New York state voters will face a gambling ballot initiative this November, one supported in Albany by many in the NY legislature, including NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The age-old question faces voters — is gaming good for the local community and economy? Ryan Karben recently explored the gambling issue from the Rockland County tourism perspective.

Westchester & Rockland Left Out in Casino Cold

By Ryan Karben Continue Reading

The colorful fall leaves are falling and Sterlington Station in Sloatsburg is celebrating.

Sterlington Station has put out the welcome to all comers today for a good old-fashioned October Fest and Pig Roast, Saturday, October 12, Sloatsburg style in the Station parking lot. A big ol’ pig will be cooked for the day’s activities. $30 for adults gets participants their fill of BBQ and drinks, along with other kitchen fare food. The price includes all the canned & draft beer you’d like to savor as well. $10 buys kids all they can eat, plus drinks and a desert.

The Sterlington Station party goes through 7 p.m.

It’s a beautiful day in the Ramapos, so get out and enjoy. Friends, sun, fresh pork, Sloatsburg. The works. Go on. Get. Out. And enjoy.

Sterlington Station is located at 23 Seven Lakes Drive, Sloatsburg. The Saturday, October 12, Pig Roast costs $30 per person and participants pretty much get their fill of food and drink. For more information, call (845) 753-2662.

Oscar Winfrey and family invite you to Arden Hill’s weekend-long Fall Festival.

Oscar Winfrey and his wife Lindsay operate the expansive Arden Hill Nursery along Rt. 17 just north of Sloatsburg. When the couple first saw the property their thoughts turned to all of the interesting activities they could use it for — festivals, concerts, holiday parties.

This long Columbus Day weekend, part of the Winfrey’s vision has been put into action. Continue Reading

The whole dispute began at a house party, or so the story goes.

According to Bill Demarest  at Nyack Free Press, Rockland County Sheriff Lou Falco attended a Halloween party last year at Nyack Mayor Jen White’s house. When White “touted her spaghetti sauce,” Falco said not so fast. A challenge was made and a competition born.

And now Sheriff Falco can officially declare he has the best spaghetti sauce in Rockland, sort of. Falco’s sauce won the day in the recent first annual Get Saucy cook-off that included Nyack Mayor White, Director of Public Affairs for Orange and Rockland Tom Brizzalara, Rockland County Clerk Paul Piperator, and Dorothy Filorama, vice president of Institutional Advancement at Dominican College. Continue Reading

The old yellow school bus was ready for the rescue, the crowd gathered in anticipation at Village Hall for the live extraction demonstration. There remained one problem — the Sloatsburg Volunteer Fire Department’s old Jaws-Of-Life was having problems biting down on the metal meal. Continue Reading

Here’s one way a highly motivated individual interested in community service can dodge the electoral process and pin his or her hopes on an appointment. The Ramapo Central School District Board of Education is seeking applicants for a position recently vacated due to resignation.

The term of appointment will expire with the May 20, 2014 school board election. The deadline to submit a letter of interest and resume to the District Clerk has been set for Friday, October 18. Continue Reading

The Sloatsburg Volunteer Fire Department recently participated in a Nyack celebration and anniversary parade honoring the all-volunteer Nyack Fire Department and marking its 150th year of service. The event marked the formation of the Nyack fire department and also marked the 150th anniversary of Empire Hook and Ladder Co 1, based at the historic firehouse at 330 North Broadway in Upper Nyack. Continue Reading

CONGERS – A con artist using a common telephone scam that preys on the concern grandparents have for their grandchildren has stolen $1,500 from a 79-year-old Congers resident.

Clarkstown police said today the public should be aware of the scam – and others like it – that particularly target senior citizens. Continue Reading

By Geoff Welch, Harmony Hall, Curator

Liberty Rock Park Trashed By Party Litter  

Someone failed to follow, or even remember, the unwritten park etiquette: carry in, carry out.

The Friends of Harmony Hall have been working to improve a trail that will lead up to the scenic Sloatsburg overview on the rock outcrop known as Liberty Rock. The Harmony Hall trail up to Liberty Rock would begin near the Sloatsburg Senior Center and follow a ravine up through the woods, looping around to Liberty Rock and the scenic overlook. Continue Reading

Gather ye animals, blessed are they.

Churches across the land will celebrate World Animal Day Sunday, October 6, with a Blessing of the Animals, an event that coincides with the feast day of Francis of Assisi. St. Mary’s-In-Tuxedo Episcopal Church will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals at 10 a.m.

Owners are asked to bring their animals on a leash, in a cage or if unable to travel, bring a photo. Animals and their owners are invited to the blessing and a reception with refreshments that follows.

St. Mary’s is located at 10 Fox Hill Road at Tuxedo Park, just off Rt. 17 and inside the entrance to Tuxedo Park.

World Animal Day began in Florence, Italy “in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species.”