Sullivan Renaissance
Bundling Great Improvement Energy

By TRACY DENMAN

Let the beautification begin! The Sullivan Renaissance people have really hit the nail on the head with this beautification program. Since it started folks have been doing all kinds of great things for this county.

Here in the river valley, Narrowsburg’s Beautification Group has caused quite a stir with the start of its community projects. This Saturday, June 9, they are hosting another community planting day at the municipal parking lot. Only this time they are asking people to bring the plants! So if you have any large perennials that you are willing to plant in the community garden, come on down on Saturday between 11:00 and 2:00 p.m. Lunch will be served around noon. And while you’re in town, you can check out the 10 new ornamental pear trees in front of the cemetery, rectory and church at St. Francis . I hear St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is thinking about planting lavender by their front walkway and in front of the rectory. Laurie Stuart down at the end of Erie Avenue thinks the stone-walled-lined street is the prettiest in town. She says she’s going to host a Erie Avenue spruce up party some Sunday real soon. You can order lavender and trees by talking to Mary Paige at the library (845/252-3360)

Folks like Ginny Boyle and Michael Chojnicki in Callicoon have also been mighty busy. Most of the energy has been headed towards prettying up the Callicoon Creek Park. Volunteers have planted perennial gardens, wildflower beds, and are starting to make room for a nature trail to run along the creek and park entrance. You can check out their progress when you visit the Callicoon Farmer’s Market on  Sundays from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. It’s all right there. If you want to volunteer, give Michael at 845/887-4181a call.

Of course folks like Edna Calkin out in Cochecton haven’t been pussy footin’ around much either. They started several projects last week and haven’t stopped since. To help dress up the town hall they did some much-needed landscaping. Richard Guttzeit made two new cedar planters and window boxes for the cause. Other folks bulldozed around the town hall to make room for the new bushes that came in last Friday. Plenty of the young folk, the local boy scouts, girl scouts and youth group helped lend a hand in moving perennials and setting up two new gardens of flowers in the area. Not only that, the local Marines donated a new flag for the town hall to boot. Give Edna a call at  845/932-8929 and see how you can help.

Well that’ll be all for this week’s report, but next week look forward to seeing what hoppin’ out in North Branch, Livingston Manor, Jeffersonville, and Highland.

[Organizers, if you have news send it to me: Tracy Denman at tracydenman@riverreporter.com or fax releases to 845/252-3298. Call me at 845/252-7414 if you want to speak with me directly.]