Some good news for a change. The Town of Shawangunk announced recently that the playground areas in the Verkeerderkill Park have been opened. They ask that everyone please follow guidelines for social distancing and follow proper sanitizing protocols with the kids after using the facilities.
We would also like to thank Keith Sinclair who lovingly rebuilt and restored the fire engine that resides in the park back to its original glory. Park caretaker Nancy Moore’s father, the late Warren J. Moore, built the engine several years ago and donated it to the park. It is something that the kids took to immediately as they enjoyed exploring and playing in the truck.
Warren was a local building contractor and a mainstay in Walker Valley as the guy who made anything for anybody. He headed up the park committee and saw the Verkeerderkill Park emerge from the bare ground to what it is today. He was known for his generosity when it came to assisting Eagle Scout candidates with items for their projects, whether a bench or other wood project or helping a neighbor who wanted to do a project memorializing those we lost along Route 52 with white crosses placed at points along the way.
Warren was also the caretaker of the Walker Valley Schoolhouse Community Center building and grounds. If something broke, Warren would be there to fix it. If we wanted a picnic table or two for use at the center he would build it. We lost Warren in 2018 at the age of 85 and he is missed by all who knew him, but he is remembered fondly by all who visit the park when they see the Warren J. Moore Engine Company fire truck in the playground.

Covid-19 may have caused havoc with their baseball schedule this year, but our local Comets Baseball traveling team is heading into their Fall season. Local residents Ron and Christine Alfonso head up the group that has been playing about 6 years now, with Ron as head coach and Christine handling the office and fundraising duties. Assisting Ron with coaching duties is Chris Desena. The Comets are part of the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League [GHVBL.com] that had 450+ teams sign up for the Fall leagues this year. The team gets to travel to several states that include Maryland, S. Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey. Their home field & games are played at Chapel Field Christian School on Fleury Rd. Pine Bush.

There are several age groups for teams in the GHVBL, but Ron & Christine are kept busy enough with 15-16 year-olds for now. Team members for 2020 include Connor Stacklum, Mike Desena, Josh Martin, Keith Martini, Jack Gandolfini, Edward (Ryan) Garmendiz, Gabe Alfonso, Devin Greer, Kealan Stelmaszyk, Joseph Gleason, Liam Benzinger, Michael Jacques, Sean Garcia and Eli Lazio. Also a member, but currently on the injured reserve list, is Donovan Hopwood-Geisler who is recuperating from an automobile accident earlier in the season. Speedy recovery Donovan! Not only are these kids good at the sport they love to play, but they are also very committed to their school studies – with no one below a 3.0 GPA and most of them at 3.4 and above. [4.0 being the highest level]
Spring season starts when the school baseball programs start around mid-March. This year the spring season was canceled due to you know what… The summer season was just concluded and the fall season started on August 29. Winter training takes place at an indoor facility in New Hampton, NY where last winter the team took a clinic with former MLB payer Johnny Rodriquez who worked with the kids on the importance of opposite field hitting. There are strict Covid-19 health safety guidelines for playing baseball that are strictly followed for the protection of everyone involved.
On Sept. 13 the team is holding a drive through chicken BBQ at the Walker Valley Fire House. This is the 3rd fundraising event held at the firehouse. Another favorite fundraising location is the Christopher Jacobs Winery on Crawford St. in Pine Bush. The winery is a big supporter of the team and is also a sponsor. If you can’t make the fundraisers and would like to support the team as a sponsor, please send donations to Comets Baseball, c/o Ron & Christine Alfonso at 240 Sinsabaugh Rd. Pine Bush NY 12566. Banners are constantly updated with all sponsors that are displayed at all of their functions.
If you would like further information regarding the baseball team please feel free to contact Ron at (845) 800-0251 or Christine at (845) 283-1015. This group is also available to assist anyone in the community with tasks for community service hours. The group routinely helps at the winery at grape picking time, but will take on most any task.

The Walker Valley Fire Company recently completed Fire Fighting 1 training at their firehouse. Volunteer firefighters spend many of their own personal hours training for what might come their way during their tenure with the fire company. Once FF1 is done, 110 hours of classes, then you move on to FF2 and then on to whatever else is needed to stay proficient in your skills or to learn specialized skills.

Over the course of the next few months I will be highlighting what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter & first responder. Not just anyone can be a volunteer fire fighter and Walker Valley is a 100% volunteer organization. I have been a member of the ladies’ auxiliary since 2006 and there are aspects of the fire department I did not know existed until the skills were needed for a particular instance. I will be looking into the working components of the department; the training that is required for both basic and advanced firefighting levels and looking at the specialized units within the department and the people who participate in those units. I think you will be impressed about the knowledge and skill level of our volunteer members and those who support them.