From the Director's Desk

Hi All,

Despite the fact that Halloween candy is out in the stores and back to school supply lists are being checked, we still have the month of August to enjoy the beautiful summer in Rensselaer County. 

Our farms are filled with the bounty of fruits and vegetables that can be found at the Saturday Farmer's market in downtown Troy or at the many farm stands throughout the county. Every town has more than one and each carries their own unique vegetables, fruits, and baked goods, always worth the ride.  Summer is also the time that people are delving into their family history using our research library.  It is joyous to see a patron's face light up when they see an ancestor's signature on surrogate court records or see a photo of the house they lived in. Our brilliant library volunteers, Chris Kelly, Barbara Urban and Elsa Prigozy leave no history stone unturned and our patrons, as are we,  grateful for the work they do every week .

Now that the blistering heat has passed, (we hope!), it is a great time to join me for our popular Gilded Age walking tours this month. You will add 7500 steps to your daily tally while seeing the homes and businesses of the Gilded Age era residents in the downtown historic district.  We will visit the sites where HBO's Gilded Age Season One and Two were filmed, and yes, I have some fun behind the scenes stories to share about the filming. You even have a choice of a before work or after work weekday tour as well as a tour on Saturday morning. Head to our events page to sign up today!

A time honored tradition in the summer is an ice cream social!  Our Rising Leaders have one planned for August 17th!  The Lucas Confectionery ice cream mold collections will be on view and Education Director, Anna Doren, has some activities planned for this ice cream themed deck party! Visit our exhibition "The Pursuit of Happiness: Entertainment in Rensselaer County",  to put you in the mood to explore the many facets of entertainment to participate in in Rensselaer County. From the Circus in Prospect Park, to the re-enactments at the Bennington Battlefield in Hoosick, to the Schaghticoke Fair. The fair runs from Aug 30 -Sept 4th.  I will be there! Come up and talk about Rensselaer County history with me ! 

Of course it isn't too early to talk about the annual Holiday Greens Show.  This year we get to show off the beautiful new reproduction wall to wall Brussel's carpet that was recently installed in the front and back parlors! What a gorgeous backdrop to this year's theme, the 200th anniversary of the first publishing of the poem in The Troy Sentinel; "A Visit from St. Nicholas".  The ladies from the Van Rensselaer Garden club have been planning for months !  As always, we need  volunteers to man the rooms in the Hart Cluett House. It is a great way to kick off your holiday season ! If you are interested in volunteering send me an email  at  ksheehan@hartcluett.org 

And as we head towards fall, mark your calendars for our annual meeting to be held Monday, September 11, at 7PM . This is a  wonderful opportunity to meet our  staff, Samantha Mahoski, Curator/Archivist, and our new staff members,  Deputy Director Amanda Irwin, Education Director, Anna Doren and Curatorial Assistant Elliot Gnirrep and hear about the exciting projects they are working on. 

Enjoy the rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing you soon! 

Kathryn Sheehan, Executive Director
Rensselaer County & Troy City Historian