Connect Ghent

03/09/2026

Our Town supporting our great community.

SAVE THE DATE - Community Day 2026

The Town of Ghent Community Day 2026 Committee announces the date/time for Community Day 2026 – September 26, 2026 from 11am-3pm at Ghent Highway Garage.

Save the Date – All are Welcome – Free Admission

01/22/2026

Town of Ghent throwing an ICE SKATING PARTY!! This is a volunteer-driven event, including many of our ConnectGhent team.

What a great community!!

P.S. Rink re-opens tomorrow (Friday, 1/23)

Community Skate Party - Saturday Jan 24, 3pm to sunset.
West Ghent Community Center. The whole town is invited, and it's FREE!!

Come join your neighbors for a skate party at the Community Center this Saturday at 3pm. Free cocoa and cookies, a fire to warm yourself, and our resurfaced ice rink.

- Bring your skates - and if you have extras, bring them along for a neighbor who might need to borrow a pair
- Bring a folding chair
- Dress warmly - it is going to be VERY COLD
- Come to skate or just to watch. Stay warm by the fire

Come meet your neighbors, say hello to a Ghentite your haven't seen in ages, and watch the young, and young-at-heart grace the ice. ALL ARE WELCOME.

Our strong community spirit is made possible, in part, through our wonderful volunteers. We thank Lew S, Jen S, Wally R, Craig S, Catherine B and our Highway Dept (Ben, Vinny, Zach) for getting the rink resurfaced and putting together this event!!

12/23/2025

Town of Ghent Rink is OPEN!!

Connect Ghent thanks all the volunteers who work to keep this free community service open.

12/21/2025

A message to Lynda Nielsen from Connect Ghent-

12/21/2025

A message to Scott Myers from Connect Ghent-

12/15/2025

I spy Councilmember Wally Engel!

Thank you to the volunteer fire companies for their dedication, teamwork, and continued service to the community!

12/13/2025

Ice skating is officially opening at the West Ghent Community Center, and we are excited to help share the news! The rink opens tomorrow and will be available from dawn to dusk, weather permitting. Please be sure to review the posted rules and guidelines before skating!

A huge thank you to the community volunteers who came out to help build and prepare the rink, dedicating their time and effort to make this possible. Special thanks to the West Ghent Fire Company and the Ghent Volunteer Fire Company for their help filling the rink, and to the Ghent Town Board for their continued support in making this happen for the community. We are lucky to have such dedicated members working together for Ghent!

We are also thankful for the colder temperatures this winter that helped make this possible. Please skate safely and enjoy this great community space! ⛸️❄️

ICE SKATING OPENS TOMORROW!!

See details below - Opens Saturday

Huge Thank you to all the volunteers who got this put together this year!!

12/06/2025

Let’s build an ice rink, Ghent! ❄️

This Sunday at 10am, community volunteers are meeting at the West Ghent Community Center to help clear snow, spread the liner, and prepare the outdoor rink. Come join! Bring a shovel if you can, dress warmly, and lend a hand — even one hour makes a difference.

Let’s work together to make winter fun happen for everyone!

11/30/2025

Join us for Holiday Gift Wrapping at Chatham Winterfest! Let Connect Ghent and Chatham For All wrap your holiday gifts while you support a good cause. All donations benefit the Ghent and Chatham Food Pantries, and all supplies are provided thanks to Connect Ghent and Chatham For All. We’re grateful for your support and excited to help spread some holiday cheer.

The event will take place at the Stone House Properties, located at 5 Main Street, Chatham, NY 12037. It will be held on Saturday, December 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Stop by and have your gifts wrapped while supporting your local community!

11/23/2025

Sharing from the Honorable Didi Barrett — congratulations, Columbia County!

We’re proud to be part of the first county in New York State where every municipality has earned the Pro-Housing Community designation. Way to go to all of our towns and villages for taking on this important effort!

Congratulations, Columbia County, on being the first county in New York State to have every municipality designated as a Pro-Housing Community!

11/06/2025

Thank you, Ghent.

We are so grateful to everyone who supported the Connect Ghent team — whether you voted, volunteered, shared our posts, or simply believed in what we’ve been working toward together. Your support means the world to us.

It’s not the full outcome we hoped for, but we are incredibly proud of the positive, community-focused campaign we ran — one that always put people and progress before politics. We’re proud of the teamwork and dedication that have guided us over the past four years.

To Fred and Penny — we’re excited to see people ready to engage in the future of Ghent! Remember, you don’t have to hold a seat on the Town Board to act on the ideas you’ve shared. Come to workshops, attend board meetings, pitch in on a project, or apply to join a committee — we always welcome extra hands.

Congratulations to our re-elected Supervisor Craig Simmons, Councilmember Wally Engel, Town Clerk/Tax Collector Shelley Radley, and Highway Superintendent Ben Perry. We also congratulate Carl Quinn, who will join the Town Board. We’ve made great progress over the past four years, largely due to our commitment to leave party affiliation aside and focus on what’s best for Ghent — and we encourage everyone to join us in that commitment.

From all of us at Connect Ghent — thank you for your trust, encouragement, and commitment to keeping Ghent moving forward.

11/04/2025

Election Day is here! Polls are open from 6 AM to 9 PM today. Please make time in your busy day to get out and vote! Every vote counts. Vote for the Connect Ghent Team!

**Double-check your polling location — some sites may have changed since the last election. Check here: https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/