Local Boy Scout troop takes first in derby

HARLEM VALLEY — Boy Scout Troop 29, comprised of Scouts from Millerton, Amenia and Wassaic, figured out the perfect combination for this year’s Klondike Derby, as one of the troop’s two teams turned in a first-place finish at Camp Nooteeming near Salt Point last month.To compete, teams needed to construct a sled to push to different stations along the course. In the sled were certain items to help them at different stations. For example, at one stop the Scouts had to start a fire from scratch, hot enough to burn through a piece of rope. At another, Scouts had to pitch a tent, blindfolded.“Each year they get better and better,” said Scoutmaster Martha Schultz, who has been with the group since the boys were in first grade. Her own son, Andrew, is now 18 and in his last year with the Boy Scouts.For Troop 29, 10 Scouts split into two teams; each team constructed their own lightweight sled out of sheet metal. The sleds had a Dr. Seuss theme, with the two teams named Thing 1 and Thing 2.The Klondike Derby is a councilwide event that Schultz said features teams not only from Dutchess County but from Rockland as well. Twenty districts competed this year.“It’s been a great ride to watch them mature,” she added. “The boys know what each of their teammates’ strengths are, and it really is tremendous to see them all working together.”

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Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

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Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

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Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

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