A heavenly day at the lake

By PATRICIA MARKERT AAKRE

NARROWSBURG, NY — Bill James sold slices of homemade blueberry pie and crumb cake and something sinfully rich with peaches and cream. The Lava Fire Department grilled burgers and hot dogs. Zariina Padu sold T-shirts and CDs for her dad’s band, For the Love of Music; and starting at 1:00 p.m. the bluegrass began to play.

It was all part of the Luxton Lake Property Owners Association’s fundraising concert on Saturday, August 8, featuring local jazz and bluegrass musicians. Groups playing included Oxford Depot, The Luxton Lake Trio (Jimmy Smith, Kevin Vertrees and Bob Keller, and featuring Hallie Hiatte), For the Love of Music (featuring Kha Padu on sax, a local who grew up on Luxton Lake), Sligo Creek and Caroline Verdi, a local musician who played solo guitar jazz-inspired rock and blues.

There are 46 members of of the Luxton Lake Property Owners Association, and they have been making steady improvements to the grounds near the site of the old clubhouse. Gardens have been planted, the lawns are mowed, and one day they would like to build a pavilion. Ultimately they would like to bring back the lake, which has been gone since 1983, when the dam that created it was breached.