Members of the Chestertown Rotary Club and American Legion Post 964 joined Chester Supervisor John Maday and his family as they gazed out at Route 9 in front of the Chester Municipal Center at 5:00 o’clock on Tuesday, Dec. 2 and watched with some concern as the street lamps illuminated the still-falling snow. They had prepared an evening celebration for the lighting of the community Christmas Tree on the lawn of the Municipal Center, but with the storm continuing, would anyone actually brave the weather to attend? However, the hardy inhabitants of Chester did not disappoint.
Soon, the plaza in front of the Municipal Center was filled with families and neighbors chatting warmly despite the brisk temperatures. They gathered around the table staffed by members of the Rotary Interact Club from North Warren Central School to decorate wooden ornaments to hang on the tree. They sampled the delicious soups and chilis generously served by three local restaurants: The Roost of 5810 Route 8, Chestertown; Café Adirondack of 5 Olmstedville Rd, Pottersville; and the venerable Black Bear Restaurant & Bar of 7882 Route 9, Pottersville. They sipped the coffee and hot chocolate served by the American Legion. They queued for rides on the two-horse wagon from Vance Acres of Gansevoort, NY, which brought passengers on a slow-paced, carol-singing tour through the winter wonderland of Chestertown last Tuesday night.
With the trees on the Municipal Center lawn aglow with the white lights strung by the Town, familiar holiday tunes playing in the background, the bells on the horse team’s harnesses jingling each time the wagon left for or returned from a tour of the town, and a light snow still falling on the gathered members of the community, more than one guest remarked that it all seemed like a scene from a Hallmark movie.
At 6:30 pm, a short ceremony was conducted by the Rotary to dedicate this year’s community tree to the memory of Lee Flammer, a local Rotarian who passed away earlier this year. Lee Flammer’s family then led the countdown before illuminating the multi-colored lights on a beautiful evergreen generously donated by Paul Foley and Mary Stein of Friends Lake Road.
At the end of the evening, prizes for the best soup and best chili – based on votes cast by visitors to the event – were awarded to Café Adirondack and The Roost, respectively. They received handsome plaques prepared by Chestertown’s own Tabula Rasa Woodworks.
As the Rotary chairperson for the event, Tina Sorell, stated in her remarks before the tree was illuminated, the event was only made possible by the spirit and joint effort of the Town government, community organizations and local businesses. Through these efforts, everyone who attended enjoyed a magical and festive evening to begin the holiday season.