Thanks To Small Army of Volunteers, Flower Boxes Are Out on Main Street in Mountaindale

Despite the weekends iffy weather here in Mountaindale, our volunteers were out in full force on Saturday as we turned the soil, started planting our Main Street flower boxes.

We had volunteers from every age group, with our youngest volunteer supervising from her stroller...TALK ABOUT CUTE. Want to give all our volunteers from yesterday a VERY LOUD Shout Out for your hard work, and great conversation. Without all of you, your generous donation of your time, your efforts, so many of the special touches like our flower boxes that make Mountaindale the beautiful little hamlet that it is just would not happen.

Ken & Barb Schmitt
Aaron & Rachel Schmitt
Sherwood Martinelli
Tyler Buholz
Jenny Foster
Gina & Arianna Columbo (& Gianna)
Antonia Columbo
Adrian Alcala
Toni Burke

Everyone had a wonderful time getting their hands in the dirt, and one of our big maintenance projects can now be checked off our list as the flower boxes are both planted, and out on Main Street for everyone to enjoy. So glad the Schmitt's have a fork lift adapter for their backhoe, as I would not have wanted to carry all those boxes out and place them by hand. Everything looks beautiful, and cannot wait for the plants to fill out and get some size on them. Again, a hearty THANK YOU to everyone who showed up to lend a hand with some of the heavy lifting as Mountaindale rolls out our Summer Welcome Mat.

Just as a FYI, please mark your calendars for Saturday July 16th, as the Mountaindale Community Development Project (MCDP) is planning a gala fund raising event to benefit our 2011 Sullivan Renaissance Project...details coming soon.

Mountaindale Commuunity Development Project Renaissance Project 2011...Call For Volunteers

A little bird tells us that the Mountaindale Community Development Project has big plans in the works should they be a recipient of a Sullivan Renaissance Project grant this year. You can follow the project this year LIVE ON LINE, as they have launched a blog to journal this years project, from pre-starting point through too completion. We have copied the first post below with a link the blog, and will be adding a link to it in our side bar here at the Mountaindale NY News blog.

Go directly to the blog here.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Official Introduction-Mountaindale 2011 Renaissance Project

Yesterday I spent some very enjoyable and rewarding time being in attendance at the Sullivan Renaissance Winter Conference and Awards Ceremony. Hearing the stories of some of the reward recipients, such as Butterfly Botanical and their restored 1730 barn, it was truly inspiring, and the guest speaker, Dr. Peter Harlow a internationally known and respected tourism specialist was perhaps the most captivating and engaging speaker I have heard in over a decade. Add to that mix a gaggle of very friendly people, some wonderful seminars made available to us, and I am truly excited at the prospect of being this years Committee Chair for the Mountaindale Community Development Project's (MCDP) Sullivan Renaissance Grant project here in our small hamlet.

With that said, perhaps I should introduce myself to those visiting this blog that might not know who I am here in town. My name is Sherwood Martinelli, and I am one of the newest full time residents here, though my own involvements with Mountaindale, and Sullivan Renaissance go back a few years now. I have been a seasonal camper at Skyway now for several years, and a few years back learned a back way into the camp from my home in Peekskill NY...that shortcut led me into and through the quiet little hamlet of Mountaindale, and having been a potter and sculptor for 20 years, I was intrigued that this little crossroads from where I was coming from too where I was going hosted a small clay studio, so I parked my car to have a look around. Since that day, I have become somewhat of a part-time permanent fixture in town, helping out where I could with projects such as the Hummingbird Garden across from our post office.

I use the word our, as I officially took up residence in town on February first of this year, and have plans, or perhaps a vision dream of opening up a studio/gallery in the currently vacant building next to my apartment in the late spring or early summer which will be known as, "Second Time Around"...hoping once the location is opened that some of you will stop by, have a cup of coffee or tea and sit and talk for a spell.

Having been involved in two previous Sullivan Renaissance projects prior to becoming a resident as a volunteer, I lept at the chance to Chair this years project, and suppose in some ways, the launching of this journal blog is my first official task. As winter wanes, spring knocking upon our door, there is a LOT OF WORK TO DO, so lets get started.

Barb and Ken Schmitt, and Janet from Radiant Yoga here in town have kindly offered to send out a carbon copy of this first post with a link to this blog to their email lists in the hopes that some (or all) of you will be a part of our 2011 Sullivan Renaissance Project in whatever way you might feel comfortable. The deadline for Grant submission is March 23, and this year we need to submit renderings of our project design(s) as well as a expected plant list with our application. In short, the time to get to work is NOW...I know, we are still not done with the winter snows, and yet it is time to think of spring and planting. So, if any of you have some ideas you would like to bring to the conversation, please email them to news@mountaindaleproject.org in the next couple of days.

Also, for anyone interested in knowing more about this years efforts, or if you might be interested in volunteering, making a donation of goods or services to our efforts, we will be holding an informational meeting this Wednesday night, March 2nd at the Mountaindale Art Center on Main Street here in downtown Mountaindale.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call. Sherwood Martinelli (845) 693-4513

*note-I will be posting up my own ideas for our 2011 project in the next post.