What’s a ‘Haverstraw’?

“Haver” is the Dutch word for oats. Prior to the brick making industry that began in Haverstraw in the late 1700s, miles of “haver grass” or wild oats spread out into Haverstraw Bay, the widest length of the Hudson River. Legend has it when Henry Hudson sailed up the river in 1609 he commented on these magnificent grassy plains.

The Village was originally named Warren, or the Village of Warren after a Revolutionary general, but was subsequently changed to a more “historic” and “representative” name later during the mid-1800s.

Grab Your Wedding Dress and Dance!

Haverstraw’s throwing a wedding celebration to accompany its International Food Walk! The event is called ‘My Big Fat Haverstraw Wedding’ and will feature a few prominent Haverstraw fellows strutting their stuff in the latest fashion wedding gowns! This is a fun rendition of the popular Dancing Under the Stars series that has been held in front of Village Hall several times over the past couple years. It’s bound to be a fun evening!

What: International Food Walk
When: 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday
Where: participating downtown Haverstraw restaurants

What: Dancing Under the Stars
When: 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday
Where: in front of Haverstraw Village Hall at 40 New Main St.

Village Rowing

Hudson River 400

The Half Moon

As many of you are aware, the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration has been moving full steam ahead for the past few months. The Hudson River is 400 years old! That’s cause for celebration. Below is an op-ed written by the Director of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission Tara Sullivan. Please, come out and celebrate the Hudson River this year by attending some of the fantastic events that are being held throughout the year, especially this summer and fall.

Pride in New York’s great history and a commitment to a sustainable economic and environmental future for the Hudson River Valley were in evidence among the thousands of residents and tourists who turned out to welcome the fleet of heritage ships in its stately parade from the Statue of Liberty to Albany, following the course of Henry Hudson’s voyage 400 years ago.

Ana’s Botellas: Paint the Town

Floriana, or Ana Peguero has started a most interesting craft based on her heritage infused with environmental conservation. Ana paints reclaimed glass bottles for all kinds for different uses; this is more accurately called “upcycling” by the young greensters of today. Most of Ana’s work is inspired by patterns she remembers from her childhood and younger life in a central Dominican Republic village. Ana came to Haverstraw nearly one decade ago. Today, she resides in New City. Read her account below for some background on her life and her craft:

Rowing Club “Learn-to-Row” Day is a Hit!

The “Learn-to-Row” Day held by the North Rockland Rowing Club, sponsored by U.S. Rowing, was held down at the Haverstraw Ferry Landing on Saturday, June 6th. At least 40 new rowers were able to try the rowing machines and go out on the water in the crew shells. It was a great day of learning and exposure to the sport.

There has been great interest in the sport and the Rowing Club from many Haverstraw residents and other Rockland County natives. Feel free to contact the Rowing Club at (845) 942-1030, and ask for Susan or Jerry. Also, visit the website at www.northrocklandrowingclub.org ! It’s VERY fun and rowing exercises the entire body!

A Big Red Tomato Grows in Haverstraw

A Big Red Tomato has sprouted in Haverstraw Village. Reyes “Ray” Dominguez, a long-time Haverstraw resident, has created his most recent venture, The Big Red Tomato at 9 Main Street, right across from Lucas Candies. The new bar and grill boasts a tasty fusion of Latin, American, and international flavors. Ray has come a long way since his immigration from Mexico years ago. His story is an inspiration for us all, and the true entrepreneurial spirit of the Big Red Tomato is bright.

Haverstraw/Ossining Ferry is SAFE from Chopping Block

I’m posting just to inform everyone that the existing New York Waterway ferry, with service from Haverstraw to the Ossining Metro-North train station is SAFE from budget cuts. Unfortunately, the recent NY Water Taxi ferry pilot program, with service from Haverstraw to Yonkers and Lower Manhattan will be no more. With the ailing economy, Albany and the federal government has decided to suspend the service from Haverstraw and retain the service running from Yonkers. Most politicians, however, have stated that they hope and envision the reintroduction of the Manhattan-direct ferry service once the economy rebounds. Read more about the suspended NY Water Taxi service here: http://villageofhaverstraw.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/water-taxi-to-suspend-service-from-haverstraw/

Union Restaurant Thrives

The Union Restaurant is thriving amidst the worst economic fallout since 1939. Paulo Feteira, the maitre d’hotel, and David Martinez, head chef of Union, have combined their talents to bring about this blast of Euro-Latin fusion cuisine. Paulo and David are together twenty-year veterans of Peter X. Kelly’s Xaviar’s Restaurant and Freelance Cafe of Piermont. The two men’s resumes have ushered up valuable and overwhelming name recognition for Union Restaurant and have poised the Village of Haverstraw to become a regional restaurant destination; evidence of this exists every Friday night when New Jersey license plates line Main Street and Westchesterians are commonplace. The Union is THE anchor restaurant of Main Street.

Water Taxi to Suspend Service from Haverstraw

I have sad news to report. Amid the depressed regional and national economy, another bright spot in Haverstraw is no more. The New York Water Taxi service, that ferries commuters between Haverstraw, Yonkers, and Lower Manhattan, is facing the budgetary chopping block. Unless the State Legislature can find funds to support the ferry’s dwindling on-board revenues (the bad economy is sucking jobs out of Manhattan), the ferry will be terminated on May 1, 2009. Rockland County has worked very diligently to supply Rockland commuters with a “one-seat” ride to Manhattan via ferry. The County is choosing their words carefully when they say the service will be “suspended,” hinting that they may reinstate the services when the economy rebounds. This suspension does not affect the wildly successful New York Waterway ferry services that operates from Haverstraw to Ossining. Unfortunately, by the time the economy does rebound, we will be facing $5.00 gasoline once again, and this time, we’ll be LESS prepared. Thank you New York State!

Rowing Club is Welcomed to the Village

The North Rockland Rowing Club, Inc., a non-profit group (501c-3) that fosters rowing on the Hudson River, has made a commitment to Haverstraw. The Club, formerly of Stony Point, will operate out of the Elks’ Club/Admiral’s Cove Marina, also known as the “gap” by Haverstraw natives. A 60 foot, low profile dock and ramp has been installed at the western end of the Marina and can be accessed at the small boathouse, formerly of the Hudson-Bergen Yacht Club, which was acquired by Ginsburg Development a few years ago to make way for Admiral’s Cove.

Village Poll #1: Haverstraw’s Future

There are a lot of optimists and skeptics in the region, all debating whether Haverstraw will complete it’s ‘renaissance’ in a timely fashion. I thought it would be interesting to see how the people actually feel. We can only hope that the Village will change for the better. I would say that I’m an optimist – so I already voted. Please, leave your vote here and check back to see what the overall sentiment regarding Haverstraw’s future actually is.

Please, try not to vote more than once. If you feel that strongly about this poll, get your friends to vote! I’d like the sentiment represented in this poll to be as accurate as possible. Thank you!

The Picturesque Hudson

In a fantastic account of the Hudson River towns, The Picturesque Hudson, author Clifton Johnson paints an elaborate and detailed picture of Haverstraw and surrounding communities in 1909. Haverstraw is described as a vibrant village with a rich history, even 100 years ago. I have attached Chapter IX: Haverstraw & Stony Point. The account reads as follows:

THE ferries on the Hudson between New York and Albany average about twenty miles apart, and often when I wanted to go from one side to some place directly opposite, my choice lay between a long and inconvenient journey around, or hiring a special conveyance. Thus it happened that I voyaged to Haverstraw by motor boat from a village on the east shore. The river here is at its widest — four miles is the official figure, but my skipper called it five and I suppose charged accordingly. The sun had set, and the western haze was suffused with color. As we cut rapidly through the water the shore toward which we were going became less vague and I could see the clustering buildings of a town with lofty hills of irregular outline behind. The most conspicuous peak in this range of hills is known as High Tor, and a local legend relates that one of the wise men of the East long ago found his way to America and on the summit of High Tor built an altar. This aroused the Indians to demand that he should worship as they did, and when he refused, they were so enraged that they prepared to attack and kill him. But he was saved by a miracle — for an earthquake opened a great gaping crack in the earth and engulfed his enemies. This crack is the channel through which the Hudson now flows.

Knickerbocker Ice Festival Celebrates a Cool Past

Rockland Lake, the former home of one of the largest and most famous ice houses in America – the Knickerbocker Ice Company, is hosting the annual Knickerbocker Ice Festival. The festivities are full of new events to mark the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s famous trip up the river that bears his name as well as the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the steam age when Henry Fulton sailed the first steamboat, the Clermont, up the Hudson. The festival will boast Hydrogen cars by GM, solar technology, hot air balloon rides, a fireworks display, scale ice-carved replicas of Hudson’s ship Half Moon and the Fulton Clermont, and an ice gallery that displays historic photographs encased in ice blocks. I highly recommend visiting the festival this year, and to learn more about the ice works that graced Rockland Lake for nearly a century. The festival website is http://knickerbockericefestival.com/ and to learn more about the history of Rockland Lake and the Knickerbocker Ice Company, visit the Palisades Parks Conservancy website at www.palisadesparksconservancy.org .

Bring Trolleys to Haverstraw

I wrote this Opinion Article for the Journal News in 2005. I made some changes to keep the content up-to-date. I hope you enjoy my optimism!

Trolley Car in Downtown

The Haverstraw Revitalization is on its way and the vision for this project is vast. Proposals include an aerial gondola, Haverstraw Bay Performing Arts Center, restaurants, a 20-foot wide/2-mile long waterfront promenade, 850-units of luxury housing, an expanded community center and village pool, tree-lined streets, outdoor dining, artist lofts, bed and breakfasts, novelty shops, a new hotel and spa, outdoor amphitheatre, an incredible fishing and ferry pier and increased ferry access to Westchester, Yonkers, Manhattan and beyond. Haverstraw is finally reclaiming is long lost fame. Just recently, in the Journal, residents at a village meeting about the Revitalization raised questions about parking and traffic flow.