PATRICE BRICE

I grew up here for most of my life and am hoping to be back some day soon...

First, some statistics:


Population (year 2000): 1,173

Median resident age:	42.9 years
New York median age:	35.9 years

Zip codes: 12484.

Estimated median household income in 2005: $46,900 (it was $39,271 in 2000)

Stone Ridge	$46,900
New York:	$49,480

Stone Ridge	$242,800
New York:	$258,900

Races in Stone Ridge:

• White Non-Hispanic (91.8%)
• Hispanic (3.4%)
• Black (1.7%)
• Two or more races (1.4%)
• Other Asian (1.0%)
• American Indian (0.9%)
• Other race (0.5%)

Ancestries: Irish (27.5%), English (21.4%), German (20.5%), Italian (17.4%), Dutch (13.7%), Ukrainian (6.5%).

Population density: 225 people per sq mile...

Some wonderful old buildings in the Main Street area...

the Hasbrouck House which is a Bed and Breakfast

The Stone Ridge Public Library

Now for some real estate:

There are 58 Active Listings in Stone Ridge ranging from $123,900 to $2,290,000.

There were 15 home sales listed through the MLS since January 1st from $189,000 to $1,189,000.

Quite a diverse town, huh!!

I thought this was pretty cool...check it out

Under the Brooklyn Bridge

'Waterfalls' art installation is pictured at the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River in New York.

The public art display, an exhibition of four large scale waterfalls by artist Olafur Eliasson called 'The New York City Waterfalls,' are on view on the shores of the city's waterfront through October 13.

This is Governor's Island

These are soooo coool, what a great concept. I want to go down and take the Circle Line to see them from the water...i will let y'all know what it is like afterward!!

This is Pier 6

This is Pier 35

Very cool, a must see!!

I was looking for something different to do with my stepchildren this weekend and came across a great calendar. There are so many things to do this weekend, hard to pick!! I will report on what we choose after the weekend...

Here is what is going on in Ulster County, New York this weekend...

June 26-29 - "Sedition"; Shadowland Theatre; Ellenville; Thursday-Saturday performances at 8:00 PM; Sunday performance at 2:00 PM; 647-5511; www.shadowlandtheatre.org

June 27,28 - Chekhov's "On The Harmful Effects of Tobacco"and "A Reluctant Tragic Hero"; Reader's Theater; Unison Arts & Learning Center; New Paltz 8:00 PM; 255-1559; www.unisonarts.org

June 27-29 - "My Fair Lady"; award-winning musical; Quimby Theater, SUNY Ulster; Stone Ridge; Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 PM; Sunday performance at 3:00 PM; 688-1959; www.sunyulster.edu

June 27-29 - Kingston International Jazz Festival Weekend; music, dancing, food, fun, fireworks on Sunday; venues throughout Kingston; 331-7517 or 800-331-1518; www.kingston-ny.gov

All on Saturday, June 28 -

Rondout National Historic District Walking Tour; Kingston's waterfront area; begins at Kingston Heritage Area Visitors Center, 20 Broadway; 11:00 AM; 339-0720; www.fohk.org

Library Day; book sale, bake sale, historic displays and more; Cragsmoor Free Library; 9:00-4:00 PM; 647-4611

Great American Backyard Camp Out; roast marshmallows and listen to great stories; Forsyth Nature Center, Kingston; 6:00 PM; 331-1682; www.forsythnaturecenter.org

5th Annual Orchard Dinner and Wine Tasting; menu created by local chefs using locally grown farm products; Stone Ridge Orchards; Route 213, Stone Ridge; 6:00-9:00 PM; www.rondoutvalleygrowers.org

The Legacy of the American Chestnut; interpretive walk with a naturalist to see the remaining American Chestnut trees at Minnewaska State Park Preserve; New Paltz; 9:30-11:00 PM; 255-0752

7th Annual Sanctuary Shindig; hay rides, farm tours, veggie food, kids tent, vegan cooking demo, live music and upscale tent sale; Catskill Animal Sanctuary; 316 Old Stage Road, Saugerties; 12:00-6:00 PM; 336-8447; rain date: June 29

Western and Swing Dance Party; live music; Ashokan Field Campus, Olivebridge; 8:00 PM; 246-2121; www.ashokan.org

Singles and Sociables Hike to Mud Pond; strenuous, 10 miles; Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz; 10:00-4:00 PM; 255-0919; www.mohonkpreserve.org

All on Sunday, June 29,

Shanghai Quartet; Schubert and Friends; Maverick Concerts; Woodstock; 4:00 PM; 679-8217; www.maverickconcerts.org

23rd Annual Big Indian Car Show; Big Indian Valley Park; Route 28, Big Indian; 8:00-3:30 PM

Forest and Stream Discovery for Kids; discover what's hiding in the woods and have a hands-on search in a cool stream; easy, ½ mile hike; ages 6 and up with an adults; Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz; 9:30-12:30 PM; 255-0919; www.mohonkpreserve.org

Saugerties Community Band; on lawn of Kiersted House; Main Street, Saugerties; 6:00 PM; 246-9529

Guided Walking Tour of Old Hurley; starts at Museum on Main Street; 2:00 PM; 338-1661; www.hurleyheritagesociety.org

The Playful River Otter; family presentation on these mammals; Minnewaska State Park Preserve; New Paltz; 255-0752

Classical guitarist and composer David Temple in concert; champagne reception; Great Room, Emerson Resort and Spa; Route 28, Mt. Pleasant; 5:00-7:00 PM; 688-2828; www.emersonresort.com

Singles and Sociables Hike to Shaupeneak Ridge; moderate to strenuous, 7 miles; Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz; 10:00-3:00 PM; 255-0919; www.mohonkpreserve.org

Pet Fair: May 17th.

This gala event attracts the best animal companions from all over Ulster County, who vie for prizes for looks, charm, behavior, and a host of other categories.

This annual event not only honors our faithful animal friends, but it also provides education about feeding and caring for pets, as well as how to adopt animals.

To be held on Second Street, High Falls.

Please note: This is NOT an event to bring pets for adoption.

This will be the third year that I attend this fun event. It is quite fun. I even saw a rooster participate 2 yrs ago!!

Here is the flyer from the website:

What an awful scene. As you look up to see the beautiful mountain range, all you can see is smoke billowing from different spots along The Shawangunk Ridge. My car was covered in soot this morning and the blue sky is looking cloudy from the smoke.

The old timers say that this is ok, just a natural part of ecology. I guess that is ok if there aren't any homes around...and the pollution that we are inhaling probably isn't great. I pray for everyone's safety that is working on this fire ...

There were prescribed fires planned for this year, is this one that got out of hand? it has jumped the Highway and closed it down, somehow I don't think that would have been the plan

We have been doing this for about 5 yrs now and it is always a big treat. This year is being held at one of my favorite restaurants...join us, you won't be disappointed...

Living here in Ulster County, we are blessed with many beautiful sites. Among them is the Ashokan Reservoir.

A Bit of History...

In the early 20th century, New York City turned to the Catskills for water after discovering a group calling itself the Ramapo Water Company had bought up the rights to many water sources further south in Rockland, Orange and Ulster counties. The Catskills were more desirable as state-owned Forest Preserve land in the region could not, under the state constitution, be sold to any other party.

Residents of the area to be flooded did not take kindly to the idea, and fought eminent domain proceedings bitterly. They were aided by local lawyers familiar with the checkered history of Catskill land claims.

It saddens me that generations of people were kicked off their property...9 villages were destroyed

It is said that 3/4 of the land needed for the project was obtained by condemnation proceedings.

It was said the local opponents of the reservoir cast doubt on its soundness, saying it could never hold enough water (it would be the largest reservoir in the world at the time), but when it was filled from 1912 to 1914, they were silenced. About 1,000 residents along with roads, homes, shops, farms, churches, and mills were either moved or abandoned, but most of them were torn down. Several of these communities were re-established in nearby locations.

12.45 miles (20 km) of a local railroad line (the Ulster and Delaware Railroad) was moved and cemeteries were relocated.

The dam was constructed destroying most of the trees and buildings in the area. Fighting would often break out in the labor camps, so a police force, (later became the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) Police, was formed to keep peace in the camps. The dam was constructed with Rosendale cement, which at the time was the world's strongest cement. When the dam was completed, giant steam whistles blew for one hour, signaling to people in the valley to evacuate immediately.

Some relocated communities survive along the reservoir's banks, such as West Shokan, Olivebridge, Ashokan and Shokan. Most, however, such as Brown's Station, are remembered in historical markers.

It is New York City's deepest reservoir, being over 190 feet (58.5 m) deep at its deepest. At full capacity, the reservoir can hold 122.9 billion gallons of water, has a 255-square-mile.

The reservoir has 2 basins with one (the upper basin) being 7 inches higher than the other (lower basin). Water does not flow freely

After 9-11, the city and state decided to permanently close the spillway road to vehicular traffic as a security precaution. This has added a great deal more traveling time and distance for those on the south side of the reservoir to reach locations to the north.

In an earlier post, I wrote about the rail trail closest to my home in Accord. I would be remiss to not talk about the system that is in Hurley...It is really great!! The town says that it has been a bigger hit than ever imagined. Walkers. bicyclists, skaters - the old, the young, families and singles, joggers and cross-country teams and lots of dogs can be found all on the trail through every season, in all kinds of weather.

"The Delaware and Hudson Heritage Corridor Alliance deserves big applause. It's their vision, leadership, and persistence that will eventually make it possible to travel the rail trail from Kingston to Pennsylvania. " quoted from an article written by the town

The Hurley segment of the 108 mile rail trail runs 12.8 miles from Kingston to Marbletown. The 2.2 miles along Route 209 opened for use after being paved a few years ago. Parts of it have been landscaped and are maintained by individuals and organizations.

Nine towns and NYSDOT came together in the process of paving the trail. Individuals and organizations have adopted berms for upkeep. The Eagle Scouts have built the kiosks and benches.

The Town is responsible for maintenance of the trail which includes mowing, clean-up, and maintenance of the asphalt. This, too, has become a community effort. The Girl Scouts, Coleman Cares, Key Bank, and many rail trail volunteers contribute many Saturday mornings of work.

It is really neat to be driving along 209 and see folks you know exercising daily. I often recognize people by their dogs...a great asset to our community...

What a wonderful piece of local history...

The history of Saunderskill Farms (named for the tributary of the Rondout Creek that flows through it) is as rich as the soil that has supported it for 12 generations. Originally granted to Lieutenant Hendrick J. Schoonmaker by Peter Stuyvesant in 1663 as payment for military service, the family's original 300 acres of prime Rondout bottomland has been continuously farmed since 1680.

Second in age only to the Hull family farm in Southhold, Long Island, Saunderskill Farm now includes more than 800 acres of vegetables, flowers and orchards. The stone manor house, built in 1787, still stands on the property, as does the barn that housed oxen used to pull barges on the Delaware & Hudson Canal, a section of which meanders through the property. Saunderskill is one of the few farms in the nation to have received the rare Tricentennial Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Jack and Alice Schoonmaker still reside at and run the farm, along with their sons David and Danny.

The farm stand, along Route 209 in Accord, is run by Danny and his wife Cathy.

This is an old fashioned stand with many baked goods, fresh sandwiches and soups, cider donuts and on and on!!

The greenhouses are busting with wonderful annuals and perennials as well as

The coffee is wonderful. I often will go there on a weekend morning and sit outside listening to the new water garden gurgle and reading the paper. How relaxing...

If you find yourself in this area, be sure to stop by...it is worth the trip!!

An interesting intro to our town...trust me, we might like our libations but I never noticed that it got front billing on the sign!!

An interesting tidbit:

Originally named Port Jackson, it is thought that the name "Accord" resulted from a petition of the townspeople to the Capitol in Albany for a new name. The response was that the authorities could not come to an accord about a new name so the name "Accord" was chosen. The local pronunciation of this word is with a flat 'A' with the accent on the 'A' (ack-chord).

Here is the town mueum

The railroad now a privately owned structure. I'm not sure if it is a home but I do remember when it was a deli...

The entire Town of Rochester enjoyed a period of prosperity from 1902 into the 1940s when the Ontario & Western Railway (with stations in Accord and Kyserike) provided transportation-to-market for products of the local farms, mills and quarries. Additionally, the trains brought in summer visitors from urban centers, chiefly New York City, who were in search of fresh air and healthful food for their families.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 622 people, 226 households, and 157 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 183.6 per square mile (70.8/km²). There were 256 housing units at an average density of 75.6/sq mi (29.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.44% White, 2.41% African American, 0.80% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.86% of the population.

There were 226 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,083, and the median income for a family was $48,542. Males had a median income of $25,368 versus $35,455 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,672. About 5.5% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 24.5% of those age 65 or over.

A cool place to live...although winter can be long and tough...