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Summer!2017! !!!!!!Editor!Nancy!DiPace!Pfau! ! !!!!!!!!Number!34!

The 4th annual Run 4 The Hills for First Responders!

The!event!raised!over!$32,000.!$14,000!will!support!the!SS!Rescue!Squad,!$14,000!has!
been!granted!to!the!Hero!Fund!America!Fund,!administered!by!the!Community!Foundation!
in!Utica,!NY.!The!HFA!fund!will!make!grants!supporting!education!and!training!for!first!
responders,!both!regionally!and!nationally.!The!duty!gear!challenge!grew!from!2!
participants!in!2016!to!over!60!this!year,!and!registration!doubled.!We!had!first!responders!
representing!8!different!regional!fire!departments!and!rescue!squads,!and!law!enforcement!
representing!our!local!communities,!Albany,!and!New!Jersey!!Our!very!own!SSFD!won!
individual!medals!for!first!and!second!place!duty!gear!challenge!finishers,!and!the!best!
overall!team!time!Fire!Department!trophy.!All!trophy!winners!receive!bragging!rights!for!
the!coming!year!but!have!to!return!it!in!2018!or!win!it!back!!!
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(continued!on!next!page)!

A!SPECIAL!THANK!YOU!TO!BRUCE!BUTTON!AND!LEE!PUBLICATIONS!FOR!
THEIR!CONTINUED!SUPPORT!IN!PRINTING!THE!CHATTER!!!
The day was misty with rain threatening but the deluge held off until afternoon. As always, the
RUN 4 THE HILLS event saw the community pulling together for a good cause. Thanks to all
who worked so hard to make this happen every year mark your calendars for 2018, first
Saturday in May, come run, walk, cheer or volunteer. (Photos courtesy Garth Roberts)

Black Cat's big news!

We've!opened!a!second!Black!Cat!in!Cooperstown!!
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"Black!Cat!Market!Plus"!is!an!outlet!for!Black!Cat!specialties,!baked!goods,!as!well!as!salads!and!
sandwiches!for!takeout.!!!We!purchased!Mt!Wellington!Market!which!is!at!the!9!mile!point!(the!very!
end!of!Otsego!Lake)!of!Glimmerglass!
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And!we're!carrying!an!exciting!line!of!fashion!and!gifts!from!the!Finishing!Touch!!!
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More!to!follow.!Check!out!(and!join)!our!Facebook!group!"Black!Cat!at!Mt!Wellington!Market"!for!up!
to!date!info.!Website!and!page!to!follow.!
JACK SICAS AMAZING STORY A GIFT TO SHARON
SPRINGS
! Jack!Sicas!Sharon!Springs!journey!is!a!lovely!reminder!of!the!importance!of!friendship!and!
community.!In!early!2011,!Jack!was!diagnosed!with!Stage!4!Lung!Cancer!and!told!he!had!perhaps!a!few!
months!to!live.!!He!was!determined!to!live!in!the!moment!and!made!his!first!trip!to!our!village!!inspired!by!
Josh!and!Brents!story,!he!bought!a!bar!of!that!months!Beekman!1802!soap!and!met!the!first!of!his!many!new!
friends,!Maria!Vought.!!Over!the!next!year!he!drove!from!Queensbury!almost!monthly!to!purchase!another!
bar!of!soap!and!collect!a!legion!of!friends!for!whom!he!continues!to!be!an!inspiration.!
! While!undergoing!Chemotherapy,!Jack!found!strength!from!his!Sharon!Springs!support!group,!
volunteering!at!all!the!festivals!for!Brent!and!Josh,!being!mothered!by!Jackie!Purcell,!and!his!circle!of!friends!
kept!growing.!!Doug!and!Garth!invited!him!to!spend!Christmas!2011!with!them,!starting!a!yearly!tradition.!!!
! To!celebrate!the!first!year!anniversary!of!his!diagnosis,!Jack!purchased!A!Year!in!the!Country,!12!
bars!of!Beekman!soap,!with!the!goal!of!finishing!that!box!and!living!one!more!year.!!In!April!2017,!he!used!the!
last!bar!from!his!fifth!box!of!soap!and!received!the!good!news!that!he!is!cancer!free.!!In!Jacks!words:!I!truly!
believe!I!would!not!have!made!it!this!far!without!the!love!and!support!I!received!from!the!friends!I!made!in!
Sharon!Springs.!For!many!years,!Sharon!Springs!was!famous!for!the!healing!properties!of!its!water.!I!think!
now!the!healing!properties!come!from!all!its!neighbors.!
! So!at!the!2017!Garden!Party,!Heidi!Meka,!Tom!Coyne!and!Randy!Banister!organized!a!SURPRISE!
party!to!celebrate!Jacks!diagnosis!and!friendship.!And!he!was!totally!surprised,!I!never!thought!anyone!
could!keep!a!secret!in!Sharon!Springs.!Its!like!the!town!tagline,!Sharon!Springs!chatters!like!a!chipmunk!in!a!
freezer.!Or!so!I!thought.!
! Joining!the!celebration!were!several!members!of!Jacks!family!and!his!partner,!Roberto,!who!came!
into!his!life!about!2!years!ago.!(Photo!by!Tom!Coyne)!
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Jack!Sica!(red!shirt!center)!and!friends!on!the!porch!at!Long!Hollow!Farm!
 SHAKESPEARE IN OUR PARK
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The!money!has!been!raised,!the!script!has!been!cut,!and!the!actors!have!been!cast.!!
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All!we're!missing!is!you!!
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Please!join!us!in!Chalybeate!Park!this!August!9th!k!15th!every!day!at!1pm!for!!
Shakespeare's!As#You#Like#It.!
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Seating!is!on!the!park!lawn!so!bring!a!lawn!chair,!bring!a!picnic,!and!bring!all!of!your!friends.!
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Best!part!is!it's!FREE!!
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Check!out!www.brimstonecreek.net!for!more!including!info!about!our!company,!our!cast,!and!!
Klinkhart!Hall!Art!Center's!mission!to!bring!more!arts!and!entertainment!to!Sharon!Springs.!

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GARDEN PARTY 2017
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This!years!Garden!Party!Festival!featured!a!number!of!special!events!!Jay!Lavery,!Sharon!
Springs!very!own!Dancing!Farmer!(below)!got!lots!of!people!off!their!feet!as!he!led!a!
festival!dance!party,!a!pig!named!Bacon!Bits!(above!right)!entertained!the!crowds!by!
strutting!around!the!booths!on!a!leash,!and!Sunday!featured!a!Hat!Parade.!The!ladies!
were!lovely!in!their!finery,!but!no!one!sported!a!hat!with!more!elegance!that!Rose!Marie!
Trapanis!great!niece,!pictured!above!!(Photo!below!by!Bruce!Button)!
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FIRST!KLINKHART!LECTURE!OF!2017!!A!GREAT!SUCCESS!
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! Pictured!above!(lkr)!Josh!Kilmer!Purcell,!Jean!Hanff!Korelitz,!Paul!Muldoon,!Doug!Plummer!
at!The!Bank,!next!door!to!204!Main!Bistro,!following!the!highly!literary!evening!with!Sharon!
Springs!new!neighbors,!the!poet!Muldoon!and!his!lovely!wife,!Jean,!an!author!of!several!books.!!
This!is!definitely!a!hard!act!to!follow,!but!here!are!some!dates!and!events!to!put!on!your!calendar:!
!
June!17th!!Dr.$Richard$Pfau!will!speak!on!Contemporary!Foreign!Policy:!!Sex,!Race,!and!the!
Missionary!Position.!
July!15th!!Kat$Kinsman,!Senior!Food!&!Drinks!Editor!of!Time,!Inc.!and!author!of!Hi#Anxiety#
September!16th!!Nancy$Pfau,!author!of!Sharon#and#Sharon#Springs,!will!speak!on!the!History!of!
Diversity!in!Sharon.!
October!14th!!Dr.$JB$Goss,!topic!to!be!announced!in!next!Chatter.#
All!events!will!be!held!at!The!Bank!at!7:30!PM,!proceeds!to!benefit!Klinkhart!Hall!Arts!Center.!
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SHARON!SPRINGS!POETRY!FESTIVAL!!OCTOBER!20!AND!21,!2017!
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Friday,!October!20th,!6k7:30!PM!Reading#with#Marie#Howe,#Major#Jackson#and#Robert#Pinsky#at!
Sharon!Springs!Free!Library,!free!and!open!to!the!public.!
Saturday,!October!21st,!10!AM!!Noon,!Workshop#with#Paul#Muldoon.!Registration!at!Sharon!Springs!
Free!Library.!
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THE TREES OF SHARON SPRINGS by#JB#Goss
#
No#tree#grows#assuming#it#will#be#cut#down,#and#no#man#strives#for#power#and#money#assuming#
he#will#soon#come#to#pass.#Yet#both#trees#and#man#grow,#die#and#leave#behind#a#legacy.#
#
I#study#fallen#trees.#I#respectfully#use#this#wood,#in#deep#appreciation#and#awe#of#their#lives.#I#
feel# some# undefined# communication# or# acknowledgement# with# trees# in#my# role# as#self@
appointed#steward.#
#
Wood#connects#with#our#emotions#both#as#forest#and#later#as#the#walls,#chairs#and#the#winter#
heat# that# surrounds# us.# The# Japanese# are# finely# attuned# to# the# power# of# woods.# They# take#
forest#baths# and# studies# have# shown# it# lowers# blood# pressure,# reduces# pain# and# sadness.#
Trees# roots# can# hear# sounds# at# 220# hertz# and# their# roots#turn# toward# that# sound;# to# me# that#
speaks# volumes# to# the# unseen# power# of# the# forest.# The# micro# roots# contained# in# an# area# the#
size# of# a# dime# join# miles# of# hyphae,# which# are# fungi# that# facilitate#tree# communication# with#
each#other#in#the#forest.#Much#like#the#movie#AVATAR,#old#forest#trees#growing#close#together#
can# feed# a# neighboring# sick# tree# through# their# roots!# Some# believe# cedar# trees# can#
communicate#with#human#souls#as#well;#curiously#cedar#trees#have#historically#been#the#most#
common#trees#around#cemeteries.#
#
During#our#joint#tenure#on#this#planet#trees#sustain#us.#I#cant#help#but#have#as#much#respect#for#
a#200#yearold#tree#as#I#do#for#a#200@year#old#person.#
(JB Goss hosts a blog about nature, philosophy, meaning of live, simple living, joy, woodworking and how
not to be a victim of bad people, corrupt government, and a world gone mad at www.gossisms.com)

THE EDITOR WISHES LAWRENCE FELINGHETTI WELL IN

HIS 99TH YEAR; HERES A POEM FROM 2007:
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Pity!the!nation!whose!people!are!sheep,!
and!whose!shepherds!mislead!them.!
Pity!the!nation!whose!leaders!are!liars,!whose!sages!are!silenced,!
and!whose!bigots!haunt!the!airwaves.!
Pity!the!nation!that!raises!not!its!voice,!
except!to!praise!conquerors!and!acclaim!the!bully!as!hero!
and!aims!to!rule!the!world!with!force!and!by!torture.!
Pity!the!nation!that!knows!no!other!language!but!its!own!
and!no!other!culture!but!its!own.!
Pity!the!nation!whose!breath!is!money!
and!sleeps!the!sleep!of!the!too!well!fed.!
Pity!the!nation!!oh,!pity!the!people!who!allow!their!rights!to!erode!
and!their!freedoms!to!be!washed!away.!
My!country,!tears!of!thee,!sweet!land!of!liberty.!
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PROGRESS ON THE SPA!

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Shown!above!is!part!of!the!construction!site!where!Sharon!Springs,!Inc.!is!hard!at!work!to!
create!an!exciting!new!destination!spa.!!Everyone!looks!forward!to!the!grand!opening,!
tentatively!scheduled!for!next!December.!(Photo!by!Richard!Pfau)!