Cohoes gets ready for storm, then Winter Carnival

COHOES – DPW crews were busy Monday getting ready for the storm.

“I have all my guys back,” said Cohoes DPW Commissioner Steve Hennessey. “Get in the garage, change the cutting edges, checking fluids, getting all the trucks ready– making sure that everything is good to go!”

The snow is coming just in time for the city’s Winter Carnival at the Van Schaick Island Pond this Saturday.

It’s been postponed a month already because of mild weekends.

The ice is still thin on the pond, so there will probably not be any skating, but they’re planning all kinds of things, including a big pile of snow for kids to paint on.

“It’s still going to be a fun event. We have a couple of horse-drawn carriages coming to give rides. There are going to be ponies for rides, there’s going to be a petting zoo,” said Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler. “And there’s always food – hot dogs, hot cocoa, s’mores. It’s a fun mid-winter carnival.”

Gus’s, the well-known hot dog and hamburger place in Watervliet keeps its open hours, whatever the weather, even in a snowstorm. They’ve got a very faithful following.

The owner says the mild weather has been good for them.

“Whenever it gets to about 40, 45 degrees, they come out,” said owner Steve Haita. “When it drops down between 40, goes to 20, it slows down. But they still come!”

There are signs that spring is around the corner. Popular Kurver Kreme ice cream in Albany is slated to open in just three weeks, maybe even sooner, weather depending.

In the meantime, Cohoes invites you to enjoy the snow.

The Winter Carnival near the Van Schaick Country Club and around the pond is on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.