By Kathleen Sullivan
Hurleyville-Sullivan First will be applying for a Sullivan Renaissance Maintenance Grant again this year. The grant will be used to support the projects the group continues to work on:
- Renovation of St. Mary’s Church for use as a community center
- Hurleyville Firemen’s Park
- Community Gateway
- Community gardens
- Planters at entrances to Hurleyville
The members of Hurleyville-Sullivan First will begin getting gardens, planters and barrels ready for planting in early spring. Everyone is welcome to come out and help. Work dates will be announced soon.
Hurleyville-Sullivan First meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Hurleyville Firehouse. The meetings are open to everyone who is interested in the revitalization and beautification of Hurleyville.
For more information about Hurleyville and Hurleyville-Sullivan First, please visit www.hurleyvilleny.com.
The Sullivan County Museum recently received an item very special to Hurleyville– Lebel Wichinsky’s bagel making machine. The staff at the museum, along with the members of Hurleyville-Sullivan First, is planning a formal reception to celebrate this historic addition and its inventor. A date will be announced soon; meanwhile the machine can be seen in the auditorium at the museum.
New exhibits at the museum include “The Military Room” honoring Sullivan County veterans from the Civil War through Desert Storm, “Early Sullivan County” depicting life in period settings, and “The Borscht Belt” chronicling this unique era in the Catskills.
Please call Pat Burns at 845-434-8044 if you are interested in shoveling snow at the museum this winter.
The museum, located at 265 Main Street in Hurleyville, is open on Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM and from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
Please visit www.scnyhistory.org for more information on the Sullivan County Historical Society and the Sullivan County Museum.
The Hurleyville United Methodist Church provides important services to everyone in our community.
The Bread of Life Food Pantry at the church provides food for at least 40 families each week. The food pantry is open each Thursday (except the 1st Thursday of each month) from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM. On the last Thursday of each month, the volunteers at the food pantry provide free clothing for families in need.
Volunteers at the church host the Community Lunch Program. Free soup and sandwiches will be served on the following Saturdays from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: February 4th and 18th, March 4th and 18th and April 1st.
The church also hosts a Youth Group. Young folks are invited to participate in an assortment of activities including board games, trivia, movie nights, arts and crafts while making new friends. The group will meet on the following Fridays at 7:00 PM: February 3rd and February 17th. More dates will be announced soon.
A Bible study group meets at the church every Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
The church will host its annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner on March 11th.
Please call Katrina at 845-436-7942 for more information or if you’d like to help with any of these activities. You can also visit the church on Facebook.
Columbia Hill Neighborhood Alliance (CHNA), comprising multi-generational residents, homeowners and business leaders, is deeply committed to the future of Hurleyville and the towns of Thompson and Fallsburg. The mission of the group is clear: ensuring future sustainable growth, preserving authentic rural character and protecting finite water resources in Hurleyville and the towns of Thompson and Fallsburg. The mission is founded on a commitment to sustainable development. Premised upon a strategy of meeting the material needs of a growing population while minimizing environmental damage, sustainable development can satisfy both present and future generations if done right. Sustainable communities are simply “places where people want to live and work, now and in the future” and Hurleyville and the towns of Thompson and Fallsburg can be those places.
Water resources, traffic intensification, community character alteration and wildlife habitat depletion have all been identified by the Columbia Hill Neighborhood Alliance as issues that must be carefully evaluated before development can be deemed sustainable and worthy of approval.
Please visit www.columbiahill.org to learn how you can help to protect our community.