Category: Special Events

ANNOUNCING….
The English Country Dance for Saturday Evening May 18th.
In the newly raised Morey Devereaux Barn at Old Austerlitz
7pm to 8pm – beginner lessons and introductions
8pm to 10pm – live music and dancing
Period attire suggested but not required. Beverages available.
A donation toward the cost of the live band is suggested in lieu of an admission fee.

Live music will be provided by Eric Martin on violin / viola, Larry Wallach on Harpsichord with calling / instructing done by Mary Jones.

Please join us for an exciting evening!

What is English Country Dance
English Country dance has been around for hundreds of years. People love the beautiful tunes. Tunes are taken from ballads, operas or classical music. The music has a definite beat. It can be sweet and melodi or sometimes melancholy. Most dances feature live music. Others love the grace and elegance of the dance. Most people find an English Country Dance to be energetic and fun. A great way to get out and have a good time while meeting some new friends.

Most of the steps of an English Country Dance involve walking or skipping and knowing the difference between left and right. Dancers move in specific “figures”. Sometimes you’ll hold the hand of your partner and sometimes you’ll move alone. Each step of the dance is led by a “caller”. Each step and movement is called in time to the music so you don’t need to memorize steps or figures. Just follow along with what the caller tells you to do.

Come alone or come with a partner. Beginners are welcome. There will be lessons and introductions from 7pm to 8pm. Our dance is held in a friendly, informal atmosphere. No special clothing is needed, but if you have period attire and would like to wear it, please feel free. We recommend clean, soft-soled shoes or sneakers.

Sponsorship, Advertising and Underwriter opportunities are available for all events.
Please call 518-392-0062 to inquire.

A Special Thank You to our Underwriters who contribute to the success of our event!

1794 Heritage Circle Level Underwriter – $1000
Robert & Luise Kleinberg
Norma Edsall
Alice Corbin
Suzanne Mugler
Anthony & Gail Cashen

Historian Level Underwriter – $500
Joseph & Connie Mondel
Robert & Barbara Willner
Robert Herron

Benefactor Level Underwriter – $250
Alice & Edwin Leason
Michael Rebic & Jeff Harris
John & Denise Dunne

Supporter Level Underwriter – $100
Ellen G. Scott

Other Underwriting Support
Walter Smythe

Corporate Underwriters – Advertising Support
Click an image to visit the underwriter’s website

Corporate Underwriters – Diamond Level Support – $1500
Click an image to visit the underwriter’s website
Your name & logo displayed here for your $1500 contribution

Corporate Underwriters – Platinum Level Support – $1000
Click an image to visit the underwriter’s website

Corporate Underwriters – Gold Level Support – $500
Click an image to visit the underwriter’s website
Your name & logo displayed here for your $500 contribution

Corporate Underwriters – Silver Level Support – $250
The Lofgren Agency
Herrington’s
Dells’ Plumbing, Heating & A/C, Inc.

Corporate Underwriters – Bronze Level Support – $100
Valley Energy
Kinderhook Bank

Corporate Underwriters – Other Level Support
Kleeber Agency Insurance

Logistic Support for our Cavalry Camp

In honor of the many talented local residents who keep up a centuries-old tradition by continuing to craft items from native wood, the Austerlitz Historical Society is sponsoring Woodworkers Day on Sunday, August 26 from 10 am to 5 pm. More than a dozen artisans living in the town of Austerlitz—professionals and hobbyists alike—will show and discuss their handiwork as well as answer questions. Some will take orders for custom-made furniture and other one-of-a-kind items. A few will also demonstrate aspects of their craft.

Pieces on display range from cutting boards, bowls and birdhouses to desks, tables, chairs and cabinets. An antique desk made by the grandfather of Robert Herron, a founder of the Historical Society, will also be exhibited. According to Gail Cashen, President of the Austerlitz Historical Society, “Austerlitz Woodworker’s Day is a special opportunity for the community to learn how talented our neighbors are and to actually see what they’re doing.”

Professionals participating include Jeff All of All Woodwork, Reggie Brantner of J.C.Crew, Tim Hawley, Scott Mesick, Clarke Olsen of Clarke Olsen Design, Bryan Polhemus of Bear Woodworks, John Porritt, Steve Somlo, and Michael Walters. Amateurs who do woodwork as a hobby are John Dunne, Chris Landy, Dick Light, Howard Reznikoff and Stanley DeRuggiero.

Austerlitz Woodworker’s Day will take place, rain or shine, in the newly restored barn at the rear of Old Austerlitz on Route 22, one mile south of the intersection with Route 203. Beverages and tours of some of the historic buildings on the site will be available. Admission is free and all are welcome.

An Ethnic Pot Luck Supper is being planned for Saturday April, 9th, to be held at the Harvey House at Old Austerlitz. It is our hope that a major snow storm will be a rarity in April; that the prospect of being able to meet, after many months of shortened or fewer social activities, will cause our members to welcome this early April event.

An Ethnic Pot Luck can provide some of our members the opportunity to prepare and share a meal associated with a nationality or culture and be a joyous and “tasty” occasion. Some of us may have relatives from Ireland, Germany, Spain, India, Sweden, China, etc. in our background. (Recently, I asked a neighbor if that was true of his family. He recalls asking his grandfather about his background and got the answer “I’m a Yankee”. In that case we could be enjoying a “Yankee Bean Soup”).

Your dish can be one that you have enjoyed or found to be delicious in a cookbook, perhaps from Madhur Jaffrey’s “Invitation to Indian Cooking”. Our plan is to have those interested prepare a dish for at least 6 to 8 diners. Arrival with others, who have prepared dishes, between 5:30 and 6:00 pm would enable all guests to dine together at 6:00 pm. In addition we suggest that those preparing dishes bring the recipe so it can be shared.
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The Harvey House is located on the Old Austerlitz site on State Route 22.
Once you know your schedules, if you are interested in participating or have questions, call Connie Mondel at 392-5874

NEW EVENT TO BE HELD SUNDAY MAY 16TH FROM 10AM TO 4PM

Whether you have an old toy you played with as a child, a quilt that belonged to your great grandmother, an old wooden trunk at the foot of your bed or a treasured dinner service that belonged to your great aunt, come to Austerlitz Antique Appraisal Day and discover the value of your family heirlooms.

Our appraisers are NOT able to appraise JEWELRY, STAMPS OR COINS.

We LOVE pets! However, our insurance does not allow pets to be brought onto the grounds. Please make arrangements to leave your pets at home. Thank you for your cooperation.

Austerlitz Antique Appraisal Day, sponsored by the Austerlitz Historical Society, will be held on Sunday May 16th from 10am to 4pm at Old Austerlitz Village, the home of the Austerlitz Historical Society on Route 22 in Austerlitz. Appraisals will be $5 for one item, $10 for two items or $15 for three items. There is a limit of three (3) items per person. Complimentary coffee will be provided. Lunch and other refreshments will be available for purchase. The 1794 Morey-Devereaux House and the 1780 Harvey House will be open for self-guided tours.

The Austerlitz Antique Appraisal Day event features a panel of accredited appraisers who are experts in many different areas who will examine your item and give you a verbal estimate of its worth. Among the appraisal experts will be Rupert Fennell and Karl Gabosh.

Our appraisers are NOT able to appraise JEWELRY, STAMPS OR COINS.

Due to insurance restrictions, Historical Society staff cannot handle patrons’ objects. It is your responsibility to transport your object from your vehicle to the appraisal site and back to your vehicle. The Historical Society is not responsible for objects left unattended. No buying or selling of objects is permitted at the event.

SATURDAY MAY 1ST AT 5:30PM

Pot Luck Social
Saturday May 1st 2010
5:30pm to 7:00pm
@ Harvey House
Old Austerlitz Village
Rt 22 Austerlitz NY

Please call 518-392-5874
to reserve your spot.

Just in time for the season of ghosts and ghouls, the Austerlitz Historical Society invites you to “Shadows from the Past: A Historical Cemetery Walk” on Saturday October 18th. Participants will gather on the Spencertown Green at 4:30pm (in front of St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church). There will be cider and donuts, then participants will follow a ghostly guide on a stroll the the Cemetery. Along the way they will meet the “shadows” of some illustrious residents of the Town of Austerlitz in years gone by and learn first hand about their lives and deeds.

The event will also introduce the Society’s 2009 calendar, which features stories of some of the local forbears along with photographs of their homes and the gravesites where they now repose. Who knows…. you may meet some of those very people on the cemetery stroll.

Admission to this intriguing event is by a voluntary donation to benefit both the preservation of the pre-revolutionary war church by the Friends of St. Peters and the Austerlitz Cemetery Preservation Fund.