Repaving Schuylerville

A section of Broad Street in Schuylerville.

It’s about time. Broad Street in the village of Schuylerville, New York was finally given a new coat of blacktop this past week. Thousands of drivers who pass through here each day can now roll across a smooth, pothole free surface. Thank you New York State Department of Transportation. The road was resurfaced from the area of Champlain Canal Lock 5, about one mile north of the light where Route 29 turns south, all the way past Byron’s Market to where the Fish Creek goes under Route 4 just before the Schuyler House.

The picture on the left shows the intersection of Routes 29, 4 and 32 in Schuylerville. That is the Cumberland farms store in the picture. It is more commonly called “Cumbys” in upstate New York. I buy all of my gasoline at this station. Double-click on the picture to enlarge it.

Route 29 is a major east west route in this area of New York. Thousands of drivers everyday use it to commute or travel from the Greenwich and Cambridge areas and parts of Vermont to the Adirondack Northway (Route 87), Saratoga Springs and the Wilton Mall area. Except for the Route 4 bridge just north of Schuylerville, which is an older, narrow, steel deck bridge that large trucks can’t use,  you would have to travel 10 miles or so north to Fort Edward or 10 miles or so south to Stillwater to cross the Hudson River.

Route 29 goes east for 12 miles after passing through Saratoga Springs and turns right when it hits Broad Street in Schuylerville.   For a short stretch between the two traffic lights, Broad Street is Route 29, Route 4 and Route 32 at the same time. After a few hundred yards, Route 29 turns left and continues east across the Hudson River. Route 4 and 32 continue south for another two hundred yards or so.

Looking north towards Byron's Market.

After passing Byron’s Market and Burgoyne Road, Route 32 branches off to the right while Route 4 continues south. (If you stand on the sidewalk in front of Byron’s you can look up Burgoyne Road and see the Saratoga Battle Monument).

This mile or so of road through Schuylerville was a total disaster and one of the worst roads in the area until the recent paving. It had been dug up and patched for years. Heavy trucks of all kinds turning, starting, and stopping at the two traffic lights while they traveled through the village, took its toll on the road. It was especially dangerous for motorcycles and bicycles. They had to watch out for old trolley tracks, loose bricks, and potholes.

The new blacktop makes the entire village look better. I can’t wait for the Turning Point Parade to march down it on Sunday, August 1, 2010.

Route 29 at the Hudson River in Washington County.

Route 29 is being repaved just across the river in the town of Easton, in Washington County, too. From the Hudson River bridge to the top of the hill just past where the old Some Place Else restaurant used to be, it is now all new blacktop. The slow vehicle lane is being extended also. The old lane was very short and narrow. Even if a truck or a farm tractor pulled over to let somebody pass, there wasn’t much time. The new lane will be wide enough for a truck or farm tractor to safely use it and long enough for cars to pass the slow moving vehicles.

Here is a link to an article on Wired.com called, “McAdam Paves the Way.” He was born on September 21, (the day this post was written) in 1756 and did a lot to improve the roads of his day.

The main intersection in the village of Schuylerville. One of the two traffic lights in the village.

Looking north at the Hudson River from the Route 29 bridge linking Saratoga and Washington Counties.

I would like to hear what you think.

I’m Starting a Flea Market

I am turning my four acres of backyard into a flea market this spring. You can see an aerial view of the property by clicking here. You can see a map to the property by clicking here. The address is 42 Old Schuylerville Road, Greenwich New York. I am just across the Hudson River from Schuylerville.

My wife Mary Lynn and I  have a pole barn in the yard that we will build the market around. We can easily accommodate 50 vendors and still have plenty of parking for customers. The property is surrounded by other open fields and the Hudson River is across the street. The front part of the building on the first floor was a tavern for many years. We ran it as a tavern for less than a year after we bought the property. We are going to open the downstairs when the flea market is open to sell breakfast sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, coffee, soda and water etc.

I am running an ad on Craigslist that says the following:

Vendors wanted for a New Flea / Antique Market across the Hudson River from Schuylerville. The outdoor market will be located at 42 Old Schuylerville Road, down the hill from the Washington County Fairgrounds. The days of operation are Saturday and Sunday, early May through the end of October. A 10 foot space is $20 either day, $35 for both days / 20 foot space is $30 either day, $50 for both days The first vendors to reserve space can setup under a pole barn. You don’t have to commit to a full season. You can sell on a week to week basis. Food & beverages will be available. Restroom facilities. Four acres with ample parking. Let me know if you need a table provided. Let me know what you plan to sell. I would like to hear from local farmers who would like to sell their produce here.

Feel free to drive by and see the field where the flea market will be located. Call me in advance and I will be happy to speak with you in person and show you around. Questions? For more information or to reserve space, call John Tedder at 695-4369 or send an email to jtedder@teddersrandomnotes.com Thank you. (end of Craigslist ad)

I’ve decided to open on Saturday May 2nd. There is a big antiques show at the Washington County Fairgrounds that weekend and it generates a lot of extra traffic on Route 29. My property can be seen from Route 29 and I’m just down the hill from the fairgrounds. If I have 20 or so vendors in the field, people driving by will notice it and stop and see what is going on. The antiques show is held twice a year at the fairgrounds and draws dealers and shoppers from all over New York and Vermont and probably parts of Massachusetts.

I’m going to put a sign at the intersection of Old Schuylerville Road and Route 29 where the bridge crosses the Hudson River. I’m also going to put one at the blinking light at the bottom of the hill and near the Route 4 bridge, for people who are coming south from the Fort Edward – Glens Falls area.

My property and the Schuylerville area have always reminded me of Lambertville, New Jersey. There is a flea market along the Delaware River just south of Lambertville that I have visited for years. It is called the  Golden Nugget. The towns seem similar to me because they are both next to a river and a canal. Lambertville is a much bigger town than Schuylerville, but Schuylerville has a lot of traffic going through it because Route 29, Route 4, and Route 32 all run through it for a small stretch.

Schuylerville is an historic area, just like Lambertville. George Washington crossed the Delaware River a few miles south of Lambertville to fight the Battle of Trenton. The Battle of Saratoga, which many historians call the turning point of the American Revolution, was fought in and around Schuylerville. Saratoga National Historical Park is located a few miles south of Schuylerville in Stillwater. I can see the top of the Saratoga Battle monument from my yard when the leaves are not on the trees. The battle monument and the Schuyler House just down the street are a part of Saratoga National Historical Park.

The flea market is 12 miles from Broadway in Saratoga Springs and 5 miles from Greenwich.

If you are a vendor and would like to reserve space, call me or send me an email. I will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Please note: I have closed the flea market.

It only lasted a few weeks in May. I was never able to get enough vendors to make it work and the price of insurance was prohibitive. I had to decide if I wanted to switch insurance companies. My existing insurance company wouldn’t insure me if I had a business on the property. Period. I checked with a couple of other insurance companies and it was just too expensive for me. If I required all of the vendors to have their own insurance it would have been cheaper, but that would have shut out all of the people who just wanted to sell some household stuff once in a while and weren’t really in the flea market business. There are also a lot of vendors out there that just don’t carry insurance. The insurance rates I was quoted were only for six months. The weather in this part of New York is too cold and snowy in the winter to continue much past October and I only would have been open May to October.

If you are reading this blog post, and need additional information, I will be happy to share any other knowledge I have about the flea market business with you. Just leave a comment and I will get back to you.