This
summer, the village of Hoosick Falls is planning an extravagant,
five-day-long celebration commemorating its 175th anniversary.
A multitude of events, running the gamut from parades, band concerts,
an anniversary ball, Native American dance, fireworks, farmers'
market and historic walks, are planned for Wednesday, August 7
through Sunday, August 11.
Village trustee Marie O'Neil and local historian/businessman Jonathan
Daniel are co-chairpersons of the event. It is anticipated that
elected officials from national, state and local levels will attend
opening ceremonies the afternoon of August 7, to be held in Wood
Park following a 2 p.m. parade from Town Park.
Throughout
the five days, entertainment will be provided by local artists,
including baritone Steve Marking, and The Theatre Company at Hubbard
Hall, under the artistic direction of Kevin McGuire. Events suggesting
the village's heyday during the years 1880 - 1920 will include
an old-fashioned boxed picnic supper and band concert, a block
dance for youth, a family day with walking and carriage tours
to historic village buildings such as the Octagon house and St.
Mark's Episcopal Church with its Tiffany window and hand-carved
German rarado, and a costume celebration ball.
Wednesday
- Saturday, there will be a petting zoo, trolley rides and horse-drawn
carriage rides. Church services at the village's several places
of worship will be followed by a pancake breakfast and closing
ceremonies on Sunday. Mayor Laura Reynolds said, "Hoosick
Falls is a lovely place to live, a combination of old-fashioned
charm and 21st-century thinking. Several farsighted projects are
currently underway that will make the village an ideal community
now and in the future. Our daily life resonates with civic involvement
and pride. The 175th anniversary will be a vivid, unique recollection
of our rich heritage. We hope our neighbors throughout the region
will come and visit us during our birthday events and become part
of our community, if only for a day."
Village
officials staged an official preview of the 175th anniversary
festivities at its annual Memorial Day parade, complete with vintage
trolley rides, a nineteenth-century trading post, and the adoption
of a new village seal. Promotional activities creating momentum
for the big birthday event are well underway, with local Stewarts
shops and the Ice Kreme Cafe inviting customers to "name
a flavor" evoking the anniversary. In a reprise from the
village's 125th celebration, a series of four collectors' wooden
nickels has been created, with three coins already in distribution
and the fourth available for sale around July 4. The nickels have
hidden markings that qualify the owner for prizes during the anniversary
events.
Hoosick
Falls Through The Years
Hoosick
Falls, NY is a small village located 33 miles northeast of Albany,
with a population of roughly 3,600. In the late 1770's, a small
community began to develop near the Falls of the Hoosick River.
It was known at first as "Que Quicke" after its Indian
name, then around the year 1800 as the village of Franklin, and
finally in 1827, with 200 residents, was incorporated under the
name of Hoosick Falls.
Several
small industries developed near the Falls and by the time of incorporation,
the Caledonian Cotton factory was producing 30,000 yards of printing
cloth weekly, eventually employing 150 workers. By 1831, the Tremont
Cotton factory had been added to the production force employing
an additional 70 workers.
The
main growth of the village began when Walter A. Wood started manufacturing
farm machinery in the 1850s. The Walter A. Wood Mowing and Reaping
Machine Company (1852-1923) producing cutters, reapers and binders,
encompassed 41 buildings on 85 acres of land on the north side
of the Hoosic River near the Falls. In 1892, the year of Wood's
death, and the year the company reached its peak, nearly 2,000
workers were employed producing 330 machines a day. The machinery
was sold through thirty branch offices located on every continent.
This industrial complex helped expand the village population from
less than 1,000 in 1850 to nearly 7,000 residents in 1900.
Over
the decades Hoosick Falls has given birth to many luminaries in
the worlds of art and entertainment. Prima Ballerina Harriet Hoctor
was a native, as were Bob and Ray Eberle, vocalists who helped
define the Swing Era in American popular music. The paintings
of Grandma Moses, considered America's most well-known and beloved
folk artist, were first discovered in 1938 while on sale in Thomas'
Pharmacy in Hoosick Falls. Moses, a native of nearby Eagle Bridge,
is buried in the village's Upper Maple Grove Cemetery.
One
of the area's greatest resources is its scenic beauty. Rolling
hills, mountains, and the two rivers, the Walloomsac and the Hoosic
which wind throughout the vicinity, provide visitors and residents
alike with breathtaking views and tranquil, private spots to enjoy
simple rural pleasures of hiking, canoeing, or picnicking. In
the village proper, tree-lined streets with their graceful, Victorian
dwellings retain much of the character and charm of the turn-of-the-twentieth
century.
With
beautiful mountains and a quiet country pace, Hoosick Falls offers
a quality of life that is something most people can only dream
of. The village is located close to the many ski resorts and lakes
of the Capital-Saratoga District, the Adirondacks, the Berkshire
Hills of Western Massachusetts, and nearby Vermont. As part of
the Capital District, Hoosick is near its business and commerce
centers and is fifty minutes from the State Capitol. Hoosick Falls
last celebrated an anniversary event, its 150th "sesquicentennial,"
August 4 - 7, 1977. Highlights included a performance by Bob Eberle
at the Anniversary Ball, an ongoing horseshoe competition, and
the ever-popular Brothers of the Brush and Sisters of the Swish
competition.
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HERB
OSCAR ANDERSON WILL PERFORM AT ANNIVERSARY GALA
On
Saturday, August 10, 2002, national broadcasting legend Herb Oscar
Anderson will be performing at the Anniversary Gala celebrating
Hoosick Falls 175th anniversary and the 225th anniversary of the
Battle of Bennington. The Gala will take place at the Town of
Hoosick Multipurpose Building on Barton Ave., in Hoosick Falls,
NY.
Mr.
Anderson is a now resident of Hoosick, but was previously renown
as the "morning mayor" of New York City, where he hosted
the most listened to morning radio show on the North American
continent. He
will be singing at the Gala with Marlowe's Big Band of the Northeast.
Admission
buttons for the Gala are on sale at Thorpe's Pharmacy, Hoosick
Falls Village Office, Don's Barber Shop, and from Gala Committee
members Peg Baratto, Don and Esther Bogardus, Marilyn Douglas,
Mary Rita Downey, Phil Leonard, or Kevin O'Malley.
For
more information call the Village Offices at 518-686-7072 or the
Hoosick Town Offices at 518-686-4571.
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For
more information call the Village Offices at 518-686-7072
