It's almost time for the Landis Signature Plant, Book, and Bake Sale!

Wanted: Plant Donations!

As you prepare to put your garden to bed this, fall, you may find that some need dividing, and some are just extraneous to need. As you clean up the beds, you have the chance to share with other gardeners and help boost the Arboretum's profits at the same time. 

The sale begins this year with the Members Only Pick of the Pots Sale (POPS) from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Friday, September 10, and continues from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday, September 11 and 12, for the general public. Bring your plants to the Arboretum anytime during the week of the sale.

We've included a great tutorial on potting up plants from Nick Zabawsky, gardener extraordinaire. We hope to see you at the sale!

Potting Up Plants for the Plant Sale   

 - Nick Zabawsky, Longtime Arboretum member

It is important to have attractive, healthy looking plants for the sale. With that in mind, here are a few pointers:

Start Ahead of Time 

Plants go into transplant shock when they are dug up and potted. Most plants need 2 to 4 weeks to recover, so plan accordingly. I start potting up plants 4 weeks before a plant sale.

 

Pamper Plants after Potting Up

The transplanting process does major damage to root systems, and plants can't take direct sun. For the first ten days after potting up plants, keep them in shade and water regularly. I also mist the plants with a garden sprayer on a daily basis for the first few days to prevent dehydration. After ten days, gradually move the sun loving plants out into the sun to harden them off. Of course, keep the shade lovers in the shade. 

Provide Good Drainage

​One of the quickest ways to kill a newly potted plant is to overwater and drown it. Use pots with holes in the bottom to provide drainage and line the bottom of the pot with small stones, gravel, bark chips or some other coarse material that will insure quick drainage from the bottom of the pot. Use soil that drains well-not heavy clay. Professional potting mix will produce the best results.

 

I like the mix that is sold as "moisture control potting mix" as it allows longer time between waterings, and it also reduces the likelihood of drowning the roots. For plants that prefer heavier soils, I mix topsoil in with the potting mix. 

Use the Right Size Pot

Don't try to jam a plant into an undersized pot, and don't put a tiny plant into a large pot. Both situations not only look unattractive, but the plant will not thrive in such conditions. 

Don't Fertilize

Adding fertilizer over the long haul is a good idea, but not when potting up. High nitrogen fertilizer promotes top growth, when what is needed is root establishment. 

Prune and Primp

Just before the plant sale, remove dead or damaged foliage. Level up and top off the soil if necessary. For many plants with lots of foliage, remove some leaves to reduce transplant shock and provide a more balanced, healthy looking plant. 

Questions? Contact us at info@landisarboretum.org

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ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION INVITES COLUMBIA GREENE RESIDENTS TO JOIN 2021 WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S ON OCTOBER 16 Walk to End Alzheimer’s is World’s Largest Event Dedicated to Alzheimer’s Care, Support and Research

The Alzheimer’s Association, Northeastern New York chapter is hosting its 2021 Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Columbia Greene on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Columbia-Greene Community College. Participants may check in beginning at 8 a.m. with an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. The walk starts at 9:30 a.m.

 

On Walk Day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with a poignant Promise Garden Ceremony – a mission-focused experience that signifies our solidarity in the fight against the disease. The colors of the Promise Garden flowers represent people’s connection to Alzheimer’s – their personal reasons to end the disease.

 

“We are so excited to be back in person this fall, so we can bring together the individuals, families and companies who make Walk to End Alzheimer’s possible,” said Alzheimer’s Association, Northeastern New York Walk Manager Joseph Heaney. “Our committee and staff are working hard to create an experience that is meaningful, inspiring and safe for all individuals to participate.” 

 

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including 410,000 New Yorkers. It’s not only a leading cause of death in the U.S., more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

 

Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The goal for this year’s Columbia Greene walk is to raise $27,000.

 

Plans are currently moving forward to host the Columbia Greene walk in person. The health and safety of participants, staff and volunteers remain the top priorities as decisions are made about event details. The Columbia Greene Walk will implement safety protocols including physical distancing, masks (where required), contactless registration, hand sanitizing stations and more. Options will be offered to participate online and in local neighborhoods.

 

To register as an individual walker or team captain and to receive the latest updates, visit alz.org/walk.

 

Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s^®

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.  Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk^®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.  

 

Alzheimer's Association^®

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to  Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Its mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900. 

 

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MATM Charlie & the Roomers at Franklin Farmers Market

The Franklin Farmers’ Market is pleased to welcome Charlie & the Roomers to the Music at the Market stage on Sunday, August 29th, 2021, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The group performs blues, funk, soul, rock, country and Nawleans.  

The group is composed of Phil Leinhart on guitar, Charlie Raiman on vocals and harp, Orion Palmer on percussion, Reggie Barns on keys, and Hank Stahler on bass (who you may recognize from the Fokish tent). 

The performance is FREE to attend. Tables and chairs are available, and guests are welcome to bring their own seats as well. Don’t forget to purchase a sweet or some cheese and a beverage from the vendors to enjoy during the show. 

 

The Market is open 10am to 2pm in the Village of Franklin on Institute Street and includes vendors from Franklin and surrounding towns. Selling breads & rolls, beef, chicken & eggs, doggy treats, herbs, honey, jams & jellies, jewelry, maple candies and syrup, mushrooms, plant seedlings, pork & lamb, preserves, a variety of produce, relishes, Scandinavian baked goods, sunflower oil, fresh & smoked trout, and home décor.

 

Music at the Market is made possible with funds from the Delaware County Arts Grants, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group, the A. Lindsay & Olive B. O'Connor Foundation, and Delaware County Economic Development, New York.

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THE ETERNAL BOND OF PROTECTION

Good Morning - the Rain has Come! 

This article comes from the amazing experiences I've had over the last 30 years having been tied every year with this sacred thread called the Rakhi by various senior administrators and teachers in our university, whether in India, UK or in whatever country I was serving.  I have also had the lovely role of tying this thread to students who attended our Raksha Bandhan programs. I have seen the beneficial effect rakhi has on others, enhancing their self esteem by feeling loved and protected, and also its positive effect on creating love, harmony and respect within the nuclear family. Will arrange for you to receive a rakhi.  Also attached for you to see is a photo of 

Prime Minister Modi, who since being in office has the rakhi tied every year.

Best Wishes, Sr Chirya.  Keep flying! 

 

  Brahma Kumaris Illustration

 

The Eternal Bond for Protection 

 

The celebration of Raksha Bandhan, shows us what relationships should be like characterised by love, respect, kindness and empathy.  Our attitude and approach even towards people we do not know personally should be governed by these qualities intrinsic to the human soul.  During the celebration, when we are tied with the sacred thread of protection the 'rakhi', a pledge is taken to stay in our original nature of peace, love, purity, wisdom, mercy. This promise is a continual reminder that my every thought, word and action is one of having good wishes, of being elevated and divine.  I remember and practice to see every person as a child of God and part of my spiritual family.  This unlimited vision of universal brotherhood creates peace as it breaks all barriers of caste, creed, age, gender, religion, socio-economic status, color and personality traits. 

Raksha Bandhan originally focused on having an unlimited spiritual, loving relationship with God that nurtured, protected, uplifted us and created a heavenly world.  It is the memorial of when we were united together in the love of God, our true protector.  However, over time, the present era has modernized and limited this festival to relationships within the nuclear family, where sisters tie the sacred thread, the rakhi, around the wrist of their brothers to honor and protect them, and pray for their well-being and safety. The brother, in turn, promises to protect the dignity and honor of the sister and the family.  To date, the customs and lessons demonstrated in this special annual celebration have kept the family functional and united.  Family members remain close knit as it encourages bonding, respect, caring, trust and love amongst them.  

This deeper spiritual global understanding of Raksha Bandhan now occurs due to the re-emergence of Godly knowledge of 'soul consciousness'.  We souls awaken and remember to see ourselves as souls with a body rather than a body with a brain!  Having forgotten our eternal identity of being a spark of divine energy, a soul, a being of sparkling light, we became entangled in the bondage of physical matter, 'body consciousness'.  Lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego overpowered and influenced us to perform wrong actions, which in turn caused sorrow.  However, the Supreme Father is bound to look after us when we are 'soul conscious'.  Now in these uncertain times of potential and possibly deadly changes,  God the Father, is surrounding and tying all his loving spiritual children with an 'unlimited rakhi'. He is protecting us within this bond in His golden loving threads of  Light and Might.  

 

Raksha Bandhan encourages respect for both genders particularly women to protect and ensure their equality and safety.  With this new spiritual understanding, this protection and honour rests not only on brothers within the family, but on every member of society. No single individual can protect another person all the time. The antidote is to create pure feelings in our minds as lust and anger start in the mind. On the day of Raksha Bandhan onwards, we can decide to extend pure love to everyone.  Positive change can happen with spiritual training and empowerment.  The daily practice of meditation enables us to channel our thoughts in a positive direction and put a full stop to the wasteful and negative thoughts.  This purity of mind removes fear and brings happiness, wisdom and the power to keep on giving.  Rakhis can be made by hand and tied on the wrists of close friends, relatives, neighbors, religious and administrative leaders and to heads of countries.  Now over 100 countries and all religions value and honor this festival occuring this year on August 21, 2021.    

 

My positive attitude and actions ensure that I receive both God's blessings and good wishes from all souls in this global family.  These work as my protection and stay with me forever.  Rakhi broadens our vision beyond the boundaries of our own family to the entire earth as one family, children of God under the Fatherhood of God. The physical rakhi can be tied whenever the occasion calls for it.  Everyday you can connect to God and have a spiritual rakhi tied to ensure your protection and safety.    

 

For further details contact Chirya Yvonne Risely at bkchirya@gmail.com  -  chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org

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Franklin Stage Company Closes 2021 Season With Rent Control by Evan Zes

Franklin Stage Company will close its 2021 season with New York actor Evan Zes’ solo show Rent Control August 27–29 outdoors on the lawn at Chapel Hall in Franklin, NY. An alternate rain space will be used inside Chapel Hall, if needed.

 

In this award-winning comedy, a struggling actor lucks into one of the few remaining rent-controlled apartments in NYC, and finds a way to survive the city and pursue his acting dreams by turning the apartment into a lucrative Airbnb enterprise – that is, until, his money making scheme backfires and he falls prey to a world of internet scam artists and low-level gangsters. Zes portrays 25 characters in this wild-but-true cautionary tale of greed and redemption. “We’ve loved this show since we first saw it,” said FSC’s Co-Artistic Director Patricia Buckley. “Evan Zes takes the audience on a hilarious journey,” added Co-Artistic Director Leslie Noble.

 

The show is based on Zes’ experience coming to NYC to be an actor. “Living in New York City is hard,” says Zes. “Being an actor is really hard. Making a living as an actor living in New York City is next to impossible. This is the story of how I managed to do that for 15 years.

 

Rent Control had back-to-back sold out runs beginning with its debut at the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival and following with the 2016 Fringe Encore Series where it won “Best Solo Show” as well as the “Overall Excellence” award. It’s since been performed at Hartford Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse, Penguin Repertory Theatre, Centenary Stage, Mile Square Theatre, The Rye Arts Center, The Complex Theatre in Hollywood, The Tabard Theatre in San Jose California, Teatro Jaco in Jaco Costa Rica, and Teatro Elliniko in Athens, Greece.

 

Showtimes are Friday and Saturday, August 27 & 28 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, August 29 at 5:00 pm. Admission is free–suggested donation is $20 per person. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve and for more information: www.franklinstagecompany.org or 607-829-3700.

 

Programming at the Franklin Stage Company is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. 

Franklin Stage Company will close its 2021 season with Rent Control, a solo show by New York actor Evan Zes.

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Volunteers Needed for Landis Fall Plant Sale

We really can use your help!

Check out all the things you could do before,

during, and after the sale.

NEWS FLASH! People LOVE our baked goods - so much so that we ran out on Saturday. If you possibly can, please consider making something (or more than one something) luscious for the bake sale. See below for more information.

Preparing for the Sale

 

It takes a lot of work to get ready for a plant sale. We have to spruce the place up, get all the tables and tents set up, and of course, unload all the consignors' trucks and price member plant donations. We need folks on Friday, September 10 from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. For more detailed information on Thursday volunteering, contact us at volunteering@landisarboretum.org.

During the Sale 

 

Of course, there is lots to do during the sale (Friday for POPS and Saturday and Sunday for the general public sale) - everything from helping people find parking spots to writing up sales tickets, to promoting new or renewed memberships, to watering plants, to providing expert  advice , to serving as cashier, to helping with the bake sale (check below if you're a baker - we need you and your goodies!) - Whew!! Who knew it took so much to make a sale great?  

 

After the Sale

  

We also need people on Monday morning, May 17, for 2 to 3 hours to help load consignors' trucks and store everything away until next year! 

There's a list of jobs below , with some explanation . . .

Please email volunteering@LandisArboretum.org to let us know how you can help. If you are interested in baking, send your email to Bake Sale organizer Chandra Burkhart at sburkhart@nycap.rr.com  or call the Arb at (518) 875-6935. Read more about baking for the bake sale below in the task list.

Please note that due to COVID-19 mitigation practices we must follow, we are unable to offer the usual lunch for volunteers, but will have bottled water, oranges, and packaged snack bars. We encourage you to bring your own lunch.

 

Thank you for all you do!  And please know in advance - 

YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED! 

  

PLANT DONATIONS

If you have an abundance of plants, pot some up a couple of weeks in advance of the sale.  You can bring them anytime in the week before the sale. Please use a good potting soil and label them to the best of your knowledge with at least common name, and preferably the Latin name. 

LITTLE RED WAGONS (or bigger ones . . .): 

We need more wagons for our customers to use as they shop. It would be great if you have one you'd like to donate, but we would also love loaner wagons. BE SURE TO MARK YOUR WAGON WITH YOUR NAME IF YOU ARE LOANING IT TO US! Wagons can be brought to the Arb anytime in the week prior to the sale.

BEFORE THE SALE: 

Volunteers are needed in the afternoon on Friday, September 10 to unload consignment plants and complete setting up the sales floor. Contact our volunteer coordinator at olunteering@LandisArboretum.org and she will match your availability with tasks you'll enjoy.

DURING THE SALE: 

There's a lot going on during the sale! We need people to fill these positions for the Members Only Pick of the Pots Sale (POPS) on Friday, September 10, from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM, and for the sale open to the general public on Saturday and Sunday,September 11 and 12 from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (sale begins at 10 AM).  

PARKING: Help our patrons find the lots and park in an organized fashion 

INVOICE POLICE:  Someone has to check the carts to make sure the number of plants agrees with the receipt - why not you? 

CASHIER: You'll have a calculator, a credit card machine, and a cool place under a tent at the barn. It may be the best job of all! 

TICKET WRITERS: You'll get to see all the great buys people find, and write them up so they can go to their new homes. Ticket writers also help us collect critical data.

Membership: One enthusiastic, welcoming person needed to encourage new memberships and renewals. Membership donations play a big part in Landis' survival and growth!

BAKE SALE:   Calling all bakers - please Help! Pies, cookies, cakes . . . Yum! Pies do especially well, as do large cookies and turnovers. Whatever you do will be greatly appreciated. Please remember to wrap and label your goodies, including your name, and indicate whether the goodies include nuts or dairy. Also let us know if you'd like to help at the Bake Sale tent during the sale. Please contact Chandra Burkhart at sburkhart@nycap.rr.com or call the Arb at (518) 875-6935. Chandra would appreciate knowing in advance what you are baking. Thank you for all you do!  

EXPERTS: Are you the one your friends call when they have a plant question? You'd be perfect as a wandering expert and as a valuable sales person, explaining the ins and outs of all our wonderful plant choices.

PLANT WATERER: We want to keep the little beauties looking good. 

BOOKS: This may be the best place for an avid reader - there are SO many great books in our book room, and someone like you will know how to merchandise them. (And, if you need space on your bookcases at home, bring us the books for our sale.)

 

Please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Anne Donnelly, at volunteering@LandisArboretum.org to let us know you are interested in volunteering for the sale. PLEASE be specific with your choices  of date, time, and task, so you get your druthers!  

 

 

P.S. . . . Depending on when you joined or renewed, it may be time to renew your membership. You should receive an email reminder, but if you are not sure, just contact us at info@landisarboretum.org and we will check! 

 

Panoramic view toward the Barn

The George Landis Arboretum, Esperance, New York

Landis Arboretum is a private not-for-profit organization that supports an arboretum and public garden incorporating hundreds of acres in Schoharie and Montgomery Counties of New York State. We're close to Albany, Schenectady, and the rest of the Capital Region of New York State. Arboretum founder Fred Lape began the work of developing the Arboretum in the 1950's on Oak Nose Farm, his family homestead. With the support of a bequest from friend and colleague George Landis, Fred aimed to grow every species of woody plant from temperate regions around the world that would survive in the hills of Schoharie County. 

Forty acres of the Arboretum are developed with plantings of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials from around the world. The remainder of the property consists of natural areas, woodlands, wetlands, more than 14 miles of trails, and open fields. Among the Arboretum's horticultural features are a labeled collection of nearly all the trees, shrubs and vines native to New York State, as well as collections of notable trees, flowering ornamental trees and shrubs, tough trees for tough sites, conifers, and oaks. Two old growth forests and additional natural areas representing various stages of succession await visitors; Landis has recently been inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network! The Van Loveland Perennial Garden at the old farmhouse is a seasonal favorite. Interpretive signage aids visitors in their enjoyment and understanding of the collections and ecosystems of the Arboretum. 

Landis is now home to some interesting statuary, like the Landis dinosaur lurking near the pond behind the barn. Be sure to check out the two "photo op" stations on the back of the barn, where you can don the antlers of a stag or the wings of a Monarch butterfly. And be sure to stop by our new Meditation Pavilion with its tranquil pond.

And now we are pleased to invite you to visit a new feature of the Arboretum that can only bring more tranquility into your life: the Shanti Vun Meditation Garden, anchored by a welcoming pavilion, a lovely pond, and the soothing sounds of our waterfall.  This beautiful garden is framed by a forest of young birch trees and a nearby labyrinth.  With picnic tables to enjoy your lunch or just a quiet moment of reflection, the Meditation Garden is the perfect place to begin or end your visit to Landis.

Since its inception in 1951 by Fred Lape, the Landis Arboretum has been a "Garden of Trees and Shrubs" in New York's Capital Region. The Landis Arboretum is a valuable cultural and scientific resource that increases each year in scope and community impact.

Fred Breglia, Executive Director

George Landis Arboretum

Contacts:

Fred Breglia, Executive Director 518-875-6935 

 Director@landisarboretum.org  

General information:  Info@landisarboretum.org

Volunteer Coordinator: Volunteering@landisarboretum.org

Our website: Landisarboretum.org

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Naloxone Nasal Spray is Available at All Bassett Outpatient Pharmacies Without a Prescription

Naloxone nasal spray is available at all Basset Healthcare Network outpatient pharmacies and many retail and community pharmacies without a prescription. Naloxone, often referred to by the brand name Narcan, is an opioid antagonist that temporarily reverses the effects of both prescription and illegal opioids. It is highly effective as an emergency treatment in cases of known or suspected opioid overdose.

Naloxone hydrochloride has been available in clinical settings for several decades but the nasal spray delivery system, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the 2010s, requires no medical training to administer, making it a valuable tool in communities and home settings. The spray does not need to be inhaled to be absorbed into the body – it’s effective even when the person receiving it is drowsy or unconscious. It is effective in both adults and children and is safe for people who do not have opioids in their body.

“There can be a social stigma associated with opioid misuse,” explains Michele Taurisano RPh, Bassett’s network ambulatory pharmacy manager. “We hope this will help normalize asking for naloxone. Ideally, we want patients and their caregivers to discuss concerns about opioid use and naloxone with their health care provider, but we will gladly offer naloxone without a prescription if it means possibly saving a life.”

It is estimated that 2.1 million people in the United States struggle with an opioid use disorder. In 2018, the Office of the Surgeon General began recommending that families, friends, and people personally at risk of opioid overdose keep naloxone on hand.

Recognizing and Treating an Opioid Overdose

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies the following signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose:

·         Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”

·         Falling asleep or loss of consciousness

·         Slow, shallow breathing

·         Choking or gurgling sounds

·         Limp body

·         Pale, blue, or cold skin

Since diagnosing an overdose can be difficult for someone who is not a medical professional, the CDC recommends that every suspected overdose be treated like an overdose by taking the following steps:

1.    Call 911 immediately.

2.    Administer naloxone, if available.

3.    Try to keep the person awake and breathing.

4.    Lay the person on their side to prevent choking.

5.    Stay with the person until emergency workers arrive.

Although naloxone can save a life by reducing the danger during an opioid overdose, a person experiencing an overdose still needs emergency medical attention. “Naloxone can wear off before the opioids have cleared a person’s system,” explains Taurisano. “There are also serious long-term effects of an opioid overdose that need to be monitored and addressed. Naloxone pauses symptoms to allow someone to get help, but it cannot take the place of treatment.”

Are you or someone you know struggling with opioid addiction? Contact your county’s Chemical Dependency Service: New York State HOPEline 1-877-8-HOPENY. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for alcoholism, drug abuse and problem gambling. All calls are toll-free, anonymous and confidential. You may also visit Bassett’s resource page for a list of local and national addiction organizations.  https://www.bassett.org/resources-caregivers/mental-health-addiction-resources

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Iroquois Festival Canceled

It is with great disappointment that due to rising COVID-19 cases the Iroquois Museum in Howes Cavehas decided to cancel the Iroquois Arts Festival on September 4 & 5, 2021.  The Museum remains open on our regular schedule but concern for the safety of our visitors, artists, volunteers, and staff at a large event like the Festival helped us to make this difficult decision.  We hope you all stay well and that we see you at next year's Festival.

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Landis Book Room Open Saturday

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is stuffed with a trove of great reads - everything from books on gardening and nature topics to novels and biographies. We're lucky that our community thinks of us when it's time to thin their bookshelves, and that they are discerning readers who take good care of their books. The result is a wonderful selection. We've often been asked about opening the Book Room when we are not having a plant sale, so we've gathered some of our intrepid volunteers who will open the door on second Saturdays from June through September (and possibly October, depending on weather). We'll be open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on August 14, September 11, and possibly October 9. Sales are by donation, with cash or checks accepted. We hope to see you there, finding that next great book (or books ...)

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Dr. Erik Riesenfeld and Maureen Kuhn, NP, Recipients of Walter A. Franck Physician Excellence Award and Advanced Practice Clinical Award of Excellence

COOPERSTOWN, NY – Bassett Healthcare Network is proud to announce the 2021 recipients of the Walter A. Franck Physician Excellence Award and the Advanced Practice Clinical Award of Excellence. These awards are among the network’s highest honors.

Erik Riesenfeld, MD, Awarded Walter A. Franck Physician Excellence Award
Erik Riesenfeld, MD, medical director of respiratory therapy at Bassett Medical Center (BMC), has been awarded the Walter A. Franck Physician Excellence Award. Physicians are nominated for this prestigious recognition for demonstrating extraordinary service to patients, students, colleagues, and the community – traits that emulate the career of retired Bassett rheumatologist Walter A Franck. Network physicians vote to choose the final recipient.

The Franck Award is a recognition of Dr. Riesenfeld’s extraordinary leadership during the COVID-19 crisis. “On behalf of the entire BMC critical care team, Dr. Riesenfeld deserves the Walter A. Franck Award for his unwavering commitment to outstanding patient care,” colleagues explained in their written nomination. “He and his critical care colleagues performed in a heroic manner by putting their own lives at risk to save their patients. He is an excellent communicator, team player, educator, and role model to residents and colleagues.”

“This recognition is very humbling,” says Dr. Riesenfeld. “I feel like I am receiving it on behalf of others – leaders who rebuilt the hospital to accommodate as many patients as possible, nurses who risked their lives to stay at their patients’ bedsides, respiratory therapists who made rounds day and night to save lives, and the environmental services staff who cleaned and sterilized. Everybody made a remarkable effort for our patients.”

In addition to working with respiratory therapists in critical care, Dr. Riesenfeld was a co-investigator in Bassett’s clinical trials of various possible COVID-19 therapies. This work was what he found personally rewarding.

“The pandemic suddenly accelerated the pace of the medical field,” says Dr. Riesenfeld. “We have to quickly adapt to follow the scientific evidence. Our understanding and our strategies evolved week-to-week. That was exciting.”

Like many frontline caregivers and practitioners, Dr. Riesenfeld can’t help but acknowledge this complex mix of emotions about his pandemic work. “This has been a hard time – you can’t come out of it feeling great. A lot of people have suffered and died. It was truly horrible. But on the other hand, I’m very proud of what we did. We rose to the occasion and served our community.”

 

Maureen Kuhn, NP, Awarded Advanced Practice Clinical Award of Excellence

Maureen Kuhn, NP, medical director of Cherry Valley Health Center, has been awarded the Advanced Practice Clinical Award of Excellence. Kuhn’s nomination lauds her as an exceptional caregiver who uses all resources at her disposal to meet patient needs, as a gifted leader and a trusted guide for other leaders, and as an inspiring teacher raising up tomorrow’s caregivers.

 

“To get this award from peers I’ve worked with is a great honor,” says Kuhn. “I have particularly enjoyed teaching nurse practitioner students for more than 35 years. I came here as a precept student working with Dr. Pollack, Debbie Dickenson, and George Case. When I returned later to work full-time I committed myself to giving back. I’ve always had a nurse practitioner student since.”

 

Kuhn’s nominators consider her an exceptional community member as well. “She has established a deep, abiding connection with the Cherry Valley community,” they say. “She is their provider, their friend, their counselor. She is a part of the community in a way that few practitioners can begin to emulate.”

 

“You get what you give,” reflects Kuhn. “Anytime you make an investment in an organization, you get something back. Committing yourself to a community enhances your practice. It’s a blessing taking care of three, four, or five generations of a family and knowing that history. I’ve attended my patients’ weddings, funerals, graduation parties, and those sorts of things.

 

“The last 38 years have been a good ride,” she says. “This award is a great capstone as I look ahead to retirement.”

 

###

 

About Bassett Healthcare Network

Bassett Healthcare Network is an integrated health system that provides care and services to people living in a 5,600 square mile region in upstate New York. The organization includes five corporately affiliated hospitals, over two dozen community-based health centers, more than 20 school-based health centers, two skilled nursing facilities, and other health partners in related fields. To learn more about services available throughout the Bassett Healthcare Network, visit www.bassett.org. Follow Bassett on Facebook at facebook.com/Bassett.Network.

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Beauty of the Wild Talk at MTA

Labor Day Author Talk: Darrel Morrison -- Beauty of the Wild: A Life Designing Landscapes Inspired by Nature

Cost of Admission: This program is free. Register for this Zoom Webinar at https://www.mtarboretum.org/events

Beauty of the Wild: A Life Designing Landscapes Inspired by Nature

Published by the Library of American Landscape History

In Beauty of the Wild, Darrel Morrison tells stories of people and places that have nourished his career as a teacher and a designer of nature-inspired landscapes. Growing up on a small farm in southwestern Iowa, Morrison was transported by the subtle beauties of the native prairie landscape—the movement of grasses in the wind, clouds across the sky, their shadows over the plain.

For more than six decades, Morrison has drawn inspiration from the varied landscapes of his life—from the Iowa prairie to Texas prickly pear scrub to the maple-beech-hemlock forests of Door County, Wisconsin, to the banks of the Oconee River in Piedmont Georgia. In native plant gardens at the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, New York Botanical Garden, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Morrison has blended communities of native plants in distillations of prairie, woodland, and coastal meadow. At Storm King Art Center, his landscapes capture the essence of prairie grasslands and native meadows. These ever-evolving compositions were designed to reintroduce diversity, natural processes, and naturally occurring patterns—the “beauty of the wild”—into the landscape.

DARREL MORRISON is a renowned landscape architect and educator whose ecology-based approach to design has influenced generations of practitioners, particularly his students at University of Wisconsin–Madison (1969–1983) and University of Georgia (1983–2005). Morrison lived and worked in New York City from 2005 until 2015, and now lives in Madison, where he is an Honorary Faculty Associate in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin.

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Upcoming Events at Landis

August 19, Thursday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Shanti Vun Drum Circle

August 20, Friday, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

History of the George Landis Arboretum 

August 20, Friday, 7:00 PM

Landis Music Series: Running the River

August 21, Saturday, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Herpetology Hike

August 22, Sunday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

East Indian Cooking Class

August 29, Sunday, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Printing with Wood Cut Blocks

174 Lape Road, Esperance

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Editorial: Andrew Cuomo Was Never that Great

This is the second time that this paper is delving into state issues. Normally, we do not write about what is going on in Albany beyond the prism of the effects on our area or from our legislators.

The first time was several years ago, when Governor Andrew Cuomo, son of former Governor, professional baseball player, and Supreme Court (almost) nominee Mario Cuomo said that America was "never that great."

Andrew Cuomo was never that great.

Strip away the debate over his tax policies or on policing or on social issues. Vote for the policies or against them, but never vote for a phony fraud like our Governor.

From a local perspective, his office dragged its feet on needed recovery from Hurricane Irene-- originally not supplying it until after receiving additional money from Hurricane Sandy. After dispensing the money to downstate, then holding another round of potential projects, he finally opened up funding for Upstate communities devastated in 2011-- years after the fact. The resulting NY Rising program was an astonishing failure (in many ways, not all) for both individual participants and sewed up in delays for municipalities. I personally know of two stories where the program aided flood victims, then months later asked for money back.

Andrew Cuomo never cared about Upstate New York.

His actions deliberately placed COVID patients into elder care facilities-- then covered it up, took a media tour, and received accolades. This isn't because he's a Democrat. It's because he's a snake.

The Attorney General's report affirms what was mostly public knowledge before-- that the man who wanted to be president was a serial sexual harasser.

Resign. Impeach. Either one works. However, one thing is for sure-- Andrew Cuomo should not be governor of our state any longer. In fact, soon his fate may be in the hands of a jury of his peers.

- Matthew Avitabile

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Franklin Farmers' Market Music at the Market Series 2021: Mike Herman

The Franklin Farmers’ Market is pleased to welcome Mike Herman to the Music at the Market stage on Sunday, August 15th, 2021, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Mike is an acoustic country blues musician located in the northern Catskill Mountains, who along with tasty guitar lines, rounds out his original songs nicely with the addition of bittersweet vocals.

The performance is FREE to attend. Tables and chairs are available, and guests are welcome to bring their own seats as well. Don’t forget to purchase a sweet or some cheese and a beverage from the vendors to enjoy during the show. 

 

The Market is open 10am to 2pm in the Village of Franklin on Institute Street and includes vendors from Franklin and surrounding towns. Selling breads & rolls, beef, chicken & eggs, doggy treats, herbs, honey, jams & jellies, jewelry, maple candies and syrup, mushrooms, plant seedlings, pork & lamb, preserves, a variety of produce, relishes, Scandinavian baked goods, sunflower oil, fresh & smoked trout, and home décor.

 

Music at the Market is made possible with funds from the Delaware County Arts Grants, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group, the A. Lindsay & Olive B. O'Connor Foundation, and Delaware County Economic Development, New York.

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Dr. Samuel Badalian Receives Prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have selected Dr. Samuel Badalian, chief of Women’s Health at Bassett Healthcare Network, to receive a Fulbright award for the 2021–22 academic year. With this funding, Dr. Badalian will travel to Yerevan, Armenia in fall 2021 to establish urogynecology fellowship programs at two different universities. Dr. Badalian’s selection for this prestigious grant is a reflection of his leadership and contributions to society. As a Fulbright participant and a representative of the United States, Dr. Badalian will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with international partners and engage with the local community. As the largest and most diverse international educational exchange program, the Fulbright Program is devoted to increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. Past Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Laureates, 88 Pulitzer Prize winners, 75 MacArthur Fellows, and thousands of leaders across the private and public sectors.

Urogynecology—also known as female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS)—is a subspecialty in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Badalian has been practicing, teaching, and researching in this field for nearly 30 years. His plans include teaching a course at Yerevan State Medical University introducing residents and fellows to the basic principles of the discipline. This will be the first approved program of urogynecology as a subspecialty in women’s health in Armenia.

“Yerevan State Medical University already has a variety of outstanding woman’s health programs,” says Dr. Badalian. “But I believe my experience will allow me to significantly contribute to these programs. I am also confident that this experience will benefit my own understanding of how to prevent and treat women’s health problems.”

“Dr. Badalian has my warmest congratulations for this well-deserved recognition of his work,” says Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, Bassett Healthcare Network’s president and CEO. “When our caregivers provide our patients with excellent care, they naturally become preeminent in their field. Dr. Badalian’s work continues Bassett’s legacy of academic study and brings our work to the global stage. We are proud of his work.”

 

Building on Previous Work

This endeavor is a continuation of Dr. Badalian’s past work. In 2019, he studied pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) among women in Armenia. The final study, published in the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, found that rates of PFD were high in Armenia when compared to other nations. Badalian and his coauthors linked this rate to a combination of factors, but of special interest was the rate among patients who had previously undergone pelvic surgeries.

“Without urogynecology and female urology subspecialties, urogynecological procedures in Armenia are performed by gynecologists and urologists,” explains Dr. Badalian. “The rates we saw suggested that the surgeries may not have been performed properly, resulting in more problems. Our study recommends that the Armenian Ministry of Health and Yerevan State Medical University start education and training programs specifically geared towards pelvic floor disorders. After publication, I shared our findings with Dr. Arsen Torosyan, the Minister of Health, who expressed significant interest in starting a urogynecology fellowship program.”

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