Eckler is employee of the quarter

ST. JOHNSVILLE — Wendy Eckler has been named St. Johnsville Rehab and Nursing Center Employee of the Quarter for the months of July through September. Eckler assists with the restorative ambulation program.

Renee Dingman, LPN, had this to say about Eckler: “Wendy Eckler has been a vital help to our facility with taking on the position of Restorative CNA. Over the past year, I have been able to see so many residents’ lives touched by Wendy’s caring and patient ways with the program. I believe that she has the gentle push to help a resident excel to the best of their abilities whether it is to discharge to home or to become more independent. Wendy tries very hard to encourage residents to maintain their ability to walk.”

Bill Brust Combo to play Sprout Brook

SPROUT  BROOK — The Bill Brust Combo, featuring pianist Ira Meltzer, will return to the Sprout Brook Country Store for a performance Friday, August 10, from 5-8 p.m.

Also performing with the Bill Brust Combo is Brust on drums, Jan Cronkhite on tenor saxophone, Richard Saba on guitar, and Laurie Stewart on vocals. The band’s sets routinely encompass a wide variety of songs, ranging from Broadway show tunes to country classics.

The Sprout Brook Country Store is located just off NY Route 163. Seating is limited, so arrive early if possible.

Elks to host Summerfest 2012

NELLISTON — On Saturday, August 11, the Canajoharie-Fort Plain Elks Lodge 2621 will sponsor Summerfest 2012. The family event will feature kids games and prizes, raffles, a bouncy bounce house, dunking booth, face painting, and a horseshoe tournament.

DJ services during the day will be provided by Walt Maaser, and evening entertainment will be provided by JL Fog, starting at 7 p.m.. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be available during the day, with a catered chicken and roast beef dinner beginning at 4 p.m. Soda and adult beverages will be available.

A classic car and struck show will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring food and beverages and a People’s Choice award.

The event, held at the lodge, Old Station Road, Nelliston, will be sponsored by Howard Mosher, Jr. Contracting. The proceeds earned will benefit numerous charities.

With questions, call (518) 993-2621.

Vacation Bible School to be held

FORT PLAIN — Community Vacation Bible School will be held at the Fort Plain Reformed Church, with the theme being, “Follow the Footsteps of Jesus”. The school will run through August 12, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome to partake in bible stories, singing, crafts and fellowship.

MRML to present Science at library

ST. JOHNSVILLE — Margaret Reaney Memorial Library, 19 Kingsbury Avenue, will host Science at the Library, Saturday, August 18. School age children and their families are invited to drop in anytime between 10 and 11:30 a.m.

Presented in a science fair format, GE volunteer scientists direct hands-on experiments in energy, surface tension, buoyancy, sound, light, electricity, magnetism and chemistry. Stations will be set up throughout a library with GE volunteers positioned at each station to assist with the activities. Instructions are provided so children and their families can proceed at their own pace.

Science at the Library is free, however, for planning purposes please call the library at (518) 568-7822 if you plan to attend.

Village DPW to work on water lines

ST. JOHNSVILLE — The Village of St. Johnsville’s Department of Public Works will be working to repair three water lines in the village on August 13. In order to do this, the water will be shut off for the entire village from 4 a.m. until late afternoon on Aug. 13. When water is back on, it will need to be boiled until further notice is given.

If you have any questions concerning this matter, contact DPW Supervisor William Viccarelli at 332-0995. Another notice will appear in the paper when the water no longer needs to be boiled.

The Village Board would like to “thank” the residences of the village for their patience during the shut off.

Peach ice cream social, bake sale set

ST. JOHNSVILLE — On August 11, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., the annual fresh peach ice cream social and bake sale will be held at the St. Johnsville Marina.

Walt “The Man” Brown will provide music and karaoke. Sweet, seasonal local peaches will be made into a homemade, old-fashioned topping for gourmet ice cream.

This event is sponsored by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, supported by Schwan’s Ice Cream, in hopes of the community getting together to help George Haines.

Contact Rev. David Johnson at (518) 568-2405 with questions.

Universal pre-K openings available

ST. JOHNSVILLE — Universal Pre-Kindergarten has openings available for the 2012-2013 school year for students who live in the St. Johnsville Central School District and will be four-years-old by December 1.

The curriculum follows the New York State Foundation for the Common Core and provides children with a comprehensive educational base for kindergarten.

The daily program runs Monday through Friday from 8 to 10:30 a.m. during the regular school year. The program will start on Wednesday, September 5.

Applications are available at the D.H. Robbins Elementary School main office, by calling (518) 568-7023, or by visiting www.sjcsd.org/webpages/kyoder.

Bordieri to enroll

at Florida Tech

MELBOURNE, FL — Nicholas Bordieri, of Sprakers, has announced that he intends to begin studies at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, in the fall of 2012.

Bordieri graduated from Fonda-Fultonville Central High School, and he plans to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Oceanography.

CCS raising

lunch prices

CANAJOHARIE — The Canajoharie Central School District Board of Education voted to increase the cost of lunch at the high school by five cents and the price of lunch for students in kindergarten through eighth grade by 10 cents at its regular meeting on Thursday, July 26.

High school lunch will now cost $2.10 and a lunch for students in kindergarten through eighth grade will be $1.90.

Breakfast costs will remain the same.

The increase coincides with the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act which mandates schools to serve healthier food starting in the fall. The act also requires districts to maintain their paid school lunch prices on an equitable level with the free and reduced lunch reimbursements from the federal National Food Service Program.

The requirement — referred to as the “Paid Lunch Equity” rule — state that the price of a school lunch paid for students will be at least the difference between the federal reimbursement rate for a free and paid lunch. Right now, the difference is $2.51 a meal.

“The increases in lunch prices are a part of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act because the government is trying to make sure that schools are spending enough money on school lunches,” said Food Service Director Lauri Dahlin.

“Hardly any districts charge $2.51, but many have systems in place to increase lunch prices to that. Unless the reimbursement rates change, the price of a school lunch will continue to rise.

The new nutritional standards require schools to offer fruits and vegetables every day of the week, serve only fat-free and low-fat milk varieties, and include a minimum amount of whole grains. The rules also set calorie limits for students based on grade level.

The standards represent just one of the five major components of the act championed by Michelle Obama as part of her Let’s Move. health and wellness campaign. The goal of the program is to combat childhood obesity and teach children healthy eating habits.

Kinaman/Smith reunion held

FORT PLAIN — On July 28, over 100 members of the Kinaman/Smith families met at Wiles Park in Fort Plain for the first reunion in over a decade. It was prompted last year by several “younger” family members who had fond memories of past reunions held when they were just young children. Several family members began getting together once a month to plan the event.

The where and when weren’t a difficult challenge, but finding and notifying some family members turned into an adventure, albeit one made easier by the existence of Facebook.

There was a lot of catching up to do and genealogy forms to fill out as many “children” had married, new babies had been born, and sadly, some passed away. It was a day filled with lots of laughter, family photos, hugs, and tears of joy, as some family members hadn’t seen each other in over 20-30 years. Even though the rain fell for part of the day, it didn’t dampen the spirits of attendees.

Family members attended from the local area, as well as from Dolgeville, Johnstown, Gloversville, Delevan, Schenectady, Albany, Cooperstown, Broadalbin, Amsterdam, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Prizes were given to the oldest woman, Betty Manchester; oldest man, Kenneth King; youngest child, Mathias Nearbin; and those that travelled the farthest, Tina and Tom Testa from Florida.

Locals graduate from SUNY Oneonta

ONEONTA — The following local residents are among the 943 students who graduated from SUNY Oneonta following the spring 2012 semester: Alyssa Summerfield, of Canajoharie; and Meagan Kane, of Fort Plain.

Prime named to Union dean’s list

SCHENECTADY — Maxwell Prime, of Canajoharie, was among over 750 students from Union College who made the annual Dean’s List.

Prime, a History major, is a 2010 graduate of Canajoharie High School.

To be named to the Dean’s List, Union students must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the academic year and meet certain other requirements.

Raffa named

to Fredonia list

FREDONIA — President Virginia S. Horvath announced that approximately 1,677 students at the State University of New York at Fredonia have been named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2012 semester, including Carl Edward Raffa, of Fort Plain.