Chronogram May 2023

Hello, SunShine!

Some things are just better in a particular season, like wool socks, fresh tomatoes, and pumpkin spice lattes. It’s true, too, if you want to go solar. While adding solar to your home or business is a smart decision at any time, spring is the ideal time to go solar and save money!

Fun fact: on average, there’s 20-25% more sunshine in April than in March, and those numbers only get better as we move into the summer months. More sunshine plus more daylight means more energy fueling your solar array. And in New York, your utility even allows you to “bank” the unused energy you produce as credits toward your energy bill in the off-season. That means the solar goodness just keeps on giving all year round.

Need a few more reasons to check out solar? Going solar means moving away from fossil fuels and using the sun’s clean energy to power your life, which is huge for our communities and for the world…Not to mention you could reduce your electricity bill by as much as 90% and have nearly 50% of the cost of your solar installation covered if you’re eligible for New York State and Federal incentives.

Have we piqued your interest? If so, now is the time to maximize your investment, bank as many solar credits as you can, and cut your energy bill and carbon footprint to boot. Spring into action and contact SunCommon today to make your green dreams a reality!

DEPARTMENTS

6 On the Cover

Melora Kuhn’s open-ended explorations into the self and society are featured in “Freaky Flowers,” a group show at September gallery in Kinderhook.

8 Esteemed Reader

Jason Stern seeks to open new portals to harmony within nature and humanity.

11 Editor’s Note

Brian K. Mahoney looks for traces of himself in a letter of recommendation written 35 years ago.

FOOD & DRINK

12 Of Grape Concern

Climate change is affecting the wine industry in the Hudson Valley, with local weather patterns growing warmer and extreme weather events, such as droughts and hurricanes, impacting grape yield and quality. Northeast growers and enologists are looking at what grapes and grape hybrids will thrive in the anticipated warmer temperatures.

16 Craft Beverage Map

An illustrated tour of the region’s craft beverage producers.

18 Sips & Bites

Recent openings include Bimi’s Canteen, Atelier Ku-Ki, Mill and Main Restaurant, and a second Moonburger location.

HOME 24 A

More Perfect Union

A Woodstock family purchases a historic 1961 Ranch-style home to prevent it from becoming a short-term rental and to address the lack of affordable housing in their community.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

34 Giant Steps: Recovery at RYAN House

RYAN House, a Saugerties-based organization founded in 2015 to raise awareness about narcotics and provide support for those struggling with substance abuse, has opened a facility for 12-step meetings and plans to provide affordable, safe, supportive housing for men in recovery

COMMUNITY PAGES

38 Beacon: Leading Light

To know Beacon is to know people who moved in from elsewhere. The first European to do so was Madam Brett, who left Manhattan for the upstate wilds in 1707, essentially “founding” Beacon. It’s been much the same ever since, with the pandemic accelerating the one-way northbound traffic and the city keeping up as best it can.

47 Pop-Up Portraits by David McIntyre

The good citizens of Beacon represent their city.

The staff of the Bannerman Castle Trust: Mary Babcock, tour guide coordinator; Laurie Clark, exhibitions and events coordinator; Neil Caplan, executive director; Johan Ayoob, graphic designer; Len Warner, board president.

Photo by David McIntyre COMMUNITY PAGES, PAGE 38

ARTS

54 Music

Seth Rogovoy reviews Live at Levon’s! by Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Peter Aaron reviews Falling Underground: The Lost Album by Big Noise. Jeremy Schwartz reviews Your Turn to Shine by Michael Eck. Plus listening recommendations from critic Will Hermes.

55 Books

Susan Yung reviews Skull Water, Heinz Insu Fenkl’s magical realist novel of Korean life post-World War II. Plus short reviews of Bannerman Island: Reflections of a Time Gone By by Neil Caplan; Silver Dollar Girls by Margaret DiBenedetto; Marfa’s River by Marina Antropow Cramer; Reading Old Books: A Farce in Two Novellas by Tom Tolnay; and Unspoken Word by Mitch Ditkoff.

62 Poetry

Poems by Nidhi Agrawal, Forrest Sessler Brookmire, Nicole Grivois, James Croal Jackson, L. U. Kaski, C. P. Masciola, Emily Murnane, Drew Nacht, Liz Pickett, Eileen Sikora, J. R. Solonche, Eugen Spierer, Meagan Towler, Mike Vashen. Edited by Phillip X Levine.

GUIDE

58 In her latest novel, Old Flame, Red Hook-based author Molly Prentiss draws on her experiences working in Italy’s tastemaking fashion houses.

60 “Black Photobooth” at the Center for Photography at Woodstock collects antique photobooth portraits.

61 During the early days of lockdown in New York City, writer and artist Andrea Kleine made a performance film with her partner, the musician Bobby Previte. The End Is Not What I Thought It Would Be screens in Rhinebeck.

63 Andrea Barrett-Mitchell is completing filming for her TV pilot “Through the Wind Gate,” about a group of millennials who have either gone to heaven or the Hudson Valley, or both.

64 The Spencertown Academy for the Arts celebrates the centennial of Ellsworth Kelly’s birth with an exhibit of his posters curated by the Ellsworth Kelly Studio.

66 Short List: Not-to-be-missed events include Cannastock in Poughkeepsie and Hari Kondabolu at Colony.

68 Live Music: Vieux Farka Toure at the Woodstock Playhouse, Willie Nile Band at the Towne Crier, Drive-By Truckers at the Egg, and more.

70 Museum and gallery shows from across the region

HOROSCOPES

76 The Conditions of Fertility Cory Nakasue reveals what the stars have in store for us.

PARTING SHOT

80 Lighting the Way

The Community Streetside Art Exhibit has placed art all over the village of Wappingers Falls.

An untitled photograph from the exhibition “Black Photobooth” at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. Courtesy of Oliver Wasow THE GUIDE, PAGE 60

Outside the Frame

MELORA KUHN'S ART INVESTIGATIONS

Germantown-based painter Melora Kuhn draws inspiration from American history, fairy tales, and mythology. She takes specific images and alters them in an effort to examine patterns of thinking and ways of being with a style that is at once familiar and elusive to pin down.

Her painting Banished, which is part of the group show “Freaky Flowers” at September Gallery in Kinderhook through May 28, depicts two women whose Victorian black dresses stand in stark contrast to a vivid, floral background. The intensity of their gaze confronts the viewer, defying judgment. “Banished was made from a found black-and-white photograph a friend gave me from the 19th century. The image was compelling to me, raising more questions than answers. I made up my own story and titled it accordingly. The rest I leave to the viewer to discover for themselves,” Kuhn says.

Kuhn’s paintings are an open-ended inves-

tigation of the self in society. “I hope my work presents questions for exploration,” she says. “For example, why would these ladies be banished? Would it be that their sexual preferences do not align with the church? Or do they have too much knowledge of the plants around them and what they can do?”

Kuhn’s catalog showcases her knowledge of classical works. “After the Rape of the Sabine Women, Sebastiano Ricci” (2023) is a study of the late Venetian school and highlights her expert knowledge of texture and tone. After Derek Jarman (2023) is a portrait of a screaming woman whose Baroque dress stands in contrast to bold splotches of color that give the work a modernist quality. The heavy brushstrokes of other pieces recall Goya or even Van Gogh.

The Lion’s Roar (2022) is a stark depiction of a lion in a desert landscape. Kuhn’s use of negative space is provocative. She is as interested in what is left out as what’s included. Solid forms seem

to deteriorate, and what appears to be one thing can be something different entirely. The effect is captivating, surreal, and timeless.

At the heart of Kuhn’s work is an interest in how images and stories from different cultures reveal how western convictions have shaped where we are now, as individuals and as a society. “I hope to understand thought structures that have rooted themselves within me, and with this recognition decolonize my mind and body,” she says.

Employing a strict schedule, Kuhn works five days a week, six to eight hours a day, with weekends off. She plans three meals a day at roughly the same time and wears a uniform to avoid expending energy in deciding what outfit to choose. “I find the regularity of that routine gives me a good structure to work within,” she says.

Portfolio: Melorakuhn.net

—Mike Cobb

The Rape of the Sabine with reflection, oil on canvas, 78" x 60", 2018

Banished, oil on canvas, 48" x 36", 2012

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Brian K. Mahoney brian.mahoney@chronogram.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR David C. Perry david.perry@chronogram.com

DIGITAL EDITOR Marie Doyon marie.doyon@chronogram.com

ARTS EDITOR Peter Aaron music@chronogram.com

HOME EDITOR Mary Angeles Armstrong home@chronogram.com

POETRY EDITOR Phillip X Levine poetry@chronogram.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Anne Pyburn Craig apcraig@chronogram.com

contributors

Winona Barton-Ballentine, Mike Cobb, Melissa Esposito, Marc Ferris, Tim Freccia, David McIntyre, Cory Nakasue, Seth Rogovoy, Jeremy Schwartz, Sparrow, Hannah Van Sickle, Mosa Tanksley, Michele Vitner, Susan Yung

PUBLISHING

FOUNDERS Jason Stern, Amara Projansky

PUBLISHER & CEO Amara Projansky amara.projansky@chronogram.com

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Jan Dewey jan.dewey@chronogram.com

BOARD CHAIR David Dell

sales manager

Andrea Fliakos andrea.fliakos@chronogram.com

media specialists

Kaitlyn LeLay kaitlyn.lelay@chronogram.com

Kelin Long-Gaye kelin.long-gaye@chronogram.com

Kris Schneider kris.schneider@chronogram.com Sam Brody sam.brody@chronogram.com

ad operations

Jared Winslow jared.winslow@chronogram.com

marketing

MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER

Margot Isaacs margot.isaacs@chronogram.com

SPONSORED CONTENT EDITOR

Ashleigh Lovelace ashleigh.lovelace@chronogram.com

administration

FINANCE MANAGER

Nicole Clanahan accounting@chronogram.com; (845) 334-8600

production

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Kerry Tinger kerry.tinger@chronogram.com; (845) 334-8600x108

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Kate Brodowska kate.brodowska@chronogram.com

office

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mission

Chronogram is a regional magazine dedicated to stimulating and supporting the creative and cultural life of the Hudson Valley.

All contents © Chronogram Media 2023.

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FISHER CENTER PRESENTS

20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON Breaking Ground

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF GROUNDBREAKING ARTISTS AND PERFORMANCES

COMMON GROUND FISHER CENTER LAB BIENNIAL

May 4–7

BARD DANCE PROGRAM

May 11–13

BARD CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA with Tan Dun

May 13

ILLINOIS SUMMERSCAPE MUSIC-THEATER World Premiere

June 23 – July 2

HENRI VIII

SUMMERSCAPE OPERA New Production

July 21–30

SPIEGELTENT

June 23 – August 12

20TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

FEATURING FLOR DE TOLOACHE

July 15

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS AND HIS WORLD

33RD BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL

August 4–6, 10–13

ULYSSES

ELEVATOR REPAIR SERVICE

September 21 – October 1

esteemed reader by Jason Stern

I live on Earth at present, and I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing—a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process—an integral function of the universe.

—R. Buckminster Fuller

Many authors have worked in cafes. The writer scribbling in a notebook, smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee or whisky in the corner of a bar or brasserie is a familiar trope. David Mamet summarized the allure of writing in crowded public spaces in his Writing in Restaurants. Gurdjieff penned his thousand-page opus Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson in the Cafe de la Paix in Paris. On a much humbler scale, I wrote most of the several hundred Esteemed Reader columns in some cafe or another in the Hudson Valley over the last 30 years.

Today I am sitting at a counter in front of a window overlooking a swollen stream running through the center of the town. The flowing graygreen water gathers into turbulent foam as it goes over rocks. The foam takes the shape of fractals, branching out in microcosmic similitudes, as one sees in illustrations of the Mandelbrot Set. The stream is a stream because it has banks with water flowing between. Yet the stream is not the water, or more precisely, the stream is not composed of the particular water that is apparent in any moment. Rather the stream is a stream because new water spills between the banks in a continuous flow.

The stream appears to be a thing, and indeed the word is a noun. Yet the thing is only a thing because it is a process in motion. The moment new water ceases to flow, or the water is dammed or overflows the banks, the stream becomes something else—a pond or a marsh, or is simply absorbed into the soil as irrigation.

I think this is why I appreciate writing in cafes. A cafe is a cafe only because a stream of people flows through. They stop at the counter or at a table, exchange words and emanations, take in and transform food, and move on. At the same time as people enter in front, the raw materials enter the cafe through the rear. The cooks prep and combine ingredients into recipes, transforming them into dishes with sauces and heat. In this sense, the cafe is also a process, inasmuch as it is a thing.

In physics, we are presented with the paradox of light being both wave and particle. And indeed, every recognizable thing can be understood both in terms of its material and vibrational aspects. In the life of the body, 50 billion cells are born and die every day but are held in a pattern of life imposed by an implicit “recipe,” pattern, or vibration.

I recall a Hawaiian explaining how the Polynesians were able to find the Hawaiian Islands, so minuscule in the vastness of the Pacific. He told me they navigated the ocean in their outrigger canoes using the water currents, rather than the land, as reference. This technique was verified by Thor Heyerdahl who traversed thousands of miles of ocean on his raft, Kon-Tiki, in the middle of the 20th century. In other words, these navigators followed the flow, or vibrational pattern, of the current rather than navigating between fixed objects.

Though linguists argue the fine points, it is clear that several Native American languages eschewed the use of the noun and instead understood everything as a verb, which is to say as a process in motion. In this sense, a stream “is streaming,” a tree “is treeing,” and a horse “is horsing.” The closest and most consistent word in English is “being.” A being is being, a process—not a thing.

It seems to me that a part of the malaise of meaningless that faces humanity in the current epoch stems from a bias toward the particulate aspect of things. We believe that the particle or thing-ness of the world is what makes things real, perceptible, and measurable because this is the lens through which we have been trained to perceive. The result is an objectification of everything.

To see the world as an interplay of innumerable dynamic interconnected processes reveals the magnitude of a mystery. Being unmoored from objects as reference points can be overwhelming if not terrifying. Nevertheless, I think growing our worldview beyond the prevalent but primitive views of reductionism and atomism will open new portals to harmony within nature and humanity.

Photo by ©Peter Aaron ’68/Esto

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New Paltz 169 Main St.

by Brian K. Mahoney

A Letter of Recommendation

We are selling the ancestral Mahoney estate. The house that my family has lived in for four generations will soon be on the market now that the Queens County Surrogate’s Court has named me executor for all of my dead relatives. (Mom died first, in 2018, followed by Dad in 2019, and my brother Paddy in 2022.) Which left me to sort out the entanglements of their various estates, which includes a rather large, rather rundown house. NB: If anyone’s interested in owning a fixer-upper Victorian in Bayside that’s currently home to a growing scurry of squirrels, hit me up. No charge for the squirrels. And no charge for educating you on what a large group of squirrels is called either.

When my brother Paddy died last June, leaving the house empty for the first time since my grandmother bought the place in the late ’40s, my siblings and I did the dead-relative thing. First: the requisite period of mourning and lamentation and, of course, the Irish wake. You’re not really dead in my family until the surviving members are belly up to the bar in some place named Bridie’s or The Minstrel Boy, drinking pints of Guinness in black suits and waiting for someone to break into a weepy rendition of “The Wild Rover.”

Then, with much help from loved ones and friends, we tackled the house. We threw away the food in the fridge, and the freezer, and the basement freezer (decade-old Stouffer’s French bread pizza, anyone?); organized my brother’s papers as best we could— Paddy’s paper trail was mostly digital and password-protected; started to sort through the nearly century’s worth of family stuff in every nook and cranny across four floors (including my brother’s collection of Brickmania military models—don’t ask which fills a small bedroom) before we despaired and decided to just leave it until we were legally able to sell off the family heirlooms we didn’t want. We drained the pipes, turned off the heat, and locked the door behind us. (The squirrels must have picked the lock.)

When I started sifting through the filing cabinet full of papers back at home, I discovered a folder of ephemera from my high school days: The booklet they gave out at the commencement ceremony; some old writing (if anyone wants to read my incisive essay comparing and contrasting the views of urban life in found in Tama Janowitz’s Slaves of New York and Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City, let me know); some old report cards documenting my inability to measure up to my more-driven peers at Archbishop Molloy High School—I mean, who gets a 78 in Health?; and a letter of recommendation from my AP English teacher, Mr. Vardy.

As my classmates and I were putting together our college application packets, we were advised by school officials that we should seek out recommendation letters from faculty members. Said faculty members—employees of the school that our parents were funding for the main purpose of getting us into college—would then be tasked with writing pithy encomiums that exaggerated our qualifications and accomplishments ever so slightly without resorting to dishonesty or insincerity.

As I had alienated most of the teachers over my four-year tenure at Molloy—mostly through my genius for sotto voce wisecracks—I had little choice but to approach my new English teacher, Mr. Vardy, who had liked my Janowitz/McInerney essay. While he was a little surprised at being asked to write on my behalf, he gamely obliged. I reproduce it here in full.

30 November 1987

To whom it may concern:

It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Brian Mahoney. Brian is presently a student in my Advanced Placement English class, and though I had not met him before this September, I was immediately impressed by him.

Of the 59 students I teach in Advanced Placement, Brian is perhaps the most original and sophisticated thinker I know. He is very popular and gets along well with his peers, but there is something about him that sets him apart—an intellectual awareness, a social maturity, a wit and intelligence that make him unique. Brian’s range of interests is incredibly broad—from school yearbook to referee’s association, from playing soccer to playing piano—and he approaches all these activities with the same lively curiosity he approaches academic pursuits.

Where other students are afraid to venture from the suburb in which our school is located into nearby New York City, Brian knows the city well and seems to thrive on its variety and energy. Where other students are reluctant to express original thoughts or original ideas on paper, Brian can be counted on for a unique perspective and for a truly insightful comment that gets to the heart of the matter being discussed. In short, Brian seems to have balanced a sense of personal freedom that most adolescents strive for with a sense of personal responsibility. He is confident, comfortable with himself both academically and socially, yet he is by no means arrogant or conceited. On the contrary, he is unfailingly personable, friendly, genuine, sincere.

Brian will be an asset to any school he chooses to attend; already he has the social and intellectual maturity of a college student, and I am confident he will continue to use his many talents wisely and well. I am proud to give Brian my highest recommendation, and I invite you to contact me if there is anything more I can do on his behalf.

Sincerely,

Declan B. Vardy Department of English

While I didn’t get into my first- or second-choice college, Mr. Vardy is hardly to blame. (And besides, I enjoyed all eight years I spent at SUNY New Paltz, my fall-back to the fall-back. Go Hawks!) Mr. Vardy clearly tried to help me, though why the “most original and sophisticated thinker” he knows needed his help is an open question. This letter would in fact mark the high point of my relationship with Mr. Vardy, a nice, decent man—who, if I’m being honest, overused the word unique, which one shouldn’t use at all— who would have to suffer the barbs of my surging confidence and dipping maturity.

I gave Mr. Vardy a jar of my mother’s bread-and-butter pickles that year for Christmas as a sort of thank you gift for his recommendation letter. In fact, I believe there are still some of the 1987 vintage left in the basement. I’ll throw them in with the house for any potential buyers.

Of Grape Concern

HUDSON VALLEY WINEGROWERS ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

By Melissa Esposito

Abottle of wine is a snapshot of a place and time. Indicative of its environment, the nuances of a wine’s terroir are determined by a range of details, from the soil where its grapevines are rooted to the vineyard’s overall topography. Regional weather patterns play a key role as well, and as extreme weather events become more common around the world, they affect how wine is being produced.

Here in the Hudson Valley, the data on local climate trends gathered by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell University, Scenic Hudson, and other

trusted experts all show that regional weather patterns have been incrementally growing warmer, on par with global trends—and at times, faster than global averages.

Of course, this affects regional agriculture across the board, and the Hudson Valley has experienced a spectrum of extreme weather events in the past decade alone, from hurricanes to droughts, blizzards to tornadoes. But because terroir can determine a wine’s personality in depth of richness or a delicate sweetness, it can also indicate a harsh environment due to extreme weather that may have happened in a particular year. For instance, in 2020 wildfires swept through the West Coast and burned so broadly that it created hazy skies as farreaching as New York. Some fires were caused by human activity, others by lightning strikes, but all were intensified by long-term droughts and caused famed California wine regions like Napa and Sonoma to struggle with “smoke taint.” This occurs when smoke changes the chemical makeup of grape skins, giving wine uncharacteristic campfire aromas or ashy, medicinal flavors.

“The aroma compounds of smoke can adhere themselves to sugar molecules in grape skins, making them unable to be washed off, and

winemakers have very few ways in which to mitigate this issue,” explains Russell Moss, general manager at Milea Estate Vineyard in Staatsburg. Moss was a consultant for vineyards and wineries across the country and world before moving to New York in 2018 to teach viticulture for Cornell University and consult with Milea; he now oversees the winery’s direction. “Smoke taint was so widespread in wines from these regions that many retailers and restaurants have refused to carry the 2020 vintage and have elected to stock up on the 2019 and 2021 vintages instead.”

Dealing with Drought

Although wildfires have historically been less of a threat for New York winemakers than in California, the local data still suggests that intense and dry heat will be ongoing problems for Northeast wineries. “The biggest threat to viticulture in New York, according to current climate models, is the risk of short-term droughts,” Ross explains. “The models that I’ve seen show that we basically won’t have any change in mean annual rainfall, however, the amount of discrete rain events will decrease. That means when we get rain, we will get a lot of rain, and that there’ll be longer periods of time between rain events, causing short-term droughts.”

In 2022, Fjord Vineyards in Milton lost more than half of its grapes to animals starved of normal food sources due to drought.

While a short-term summer drought can be anticipated, in 2022 New York State saw historic drought levels starting in May, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. Data showed the drought growing to a “severe” categorization (level D2 based on a scale of D0D4) between August through October—harvest season in the Hudson Valley. The impacts of this sort of long-term event can be dire, widespread, and long-lasting.

“Short-term droughts can cause skin-splitting that leads to sour-rot—when the fruit turns to vinegar on the vine—or it can lead to drought stress of the plant, which negatively impacts grape yield and quality,” Moss says. “However, when you compare this to the climate models of the West Coast, in which they’ll see severe long-term droughts and more frequent and severe wildfires, the long-term risk of grape growing on the East Coast is favorable.”

When dealing with drought, growers are faced with the challenge the oppressive heat brings— not just to crops, but to the vineyard’s entire ecosystem. During 2022’s drought, the wildgrowing berries and plants that many wildlife depend on for food had shriveled or dried out, and the food scarcity sent animals toward vineyards and farms in droves.

“Last year’s drought was a very sad situation because there were fewer available food sources in the wild, so the wildlife pressure was more than we’ve ever seen,” says Matthew Spaccarelli, who co-owns Fjord Winery in Milton, with partner Casey Erdmann. “In some of our growing blocks we lost more than 50 percent of our crops during the last two weeks of the growing season because of the wildlife—deer, raccoon, skunks. The number of birds on our netting every morning was insane. When there’s no food in the woods, hungry animals find their way in.”

This impacted Fjord’s yield from four-and-ahalf tons per acre in 2021, to one-and-a-half in 2022. “We’re more focused on making premium wine than having the largest crops, but the last two years brought their own challenges,” Spaccarelli explains. “In 2021, hurricanes Henri and Ida brought 14 inches of rain, saturating the ground during the first few weeks of harvest; when that much rain falls at once, water just sits in the soil. Then in 2022 we had eight weeks without rain in the middle of the summer. So you have to shift constantly. Our challenge is to be as proactive as we can for the dry events, putting irrigation everywhere in case we need it, but also planting cover crops across the vineyard to soak up moisture and to prevent erosion.”

Aiming High

Adaptation is the name of the game in any agricultural situation, which means that Northeast growers are now looking at what grapes will thrive in the anticipated warmer temperatures. New York is known as a coldclimate grape growing region, and the grapes grown here over generations have developed a cold-hardiness to survive frosts. “The data shows a general warming trend leading to longer summers, and although longer ripening seasons can be good for cold-climate grape growers, shifts in overall temperatures can affect the dormancy periods and overall cold-hardiness of grapes,” says Justin Jackson, the sustainability program manager at the New York Grape and Wine Foundation. “To survive colder temperatures, grapes acclimate to the cold; if they’re unable to acclimate, they risk disease and death when temperatures drop.”

One solution is to grow hybrid grapes, a crossing of two or more species. While the wine industry as a whole has mixed feelings about the use of hybrids, they do tend to be cold-hardy and disease-resistant. Not to be feared as a Frankengrape, they can still be produced organically, biodynamically, or as part of typical growing culture, and thrive in the region.

Milea Estate General Manager Russell Moss examining the soil at the Staatsburg vineyard with winemaker Bruce Tripp.

Another option many cold-climate growers are choosing is to start crops at higher altitudes or shift plantings to areas of their vineyards that see less sun. In Washington State, for example, winemakers have historically sought lower elevations to encourage ripening, but now that ongoing warmer weather has pushed harvest season back to August—when it’s typically September into October—they’re seeking higher sites where colder nights can help grapes retain their natural acidity.

“If these weather patterns continue—as the data suggests it will—we may see either an increase in hybrids or the phasing out of coldhardy grapes, impacting the types of wines being produced in the region,” Jackson explains. “Our region is similar to the Alsace region of France, where ice wine is popular. This is when you harvest wine grapes while still frozen, because it gives them a sugary flavor for producing sweet wines. As the summers grow longer, ice wine might be produced less because the freeze isn’t coming at its usual time, and waiting for a frost that doesn’t come causes fruit to rot on the vine. For some growers, it might not be worth the risk of losing grapes, so they may harvest before the frost and still end up making something like Riesling. But on the other hand, we’re seeing grapes thrive in New York that didn’t historically do well here, like cabernet sauvignon; it’s been cropping up more frequently in New York and ripening better than it has in the past.”

It’s not a matter of whether the weather will get back to normal or resume patterns we grew accustomed to in decades prior. Rather, for winegrowers, it’s an acceptance of change as a constant and a call to fluidity—the sun will rise, the sun will set, what happens in between can only be predicted to an extent. It’s one more reminder that the way it’s always been, may not be the way it’s going to be; an ongoing lesson this decade has been actively teaching us.

What can growers do?

The adage “prepare for the worst, hope for the best” is common among agriculturalists of all stripes, but to be a cold-climate grape grower is to be an innovative steward of the land, and just as the environment shifts and adapts, so must winemakers, and so must wine consumers.  Sustainability is key; by taking on sustainable growing, harvesting, and operational practices, growers can better ensure their vineyard’s longevity and prosperity. “There’s no onestep-fits-all approach to sustainability; tertiary measures must be taken into account, depending on what works for a particular vineyard,” Jackson says. “Cover crops are good for some, in other places it could weaken the vine.”

He recommends growers take advantage of the VineBalance workbook, a free resource produced by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation that allows for self-scoring of one’s vineyard and winemaking practices.

The book contains nine sections varying from vineyard practices, to water management, to how employees are treated. After self-scoring and making any necessary changes, winemakers can request an auditor to review and certify the winery as sustainable, which allows use of a trustmark on bottles to market their wine as certified-sustainable.

“The trustmark makes it easier for consumers to know that a grower is doing their best to conserve the environment, pay employees living wages, and use best practices,” Jackson explains. “When consumers are aware, they begin asking for sustainably grown wine, which means restaurant and store distributors see more demand, which encourages growers to meet consumer demand for sustainable wine.”

There are already a significant amount of New York growers doing right by their land, even though New York is, to put it simply, a rough place to grow grapes. “We want these wineries to be a lasting legacy of the Milea family in the Hudson Valley, so they must serve multiple generations,” Ross adds. “We’re deeply committed to our land and use best practices to grow grapes sustainably with minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystem. Sustainability is a critical part of the Milea ethos. We have a guiding quote: ‘Great wine requires devotion— to the land, family, friends; the community, and progress.’ These wineries are not just here for the current generation.”

Milea Estate owner Barry Milea and Russell Moss inspecting the 2022 Sang’s Vineyard Cabernet Franc at Milea Estate.

38. Obscure Oscillation Brewing Company

19 Lown Court, Poughkeepsie

39. Old Glenham Brewery

126 Old Glenham Road, Fishkill

40. Old Klaverack Brewery & Hop Farm

150 Thielman Road, Hudson 41. Orange County Brewing Company

19 Maloney Lane, Goshen 42. Peekskill Brewery 47 South Water Street, Peekskill 43. Plan Bee Farm Brewery 115 Underhill Road, Poughkeepsie 44. RB Brew 317 Springtown Road, New Paltz

45. Return Brewing

726 Columbia Street, Hudson

46. Rip Van Winkle Brewing Company 4545 Route 32, Catskill

47. Roaring 20s Brewery & Tap House

565 Route 20, New Lebanon

48. Roe Jan Brewing Company

32 Anthony Street, Hillsdale roejanbrewing.com | (518) 303-8080

We produce a rotating lineup of traditional and trending beer styles, from ales and lagers to IPAs and sours. Beer and hearty pub fare are available indoors in our beautifully restored brewpub and outdoors in our beer garden. Live music every weekend!

49. Roscoe Beer Company 145 Rockland Road, Roscoe

50. Rough Cut Brewing Co.

5945 Route 44-55, Kerhonkson

51. Rushing Duck Brewing Company

2 Greycourt Avenue, Chester

52. Russian Mule Brewing Company 1465 Denning Road, Claryville

53. Shepherds Eye Brewing

9 Industrial Drive, Florida

54. Shrewd Fox Brewery

552 Route 55, Eldred

55. Sloop Brewing Co. 755 East Drive, Hopewell Junction

56. Slow Fox Farm 41 Lake Drive, Rhinebeck

57. Suarez Family Brewery 2278 Route 9, Hudson

58. Subversive Malting & Brewing 96 West Bridge Street, Catskill

59. Tin Barn Brewing

62 Kings Highway Bypass, Chester

60. Upper Depot Brewing Co. 708 State Street, Hudson upperdepot.com | (917) 716-7794

Our taproom is located in a renovated train station and features up to 12 house-made craft beers. A wraparound deck provides plenty of room for outdoor seating.

61. Upward Brewing Company 171 Main Street, Livingston Manor

62. Vosburgh Brewing Company 1065 County Route 19, Elizaville

63. Wandering Star Brewing Co. LLC 11 Gifford Street, Pittsfield

64. West Kill Brewing 2173 Spruceton Road, West Kill

65. Woodstock Brewing 5581 Route 28, Phoenicia

66. Yard Owl Craft Brewery Inc. 19 Osprey Lane, Gardiner

67. Zeus Brewing Company 178 Main Street, Poughkeepsie

5. Bad Seed Hard Cider 43 Baileys Gap Road, Highland

6. Berkshire Cider Project 508 State Road 403, North Adams

7. Breezy Hill Orchard

828 Centre Road, Staatsburg

8. Brooklyn Cider House

155 N Ohioville Road, New Paltz

9. Fishkill Farms

9 Fishkill Farm Road, Hopewell Junction

10. Forthright Cyder & Mead, LLC

9 Sheri Lane, Youngsville

11. Graft Cider

148 Little Britain Road, Newburgh

12. Greenhouse Cidery 2309 NY-203, Chatham

13. Greenpoint Cidery 4161 Route 9, Hudson

14. Hilltop Orchards

508 Canaan Road, Richmond

15. Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider

At The Stone Ridge Orchard Tasting Room

3012 NY-213 Stone Ridge

Hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider.com

(845) 687-2587

Stone Ridge Orchard hosts the Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider’s farm bar with hard ciders for tasting and wood-fired pizza available.

16. Hurds Farm

2187 NYS Route 32, Modena

17. Kelder’s Farm 5755 Route 209, Kerhonkson

18. Kings Highway Cider

127 Cooper Road, Millerton

19. Left Bank Ciders 150 Water Street, Catskill

20. Little Apple Cidery

178 Orchard Lane, Hillsdale

21. Metal House Cider

32 Esopus Avenue, Ulster Park

22. Orchard Hill Cider Mill

29 Soons Circle, New Hampton

23. Pennings Farm Cidery

4 Warwick Turnpike, Warwick

24. Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery

43 Wagner Lane, Callicoon

25. Stickett Inn Cider 3380 Route 97, Barryville

26. Sundog Cider 343B State Route 295, Chatham

27. Sundstrom Cider 818 Salisbury Tournpike, Milan

28. The Cidery 2251 State Route 209, Wurtsboro

29. Westwind

12.

11. Christopher Jacobs Winery At Pennings Vineyards 320 Crawford Street, Pine Bush Penningsvineyards.com

1. Aaron Burr Cidery 2291 Route 209, Wurtsboro

2. Abandoned Hard Cider 642 County Route 6, Germantown

3. Angry Orchard Cider Company 2241 Albany Post Road, Walden

4. Annandale Cidery

8 Davis Way, Annandale-On-Hudson

sips & bites

Bimi’s Canteen

19 Main Street, Chatham

In May, Chatham’s beloved cheese shop, Bimi’s, will throw open the doors to their new bar/restaurant Bimi’s Canteen. In the kitchen, chef and Chatham native Josh Kelly will turn out a hyperlocal and cheese-forward menu (macaroni gratin, anyone? Fondue?). The opening entre list includes indulgent picks like a Grimaldi Farms organic culotte steak; Overlook Farms roasted chicken served with saffron rice, Pucker’s pak dong, and grilled lime; and a traditional French bouillabaisse. Pastry chef Claire Raposo is a decorated Le Cordon Bleu alum, while the bar program is headed up by Boulud group veteran Andrey Matseyev.

Instagram.com/bimischeeseshop

Mill and Main Restaurant

317 Main Street, Kerhonkson

Since opening their provisions market/cafe Mill and Main in 2021, Claudia Sidoti, Paul Weathered, and their son Christopher Weathered have revived Kerhonkson’s short Main Street with fresh-baked pastries, espresso drinks, and a bright interior. After much delay, the second phase of their project— Mill and Main Restaurant—is finally opening mid-May. With the kitchen helmed by Christopher, whose CV includes Blue Hill at Stone Barns, expect a short, punchy menu accessible farm-to-table fare. Apps include pigs in a blanket with curry creole mustard ($14) and lamb meatballs with whipped ricotta ($16) with mains like pan-roasted brook trout with limoncello ($28). There are also plenty of inventive and hearty vegetarian options like the tamarind nut-crusted cabbage with crunchy quinoa and coconut curry ($22).  Millandmainstreet.com

Atelier Ku-Ki

391 Main Street, Catskill

On the heels of their successful bento box pop-up, Atelier Ku-Ki, Yoko and Kristiaan Ueno have opened a permanent location for their Japanese food concept inside Made X Hudson’s creative collective on Main Street in Catskill. Here they dish up farm-to-table bento boxes and Japanese confectionery treats using local produce to take-away or eat in-house. There are three meal options—two meat protein boxes and one vegetarian—at $20 each, as well as two Onigiri appetizers ($4-$5 each) and a dessert box. Offerings like teriyaki wild salmon come accompanied by sides like Japanese potato salad, chikuwa isobe-age tempura, tamagoyaki, kale and carrot ohitashi, pickled vegetables, nori, lotus root, red shiso furikake, and salt kombu. Atelierkuki.square.site

Cafe Con Leche

6384 Mill Street, Rhinebeck

The former Halcyon Cafe space on Mill Street next to Old Mill Wine and Spirits in Rhinebeck has a new tenant, Cafe Con Leche. It is the second location for chef Phil Cordero’s Puerto Rican restaurant, which opened its flagship storefront in Wappingers Falls in 2018. The Rhinebeck outpost is smaller in scale than the original location and has a narrowed focus on cafe items—coffee and baked goods—while also serving beloved Puerto Rican favorites like empanadas, chicken chicharron, and pernil (slow-roasted pork.)

Nycafeconleche.com

Moonburger

87 Main Street, New Paltz

On April 22, Kingston’s meatless fast food phenomenon Moonburger inaugurated its second location on Main Street in New Paltz with a cool, retro-futuristic interior in the old location of Mexicali Blue. Expect MB’s signature tight menu of offerings (oat milk shakes, griddled Impossible burgers—with and without cheese, fries—spicy and not) plus a special weekend treat. On Friday and Saturday nights from 11pm to 2am, Moonburger New Paltz switches over to a night shift menu with plant-based nuggets and waffle fries, available exclusively at this location. Moonburger.com

—Marie Doyon

4 Park Place, Hudson, NY • 518-821-6634 hudsonroastery.com

Organic coffee roasted in the heart of the Hudson Valley The

Catskill Brewery

672 Old Route 17, Livingston Manor Catskillbrewery.com

Catskill Brewery makes awardwinning ales, lagers and mixed fermentation beers in a LEED Gold certified building powered by the Earth and Sun. We work hard to make great beer in our home region, The Catskill Mountains. Come enjoy our beer garden and our onsite Catskill Food Truck.

Westwind Orchard & Cidery

215 Lower Whitfield Road, Accord Westwindorchard.com

Westwind Orchard is a family owned & operated farm, cidery & restaurant. We offer our natural ciders along with locally sourced beverages. Enjoy our authentic Roman style pizzas & fare made with ingredients from our land. Dine outdoors in our cider garden, dance salsa on Fridays and enjoy live music on Saturdays. Private events available.

Roe Jan Brewing

32 Anthony Street, Hillsdale (518) 303-8080; Roejanbrewing.com

We produce a rotating lineup of traditional and trending beer styles, from ales and lagers to IPAs and sours. Beer and hearty pub fare are available indoors in our beautifully restored brewpub and outdoors in our beer garden. Live music every weekend!

Craft Beverage SPOTLIGHT

With picturesque rural surroundings, robust farm-to-table menus, and of course, top-notch pours, these craft breweries and cideries are detour-worthy destinations all their own.

Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery

43 Wagner Lane, Callicoon, (845) 887-4056; Seminaryhill.co

Proudly local and intently sustainable, Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery is about genuine Catskills heritage. We’re the world’s first Passive Housecertified cidery, founded by Doug Doetsch, a fifth-generation Callicoon, New York, resident. Our cider reflects each year’s harvest: the apples and perry pears we grow in rocky clay overlooking the Delaware River have complex aromatics, sharp acids, and tactile tannins that allow us to ferment and blend ciders with depth and nuance. Our ciders are vegan, gluten-free, and tend to lean toward the dry side. Experience our harvest-driven cider, design-forward lodging, and farm-to-table restaurant.

IN FULL BLOOM Sunflower Market

Bob Whitcomb started Sunflower Market in 1978 with a degree in food service management and the conviction that peace, love, and granola-loving Woodstock residents deserved a place to buy healthy food. Over the past 45 years, Sunflower has developed a reputation as a welcoming and down-to-earth place to shop for organic, all-natural, and non-GMO foods. It has also become a leader in the local community through its work supporting local farms, charitable organizations, the environment, and its staff and customers.

“A plant will only grow as strong as its roots,” says Melissa Misra, Whitcomb’s stepdaughter and Sunflower’s Vice President. “If we keep our roots strong, Sunflower will continue to grow and provide for our community.”

Long Live Local

Much of Sunflower’s growth in recent years—the opening of its Rhinebeck location in 2014 and the Woodstock expansion in 2019—can be attributed to the second generation of owners, Me-

lissa Misra and her former husband Paku Misra. After doubling the size of the business by the late 90s, Whitcomb and his wife Roz Balkin began to think of passing the baton on to Melissa and Paku. “We both had passions for food, and it seemed like a really wonderful opportunity for it to be a family venture,” says Melissa Misra. The two brought their backgrounds in marketing, media, and technology to the table, and began to identify areas where Sunflower could improve its impact.

One of the first things the family focused on was increasing the accessibility and affordability of the items they sold. To that end, they joined the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association, a purchasing cooperative of more than 300 independent natural and organic grocers across the US.

“Rightly so, a lot of people think that whole foods are inaccessible,” Misra says. “We wanted to make sure we had greater buying power, so we could bring in high-quality goods and produce and price it in a way that’s not going to break

the bank for our customers. It’s important for us to remain connected to our customers and our employees so we can help them fit everything on their list that their budget can allow.”

Another of their priorities was to better support and highlight local farms and bring in a wider variety of health and wellness products. “We have buyers always searching for local farms. I really wanted to feature those farms more prominently and to tell their stories, because we want them to grow in strength and number,” Misra says.

They also keep a close eye on everything they stock, and pay special attention when changes happen that can affect the integrity of any product. “A lot of the larger companies and regular grocery stores are doing what they can now to bring in natural and organic products,” Misra says. “But independent natural food retailers are the ones leading the pack. We’re the ones looking when someone like Pepsi buys a small food company and suddenly there’s a new ingredient in that product that we don’t support.”

The Sustainability Ethos

Sunflower’s commitment to sustainability doesn’t stop at the items on its shelves. The family takes a holistic approach to running the business, and has always championed supporting its staff, customers, and community in ways that demonstrate care.

“The solar panels on the roof were something my stepfather was a huge proponent of decades ago, and I always wanted to do away with plastic bags and was so thankful when New York passed legislation that allowed us to do so easily,” Misra says. “Our Woodstock expansion was also a great opportunity for us to quietly take steps to diminish the size of our carbon footprint.”

They purchased new energy-efficient lighting, refrigerators, and other equipment for the expanded store, and were finally able to add a generator that could power the whole store when the electricity goes out in town. “Paku and I were so frustrated for many years because we didn’t have the ability to run the store on a generator if need be,” Misra says. “We wanted to be the place where people could get necessities in a crisis, like ice, milk, and bread, and now we are. It’s a huge

part of providing for our community.”

Sunflower has a long history of supporting local organizations that align with its mission, such as Family of Woodstock, the Center of the Prevention of Child Abuse, and the Rhinebeck Farmers Market. “These organizations are fighting to stay alive and do this work in our communities, and they need every ounce they can get,” Misra says.

It is also a Pet Path sponsor for the Ulster County SPCA, a program that helps transport animals facing euthanasia in shelters to safety at the SPCA and provides produce and compost to the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, where it also sponsors the cost of caring for twin cows. This spring, Sunflower also made a large donation to Woodstock Elementary to provide a major update to its beloved playground.

“We are a business mainly for two reasons: To provide for the community and to provide a living wage for our employees,” says Misra. “It’s not about how you beat out the other guys. It’s about following the tenets that you’ve chosen to live by.”

Sunflowernatural.com

Melissa Misra, vice president of Sunflower Market

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When Maggie Mitchell and her family decided to buy a historic 1961 ranch style home at 16 Bellows Lane in Woodstock, they saw the opportunity to continue a rich, local tradition. “ This neighborhood has an incredible history,” explains Mitchell of her Byrdcliffe area cul-de-sac. “ The artists Charles Rosen, George Bellows, and Eugene Speicher all lived on the lane in the 1920s when they built and founded the art gallery that is now WAAM [Woodstock Artists Association and Museum].”

In 2016 Mitchell, her husband, children, and parents had taken up residence in a pair of charming, side-by-side, hand-built Cape Cod style homes at 17 and 23 Bellows Lane, sharing a fenced-in garden and yard, and soaking up the neighborhood ’s history and laid-back, familyfriendly atmosphere.

In the summer of 2020, when number 16 was set to go on the market, the family realized that it probably meant the home, once the site of Rosen’s

art studio, would be scooped up by the shortterm rental boom. “ We were concerned about the possibility of living next to a short-term rental as well as the traffic on the lane and the loss of privacy,” says Mitchell.

But it was much more than the prospect of a changing neighborhood that motivated the family. Since moving to the area, and opening the restaurant Pearl Moon on Mill Hill Road, they ’d all seen firsthand how the lack of affordable housing was negatively impacting the community. Employees were in traffic accidents while commuting to work, and workers spent more than a few nights crashing on various family sofas after late night shifts. “ We saw long-term rents skyrocketing,” says Mitchell. She knew it wasn’t a tenable situation. “ Tourism depends on workers,” she explains. “But if those people can’t live here, then this is not a real town, it’s a fantasy of a town.”

Mitchell and her husband agonized about what to do. “I have pretty strong notions about landlords

A More Perfect Union

Building community for the long term in Woodstock

By Mary Angeles Armstrong

Photos by Winona Barton-Ballentine

Maggie Mitchell and Venetia Boucher enjoy Boucher’s woodsy back patio while their children play. The two women met when their oldest kids were toddlers and became good friends. When Mitchell decided to buy the home across the street from her own house and become a landlord—a role she doesn’t take lightly—she thought of Boucher and her family.

Before she moved in, Boucher took time update the home’s vaulted living room with fresh wall paint and a coat of white to brighten the brick fireplace. “My decorating style is all about reusing and repurposing items,” says Boucher. “My home has lots of vintage furniture, hand-me-downs, family heirlooms, and a few Ikea pieces thrown in. I’m not precious about anything, furniture is there to be used and inevitably stains. Wear and tear happens.”

and rents and the housing crisis, it all feels a bit icky,” she explains. “But then I realized that ’ s probably how it should feel, because housing is a human right and owning someone else’s home isn’t a career path.” Mitchell and her husband thought purchasing the home next door wasn’t just about preserving history, it was also a proactive way to invest in the future of their community. That ’s when they reached out to a local friend and fellow parent, Venetia Boucher, who they thought might make a great neighbor.

Upstairs at the Library

During her time living upstate, many of the housing trends affecting the Hudson Valley have also affected Mitchell’s life in smaller and more personal ways—but most especially the lack of affordable housing. Mitchell, who hails from a small town in Michigan, came to the area with her Irishborn husband after living in New York City. The couple wanted a quieter life and saw an opportunity to make that happen when Mitchell’s parents retired and decided to move to the East Coast.

In 2013 the two generations bought a multi-

generational family unit in Zena together. “About a month later we learned that Zena Elementary school was closing due to low enrollment,” says Mitchell. With an infant son, Mitchell knew the lack of a nearby public elementary school would eventually be an issue. When the family happened on the Bellows Lane enclave, they couldn’t believe their luck. “ The prices seemed to reflect the homes’ small sizes and dated charm,” says Mitchell. They all relocated to the lane where they could walk to town and the local elementary school. Mitchell’s parents bought and began renovating the restaurant that would eventually become Pearl Moon.

Boucher and Mitchell met at the Woodstock Library, while taking their older children to story hour. Originally from London, Boucher moved to New York City after college, then relocated to the Hudson Valley to cofound Woodstock Healing Arts. “I moved to the area when I was pregnant with my now nine-year-old,” says Boucher. “I didn’t know many people, but made some very good friends upstairs at the library. Maggie was one of the people I met and became friends with.

Living locally and with kids of similar ages, we would find ourselves showing up at the same events and a friendship happened over time.”

Soon, both Mitchell and Boucher had two children each of similar ages. The kids were enrolled in the same pre-school and then attended the local elementary school together. While Mitchell and Boucher have very different personalities, they found their temperaments and skill sets complemented each other. Mitchell, who worked for a while at the library, had an alteration business in Kingston and has tailored everything from wedding gowns to Roman blinds. Boucher was pulled into the design world after designing the community spaces at Woodstock Healing Arts. “I really enjoyed how creative and crafty Maggie is,” says Boucher, who now works as both a prop stylist and designer. “She has her own way of doing things, which I really admired.” The two also realized they share a passion for community building and, as parents, appreciate the vital importance of keeping that community alive and accessible to a wide variety of people.

When Boucher heard Mitchell’s plan to rent

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Boucher and her two daughters on her bed which was built by her partner, Nils Schlebusch. “I have a passion for anything handmade,” explains Boucher. “I enjoy making things myself and support other makers. My partner built our bed which feels very special. Handmade items have such a different feel and energy from factory-manufactured items.”

A view of Boucher’s den from the kitchen and dining area. The space is decorated with a variety of handmade textiles, her children’s art, and pieces collected from yard sales and on Facebook marketplace. “To me, how a home feels is just as important as how it looks. It’s about the intangible as much as the tangible. It should reflect the occupants and support them to go out in the world,” says Boucher. “My home is a collaborative effort. It’s about what works for the kids, dogs, everyone. In my work as a stylist I love to create picture perfect moments, but in real life I don’t mind a little mess. It shows a home is being enjoyed and lived in.”

home is an open-concept kitchen and dining area. Boucher’s background as a yoga teacher and health coach has informed her design philosophy. “It led me to study feng shui, which got me thinking about the connection between health, home, and community,” she says.

out 16 Bellows Lane she was curious to take a look. “I’m one of those people who find it fascinating to poke around other people’s houses,” Boucher explains. At the time, she was living in Saugerties with her two children and her partner, Nils Schlebusch. She hadn’t really planned on moving, but she soon saw the benefits of stepping into the neighborhood and having Mitchell as a neighbor. “It was in the right school district, a good size for two kids, and it was walkable to town,” she says. “I just kept envisioning us there. All signs pointed to yes, so we packed up and moved, and I’m so glad we did.”

Neighborhood Math

Together, the two families have turned the three homes into a four-acre compound full of children and dogs. “I value the community that we are building together, sharing childcare and spices and homegrown vegetables, art supplies, and community knowledge,” says Mitchell. “I’m a homebody and Venetia is very active, she always knows what’s going on with the school board and the Friends of the Library, and we both love stepping in to help with each other’s kids when life inevitably happens.”

Before moving in, Boucher and Schlebusch took some time to fix up number 16 themselves. “ We painted all the bedrooms and the living room, as well as the red brick fireplace, a bright white that made a huge difference brightening up the space,” explains Boucher. “ We also added new light fixtures to the kitchen and bedrooms.” Schlebusch fenced in the yard for Boucher ’ s dog-walking business. Boucher also took the opportunity of proximity to begin volunteering at the library. After four years working as a ski patroller on Windham Mountain, Schlebusch began wondering who he could save over the summer months. After moving to Woodstock, he became a volunteer ambulance driver and began training as an EMT for the Woodstock Rescue Squad.

in a corner of the

Bottom: Boucher’s

the patio and woods. “Woodstock was founded by artists and creatives. It’s what makes our town so unique, but we can’t be creative and contribute to community when we’re stressed about housing,” says Boucher. “I couldn’t have asked for a better living situation than this. Our landlords genuinely care about us and there is trust and respect on both sides. The adults are friends, our kids are friends, our dogs are friends. We have a lovely little community here on Bellows Lane.”

“What Venetia and I are doing is a unicorn,” admits Mitchell of the two families’ arrangement. “And it only works because we care about each other.” Still, Mitchell can appreciate all the practical benefits of having Boucher closeby. “Our families are the beneficiaries not just of their rent checks but also of the fact that they are caring for the property on a daily basis, loving it, cleaning it, sweeping out the spider webs—that ’s what makes it their home, not ours,” says Mitchell. “We are also the beneficiaries of their friendship and their contributions to the community, which feels immeasurable and priceless. “

“The artists who came and built these houses in the 1920s, they built a gallery, they built a library, they played on the baseball team, they volunteered their time at the library fair,” explains Mitchell. “ That’s the type of village life I moved here for—that ’s ultimately what we ’ re invested

in.”

Top: At the heart of the 1,900-square-foot

workspace sits

family den overlooking

VAN-TASTIC LOGISTICS

Starting a small business is not for the faint of heart or small of wallet. The list of to-dos can be dizzying—from locating space to investing in equipment to hiring staff and everything in between. And for contractors, tradespeople, and other service or delivery-based businesses that travel to their customer’s location, that list is often weighed down by one of the biggest expenses of them all: company vehicles.

According to Joseph Fiore, co-founder of the new Wappingers Falls-based business Res/ Comm Truck & Van Rental, business owners are often faced with two choices when it comes to transportation. They can lease their vehicles, which requires large down payments and long-term commitments to financing and maintenance. Or they can rent their vehicles from a national chain such as Penske, Enterprise, or U-Haul, which can be less reliable in terms of pricing and availability, and whose national branding sticks out like a sore thumb.

“A lot of business owners don’t like bringing these national rental trucks to their job site because it appears less professional,” Fiore says. “It makes it look like they can’t afford a truck

and that they have to rent everything.”

The conundrum is one that Fiore and his business partner, Michael Delforno knew all too well. As co-owners of the Poughkeepsie-based construction company Delforno Fiore Holdings, the two have gotten to know many other small business owners in the community who all have the same frustration: finding quality highroof cargo vans. The high-roof style is one that started in Europe and has since been adopted in the US by everyone from painters and caterers to families setting out on long roadtrips.

After researching options for renting highroof vans locally, Fiore and Delforno realized that there was an opportunity to provide both commercial and residential customers in the Hudson Valley with long-term cargo van rentals that were safer, more modern, and easier to drive than the majority of those currently available from rental companies.

The two got to work acquiring a small fleet of brand new Dodge Ram cargo vans. This spring, they began offering cargo van rentals by the day, week, and month, with pay per mile rates and unlimited miles starting around $100 a day.

“Our vans have the same capacity as a traditional box truck, but they’re much easier to drive and have all the modern safety elements included,” says Fiore. The vans are known for being easily maneuverable in city environments and fit inside a standard size parking space, which makes them especially good for residential needs. They also have features like drowsy driver detection, forward collision warning, and rear cross path detection for blind spots. The clean white vans are also minimally branded, so businesses can add their own custom logo magnets to the side for visible company branding. And as their name implies, it’s not just businesses that will find value in working with Res/Comm Truck & Van Rental. Residential Customers looking for a clean, modern van to pack up their own apartment or home for a big move, move their kids to college, or just hit the open road for a few weeks can head to the company’s new Wappingers Falls office in person or call (914) 703-9100 to get all set up with their own cargo van rental close to home. Rescommrentals.com

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In 2011, we had 14 overdose deaths per 100,000 mid-Hudson residents, and by 2020, the number had reached 35. In 2021, Ulster County alone lost 48 citizens to opioid overdose, for a rate of 26.8 per 100,000.

Those were the ones we lost. That same year, 1,200 Ulster County residents were admitted to certified substance abuse disorder treatment programs—taking a step on a road to recovery that, as anyone familiar with the problem realizes, is a complex and perilous path.

It’s a problem that defies simple solutions, requiring a spectrum of community resources to foster healing. With the creation of RYAN House in Saugerties, one local organization is expanding those often-stretched resources with a dedicated, elegant home for 12-step meetings, and will soon add affordable, safe, supportive housing for men in recovery.

RYAN (Raising Your Awareness about Narcotics) got its start in 2015, when the Kelder family lost their son Ryan a month before his 25th birthday. His struggle had begun with a Xanax prescription for anxiety, then a prescription

for painkillers after an injury, sparking a dependency that led him to turn to other pills and ultimately to heroin. The 2008 Kingston High School grad, a sweet soul who loved to skateboard and snowboard, came home to Ulster County with a raging addiction.

The family—dad Vince, mom Carole, and sister Randi—helped as best they could through rounds of insurance hassles and struggles to find the right care. Ryan checked into rehab at Samaritan Village in Ellenville in late 2014 and spent 10 months there. “We mean no blame to anyone— people do their best—but it’s a state agency and even then they were overwhelmed,” says Randi. “He met with a counselor once a month while he was there, and there wasn’t real aftercare. Maybe a little more help could have created a better outcome.”

In August 2018, he was discharged and placed in an Ellenville apartment by the Department of Social Services. Barely over two weeks later, he was dead.

“Ryan had called me (on) Tuesday, August 18, and had told me he was having a hard time,”

Giant Steps

RYAN HOUSE OFFERS A PLACE FOR RECOVERY

By Anne Pyburn Craig and Michele Vitner

Photos by Tim Freccia

Vince and Carole Kelder founded RYAN House in Saugerties after the death of their son Ryan Kelder.

wrote Randi in a September 2015 Facebook post. “I spoke to him for some time and reassured him that he was okay and he told me he was. He told me thanks for talking to him and that he knew what he had to do to keep his sobriety and make something of himself. He was truly determined. The phone call ended with him replying ‘I love you, too.’ My brother and I were very close, we loved each other and protected one another. I didn’t know that that would be the last time I would speak to my brother until I got a phone call on Saturday, August 22.”

Making Strides

Some families would have folded under the weight, but not the Kelders. In spite of stigma, they insisted on telling the community the whole truth. “When we came out and said, ‘Ryan died of a heroin overdose,’ people could have looked at us and said, ‘I don’t want to be around those people.’ You know what I mean?” says Randi. The grieving sister, determined to commemorate her brother’s life in a way that was true to his spirit, set about organizing a 5K run in his name—and was heartened and astonished when over 300 people came out. “We realized, wow, people actually do

want to have this conversation,” Randi says.

The organization has been active ever since that first run, just two months after the Kelder family’s catastrophe, holding youth rallies and vigils, becoming a familiar presence at all sorts of community gatherings. In 2020, RYAN gained official nonprofit status. And in 2021, the dream found a home—the Knights of Columbus Hall at the corner of Route 9W and Burt Street in Saugerties, over 11,000 square feet with a commercial kitchen and plenty of parking.

The Knights, suffering from declining membership, like most fraternal organizations, and faltering after COVID decimated their own fundraising, could undoubtedly have found someone to pay more than $350,000 in pandemic boom times. According to Hudson Valley One, the September meeting of the Saugerties planning board that year was about evenly split between supporters and opponents of RYAN’s plan. One of the opponents said the Knights of Columbus had had offers from restaurants, a commercial landlord, a preschool, and other endeavors he felt better suited to the neighborhood. Neither property values nor quality of life seem to have collapsed as

the Kelders steadily reinvent the space as a lifesaving force. “Drug dealers have no need, whatsoever, to attempt to sell drugs at a sober house,” Saugerties resident Jo Galante Cicale pointed out in an October 21 letter to the Kingston Daily Freeman. “There is plenty of business as usual within their own turf. And people in recovery are very much less likely to commit crime.”

As of spring 2023, the stately 1920 Greek revival manse where knights of old caroused (and plotted charitable doings) hosts 35 12-step meetings a week; organizers are trying to find schedule slots for more, to meet demand. Vince Kelder, Randi says, is a regular at the 6:45am. “Dad will have 27 years this July, and 12-step recovery gave him that, so that’s our model. We’re renovating the upstairs so we can offer safe, supportive living space for men in recovery who are committed to that model. We want to make it really beautiful, a place where they feel part of something, and we hope to have it up and running by next winter.”

Since the pandemic, RYAN has organized a youth board with members ranging in age from sixth grade through high school. Youth board members organize fundraising and awareness events on-site. Their Easter craft fair raised $1,000.

“That first run,” says Randi, “people came out, we had sponsors, politicians came out, and we raised $8,000 that we gave to the Boys and Girls Club. When the energy kept growing, we decided to do something with it that was specifically about recovery.” This year’s 5K run/ walk will happen in October. The Drive Fore Recovery golf tournament is held each July.

“We’d love to someday get another building and have housing for women too,” says Randi. “For right now, we’re focused on doing this part right.” This fall, she’s reviving the Youth Rally that brought together every 9th grader in Ulster County before COVID paused it. “These days, it should probably be a message they hear even younger, but the logistics are hard with younger grades. It’s even more urgent now that fentanyl’s in the mix. I’ve spoken in lots of schools, and I tell them how my mom always told me that you never know what drug you’re actually getting, and I’d scoff. But nowadays, that is 100 percent true and terrifying.”

On May 6, Orange County runners will step off for that community’s First Annual RYAN’s 5K/10K, happening at Chadwick Lake Park in Newburgh. They’ll sport the group’s eye-catching scarlet-and-gold, Superman-style diamond with an R in place of an S, a design that Carole Kelder has tattooed on the inside of her wrist.

“We were always close, but you know how brothers and sisters are,” says Randi. “We’d squabble, call each other names, and he’d come back at me with, ‘You’re wrong—I’m gonna be famous someday.’ Well, I’d still rather have him here, famous or not—but clearly, he didn’t lie. We’re making his name a beacon.”

RYAN House’s recovery model is based on Alcoholic’s Anonymous’s 12-step principles.

Leading Light Beacon

By Marc Ferris Photos by David McIntyre

In the standard story, the arrival of Dia Beacon in 2003 singlehandedly stimulated the city’s revival after three decades of decline. Now, Beacon is a vibrant tourist mecca and commercial hub that attracts newcomers in droves, many of them, it seems, from Brooklyn. Their baby carriages clog the sidewalks.

The Brooklyn trope is true. The Dia myth is not. It’s also correct that currents of history and environmental activism continue to shape the city as new residents bring economyshaking wealth and an idealism that puts Beacon at the forefront of ecological innovation.

One of the earliest city dwellers to move north, Mayflower descendent Joseph Howland, left a lasting legacy. His creepy Gothic Revival mansion, Tioronda, built in 1859, became the famous Craig House sanitarium, where Jackie Gleason, Truman Capote, Zelda Fitzgerald and Rosemary Kennedy received treatment.

Marilyn Monroe may have spent time there, but Frances Ford Seymour, mother of Peter and Jane Fonda, definitely killed herself with a razor on the premises in

1950. Developers plan to turn the main house and the 64 surrounding acres into an 85-room inn and spa under the Mirbeau brand, which currently operates hotel and spa facilities in Rhinebeck, Albany, and Skaneateles.

Howland also built a jewel box of a library at the east end of Main Street that has served as the Howland Cultural Center since the late 1970s and continues to bring an array of arts programming downtown. In 2007, the center installed a geothermal heating system, getting a jump on environmental trends.

Beacon’s most famous transplant, Manhattan-born folk singer Pete Seeger, embodied the ethos that echoes today. First came the summer camp Nitgedaiget (“no worries” in Yiddish), which operated from 1922 to the 1950s on a 250acre footprint in the shadow of Mount Beacon across the street from Tioronda. Many camp buildings remain and the grounds include a disc golf course and a web of hiking trails. Through its lifespan, the operation catered to communist sympathizers affiliated with radical trade unions and featured a four-story hotel. Drawn to likeminded ideologues,

Looking east down Main Street toward Mount Beacon.

Opposite, from top: Little League baseball at the Shawn M. Antalek Memorial Field at Memorial Park. The mixed-use development at 284 Tioranda Avenue, on the banks of Fishkill Creek, will feature 64 residential units and is expected to be completed in 2024.

Seeger bought a plot for $1,700 in 1949, built a log cabin and lived off the grid, burning firewood, growing his own food, and driving an electric truck powered by batteries and solar collectors.

He also spearheaded a broader environmental movement with the sloop Clearwater, which continues to advocate for the Hudson River.

Pioneering Environmental Legislation

The impact of city natives moving to the sticks and trying to improve the surroundings resonates today. In March, Beacon became the state’s third municipality after Ithaca and New York City to adopt a fossil fuel ban for new residential construction. The law also applies to major renovations. In a city with a lot of old buildings that are being bought up by absentee developers, this is a significant policy shift. The ordinance is designed to be replicable by other municipalities, says Dan Aymar-Blair, the city council member who introduced the bill. “Some of the common sense exceptions and other criteria written into the statute are consistent with what’s being proposed in Albany,” says Aymar-Blair, who brought one child up from New York City and had another one after he moved.

City officials also plan to educate and encourage residents to take advantage of federal incentives to replace outmoded

appliances, he says. “I’m all for a clean environment,” says sixth-generation realtor Jonathan Miller, who is skeptical of the plan. “But the renovation costs will be passed on to buyers and renters.”

The city’s Conservation Advisory Committee remains out in front on other ecological innovations. A composting program, initiated last year, now involves around 450 households and has diverted 60,000 pounds of food scraps and other organic material from the landfill.

One goal is to offer home pick up of compost, which would likely expand the program, says committee chairman Sergei Krasikov, who relocated from Brooklyn with one child in tow and now has two.

Committee members have shared their expertise with other towns in the valley and also plan to implement a composting pilot program with several local restaurants. The school system represents a more formidable frontier.

“In schools, it usually depends on a dedicated teacher and some kids in a green club to run the program and educate their peers,” Krasikov says. “There is reluctance to engage in the extra work it takes, but we’re trying to figure out the logistics.”

The committee also introduced pollinator pathways at the high school and middle school, which sit across the street from each other in an open plain north of the city center. This movement, which is spreading across the region, calls

Chad Wagner and Steven Gray of Witch, Please, the retail outlet for Les Loups Candle Co.

Opposite from top:

Andrea Podob, Carolyn Baccaro and Julia Zivic of Hyperbole, which features small batch clothing, jewelry, home goods and art.

Vincenzo Vaccaro, aka Big Vinny, of Big Vinny’s Pizza and Donnoli. (A donnoli is a cross between a doughnut and a cannoli.)

for removing invasive species, planting patches of native vegetation and letting lawns grow wild to attract birds, bees, moths, and other threatened insects.

“We’re establishing no-mow areas that we’re marking off with stakes and fencing,” said Krasikov. “People complain that it doesn’t look tidy and will attract ticks, but you don’t have to run through the tall grass, there’s pathways around it. If we do it right, after five years, we’ll have a selfsustaining meadow.”

Still Shining

In Beacon, the past is never too far removed from the present. In 2017, the city named a bridge over Fishkill Creek after Ron and Ronnie Sauers, who helped spearhead a real estate revival after the factories shuttered and boat traffic on the liquid highway dried up in the late 1960s.

The couple came from Long Island in the 1980s and started refurbishing properties along Main Street, where they joined other like-minded antique and boutique shop owners (including pioneers like John Gilvey of Hudson Beach Glass).

Ron passed away in 2011, but Ronnie is still around. She recently sold the building that housed her interior design showroom to another pre-Dia pioneer, Ken Berisha, who owns Brothers Trattoria and arrived in 1990. He credits the 1994 Paul Newman movie Nobody’s Fool, filmed around town, with putting Beacon on the map.

Several shops celebrate the retro aesthetic. Wonderbar, restored by Brendan McAlpine and Marjorie Tarter, revived an Art Deco cocktail lounge that operated in the 1930s. Beacon Bath & Bubble sells old-fashioned sodas, including Moxie and Dad’s root beer (as well as handcrafted soaps). A museum-worthy display case stuffed with memorabilia documents the city’s heyday.

Open only a few months, House of Maxx pays homage to the swinging 1960s. Some of their candles, sprinkled with crystals and other items on top, resemble ice cream sundaes.

At Witch Please, open since last October in a corner of the old Matteawan train station, reiki-charged candles with crystals at the bottom are poured during full moons and new moons (along with lunar and solar eclipses).

Beacon loves a parade and other displays of civic pride. The dog parade, the St. Patrick’s procession, and the Spirit of Beacon event are always well attended.

Introduced last year, Beacon Bonfire plans to continue warming the evening skies during a weekend in November and evokes the city’s namesake signal fires atop Mount Beacon that relayed British troop movements during the Revolutionary War (one if by land...).

It’s taking some time for the city’s First Friday and Second Saturday retail promotional evenings to get back in the swing, but last month, Main Street Music revived its open acoustic jam circle and put out wine and snacks. Designer toy gallery Clutter held a raucous opening attended by local resident and internationally renowned artist Ron English.

From top:

Jebah Baum, a member of the Beacon Artists Union, an arts collective that runs BAU Gallery, a gallery and project space that opened on Main Street in 2004.

Emily Murnane and Robin Lucas outside the Madam Brett homestead. Brett is credited with the founding of Beacon—she moved with her family from Manhattan to the area in 1707.

Jodiane Lindh outside Refill Restore, the refillery she recently opened on Main Street.

English credits gallerist Ethan Cohen, who turned the former high school into art studios and gallery space, with bringing him to town. Despite his neon green jacket, he blended into the crowd. “Typically, I would need bodyguards for an event like this,” he says, but all he had to do was sign a toy box for a fan and pose for a selfie.

Though the past is ever-present here, the future has arrived. All the groundwork laid for the city’s revival unleashed the same forces buffeting other valley towns.

In December, Long Island developer Rockridge Real Estate bought 340 Main Street, putting a barbershop (28 years), restaurant (28 years) and flower store (37 years) out of business and signaling the end of modest rents for longstanding local establishments.

The monthly rent at Batt’s Florist, for example, rose from $1,200 to $3,300 plus extra maintenance fees. On Easter Sunday, court papers detailing their eviction lawsuit dangled from the store’s doorknob and dead flowers desiccated inside. The Beahive coworking space plans to move into the three former storefronts once renovations are completed in early May after 14 years down the street in the Telephone Building.

“I’m worried about Beacon,” says Main Street Music proprietor David Bernz, who has lived in town since 1991 and won two Grammy awards with Pete Seeger. “I’m glad people like to come here, but it’s become a haven for rich people. I wish I could freeze it in place.”

Top: Frank Hyde with one of his sculptures outside of the KuBe Art Center, a multi-use arts complex housed in the former Beacon High School and run by gallerist Ethan Cohen.

Bottom: John Gilvey shaping glass at Hudson Beach Glass, a Main Street mainstay since 2003.

Acclaimed writers, poets + playwrights share highly-anticipated new work, insights, experience and advice

PROGRAM: Ginger Strand; Jamie Price, PhD; Donna Minkowitz; Patricia Spears Jones; Martine Bellen; Indran Amirthanayagam; Charlotte Meehan; Nigel Gearing; Laura Sims; Danielle Trussoni with guest NYT and NPR puzzlemaster Will Shortz

WORKSHOPS: Ruth Danon, PhD: Live Writing Poetry; Ken Foster: Is It Memoir? Is It Fiction?; Shane Bly

From Stage to Page

community pages

Beacon Pop-Up Portraits

Photos by David McIntyre

On April 2, Chronogram held a community portrait shoot in the historic Howland Cultural Center in Beacon. Thanks to all the Beaconites who showed up to represent their city and to Theresa Kraft, Hannah Brooks, and Thomas De Villiers of the Howland Cultural Center for hosting us. Thanks to the Momo Valley for the dumplings and Happy Valley Arcade Bar for the post-shoot cocktails and pinballl. Join us for the May issue launch party at Happy Valley Arcade Bar, 296 Main Street, on Wednesday, May 3 from 4:30-7pm.

Theresa Kraft, Howland Cultural Center board president

This page, top row: Tara O’Grady, songwriter and author; Thom Joyce, musician; Joseph Ayers, gallery director KuBe Art Center; Ruth Danon, poet and teacher, co-curator of Beacon LitFest; Scott Beall, educator and musician; Middle row: Scott Ramsey, executive producer Fort Beacon Studios; Ronnie Sauers, Howland Cultural Center board member; Kathleen Andersen, glass artist; Kathleen Laucius, creative director, Omega Institute; Rob Lundberg, photographer Bottom row, left: The staff of Common Ground Farm: Renae Essinger, education manager; Hampton Fluker, assistant farm manager; Jessica Shay, CSA manager; Katie Speicher, farm manager; Sember Weinman, executive director; Liz Craig, operations manager, with Rowan and Lily Craig. Bottom row, right: Beacon Bonfire coordinating committee: Christian Campbell, America Olivo Campbell, Timothy Parsaca, Jeremy Schonfeld, and Kelly Ellenwood with Sennett Campbell.

Opposite, top row: Elizabeth Greaney, astrological counselor; Eelco Kessels, executive director of the Global Center on Cooperative Security; Amber Cannale, Matikas Branding and Social Media; Ethan Cohen, Ethan Cohen Gallery and KuBe Art Center; Hannah Brooks, Howland Cultural Center board member. Middle row: Jonathan Miller, real estate broker; Joanne Cannale, licensed massage therapist; Andre Martin, artist; Helen M. Zuman, author and life coach; Ron English, artist. Bottom row: The staff of the Howland Public Library: Lauren Coupe, office manager; Stephanie Montesanto, head of youth services; Erika Oehaas, library clerk; Megan McGuinness, library clerk; Michelle Rivas, community engagement librarian; Peter McGivney, reference librarian; Elijah McKible, library clerk. Edward Roy, the CineHub.

This

George Mansfield, owner of Dogwood and Quinn’s, city council member; Hakan Martensson, owner Hakan Chocolatier; Shadoe Jones, apprentice chocolatier at Hakan Chocolatier; Thomas de Villiers, Howland Cultural Center board vice president.

Middle row: Asia Mesa and Frank Mesa of Change of Life art gallery; Ori and Rachel Alon-Ray, Empowering Clerks Network

Bottom row: Carrie Zazz, musician; Andrew Bell of Beacon Greenway Trails with Maple.

Above: Zandy Mangold of Beacon Bonfire with Kayu Bear.

Opposite, top row: Jessica Constant, cellist and nurse practitioner; Annalyse McCoy and Ryan Dunn of Annalyse and Ryan; Shane Killoran, founder and director of Hit House Creative; Tom Pantano of Tommy Q Gourmet Empanadas with Yogi; Paulette Myers-Rich and David Rich, Traffic Street Press and No. 3 Reading Room; Jacky Yoon, creative director, SHY Creative; Suzanne Ball, art commissions and business development for CODAworx and Carl Van Brunt, artist and arts writer.

Bottom row: Amanda Hunt, actor and Tyrel Hunt, marketer; Donna Minkowitz, writer and host Lit Lit open mic; Gwen Laster, musician; Damon Banks, musician and teaching artist; Donna Mikkelsen, artist; Ezra Hubbard, student with Twinkle Burke, actor, and Brad Hubbard, musician; David Shelly, pink unicorn.

page, top row:

Off the Beacon Path

It’s easy to think of the Hudson Valley in terms of its major towns, but the surrounding villages and hamlets have plenty to write home about. From Garrison to Wappingers Falls, here’s a sampling of what’s waiting “off the Beacon path.”

Cold Spring Cheese Shop

104 Main Street, Cold Spring (845) 666-7373

Coldspringcheese.com

Since its 2018 opening, Cold Spring Cheese Shop has been committed to celebrating the quality and breadth of offerings from artisanal cheese makers and dairy producers in Hudson Valley and greater Northeast.

The Main Street shop was founded by cheese-obsessed theater director Timothy Haskell and his wife Rebeca Ramirez, whose passion transformed the small Main Street space into a warm, welcoming emporium where customers can discover and support artisanal dairy farms, such as Chaseholm Farm in Pine Plains, Four Fat Fowl in Stephentown, and Nettle Meadow Farm in Luzerne.

In addition to a rotating selection of cheese, the shop also offers all manner of locally made sundries, including butter, yogurt, jams, honey, charcuterie, and fresh-baked bread, as well as breakfast and lunch sandwiches, gift baskets, and party-ready charcuterie boards.

In February, Haskell and Ramirez announced that Cold Spring Cheese Shop would be under new ownership. Taking the helm are Newburgh residents Caroline Sansone, a media professional who worked for Haskell’s productions in New York City and her husband Scott McGibney, who owns the Brooklyn coffee shop Wyckoff Star, and Erin Browning, a restaurant industry professional trained in Michelin-starred establishments. A few new changes that shoppers can look forward to include online ordering and local catering.

“When Tim and Rebeca popped up in my life again, it was kismet,” says Sansone. “The shop is their vision and our goal is to maintain and support that, while adding a little sparkle on top.”

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

Garrison

Hvshakespeare.org

Founded in 1987, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) is a critically acclaimed theater company known for its inventive productions staged under an open-air tent overlooking the Hudson River. With its new permanent home in Garrison, HVSF recently announced its 38th season, featuring a lineup of captivating productions that are not to be missed.

The season begins in June with Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” directed by HVSF Artistic Director Davis McCallum. The epic follows a charismatic warrior king and his ragtag cohort as they battle across France in pursuit of the French crown. The title character is played across gender lines by Emily Ota, whom McCallum describes as one of the most accomplished American Shakespearean actors of her generation.

In July, HVSF presents the long-awaited “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” originally planned for its 2020 season. The comedy of four young men who fall in love against their wills finally makes its way to the tent this July as a pop/rock musical directed by Amanda Dehnert, featuring original music by Dehnert and Andre Pleuss.

The season concludes with the world premiere of “Penelope,” a reimagining of Homer’s The Odyssey from the perspective of Odysseus’s steadfast wife, directed by Eva Steinmetz, with music and lyrics by Alex Bechtel. What began as a concept album for songwriter Bechtel as he was separated from his romantic partner during Covid developed into a musical love letter to all those who wait, promising a moving and poignant exploration of love and longing.

For HVSF’s season schedule, tickets, and more information visit the festival’s website at Hvshakespeare.org.

Hudson River Expeditions

Cold Spring, Beacon, and Peekskill HudsonRiverExpeditions.com

We offer kayak and paddleboard tours, rentals, and instruction. You can choose from three beautiful locations on the Hudson; Cold Spring, Beacon, and Peekskill. We hope to see you on the water this summer! More information is available on our website.

Cold Spring Apothecary

40 Main Street, Cold Spring (845) 232-1272

Coldspringapothecary.com

A wellness minded beauty company, consciously formulates every product using only the highest quality ingredients. Since 2010, we continue to handcraft all of our products in our Hudson Valley lab. Shop our entire line at our retail location and Wellness House offering spa and salon services.

Hudson River Line Realty

(718) 637-3143

hello@hudsonriverlinerealty.com

Hudsonriverlinerealty.com

HOME. We’re here to help you find it. Or sell it. Hudson River Line Realty was born from an idea that real estate could be done outside of the large corporate companies and still be excellent and top-notch and a bit more personal; we believe good relationships spark great results. Celebrating 5 years in 2023!

Topfield Equestrian Center

115 Stonecrop Lane, Cold Spring (845) 265-3409, Topfieldcenter.org

At Topfield Equestrian Center we Partner with Horses to Empower Humans. Offering adaptive riding and ground lessons, talk and creative arts therapies with and without equine assistance, inclusive summer camp, parties, fieldtrips and more… Opportunities for community service,volunteering, and internships, too! Providing Adaptive and Therapeutic Equestrianism since 2010.

Earth Angels Veterinary Hospital

44 Saint Nicholas Road, Wappingers Falls (845) 227-7297, Earthangelsvet.com

“There is nothing permanent except change.” The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus may have uttered his famous phrase around 500 BC, but more than ever it is an apt description of the current state of veterinary care. While a growing number of veterinary hospitals are becoming part of corporate networks, Earth Angels remains a locally owned and operated facility offering the best in integrative care where your beloved pets will benefit from a blend of conventional and alternative protocols with the latest technology. Earth Angels Veterinary Hospital –world class with the local touch.

Oh! Designs Interiors

(914) 552-3108

studio@ohdesignsinteriors.com

Ohdesignsinteriors.com

Influenced by our client’s unique lifestyle and desires, we tailor our designs to reflect what is genuine for them. Our design concepts are nuanced and layered to create interiors that are dynamic and lively. Offering a variety of services for all budgets, we are committed to providing a professional process that exceeds expectations.

RedTail Power Yoga

810 Route 82, Hopewell Junction (845) 605-2257

Redtailpoweryoga.com

Step into RedTail Power Yoga’s warm and welcoming studio, where our no-levels approach embraces your unique journey. Focus your mind, flow with your breath, and evolve your practice in our stunning infrared radiant-heated space. Let us guide you on a transformative journey of self-discovery and unlock your full potential.

Photo by Kate Macaluso

sound check Will Hermes

Each month here we visit with a member of the community to find out what music they’ve been digging.

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams Live at Levon’s!

(Royal Potato Family)

The Hudson Valley’s first couple of roots music offer an eclectic celebration of Americana on this collection of a dozen tunes recorded before a live audience at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, where multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell led the Midnight Ramble Band for a decade or so in support of the venue’s namesake. Joined by his singer-guitarist wife and musical partner Teresa Williams and backed by stellar regional talents including drummer Justin Guip, bassist Jesse Murphy, and Brian Mitchell on keyboards, accordion, and mouth harp, Campbell takes the crowd on a genre-hopping journey through jump blues, jazz, blues rock, bluegrass, and soul, on original compositions and numbers by the likes of Rev. Gary Davis, John Sebastian, Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, and Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.

Louis Prima’s “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” is a perfect showcase for Williams’s acrobatic, colorful vocals and features great interplay between Campbell’s guitar and Mitchell’s accordion. “Angel of Darkness,” a Campbell-Jorma Kaukonen cowrite, highlights Campbell’s Mark Knopfler-like guitar countermelody dancing around Williams’s sensual voice. Campbell draws upon the full panoply of stringed instruments, including mandolin, fiddle, and pedal steel guitar, making it all sound easy as he dazzles with his fleet, eloquent playing. This is showcased in a psychedelic version of Duke Ellington’s classic “Caravan” in which he displays a mastery of guitar styles from swing to rockabilly to zydeco with even a taste of surf guitar. More than the sum of its parts, however, the album celebrates the couple’s love.

—Seth Rogovoy

My home listening is shaped by our great local clubs—Catskill’s Avalon Lounge, Woodstock’s Colony, Hudson’s Half Moon, Quinn’s in Beacon, and especially Tubby’s in Kingston. Together they host adventurous music nearly seven days a week; we’re blessed. This month, I’m stoked for dreamscape heroes Damon and Naomi (Tubby’s), Malian guitar master Vieux Farka Touré (Woodstock Playhouse), and the return of the glorious 24-hour Drone Festival (Basilica Hudson). In June, there’s the Waco Brothers’ transatlantic countrypunk (Avalon Lounge). Big Thief, one the world’s best rock bands at the moment, play UPAC in July. I reported on a new wave of tradition-minded Irish music for the New York Times earlier this year, and I’m still plumbing marvelous LPs by Lankum and Lisa O’Neill. Southern rock bard Jason Isbell has a new album due in June; his songwriting’s never been stronger. Ditto the singer-songwriter trio of Boygenius, whose LP is among the year’s best. I’m kinda tired of trap beats, so the recent revival of ’90s club sounds—jungle, drum ’n’ bass, garage—delights me. Nia Archives, PinkPantheress, and Yaeji (my Flushing, Queens, homegirl) have gotten me excited about electronic pop again, which I’d doubted was possible. Kelela’s new LP, Raven, too—sultry cosmic R&B, awesome vibe. There’s always something new to discover and share, which is why I love writing about music.

New Paltz arts journalist and critic Will Hermes is author of the forthcoming biography Lou Reed: The King of New York (Farrar Straus & Giroux)

Big Noise Falling Underground: The Lost Album (Steel Derrick Music)

In the 1980s, Big Noise ruled the Bard College live music scene. With their unrelentingly danceable, horndominated blend of funk, ska, no wave/punk, jazz, and Afrobeat, the collective packed ’em in at campus parties and the legendary Rhinecliff Hotel and other local clubs; played CBGB and other New York hotspots; and opened for likeminded acts the B-52s, Gang of Four, Pere Ubu, the Waitresses, They Might Be Giants, and NRBQ. During their 1980-1987 lifespan, Big Noise—whose secret-weapon saxophonists included Woodstock Creative Music Studio mainstay Peter Buettner and Tin Huey/Tom Waits baritonist Ralph Carney—released only one 45 (a video for the quirky A side, “College Student,” got MTV airplay) and a four-song 12”. This long-overdue archival LP, lovingly assembled and opulently packaged by drummer Nelson Bragg (who later played with Brian Wilson), adds those tracks to six unheard items for an ear- and eye-opening document of these essential Hudson Valley musical pranksters.

—Peter Aaron

Michael Eck Your Turn to Shine (Mandala Hand Records)

Michael Eck is a certified legend of the upstate music scene. Enshrined in the Capital Region’s Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame, the multi-instrumentalist and Chronogram contributor has enjoyed a more than 40-year career, playing solo and in numerous bands. Some of his more notable collaborators include Patti Smith, Aimee Mann, and Pete Seeger. Played live at WEXT on a handmade acoustic 1964 Bedell SE parlor guitar, Eck’s songs are steeped in the folk and blues of influences like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Hank Williams, and Tim Hardin. Most of the songs were written during the pandemic, during which Eck suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for a month. While recovering he participated in online songwriting workshops through Caffe Lena and the Beacon Music Factory. The result is this set of plaintive original compositions of finely crafted American roots music.

Jeremy Schwartz

Photo by Forrest Scholl

Bannerman Island: Recollections from a Time Gone By

As told to Neil Caplan with Barbara and Wes Gotlock

BANNERMAN CASTLE TRUST, 2023, $25

Growing up in the Mid-Hudson Valley in the late 20th century meant being mystified by the ruined, Scottish-style castle in the middle of the river. Caplan, founder of the Bannerman Castle Trust, has pushed the veil aside with a charming book full of historical facts, vivid anecdotes from people who lived and worked there, and artwork. It’s a very Hudson Valley tale peopled by nonconformists, courageous children, and a ghost or two. A book signing and island tour takes place on June 3.

Silver Dollar Girls

Margaret DiBenedetto

FULL COURT PRESS, 2023, $10.95

At the very beginning of the Covid siege, when the big-city bar where Mae is slinging drinks shuts down, she ditches her borrowed apartment and hops on a northbound Amtrak with the last of her pay. She has a labor-intensive, emotionally fraught ace in the hole: the family farm out west of Woodstock, where she makes life-altering discoveries about herself and her family history. Catskills author DiBenedetto weaves her own mother’s adventures as one of Ulster County’s first female aviators into the satisfying tale of Mae’s empowerment.

Marfa’s River

Marina Antropow Cramer

APPRENTICE HOUSE PRESS, 2023, $19.99

It’s 1956 in Brussels, and Europe is still reeling from World War II. Marfa, having survived war and Stalin’s Terror Famine in Ukraine, is determined to do whatever it takes to carve out a life despite suffering from crippling PTSD. She moves through the city haunted by horrors she can’t shake and realities she can’t erase, weighing the proven folly of trust against the crushing isolation of its absence. Hudson Valley writer Cramer seasons her narrative with Marfa’s inner voice in a powerful novel both universal and intimate.

Reading Old Books: A Farce in Two Novellas

Tom Tolnay

ATMOSPHERE PRESS, 2022, $19.99

In a dystopian time, of what actual use is a literary classic? In the age of the Kindle, is there anything more stubbornly, gorgeously analog than an old hardcover book? In these novellas—How Herman Melville Saved My Life and The Iambic Pentameter of Intimacy—prolific Catskills author Tolnay explores reading, books, and their roles in human connection through the eyes of his two protagonists, one a library aide who gets caught concealing himself in the library overnight, the other a Long Island schoolteacher amid a nasty divorce, both serious book junkies replete with sardonic observations.

Unspoken Word

Mitch Ditkoff

INDEPENDENT, 2022, $18

There is an infinity of ways to describe the great paradox of being, that which truly cannot be described. In these 100 poems, Ditkoff throws open the windows and beckons the powerful pull of love, hope, and curiosity that draws us into communion with the All That Is, finding clues to share in unexpected places: milkweed pods, unexpected jazz, a Cuban trumpet player and a “Slightly Overweight Museum Security Guard,” among many more. The metaphors flow like water: now pellucid calm, now crashing surf splashing us awake.

—Anne Pyburn Craig

Skull Water

Heinz Insu Fenkl

SPIEGEL AND GRAU, 2023, $28

I look forward to seeing the film version of Hudson Valley resident Heinz Insu Fenkl’s Skull Water. Will there be one? Who knows, but his writing is so textured and vivid that I could easily visualize his scenes, especially the gut-wrenching ones. The main story, apparently largely autobiographical, follows Insu, a teenage son of a Korean mother and German father in the US Army. Insu’s nickname is Seven (from 57, as in Heinz varieties). As the novel begins, the family returns to Pupyong, South Korea, after a post in Germany in 1974. His mom, sister, and he sleep in the room where he was born; his father is stationed near the DMZ.

A sense of the supernatural pervades, imbued even in the banal. In the house where Insu is staying, neighbors scrape up and mix the black dirt with herbs to make medicine. Such tenets of faith are braided with pungent descriptions of the visceral—a rooster is prepared and outfitted for a cockfight, which ends with gushing blood, its odor mixing with tobacco and sweat.

Insu’s anecdotes alternate with chapters recounting his Big Uncle’s attempts to escape capture by the North Korean People’s Army, advancing toward Seoul, in the 1950s. His bad foot hobbles him, but also offers reprieve by allowing him to scramble solo. He catches a train to Busan, squeezing beside Nari, a woman unknown to him whose life he saves by warming her freezing body. She navigates smoothly among American GIs, entertaining man after man. They become companions, but when Big Uncle finds a North Korean uniform planted in his knapsack, he realizes he is in danger and departs.

Back in the 1970s, illness and death envelop Seven. His father is sick, his cousin Gannan killed herself after finding out she was pregnant with a GI’s baby, and Big Uncle has been exiled because his rotting foot stinks. Seven tracks down his uncle in Skull Cave. He has heard that the water saturating a dead human’s skull has great healing properties, and he and his friends decide to attempt to help Big Uncle heal his foot with this macabre method, coincident with the death of a local, Old Man Heaven.

Despite some Coen Brothers-worthy hilarity at Old Man Heaven’s burial site, the gang fails at the task, succumbing to the stench of death. Sulking, they go to a dogfight, and learn about the black market for dog meat. Mortality lurks constantly. The dog Seven’s friend Miklos knew as a puppy fights to the death. “There was no blood at first—it was odd—just coils of glistening pink and gray intestine bulging out and then spilling on the newspaper, steaming even in the warm air.” Life is a transitory state between the violence of death and afterlife. Ghosts are constant presences.

Big Uncle dies, unhealed, and during the elaborate funeral ceremony, Seven makes a last-ditch attempt at carrying out his uncle’s final wish—to retrieve an arrow shot by his uncle. With time running out, he grabs a leaky boat which sinks just as he reaches the far shore. He scrambles through the jungle, finally spying the arrow in the crux of a tree, and wrangles it free but also wounds himself.

He manages to swim most of the way back across the river, passing out, but is rescued before the final ritual in which a white sheet must be torn in half. “I touched the stretched white fabric with the tip of the arrow, the slightest touch, as if the arrow were a flame and the fabric a fuse, and after a momentary interruption—everything seemed to stop—there came a loud tearing sound as the fabric split neatly down the middle, like a huge zipper opening.” It frees his uncle’s soul, which seems to have occupied Seven’s body at that moment, manifesting in a strange voice.

In between scenes spanning daily life—hanging with pals, family obligations and baggage, and loyalty to the bonds of kin, Seven stealthily dons the figurative mantle of a superhero. Not only does he soothe the restless soul of his uncle, he settles age-old debts. Fenkl addresses the complexities of postwar Korea and being mixed race, and walks a tightrope between the magical and quotidian. He reminds us that despite the inexorable wear and tear of the aging process, all of us were once youthful, each carving out individual lives and profound relationships.

In cultural, linguistic, and ritualistic references, the Korean side of Insu occupies great prominence. We are barely aware of his German heritage other than references to how his father looks stereotypically Caucasian, like a character on a novel’s cover. Perhaps that’s fodder for another book.

—Susan Yung

I am a mushroom

As mushroomy as can be There is nobody exactly like me I am alone in this mushroom house That is why I am so lonely.

—Forrest Sessler Brookmire (7 years old)

How to Read the Poems in Those Thick Poetry Anthologies

Read the title. Read the first line. If they are identical, skip it.

Find the last line. If it is fewer than two pages away from the first, read it.

If Aristotle’s name appears, skip it.

If the poem was written by William Carlos Williams, read it.

If the poem looks as though it were written by William Carlos Williams, read it. You never know.

If the poem has an epigraph in French, skip it.

If the poem is dedicated to anyone named Jim, skip it.

If the poem has Emily Dickinson’s name in the title, skip it.

If the poem has Walt Whitman’s name in the title, skip it.

If the poem has Pablo Neruda’s name in the title, skip it.

If the poem has Pablo Neruda’s name in the title but is a translation from the Spanish, read it.

If the poem contains a quotation from a German philosopher other than Schopenhauer, skip it.

If the poem mentions a pick-up truck, skip it.

If the poem mentions Kansas, skip it.

If the word metaphor is in the poem, skip it.

If the words natural light are in the poem, skip it.

If the poem mentions red wine, read it.

If the poem mentions white wine, skip it.

If the title of a sestina contains the word sestina, skip it.

If the title of a sestina written by Elizabeth Bishop contains the word sestina, read it twice.

—J. R. Solonche

EDITED BY Phillip X Levine

One by one I collect my injuries. All to be counted later.

—p

Riverside

For Roger Brett

The river folds over its bed

Like silver sheets

Tumbled and tossed

Where you turned in your sleep. You always breathed like the sea. They brought you back Fog-filled, rain-blind, Deep water heartbeats Far gone.

A lifetime ago they warned me, “He has a saltwater destiny,” (You laughed; we were already An estuary.)

Darling, take your time coming home. Wake up to the sound of the tide And rise to meet your patient shore. Don’t you worry, my wave-swept dear, Sailing the storm-washed morning. I’m as content to wait on the riverbank As though it were your bedside.

—Emily Murnane

Road Trip

The light’s the same as someplace before, with breath for my companion and my eyes for scribes.

The engine hums peacefully; the tires’ rhythm is soothing. This road becomes familiar, though I’ve not been here before.

My ghost and I are chatting, Or singing harmony in silence.

The past is my passenger. I have no need to arrive.

—Eileen Sikora

Perfect Storm

Boxers ride up my ass. The pen runs out of ink. And the bed sheets, a usual mess.

—L. U. Kaski

Full submission guidelines: Chronogram.com/submissions

The Milestone Birthday

Death doesn’t care

It doesn’t care that we had plans

Or that you didn’t say goodbye to me

Fiftieth birthdays are a “milestone” birthday

Mine was three weeks after death vaporized you

Three weeks out of fifty years is hardly a mile

I think this must be what drowning feels like

Enormous pressure and pain squeezing down on my chest

Looking up from the bottom of the sea

No life raft or anything to hold on to

Just some semblance of the happy birthday song

I hate that fucking song

But tomorrow is January 19, and that is your milestone fiftieth. And I would give anything to be able to sing that stupid song to you But death has spoken and clearly had not been informed of our trip we had planned to go to Israel

Death didn’t let you get to fifty

But uncle Clem will be 100 this year

You always said he’d outlive us all

—Liz Pickett

By the Power Vested in Me by the State of Sadness sometimes at night I bless my own heart like I have authority to give the balloon floats away it is hallucinatory thus I greet a little tiger toiling in the jungle of the cupboards oh what a pantry we could have if we could hold a job in which we held each other close tying the knot with teeth in a stalk of grass or the celery we snap its little green heart

—James Croal Jackson

First Spring For Iris

How beautiful this morning was the field, and spring spreading across it. And your face, petal-pink and fresh as dew— a miracle among miracles.

—Nicole Grivois

Pesach Candles lit. Echoes flickering kiddush chants. Here I am, breaking bread.

—Taylor Brooks Steinberg

To all those who look for the meaning of life. you’ve been misled: the question itself assumes there exists a meaning of life. and that might not be the case. I think that if there actually is a meaning of life it is trying to find a meaning to life.

—Eugen

Spierer

A Spot in the Sand

I’ve thought before more than once if I could float under the waves if I could see the sparkle and crack of the surf from a quiet spot down underneath

—Meagan Towler

Ethan

You really haven’t lived until you’ve watched a rainstorm from an open garage door on a farm in western Vermont with a mason jar of Argentinian wine in your dry hand, post-peak foliage.

—Mike Vahsen

Walks Dog stop sniff pee paw the ground pass puddle take a sip move in on an objective concentrate squirrel squirrelly chase to no avail drop for belly rub the lord is with thee good being alive

—C. P. Masciola

Remembrance

My feet remember The sound of your silent heart. My eyes remember The sight of your blind glasses.

I remember

How time danced on our fingertips When we made love, and, How my heart poured light into the Vessel of your eyes, and, How your laughter tickled my anklet-tied footsteps. How stinging is it to remember Something that was, and How agonizing is it to walk with Something that is not.

—Nidhi Agrawal

Panic Attack

On her hands and knees she pounds the ground with a closed fist, anguish encircling her mind like a zombie attack she cannot stop it she cannot not stop it time to clean up the dog shit the plates piling up in the sink a child to be picked up from school nothing sticks the fixation of diversion like a passing white cloud in the sky her body fittingly closer to the ground than ever her breathing betraying her until she pops a pill pops a pill her breathing easing allowing her to make it to the couch her mind finally not minding so much

—Drew Nacht

A Sense of Balance

MOLLY PRENTISS

By Peter Aaron Photos by David McIntyre

Given that her stories are set in fast-moving cities and follow the stimulation-saturated lives of intense individuals as they deal with various existential crises, it might surprise Molly Prentiss’s readers to learn that she lives in a renovated one-room 1840s schoolhouse in the quiet woods of Dutchess County rather than one of the buzzing big cities of her books. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t surprise them. After all, they might figure, somehow, for all the urban angst and soul searching that drives the swirling conflicts in her novels, Tuesday Nights in 1980 (Gallery Books, 2017) and Old Flame (published last month by Scout Press), the measured, thoughtful calm that her central character narratives also carry must come from somewhere And perhaps this penchant for maintaining inner steadfastness in the face of external turmoil is traceable to the author’s growing up on a commune in California, which must have been a freaky scene. Or maybe not.

“It’s not as hippie or crazy as it sounds, and it’s still up and running today,” says Prentiss, who shares her repurposed Red Hook home with her husband, potter Forrest Lewinger, his studio, and the couple’s five-yearold daughter, Valentine (their second child is due in June), about the rural commune La Selva. “[La Selva] was founded by my parents and two other families in houses they built themselves on 10 acres in Santa Clara

in 1979, and my parents still live there. By the time I was in my teenage years, making high school friends who lived in regular, suburban-cul-de-sac neighborhoods, I did start to get the sense that where we lived was unusual. But I loved it when I was little, because I had full-time playmates—my little sister, our half-brother and half-sister, and the two other kids who lived there. And what was also really great about growing up there was that there was a built-in sense of structure. Every week, one person would do the cooking and the cleanup for everybody, to give everyone else a break. And then the next week someone else would take a turn. So there was this real support network.” La Selva’s remaining residents still meet for dinner every night at 7pm.

Besides their being lifestyle iconoclasts, Prentiss’s family is entirely made up of artists. Her father is a second-generation painter; her mother is a radio producer; her sister, a designer and textile artist; her brother, a woodworker. She drew a lot as a kid, but ultimately it was the keypad, rather than the sketchpad, that had the greater pull. “I still like to draw, but it took me a minute to find my true creativity and get that to come out,” says the novelist, who obtained an MFA in Creative Writing from the California College of the Arts. “Most of my friends, though, are artists. And of course, I married one, too. [Laughs.]”

A Time and Place

Her innate understanding of artists and her interest in New York’s epochal art scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s informed Tuesday Nights in 1980, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction and shortlisted for France’s Grand Prix de Litterature Americaine. The book, a seven-year project, was started by Prentiss in 2010, the year she moved to Brooklyn and took a day job in ad copywriting, and it follows the SoHo-centric lives of a New York Times art critic, an Argentinian artist, and a wide-eyed, art-and-artistinfatuated young woman from a small American town as they intertwine in the dizzying Downtown days of Warhol, Basquiat, Haring, et al. It seems a fair guess that Lucy Olliason, the latter character, is somewhat autobiographical.

“I’d definitely always been obsessed with moving to New York and that whole period of art in New York,” Prentiss says. “That particular time and space—squats, lofts, pop-up galleries in industrial buildings—were so ripe to write about. It’s something that just can’t happen now.” Her travels in South America during her early 20s did much to help shape the book’s charismatic artist character, Raul Engales, a political refugee of Argentina’s horrific Dirty War.

Author Molly Prentiss in her writing studio outside her home in Red Hook.

Letting the Story Come Through

It was her time in Italy, with its taste-making fashion houses, combined with her tenure in the rag trade-marketing world, that show up in Emily, the narrator of Old Flame . In the book, Emily, who lives in Brooklyn, ekes by, grinding out inane copy for clothing catalogs while secretly aspiring to write novels instead. Drama erupts when her best friend, Megan, disappears after Emily gets pregnant and is faced with having to decide what to do next. Is there some of the authoress’s own life in this book as well? “It’s very much set in environments I know deeply,” she offers. “The settings are pulled from real life, but the story is fictionalized. I couldn’t have written it without the experiences I’ve had—giving birth, carrying a small child, female friendships, balancing making art with work.”

Those experiences have certainly paid off artistically, judging by the radiant reception that Old Flame has been racking up in the press. “Enthralling,” enthuses the New York Times Book Review. “Old Flame is that rare novel whose author—as well as her protagonist—gains wisdom and authority as the story unfolds, never failing to remind us that while loss and grief are inescapable, joy and fulfillment are possible.”

As a writer, Prentiss is the possessor of a powerfully vivid and sensual gift for description, a skill that’s clearly indebted to the visual artists in her life. “The walls were made of ancient plaster that was painted in beautiful, unexpected hues,” reads the description of an Italian villa in Old Flame. “[T]he living room was the color of salmon flesh, and the kitchen, which was massive and full of hanging copper pots, was a delicate rosemary green. The back wall of the place was made of stone, like the walls of that cellar-like room downstairs, though this stone was whitewashed, making it feel both earthy and elegant at once.”

“Style has always been very important,” says Prentiss, who cofounded the Donna Collective, a women-run editorial agency that works with brands and businesses on copywriting, editorial strategy, and branding. “When I was writing my first book, I was very much into language. I love the way that words play off each other, poetically. But now I’m more interested in the meaning of words than the language itself. Being a copywriter, sometimes it’s a challenge to pull back from being too poetic and just let the story come through. So with this book I was focused on trying to not lean into the poetry too much while trying to have the story pushing things.”

Art in Her Heart

Prentiss penned almost all of Old Flame—another seven-year effort—in the cedar garden shed behind her property’s main historic structure. “It’s really nice in there, I love the smell of the cedar wood and being surrounded by it,” she says, adding that the groundhog who lived underneath kept her company while she wrote. “But unfortunately, it’s not insulated, so I don’t think I’ll be doing the next book in there.”

And how about that next book? “It’s the story of a family of artists who come together after the matriarch dies and try to make sense of the family dynamics as they deal with the aftermath,” she says about the still untitled novel. “I’m not very far into it. The ideas are there, but the words are not.” No doubt the rabid readers of her first two opuses are eagerly awaiting those words.

Speaking of those readers, what does she most hope they get from her books? “What I get from the best writing that I read,” says Prentiss. “Not that novels fix anything, of course, but I’d say some kind of relief. Empathy. Illumination. Just glimpses of the human experience.”

Old Flame is out now through Scout Press. Molly-prentiss.com.

“When I was writing my first book, I was very much into language. I love the way that words play off each other, poetically. But now I’m more interested in the meaning of words than the language itself.”

—Molly Prentiss

Black is Beautiful

“BLACK PHOTOBOOTH” AT THE CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT WOODSTOCK

Through June 4 Cpw.org

“It’s portraiture without a photographer,” remarks curator Brian Wallis, who organized the exhibition “Black Photobooth: From the Collections of Näkki Goranin and Oliver Wasow” at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. The show will continue until June 4. (Incidentally, the center recently moved to Kingston.)

Long before Polaroids, photobooths supplied pictures— usually a small strip of four, in black and white—within three minutes, for a nominal fee. The camera would “shoot” at predetermined intervals, with a bright flash.

The booths were intimate places, with one adjustable metal stool. Two people could crowd together, or even more, but usually they were lovers or siblings. Photos taken by professional photographers tended to be stiff and posed. For a quarter, one could be looser, more experimental. The subject might be off-center, or turn away from the camera. (One woman shows the back of her head, with an elegant terraced coiffure.)

A Russian Jew named Anatol Josephewitz (who later shortened his name to Josepho) came up with the concept of the photobooth while living in Shanghai in 1921. He emigrated to the US, patented his machine, and set up the Photomaton Studio in New York City, drawing as many as 7,500 customers a day. In 1926 Josepho sold the rights to his invention for $1 million (equivalent to nearly $20 million today), and photobooths were rolled

out around the world.

“It’s also an interesting technological experiment, because you had a fairly high density of silver in the printing, which made it richly contrasted,” Wallis explains. The eyes often have a profound inner gleam. Photobooth images resemble a contemporary cinematic phenomenon: noir films. The photos were quite small; the figures were almost postage stamp size. Sarrah Danziger, a printer associated with the gallery, has made precise, handsome enlargements of the tiny photographs.

For most of the 20th century, photo studios were segregated, expensive, and unavailable in rural areas. For many Black families, photobooths became a source of personal archives. Photos were gathered into albums, or collaged together inside frames. Street photographers often show Black life from the outside, but these images display how the subjects saw themselves. “Black Photobooth” does have a voyeuristic element, revealing the private, sometimes romantic moments of strangers. (Art critics have pointed out the similarity between a photobooth and a confession booth.) One young man holds a revolver, tilted towards the face of his girlfriend. Judging from their hats, they are consciously imitating Bonnie and Clyde.

Our national music has been heavily influenced by African-American culture, but Blacks have been largely

excluded from the visual arts. Within the ubiquitous photo booth, the subjects in “Black Photobooth” show ceaseless experimentation: a jazz of the face.

This is a type of “vernacular photography,” which Wallis defines as “history from the bottom up.” Unless there’s a notation on the back, there’s no way of knowing exactly when or where these photos were taken. The curator estimates that they extend from the 1920s to the 1980s (including one heroic feminine afro). Also, pretty much all the photos are anonymous—and therefore untitled.

This show is taken from the collections of two photographers, who draw on this populist art form for inspiration. In 2008 Nakki Goranin published American Photobooth, the first photography book on this phenomenon. Oliver Wasow is known for archaic-looking portraits, some with florid backdrops.

The internet has become a mecca for photobooth enthusiasts. Auctions and eBay sell the photographs, which are displayed on sites like Pinterest and Tumblr. In a sense, these photos were the predecessors of today’s iPhone portraiture. “IPhone pictures have the same type of intimacy and self-fashioning as the photobooth portraits,” Wallis observes. The whole world has become a photobooth.

—Sparrow

Left: Untitled photobooth photograph courtesy of Oliver Wasow. Right: Untitled photobooth photograph courtesy of Nakki Goranin.

What if they gave a show and nobody came? In December 2020, when the theater project Andrea Kleine had labored to launch at Queens venue the Chocolate Factory Theater was cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the Columbia County performance artist and author decided to find out. In December 2020, she and her partner, musician and composer Bobby Previte, holed up in the empty industrial building, performed to nobody, and filmed the proceedings. The result is the surreal, hilarious film The End Is Not What I Thought It Would Be, which will premiere at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck on May 21 at 7pm with a Q&A with Kleine, Previte, and filmmaker Jacqueline Goss (see website for ticket prices). Kleine answered the questions below via email.

—Peter Aaron

How did the film come about, and how would you describe it?

Back in May 2020, I sent an email to Brian Rogers of the Chocolate Factory asking if my December 2020 performances were effectively cancelled due to the pandemic shutdown. Brian wrote back and said, yes, public performances were cancelled, but that if there was a way my project could exist given the restrictions, we could talk about making it happen. I wrote back and asked, “What if I moved into the theater and lived there for two weeks?” Brian said, “I am 100-percent game.” Bobby and I lived quarantined in the theater. Every night we staged a performance that no live audience ever saw. We packed an air mattress, a toaster oven, a

cooler of frozen Trader Joe’s meals, and an inflatable kiddie pool to bathe in. The theater staff was not allowed to enter while we lived there, and we shot the entire film ourselves on an iPad Pro. The entire thing was completely unscripted, 100-percent improvised. We didn’t know we were going to make a film until we were packing to move into the theater.

Before you were forced to adapt to the situation by turning it into a film, the residency project you’d been booked to do was originally something else. What was it intended to be, and did any elements of that iteration make it into the film? Whatever the original, pre-Covid show was, do you have plans to revive it later?

I can’t even remember what the original project was. I remember writing a grant proposal for it two weeks before the world shut down and I haven’t looked at it since. I’m also a novelist [Eden, 2018, Houghton Mifflin], and I threw out the book I had been working on right before lockdown and started over with something new. I think we are in a fascinating era where everyone has gone through a life-changing event, and we are still figuring out how it fits into the narrative of our lives.

How comparable is the performance in the film to the performance works you’ve done before? Was there anything specific that you’d done in past performances that prepared you for it? It is very different! I talk quite a lot! If you know me in real life, you know that I am not such a talker. (And

Audience in Absentia

THE END IS NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AT UPSTATE FILMS IN RHINEBECK May 21, 7pm Upstatefilms.org

if you meet me afterwards, I hope you can carry on most of the conversation). As it was unscripted, it was also unrehearsed—also very different for me. But the nature of live performance is improvisatory. Nothing ever goes as planned. It is always much more interesting when it doesn’t.

Judging by the trailer, it seems that while the film is certainly a commentary on what many of us were going through when we were socially isolating during Covid, it also speaks to the isolation that artists have long felt as they create their work while struggling to survive both economically and emotionally.

The absence of the audience is one of the main themes of the film. I kept turning the question over in my head: “If live performance is about the electric moment of being on stage, the connection with the audience, being in the room and experiencing something together, then what does it mean if no one is there? What is performing if there is no audience?” Our daily routines in the empty theater and my evening, performed-tono-one monologues ricocheted from the hilarious and quirky to the devastatingly sad as we kept considering that question. In a way, the film is a love letter to the absent audience.

What do you most hope people who see the film get from the experience?

I hope you laugh and cry at the same time.

Bobby Previte and Andrea Kleine in The End Is Not What I Thought It Would Be.

Wey-Gat, Dutch for “Wind Gate,” was the name early European settlers gave to the section of the Hudson River between Storm King Mountain and Breakneck Ridge. This picturesque northern entrance to the Hudson Highlands has inspired artists for centuries, from Hudson River School painters like Thomas Cole to contemporary novelists like T. C. Boyle.

Yet another artist entranced by the site’s splendor is filmmaker Julia Barrett-Mitchell. While watching the sun set over the river with a friend from the Beacon shoreline, they both wondered if they’d died and gone to heaven. And the idea for “Through the Wind Gate,” a dark comedy she’s developing for TV about a group of millennials transplanted from New York City to the Hudson Valley who slowly realize they have died and passed into the afterlife.

Barrett-Mitchell, 31, is a conservatory-trained actor who’s directed 18 music videos, and her work has appeared on NPR, Vevo, BBC, and Billboard. Mitchell has appeared on network television (“Law and Order,” “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens”) and starred in multiple independent films.

A Brooklyn native, she relocated to Beacon during the pandemic. Knowing she was part of an almostcliche exodus from Manhattan, “Through the Wind Gate,” satirizes millennial urban expats.

Inspired by the setting’s dramatic geography, Mitchell envisioned the area as a gateway to heaven, with the Hudson looming like the River Styx, itself a character in the show. The pilot opens on recently transplanted, progressive New York City couple Lilith and Daniel, who,

in the safety of their new environment, experiment with an open relationship. While at a dinner party, they meet other newcomers and allow themselves to be seduced by a sexy and free-spirited queer couple.

At the end of the pilot, the ensemble discovers their lives have actually ended, and they must now reconcile that the trauma and tribulations they thought they’d overcome, actually killed them. But there’s a twist: Lilith is still alive—in a coma—and must reconcile with the fact that she could wake up at any second, leaving her husband behind. The arc of the series explores heaven, purgatory, and hell within a heightened version of the Hudson Valley.

“Having these different realms coexist added delicious depth and allowed me to explore a broader range of themes that hopefully speak to more people,” BarrettMitchell says. “Some characters represent hell because they are suffering from an overpowering sense of shame and are struggling to overcome emotional trauma from their past life, while some represent heaven pursuing pleasure, breaking through limitations, and experiencing unbridled liberation, which looks different for each character,” Barrett-Mitchell says.

Filming for the pilot is underway in Beacon, Garrison, and Cold Spring, and will conclude in Newburgh in early June. Barrett-Mitchell is crowdfunding the costs of completing filming, which will likely total $30,000. “This is an open call for the Hudson Valley community to get involved and support the project,” Barrett-Mitchell says. Once production is completed, Barrett-Mitchell will take the 30-minute pilot on the festival circuit.

Heaven is a Place on Mirth

“THROUGH THE WIND GATE”

Seedandspark.com/fund/through-the-windgate

“Through the Wind Gate,” is being made with a largely local crew, including Newburgh filmmaker Emil Benjamin, cinematographer Boa Simon, and producer Seth Chitwood. The cast features Joel Marsh Garland, who played the bumbling Corrections Officer Scott O’Neill in “Orange Is the New Black,” and Connor Bond, a notable figure in the Beacon comedy scene. To follow the production, Barrett-Mitchell can be found @juliabarrettmitchell. To contribute to finishing the project: Seedandspark.com/fund/through-the-windgate.

—Mike Cobb

Julia Mitchell-Barrett and Connor Bond star in "Through the Wind Gate," a TV pilot directed by Mitchell-Barrett currently filming in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Photo by Frank Theodore

Almost Offensively Simple

“ELLSWORTH KELLY CENTENNIAL: AN EXHIBITION OF HISTORIC POSTERS” AT SPECERTOWN ACADEMY ARTS CENTER

Through May 14

Spencertownacademy.org

Legendary New York Times art critic John Russell succinctly summed up the wide-ranging work of painter, photographer, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) in this way: “Ellsworth Kelly’s art is a simple, almost offensively simple, statement of life itself. It is the essence of the world we live in, reduced to its most elemental forms.” The longtime Spencertown resident (born in Newburgh) is considered one of the most significant artists of the late 20th century, with a career that spanned seven decades.

In honor of the centennial of Kelly’s birth, museums across the globe, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio in Rome are hosting exhibitions of his work. There are also numerous events planned in the Hudson Valley, from a screening of Ellsworth Kelly: Fragments at the Crandell Theater in Chatham on May 21 to tours of Kelly’s Spencertown studio, which will be opened to the public for the first time on May 20. (Tours are free, but advance signup is required at Ellsworthkelly.org/centennial.)

To cap off the local events, the Spencertown Academy Arts Center is showing “Ellsworth Kelly Centennial: An Exhibition of Historic Posters,” a survey of posters representing Kelly’s exhibitions across the globe from the 1950s to the present day through May 14.

—Brian K. Mahoney

Ellsworth Kelly in his Spencertown studio in 2011.

Photo by Jack Shear, courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Studio

Ellsworth Kelly, Red Green Blue, 2003 Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Studio

Louisiana: Ellsworth Kelly On Paper, 2012 Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Studio

Poster for “The Art of the Real: USA 1948-1968,” The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1968 Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Studio

Kelly October 1961, Betty Parsons Gallery, 1961 Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Studio

Common Ground

May 4-7 at Fisher Center

Situated at the political crossroads of land and food, this year-long international program returns to Annandale-on-Hudson with four newly commissioned works. Kenyon Adams premiers Communion: A Ritual of Nourishment and Commemoration, inspired by the artist’s early experiences in the Black Protestant churches of his childhood; architect, activist, and farmer Tara Rodríguez Besosa introduces the audience to an off-grid DIY queer homestead in the rural mountains of Puerto Rico via Somos OtraCosa; Tania El Khoury’s interactive sound installation, Memory of Birds, explores political violence in contested lands; and Kite, an Ogala Lakota artist, rifs on the (delicious) tradition of sharing cakes at funeral wakes in “Aguyabskuyela.” Fishercenter.bard.edu

Reel Exposure

May 5-7 at Trolley Barn

For the first time in three years, the annual celebration of teenage creative expression and community art making is happening in-person at the Trolley Barn in Poughkeepsie. This international teen film and photography festival kicks off with a photography exhibit and 24Hour Film Race followed by a full day of familyfriendly media and art activities—including a screening of short films created by teen artists spanning the globe; food trucks and vendors; plus “Breaking into the Business: Insider Info Film and Media Professionals,” a panel packed with local industry pros. Presented by The Art Effect’s PKX Festival, a building block to developing the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone along Main Street. Thearteffect.org

Woodstock Rock Art & Poster Show

May 6-7 at Bearsville Theater

Back in the (pre-digital) day, concert posters were second only to album covers considering covet-worthy collectibles. Take a tangible trip back in (music) time at the second annual Woodstock Rock Art & Poster Show — featuring a coming together of a multi-generational cross section of artists, photographers, and archivists committed to an enduring art form. From vintage psychedelia to modern screen prints, three dozen exhibitors pay homage to their favorite bands from bygone eras (in Woodstock, no less, a town literally steeped in music history). Plus live tunes from the Misty Mountain Ramblers, Sabrina and the Gems, Mr. Roper, One Eyed Jack, and Barely Lace. Woodstockpostershow.com

Hari Kondabolu

May 11 at Colony

Wait, wait; don’t tell me—the very Brooklynbased comedian, writer, and podcaster (called “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today” by the New York Times) is coming to town? It’s no joke that Hari Kondabolu—of “Warn Your Relatives” on Netflix acclaim—will take to the Woodstock stage for a side splitting evening of stand up. After releasing a pair of albums (Waiting for 2042 and Mainstream American Comic) and graduating (from a gig with Chris Rock, as a writer and correspondent on “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell,” his buddy), the NPR panelist and funny guy currently hosts the Netflix food competition series “Snack vs Chef.” Colonywoodstock.com

Cannastock

May 13 at Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center

A scant year since cannabis blazed onto the adultuse recreational scene, it’s high time to celebrate the plant’s legalization in the Empire State. Dubbed New York’s premiere cannabis festival, Cannastock is an immersive experience for individuals aged 21 and older. Heavy hits abound including over 50 exhibitors and live music with DJ Max Glazer (co-founder of New York City’s Federation Sound), myriad games, and giveaways. Light up in the ultra-chill consumption lounge and snack on munchies galore. Valid identification required to enter. As per New York State law, cannabis will not be sold on site.  Cannastockny.com

Kingston Earth Fair

May 13 at T. R. Gallo Park and Kingston Waterfront

For the ninth year running, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has returned to its roots—raising awareness about the Hudson River estuary under the unifying banner of song. This year, in partnership with the City of Kingston, Clearwater will produce two stages of live music to host the likes of Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Reggie Harris, Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Tom Chapin, Ulsterados, Piedmont Bluz, and more. This free event, suitable for all ages, will feature a full slate of attractions including food vendors and children’s games, river education and advocacy plus a pair of public sails aboard the Clearwater aimed at igniting passengers’ passion for the Hudson.  Clearwater.org

“Freedom: The George Michael Experience”

May 20 at the Rosendale Theatre

From the moment Faith hit the charts in 1987 (and went on to sell 25 million copies), America believed in George Michael. This immersive musical event celebrates the pop star’s iconic career (cut short by his 2016 death) via 20 unforgettable hits performed live. The multimedia show, which traces Michael’s trailblazing music history, was conceived by and is performed by Todd Alsup—a queer New York pop singer/ songwriter who, following his June 2022 debut, enjoyed an epic 15-week sold-out run in Provincetown. His return to the region kicks off Hudson Valley’s Pride season in style.  Biggayhudsonvalley.com

Community Day at the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center

May 20 at Pocantico Center

The Pocantico Center has designed a day of fun for the whole family—featuring handson art and activity stations with Westchester Children’s Museum and Katonah Museum of Art; face painting and family yoga; music with Folklore Urbano NYC’s Cumbia for Kids and Brooklyn Raga Massive; plus bilingual story time and eco-friendly activities (think pollinators and composting) throughout the day. Enjoy open studio hours with Amaryllis DeJesus Moleski or take a family-friendly tour of the gallery’s inaugural show, Inspired Encounters: Women Artists and the Legacies of Modern Art Rbf.org/pocantico

Top left: Hari Kondabolu performs at Colony in Woodstock May 11. Photo by Antoine Didienne

Bottom left: A vendor at the 2022 Woodstock Rock Art & Poster Show. Photo by Neil Segal

TAP New York Craft Beer and Music Festival

May 20-21 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Get up close and personal with barrels upon barrels of hand-crafted beer at this two-day festival showcasing some of New York State’s best brews. The event welcomes 100 breweries from across the state and features unlimited samples of more than 200 craft beers in eight styles—from lagers and ales to Belgians and barrel-aged. Enjoy live music from the Wailers (Saturday) and Blues Traveler (Sunday) plus a food court celebrating staple foods from the region—Buffalo wings, anyone? Become a VIP for added perks including sameday entry to the Museum at Bethel Woods. Prost! Bethelwoodscenter.org

“East of Berlin”

May 25-June 4 at Bridge Street Theatre

“East of Berlin”—a Nazi euphemism for the deportation of Jews to death camps—chronicles the son of an escaped Nazi war criminal named Rudi who, upon learning his Jewish lover is pregnant, returns to his native Paraguay to confront his father, a doctor known to have performed brutal “experiments” on Jews in concentration camps. Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch makes her regional premiere with a work that ultimately raises questions about myriad topics—chief among them culpability for crimes against humanity and their effect on posterity. Bridgest.org

Hudson Valley Maker Faire

May 20-21 at Garner Arts Center

It’s full STEAM ahead for tinkerers across the region at this family-friendly festival of creative innovation. Dubbed the “Greatest Show (and Tell!) on Earth,” the HVMF will showcase invention, creativity, and resourcefulness at their best—via interactive demos and creative displays. Satiate your virtual curiosity via the VR-driven installation by Brooklyn-based artist collective TROUBLE, titled You Are Not Here: A Virtual Maze. Enjoy more than 40 open artist studios, live music, and performances, plus local craft food and beverages throughout the sprawling 1838 Garner Historic District.

Hudsonvalley.makerfaire.com

—Hannah Van Sickle

You Are Not Here: a Virtual Maze, an installation by Brooklyn artist collective TROUBLE, is part of Hudson Valley Maker Faire at Garner Arts Center.

Fred Hersch

May 6. What could be better than a night of great jazz for a great cause? May starts off in style at the Stissing Center with this concert by 15-time Grammy nominated pianist Fred Hersch, the first artist to do a week-long solo residency at Manhattan’s legendary Village Vanguard. A music educator as well as an HIV/AIDS activist, Hersch is appearing to benefit the New Pine Plains Herald, a non-profit journalism startup serving Pine Plains and members of its school district, which includes Ancram, Gallatin, Milan, and Stanfordville. (Kaki King picks May 20; Twelfth Night Baroque Ensemble enchants June 2.) 6pm. $50-$100. Pine Plains. Thestissingcenter.org

Drive-By Truckers

May 6. Athens, Georgia, alt-country rockers the Drive-By Truckers roll up the New York State Thruway and ease off at the Albany exit for this show, part of the Egg’s ongoing American Roots and Branches series. The title track of the band’s 14th and newest album, Welcome to Club XIII, pays homage to the Alabama venue where cofounders Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley got their start. “There were no cool bars in town and Club XIII was the best we had—but it wasn’t all that good, and our band wasn’t particularly liked there,” says Hood. “It wasn’t very funny at the time, but it’s funny to us now.” Live, love, laugh. (Keb Mo’ comes by May 17; Richard Thompson returns May 20.) 7:30pm. $34.50-$49.50. Albany. Theegg.org

Vieux Farka Toure

May 10. The son of the Malian musical legend Ali Farka Toure, guitarist and singer Vieux Farka, who visits the Woodstock Playhouse this month, actually rebelled against his father by following in his footsteps: He decided as a teenager that he, too, wanted to be a musician, even though his dad had actually wanted him to continue the tribal tradition by becoming a soldier. Only after he’d proven himself by studying with kora master Toumani Diabate did Ali Farka finally accept his son’s ambitions—much to the benefit of the music world at large. (The Woodstock Symphony Orchestra tunes up May 17; Rock Academy pays tribute to Fleetwood Mac May 19 and 20.) 7:30pm. $40 and up. Woodstock. Woodstockplayhouse.org

Seth David Branitz

May 13. New Paltz singer-songwriter, artist, chef, and writer Seth David Branitz grew up in New York City’s tough housing projects, where he struggled with addiction and lost both of his parents and his brother within a few years of each other. Branitz has produced four collections of original music over the past two decades; is currently releasing a new single a month; and recently authored the memoir The Trouble with Kim, which boasts personal stories of despair, desperation, hope, and transcendence. “My main desire is that people hearing my music can relate it to some little piece of their own story,” he says. “It’s about unity, feeling like you’re not alone.” Here, he holds forth in this intimate evening at hometown venue Unison Arts. 6pm. $25. New Paltz. Unisonarts.org

Acid Mothers Temple

May 13. Get set for some serious brain bending, Hudson Valley. Japanese space rock juggernaut Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso UFO—more commonly known as, simply, Acid Mothers Temple—takes a trip to Troy for this very rare regional touchdown at No Fun. Formed by leader and guitarist Kawabata Makoto in 1995, the large band operates around him as a collective, with members coming and going off to play in their own musical projects. Psychedelic freakouts are the order of the day. With My Education and Wax Shamu. (Pearl and the Oysters shine May 15; City of Caterpillar crawls in May 20.) 7pm. $14 advance, $18 day of show. Troy. Nofuntroy.com

Willie Nile Band

May 20. Should-be-huge New York singer-songwriter Willie Nile has been blasting out his poetic street anthems to all who’ll listen since his arrival on the city’s folk and punk scenes in the late 1970s and counts comparable tunemeisters Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Ian Hunter, and Lucinda Williams among his many admiring peers. Born and raised upstate, Nile has toured with the Who and the E Street Band and consistently releases excellent albums, the most recent being 2021’s The Day the Earth Stood Still. His rockin’ band takes the Towne Crier by storm for this infectious evening. (Tempest brings the Celtic rock May 5; Dar Williams sings May 12.) 8:30pm. $35 advance, $40 door. Beacon. Townecrier.com

—Peter Aaron

Acid Mothers Temple play No Fun in Troy on May 13.

AL HELD FOUND A TIO N

New art in a historic studio

in partnership with River Valley Arts Collective now through October

Boiceville NY alheldfoundation.org

China Blue Listening for the Unheard

May 13 - June 18, 2023

O p e ning Re ce pt ion Sat, May 13, 4-7pm

Gallery Hours: Thurs-Sun 12-5, Fri-Sat 12-6

For special events check out: Janestreetartcenter.com

1 11 Jane St Suite A , Sauger ties, NY, 12477

Photo: © China Blue, Saturn, Inflatable of Saturn and her rings, 6’ x 6’

PEDRITO MARTINEZ AFRO-CUBAN PERCUSSIONIST sat may 13 at 8pm

14 Castle St, Great Barrington, MA • 413-528-0100 • mahaiwe.org

Sponsored by

art exhibits

510 WARREN ST GALLERY

510 WARREN STREET, HUDSON

“What a Beautiful World.” Paintings by Betty Leigh. May 5-28.

AL HELD FOUNDATION

26 BEECHFORD DRIVE, BOICEVILLE

“Privet.” A multidisciplinary exhibition including dance, music, and works on paper, featuring dance by Jodi Melnick, Tara Lorenzen, and Brandi Norton, music by Laura Ortman, works on paper by Beka Goedde. Through June 5.

“On the Grounds 2023.” Sculptures by Anina Major and Sagarika Sundaram. May 13-October 14.

THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM

258 MAIN STREET, RIDGEFIELD, CT

“Kathleen Ryan: Head and Heart.” Large-scale sculptures. Through May 14.

“Amy Brener: Harbingers.” Larger-than-life sculptures. May 17-September 3.

ART GALLERY 71

71 EAST MARKET STREET #5, RHINEBECK

“Lisa Pinto: Paintings.” May 1-31.

ART OMI

1405 COUNTY ROUTE 22, GHENT

“Shared Space—Collective Practices.” Curated by Julia van den Hout, the show presents the work of four international collaborative design practices—WIP, FUNdaMENTAL Design Build Initiative, Colloqate Design, and Assemble. Through May 7.

ART SALES & RESEARCH

CLINTON CORNERS

“Spring Show.” Paintings, drawings, and ceramics by Marilyn Gold, Stanley Rosen, Nancy Diamond, Margrit Lewczuk, Harriet Korman, and Christine Heindl. May 8-June 5.

ARTISTS’ COLLECTIVE OF HYDE PARK

4338 ALBANY POST ROAD, HYDE PARK

“Green.” Work by Marilyn Grieco, Patricia Buckstrup, Ilga Ziemins-Kurens, Rosemarie Glennon, Barbara Todd, Veronica Spaziante, Karl Koeller, Elizabeth St. Leger, Raimundo Gaby, Carl Grieco, Sandra Belitza-Vazquez, Fay Biegun, Joan McEvoy, Karl Volk, Doreen Miller, Barbara Bergin, Katherine Diaz, and John Banas. May 1-27.

ARTPORT KINGSTON

108 E. STRAND STREET, KINGSTON

“A Painting is a Painting is a Painting.” Work by Naomi Clark, Mary Dwyer, Jimmy Mezei, Joesph O’Neal, Lauren Whearty, Alison Owen, Megan Galante, Arrow Kleeman, Stefan Saffer, Holland Cunningham Janice La Motta, Jason Mones, Mark Tribe, Brenda Zlamany, Kristine Schiele, Tina Lincer, and others. Through May 28.

ATHENS CULTURAL CENTER

24 SECOND STREET, ATHENS

“In the Moment.” Group show. Through May 21.

BANNERMAN ISLAND GALLERY

150 MAIN STREET, BEACON

“Art of the Garden.” Group show. Through June 4.

BAU GALLERY

506 MAIN STREET, BEACON

“Lazarus Taxon.” Paintings by Nataliya Hines. May 13-June 4.

“What Matters.” Paintings and sculptures by Daniel Berlin. May 13-June 4.

BETHEL WOODS ARTS CENTER

200 HURD ROAD, BETHEL

“Rockin’ the Woods.” Sculptures by Wayne Holbert. Through October 31.

BILL ARNING EXHIBITIONS / HUDSON VALLEY

17 BROAD STREET, KINDERHOOK

“Notational.” Work by John Hatfield, Robin

Kahn, and Paula Hayes. Through May 13. “Nature’s Thought Palaces.” Work by Daniella Dooling, and Mike Glier. May 20-July 2.

CAROL COREY FINE ART

6 NORTH MAIN STREET, KENT, CT “Reflections on Water.” Work by Dozier Bell, Dina Brodsky, Lisa Lebofsky, Matthias Meyer, James Mullen, and Rick Shaefer. Through June 4.

CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY

622 WARREN STREET, HUDSON

“Quiet Observations.” Work by Jane Bloodgood-Abrams, Jeri Eisenberg, Carl Grauer, Regina Quinn, and Judith Wyer. Through June 11.

THE CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT WOODSTOCK

474 BROADWAY, KINGSTON

“Black Photobooth: From the Collections of Näkki Goranin and Oliver Wasow.” Over 100 miniature portraits of Black Americans, mostly from the 1930s and 1940s, drawn from two prominent private collections. Organized by CPW Executive Director Brian Wallis. Through June 4.

CITIOT

404 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL

“Kenny.” Paintings by Ann B. Murphy. Through May 21.

CMA GALLERY

AQUINAS HALL, MOUNT SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE, NEWBURGH

“A Place To Connect.” Work by Jason Bauer and Romina Gonzales. Through September 30.

CREATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

398 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL

“Douglas Davis—Inter-Actions: Selected Works 1970-1980.” A selection of video performances, publicity posters, prints, and photographs. In conjunction with a simultaneous show at Hudson Hall. Through May 28.

DAVID ROCKEFELLER CREATIVE ARTS CENTER GALLERY

200 LAKE ROAD, TARRYTOWN

“Inspired Encounters: Women Artists and the Legacies of Modern Art.” Exhibition brings together works by women artists from the Rockefeller’s collections, such as Lee Bontecou and Louise Nevelson, in dialogue with a group of seven women artists, including Sonya Clark and Elana Herzog. Through July 29.

DIA BEACON

3 BEEKMAN STREET, BEACON

“Jack Whitten: The Greek Alphabet Series.” Forty works from Whitten’s Greek alphabet series. Through July 10.

EMERGE GALLERY

228 MAIN STREET, SAUGERTIES

“Art & Words: Art & Poetry Inspiring One Another.” 18 artists and 13 poets create new art and poetry inspired by one another work. Through May 21.

GALLERY 40

40 CANNON STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE

“Spring Palette.” Work by Alaina Enslen and Sarah Fortner Pierson. May 6-28.

GARAGE GALLERY

17 CHURCH STREET, BEACON

“Streets.” Photographs by Paul Kessel. Through May 13-28.

GARRISON ART CENTER

23 GARRISON’S LANDING, GARRISON

Sandy Moore: This Happened.” Paintings. Through May 7.

“Tony Moore: Eternal Becoming.” Ceramic sculptures and fire paintings. Through May 7. “The Peripheral Visions Project.” Landscape paintings of suburbia. May 20-June 18.

Fire-Painting, a wood-fired ceramic and glass work by Tony Moore from the exhibition “Tony Moore: Eternal Becoming” at Garrison Art Center through May 7.

Mysterious Mountain Laurel, a painting by Sarah Fortner Pierson from the exhibition “Spring Palette: Works by Alaina Enslen and Sarah Fortner Pierson,” at Gallery 40 in Poughkeepsie May 6-28.

GEARY CONTEMPORARY

34 MAIN STREET, MILLERTON

“New You.” New paintings by Sun You. Through May 28.

GREEN KILL

229 GREENKILL AVENUE, KINGSTON

“Fredrick Duignan, Red Hammond, Steven Van Nort.” Paintings. May 6-June 24.

GRIT GALLERY

1115 BROADWAY, NEWBURGH

“Summit the Soul.” Work by David Lionheart and Robert Giolito. May 6-July 22.

HESSEL MUSEUM OF ART/CCS BARD

BARD COLLEGE, ANNANDALE

“Rising and Sinking Again.” 16 exhibitions organized by CCS Bard’s graduating class. Through May 28.

HOLLAND TUNNEL GALLERY

46 CHAMBERS STREET, NEWBURGH

“Three of a Kind.” Work by Gemma Kahng, Julie Lindell, and Jacques Roch. Through June 4.

HOLY CROSS MONASTERY

1615 ROUTE 9W, WEST PARK

“From Glacial Ponds.” Joan Monastero's Lily Pond Paintings. Through July 29.

HOWLAND CULTURAL CENTER

477 MAIN STREET, BEACON

“Imagination and the Machine.” Automaton sculptures and drawings. Through May 28.

HUDSON HALL

327 WARREN STREET, HUDSON

“Douglas Davis—Inter-Actions: Selected Works 1970-1980.” A selection of video performances, publicity posters, prints, and photographs. In conjunction with simultaneous show at CREATE Council on the Arts in Catskill. Through May 28.

JACK SHAINMAN: THE SCHOOL

25 BROAD STREET, KINDERHOOK

“Michael Snow: A Life Survey (1955-2020).”

Retrospective for the musician, painter, photographer, and pioneering experimental filmmaker. May 21-December 30.

JANE ST. ART CENTER

11 JANE STREET, SAUGERTIES

“Go Figure.” Group show. Through May 7 “Listening to the Unheard.” Work by China Blue. May 13-June 20.

JOYCE GOLDSTEIN GALLERY

19 CENTRAL SQUARE, CHATHAM

“Spring Flowers.” Sculpture and paintings by Stacy Petty. Through May 13.

KATONAH MUSEUM OF ART

134 JAY STREET, KATONAH

“Miniature Worlds: Joseph Cornell, Ray Johnson, Yayoi Kusama.” Exhibition explores how social networks shape artistic practices in the owrk of three pioneering artists. Through June 25.

KENISE BARNES FINE ART

7 FULLING LANE, KENT, CT

“The Presence of Absence.” Work by Brett Eberhardt and Gregory Hennen. Through May 14.

KINOSAITO

115 7TH STREET, VERPLANCK

“Murray Hochman: New Dimensions.”

“Patrice Renee Washington: Tendersweet.” Both shows through May 7.

KLEINERT/JAMES ARTS CENTER

34 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK

“Reflections.” Group show of 2022 artists-inresidence. Through June 11.

LEHMAN LOEB ART CENTER

124 RAYMOND AVENUE, POUGHKEEPSIE

“What Now? (Or Not Yet).” Work by Andrea Carlson, Andrea Geyer, Jeffrey Gibson,

Marsden Hartley, Jenny Holzer, Sky Hopinka, Arnold J. Kemp, Wangechi Mutu, Dorothea Tanning, Nari Ward, and Audra Wolowiec. Through May 7.

LIMNER GALLERY

123 WARREN STREET, HUDSON

“Neoteric Abstract XI.” Group show of abstract work. Through May 6.

LOCKWOOD GALLERY

747 ROUTE 28, KINGSTON

“Putting It Together 2023.” Group show of collage. Through May 14.

MARATHON

6 MARKET STREET, ELLENVILLE

“is it a dream or a memory?” Group show. Through May 14.

MARK GRUBER GALLERY

13 NEW PALTZ PLAZA, NEW PALTZ

“Avian Art.” A bird show. Through May 6. “Robert Trondsen, Kevin Cook, and Gayle Fedigan.” May 13-July 1.

MASS MOCA

1040 MASS MOCA WAY, NORTH ADAMS, MA

“Love from Vicki Island.” Playful and provocative sculptures by Daniel Giordano. Through September 30.

MERGE

178 SCHOONMAKER LANE, STONE RIDGE

“Behind the scenes.” Group exhibition. Through May 14.

NEWBERRY ARTISAN MARKET

236 MAIN STREET, SAUGERTIES

“Go Figure Sculpture.” Group exhibition. Through May 14.

OLANA STATE HISTORIC SITE

5720 ROUTE 9G, HUDSON

“Terraforming: Olana’s Historic Photography Collection Unearthed”. Nineteenth-century photographs from Frederic Church’s collection curated by David Hartt. May 14-October 29.

OLIVE FREE LIBRARY

4033 ROUTE 28A, WEST SHOKAN

“Beneath the Surface.” Work by the Women’s Photography Collective of the Hudson Valley. May 13-July 8.

PAMELA SALISBURY GALLERY

362 1/2 WARREN STREET, HUDSON

“Elliot Green: Ascension.” Through May 14. “Judy Pfaff.” Through June 18. “Lothar Osterburg: The Long Way In.” Through June 18.

“Will Hutnick: Eternal Sunshine.” Through June 18.

PINKWATER GALLERY

56 NORTH FRONT STREET, KINGSTON “Homebase.” Paintings by Pakistani-American artist Roohi Saleem. Through May 21.

PRIVATE PUBLIC

530 COLUMBIA STREET, HUDSON

“Ship/Dock/Three Houses and the Night Sky.” Sculptural installation by Donna Dennis. Curated by Chris Freeman. Through May 28.

SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART

1 HAWK DRIVE, NEW PALTZ

“Be Who You Are: Portraits of Woodstock Artists.” This selection of photographs from the 1980s series “100 Portraits of Woodstock Artists” by Harriet Tannin (1929-2009) documents residents of the legendary artistic community. Through July 16.

“The Historic Woodstock Art Colony: The Arthur A. Anderson Collection.” Presents more than 100 artists whose paintings, sculptures, and works on paper together form an artistic history of national and international significance. Through July 23.

Cinderalla meets Prince Charming at the Public Pool, a painting by S. Lillian Horst aka Susan L. Ross from the exhibition “Behind the Scenes” at Merge in Stone Ridge through May 14.

A photo of the Ship/Dock/Three Houses and the Night Sky by Donna Dennis from a 2018 installation. A revised version of the installation will be on view at Private Public through May 28.

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Providing fine art services for artists, collectors and gallerists in the Hudson Valley, Massachusetts, Connecticut and surrounding region

Providing fine art services for artists, collectors and gallerists in the Hudson Valley, Massachusetts, Connecticut and surrounding region

Providing fine art services for artists, collectors and gallerists in the Hudson Valley, Massachusetts, Connecticut and surrounding region

Providing fine art services for artists, collectors and gallerists in the Hudson Valley, Massachusetts, Connecticut and surrounding region

Providing fine art services for artists, collectors and gallerists in the Hudson Valley, Massachusetts, Connecticut and surrounding region

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Over 30 Local Vendors

Jewelry • Fine Art • Pottery • Antiques and more, plus Special Events

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info@newberryartisanmarket.com

SEPTEMBER

4 HUDSON STREET, KINDERHOOK

“Freaky Flowers.” Work by Nicole Basilone, Annie Bielski, Han Cao, Jennifer Dierdorf, Sheila Gallagher, Valerie Hammond, Allison Hester, Melinder Keifer, Melora Kuhn, Judith Linhares, Becca Mann, Katie Minford, Sarah Alice Moran, Taylor Morgan, Donna Moylan, Jo Nigoghossian, Alison Owen, Amy Ross, Sonia Corina Ruscoe, Allison Schulnik, Ellen Siebers, Eleni Smolen, Caitlan Rose Sweet, Becca Van K, Julia Von Eichel, and Darren Waterston. Through May 28.

SPENCERTOWN ACADEMY ARTS CENTER

790 ROUTE 203, SPENCERTOWN

“Ellsworth Kelly Centennial: An Exhibition of Historic Posters.” Posters from the collection of the Ellsworth Kelly Studio. Through May 14.

STARR LIBRARY

6417 MONTGOMERY STREET, RHINEBECK

“17th Annual Rhinebeck Central School District Art Show.” Art by Rhinebeck Central School art students from grades K through 12. May 1-31.

SUSAN ELEY FINE ART

433 WARREN STREET, HUDSON

“Refracted Wilderness.” Paintings by Katharine Dufault and Michael Wright. Through May 28.

THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

218 SPRING STREET, CATSKILL

“Women Reframe American Landscape: Susie

Barstow & Her Circle/Contemporary Practices.”

Female artists of the 19th century exhibited alongside contemporary female artists. May 6-October 29.

TIVOLI ARTISTS GALLERY

60 BROADWAY, TIVOLI

“Sculpture and Ceramic Show.” Group show. Through May 28.

TURLEY GALLERY

98 GREEN STREET, SUITE 2, HUDSON

“Flourish.” Work by Amelia Toelke. “Turtle Shell”. Work by Dana Robinson. Both shows, May 6-28.

UNISON ARTS & LEARNING CENTER

68 MOUNTAIN REST RD, NEW PALTZ

“The Witchery Of Living.” Paintings and drawings of the plant world by Jackie Skrzynski. Through May 27.

VASSAR COLLEGE MAIN LIBRARY

124 RAYMOND AVENUE, POUGHKEEPSIE

“Beauty out of the Ashes: Printed Works of the Harlem Renaissance, 1923-1936.” A Library exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the publication of Jean Toomer’s novel Cane Through June 12.

VISITOR CENTER

233 LIBERTY STREET, NEWBURGH

“Provenance.” Work by Sophia De Jesus-Sabella, Soull Ogun, Patricia Orpilla, Sagarika Sundaram, and Mia Wright-Ross. Through June 3.

WEST STRAND ART GALLERY

29 WEST STRAND STREET, KINGSTON

“Figurative Images: Seeing and Being Seen.” Work by Judith K. Brodsky, Roca Rodriguez Calero, and Carmen Lizardo. Through May 14. “Meditations on Nature.” Work by Deborah Freedman, Tom Sarrantonio, and Pablo Shine. Through May 14.

WIRED GALLERY

11 MOHONK ROAD, HIGH FALLS

“Split Vision”. Paintings by Raul Serrano. Through May 6.

WOMENSWORK.ART

4 SOUTH CLINTON STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE

Kitchen: Utilitarian Made Beautiful. Group show. May 5-June 24.

WOODSTOCK ARTISTS ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM (WAAM)

28 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK

“Alpine & Riverine.” Group show of regional artists juried by Willian L. Coleman, Wyeth Foundation Curator. Through June 4.

“Norma Morgan: In the Lands of the Moors and Catskills.” Paintings, drawings, and engravings by Norma Morgan (1928-2017). Through September 10.

“Sabine Reckewell: On Opposite Sides.”

Site-specific installation made up of curving linear geometries of various yarns and industrial webbing. Through June 4.

“Scott Chasse: Friends in Higher Places.” Paintings of UFOs. Through June 4.

Q Train, a photo by Paul Kessel from the exhibition “Streets” at Garage Gallery in Beacon, May 13-28.

Practical Spiritual Wisdom

Horoscopes

By Cory Nakasue

The Conditions of Fertility

May starts out with what appears to be a void: Pluto, planet of eradication and regeneration, stations retrograde on the 1st, and we get a Scorpio lunar eclipse on the 5th. Both events suggest a canceling-out process—and possibly a sudden one—that has us refining our ability to let go. The sentimentality and wistfulness of the first half of the month is deepened by Venus’s entrance into Cancer on the 7th.

By midmonth the tone changes considerably as Mercury stations direct and prepares to move forward through Taurus on the 14th, followed by Jupiter’s entrance into Taurus on the 16th. Jupiter spends roughly a year in each sign, and when it enters the sign of the bull, expect an increase in appetite! We may crave more than we need of creature comforts, security, physical pleasures, and money. This is such a contrast from the beginning of the month. We’re moving from dearth to surplus, so don’t sweat any losses that seem unfair at the top of the month. Chances are that whatever is being pried from your grip is necessary, so that you can greet Jupiter with hands that are ready to receive.

A new moon in Taurus on the 19th further emphasizes that we create the conditions that allow things to grow. Whether you’re tending your garden, your relationships, or your bank accounts, it’s time to cultivate an environment of nourishment and the ability to sustain growth over time. Mars moves into Leo on the 20th, changing the quality of our actions from sensitive and moody to bold and courageous. We may desire more self-expression and PDA after our six-week power-down during Mars’ stay in Cancer. Adding to this new sense of levity is the sun’s transition into the playful realm of Gemini on the 21st. Spring has sprung!

ARIES (March 20–April 19)

May is about money—yours and those you share it with. Accounts need to be balanced and previously hidden information needs to be rooted out. We also need to remember that money, in and of itself, is seldom the real issue when we’re having problems with it. Our self-worth, and ability to trust and communicate about it, all come into play. Negotiations become easier toward the end of the month, when you might feel clearer about what you actually need to sustain yourself. You may find financial issues have less to do with money and more to do with power.

TAURUS (April 19–May 20)

You’re entering a year of personal expansion and defining what enough means for you. Sometimes Taurus personalities struggle with feeling like they have enough, or feeling that they are enough. Living with this perspective can lead you to hold on too tightly to your energy and your assets, which often leads to stagnation. The cosmos is topping you off this year, as if to say, “Now that you have enough, can you practice letting go of some of it?” Taurus is a fertile sign that needs to grow. This means releasing surplus into investments, relationships, and upgrades. You can afford it.

Bozbozeman.com

Cory Nakasue is an astrology counselor, writer, and teacher. Her talk show, “The Cosmic Dispatch,” is broadcast on Radio Kingston (1490AM/107.9FM) Sundays from 4-5pm and available on streaming platforms. AstrologybyCory.com

Tao of Thoreau combines Taoism and Nature, creating a practical guidebook to realizing personal potential. Matching Thoreau’s ideas with Taoism leads the Seeker on the path of simplicity, natural harmony, and spiritual power. Tao of Thoreau gives you two transcendent Sages to guide you on your enlightenment journey.

GEMINI (May 20–June 21)

On May 21st, the Sun enters your sign, heralding a time when your vision of who you are and how you’d like your life to be comes into focus. Inspiration is high and you have all the tools you need at your disposal to align your experience with your ideals. At the very same time, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes in your subconscious and private life that is providing sustenance for your new physical form. Right now, any attempts to make contact with your hidden dimensions will make you feel more whole. Keep a dream journal.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

By midmonth the urge to be surrounded by your favorite people for al fresco dinners, garden parties, and foraging expeditions may be irresistible. You’re not only coming upon one of the most social years of your life, but also, this month Venus is gracing your body, spirit, and energy. You want to be seen, and this makes you charming. You also want to take care of others and yourself. Even if you don’t think you’re a “hostess-with-the-mostest” type, I think it will be hard for you to keep all the love (and food) to yourself. Time to spread it around!

LEO (July 22–August 23)

Typically, when Mars enters your sign there’s no stopping your swagger and your drive to make your mark. This year, things are a lot more complicated. You’ll still feel the fire and desire to stake your claim and brand your initials on all of your creations, but be ready for some push back. Mars will immediately form an opposition to Pluto in Aquarius who may, at first, politely remind you that you’re not more important than anyone else. Pluto may resort to nastier tactics if you exclude the needs of the many in favor of personal ambitions.

VIRGO (August 23–September 23)

There are some major extensions being drafted and built when it comes to your worldview. And this new worldview provides the foundation for all of the wonderful structures you’d like to build in the material world. Guides, teachers, and educational resources may be easy to find right now. Opportunities to study and have experiences that challenge habitual thought patterns should be devoured. Some people think that theory is a waste of time, but for you it’s essential. With every new thought, you’re feeding the soil of your life, turning it into a fertile garden that takes on a life of its own.

LIBRA (September 23–October 23)

As a Libra, I’m sure you’ve heard all the tropes about codependency, and knowing “where I end and you begin,” so I won’t bore you with any of that. You’ve had almost 18 months’ worth of eclipses teaching you about modulating your self-worth in regard to relationships. Your final exam at this month’s lunar eclipse in Scorpio is going to test your ability to merge resources with others and give generously of yourself without being possessive. We don’t own the relationships we’re in. We participate in them. By feeding them, we end up feeding ourselves. Choose your partners wisely.

Horoscopes

SCORPIO (October 23–November 22)

There are so many benefits available to you through your partners. If you feel any tinges of jealousy coming up because of their good fortune, don’t hate, celebrate! This will require that you exercise trust, vulnerability, and releasing control—all Scorpio sore spots. Ask for help if you need it. Your partners have extra time, energy, and assets. Lose the hypervigilance and trust that receiving from others won’t lead to their control over you. Examine your feelings about the transactional nature of relationships in our culture. We’re actually wired to share our joy, luck, and prosperity freely!

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 22)

Your ruler, Jupiter will move into the sign of Taurus this May. This is a very subdued position for a firebrand like you. All of the activity in Taurus this month may mellow your wattage, but the steadiness that you gain will help you focus your energy. There’s a lot of work to be done concerning your efficiency on the job, in your household, and in personal health endeavors. You might be surprised to find out that less is more, and slower is more productive. When the sun enters Gemini on the 21st, turn work into a more social event.

CAPRICORN (December 22–January 20)

If relationships have been a little tense of late, no need to fear, relief is coming soon! Venus enters the relationship sector of your chart to act as a salve for some of the discord that Mars has been churning up. Having the cosmic lovers (Venus and Mars) in the seventh house of your chart spells fertility. With courage and tenderness, you have the opportunity to feel deep satisfaction with those closest to you. Find new ways to deal with difficult emotions. A little compassion and care go a long way this month.

AQUARIUS (January 20–February 19)

The growth and change you’re experiencing in your home and family life may come into conflict with significant others. If partners are feeling insecure about their importance in your life, involve them. It’s easy to lose track of the needs of others when we’re consumed with personal transformations, but these are also the times when we can forge stronger bonds with loved ones. Invite them into your process. Also remember that when others seem unreasonably demanding, or even spoiling for a fight, they may just want some attention. Keeping this in mind could turn a potential drama into an intensely intimate moment.

PISCES (February 20–March 19)

This is a month for creative traction and manifestation. All of the ideas, daydreams, and imaginings that have been swimming around in your consciousness land in fertile soil. If you’ve been mulling over how to communicate or execute something, it’s time to take some first steps towards its realization. How will you nurture these fledging projects? How will you ensure that an initial conversation leads to another, and then possibly a new friendship? If you’re stuck or unsure about how to progress, this is also a great time to take a class or embark on some training if your skills are lacking.

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parting shot

Lighting the Way

By Melissa Esposito

On April 13, nearly 100 people attended an opening reception at River Valley Arts Center in Wappingers Falls for the Community Streetside Artist Exhibit. Alex and Allyson Grey, noted visionary artists and founders of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, were in attendance and spoke about importance of art accessibility for all ages. “We’re thrilled with the cultural rising of Wappingers,” Allyson Grey said. “We are becoming more inventive in the spiritual, creative life of an interspiritual community. Art is a spiritual path and creativity of all kinds uplifts people.”

The artwork is not on gallery walls, however, but hanging on lampposts all over town. The exhibit is the latest effort by grassroots marketing effort Wappingers Rises to showcase their village. Founded in 2017 after a devastating fire ripped through the downtown, seriously damaging a handful of buildings, Wappingers Rises was formed by local residents to promote their home. The group’s latest endeavor is encouraging residents and visitors alike to keep their heads up—literally—to view the works of 43 local artists adorning lamp post banners lining the village’s winding streets.

“Wappingers Rises started with the intention to build and unite the community after another fire struck the village, which has a history of building collapses and fires,” explains founder Courtney Urciuoli Kolb. “When we got those new black lamp posts a few years ago, I thought about how neat it would be to rotate art seasonally.”

After placing a call to artists, Kolb says they received more submissions than they were able to include. “In just two weeks we received over 50 pieces,” she says. “We wanted to make it as inclusive as possible. We chose Wappinger artists first, then did a lottery.” Artists featured in the exhibition include Mariekien Cochius, Erica Hauser, Laura Golben, Alex Grey and Allyson Grey, Pamela Herbst, Paola Bari, Elizabeth Castagna, Adam Lauricella, Taylor McLeod, among many others, including students and seniors.

“The village has certainly had its hardships, but the people who run small businesses, live here, and work here are so special,” Kolb says. “Everyone bounces back.” The Community Streetside Artist Exhibit will be on display in downtown Wappingers Falls through November 1.  Follow @wappingers.rises on Instagram.

Bit.ly/CommunityStreetsideArtistExhibit

Photo by Anna West

Gosavor!

Eat, drink, and sing out loud. Our chefs and restauranteurs are creative, imaginative, and acclaimed. Our craft beverage producers are award-winning. Our live music happens on hallowed and historic grounds.

CATSKILL CUISINE

MAY 13

A food festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts with celebrity and local chefs, cooking demonstrations, music, a marketplace, and more.

TAP NEW YORK

MAY 21 & 22

A two-day beer festival at Bethel Woods showcasing hand-crafted NY state beers and live music featuring, The Wailers, Blues Traveler, and others.

CATBIRD FESTIVAL

AUGUST 19 & 20

A new music festival on the historic Woodstock ’69 field with live performances by The Lumineers, Tyler Childres, Trey Anastasio, and more.