SUSAN ANN MOHART

We will be having a 6th grade graduation dance for all of the kids at Ostrander Elementary on Friday, June 6th at 6:00 p.m. at the Wallkill Corrections Club House. DJ Freddie will be playing all kinds of music for the kids. We would like to close the doors at 6:30 so please arrive as close to 6:00 as possible. There will also be a sign-in sheet, but if you would like to stay that would be great. All parents are welcome to chaperone. Contact me at 895-1698 for more information. Thanks and good luck graduates.

The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Shawangunk will be March 30th @ 2 pm. Bring your families, kids and pets. Don't forget to clap really loud for all of the parade marchers, especially all of the volunteers who give so much of themselves. See you there!!!

Shawangunk is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 12,022 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from native words. The Town of Shawangunk is in the southwestern part of the county. Like the neighboring mountain range, the name is sometimes pronounced "Shongum" by local residents.Shawangunk was first settled by Europeans around 1670. The region was organized as a precinct in 1743, and became the Town of Shawangunk in 1788. The name is a Dutch transliteration of the indigenous Munsee Lenape "Scha-WAN-gunk." The Lenape linguist Raymond Whritenour reports that, "Schawan" is an inanimate intransitive verb meaning 'it is smoky air' or 'there is smoky air.' Its noun-like participle is "schawank," meaning that which is smoky air.' Adding the locative suffix gives us "schawangunk" ('in that which is smoky air' or, more simply, 'in the smoky air')[1]. Like the nearby Catskill Mountains, which are referred to as the "Hidden Mountains" at Olana, the Shawangunk area can be noted for the heavy humidity and atmosphere caused by the mountain ridge running southwest to northeast partially blocking the prevailing west to east wind. Whritenour suggests the name derives from the burning of a Munsee fort by the Dutch in 1663 (a massacre ending the Second Esopus War) beside the creek later named the Shawangunk Kill, near the western terminus of what is now Old Fort Road. Nearly a dozen three-syllable variants of Shawangunk appear on the earliest land deeds adjacent to the massacre site and across the basin. The name spread to the nearby ridge in the early 1700s. Residents, rather than describing themselves as living in Shawangunk, more commonly refer to their residence as either Wallkill, Pine Bush or Walker Valley, depending on which part of the town they live in. [edit] Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.5 square miles (146.4 km²), of which, 56.2 square miles (145.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (0.55%) is water. The south town line is the border of Orange County, New York. The Wallkill River flows through the eastern half of town and lends it its name, which it flows through, while the western (Walker Valley) half climbs the slopes of the eponymous mountains. Demographics, As of the censusof 2000, there were 12,022 people, 3,433 households, and 2,557 families residing in the town. The population density was 213.9 people per square mile (82.6/km²). There were 3,754 housing units at an average density of 66.8/sq mi (25.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.49% White, 8.14% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.86% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.96% of the population. There were 3,433 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21. In the town the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 134.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $52,366, and the median income for a family was $59,975. Males had a median income of $40,967 versus $29,608 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,402. About 4.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over. [edit] Communities and locations in Shawangunk Awosting -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town. Bruynswick -- A hamlet near the north town line on County Route 7. Crawford -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town, south of Awosting. Dwaarkill -- A hamlet north of Red Mills, located on County Route 7. Galeville -- A former hamlet in the eastern part of the town, north of Wallkill. Galeville is on the west bank of the Wallkill River. Once home to Galeville Army Air Base, now Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. New Hurley -- A former hamlet on Route 208. Pine Bush -- A hamlet in Orange County; the ZIP Code extends into much of western Shawangunk. Red Mills -- A hamlet at the south town line and north of Pine Bush. Rutsonville Shawangunk Kill -- A small stream in the town. Ulsterville -- A hamlet west of Pine Bush, located on Route Walker Valley -- A hamlet in the southwest part of the town on Route 52. Walker Valley is west of Pine Bush. Wallkill -- A hamlet at the east town line. Shawangunk Correctional Facility -- A New York State prison, north of Wallkill. Wallkill Correctional Facility -- A state prison north of Wallkill.