For Immediate Release

Contact Lynn Kopka 518-274-6434

TROY CITY-WIDE TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN PROGRAM FOR FERAL CATS

Troy Felines to Undergo Humane Surgery with “Operation Snip”

TROY, N.Y. (March 21, 2012) – One hundred fifty of Troy’s feral felines will no longer be “catting around” after graduating from Operation Snip – the City’s first TNR program.

TNR is trap-neuter-return of outdoor, feral cats living throughout Troy’s abandoned buildings and alleys. City Council President Lynn Kopka announced the program as a collaboration with the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, the Rensselaer County Humane Society and other animal care groups.

NOTE: There will be a press conference for the Troy TNR program on Friday, March 23 at 4 p.m. at Troy City Hall, 1776 Sixth Avenue.

“Kopka has long been involved with the feral cat population in her neighborhood of Washington Park.

“The overpopulation of feral cats is a concern to residents and businesses throughout Troy,” said Kopka. “Working with the Humane Society in early spring to spay and neuter up to 150 cats is a good beginning to address this issue.”

The Humane Society receives thousands of stray kittens every year, many of them born from free roaming cats. South Troy has been identified by the Humane Society as one of the region’s “hot spots” for free roaming kittens being born.

“We are enthusiastic about the collaboration with the City of Troy on this project,” said Brad Shear, executive director of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society. “This is exactly the kind of preventative program that will reduce the population of cats in the area and improve the quality of life for felines as well as humans.”

Troy’s animal control officer Kevin McDonough has seen an increase in the number of feral cats in recent years.

“I am optimistic about this coordinated operation to reduce the number of feral kittens born each year,” said McDonough. “Animal Control officers have little jurisdiction over feral cats but are aware of the neighborhoods’ concerns about their increasing numbers. Implementing a city-wide program of this nature is a step in the right direction.”

Laurene Smith, president of the Rensselaer County Humane Society, added that, “being in a joint venture with the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, the City of Troy, and the numerous wonderful animal care groups we have in our area on this very important and necessary project is what it’s all about when your mission is to help those animals in need.”

The Rensselaer County Humane Society will be also donating a supply of rabies vaccinations for the TNR as well as assisting in the trapping. Also contributing a supply of rabies vaccinations is Pondview Country Kennel. Five traps are donated by Troy’s own Pfeil Hardware. Various animal care groups, including Noah’s Kingdom, are lending traps.

Trapping locations will be identified by neighborhood groups, the City’s Animal Control Officer, volunteers tending feral cat colonies, Code Enforcement and TPD. Surgeries are scheduled for April 3 & 4, 10 & 11, and 17 & 18 at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society. Cats will be trapped the day and evening prior to their trip to the operating room for spay or neuter services. Approximately 25-30 traps will be set for each day, with the expectation that at least 25 cats will be curious – or hungry – enough to enter the traps. Tasty meals of fish will be inserted in each trap. Curiosity will not kill the cats, but will leave them in a healthier state of mind and body.

After neuter or spay surgery, ear tipping and vaccination, each cat will be placed in the trap, driven to Troy and held overnight in a secure, enclosed location until release the following morning. Cats will be returned to their point of origin.

TNR will not solve the overpopulation of feral cats but will begin to address the proliferation of feral cats. Their numbers will gradually reduce. The behaviors and stresses associated with mating and fighting lessen. These adult cats are not candidates for adoption and cannot be introduced into homes as pets. Kittens can often be adopted, but they must be socialized at an early age.

OPERATION SNIP NEEDS:

Funds of $35 per cat
Drivers to and from the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society
Loan or donation of 50 hav-a-heart raccoon traps
Cat food
Small plastic disposable dishes
Small blankets/towels to cover the traps

Operation Snip is partially funded by an anonymous donation from an animal lover. Additional funds are being solicited and may be sent to the Troy PBA, PO Box 1041, Troy, NY 12181-1041. Clearly write “SNIP” on the check. All funds will go for direct services; volunteers will not be paid for any expenses. Donation or loan of Hav-A-Heart traps is needed. Volunteers are also being sought for driving to and from the trapping locations and Humane Society; intake at MHHS; and cleaning and return of traps.

To donate or loan a trap, contact Lynn Kopka at 274-6434.

Additional information about feral cats may be found at www.alleycats.org.

PUBLICITY IMAGES

For images of the cats and the cat “condos,” visit:

http://duncancrary.com/clients/snip.html

OPERATION SNIP PARTNERS AS OF MARCH 20, 2012

Mohawk Hudson Humane Society
Rensselaer County Humane Society
Troy Housing Authority
Pondview Country Kennel
Noah’s Kingdom
HOPE
Pfeil Hardware
City of Troy Animal Control Officer Kevin McDonough
Troy Police Benevolent Association
Pet Care Community Volunteers
Town of Colonie

NETWORK OF VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE TENDING COLONIES AND PRACTICING TNR

Gail Lundstrom
Deb Henderson
Peggy Kownack
Antoinette Sposito
Dusty Dalton
Sid Fleisher
Ginny Gokhale
Karla Guererri
Sonny Loomis
Charleen Vielkind
Sister Anne
Terry Cook

For information, contact Lynn Kopka 518-274-6434

###

For Immediate Release

Contact: Lynn Kopka 518-274-6434

Historic Stone Street in Troy Gets Extreme Makeover

Washington Place Ribbon Cutting August 3, at 2 p.m.

TROY, NY (07/19/2010) — Neighborhood activists have restored one of the Capital Region’s most historic streets to a pristine stretch of granite block pavers.

“Washington Place is one of the few streets in the Capital Region that is still surfaced with its original pavers. It’s beautiful,” said Lynn Kopka, president of the Washington Park Association. “Once streets like this are gone, they’re gone. They disappear under the asphalt.”

Washington Place is a 310-foot-long street that borders the southern end of Troy’s Washington Park. It is a rare example of an intact 19th century Belgian block paved street.

But years of neglect and major potholes eventually made Washington Place unsafe to drive on and impassable at parts. When neighborhood residents realized the city might have to replace the antique street with modern pavement, they raised the funds needed to save the treasured landmark, which is part of the Washington Park National Register Historic District.

To preserve the original street, each of its 35,000 Belgian block pavers had to be removed and stored so that the roadbed could be leveled and the correct subfill added. Workers then painstakingly reinstalled the pavers by hand, one stone at a time. Often confused with round cobblestones, used in earlier road construction, Belgian block pavers are uniform in size and rectangular or square.

Friends of Washington Park initiated the $200,000 restoration project and coordinated the work efforts. The group also secured private funding and a state grant for the preservation of the historic pavers.

Professional services were contributed by Ryan & Biggs, PC; Architecture+; and Bob Talham, Inc. The City of Albany donated more than 8,000 blocks to replace the missing stones. The Friends also coordinated with the City of Troy Department of Public Utilities and National Grid to replace and upgrade the utility lines under the roadbed.

On Aug. 3, at 2 p.m. Friends of Washington Park will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception to recognize the street’s reopening and to thank the contributors who made it possible.

“Very few neighborhoods would attempt to re-build a road using 1800′s pavers. But we wanted to preserve this small piece of Troy’s heritage,” said Kopka. “That street has been there since the late 1800′s, which is a testament to the structure and longevity of a road built like that. We’re hoping it will last another century.”

The street restoration is the second capital project undertaken by Friends of Washington Park in collaboration with the City of Troy and TAP, Inc. The first was the stabilization of a collapsed 19th century rowhouse at 8 Washington Place, one of 10 monumental buildings that were designed together to represent a massive Greek Temple spanning the entire block. That effort saved the whole row and spurred the rehabilitation of other threatened historic buildings at 3,4,5 and 7 Washington Place, 207 Second Street and 222 Third Street.

ABOUT WASHINGTON PARK:

The Washington Park neighborhood is modeled after the private residential green squares of 19th Century London. It is often compared to New York City’s famous Gramercy Park. Washington Park and Gramercy Park are the only two privately owned and maintained parks of their kind in the state.

For information, contact: Lynn Kopka at 518-274-6434.

For images of the work in progress, visit: http://duncancrary.com/clients/washington_place.html.

###

Media coverage resulting from this press release:

Historic Troy street gets ribbon cutting renovation
WRGB Ch. 6, Aug. 3, 2010

Troy’s Washington Place – Cobblestone Street Raised From Ruin
Albany.com, Aug. 3, 2010

Neighbors partner to preserve historic Troy street
The Record, Aug. 4, 2010

Troy paves way to its past
Times Union, Aug. 4, 2010

Mayor Harry Tutunjian: Troy’s eclectic, historic neighborhoods
The Record, Aug. 16, 2010

Troy community restores 1840 street
The Associated Press, Aug. 3, 2010.

Stone-paved street restored to 1840s condition
WNYT, Aug. 3, 2010

Troy street restored to former glory
The Daily Gazette, July 25, 2010
(photo).

Block by block, Washington Place is back together
All Over Albany, July 19, 2010

A Trip Off The Old Block
TU Blog: Don Rittner, July 20, 2010

Troy reopens its charming road
TU Blog: Places and Spaces, Aug. 3, 2010

Historic Stone Street in Troy Gets Extreme Makeover
Upper Hudson Valley EcoLocalLiving Magazine, July 19, 2010

Transitions, Restored: Washington Place
Preservation magazine, November/December 2010

A Piece of Historic Americana Revived
Landscape Architect and Specifier News, Sept. 2010, Vol. 26, No. 09, pp 214

For Immediate Release

Contact Jeff Gaines, 518-237-7353

TEDx Comes to Albany: Call For Speakers, Sponsors, Volunteers

Nov. 4 Event to Offer Mind-blowing Discussion

ALBANY (6/29/10)– TEDxAlbany, where x=independently organized TED event, will present a day of information, inspiration and entertainment in the Lewis A. Swyer Theatre of The Egg on Nov. 4, 2010.

The organizers of TEDxAlbany are currently seeking speakers, sponsors and volunteers. The theme is “Human Change.”

“TEDxAlbany is bringing the excitement of TED to New York’s Capital Region,” said Jeff Gaines, TEDxAlbany organizer. “If you still haven’t heard of TED, check out a few videos on the website and you’ll be hooked. There’s nothing more inspiring than experiencing the reckless sharing of good ideas by intelligent people.”

(more…)

Contact: Neil Grabowsky, 518-833-6807

PAPER & PEN EMAIL SERVICE MAKES GREAT GIFT FOR GRANDPARENTS
“Celery” Keeps Non-Computer Users in the Tech Loop

TROY, NY (Dec. 2, 2009 ) — “Celery” is an easy-to-use service that lets grandparents send and receive email without using a computer or the Internet.

“We all know at least one person who does not use a computer or the Internet,” said Neil Grabowsky, CEO of Celery, LLC. “They feel left out, and we feel guilty for not including them. Our service acts as a go-between for non-computer users and their tech-savvy loved ones so that everyone can be included in email, using technology they’re comfortable with.”

Celery can turn any fax machine into an email machine. The service automatically prints incoming emails and photo attachments in high quality color. Outgoing handwritten messages are instantly converted into PDF and sent as email. Celery users simply write an email address or a nickname at the top of their handwritten or typed message and the service takes care of the rest. Celery sends and receives messages almost instantly, just like email.

“I still enjoy getting handwritten letters and those hometown newspaper clippings from my father. I just never had time to reply with snail mail,” Grabowsky said. “Celery delivers those long-form letters and clippings directly to my email inbox. To respond, all I have to do is reply to the message just like I would with any email.”

Celery can also be used to read blog posts, Twitter messages and facebook status updates without ever going online or using a computer. There is one octogenarian using her Celery machine to post handwritten “tweets” to her own Twitter feed!

“Celery is a great gift for your entire family. When you give Celery to a non-computer user, you are opening up a whole new world of communication for them,” Grabowsky said. “You are also making that non-computer user accessible to all of their friends and family who are already online.”

Founded in 2006 in Troy, N.Y, Celery currently serves customers in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Service plans start at $8.98 per month. For those who don’t already own a fax machine, Celery will provide a customized Lexmark X5070 fax machine for a one-time fee of $119. During the holidays, the price of the Lexmark machine will be reduced to $89.00.

Celery can be purchased online at www.mycelery.com or by phone at 1-866-MY-CELERY.

Technical Specs for Celery:

• No Internet access required
• Shares single phone line
• No special software required
• Can email any printed document
• Auto-prints incoming email and high-quality color photos in real-time
• Makes color copies
• Sends and receives regular faxes
• Spam control guarantee
• Customers can set “Do Not Disturb” hours
• Automatically receives messages if answering machine present
• Vacation mode stores messages over extended periods
• Celery can receive and print text, HTML based email messages, and JPEG, RTF, GIF, PNG, TIFF or PDF email attachments
• Supports RSS feeds: blogs, Twitter and facebook
• 30-day risk free guarantee

Note to reporters: Celery has many customers across the country who are willing to be interviewed about their experience. Please contact Celery for assistance locating sources in your area.

For information, visit: www.mycelery.com .

For images, videos and customer stories, visit: http://www.mycelery.com/story_starters.php .

Contact Neil Grabowsky at (518) 833-6807.

###

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kathleen Tesnakis, 518-274-0813

‘E KO LOGIC TO HOST GREEN FASHION OPEN STUDIO IN TROY, DEC. 6
Troy Designer Was Making Green Fashion Before Green Was Fashionable

TROY, N.Y. (Nov. 24, 2009) — ‘e ko logic, the designer of high fashion recycled cashmere clothing, will host an open studio during Troy’s Victorian Stroll, this Dec. 6, from noon to 5 p.m.

“We love inviting people into our beautiful space in Troy so they can meet us and see how our clothing is made,” said Kathleen Tesnakis, ‘e ko logic founder and designer. “Most people don’t know where their clothing was manufactured. Buying directly from the designer is a meaningful way to shop for clothes.”

‘e ko logic is a husband-and-wife team that uses recycled cashmere and post-consumer fabric to create one-of-a-kind hats, scarves and sweaters for men and women. They also make cashmere dresses and skirts.

Every item made by ‘e ko logic is unique because of the way Tesnakis gathers her materials and assembles them. First, she hunts for discarded cashmere sweaters and other clothing treasures. Next, she dismantles each piece of clothing, taking time to recognize its character and individual beauty. Finally, she transforms the material by joining it with other pieces to give an old garment a new life and purpose.

“There is a little magic and a lot of love in each piece we construct,” Tesnakis said. “We can’t request our palette. We use what we find.”

‘e ko logic clothing is sold around the world, from New York to Japan, and is sought-after by the eco-conscious and fashion-conscious alike. Even a few celebrities are sporting the Made-in-Troy clothing. Lee Ranaldo, of the iconic rock band Sonic Youth, was recently photographed for the national music magazine “Blurt” wearing apparel by ‘e ko logic.

Not every piece of ‘e ko logic clothing makes it into the limelight, but many items continue to have adventures of their own. One ‘e ko logic hat traveled the world on the head of a monk, and two hats met while stationed in Antarctica. Just recently, Tesnakis  received a call from a woman who wanted to replace an ‘e ko logic hat that had been stolen off her husband’s head by an owl.

“Somewhere in Washington State there is an owl with a very comfortable cashmere nest,” Tesnakis said.  “I’m glad our clothing was recycled.”

At ‘e ko logic, recycling extends beyond the clothing. The century-old building where ‘e ko logic is headquartered, at 444 River Street, was originally used to recycle left-over textile scraps from the Troy collar and cuff industry, turning “batts” and “shoddys” into things like pillows.

“A hundred years later, we’re still doing the same thing in this building,” Tesnakis said. “We were making fashionable ‘green’ clothing before ‘green’ was in fashion. And we’re proud to be located in a city that was known for making clothes and reusing textiles.”

After the Victorian Stroll in Troy, ‘e ko logic will be selling a special line of apparel at the Chelsea Market JINGLE in Manhattan, from Dec. 10 to Dec. 23. But visitors at their Troy Open Studio will have a sneak preview and the chance to buy those items before their New York City debut.

‘e ko logic accessories cost from $72 to $120. Clothing ranges in price from $242 to $570. Credit cards are accepted at the studio and online.

“My motto for this year has been: be revolutionary, act intentionally,” Tesnakis said. “When people support creative businesses like ‘e ko logic, they are empowering themselves. Because we have the ability to enrich our community by making conscious choices about where we shop.”

For information, visit: http://www.ekologic.com . For high resolution publicity images, visit: http://duncancrary.com/clients/ekologic.html

Contact Kathleen Tesnakis at 518-274-0813.

###

For Immediate Release

Contact: Catherine Hedgeman 518-708-6350

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR RICHARD FLORIDA COMES TO ALBANY, SEPT. 24

“Who’s Your City?” Co-Hosted by Center for Economic Growth & The Stakeholders
Presented by General Electric

ALBANY, N.Y. (9/14/09) — New York’s Capital Region is more talented, creative and hip than you may think.

But the area still has a lot of work to do if it wants to attract and retain more creative professionals.

That’s the message event organizers hope people will take away from a Sept. 24 presentation at the Palace Theatre by best-selling author Richard Florida, Ph.D.

“In the global battle for creative talent, we are going to see a strong emphasis, greater than ever before, on the importance of quality of place,” Florida said. “For Albany to compete effectively, the region will have to provide creative workers with a complete authentic community.”

THE CREATIVE CLASS

Florida’s upcoming talk in Albany will focus on the concepts in his latest book “Who’s Your City? — How the Creative Economy is Making the Place Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life.”

This book is the most recent in a series examining what Florida calls the “Creative Class,” an emergent class of highly mobile intellectuals, artists and entrepreneurs.

This group of idea-creating professionals is highly courted by community leaders because, although it amounts to just 30 percent of the total workforce, the creative class controls more than 70 percent of the discretionary income in the nation.

But members of the creative class have the ability to choose where they want to live, according to Florida, and they choose to live in tolerant communities with a good job market, appealing aesthetics, cultural amenities, and a large pool of potential mates.

HOW DOES ALBANY RANK ON THE CREATIVITY INDEX?

According to Florida, the percentage of creative class professionals in the Albany workforce is higher than the national average for regions of its size.

About 32 percent of the Capital Region workforce (137,710 workers) can be described as creative class, while 15 percent of the Capital Region workforce (67,310 workers) can be described as the “Super-Creative Core,” which includes scientists, engineers, techies, innovators, and researchers, as well as artists, designers, writers and musicians.

This summer, Florida ranked Albany #20 in a national list of the “Best 25 Cities for Gen Y” (for singles ages 20-29).

In 2005, he identified Albany as a top mid-sized metro area in the country for “talent clusters” in the legal and media fields.

In his 2002 “Creativity Rankings,” Florida placed Albany at No. 2 (behind Albuquerque) among medium-sized cities in the U.S. The score is based on the number of creative workers, the presence of high tech industries and the level of diversity in the region.

More Albany Metro Area Place Rankings
(Among 266 U.S. Regions):

Singles (20-29) overall – 20th
Singles (20-29) best buy – 14th (when cost is figured in)

Professionals (29-44) overall – 27th
Professionals (29-44) best buy – 32nd

Families with children overall – 25th
Families with children best buy – 44th

Empty-nesters overall – 22nd
Empty-nesters best buy – 29th

Retirees overall – 25th
Retirees best buy – 31st

Source: Richard Florida, director of the Martin Prosperity Institute,
Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

FUTURE FORWARD

The Stakeholders, Inc., and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG) are co-hosting Richard Florida’s presentation at the Palace as part of the “Future Forward” speaker series. General Electric is the major sponsor.

“We invited Richard Florida to our Capital City to start the discussion about how and why we should invest in a creative economy,” said Catherine Hedgeman, president and CEO of The Stakeholders. “The future of our region hinges on revitalization of our cities and on investment in a creative economy to ensure artists, entrepreneurs and social innovators can thrive.”

“Our region’s culture of innovation is predicated on the development and exchange of ideas,” said F. Michael Tucker, CEG’s president and CEO. “When you couple that with a spirited quality of life you get a location that is well suited for a dynamic, high tech economy.”

“GE is pleased to bring Richard Florida back to the region,” said Christine Horne, manager of Communications and Public Affairs, GE Energy. “We consider this a great opportunity to hear Florida’s ideas on the ‘creative class,’ commercial innovation, and regional development. His unique perspective on global trends and economics will help us understand, as a region, how to compete in the global marketplace.”

FOR INFORMATION:

For information about the Sept. 24 presentation by Richard Florida at the Palace Theatre, visit: http://www.yourcitycapregion.com.

For information about Richard Florida and a press kit, visit:
http://www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida/media.php

For information about the Center for Economic Growth, visit: http://www.ceg.org.

For information about The Stakeholders Foundation, Inc., visit: http://thestakeholders.org.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Catherine Hedgeman 518-708-6350
CEO@TheStakeholdersFoundation.org

GROUP TAPS ALBANY’S “CREATIVE CLASS” TO BRING RICHARD FLORIDA TO TOWN

The Stakeholders Hires Duncan Crary to Promote Best-Selling Author’s Talk at Palace, Sept. 24

ALBANY, NY (7-15-09)—A local nonprofit has engaged Albany’s “creative class” to promote an upcoming talk by global best-selling author Richard Florida.

On Sept. 24, at the Palace Theatre, Florida will speak about the concepts in his latest book, “Who’s Your City? – How the Creative Economy is Making the Place Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life.” Florida’s earlier books explored the importance of the creative class, an emergent class of independent intellectuals, artists and entrepreneurs.

The presentation is co-hosted by The Stakeholders, Inc., and The Center for Economic Growth. General Electric is the presenting sponsor.

To promote the event, The Stakeholders, Inc., has hired independent creative consultant Duncan Crary, of Duncan Crary Communications.

“The Stakeholders is bringing Richard Florida to our Capital City to start the discussion about how and why the people of our region should invest in a creative economy,” said Catherine Hedgeman, president & CEO of The Stakeholders, Inc. “We’re proud to have hired Duncan to promote this event, because he is a member of our region’s growing creative class who has chosen to make this area his home.”

This February, Crary, 30, founded his own new media and creative consulting business in Troy. In May, he partnered with Dutch Apple Cruises to host a successful riverboat commute to work between Albany and Troy. A former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, Crary now hosts and produces “The KunstlerCast,” a weekly audio podcast featuring urban planning author James Howard Kunstler.

“Many young creative professionals like me are happily choosing to make the Capital Region our home,” Crary said. “Richard Florida’s talk will help the community-at-large to better understand the vital role that the creative class will play in our region’s new economy. I hope that it will also inspire young professionals to stake a claim in the places we have chosen to live, because these are our cities.”

The mission of The Stakeholders is to cultivate an informed and active creative class dedicated to building diverse and sustainable communities throughout New York’s Capital Region.

Though Crary is the first paid consultant on the team, more than a dozen creative class professionals are serving as volunteers for the Stakeholders to orchestrate the Richard Florida event. More than a dozen local businesses and organizations have signed on to sponsor the talk.

Richard Florida is director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. His other books include “The Rise of the Creative Class,” “Cities and the Creative Class” and “The Flight of the Creative Class.”

For information about the Sept. 24 presentation by Richard Florida, visit: http://www.yourcitycapregion.com.

For information about The Center for Economic Growth, visit: http://www.ceg.org.

For information about The Stakeholders, visit: http://www.thestakeholdersfoundation.org and
http://www.thestakeholders.org.

For information about Duncan Crary Communications, visit: http://DuncanCrary.com.

###

For Immediate Release

April 23, 2009

Contact: Duncan Crary 518-274-2723

RIVERBOAT COMMUTE TO WORK, ALBANY – TROY, MAY 13

Dutch Apple Commuter Cruise Re-creates Steamboat Travel in Capital Region

ALBANY, N.Y. – On May 13, riverboat commuter service between Albany and Troy will return to the Capital Region for one special day.

Duncan Crary Communications of Troy has partnered with Dutch Apple Cruises of Albany to host one day of Hudson River commuter service to and from work in Albany and Troy. Commuters may ride the Dutch Apple to Albany or Troy in either direction before and after work.

“Commuting by water is one of the best ways to get to work,” said Duncan Crary, who made local and national headlines in 2007 for canoeing to work in Albany. “This event will demonstrate that the journey from point A to point B can and should be a rewarding experience — and an adventure, too!”

The morning cruise will leave Albany at 6:45 a.m. and arrive in Troy at 7:25 a.m. The boat will leave Troy at 7:40 a.m. and arrive back in Albany at 8:30 a.m. Morning passengers will receive complimentary Times Union newspapers, coffee and bagels. Trolley shuttle service to select downtown locations will be provided to passengers by the City of Troy and the Albany Aqua Ducks.

The after-work cruise will depart Albany at 5:25 p.m. and arrive in Troy at 6:05 p.m. The boat will leave Troy at 6:30 p.m. and arrive back in Albany at 7:10 p.m. The after-work cruise will feature complimentary finger foods, a cash bar and live music by the Clarinet Marmalade (a trio of members from the Skip Parsons Riverboat Jazz Band).

Tickets cost $25 round-trip and $15 one-way. Pleasure passengers are welcome on the morning and after-work cruises, but must board in Albany for a round-trip.

Cruising time between cities will take about 40 minutes, with time for passengers to get off and board in Troy.

“This is going to be a nice, slow, beautiful ride to work,” said Capt. Lou Renna, owner of the Dutch Apple. “People are going to get to work in a different way, without the hustle and bustle of speeding down 787. I think it will be very relaxing.”

Additional support for this event includes a $500 mini grant from The Hudson River Valley Greenway.

“Communities throughout the valley are once again looking to use the river to solve modern problems — to get people out of their cars and into more sustainable modes of transportation,” said Mark Castiglione, acting executive director of the Hudson River Valley Greenway.

“If we have enough passengers, we could take 100 cars off the road,” Renna said. “That would make this a ‘green’ commute.

Though the Dutch Apple is not powered by steam, this event will recreate the 19th and early 20th century experience of Hudson River steamboat travel. Steamboats provided regular passenger service to and from Albany starting with Robert Fulton’s first steamboat voyage in 1807 and lasting until 1948. Some area residents, like Skip Parsons, remember riding the Albany steamboats in their youth.

“My mother’s family lived in Hudson and we went there by steamboat. But only a couple of times,” said Parsons. “I had not realized at the time how exciting it must have been. I guess we thought it would always be a part of life.”

If this May 13 event proves successful and profitable, Renna said the Dutch Apple might offer more commuter days in the future.

Duncan Crary Communications has created a website with information about the cruise and a discussion forum where visitors can hookup with carpoolers and share their river commuting stories. http://DuncanCrary.com/DutchApple

To purchase tickets, call the Dutch Apple at 518-463-0220.

For information, call Duncan Crary at 518-274-2723 or email info@DuncanCrary.com.

Note: Complimentary media passes are available to those covering this event.

###