Shop with the Sullivan County shopping bus

MONTICELLO, NY — The shopping bus is back at work.

It’ll take seniors from their homes to Monticello stores and back, and there are rules to follow. Masks need to be worn. But for the homebound or others without transportation, the service can make a big difference in their lives.

Registration is required at least three days in advance, said Sullivan County Office for the Aging director Lise-Anne Deoul, and all riders are required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Shopping runs start at 7:30 a.m. Riders will have two hours to complete their shopping, and buses are limited to five or six people, due to social distancing.

The suggested contribution is $3 per round trip.

Schedules and pick-up locations are online at www.sullivanny.us/Departments/Transportation.

Two other routes, to the Highland area and the Town of Delaware, are open to the general public. Registration is required and the other rules apply.

For more information and to register, contact the Office for the Aging at 845/807-0244.

River Reporter columnist in ‘Halloween Wars’

WURTSBORO, NY — For kids, Halloween might be all about the candy.

But on the upcoming Food Network show “Halloween Wars,” local cake artist Kim M. Simons and her team will show that it’s all about creativity too.

Simons, the “Kim’s Kitchen” columnist for the River Reporter, and the rest of the “Ghost with the Most” team will compete against others in the show’s new season.

The first episode airs Sunday, September 19 at 9 p.m. ET.

For Simons, Halloween is something special, and she calls the chance to do “Halloween Wars” her dream. It’s “my favorite holiday,” she said. “I love the idea that you get to dress up and be whoever you want to be.”

“Halloween Wars,” now in its 11th season, is emceed by paranormal investigator Zak Bagans, who is the head of “Ghost Adventures” on the Travel Channel.

Simons, originally from Liberty and now a Wurtsboro resident, has been on many Food Network shows before. Her team won “Holiday Wars” in 2019.

Simons’ teammates are Lilian Halabi from Harker Heights, TX, and Jewel Burgess, from Sacramento, CA. The competition was shot in Park City, UT, under strict COVID-19 protocols. Competitors were encouraged to stay in their hotel rooms, and socially distance when they weren’t.

“That was hard, too,” Simons said, “because Park City is beautiful. We were allowed out once in a while, and I’d like to go back someday to do some hiking.”

‘Pond-able’ fish available

LIBERTY, NY — The Sullivan County Soil and Water Conservation District is taking orders for its annual Fish Stocking Program.

Rainbow trout, brook trout and fathead minnows are available. The district is accepting orders until Monday, September 27. Pick-up is Friday, October 1.  Trout should be stocked in cold-water ponds.

Anyone stocking a pond with fish must apply for a fish stocking permit through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in New Paltz.

For more information, see the district’s website at sullivanswcd.org, or contact the office at 845/292-6552.

County food pantries still feeding people

HONESDALE, PA — There are still hungry people in Wayne County. The county’s food pantries distribute supplemental food in September in Damascus and Lakeville.

The schedule is:

Damascus: Township building on Thursday, September 16, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Lakeville: Township building on Thursday, September 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

To receive food assistance from the Wayne County Food Pantry, call the Area Agency on Aging Office at 570/253-4262 to register. Due to COVID-19, there are special protocols in place regarding social distancing and other mitigation measures.

If you need transportation, consider the Wayne County Transportation program. It serves county residents. To ask about transportation options, visit Wayne County Transportation website or call at 570/253-4280.

Food pantry details are available at www.WayneCountyPA.gov. Be sure to check back for October’s dates.

SUNY Sullivan vaccine raffle winners

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — Sometimes, amazing things happen.

For Tiffany Bivens, 21, from Downsville, NY, the miracle was winning free room and board at SUNY Sullivan for the 2021-22 school year.

Bivens, who is studying psychology, was one of two students to win. The other is Kia Connor, 23, from Grahamsville. She won free tuition for the 2021-22 year.

Connor and Bivens were selected at random from more than 150 people who submitted entries to the raffle, which was open to SUNY Sullivan full-time students who live in New York and have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Other prizes in the raffle included concert tickets, courtesy of Bethel Woods. AnnaBelle Marchese, 18, of Livingston Manor, and Mackenzie Pennell, also 18, of Ferndale, were the winners.

“I was so relieved to hear I had received the scholarship,” Connor said. She plans to be a mortician. “I refuse to let life pass me by. Today, in this moment, you have the power to make something great. So do it.”