August/September  2015        Editor  Nancy  DiPace  Pfau     Number  26                                                          

       

GRAND  OPENING  OF  CHALYBEATE  PARK  –  JULY  18,  2015  -­‐-­‐  from  left:  Mayor  Doug  Plummer,  Josh  Kilmer-­‐Purell,  Marilyn  Stein,  and  Joe  Todd  (photo  by  Rosemarie  Trapani).      A  SPECIAL  THANK  YOU  TO  BRUCE  BUTTON  AND  LEE  PUBLICATIONS  FOR  THEIR  CONTINUED  SUPPORT  IN  PRINTING  THE  CHATTER!    

CHALYBEATE PARK    Sharon  Springs  has  reclaimed  part  of  its  heritage  with  the  grand  opening  of  

Chalybeate  Park,  the  only  mineral  spring  currently  owned  by  the  Village.    After  years  of  effort  with  the  help  of  many  individuals  and  organizations,  the  park  now  offers  space  for  picnics,  concerts,  meetings,  festival  events,  and  includes  a  fitness  trail  as  well  as  the  newly  dedicated  Pavilion,  shown  above  at  the  ribbon  cutting  ceremony       The  first  pavers  have  been  installed  at  the  crest  of  the  hill  along  Main  Street,  flanked  by  gorgeous  cedar  planters  and  bench.    There’s  still  time  to  order  your  own  paver  –  doesn’t  everyone  want  to  have  his  or  her  name  engraved  forever  here  in  the  Spa?        SHARON SPRINGS’ VERY OWN FARMER’S MARKET EACH SATURDAY!

               Sharon  Springs  Farmer’s  Market!  A  greeting  from  Kate  as  well  as  her  awesome  organic  produce  is  certain  to  make  your  Saturday  morning  special!    Thank  you  to  Leila  Durkin  for  this  award-­‐winning  photo!      

        BOOK  SIGNING  EVENT  AT  BLACK  CAT  ON  JULY  8TH    -­‐-­‐  photo  by  Tony  Daou    To  celebrate  10  years  of  the  Black  Cat  Café,  Tony  Daou  hosted  a  delightful  tea  and  a  presentation  on  the  history  of  Sharon  Springs  by  Nancy  DiPace  Pfau,  author  of  Sharon  and  Sharon  Springs,  published  by  Arcadia  in  March  2015.    We  remembered  to  take  a  photo  while  a  few  guests  were  still  around!  Tony  and  the  Cats  continue  to  celebrate  their  10th  year  with  longer  summer  hours,  8  AM  to  6  PM  daily  through  August.    Check  out  their  wonderful  Glimmerglass  Festival  Picnics,  available  for  take  out  here  as  well  as  at  the  Opera!     MUSINGS AND REMINDERS AS SUMMER DRAWS TO A CLOSE  

1. A  few  more  Concerts  in  the  Park  on  Wednesdays  at  7  PM.  2. Our  very  own  Garth  Roberts  will  present  a  TEDx  Talk  in  Utica  on  September  11th,  

5:00  PM,  tickets  available.  3. Sharon  Springs,  Inc.  has  started  removal  of  asbestos  from  the  Imperial  Baths!  4. HARVEST  FESTIVAL  WEEKEND,  September  19th  and  20th.      

     ********************************************************************************************  Please  note  that  the  Editor  reserves  the  right  to  shorten  or  alter  submissions  for  space,  style,  and  appropriate  content.      

   NEWS FROM THE NEW YORK HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST     By  Bruce  Button           Well  we  have  made  a  lot  of  changes  this  year.  After  the  winter  of  2013-­‐14  and  paying  the  fuel  bills  to  heat  our  7,000  sq  foot  house  ,  we  decided  to  buy  a  small  house  to  live  in  and  close  the  B&B  for  the  winter  months.  I  guess  we  timed  that  right  because  this  last  winter  was  colder  yet!       We  knew  we  would  have  some  issues  when  we  re-­‐opened  in  April  and  we  did!  However  there  is  a  silver  lining  to  everything  that  happens.  We  now  have  a  new  living  room  ceiling  that  is  painted  green  to  really  set  off  the  merlot  colored  walls  and  we  have  converted  our  kitchen  to  a  commercial  kitchen  to  open  up  more  opportunities  for  us  down  the  road.    We  have  also  taken  our  former  living  quarters  and  made  additional  rooms  available  for  guests.  The  New  York  House  Bed  &  Breakfast  now  boasts  8  guest  rooms,  all  with  private  baths.  Our  King  Suite  offers  in-­‐room  coffee,  microwave,  refrigerator  and  a  huge  bathroom  with  a  Jacuzzi  tub,  two  person  shower  and  a  towel  warmer.  

Give  us  a    call  at  518-­‐284-­‐6027  to  schedule  a  time  to  take  a  tour  of  our  renovations.        

     

 DANCE NEWS by  Betty  Gavin  Singer  

Congratulations to Studio North student Katie Trahan! Katie successfully completed the statewide audition process and was one of 35 dancers selected to attend the NYSSMA School of Dance this summer. She was also this year's recipient of the Pat and Sven Peterson Dance Scholarship through the Capital District Dance Alliance. Katie is attending an intensive 4 week dance program studying with inspiring professionals on the campus of Skidmore College. Katie has been dancing at Studio North for 10 years where she is a member of the Sr. Dance Company as well as a teaching assistant. (photo attached)

Students from Studio North's Intensive Dance Camp enjoyed a wonderful performance by the New York City Ballet at SPAC this summer. Their week long camp culminated with their own performance for the residents of Marchand Manor in Sharon Springs where they presented original choreography as well as choreography by Rebecca Singer-Zhou and Betty Gavin-Singer. (photo attached)

Members of Studio North's Jr. and Sr. Dance Companies attended a private workshop with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company at Skidmore College this summer. Following the modern dance workshop, the group attended the Lar Lubovitch dance concert at SPAC.

Studio North celebrated "20 Years of Dance" this past May. Dancers performed for a packed house at Sharon Springs Central School where they presented the favorites of the past 20 years. Thanks to all who voted on their favorite choreography!

Our Fall Schedule will be out soon! We will offer Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Acrobatics, and Hip Hop for kids and teens; Parent/Tot and Pre Dance for the little ones and Yoga, Belly Dance and Dance for Heart for Adults. New this year will be an Adult Dance Course which will offer a series of 6 week sessions in a variety of dance styles. For more information contact us at studionorthny@gmail.com or 518-284-3340. Or follow us on: www.facebook.com/studionorthny13459

   AN ARABESQUE FOR BALTIMORE by  Steve  Larsen      

Adelphi  Paper  Hangings  recently  completed  the  testing  phase  for  pattern  commissioned  by  the  Homewood  Museum  at  Johns  Hopkins  University  in  Baltimore.      The  pattern  was  originally  printed  by  the  French  manufacturer  Jean-­‐Baptiste  Reveillon  in  1789.    In  their  catalog  it  is  listed  as  No.  810.    The  Reveillon  factory  was  one  of  the  most  prestigious  at  that  time;  this  may  explain  why  it  was  the  site  of  one  the  first  riots  of  the  French  Revolution.       The  original  document  from  which  we  drafted  the  pattern  was  just  large  enough  to  contain  a  full  repeat.    And  it  wasn’t  until  the  border  framing  it  was  removed  that  the  true  colors  were  revealed.    The  ground  color  is  a  light  Prussian  blue  rather  than  gray,    the  pale  blush  an  insistent  pink  and  the  green  toxic.    Actually,  since  the  green  is  “Paris  Green”    -­‐    arsenic,  it  is  indeed  toxic  .      We’ve  substituted  with  a  safer  yet  more  stable  pigment.  The  pattern  requires  24  blocks  printing  14  colors  to  complete.    And  just  a  little  patience.       At  this  point  we  are  taking  suggestions  for  names  for  the  griffins.      

                                                                 

SEPTEMBER SUPPER & SPIRITS AT CLAUSEN FARM     Hamilton  Gardner  and  Jennifer  Hozer  

Picture  a  Carriage  Barn,  built  in  1872  by  brewery  giant  Henry  Clausen  Jr.,  the  Gentlemen's  Quarters  with  the  massive  porch  and  the  vintage  one  lane  bowling  alley,  all  resting  on  an  emerald  ridge  overlooking  the  Mohawk  Valley.  

A  bunch  of  us  are  wanting  some  company  September  19th  for  September  Supper  &  Spirits  in  the  Barn  at  Clausen  Farm.  

We  gather  at  5  pm  in  the  carriage  barn  to  experience  the  tastes  of  Tuthilltown's  Baby  Bourbon,  Maple  Cast  Rye,  and  Basement  Bitters.    Of  course  there  will  be  hoppy  craft  blended  beers  and  homegrown  local  wines.      

At  6  pm  it's  over  to  the  Gentlemen's  Quarters  where  we  sit  down  to  savor  Chef  Stuart  O'Keefe's  foods  harvested  and  prepared  for  pleasure.    

Following  dinner,  it's  back  to  the  barn  where  we  dance,  we  commune,  we  feel  alive!     SHARON SPRINGS COMMUNITY COOKBOOK by  Kathy  Merrick  

  The  Sharon  Springs  Community  Cookbook:    Recipes  from  Beekman  Farm  and  Their  Neighbors  will  be  available  in  September.    Rather  than  being  a  book  simply  about  food,  the  Cookbook  has  evolved  into  a  culinary,  genealogical,  and  cultural  document.    It  contains  498  recipes  with,  additionally  one  historical  note  and  memories  of  life  in  the  Village  from  three  Marchand  Manor  residents.    Contributors  range  in  age  from  9  to  90  with  a  total  number  of  208!        

We  will  have  a  booth  at  Harvest  Fest  to  sell  the  cookbooks,  and  they  will  be  available  at  Beekman  1802  Mercantile,  The  Black  Cat  Cafe  and  Bakery,  Cobbler  &  Company,  Sunnycrest  Orchards,  The  Tepee,  The  Plaide  Palette,  and  The  Old  Blacksmith  Shop.  

Remember  that  all  profits  go  to  the  Sharon  Springs  Food  Pantry,  currently  located  in  the  Sharon  Springs  Methodist  Church.    The  editors  (Pauline  Brown,  Karen  Cookson,  and  I)  thank  everyone  who  shared  recipes  and  memories.  

 MID-SUMMER AND FALL PLANTING:THE LEGENDARY SHASTA DAISY by  Barbara  Melera

 The  story  of  Shasta  Daisy,  Alaska,  like  so  much  of  what  is  vital,  inspiring  and  true  about  American  

horticultural  legends  is  a  story  of  American  perseverance  and  great  international  contributions.    The  Shasta  Daisy  is  the  creation  of  the  great  American  horticuluralist,  Luther  Burbank.    It  was  developed  at  his  farm  in  Sebastopol,  California  after  a  15  year  breeding  project  and  introduced  in  1901.    The  variety,  Alaska,  was  introduced  in  1904.      

In  1884,  (coincidentally  Landreth  was  celebrating  its  100  birthday  that  year)  after  purchasing  a  4  acre  farm  in  Sebastopol,  Luther  Burbank  began  his  daisy  development  project  -­‐  more  as  a  labor  of  love  than  a  commercial  development  effort.    As  a  young  boy  growing  up  in  Massachusetts  he  had  loved  the  wild  English  daisies  that  had  escaped  from  the  gardens  of  the  earliest  English  colonists  and  naturalized  into  the  New  England  landscape.    Burbank  set  as  a  goal  for  his  project  to  create  a  daisy  with  large  flowers,  dazzling  whiteness,  smooth  straight  stems  and  blossoms  that  would  last  a  long  time  in  the  garden  or  as  cut  flowers.    He  started  with  the  Oxeye  Daisy  (leucanthemumvulgare),  but  after  several  years  had  made  little  progress  towards  his  goals.    He  then  decided  to  dust  the  blossoms  of  his  most  promising  Oxeyes  with  the  pollen  from  the  English  field  daisies  (leucanthemum  maximum).      

This  cross-­‐pollination  produced  hybrids  with  great  promise  because  the  plants  flowered  in  their  first  year  unlike  the  Oxeyes.    The  flowers  were  born  on  strong,  straight  stems,  but  they  were  small  and  they  were  not  dazzlingly  white.    Burbank  then  introduced  the  pollen  from  a  Portuguese  field  daisy  (leucanthemumlacustre)  and  the  resulting  plants  produced  very  large,  elegant  and  graceful  flowers.    All  that  was  lacking  for  Burbank  to  achieve  all  his  objectives  was  to  produce  a  dazzlingly  white  blossom.    This  he  achieved  by  introducing  pollen  from  the  Japanese  field  daisy  (nippononthemumnipponicum).    By  the  late  1890s,  Luther  Burbank  had  his  daisy.    He  named  the  plant  the  Shasta  Daisy  to  honor  the  dazzlingly  white  snowy  slopes  of  Mount  Shasta  in  Northern  California  and  introduced  it  to  the  American  public  in  1901.      

It  was  an  instant  and  incredible  success.    Burbank  continued  his  work  with  the  Shasta  Daisy  and  in  1904  introduced  three  varieties,  one  of  which  was  the  Shasta  Daisy,  Alaska.    Shasta  Daisies  are  very  easy  to  grow.    If  planted  in  late  summer,  they  will  bloom  the  following  summer.    

Plant  seeds  in  August-­‐October  by  broadcasting  seed  in  the  area  where  you  wish  the  plant  to  grow.    Cover  with  a  dusting  of  soil  and  gently  moisten  the  soil.    Keep  the  soil  moist,  but  not  soaked,  until  germination  has  occurred.    The  seeds  will  take  from  10-­‐20  days  to  germinate.   Thin  the  seedlings  to  6-­‐8  inches.    The  seedlings  transplant  easily.  

Many  people  consider  Burbank’s  development  of  the  Shasta  Daisy  as  one  of  his  greatest  achievements.    Given  his  other  incredible  contributions  to  the  field  of  horticulture,  this  is  an  amazing  statement,  but  probably  true.      

Burbank’s  Shasta  Daisy  has  the  longest  history  of  continuous  popularity  of  any  American  garden  flower.    It  is  grown  everywhere  in  the  US  including  Alaska  and  Hawaii.    For  most  children  it  is  the  first  flower  they  are  allowed  to  pick.    It  is  a  true  American  heirloom  and  one  of  our  greatest  garden  treasures.