The Youngsville Firecrackers (a Cornell Extension Community Group) is having their Annual Sock Drive. There are boxes placed in the Jeff Pharmacy and The Secret Garden. Please help our community by providing a donation of a pair or package of new socks, mittens, gloves, hats or scarves for young or the older people. They will be collecting items until December 9th. Any questions, please contact Carla Dworetsky at (845) 482-4588.

Come out and visit the Christkindlmarkt, a Holiday Craft Fair, at the Jeff Park (across from the Dollar General in Jeffersonville) Friday, November 26th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, November 27th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Looking for vendors! Contact Diane at (845) 866-9123.

The James Dworetsky Holiday Parade will be held, Friday, November 26th at 7 p.m. on Main Street in Jeffersonville. Bring your children early to visit Santa at the Jeff Bake Shop (big pink building across from the Jeff Firehouse) between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. for gifts and to take a picture with Santa too! Then after the parade he will return for more time with the kiddies until 8:30 p.m. For questions call Bill at (845) 482-4151 or Sue at (845) 482-5354. Lots of fun for the whole family!

Saturday, November 27th is Small Business Saturday and Jeffersonville will be hosting “Specials” in most of their Main Street businesses! Visit Santa and his helpers safely outdoors at the festive Backyard Park 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Have your photos taken with Santa, enjoy a horse and wagon ride, a free craft for your children to take home, hot chocolate and cookies too! This event is sponsored by the Jeff Bank, the Jeffersonville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Jeffersonville. Donations accepted and given to the local food pantry. A special thank you to Dick’s Auto Sales and The Secret Garden for helping to sponsor the horse and wagon rides and Pecks Markets for supplying the cookies.

Saturday, December 4th at 10 a.m. a Holiday Cookie Sale will be held in the downstairs of the 1st Presbyterian Church until they sell out. Which is usually fast ‘cause they are tasty Christmas cookies!

More than 30 years have passed since John Conway’s first Retrospect column about Sullivan County history appeared in the Times Herald-Record newspaper in July of 1987, and the column is still going strong, appearing on Fridays in the Sullivan County Democrat since 2004. Twice before, collections of these columns have been gathered together in book form... Retrospect was published in 1996 and Remembering the Sullivan County Catskills in 2008. Now comes In Further Retrospect, the biggest and best collection yet.

In Further Retrospect includes something for everyone, presenting vignettes of Sullivan County’s history from colonial times to the 21st century, and including stories from virtually every corner of the County. Mark your calendars! Hear the author discuss the topics covered in the book on Saturday, December 11 at 1 p.m. at The Secret Garden, 4917 State Route 52, Jeffersonville, NY.

The Stone Arch Inn, located at 5371 State Route 52 in Kenoza Lake, is holding a Holiday Party featuring a Toy Drive to benefit children attending the Sullivan West school district on Saturday, December 11th beginning at 4 p.m. There is no end date currently set. Please bring your unwrapped toys and enjoy free food, live music and sing along too! If you are unable to attend and would like to donate some toys you can leave them on the side porch anytime (by December 11th).