Time to register for RCS spring sports

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

RAVENA — The Soups for Seniors contest and fundraiser was held for the first time in the village, and the event packed the house.

The Senior Projects of Ravena event was so popular, several contestants ran out of soup within the first hour.

Soups for Seniors was an inaugural event in the community designed to showcase the senior center and raise money for the facility.

The event was a collaboration between the village and Senior Projects.

“This is a spin-off of a fundraiser I used to go to before COVID,” said Village Trustee Caitlin Appleby, who came up with the idea. “I really liked the sense of community that it built, so I thought we could do it here on a smaller scale. It’s win-win for everybody.”

Seventeen contestants signed up to compete in the soup contest, with one of them, Tracy Douglas from Rail to River Brewery, entering two different soups. Guests paid $5 for admission and were given samples of each of the 18 soups, ranging from seafood chowder to Zuppa soup to ham-and-potato soup.

Gabby Ambrose volunteered for the event and said it was busy from the moment the doors opened.

“We have had well over 100 people here and it’s just halfway through,” Ambrose said. “I think it’s wonderful — we should have more events like this throughout the year, just small things that aren’t expensive for the village but also aren’t expensive for the community members that want to join in. It’s just a good time.”

Appleby co-organized Soups for Seniors with Lakken Kovacik, assistant director at Senior Projects. All funds raised Saturday will go towards the center’s needs.

“The proceeds will go to the senior center, for whatever is needed,” Kovacik said. “We need some new vehicles — we are working with a couple of different entities to get money for new Meals on Wheels vehicles. All the money we raise goes to the senior center.”

The center’s Meals for Wheels program — which delivers lunches and dinners to the community’s homebound residents — reaches far beyond the boundaries of Ravena, and puts a lot of mileage on its delivery vans.

“We do a congregate meal program on Mondays and Thursdays for dinner, and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays for lunch at Van Allen Apartments in Glenmont, and we also do two buildings in Albany, one of which, Parkview Apartments, had a catastrophe with flooding and electrical, and at least 25 people were displaced to the Comfort Inn. We deliver meals there, too.”

Supporting the village’s older residents is important, Appleby said, and shining a light on the senior center and its needs will go a long way to doing that.

“Our elder population is a very important population and I think they get overlooked a lot,” Appleby said. “I think this puts a focus and a light on a population that definitely needs help and support. And to me, this is community building.”

The senior center, which is available to rent for birthday parties, bridal showers and other events, was also showcased, she said.

Rebecca Flach, from Hopefull Life Center, made a ham-and-potato soup that highlighted ingredients available at Helping Harvest, a food assistance program for people in need of a helping hand.

“I made the soup using ingredients from Helping Harvest to demonstrate the variety and quality of the food products that we have there,” Flach said.

Mayor Bill Misuraca, owner of the Halfway House Tavern, said it was gratifying to see so many residents attend the event.

“It’s a huge turnout,” said Misuraca, who also entered a seafood chowder into the contest. “We are so glad to see the community rally up for the seniors — that is so important.”

Some of the soup entries were made by restaurateurs, but many were family favorites made by the community’s home chefs, like 15-year-old Hayden Hyslop, who made Zuppa soup.

Many entrants said they participated in the event to help out an important community resource.

“This is to help out the community and the seniors,” said Jaime Hopkins from Trackside Pizza and More, who made a clam chowder.

Yvonne Shackleton made a coconut curry lentil soup from a vegan recipe she found online, and Deana Ferrusi cooked up an Italian escarole with white bean soup.

“It’s a twist on a family recipe,” Ferrusi said. “My grandfather’s favorite food was escarole and beans, and I just played with it a little bit.”

Tracy Douglas, co-owner of Rail to River Brewing, made Knoephla, a favorite in North Dakota that uses chicken and tiny dumplings.

“It came over with the Russian-Germans,” Douglas said. “They settled in North Dakota and because North Dakota is so full of root vegetables, grains and chicken, in the middle of winter, when it’s so cold, this is a stick-to-your ribs meal for them. It is totally indigenous to North Dakota. Knoephla means ‘tiny buttons,’ and that is what the dumplings look like.”

Each guest was given five tickets they could hand out to their favorite soups, and when all was said and done, the winner of the 2023 Soups for Seniors contest was Shelly Fitch, who made a corn chowder. Fitch was awarded the prize money of $200 and donated it back to the senior center.

Saturday’s event raised $1,000 for Senior Projects of Ravena.

“I’m really proud of the turnout — it was amazing for the first time we have done something like this,” Appleby said. “The community really showed up. It was very heartwarming to see everyone smiling and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. And who doesn’t love soup?”

COEYMANS — Carver Companies on Monday announced that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement in which Heidelberg Materials North America will acquire Carver Sand and Gravel, the largest aggregates producer in the Capital Region.

The deal will take effect Aug. 1. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition encompasses Carver Companies’ mining and trucking divisions in New York state, including four quarries, three sand and gravel pits, a trucking business, two internal maintenance shops, two asphalt plants, and about 200 employees.

As part of the agreement, both sides are entering into a long-term partnership that calls for Carver Companies to handle logistics, maritime and tug-and-barge transport for Heidelberg Materials North America. Heidelberg Materials will handle trucking for Carver Companies in the Albany area. Much of Carver’s work will take place at — or out of — the Port of Coeymans, which is privately owned and operated by Carver Companies.

“We built Carver Sand and Gravel from scratch into a successful mining operation with a strong market position in our corner of New York. While this is a big step for our company, partnering with Heidelberg Materials comes with incredible upside for everyone,” said Carver Laraway, president and CEO of Carver Companies and the Port of Coeymans. “This is the perfect fit for Carver Sand and Gravel employees, whose expertise will be key to Heidelberg Materials’ plans in the Capital Region. And it’s the perfect fit for Carver Companies as we focus on expanding our maritime divisions. Joining forces with Heidelberg Materials unlocks opportunities along the Hudson River, into New York City and beyond that could have taken years to materialize on our own.”

Based in Irving, Texas, Heidelberg Materials North America is part of Heidelberg Materials, one of the world’s largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions with about 51,000 employees in more than 50 countries. Its North American business already has a presence in Central New York and the Hudson Valley; the acquisition of Carver Sand and Gravel expands its statewide footprint to the Capital Region, connecting its two territories and providing access by water to New York City and other markets along the East Coast.

Current employees of Carver Sand and Gravel will gradually transition to Heidelberg Materials over the next several months.

“The Carver Sand & Gravel business is a great fit with Heidelberg Materials’ existing operations in the Central New York area,” said Chris Ward, president and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America.“We are excited to welcome the Carver Sand & Gravel employees to our North American team and look forward to working with Carver Companies to further enhance our reach in this very attractive market.”

 After the acquisition, Carver Companies’ major divisions will be maritime, construction, real estate development and materials businesses. Carver Companies will retain their materials divisions in the Southeast United States and Canada.

The maritime division, which makes up more than half of Carver Companies’ revenue, includes marine towing, stevedoring, steel works, the Port of Coeymans and a marine terminal in Charleston, South Carolina. Carver Companies owns a fleet of over 50 tugboats and barges, covering up to 3,000 miles of coastline. 

Most recently, Carver Marine Towing — one of Carver Companies’ maritime businesses — transported the Italian-made Ralph Wilson Park Bridge the entire length of the Erie Canal to its destination in Buffalo. Millions of people across the world followed this high-profile project from late June until its arrival in mid-July 2024.