Lupine Fest was held last Saturday at the Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center. The festival celebrates the wildflower blue lupine and its importance to the endangered Karner blue butterfly. This year’s theme was “Dune” It All — Recreation in the Pine Bush.

The Capital Region felt the brunt of a large winter storm on Thursday and Friday that stirred the pity of the nation as many, sometimes dozens of inches of snow covered the already buried ground. Children and their parents donned ice skates and brought sleds to the Berne Town Park on Saturday, Feb. 15, where they played and more flakes fell throughout the morning. Just a few miles away, South Berne had been given 27 inches of snow from the storm by Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Albany.  

The Empire State Winter Games lasted from Feb. 6 to 9 and featured athletes from across the state in Olympic events in a region that has twice hosted the international games.

After several years of entering, Robert Price won first place in the chili contest on Jan. 25 at the annual day of sledding, hot dogs, chili, and neighbors in the Knox Town Park.