Welcome!
These websites show the wide range of pursuits underway in our community. The links included here are either local to the Salem area, or are connected in a meaningful way to someone who is a Friend of the Bancroft Library.
Use the tabs on right for focused browsing or scroll down on this page to window shop the full collection of sites listed here. These page will always be in progress, so if you know of a site that needs to be added please enlighten us at bancroftfriends@gmail.com
Library Sites
www.slibrary.org The official site of the Bancroft Library, Salem, NY.
http://summerreading2009.blogspot.com The summer reading program, overseen by Susan Getty, was a great success. Read all about it here.
www.bancroftpubliclibrary.blogspot.com This is the blog to find out about what’s happening at out library in Salem. Not to be confused with the blog you are reading now, which is..
www.friendsofbancroftlibrary.wordpress.com The site you are looking at now, dedicated to facilitating connections within the community.
Hometown
www.salemcsd.org The official website of Salem Central School.
www.salempta.blogspot.com Keeping the community informed about the goings on in the PTA.
www.salemnychamber.com Not every business in Salem has or needs a website. Here at the Chamber of Commerce site you will find contact info for more businesses in and around town.
www.salemcourthouse.org A Community based organization, committed to enhancing the quality of life Salem through its commitment to education, to the arts, and to the appreciation of local history. The courtroom in this historic building is a real gem: entering it, you will feel transported back 100 years.
Venues for Art, Exhibitions, Performances and Classes
www.salemartworks.com A former working farm right inside the village, Salem Art Works has provided the community with a place to view and create art, indoors and out. Classes and demonstrations in blacksmithing, glassblowing, painting and more.
www.fortsalemtheater.com Doggedly revivified by the indomitable Jay Kerr, the Fort Salem Theater showcases talents from across the globe as well as from down the street. Special note to history buffs: the theater’s “About Us” tab will knock your socks off.
www.dionondehowa.org Dionondehowa Wildlife Sanctuary and School is refuge and nature studies center founded by Bonnie Hoag and Geoffrey Ovington.
www.caffelena.org Caffe Lena, an award- winning venue dedicated to the art of telling stories through music, theater, and the spoken word, located in Saratoga Springs, tended by Sarah from Shushan.
www.thegeorgi.com The Georgi on the Battenkill, Museum and Park, not only houses a collection of 14th to 18th century Italian, Dutch, Flemish, German and French art, it is also strategically next to great swimming hole on the scenic Battenkill River. Enjoy the museum, attend events, or loll in the 
water and banks on hot summer days.
www.artinsalem.com North Main Gallery, centrally located on Main Street in Salem, puts up one stunning exhibition after another, of artists in the region. www.mettawee.org Outdoor summer theater for the whole family, performing stories based on legends and myths, directed by Ralph Lee, enhanced by Casey Compton. Musical, scholarly, whimsical: a thespian feast.
www.gallery668.com Veronique de La Bruyere has continued her family tradition of curating contempory art shows here in Upstate New York. Located in the suburbs of Salem, housed in two 19th century barns, Gallery 668 exhibits the work of both local and internationally known artists.
Personal Enterprises
www.ovingtonviolins.com Maker of fine violins, violas, and cellos which have found their way in to the hands of musicians throughout the world.
http://www.purensimplesoap.com
Pure and simple homemade goat milk soap, made by the Palulis family. This business began after Barbara discovered that what you put onto your body is as important to your health as what you put into your body.
www.petersnewyork.com Peter Duveen has his own opinions on the goings on in world, and here they are.
www.worldviewpicturescorp.com Stephen Trombley’s production company, celebrating 20 years of documentary filmmaking.
www.vitalartsmedia.com Co-founders Geoffrey Gee & Kimerer LaMothe create earth-friendly art and ideas.
www.bedlamfarm.com The Home site for Bedlam Farm, where Jon Katz lives with his animals and the artist Maria Heinrich.
www.dancelili.com Expressive dance and workshops taught by Lili Loveday.
www.donaldcookillustration.com Book illustration, drawing classes, landscapes and custom faux finishes by Donald Cook.
http://www.stanleymcgaughey.com Included here are sound samples of composer Stanley McGaughey’s work which includes music inspired from a range of traditions, including East African Pop and European Classical.
www.skidmore.edu/~7Esmcgaugh/MainYurts.html Yurts built by hand, by Stanley and friends, in Shushan.
www.suvir.com and www.americanmasala.com These two web addresses will get you to about the same spot, which is to the Saffronish-painted Hebron farmhouse belonging to Charlie Burd and Suvir Saran. Look here for history of the farm, recipes, spice info, collections, photos of their animals, and a page about their restaurants Devi and American Masala.
http://acs.dmon.com/ A true digital native, this young man’s specialty is troubleshooting computers. Reasonably priced, nearby, and working his way through college, Christian Scott is the local computer guy.
www.PrebleRealty.com The place to look with Chris Preble for real estate in the Salem area.
www.logcabinfarmsoap.com Completely natural homemade soap made from milk that comes from the neighbor’s naturally raised sheep. Individually molded, available in scents such as sandlewood and lavender, as well as unscented.
www.avenuethree.com. A full service marketing,communications design agency run by three partners, two of whom live in the Salem area and one who wishes she did.
www.winonastamps.stampinup.net Salem’s inspired stamper, Winona Hathaway, demonstrates, sells supplies and even puts together Stamping Retreat weekends in Hebron.
http://www.mcmorrisphoto.com Our very own hometown photographer, Tom McMorris, available for weddings, portraits and sporting events. www.mccarteesbarn.com Sue Clary’s passion for antiques and her appreciation of fine art mingle in this 200 year old renovated McCartee barn, which, itself, is worth the trip to see!
Food and Flora
http://www.petersnewyork.com/SCPC/index.htm For serious coffee lovers, Peter Duveen’s Siberian Coffee Pipeline Company offers green coffee beans with directions on how to roast, grind, and brew premium coffee. Order via internet, or save on shipping and go pick up in Hebron.
www.padgettfarm.com The Padgett family provides pasture and hand-fed grain to Angus cattle, with some Hereford crossing, to produce high quality beef. Naturally raised, locally available or fast-frozen for shipping. Check out their “The Farm” page for magnificient views of the scenery.
www.nancyhandhigby.com Views of gardens around the region which have been designed by landscape architect Nancy Hand Higby.
www.dionondehowa.org Dionondehowa Wildlife Sanctuary and School is refuge and nature studies center founded by Bonnie Hoag and Geoffrey Ovington.
www.slatehillfarm.com Craig and Mary Barnes naturally cultivate and sell over 600 varieties of registered daylilies. They also hybridize their own varieties which they introduce to the marketplace every year. During summer months the colors in their fields are utterly dazzling. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from the Fourth of July through Labor Day.
www.laurasgardensite.com Laura Dunham’s life-long love of gardening has blossomed into a local greenhouse and floral business.
www.gardenworksfarm.com Third generation farmer Meg Southerland has recreated the family farm, showcasing greenhouse crops, fresh & dried flowers, u-pick berries, pumpkins & fall squashes followed by Christmas trees and hand-tied wreaths. The Barn Marketplace features local foods from nearby farms, homestead cheeses and beautiful handcrafts. Open April
Steininger's Cafe
through December.
www.battenkillcreamery.com An idea whose time has come! 4th andf 5th generation McEachron farmers are processing and bottling milk (in real glass bottles) right on premises. Not only that, but they now sell other dairy items including their own cow-to-cone ice-cream. ” Farm store is open dawn ’till dusk.
www.steiningers.com Prepare to be hungry after checking out this website. “..the finest chocolates this side of the Atlantic. A meal at Steininger’s is a celebration for all the senses.” These are grand claims, which also happen to be true. A culinary crown jewel.
www.dairysheepfarm.com 3- Corner Field Farm, a sprawling, organically managed sheep farm, produces fine sheep cheese, yogurt, and lamb meat as well as skeins of yarn spun from the softest fleeces in the herd. Call the farm in advance to make purchases or to arrange for a tour, where you can take a gander at East Friesian sheep being sheperded by Maremma-Abruzzi dogs.
Churches with Websites
www.troyconference.org/SalemUMC Website for the United Methodist Church, a cornerstone presence which outreaches to the community, especially to where and when outreach is needed the most. On this website you may sign up to be part of the church’s internet group which offers open message sharing and readings which intend to kindle thought and inspiration.
www.firstunitedsalem.org First United Presbyterian Church is an inclusive, family friendly, Christ-centered faith community committed to growing in our faith and growing in our love to serve God and our neighbors.
Blogs
http://blog.bedlamfarm.com Commentary on life every day, this is Jon Katz’s computer age nod to the traditional farm journal.
www.whatabodyknows.blogspot.com. Philosopher & dancer Kimerer LaMothe , a former Harvard professor, writes about what she is learning about life from living on a farm
www.yesnoquilts.com Combining her perception of nature with her feel for materials, artist Maria Heinrich constructs personal quilt creations.
http://belovedfamilypets.blogspot.com Bethany Davidson’s cat and garden scrapbook: whimsical and beautiful photos, with a few cat jokes thrown in for good measure.
http://winterknitter.blogspot.com “A day spent knitting is a good day:” Bethany shares knitting projects as well as her own visions and thoughts about transforming pieces of string into something else.
http://suvirsaran.typepad.com Occasional glimpses into life on the farm with Charlie, Suvir, and their feathered and fleeced friends.
http://bookzoompa.wordpress.com Paula Krieg writes about playful bookmaking and paper arts projects.
Visual Artists
www.harryorlyk.com Harry Orlyk, American Landscaper Painter, bearing witness to Washington County, NY, through his painterly documentation of the changing nuances of weather, light, seasons and mood.
www.spinningglassstudio.com Lampwork glass artist Nancy Bariluk-Smith demonstrates and designs beautifully crafted glass art jewelry in her Salem home studio.
www.artistbooks.com Book artist Ed Hutchins exhibits his artist books and teaches workshops as far away as Australia and Alaska, and as nearby as Gardenworks and the Salem Historical Courthouse.
www.christopherpiercestudio.com Christopher Pierce is a nationally recognized fine artist known for his figurative, floral, and portrait paintings. His work is about a certain realness of life, a subtle romance, and a sense of awareness that the viewer can relate to immediately.
www.thomaskerrcountryart.com Rural landscapes carved out by farmers, altered by time, painted by Thomas Kerr. Mr. Kerr also lends his visual acuity to our village when he steps up to do lighting and set design at Fort Salem Theater.
www.yesnoquilts.com Combining her perception of nature with her feel for materials, artist Maria Heinrich constructs personal quilt creations.www.photosbyjonkatz.com Photos by a writer who has taken to tracking the images in the spaces around the words.
www.donaldcookillustration.com Book illustration, drawing classes, landscapes and custom faux finishes by Donald Cook.
www.duffbohrerpainting.com Joan Duff Bohrer blends a sophisticated understanding of color and painterly abstraction with superb draftmanship to create strong visual compositions.
Personal Care
www.northeastcenterforbalancedliving.com Joanne Steele is a trusted, long-time area nurse and highly regarded mid-wife. At the Northeast Center for Balanced Living, Joanne has turned her attention towards natural remedies, with the intention of supporting men and women in their journey towards balance and wellness. Offices in Shushan and Saratoga.
www.donnao.myarbonne.com Donna Orlyk, Arbonne Consultant, specializes in offering an all natural line of skin care products, including ones that are gluten-free, and collects anything to do with bluebirds.
www.marykay.com/pjalexander Patti Alexander, aka Patti Kay, has returned to her Mary Kay cosmetics business. She is hooked on being part of helping women feel great about themselves
Fiber Arts
www.quarryridgealpacas.com The place where Faith and Herb Perkins have created a home for a select herd of 25 very pampered and lucky alpacas.
www.commonthreadsfarm.com Joanne Steele had a dream, Walter Nygard had some land. Together these friends have teamed up to raise Icelandic Sheep, which, it should be noted, adds diversity to the local sheep community.
Annual Events
http://tourofthebattenkill.com Tour of the Battenkill has quickly become the largest road cycling race in the USA. Happens in April, goes through Salem.
Friends of Bancroft Library 