November/December  2015                  Editor  Nancy  DiPace  Pfau                          Number  27    Notes  from  the  editor:    Our  little  village  and  town  has  enjoyed  a  whirlwind  few  months,  from  an  Outstanding  in  the  Fields  dinner  at  the  Beekman  Mansion,  the  opening  of  the  Springs  Gallery,  a  glorious  opera  season  just  a  few  miles  away,  an  incredibly  successful  Harvest  Festival  [including  an  ETSY  village,  Lobstah  Rolls  on  the  lawn  at  the  American,  and  a  dinner  at  Clausen’s],  our  own  Garth  Roberts  presented  at  TEDx  Talk  in  Utica,  a  new  book  from  Josh  and  Brent  (Style!)  as  well  as  a  magazine  [Beekman  1802  Almanac],  the  publication  of  a  Community  Cookbook,  plus  the  announcement  from  TARGET  that  they  will  carry  more  “farm  to  shelf”  items  from  our  local  farmers  AND,  thanks  to  the  leadership  of  our  Mayor,  Doug  Plummer,  the  community  has  continued  beautification  of  our  Chalybeate  Park,  the  list  could  go  on  and  on!    Then  to  top  everything  off,  Mother  Nature  put  on  a  fabulous  display  of  color  these  past  few  weeks  preparing  us  for  the  onslaught  of  winter!          

                               

GRAND  OPENING  OF  THE  NEW  SPRINGS  GALLERY,  AUGUST  2015    A  SPECIAL  THANK  YOU  TO  BRUCE  BUTTON  AND  LEE  PUBLICATIONS  FOR  THEIR  CONTINUED  SUPPORT  IN  PRINTING  THE  CHATTER!    

    JAY LAVERY’S PERMACULTURE INN I was first introduced to permaculture while volunteering for the Green Roofs Project in New York City and learning how to create a sustainable growing environment several stories above ground where usable soil and water were absent. By researching regenerative farming techniques, using Permaculture design, I realized how much I loved working with nature to grow or raise the food we eat. Before long I had an unquenchable thirst to learn as much as I could about Permaculture. The concept of Permaculture or Permanent Agriculture was formed in the early 1970’s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia as an interdisciplinary earth science to serve as an outreach of sustainable food production. By working with nature and using natural resources rather than working against nature using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, they realized how beneficial this design technique was not only for the environment but also for the food itself. After the Vietnam War chemicals from Agent Orange were introduced into agriculture as a way to kill weeds and promote more food production. These chemicals are still being used today. Permaculture goes beyond simply excluding chemical pesticides and fertilizers by creating a holistic ecologically viable solution to growing and raising the food we eat. Permaculture follows three ethics: care for the earth, care for people and a return of surplus or fair share. Before long my love for Permaculture led to me purchasing my farm called The Permaculture Inn in the town of Sharon, NY, and beginning my lifelong journey to “Change the World One Meal at a Time”. The Permaculture Inn sits on just under 35 acres that are far from ideal for use as a conventional agriculture farm. Most of the property is wooded and inaccessible by tractor. There is a small, unleveled pasture that has not been seeded in many years and is mostly weeds. The farmhouse is a post Civil War fixer-upper. Although most conventional farmers would never consider this property as a viable and productive farm it was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a property that did not use chemicals and was as close to its natural state as possible. After only a year of being on the property, we now have heritage Turkeys, Heritage Chickens, Ducks and Guinea Fowl as well as Dairy Sheep and Goats and we are using Permaculture Design Techniques to raise, grow and process the food we eat. Eventually we will be sharing our surplus and selling our farm products while using our farm as a natural learning environment to showcase Permaculture in action. Our goal is to show how we all can leave a positive footprint by making the land and soil healthier with holistic farming. We are learning to work with nature in solving problems rather than excluding nature and depleting our soil. All of our animals on the farm are an integral part of this process as they use their natural behaviors. Our

Guinea Fowl free range eating ticks and fleas while being our alarm system when predators are nearby. Our ducks eat our weeds as well as all of the slugs and snails. Our chickens eat all of the above as well as prepare the soil in our vegetable gardens for new plantings. There is a growing population of people wanting to know exactly where their food is coming from and exactly how their food is being grown, raised and cared for. Slowly we are learning that cheap food has many hidden costs such as inhumane treatment of animals, chemical additives that cause sickness and illness to humans PLUS destruction of our environment. Unlike factory farms, we want our customers to come visit, ask questions and learn how regenerative farming is the new revolution in food. Starting Spring of 2016, we will offer tours of our farm and courses in Permaculture Design. Feel free to contact us and please Like us on Facebook to see all of the things we are doing and learning on the farm.

JAY SHEPHERDING SOME OF HIS FLOCK!

DANCE NEWS from  Betty  Gavin  Singer   Studio North Alumna Joins Nacre Mikaela Tripp of South Valley will dance with Nacre, a professional dance company whose mission is to revive modern dance. Mikaela is a graduate of Cherry Valley Springfield School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Dance with a minor in Business from the College of Brockport. Mikaela is an alumna of Studio North - A Centre for Dance where she danced for 15 years prior to attending college. (Mikaela started her dance training at the age of 3 with Studio North's Parent/Tot class!). She recently returned from Brazil where she studied Silvesta technique. Mikaela is the daughter of Dana Plank and Nathan Tripp. (I have attached a photo of Mikaela) A New Session at Studio North begins the week of October 26 It is not too late to join us! For Adults we offer: Belly Dance, Hip Hop, Dance for Heart, Gentle Yoga and Power Yoga. New this year is our Adult Dance Series. Our next course in the series is Tap which begins November 2nd and runs for 6 weeks. For Kids we have: Acrobatics, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap and Combo classes. For the Little Ones we offer Parent/Tot (for walking toddlers and their caregivers) and Pre Dance (for ages 4 & 5). A new Hip Hop class for Teens will begin October 26. For more information and a schedule of classes check our website www.studionorthny.com. Email us at www.studionorthny@gmail.com or call us at 518-284-3340 From our roving reporter, Leila Durkin, now in Paris with her handsome, Philip! When not traveling the world, she is completing a biography of Mary Beach and hopes to send an article for the next Chatter: Bonsoir Madame, Alors, it is bedtime here and I have not written a word . . . But have eaten a lot and walked many miles -- that does not help, does it? Next edition for sure. I will be able to send you the cover, too, hopefully. Leila

WALLUNTEERS NEEDED! by  Steve  Larson  

Since 1999 Adelphi Paper Hangings has focused on reproducing authentically printed historic

wallpaper patterns of the mid-18th to mid-19th centuries with the traditional technique of block

printing. This time frame coincides with the golden age of block printing – after the 1840s most

wallpapers were machine printed. While block printed wallpapers continued to be produced after

this time they tended to be high end patterns; block printing didn’t completely die out but it did

become increasingly rare.

While we love printing the historic patterns we’ve decided it was time to apply our knowledge to

a new line of patterns:

Next Block Wallpapers

What else would you expect from a bunch of art school graduates? The idea is to use the

versatility that block printing offers to create contemporary patterns. These designs may or may

not follow the traditional regularly repeating structure seen in most wallcoverings on the market

today.

For marketing purposes we need installation photos of these patterns. Therefore, we are looking

for individuals who would be interested in allowing us to design and install a pattern for their

home or business. We are not necessarily planning to paper an entire room but rather one wall,

preferably one with a door, window or other architectural element, as these would be

incorporated in the design.

As an added incentive we will provide the paper at no charge. The only cost will be for the

installation – and even that will be shared by Adelphi. Interested parties may contact Steve at

518-284-9066 or steve@adelphipaperhangings.com

               

BLACK CAT NEWS Black Cat welcomes the winter season with their Drunken Blonde Fruitcakes, Authentic Sugar Plums and Fig Balsamic Drizzle. They're available at the Cafe, Cooperstown Farmers Market and dozens of specialty shops from here to Brooklyn. Plus of course they produce special versions for Beekman 1802. Including the Generous Fruitcake and Blaak Drizzle and also All new Fruitcake Stuffing Mix from the Beekman Boys recipe. And of course Dinner Club at the the Black Cat, a private invitation only Dinner Club starts up again for the Winter.  CHALYBEATE PARK QUILT DESIGN

                                                   The  barn  quilt  design  for  Chalybeate  Park!  Check  out  the  newly  painted  red  barn  [thanks,  Drew  Meka]  as  well  as  the  pavilion,  painted  by  a  troop  of  wonderful  volunteers!    

TWO  SCENES  FROM  THE  2015  HARVEST  FESTIVAL  –  CELEBRITY  CHEF  STUART  O’KEEFE  FROM  LOS  ANGELES,  CA,  AND  A  VIEW  OF  CHALYBEATE  PARK:    

     

   

 ITEMS FROM THE EDITOR FOR FUTURE REFERENCE:  

1. This  Saturday,  October  31,  at  1:30  PM  in  the  Sharon  Springs  Library,  Lester  Higgins  will  present  Magic  of  Sharon  Springs  Halloween.    Free  Admission!  

2. 7  PM  Halloween  Night  –  Party  at  the  American  Hotel,  reservations  appreciated!  3. Several  new  exhibits  at  the  Fenimore  Museum:    Lavern  Kelley:  Art  of  the  Farm,  

Raymond  Han:  Still  Lifes  and  Figures,  and  A  Perfect  Likeness:  Folk  Portraits  and  Early  Photography.    The  museum  is  open  Tuesdays  through  Sundays  until  December  31st.  

4. Victorian  Festival,  December  12th,  come  decked  out  in  Victorian  attire  to  stroll  along  Main  Street  [or  just  come  and  watch!]  

5. Beginning  January  2016,  the  Chatter  will  be  published  4  times  a  year  [Winter,  Spring,  Summer,  and  Fall  issues]  but  still  welcomes  contributions!  

6. Check  out  the  many  websites  for  the  American  Hotel,  Beekman  1802,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  etc.  for  updates  on  what’s  afoot  in  Sharon  Springs!  

7. The  Schoharie  County  Historical  Review  Fall  2015  issue  [available  soon  at  Cobbler  &  Co]  will  feature  an  article  on  The  History  of  Clausen  Farms  by  yours  truly!  

     The  editor’s  grandsons  admiring  the  “Bowmaker”  chair,  named  for  their  great  Uncle  James,  at  Beekman  1802!