With Fall officially here, the air is slightly crisper, and we can enjoy a beautiful Harvest Moon this weekend. Still so many things going on, not just leaf peeping. 

And what better way to start the season with the Maple Woods Farm Stand Fall Festival on Saturday, September 26, at Divine Corners Road, Loch Sheldrake, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy good ol’fashioned farm fun with pumpkin picking, farm games, crafts, petting zoo, and Hayrides. Entry is $10 per car. 

The Sullivan County Long Beards/NWTF, the Sullivan County Sportman’s Federation, and New York State DEC will hold the Sullivan County Youth Pheasant Hunt on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 588 Muthig Road, Neversink. The event is open to Youth 12-15 years old with Hunter Education and Small Game License. Pre-registration per day is required and all hunters must attend a provided safety seminar prior to going afield. Participants are asked to bring their own equipment of hunter orange, firearm, and ammo of choice although equipment is available if necessary. For more information or for registration information, please call 845-292-4325 or 845-798-4612.

Don’t miss the delicious Lasagna Dinner Fundraising Event to benefit the Shepard’s Pantry at Faith Hall – White Lake Church at 6 Mattison Road, White Lake on Saturday, September 26, from 3:30- 6 p.m. The Eat-In or Take-Out dinner includes Pasta Fagioli, Lasagna, Salad, Breadsticks, and dessert for $16 per ticket. For advance ticket sales or questions, call 845-791-0460. 

When a challenge is present, good leadership can design a solution that makes the world just a little bit better. The Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Foundation Leadership Sullivan Class of 2026 was charged with researching an issue in Sullivan County and then designing and implementing a sustainable solution. Members of the class culminated their work with the official Comfort Closet Ribbon Cutting Tour. In studying the issue, class members discovered that one of the leading causes of absenteeism in schools was the stigma experienced by students who were in need of personal hygiene products. With the high cost of these products, and basic necessities such as soap, shampoo, and feminine hygiene products not covered through social services, students would miss days of school because they were afraid of being bullied or embarrassed due to poor hygiene.

The Leadership Sullivan Class of 2026 set out to ensure that any student in need would have a place to go, with anonymity and dignity, to help solve the problem. From deodorant and underwear to shampoo, soap, brushes, combs, feminine hygiene products, and more, the class worked with administrators, teachers, and school counselors to secure a location within each school where students could obtain what they needed at no charge. In some instances, the idea of a Comfort Closet was new. In other schools, Comfort Closets already existed, but the availability and restocking of items was limited. This is where the Leadership Sullivan Class of 2026 stepped in.

By raising funds and securing the financial support needed through collection boxes, a Bingo Night, a candy sale, and learning how to write—and receive—grant funding, the class was able to meet the needs of the districts and schools that signed up for this project. Members of the class were on hand last Friday for the tour, beginning at Tri-Valley High School and continuing to SUNY Sullivan, Liberty Middle School, Monticello High School, Eldred Middle/High School, and Sullivan West High School.

By creating a meaningful solution and establishing lifetime partnerships, the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Foundation Leadership Sullivan Class of 2026 demonstrated the power of leadership, compassion, and community collaboration to make a better tomorrow for all of us. Thank you to this amazing class and to the school partners and donors who helped make a child’s life just a little bit better. 

Special thanks were noted to Project Sponsors: The Wandering Peach, Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre, Sullivan Central Rotary Club, Jeff Bank, Forestburgh Playhouse, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., Livingston Manor Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Monticello Motor Club,  CSEA LOCAL 853 - Civil Service Employees Association, CSEA Sullivan County Sheriff's Office -Sullivan County, NY Jail and Civil Division, and Children's Home. 

Food insecurity is a real issue in our community. You can help! Join the Sullivan Central Rotary Club and Friends Team for the Between a Walk and a Hard Place Walk on Saturday, September 26, at The Alder/Dos Gados, Resorts World Drive, Monticello beginning at 10 a.m. Funds raised will benefit the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless. Join the SCRC Team (or make your own). To donate, for more information, or to join, call 845-798-1770. 

And, if you haven’t been, get out to the last of the season Rock Hill Farmers Market at the Rock Hill Firehouse on Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Happy Birthday to Vanetta Lane, Grace Lanuti (9/22), Monticello Central School District President Helen Jersey, Town of Bethel Supervisor Danny Sturm, (9/24), Rick Lara, Dan Marty, DJ Ledina, Mauricio Villalobos (9/25), Melissa DiCostanzo (9/26), Paul Ciliberto, Nicole Gold-Germann, Dolores Sheeley, Charles Degliomini (9/27), David Rosenberg Joan Mingo, Lois Kaufman, Nicole Franco, Al Shamah (9/28). 

Lots to do! Enjoy the Sullivan County Catskills. And, as always, just in case I really don’t “Know It All,” please keep me in the know by emailing me at LoriJames.SCDemocrat@gmail.com.