Essay Scholarship for Hunter-Tannersville Students

West Kill Lexington Community Improvement Association is sponsoring an essay-writing scholarship program for Hunter-Tannersville school students while also hosting its annual Patriots Day celebration on Saturday, April 11.

The old bridge leading from the village of Lexington to the hamlet of West Kill, crossing over the Schoharie Creek. The shops on the left are gone but former post office on the right is still standing.

WEST KILL - The nearly century-old West Kill Lexington Community Improvement Association is making fresh history through an essay scholarship program for Hunter-Tannersville school students.

Two high school juniors will be awarded $1,000 apiece to help continue their education as part of the writing contest, according to Association board of directors president Lorrie Kaufman.

Submissions must be postmarked by April 15, exploring the “importance of volunteerism in our society,” Kaufman says, noting an old-fashioned pen-and-paper twist is part of the literary event.

“We will only accept hand-written work,” Kaufman says, presenting one scholarship each for a fully on-campus student and a BOCES student.

Volunteerism can be explored in multiple manifestations such as public service, firefighting, emergency medical services, etc.

“This is a new venture for us,” Kaufman says. “We want to interact more with the school and find out what our young people today are thinking about volunteerism which is vital in so many ways.

“We won’t be dictating what the students do with the award specifically, other than furthering their aspirations,” Kaufman said.

Those goals could include attending college or perhaps securing materials and accessing whatever is required to pursue a career in the trades. Guidance counsellors at HTC have all needed information.

While the essay contest is a first-time effort for the Association, their role in the hamlet of West Kill and town of Lexington overall is deeply-embedded, particularly as it concerns the venerable Community Hall.

“That’s our baby,” Kaufman says, detailing many projects that have been accomplished including the installation of new windows, infrastructure restorations and routine maintenance.

The non-profit West Kill Lexington Community Improvement Association was “formed almost one hundred years ago to promote sociability and good fellowship in our town,” their website states..  

Accentuating the historic connections of the center, beyond its vitalness to residents, the website states, “the older wing of the [Community Hall] was first moved to its current site on Spruceton Road in 1932.

“Before it was our Community Hall, this building had been a private house in the village of Gilboa,” the website states

“The construction of the Schoharie Reservoir drowned much of the village of Gilboa. The house that became part of our Community Hall was acquired by New York City and used as living quarters for engineers working on the reservoir,” the website continues/

“When the engineers were done with the Schoharie Reservoir project, the house they had used as living quarters was abandoned.

“A group of Lexington and West Kill residents – the first WKLCIA -- bought the old house from New York City for a nominal sum and had it moved to the current site in West Kill.  

“The Community Hall proved wildly popular,” the website states. “Dances were held every Saturday night in the summer. 

“In 1939, the newer wing was added to allow for bigger dances.  A stage was added to the upper story in the old wing and there were popular theater productions. 

“The Community Hall has been used over the years as a meeting space for farm organizations, for children’s groups like Scouts and 4H, and a library was housed upstairs. 

“Today, the West Kill Lexington Community Hall is used for community barbecues, brunches, square dances, and pot luck dinners.

“Holiday markets, Hunters’ Expos, and Historical Society events are held here. The Hall is also available for rent and has been used for weddings, birthday parties, and other meetings,” the website states.

In that spirit, the Community Hall will be the site of a special Patriots Day presentation on Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m., celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Constitution and American independence.

Greene County historian Jonathan Palmer will share an array of primary source materials and traditional accounts that tell the story of the American Revolution in Greene County.

Palmer’s visit is sponsored by Lexington town historians Mary Palazzolo and Chris Dwon. There will be refreshments served and raffles. The Community Hall is located at 141 Spruceton Road in West Kill.