Fatigue, rolling fevers, aching joints, and worried sleeplessness — these are a few of the symptoms of that little tick terror known as Lyme Disease.

For many doctors and insurance companies, Lyme is a pain not only in the neck but in the bottom line. Lingering symptoms and hard to diagnose maladies associated with Lyme have caused the medical and insurance industries to often isolate and ignore many people with the disease. Today, once a firm diagnosis is made, Lyme is typically treated with anywhere from a tw0-week to 21 day cycle of antibiotics — widely considered in the medical industry as a “cure.” Continue Reading

Have you always wanted to eat at a few Suffern restaurants but just never found the time to narrow your choices. Well, Wednesday’s A Taste of Suffern offers you the perfect the opportunity, where for $30 you can get a bellyful of appetizers from ten different Suffern hot spots plus know that it’s all money well spent.

A Taste of Suffern is one of three taste of fundraisers that the Rockland YMCA holds throughout the year, with Wednesday’s being presented by the Suffern Greater Chamber of Commerce. Nearly every family in Sloatsburg with kids has at one time or another had a member go a tumbling or dancing at the Suffern Y on Washington.

“It’s a lot of fun, especially if you go with someone” said Fritz Brevil, membership coordinator for Rockland YMCA about Rockland Y’s foody fundraisers. Brevil said the June Taste of Nyack drew some 100 people who wandered the village tasting foods of some of the village’s most popular cafes and restaurants. The Rockland YMCA also holds A Taste of Pearl River.

“You get to try out restaurants that you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the time,” said Brevil.

Ten of Suffern’s most popular restaurants will participate in Wednesday’s tasty fundraising event. The cost per person is $30 buys you an evening’s worth of appetizers. You must call the Rockland YMCA for a reservation. It’s easy. Beth or her staff will expecting your call at 845-358-0245.

Some of the participating restaurants include Hacienda de Don Manuel, Marcello’s Ristorante, Ravi’s, and El Banquetes. A Taste of Suffern begins at 6 p.m. with a shotgun start, meaning each ticket or set of tickets will give an assigned starting restaurant. If there’s a particular restaurant that you want to begin with, the Rockland YMCA will try to accommodate you. And then head out and enjoy the offerings. Even though the participants will be serving appetizers, you will be filled. The whole evening ends up at Ravi’s, where dessert and door prizes will be presented after 9 p.m.

Can you say date? A Taste of Suffern will keep you moving along so you won’t have to work hard on the conversation. Just comment on the delicious food.

“What I love about the Taste of Suffern event each year is that it provides a unique opportunity to taste some exquisitely fattening dishes from an eclectic assortment of American and international traditions without the traditional guilt,” said Suzanne Daycock, president of the Suffern Greater Chamber of Commerce. “Suffern is a fabulous place to visit if you’re a fan of great food and the YMCA is a great group to support. I also think its a great opportunity for Suffern to show off some of the county’s best restaurants in a setting that is historic, beautiful and full of acres of free parking. How can you miss?”

To purchase of ticket for a Taste of Suffern, call the Rockland YMCA offices at 845-358-0245 and put in your order. Tickets cost $30 per person.

It’s a good late summer day to take a walk down Lafayette Aveneue, the Village of Suffern’s main street. This afternoon you’ll be able to stroll and loiter and look all day, walking right down the middle of the road, visiting shops while you people watch during the Suffern Greater Chamber of Commerce Street Fair, the last of the season. Continue Reading

The old Waldron property across from the Sloatsburg Library was once the hot heart of the village. In the early 1900s, the Waldron’s (yes, the Waldron Terrace Waldron’s) big barn served as the village livery stable while the smithy occupied another, smaller building on the property. It was the heyday of horseshoes and carriages. Continue Reading

All around Sloatsburg new 45 foot power poles have been planted in the ground by Orange and Rockland. The poles are part of a continuing O&R’s distribution line upgrade project that has involved right-of-way tree cutting along lines, new power poles and upgraded wire. Continue Reading

Bright red fire trucks and men dressed in sharp, clean uniforms parade today.

The volunteers of the Sloatsburg Fire Department will join with other Rockland County firefighters — volunteer all, mind you — and parade this afternoon, September 7, at 2 p.m. along the Main Streets in New City. The parade begins on Little Tor Road and moves north to Collyer Avenue, then moves north along South Main Street to New Hempstead Road, concluding at the Rockland County Courthouse. Continue Reading

Next week at this time it will be up early and off to school. And don’t forget those school lunches. Now parents can prepay for school lunches and track their kid’s lunch account — no more Jr. pitching pennies with his lunch money. The only hold-up might be the $1.95 that will be charged for each credit card transaction. Continue Reading

Well, it’s that time of the year to put your whites away as late summer and early fall is upon us – back to school and all.

The Sloatsburg Public Library has you covered with a full schedule of fall programming (you might have seen the latest Book & Beyond in the mail). Did you ever want to Tush Push or put on your duds and kick up your heels to the Virginia Reel? Now you can learn some fancy footwork by signing up for the library’s Line Dancing program. $20 gets you four Tuesday classes: September 17, 24, October 1 and the 8. Continue Reading

The Highlands Bluegrass rooster knows where it’s going. Do you?

Join the unofficial mascot of the Highlands Bluegrass Festival on the Great Lawn at Harmony Hall in Sloatsburg next Sunday, September 8, from 1 – 6 p.m. Throughout the festival the rooster can be spotting all around the festival, from the stage with musicians, on the lawn in the audience or most anywhere among the booths of various craft vendors who come from far and wide to take part in the annual festival.

Here the rooster visits with Friends of Harmony Hall President Barbara Berntsen and Friends board member Ken Linsner, known around these parts for his popular annual antiques roadshow event held at Harmony Hall — Got Treasure?

Take a moment to enjoy an interlude of scenes and sounds from the Highlands Bluegrass Festival in this original video by Jack Sinsabaugh (the video may take a moment to load due to the Animoto embed process).

http://animoto.com/play/3xOoZSroroSPv4lSifqbMg

The Highlands Bluegrass Festival is a Sloastsburg’s community event that draws people from throughout the Hudson Valley and relies on the support of the home crowd to help with it’s continued success.

Proceeds from the Highlands Bluegrass Festival go toward restoration of the historic Jacob Sloat House in Sloatsburg, which is on the National Registrar of Historic places.

Thank Eugene V. Debs, early American patriot and labor leader, and the Pullman Strike for the long Labor Day weekend.

Born amid the bloody confrontations between federal troops and striking union railroad workers in 1894, Labor Day was enacted by Congress and designed to celebrate the “spirit de corps” of trade and labor unions and dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the American worker. The weekend now signifies a seasonal shift; the end of summer and a general sense of the ebbing of vacation season. Continue Reading