A Word from the Co-Publisher

The weekend before we put this paper to bed, the New York State Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced that 41 state parks or historic sites that would normally be open for the summer would remain shut for the foreseeable future; 23 others would suffer service reductions. Changes affecting our immediate area include reduced hours at Olana State Historic Site, fewer golfing days at Mills-Norrie and James Baird State Parks, and closing the campground at Rudd Pond in Millerton.

This announcement was the latest in a budget struggle between the governor and the legislature that as of this writing has still not been resolved. Back in February, the Department came out with a list of over 200 parks that would be closed or severely cut back. The draconian nature of those cuts was averted by the legislature’s proposal to restore the bulk of funding and by the governor’s willingness to use the state Environmental Protection Fund to keep historic sites open (for example Clermont State Historic Site and Walkway over the Hudson). Even when the governor and legislature finally agree on a budget (as surely they eventually must), some reductions are probably inevitable.

This kind of loss of vital cultural and recreational facilities is a sobering reminder of how much we take our nearby parks and historic sites for granted. Two of these are the subjects of articles in this issue, one on the FDR-Vanderbilt National Park Service complex in Hyde Park, and one on Montgomery Place in Annandale. Although the relative financial security of the first is far greater than that of the second, it’s no coincidence that both sites see their future as depending on growing commitment from local volunteers, partners, and institutions.

Please, use this summer to patronize and support these and other historic sites and parks in our area. Besides the obvious benefits, there are health and financial reasons for doing so, as Kari Rieser reminds us in her excellent article about childhood obesity.

This summer, while I’m out in some of the parks after enjoying a picnic from one of the local farmers’ markets, part of my recreation will consist of reading books by local authors or on regional subjects. In this issue we offer an interview with one of the most revered local poets, Robert Kelly, whose new book of short fictions attracted the attention of our calendar editor Lynn Behrendt. Other books we AboutTowners plan to delve into this summer include: The Terrorist—local cartoonist and author Peter Steiner’s third spy thriller set in France; Bloody Mohawk: The French and Indian War & American Revolution on New York’s Frontier by Richard Berleth; Unfinished Business... One Man’s Extraordinary Year of Trying To Do the Right Things, by Clinton Corners’ resident Lee Kravitz; and a new edition of Birding for Beginners: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Art of Birdwatching by Milan’s own Sheila Buff.

— Paul

Guest Artist
Sally G. Lyon, who once worked in New York City in advertising and design, considered creating art for children’s books before she became addicted to oil paints. The drawings here, from a dummy created for a proposed book on the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, are from her children’s book period. For the last five years she has happily retired into fine arts. Her oils are often in shows at the Tivoli Artist’s Co-op.