Soup’s On!

stone-soupMidtown East has new eats: The Stone Soup Food Company.

Opened for the past two weeks, the eatery is located at 470 Broadway across from the midtown neighborhood center.

The menu features freshly made soups (of course), chili, bisque, salads, sandwiches, wraps and comfort foods such as mac and cheese, crab cakes and a real meaty lasagna.

Call for daily specials: 845.340.0470

It’s nice to see a business open in this part of town, which serves the workers of city hall, the high school, telephone building and other businesses.

Please show your support and stop buy for a sandwich.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

New Citizens Circa 1970

Google has a huge collection of images from Life magazine that includes some of the magazine’s most famous photos — of celebrities (Marilyn Monroe), presidents (JFK) and other notables.

But for giggles, I typed in “Kingston” and found photos taken by Bill Eppridge of a naturalization ceremony in the county courthouse here in Kingston back in 1970.

The images included immigrants holding American flags, which were donated by the D.A.R. members, who were in attendance. They were joined by the ladies auxiliary of the V.F.W. Kingston high school students were also on hand to sing “a cappella.”

What a welcome for these new citizens! Does anyone know if the V.F.W. or the D.A.R. or the high school still participates?

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Members of the D.A.R. attend naturalization ceremony in Kingston.
Members of the D.A.R. attend naturalization ceremony in Kingston.

Leaves of (Long) Grass Part 2

Thank you Rebecca and Jessica for the feedback on this issue of mowing and wildflowers. I can’t help but think that there are lots of good ideas out there that can be employed, which can save money and help the environment.

Digging around last night, I found an initiative from the U.S. Forest Service — “Celebrating Wildflowers” — that encourages wildflower growth. It’s a great website with some interesting ideas.

I know spring is far off, but thinking and dreaming about gardening and such is what you do in the winter, right?

— Arthur

Leaves of (Long) Grass

This week’s story in the Kingston Times about the City of Kingston’s budget offered a sober view of what department heads face in the coming year.

Reporter Jesse Smith quoted parks and recreation head Kevin Gilfeather as saying his department will “still be able to pick up the trash and do all of the regularly-scheduled maintenance, it’s the extras we won’t be able to do anymore.” Gilfeather went on to say that his department be might resort to cutting “the grass [in city parks] every eight or 10 days instead of every five or six.”

On the Ward 9 website, Bill Berardi speculated that “city trash will be left” curbside on the weekends and the grass will be “unmowed — nice attraction to tourists,” he wrote.

Bill’s got a point. Unmowed grass in a park is not a pretty sight. I wonder if the city could get a little bit creative here.

Maybe certain, street-adjacent areas of our parks can be mowed while letting larger swaths grow out with some planted wildflower seeds? Imagine a variety of wildflowers growing in the parks, adding color and beauty. Doing so would not only save money on mowing, but would be better for the soil and would attract wildlife.

Just a thought.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz