This week, we’re chatting with Kate Arney, who you might recognize as a teacher at Glens Falls High School! She shares the sweet story of how her family ended up in their (adorable!) Glens Falls home, the perfect way to start your Sunday morning (hint: it involves the most delicious pastries), and a recent Glens Falls memory that’s likely high on everyone’s list of favorites…
Tell us about yourself!
Hi, I’m Katie Arney! I am an English teacher at Glens Falls High School. I love working in the district where I live and my daughters attend Glens Falls as well - Abby (9) is in 3rd grade and Maggie (almost 7!) is in 1st grade. My husband, Joe, works for Canoe Island Lodge on Lake George where we met and is the reason we ended up here! In fact, we love GF so much that my parents ended up moving here and are the owners of The Bell House Inn!
On Life In and Around Glens Falls
Joe and I met while working summers during college at Canoe Island Lodge, on Lake George. While in graduate school, we lived in Lake George and were trying to decide what our next life step would be after graduation. I am from outside of Albany and Joe is from Long Island, so we both sort of had our hometowns in our minds when considering our next move. Serendipitously, I was assigned to student teach at Glens Falls Middle School and I immediately fell in love with the area. One Sunday, we explored the adorable neighborhoods and it clicked - we knew immediately we wanted to settle down in Glens Falls.
We started looking at houses in the Glens Falls area and purchased a split-level ranch on a beautiful street that needed some updating. We loved that house and brought both of our babies home to that house. I fondly look back on those pictures now and am so proud of the work we did to make it the perfect home for us at that time. We honestly never planned to leave there, but life works in strange ways.
In 2012, we sadly lost Joe’s mother to cancer, and a couple of years later, his father remarried and decided it was time to sell the house. Joe decided we needed to find room in our house for his mother’s baby grand piano as he has such fond memories with the piano and his mother. Joe started doodling ways to find space in our house for this piano - including taking down walls, or getting rid of our dining room table! One night, I suggested we buy his parents’ house since it’s just around the block from our current house and the piano fits perfectly in the living room. He immediately said no, I said okay, and went to sleep for the night. The next morning, I awoke to Joe desperately waiting for me to wake up - he had stayed up all night considering my suggestion and decided we should go for it!
Our home now is an L-shaped Cape Cod built in 1934 from plans originally in a Better Homes and Garden magazine. The kitchen is in the back of the house with lots of windows allowing gorgeous light to pour in. We spend so much of our time in that room - cooking, eating, crafting, reading, visiting with friends. We also have so much more room in our current home allowing us to host family at holidays, and lately, have space for my sister-in-law, Meg, to escape Washington, D.C. during the pandemic and stay with us! This is definitely our forever home!
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
Life in quarantine has brought a new perspective to everything, but we have found some things that put a smile on our faces, and they will continue to even after this pandemic.
Our perfect morning starts with bagels and pastries delivered from Bear’s Cup, Bolton. They deliver to our area on Sunday mornings. I’m not sure what I used to indulge in prior to meeting their famous bear claw, but I can assure you, it will change your world! Later in the day, we will enjoy one of the amazing winter activities we have at our finger-tips: sledding at Gurney Lane, skating at Crandall Park or skiing at West Mountain. Upon our return, we will warm up with a hot cocoa bomb from Abby’s Cookie Jar and a cookie. Finally, ordering in dinner from one of our spectacular downtown restaurants. Last time was from Radici: salad, short ribs and mashed potatoes, and caramel budino - yum! And we, of course, have Common Roots beer on hand to have in front of the fire after dinner.
On the Past
One of my favorite memories was honestly not that long ago, but right now feels like an eternity due to the pandemic. In 2019, the Glens Falls Boys Basketball team made it not only to the State Championship, but the Federation Tournament here at the COOL Insuring arena. The local pride was palpable - being at games among a sea of red and black, the lines around the block waiting to get into the arena for games, the sound of the cheering crowds, it was such a unifying time for our city. On a more personal note, I was able to see my students’ dreams come true creating memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. As a family, we enjoyed going to basketball games and seeing the parade. As a teacher, I saw my students bonding, making posters, and planning trips to games together. Groups of teachers traveled together to games in various locations near and far. As a community member, I felt the excitement through the town with just one outcome in mind - GF wins! At the start of that season, I bought a red and black GF shirt from Hallwear with glitter-fabric on the arms. I wore that shirt to every game as well as to school every Friday. I became superstitious about the shirt and if they played back-to-back games, I had to do an emergency load of laundry! After the Federation tournament, I retired that shirt, but have it saved as a keepsake.
On the Future
Glens Falls has so many amazing restaurants and coffee shops, and I’m excited to see more places offering brunch! One shop I miss often is Sterling & Co, so I would love to see a home goods shop back in Glens Falls! I would also love an app to alert the ice cream truck that we would like a drive-by! Lastly, I would love to see a community pool. Growing up, the town pool was the family place to be complete with a concession stand with the best chicken fingers!
See more from our My Glens Falls series here.
