Saturday September 20, 2008 in Orange County NY Saturday's Weather Looks Like It Will Great (click here for the latest NOAA Information.) Special Events Come to a Civil War Reenactment - Montgomery, NY This is the 12th annual Civil War Reenactment at the Farmers Museum (next to the Brick House Museum) 850 Route 17K, Montgomery, NY Open both Saturday and Sunday for visitors from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM For further information call 845-742-7598 Harvest Festival - Pine Bush NY Enjoy the farmers market, crafts, vendors, food and entertainment at this annual Harvest Festival Main Street (AKA Route 52) Pine Bush NY  Hours from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Wiffleball Tournament and Family Festival - Town of Wallkill Come to the wiffleball tournament which starts at 8:00 AM and/or join the fun at the Fam... 09/18/2008

Come to Pine Bush NY this Saturday, September 20, 2008, for the annual Harvest Festival.  There will be fun for the whole family including entertainment, food, crafts, and many different types of vendors.  Pine Bush like many local communities in this area was primarily a sleepy little farming hamlet from it's beginnings.  If you visited the area back then you would likely see some of these scenes as you were approaching the village.                                                                  For our annual Harvest Festival the Main Street (AKA Route 52) of Pine Bush is closed to vehicle traffic for several blocks, allowing pedestrians the freedom to walk through the street and visit many booths set up along the way.  There will be performances given be many local entertainers incl... 09/18/2008

Yesterday morning as we enjoyed a rare (these days with school and work schedules being what they are) family breakfast we looked out the front window to see these two handsome fellows enjoying a treat at our pear tree.   My son grabbed the camera and got a few pics as they saw him and hightailed it out of dodge.   They were back again this morning so they must like those pears! 09/08/2008

One of the first things I like to do as a new school year begins is to mark up my calender and scheduler for the days that the children have off from school.  Of course there can be changes during the year but at least it avoids being clueless.  For parents with young children who need to have childcare available on days when school is not in session it is essential to be ready for those oddball days that come up like Superintendents Conference Days or Staff Development Days that don't follow with the standard holiday breaks that your school follows.   For your convenience I am displaying the school year calendar for the Pine Bush Central School District here.  Take a minute this morning to get all the dates down so you won't be surprised.  (I have even heard of children who might, on ... 08/26/2008

On August 1, 2008 the Pine Bush Central School District appointed a new Superintendent, Philip Steinberg.  Mr Stienburgh started his career as a teacher in Flushing High School and after being laid off during the budget cuts of the 1970's he went into private business for 25 years.  In 2000, he decided to reenter the educational realm and landed a job as a Vice Principal in a troubled Brooklyn High School.  He then went on to become a Principal at IS 218 where he turned the school around and got things done so that the kids there could succeed.  In 2005 he became a Superintendent in charge of 15 schools in Queens and was most recently the Executive Officer for Instruction/Superintendent for New York City Department of Education, overseeing 21 schools, 60 administrators and 1,650 teache... 08/25/2008

School Starts Wednesday September 3, 2008 for the Pine Bush Central School District.  The Pine Bush Central School District was first established in 1938.  Prior to that time the area was served by various small schools within the area communities.  The District serves the students from seven Townships within three separate Counties (Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan).  There are seven schools included in the district, four elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The current enrollment of over 6000 students allows the district to provide a variety of programs to meet individual student needs.   Here are some pictures of the schools of the Pine Bush Central School District. Just Kidding!  This post card shows what is today part of Crispell Middle School one of the two mid... 08/25/2008

Sunday August 24, 2008 in Orange County NY Special Events Have a great time with some great Barbecue At Vereerderkill Park, Pine Bush NY Come to the barbecue to benefit the Phillip Kessler Memorial Fund at Vereerderkill Park, 3232 Route 52, Pine Bush NY.  From 12:00 PM - 7:00PM Bingo, Penny Social, Food, and Fun.   Join the Family Hiking Club - Museum of the Highlands  Join the staff for a family hike at the Outdoor Discovery Center for a hike from 1:00 PM - 3:00PM Located at 20 Kenridge Farm Road, Cornwall, NY.   For further information call 845-534-5506 x 204 or click on the above link. Jewelery Making Workshop - Interactive Museum Middletown NY Special workshop on making metal and clay jewelery (limited seats available) 2:00PM - 4:00 PM. 23 Center Street, Middletown NY Click above o... 08/23/2008

SMILES COME NATURAL. Scales tip in favor of this 3 bedroom bi-level. The family room is wired for speakers, central air, kitchen with island, master suite with private bath, workshop space, 2 year old pool & matching shed. The level 1 acre yard has extensive landscaping and is perfect for backyard picnics or playful ball games. Start creating your memories here. 08/16/2008

Saturday August 9, 2008 in Orange County NY Special Events Museum of the Highlands - Life Cycles of Moths and Butterflies Spend the day at this Nature Museum learning about and searching for moths and butterfies.  Located at 20 Kenridge Farm Road, Cornwall, NY.  Open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For further information call 845-534-5506 x 204 or click on the above link. Children's Sculpture Workshop Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY  Browning kay will lead a tour of the giant sculptures at this unique facility.  Later children willhave the opportunity to build their own scluptures. Special event starts 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM 1 Museum Road, Mountainville, NY   Click link above or call 845-534-3115 for more information. Special "Birds of Prey" Demonstration at Museum Village, Monroe, NY C... 08/08/2008

Saturday August 2, 2008 in Orange County NY Special Events Museum of the Highlands Discovery Quests Spend the day at this Nature Museum following one of their discovery quests.  It sounds like a great time for the whole family with trails that range from easy to more challanging.  Located at 20 Kenridge Farm Road, Cornwall, NY.  Open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For further information call 845-534-5506 x 204 or click on the above link. Head Out of the County and Back in Time to the Civil War This is a shameless plug for the Civil War Reenactment Weekend at Walnut Mountain Park in Liberty NY that my family will be participating in.  Come join us to see a snapshot in time.  Open at 10:00 AM with a candlelight tour on Saturday Night.  Click on the above link to my blog invite for more infor... 07/31/2008

In my Multiple Listing Service any agent can set up an automatic feed of new listings and price reductions to be sent to their prospective buyer customers and clients.  Some real estate agents take advantage of this service and "set it and forget it" as it were.  They wonder why they get so few calls back from the buyers.  They ask why I am able to retain more buyer leads then they are. The secret is I don't use the automatic feature.  I look at each listing that comes up in my buyer's search criteria and determine if it is right for them.  I only send those things that will really meet their needs. I try to send personalized messages with the listings I do forward on to the buyers like... "This one has a great view" or "I know you were looking for more closets".  This sets me apart fr... 07/29/2008

When I blogged about one of Pine Bush NY's claims to fame as being the UFO Capital of the East, I mentioned that the Diner in town was named The Cup and Saucer.  Before vacation I took these pictures of the diner and wanted to share them with you all.  As you can see this town takes this designation seriously, LOL.  Hope you all will think about visiting my neck of the woods soon. Pine Bush is a great place to live. It stands to reason if we are a great spot for our earthbound friends we might be worth a look by extraterrestrials.  If you are not having fun where you live you should get out there and make some fun.  Or better yet call me to find out how you can move to this great place. I'm Paddy Pizappi - Work with Me and You'll be Happy!   07/21/2008

I have never personally seen it but the village of Pine Bush, NY, in addition to it'swonderful home town feeling and great location, has a distinction that may surprise some of you.   It appears that Pine Bush is the UFO Capital of the East.  Yes, it seems we are right up there with Sedona for UFO sightings. There is an interesting article on this from UFO Evidence. Now our village has a lot of fun with this distinction.  The diner in town is named The Cup and Saucer.  My office, which hosts a Halloween Haunted House every year, used Aliens as a theme two years ago complete with huge saucers made of two old salelite TV dishes put together and an alien lounge with a band out back.  In fact this year's hugely successful American Cancer Society fundraiser the Relay for Life in town used a... 07/08/2008

Pine Bush is a quaint village within the Town of Crawford NY.  Settled in the mid to late 1700's, the Town of Crawford was incorporated in 1832.  The village of Pine Bush is the heart of the town.  The picture below is a historical postcard view of a portion of Main Street.  If you come to Pine Bush you will see many of the same buildings today, as a matter of fact my office is the building on the right. The village has done much to bring back that historic feeling by installing antique styled lighting along Main Street.                                                                                                                                                                       Located at the intersection of Route 302 and Route 52, Pine Bush is about 10 miles from Route 17 (future... 07/02/2008

The Town of Crawford Historical Society will be having a house and garden tour on June 29.  The tour will run from noon to 3pm.  Tickets are $10 per person.  Tickets will be on sale at the Cultural Center starting at 11am All proceeds from the tour will benefit the Historical Society's scholarship fund.  For more information call 744-5418.  The homes on tour this year are:  The Pine Bush House, Eliza Sloat Home, VanKeure House Smith House farm. Falconer Inn, The Kelly Barn Bruyn Homestead, Alexander Thomson HOme and Baranowksi Home.  Don' miss this event. 06/25/2008

Sunday June 22 in Orange County NY Special Events Classic Car Show with a Twist - Montgomery NY Show to benefit The Humane Society of Walden Come to see the classic cars, motorcycles, trucks, and a pet show.  Admission is only $1.00 and kids under 5 are free.  Hours - 10:00 - 4:00 at The Orange County Farmer's Museum,. Rt 17K Montgomery NY For Information call 845-778-2070  Get Interactive at the Interactive Museum  - Middletown NY Bring the children to hear and play in a concert with Lis Bushey from 2:00 - 4:00 at the museum at 23 Center St. Middletown, NY 845-344-3131 History of the Dairy Industry in the Early 20th Century - Huguenot NY Hear a lecture about life on the dairy farm at 3:00 at the 1863 Huguenot Schoolhouse, 25 Grange Road, Huguenot NY 845-856-2702 Learn How Glass was Pr... 06/20/2008

Saturday June 21 in Orange County NY Special Events Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY  If you have never visited this amazing "giant sculpture garden" this would be great weekend to go.  It has acres of fields with huge sculptures placed around the grounds.   Saturday June 21 from 1:00 - 4:00 You can participate in an art kite event.  Bring you own kites and join in as artist Tal Streeter flys his 30 foot tall kites.   Saturday June 21 from 3:00 - 4:00 Join Dr Susan Aberth, Prof of Art at Bard College, in a walking tour of a special exhibition of the work of Sol Lewitt Saturday June 21 from 5:30 - 6:30 Enjoy the music when woodwind artist Helen Valdes plays flutes from around the world. Click link or call 845-534-3115 for more information. The Gardens of Goshen Saturday June 21 ... 06/20/2008

The Pine Bush Area Arts Council will be having free night concerts every Friday July thru August:  July 11--  M J Quinn "Croons Sinatra & Friends"  July 18-- Bob Martinson  July 25-- Pine Bush Community Band  August 1-- Kevin Scott directs the Orange County Community College Symphony Orchestra  August 8--Tom Barone  August 15-- Acting Out Players directed by Terry O'Dell (young vocalists)  August 22 --Season Finale.  Concerts are held on Friday evenings at 7pm at the Bandstand, 70 Main Street, Pine Bush, New York.  In the event of rain, concerts are held at the Town of Crawford Government Center, 121 Route 302 (opposite high school) Pine Bush All concerts are free and both locations are handicapped accessible with ample free parking.  For more information contact he Arts Council at 744-... 06/19/2008

Yesterday in my blog "Moving On Out To the Country- My Water Comes From Where???..." I discussed the various water supply devices you might find when moving to the country.  Since what goes in must come out, today I will explain the various methods of waste water disposal that you might encounter when looking for houses in a country location.   When looking at listings for houses you may see the type of system on the listing.  In our Greater Hudson Valley MLS, www.GHVMLS.com,  you can see the following sources under sewer type description- CESSPL- Cesspool.  This is a older private household waste system.  A cesspool was dug and often lined with rocks or block and the household waste was piped in to the pit.  If the soils are favorable the liquids leach out of the pit and the solids br... 06/17/2008

Many people moving to this area have come from locations that have a public water source.  They are surprised by the variety of ways houses are supplied with water.  I often have to explain the different types of water supply systems to prospective home buyers.   When looking at listings for houses you may see the water source on a listing.  In our Greater Hudson Valley MLS, www.GHVMLS.com  you can see the following sources under water description- COMNTY - Community water source.  These are quite common in small developments with their own wells.  In newer developments these systems are owned by the homeowners association or by a private company that will maintain the wells and charge you for the water.  In our area many of the 3 season communities of old had these sources and they ha... 06/16/2008