Dressing for Halloween in New Paltz carries a certain amount of pressure: it’s a big deal in town, with a giant parade sending participants out like tentacles to probe the nooks and crannies of the community in costumes ranging from the comical to the creepy. Selecting a costume when there’s going to be a big audience is tricky, but trying to predict how to dress with bad weather expected added an extra wrinkle this year around.
The “Honor Diversity — Defeat White Supremacy Rally and March” was held last Saturday at the Peace Park in New Paltz.
Sponsoring a wreath costs $15, and it may be designated for the grave of a particular veteran or for general distribution in a particular cemetery.
“We are standing in public to say no to racism, sexism and bigotry against religious minorities and the LGBTQ community,” said Donna Goodman, one of the organizers.
This Sunday, November 3, at 1 p.m., the New Paltz Rural Cemetery will be sponsoring its ninth annual Day of Remembrance (also known as the Day of the Dead). There will be refreshments, music and flowers to be used to decorate the sites of beloved family and friends. All are invited.
The Thomas & Corinne Nyquist Foundation is currently accepting funding requests from nonprofit organizations that serve New Paltz. This will be the 16th year the family foundation has awarded these grants. They’re particularly interested in supporting projects where a small amount of money may make the difference between success or failure, with most of the grants ranging from $100 to $1,000. With rare exceptions, the maximum award made is $2,000.
Francois Barcomb of New Paltz, who won the Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament in May, will be one of the 15 contestants battling for the $250,000 grand prize.
A roundup of local family activities.
The book being discussed, Rising Out of Hatred: the Awakening of a Former White Nationalist, recounts how Derek Black, heir apparent to the “largest racist web site in the world,” learned to question the beliefs he’d been taught his entire life and repudiate the movement. From November 3-9 a number of community events have been organized to provide opportunities to grok the message of dialog and redemption central to Black’s transformed thinking.
Kindergartners gathered last Saturday in New Paltz to say one final goodbye to their monarch butterfly friends, and to wish them well on their long journey to Mexico. The insects had hatched on milkweed saved from mowing along the River-to-Ridge trail, collected as caterpillars and allowed to pupate under the watchful eye of Duzine students.