Washington County Business Showcase to be held in Whitehall: June 11th

The Washington County Local Development Corporation and Washington County Tourism will present the 2015 Washington County Business Showcase on June 11, 2015 at the Whitehall Athletic Club.

For businesses that would like to participate, here is the attached sponsorship/exhibitor registration form. To secure a sponsorship or exhibit table, simply return the attached form completed with payment…It’s that easy!

Please consider taking the time to come to this event as Washington County showcases the unique businesses and service providers in Washington County. You’ll better understand what a diverse, successful and thriving business climate we have here. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet business leaders, learn about growing sectors and identify ways we can collectively support the thriving business base in Washington County.

1915 – 2015 Hulett Hotel Fire Anniversary: Judge Erskine C. Rogers


Washington County Judge Eskine C. Rogers, as he would have appeared in his Judicial robes, circa the 1920’s.

2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Hulett Hotel fire, which I chronicled in my book, The Hulett Hotel Fire on Lake George. After the fire, there was a trial which I also detail in the book.

The Judge who presided over that trial was Washington County Judge Eskine C. Rogers. In my book, I shared two pictures of the judge, both of which were hard to come by. On page 82, I have a picture of the judge as a young man graduating from high school, which I obtained from the Old Fort House Museum/Fort Edward Historical Association. On page 137, I presented a picture from his obituary, which was reproduced from a newspaper microfilm printout. Neither picture was ideal, but they were the best I had when the book went to print.

Shortly after the final edits were done on the book, I was able to speak to Judge Roger’s grandson, an attorney in Florida. He had a picture of his grandfather on his mantel and snapped the above picture on his mobile phone (which you can see the reflection of in the lower left of the photo.) It was too late to include this picture in the book, but I share it here because it captures what the judge would have looked like as he presided over the trial.

Rogers was described as hardworking, earnest and of good judicial temperament. I think the picture above captures all of that and more. What I see is a determined man who looks eminently fair in his demeanor. In my opinion, he looks like an excellent judge. The ornate, carved, high-backed chair adds to the prestige of the photograph.

My conversation with his grandson gave me additional insights into who Judge Rogers was. While I document in the last chapter of the book how Judge Rogers continued his distinguished career after the trial ended, he died unexpectedly in 1940. His grandson told me his grandfather’s sudden death was an extreme blow to his family and one which was difficult for them to overcome. His grandson was happy to share the above photo. I share it here for history’s sake in light of the 100th anniversary of the Hulett Hotel fire.

(Click on the picture to see full-scale.)

Congresswoman Stefanik Announces 2015 Congressional Art Competition

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) has announced the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for New York’s 21st district. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in the 21st District.

“The North Country is home to many gifted students and the Congressional Art Competition is a great opportunity for them to showcase their talents,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “The winner of this competition will have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year where it will be seen by visitors from around the world. I look forward to seeing what our students can create!”

Artwork entered in the contest must be original in execution, may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches, 4 inches in depth and cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. The artwork may be:

Paintings – including oil, acrylics and watercolor
Drawings – including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
Collage (must be 2 dimensional)
Prints – including lithographs, silkscreen and block prints
Mixed Media – use of two or more mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor
Computer Generated Art
Photography

Art submissions along with a Congressional release form must be submitted to one of Congresswoman Stefanik’s district office locations no later than April 24, 2015. The Congressional release form can be found here and more information about the competitions rules and guidelines is posted here.

Whitehall School Enrollment Edges Up

For the second consecutive year, student enrollment went up in the Whitehall School District.

For the 2013-2014 school year, total enrollment for all grades K-12 was 757 students.

This was 2 students higher than the 2012-2013 year, when enrollment was 755 students.

The exact demographic and grade breakdown for the 2013-2014 school year for the district can be seen here.

I have been tracking and reporting on the enrollment for a number of years. Even with the small increase from this past year, enrollment has been down over 14% since the 2004-2005 school year.

# 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 Percent Change
 885 860 858 845 815 779 753 742 755 757       -14.46%

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) Officially Sworn In


Rep. Stefanik being sworn in by Speaker John Boehner. (Click image to see full-scale.)

Washington, D.C. – Today, January 6, 2015, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) was officially sworn in to represent New York’s 21st district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I am thrilled and humbled by this opportunity to serve the wonderful people of New York’s 21st district,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “I pledge to be a strong voice for our community in Congress and to work my hardest to advance bipartisan solutions. Washington is broken and now is the time for leaders to work together on behalf of the American people. I am grateful for this incredible opportunity.”

Independent Film Producer Provides Update on Movie Filmed Locally in April 2014


The producers and film crew making an independent short movie in and around Huletts Landing in April 2014 (seen here), recently provided an update on the movie.

Back in April, a film crew and actors descended on Huletts Landing and Whitehall, where they shot an independent short movie.

I recently heard from one of the producers, Jeremy Leach of Lost City Creative, who gave me an update on where things presently stand.

We wrapped up filming in mid/late April after thirteen days of filming. If memory serves, we spent 3 days in Brooklyn, one travel/shoot day going upstate from Brooklyn and the next nine days splitting time between Whitehall and Huletts Landing. One of our biggest concerns before heading up to Huletts was the state of the lake. I was told it had been one of the coldest winters on record and as of April 12th, our first day of production, large portions of the lake had not thawed. Because we had several scenes on the lake, this was a cause of great consternation. However, upon arriving at Huletts on April 15th (in a torrential downpour), we were relieved to find the lake had completely thawed. Apparently, it had gone out two days before we arrived!

Upon beginning the edit, we were delighted to find that many of the scenes from the film, including those filmed in and around Huletts Landing, really capture the beauty of the landscape. The scenes we filmed there are important because they are essentially the first time our main character is immersed in a completely natural environment, a significant stage in the film. We were honored to be able to work with such wonderful people both in Huletts Landing and in Whitehall before, during, and after production.

The first thing we had to do once we finished filming was to cull through and organize the many hours of footage. That took some time because we filmed several complicated scenes, many of which included a variety of long takes. Initially we were unsure of the potential length of the film but after going through all the footage and putting together some rough assembly edits, we’re thinking it could potentially be anywhere from 75 – 90 minutes long. Right now, we are working on and are close to completing a rough cut of the entire film, creating a story arc by assembling the visual building blocks of the film. From there, we will review and move on to a fine cut, where we will start incorporating more complex sound design and begin the arduous process of color correction.

Finding free time to edit while juggling work/personal responsibilities can be challenging, often resulting in a process that takes longer than expected. That said, we’re hoping we can have a finished film by early spring of 2015. After it’s finished, we’ll begin the process of submitting the film to festivals and arranging screenings. I’ll keep you updated with our progress for some follow-up posts for your blog.

Washington County Proposes 2015 Budget

Washington County Supervisors are proposing a 2015 budget of $108,155,631 which is approximately $300,000 less in spending than 2014. However it would include an increase of 2.85 percent to the tax levy which is within the tax cap allowed by state law.

The budget is finalized near the end of the year. I will have more on this in the days ahead.

DEC seeks help for Moose sightings

The DEC staff from Region 5 are seeking the public’s assistance to locate moose for a moose population study. A moose was seen in Washington County last year (picture here).

If anyone sees a moose, please report it immediately to the DEC at 518-897-1291.

The DEC appreciates the public’s assistance to learn more about NY’s largest mammal.

Tuesday October 28th, Last Day to Submit an Absentee Ballot Application

Please know that the November 4th General Election is fast approaching. Here is how to obtain an absentee ballot if you are registered to vote in NY state.

How to Vote by Absentee Ballot

Applications for Absentee Ballots are available at the county board of elections.

You may also download a PDF version of the New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form.

Upon completion, applications must be mailed and postmarked to your county board no later than the seventh day before the election (October 28th) or delivered in person no later than the day before the election.

You may also request an Absentee Ballot by sending a letter to your county board of elections. The letter must be received by your county board no earlier than 30 days and no later than seven days before the election. The letter must contain the following information:

the address where you are registered
an address where the ballot is to be sent
the reason for the request, and
the signature of the voter

An application form will be mailed with your ballot. The application form must be completed and returned with your ballot.

Washington County Board of Elections
383 Broadway
Fort Edward, NY 12828

Phone: 518-746-2180
Fax: 518-746-2179