The Fall season with amazingly nice weather comes with many festivals and events before the chill of winter sets in. One of my favorites in coming up on Saturday, October 5th. 

It is a yearly October Festival event and is sponsored by St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Church ( the beautiful wooden church) located at 406 High Road in Glen Spey. 

During the Festival, the church is open to the public and its beautiful interior with its Bell Tower, cupolas, handcrafted moldings, religious icons and chandeliers are beautiful replicas of the churches that dot the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine where many of the church’s Ukrainian parishioners come from. 

Built in 1967 by the influx of Ukrainians immigrating to Glen Spey during the 1960’s who called their new community “Little Ukraine” the church has become a cultural anchor for the community and a local landmark and tourist site as a classic traditional example of Eastern European Architecture.

The Uketober (October) Festival coming up is a celebration of the Ukrainian culture with food vendors, craft stalls, live music by Ukrainian bands and entertainers and drinks of every kind. It’s a family friendly event with activities for the kiddos, and you can stock up on the very best homemade perogies this side of the Dnestr River! I have gone to this festival several times and it’s a wonderful day in a very beautiful location, and please make sure to take a tour of the Church. 

Admission is $10.00 and there is plenty of free parking. Peremoha Ukrayiny! For additional information go to stvolodmyrukrainiancatholicchurch.com or email: StvolodmyrGS@yahoo.com

As many of you know, the month of September was proclaimed as  Childhood Cancer Awareness Month by President Obama in 2010. As all of the residents of Highland know, for the past eighteen years, Lou Monteleone  had sponsored a St. Baldricks Day on the first Saturday in September to raise awareness and funds to support worldwide research in finding a cure for pediatric cancer. 

With online donations, sponsored head shavings, bake sales, merchandise sales, the Line of Hope Across  America and a Tricky Tray Themed Basket Raffle, this past St. Baldrick’s event was very successful and raised (not the final count) at least $10,000. 

Lou wants everyone to be aware that he will still be collecting donations through the end of the month. To donate go to Lou Monteleone’s Facebook page and find his stbaldricks.org/events/lineofhope2024 link or go into the Corner Shop or the Pizza Piazza in Eldred and donate. Congratulations to Lou and the Monteleone family and all of the volunteers involved in this very successful fundraiser.

In June I had mentioned a fundraiser “Pinky Sue Strong! In the Park” to benefit our lovely local neighbor, Kimmie Sue Thiele (known to all as “Pinky”) who had been struggling with some serious health issues for the past several years. Sadly, Pinky passed away and her beautiful soul will be greatly missed by her devoted family and her many friends. 

There will be a Celebration of Life service held on Saturday, September 28th from 6-8pm at  the Huguenot Fire Hall located at 431 US-209 Huguenot, NY .Attendees to the service are requested to wear something pink in her honor.