2020 - 2029
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President's Column: Spring 2020 Issue: The New Year is often a time to reflect on the passage of time. For many of us it’s a reminder that we aren’t getting any younger. But this past holiday I was struck by how many New Year’s Eves the town of Warrensburg has seen – certainly far more than I have. Warrensburg isn’t getting any younger, and hasn’t been for over 200 years! It’s easy to see the area we live in through the filter of time in which we live. I was acutely reminded of that as I was doing research for the Graveyard Walks this past fall. In 1919 Warrensburg was facing developments and challenges that made me realize I was investigating an entirely different place from this town I thought I knew so well. Seeing Warrensburg from a different perspective deepened my respect for it. It was no longer just the town where I grew up. I could no longer take for granted the familiar landscape: the beautiful architecture; the businesses that have been here since before I was born; and the government, schools, churches, roads and other pieces of what make up a town. People we now walk past in the cemetery, (and maybe have represented in the Graveyard Walks), invested their lives to give Warrensburg that foundation, and the future I now enjoy. It’s true – Warrensburg isn’t getting any younger, and how well of a foundation and future our town has at this point is up to us. We can’t just rest on what those long gone provided for us. We need to take the baton they have extended to us and help Warrensburg keep running its lively and action-packed race. I invite you to get involved. The Historical Society is a great place to pitch in – we need Board members and active Society members who want to help in a variety of ways. But that’s not all. I encourage you to attend town meetings, (the second the Town Hall), and let your voice be heard. Other organizations, like Warrensburgh Beautification, are always looking for participants as well. Pay attention to what is happening in Warrensburg and what needs to happen in order for its future to be bright. This is our town and our time in it. What will future Graveyard Walk participants hear about the lives we led and the legacy we left for them? The Society closed out 2019 with a great turn-out at the Holiday Dinner at our Historic Grist Mill. Thank you, everyone, for making it such an enjoyable evening! The Board has been hard at work getting the schedule for 2020 in place. We look forward to, among other things, offering programs from Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) on tax benefits for owners of historic properties, making improvements at the old Tannery property on Electric Avenue, and engaging with the next generation around Warrensburg’s history and future.
See you around Warrensburg Beth Kinghorn: President |
Steve Parisi
Memorial Tree Planted A tree was planted in front of Warrensburg Central Junior-Senior High School to memorialize the life and legacy of Steve Parisi, who passed away in December 2020. The ceremony was held on Thursday, May 20, also serving as a belated celebration of April’s Arbor Day and Earth Day. The tree is a sugar maple provided by Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District. The program was organized by Teresa Whalen, President of Warrensburg Beautification, Inc. Two individuals from Soil & Water, Jim Lieberum and Maren Alexander assisted with the planting. Steve was much involved with the elementary and junior-senior high schools, the students and the teachers, to give them exposure to, and appreciation of, Warrensburg’s history via its museum, of which he was the Director. ♦ |
