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President's Notes
by Karen Simmons
Bill and I have volunteered, for several years, with The Joshua Project of Schoharie County, to coordinate a summer lunch program, serving free lunches in the communities of Middleburgh, Cobleskill, Richmondville and Central Bridge. It’s a challenging and time consuming endeavor which leaves us little time for outdoor activities during July and August.
One activity which we did manage to complete was acting as the safety boat for two of the three regattas held on the Mohawk River. Ed and Kim Greiner lead an ambitious and growing number of paddlers who paddle recreationally and competitively all summer. If you’ve never paddled before, they’ll set you up. If you’ve tried paddling but aren’t good at it, they’ll give you the pointers you need. If you have the competitive instinct, they’ll provide you with many opportunities to show your skill. I can’t say enough about the work they do and the fun everyone has.
Those who enjoy hiking with a group have an opportunity this Saturday and on August 24. There are so many trails near the Capital District Region and points to the North and South which are a peaceful way to enjoy the out of doors, whether solo or with a group.
Bike riding, of course, is another activity that is enjoyable alone or in a group which leads me to recommend every member to check out our website and make good use of the opportunity to post an activity that is of interest to you or perhaps look for one that someone else has posted. The format is “chat room” so members can message one another to car pool to Club events or be aware of what other members are doing. Getting together with other SWC members doesn’t always have to be a scheduled Club event.
Last thought…..as Don stated at the picnic, SWC is a Club with almost 900 active members, and less than 10 Board members doing a lot of work. Please give some thought to how much SWC means to you and how you may become involved for the good of this unique organization. Contact me at: kjsimmons951@gmail.com or 518 361 8836 so I can elaborate on the Board vacancies and how you might assist.
My best to you all,
Karen
Membership Updates
It is important to make sure you are up to date as an active member in good standing to be able to make bookings for the clubhouse.
We check membership status as reservations are made. With the new system, automated booking reports are compared against our existing membership records, and we will send an email reminder to you to correct the situation.
Compliance keeps the costs down!
Clubhouse Reservation Updates
Everyone who stays at the house must enter their MEMBERSHIP ID!
Why does the club keep harping on this point?
There are obvious answers like insurance and avoiding room taxes, but the white elephant in the room is to avoid future regulation as a short-term rental property, subject to rules set by local towns! If the clubhouse were designated a short-term rental property, we might have to significantly change the way we operate. For example, rules could be put in place to prevent us offering bookings for one or two nights at a time. If you think the avoidance of regulation is a far-fetched concern, you only need to Google the phrase “vermont waterbury discusses vrbo issues” to see the discussions.
This is why we enforce the entry of valid Membership IDs in our reservation system, and why you may receive an email to correct your membership ID or make sure your membership is current. These records help us to document the fact that ONLY MEMBERS are staying at the clubhouse.
Hosts Needed
We have scheduled a number of hosted weekends at the clubhouse this year, and are looking for volunteers to host. If you are new to hosting or haven't hosted in awhile, John and Ellen Bidell are hosting a "Welcome to the House" weekend, October 24-27, as an orientation for hosts and those who haven't stayed before.
Hosts prepare meals (with help) and organize tasks for the weekend, and earn vouchers for future stays. Take a look at the list below and pick a weekend to host at the clubhouse. Can't host but still want to be part of the fun? Mark your calendars to make your reservations for one of the hosted weekends.
OTHER IDEAS
Golf Weekend
Bike Weekend
Cross Country Weekend
Contact Ellen for more information
Free Summer Music near the Clubhouse
Middlesex Bandstand Summer Concert series
The Middlesex Bandstand Summer Concert series takes place at the 465 Shady Rill Road, Middlesex next to Rumney Memorial School. The concerts start at 6:30 pm.
Schedule:
Aug 7: Noah Young Trio featuring guitar phenom Max Bronstein & drummer Andy Ggnon, both from New Orleans to roost on the Middlesex bandstand.
Aug 14: Billy Wylder—Avi Salloway an art-rock, global spirit band reminiscent of West Coast psychedelia.
More info: middlesexbandstand.com
Rusty Park Concerts
The Rusty Park Concerts take place at Memorial Park, South Main Street, Waterbury every Thursday from 6-8:30. There may be food trucks available.
Aug 15: Rid River North with country Americana
Music in the Trapp Family Lodge Meadow concerts
This is a ticketed music series held in the Meadow on the Trapp Lodge site. Bring your chair, blanket and a picnic. Gates open at 5:30 pm for picnicking! Concert 7:30 to 10:00 PM Details at https://www.stoweperformingarts.com/contact/
Aug 18 Oxomatli; This multiple GRAMMY Award-winning Los Angeles-based band brings the evening’s energy up with their lively mash-up of salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap and several types of Latin music: tropical genres like merengue and cumbia, Mexican styles like norteño and Jamaican ska and reggae, all mixed with a heavy dose of hip-hop and fun
Spruce Peak Summer Concert Series
Aug 7: Ripe; “The wildest thing for me is that the record simultaneously sounds like it has the scars of everything we’ve been through and also that it doesn’t — it’s joyful music, which is very exciting given that it was made in the middle of getting hit in the stomach,” says singer Robbie Wulfsohn, who came together with guitarist Jon Becker, drummer Sampson Hellerman, and trombonist Calvin Barthel while they were all studying at Berklee College of Music. with special guests G. Love and The Free Label
Aug 29: Brandy Clark; A GRAMMY and CMA Award-winner, Brandy Clark an esteemed songwriter and musician. Clark won Best Americana Performance at this year’s 66th GRAMMY Awards for her song “Dear Insecurity,” featuring 11x GRAMMY-winner Brandi Carlile — Clark’s first GRAMMY win. The song is from Clark’s self-titled album, which was produced by Carlile and features her most personal songwriting to date. With special guest Stephen Kellogg.
SWC at the Track!
Instead of Happy Hour this month, we will meet at the Saratoga Racetrack on Thursday, August 15th. We have reserved a picnic table (G6, Row 1 - near the TVs) for six. If you would like a spot at the picnic table, the cost is $17 per person (this includes admission). Note that you cannot bring extra chairs to sit near us in the picnic area. If we get enough interest, I will see if a nearby table is still available.
Email me (Ellen Bidell) this week if you are interested in a spot at the table and you will receive an invoice. Make sure your email is correct, your ticket will be sent to you.
Join SWC in Steamboat, CO, March 8 thru March 15, 2025
We realize thinking about ski trips in summer is like celebrating Christmas in July, BUT SWC has negotiated a truly awesome ski package to share with members interested in skiing out west!
You might even run into Billy Kidd, Olympic skier. See this video here.
Kidd lives in Steamboat Springs, CO, and serves as director of skiing for Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation. During ski season, skiers and snowboarders can join Kidd for a daily free, on-mountain clinic when he is in town, at 1 PM at the top of the Steamboat gondola. Those who "ski with Billy Kidd" down the Heavenly Daze intermediate run get ski tips, and learn about what it's like to ski in the Olympics.
The total package cost of $2474 includes
GROUP AIRFARE - Have you seen the individual ticket prices lately? This trip will fly from Albany into Hayden airport in Steamboat Springs in prime season!
7 NIGHTS LODGING at The Ranch, a premium condo complex. Prices here start at $736 per night if you were to rent a condo for yourself. Guests can enjoy an array of features including an outdoor heated pool, hot tubs, a fitness center, full kitchen and a private shuttle to the mountain.
Don't have an IKON Pass?
Steamboat Resort is an IKON mountain, but there are discounted options available through this package. Regular full price daily lift tickets for March 2025 are $300 per day.
The SWC package offers discounted day passes - you have an option for day ski passes at $134 per day!
4 days - $538
5 days - $672
6 days - $806
Rail Trails for Vacation Stops
Gina and I have been taking short trips this year in place of our usual big bicycle trips. It started this year with me dislocating my right shoulder and tearing the rotator cuff in a freak ski fall at Bromley in January that put skiing out of reach for the rest of the season.
After the shoulder was put back in place (long story) and before I could have the repair surgery Gina and I decided on a short trip to West Va. for a soak in the hot springs of Berkeley Springs State Park in Berkeley, WV. The springs feature a Roman Bath with individual 750-gallon tubs and you can request any water temperature. It was great for soaking the shoulder. Just to the north of Berkeley is a rail trail called the Western Maryland Rail Trail. It’s 27.5 miles long and is paved along the northern shore of the Potomac River paralleling the famous C&O canal trail. We rode the trail in the upriver direction so it would be down hill on the way back. My shoulder survived the ride, so we did more of it the next day.
In March we took a road trip to Charleston SC. Again, our goal was to do some rail trail biking while getting in some biking not available in Schenectady. Needless to say, we stopped at Berkeley Springs on the way south. Also, on the way we stopped at Raleigh NC and rode on the Neuse River Greenway trail a 34-mile paved trail along the Neuse River and by the Falls. This was a pleasant ride with a bike shop at the trail head where I had the bike shifters adjusted. When we reached Charleston, we were impressed with the reuse of the old industrial buildings in the Old Town section. Due to the weather and historic sights available (Ft Sumpter, Drayton Hall, Museums) we didn’t get in any bike riding. But there are several good trails available: West Ashley Greenway (8 mi) other small trails & Swamp Fox Passage a 47 mi. gravel/dirt fat tire trail that is part of the longer Palmetto Trail going from the Atlantic coast to Spartanburg, NC. That would be an ideal extended ride for serious mountain bikers or e-bike fat tire riders.
On the way home, we stopped at Greensboro, NC where we rode on the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway. The trail includes the Guilford Courthouse where the pivotal revolutionary war battle was fought that ended the march by Cornwallis through the south and led to his eventual surrender at York Town. The battle was immortalized in the movie The Patriot with Mel Gibson.
In June we did some riding in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We stopped at Titusville PA and rode along the Oil Creek State Park Trail (18 mi) that passes through the original oil boom towns of Western PA. The park has a replica of the first US oil well. From there we went to Wheeling WV (Wheeling Heritage Trail) and Morgantown (Mon River & Deckers Creek Rail Trails) riding on bike paths in both towns.
More recently, with my shoulder on the mend, I drove out to meet my brother in Oshkosh Wisconsin where I have done some bike riding in the past. Out of Oshkosh is the Wiouwash State Trail (47 mi paved/packed gravel) that travels mostly flat along an abandoned rail line and passes wetlands and farm fields. South of Oshkosh is Fond Du Lac where Wild Goose State Trail (34.5 mi) starts. This is an old rail trail flat, well maintained through farms and forests. I have a favorite ride (Peebles Trail) from Fond du Lac that goes up a glacial escarpment to the east and puts you in the middle of a very large wind farm with state of the art wind turbines in the corn fields.
More information on the trail system can be found on the Traillink.com website. Traillink gives the length, surface material, altitude of the trails. Plus, there is a general description of the trail conditions, what to see, food and water, and where to park your car. The Rails to Trails Conservancy has guide books with descriptions of the most popular rail trails in the US and is a good resource for bikers and walkers.
Good Riding to you all. Bill Kornrumpf
President's Column
By Ed Greiner
July is always a busy time for NNYP. Monday night paddling and Wednesday time trials are in full swing and there are, of course, two major races.
Both the Electric City Regatta and the Barge Chaser were well attended this year. While not record attendance at either race, they exceeded our expectations.
The Electric City Regatta took place on Saturday July 13th. We had 49 participants in 27 boats. The weather was scorching hot with the temperature around 93 degrees Fahrenheit. There was no shelter from the sun except our two small pop-up canopies. Surprisingly, only one kayaker, one of our locals, had serious problems with the heat. Although he made it in under his own power, he was far behind where we expected him to be. I had a similar problem at the 2016 Nationals in Northfield, Mass. I finished dead last. I would like to thank Rich Calder for providing the safety boat at Electric City and Geoff Moore for helping to man it. We were able to stay in contact with them to keep track of the racers.
In addition to our longtime sponsor Wolf Hollow Brewing Company, Two For The Road food truck helped defray our costs. They are a regular provider at Wolf Hollow and we make it a point to sample their fare whenever they are there.
Many people stayed in the Capital Region to race the Barge Chaser the next day. While the numbers were down from the previous day, 19 boats with 31 paddlers, it was still a better turnout than expected. The figure eight course of the Barge Chaser makes it a good one for spectators. In addition to watching participants from the start/finish line, an ambitious spectator could ride down the bike path to view the island turn or go west on route 5S to the Mabee farm. I was just happy that there was more shade available for the timing crew due to the trees at Kiwanis Park. Bill and Karen Simmons provided and manned the safety boat at the Barge Chaser as they did the previous month at the Towpath Regatta. Many thanks to them.