongoing effort to improve the Milton Landing Park, a group of volunteers worked last Saturday setting numerous large stone steps in place at the upper portion of the park off Sands Avenue. Supervisor Al Lanzetta said the volunteers were being led by the non- profit organization Jolly Rovers Trail Crew. Co-founder Artie Hidalgo Espinosa gave the local volunteers a lesson on the tools to use and how to safely move the heavy slabs. “We got a bunch of people together and here we are,” Lanzetta said. Steve Bianco obtained the stones from Young’s Motors that had extensive excavation work done to make more room to park their vehicles. Espinosa said he and his partners, Chris Ingui and Bob Brunner, are on a mission. “We like to think of ourselves as building access to iconic places in the Hudson Valley,” he said. The crew has installed stone steps and done historical restorations at Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Manitoga National Historic Site and at the Teatown Lake Reservation, to name a few. Espinosa said once the stone steps are completed all the way to the top he will design and install stone pillars as an entrance way. Supervisor Lanzetta was pleased with the work turnout at the park. “It is encouraging to see the volunteers come out and donate their time, especially Continued on page 4