Village of Menands, NY

The next regular Village Board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 6, 2004. All meetings are open to the public and handicapped accessible.

The Menands Police announce the distribution of Free Gunlocks in association with PROJECT CHILDSAFE. Locks are made available in the interest of promoting gun safety for Village residents who are gun owners. For more information, contact Chief O’Brien at the Police Department (463-1681).

Reminder: The regular monthly meeting and Annual Christmas Party of the Auxiliary will be held at the Menands Firehouse on Wednesday, December 8^TH . Cocktails at 6:30 p.m., Dinner at 7:30 p.m. Each member is asked to bring 5 signed, unsealed Christmas cards. Under your signature, please write Menands Fire Co. Ladies Auxiliary. These will be going to the Firemen’s Home. For reservations, call Sarah Hirsch at 432-8955.

The Menands School PTA is selling discount movie tickets at $6.50 each (a savings of up to $2.50 per ticket) - accepted at all Regal (formerly Hoyts), Edward Theatres and United Artist Theaters nationwide. To order call Dianne MacFarland at 253-4925 anytime or Kerry Franklin at 462-3712 (evenings).

The Youth Group of Bethany Presbyterian Church is once again planning our next Reach Work Camp in the summer of 2005. This past July our group went to Gettysburg, PA where we worked with other youth groups to change the lives of hundreds of impoverished people. Thank you to everyone that helped us reach out to those in need!

To help fund Bethany Youth Group’s trip to our next Reach Work Camp, we are again selling Christmas trees and wreaths. The wreaths are hand-made from fresh cut Balsam and Douglas Fir trees. Wreaths are available decorated with a large bow and ornaments for $20 or undecorated for $15. Beautiful Balsam and Douglas Fir trees are available for $25. If you would like to place an order for a wreath or tree, please call 785-6061 or 462-2574. We are limiting wreath orders to 100 this year so order early.

REMINDER: Take a wondrous trip with Alice, the White Rabbit and a host of others on Saturday, December 4^th as over 60 Menands School students and the Missoula Children’s Theatre present Alice in Wonderland at 2:00 p.m. at Menands School. This original musical production is part of Missoula Children’s Theatre unique international touring project and is being brought to you by Menands School and the PTA. Admission is free. Come share in this wonderful experience with our children!

The Village Youth Committee is once again hosting the Village Christmas Party. Adult Volunteers are needed to help plan, decorate and clean up. It will be held at the Menands Firehouse on Friday, December 10^th from 6 – 8 p.m. Call Heather at 432-8521. Be advised the Youth Dance, previously scheduled for this date, will not be held.

Bethany Presbyterian Church of Menands, 21 North Lyons Avenue, invites all village residents to join us for a Christmas Potluck Dinner and an evening of fellowship and caroling at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 18, 2004. For reservations call Peg Pedersen at 785-6061 or Jean Lemere at 462-9827. Beverages and place settings will be provided. Please join us for caroling in the village after the dinner.

Menands Senior Citizens tentative future plans include a trip to Troy to the NYS Institute to see a play with dinner following. Also, an indoor pizza party is being planned for February. Further information on both of these activities will be in future issues of Menands Activities.

IMPORTANT REMINDER! Age requirement for membership in the Club has been changed from 60 to 55 years of age. Dues - $5. Per year. Stop in at Bethany any Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to find out all about the Club. Bring your lunch – we supply dessert and coffee. Come and bring a friend.

In the event a Snow Emergency is declared in the Village of Menands, motorists are prohibited from parking their vehicles on Village streets for 24 hours. Violators will be towed. If a heavy snowfall is predicted, we suggest you park your vehicles in your driveway or find other off-street parking. This will greatly assist our DPW in plowing our streets more efficiently. If you have any questions, feel free to call the Village Office at 434-2922.

The Village leaf vacuum continues to operate…however, the chance of snow is just around the corner. So get those leaves out to the curb as soon as possible. Once the plows are mounted on the trucks, we will no longer be vacuuming leaves. Collection of biodegradable leaf bags will continue.

Items to be included in next edition of the Menands Activities, dated December 17, 2004, must be received in the Village Office by 9 a.m. Monday, December 13th