Community Day celebrates Marlborough

By Mark Reynolds
Posted 9/30/21

On Saturday, residents of the Town of Marlborough came together for Community Day 2021 at the Cluett Schantz Park in Milton. The day was a completely free family celebration that was capped off with …

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Community Day celebrates Marlborough

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On Saturday, residents of the Town of Marlborough came together for Community Day 2021 at the Cluett Schantz Park in Milton. The day was a completely free family celebration that was capped off with an evening fireworks display over the pond.

The celebration originated with the Marlborough Police Department who held an annual event with free food in front of the station. That has now expanded to include participation of the Fire Departments, the Highway Department, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department, a fun slide and bouncy house for the kids, a diver from the Ulster County rescue team who looked out through a window in a very large tank, while the ever popular trio All Too Real entertained from the park stage.

Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan presented awards to four area restaurants who prepared and boxed up food that was delivered to residents by volunteers during the height of the pandemic in 2020, as part of Project Resilience. Supervisor Lanzetta recalled that they started out with 25 meals and shortly were delivering 275 meals, three days a week. Across the county, deliveries reached 500,000 meals during the run of the program.

Ryan said, “It is an honor to be here to honor folks that really represent what I think this community is all about and really what I think this country is all about, which is selflessness and service and stepping up for your fellow neighbors and brothers and sisters in times of need knowing that at some point in the past or in the future you’ll probably be in a position where you might need some help.”

Robert Kirk, of Kirky’s Deli and Frank Harpolis, of Valley Diner received plaques of appreciation but Robert Pollock, owner of Frida’s Bakery and Frank Criccio, of Franks Village Market and Deli, were also singled out for their support and participation in the program.

Councilman Scott Corcoran said Community Day has grown from its infancy stage.

“Today it just came together. Everybody came down, we brought all of our equipment from the Highway and Police Departments and the weather was the best thing that could have ever happened for today,” he said. “My hats off to the PBA who started this event and the highway guys jumped on it and it has just grown and the Lions Club stepped up with volunteers, especially during the pandemic with providing meals for the St. Patrick’s Day dinner and also for Thanksgiving.”

Police Chief Gerald Cocozza said that every year this event, “grows and grows. We’ve got a lot more people helping that has made it bigger and better and fireworks is new this year. The Ulster County Sheriff’s Department is here, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Public Works. It almost feels the public expects it to be bigger and better every year and we’re excited to do that challenge and so far we’re good with that,” he said. “It shows that the public likes it and when we started this in 2015 it was free and I’m very happy that it’s still free.”

Miss New York State, Sydney Park was invited by the Marlboro Milton Lions Club. She received her crown on Memorial Day weekend of this year.

“It’s really an exciting thing to be part of such an exciting day,” she said.

In December, Miss Park will be representing the Empire State at the Miss America competition, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut. She is a graduate of Columbia University and is currently in her final year of Law School at Fordham University and will graduate in May 2022. Park also coaches soccer in Harlem and the Bronx weekly and she pushes to increase access to quality youth sports programming across the state.

Park said the Miss America contest is, “a really exciting and interesting competition, with a lot of talking, a lot of interviewing and a lot of questions but it’s a lot of fun.”

A Memorial Walk around the pond honored 8 Marlborough residents who died during the pandemic. Stephen Jennison read from the Book of Isaiah, in part; “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youth grows tired and weary and young men stumble and fall but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Jennison was the chairman of a committee that planned this year’s event.

“I think we had a great day today,” he said, noting that they secured sponsorships to fund the event from: Thomas O. Miller, Marlboro Milton Lions Club, Wallkill and Sawyer Savings Banks, Marlboro and Milton Fire Departments, Marlborough PBA, Local 17, Russo Propane, Rusk, Waldin, Heppner and Martuscello law firm, Milton Hardware, Shamrock Shows and Hannaford’s.

“We wanted to keep this non-political and we wanted to make sure that it was totally free and we wanted to show off the Town of Marlborough,” he said.

Supervisor Al Lanzetta said, “Today was excellent. It’s just a great gathering and one reason was to thank people who helped with Project Resilience during the pandemic when people were home-bound, especially our seniors.”