Whether it’s a ductless unit, floor unit, ceiling cassette, or air handler, heat pumps provide comfort and filtration to every room, with maximum energy e ciency. Get peace of mind with our 3-year labor, and 12-year parts warranty, plus we o er full service on everything we install. Contact us today to learn more about which heating and cooling options would work best for you and your home.
Teaching kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Ascension Jiu-Jitsu and Yoga on Wall Street in Kingston.
Photo by David McIntyre
COMMUNITY PAGES, PAGE 42
DEPARTMENTS
6 On the Cover: Roldan Pinedo
Shipibo-Conibo Peruvian artist Roldan Pinedo will be exhibiting his work at the Kingston Pop Museum this month.
9 Esteemed Reader
Jason Stern on the illuminating science of cymatics.
11 Editor’s Note
Brian K. Mahoney interprets a sign.
FOOD & DRINK
14 Farm to Bottle: Klocke Estate
Discover Klocke Estate, a Claverack gem blending European distilling traditions with Hudson Valley produce in a sophisticated farm-to-table setting.
18 Southern Comfort: Barbue
Barbue brings New Orleans to Poughkeepsie with Cajun classics, creative cocktails, and a French Quarter-inspired vibe, blending tradition and modern flair.
21 Sips and Bites
Recent openings include Meyer’s Old Dutch in Poughkeepsie, Agave in New Paltz, Day&Nite Lounge in Wappingers Falls, and the River Grill in Newburgh.
27 Craft Beverage: The Shipping News
New York’s craft ciders and distilleries are booming, with new legislation allowing direct consumer shipping. While distilleries anticipate major benefits, cider and mead producers have mixed expectations about its impact on sales and market expansion.
THE HOUSE
26 Spirited Victorian
Julia Drahos uncovers the haunted history of Miss Fanny’s Victorian farmhouse in Wappingers Falls, blending her work as a psychic medium with her passion for preserving the home’s rich, eerie past.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
38 The Healing Power of Sound
Lea Garnier, founder of Sage Academy of Sound, guides students through the ancient practice of sound healing, revealing how resonant frequencies from Tibetan singing bowls and other instruments can restore balance and foster physical and emotional wellness.
COMMUNITY PAGES
42 The Yearning of Kingston
Hillary Harvey explores the deep-rooted nostalgia and evolving identity of Kingston, through the lenses of loss, longing, and community change. From vanishing landmarks to housing crises, the city embodies the generations-old tensions between past, present, and future.
53 Kingston Pop-Up Portraits by David McIntyre
RURAL INTELLIGENCE
60 Street Eats, Elevated: Haema
Hannah Wong’s pop-up, Haema, brings East Asian street food to events throughout the Hudson Valley and Berkshires. october 10 24
Connecting women to GOOD HEALTH
Generations of women turn to the Albany Med Health System for care they trust. With convenient locations across the Capital Region, we o er primary, specialty, and surgical services tailored to you.
. With you for EVERYTHING.
ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER
ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE
COLUMBIA MEMORIAL HEALTH
GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL
SARATOGA HOSPITAL
VISITING NURSES
10 24
Kate Winslet stars in Lee, a biopic about Poughkeepsie-born photographer Lee Miller that opens at the Moviehouse in Millerton on October 27.
FALL ARTS PREVIEW, PAGE 67 ARTS
62 Music
Dan Epstein reviews D by Daryl Hall. Tristan Geary reviews Gabbarein by Gabbarein. Michael Eck reviews Sleeping Soldiers of Love by Johnny Irion. Plus listening recommendations from Karen Schoemer, poet and writer and vocalist with experimental rock band Sky Furrows.
63 Books
Susan Yung reviews Our Narrow Hiding Places, Kris Jansma’s new novel linking Holland in World War II with the present day. Plus short reviews of The Usual Silence by Jenny Milchman; A Slow Rise: Favorite Recipes From Four Decades of Baking with Heart by Dan Leader; Dispelling the Shadow: Activities Exploring Life and Death with Young People by Mala Hoffman and Lucy Moran; Pat Metheny: Stories Beyond Words by Bob Gluck; and When Rape Goes Viral: Youth and Sexual Assault in the Digital Age by Anna Gjika.
64 Poetry
Poems by L. V. Bach, Charlie Brice, Toby Campion, Peter Coco, William A. Greenfield, Joane Grumet, Patrick Hammer, Jr., Jennifer Howse, William Keller, George J. Searles, Ilyse Simon, Matthew J. Spireng, Jim Tilley, Mike Vahsen, Norina Vigeant, Cary B. Ziter. Edited by Phillip X Levine.
FALL ARTS PREVIEW
66 Events we’re excited about this autumn include “Stomp,” Catskills Comedy Festival, FilmColumbia, and Eddie Izzard.
72 Not-to-be missed concerts this season include Half Waif, Puddles Pity Party, Los Lobos, and Todd Rundgren.
75 The Dresden Dolls reunite for two nights at Bearsville Theater.
79 Nicky Glossman’s new play, “The Road to Jerusalem,” gets its world premiere at Shadowland Stages this month.
80 Woodstock Film Festival head honcho Meira Blaustein previews this year’s WFF events with Peter Aaron.
81 Our Top 10 to-dos at the Woodstock Film Festival.
83 Highlights of museum and gallery shows across the region.
83 Ted Dixon’s “Eighteen” at Susan Eley Fine Art in Hudson.
HOROSCOPES
92 The Cauldron
Cory Nakasue reveals what the stars have in store for us.
PARTING SHOT
96 Soon Is Now Art for climate’s sake in Beacon on October 5.
Visions from the Rainforest
On the cover this month: El Cosmovision Shipibo (Shaman and Jungle Spirits), a painting by Roldan Pinedo, one of five Shipibo-Conibo Peruvian artists whose works are currently on display at the Kingston Pop Museum as part of “Pacha Mama de la Selva” (Mother Earth of the Forest), an exhibit centered on the sacred bond that all of humanity shares with the rainforest.
Born to the Shipibo-Conibo indigenous community of San Francisco de Yarinacocha, Ucayali, Peru in 1971, Pinedo’s Shipibo name is Shoyan Sheca (Restless Mouse.) His style and content are entwined with the living environment and cultural heritage of his Shipibo people. Utilizing the traditional Shipibo-Conibo geometric design patterns known as kene, Pinedo’s dynamic works, infused with Amazonian flora and fauna, carry within them spirit energy and visionary insights associated with ceremonial plant medicine.
“It’s pretty much just life in the rainforest, depicting the four worlds of the Shipibo cosmovision,” says Callan Schanz, the traveler whose virtual gallery, El Crocodrilo Negro, partnered with Kingston Pop to present the exhibit. “It’s a typical day: the women are planting ayahuasca, you can see the sacred pink dolphin, the jaguar, the snakes, the turtles, the piranha. The tree at the center is Huayruro. Its red and black seeds are the ‘evil eye of the jungle’—it’s considered very powerful protection. And beneath it, you see the maestro in the center, doing a ceremony with a little girl—she’s probably his granddaughter, and he’s teaching her.” Schanz was already a seasoned traveler and student of Indigenous healing in 2014 when he found himself headed into the Amazon. “I was doing my morning meditation in my Peekskill apartment. I closed my eyes, the walls fell away like a shoebox unfolding, and a big spiral wormhole appeared from my solar plexus.”
On the other side of the wormhole he met an elderly woman who
told him to come to Peru and find her. Through concerted effort and a series of serendipitous encounters, he made it to Lima and then to a village in the sacred valley of Cuzco, made contact with the right person, and was invited into the rainforest on a journey of healing and discovery that culminated in his deep connection to people he now considers family and the founding of a fair trade business bringing Indigenous art to the wider world.
“The people there are stewards for the healing of the rest of the world,” Schanz says. “The energetic center was once the Himalayas; in 2012, the Mayan elders gathered and took that Kundalini—that energy—to the jungles of Peru. There’s enormous pressure there. The rainforest is under threat from so many directions—the standard capitalists who want the land for mineral extraction and agriculture, the people who are building ‘healing centers’ for Ayahuasca tourists, the Mennonites who are starting colonies there. Even the people who want to go there because they love it, they’re loving it to death. And a lot of the aid that comes from the government for these people comes with the very high cost of giving up jurisdiction over their homes.”
Proceeds from Schanz’s company, Patchwork Progress, and his virtual gallery, El Cocodrilo Negro, put food on the table for about 70 people. “It’s a huge, difficult dance,” he says. “Just in the time I’ve been going there, I see the encroachment of tourism and globalization. I’ve been initiated into crucial practices by my family, and the primary objective is to defend the sacred. The message is, we are all healers—you are your own healer.”
“Pacha Mama de la Selva” will be on view at the Kingston Pop Museum through October 12. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 6-10 pm; admission is by donation. Kingstonpopmuseum.com.
—Anne Pyburn Craig
The Amazonian Visions of Roldan Pinedo
El Cosmovision Shipibo, Roldan Pinedo, acrylic on cloth
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 Dempsey, Michael Eck, Dan Epstein, Tristan Geary, Hillary Harvey, Ryan Keegan, Jamie Larson, David McIntyre, Cory Nakasue, Lindsay Peyton, Jeremy Schwartz, Sparrow, Jaime Stathis, Taliesin Thomas, 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
ad operations
Jared Winslow jared.winslow@chronogram.com new business development/media assistant
“The state of the world is really bad,” I overheard someone say again today. I’ve been hearing this sound a lot. It has been a refrain since my childhood, 50 years ago, but the pace and volume of the mantra is on the rise.
When I was young I learned about climate change (back then the experts were sure another ice age was imminent), the communists, and the looming menace of global thermonuclear conflagration that would immolate life on earth. In first grade, I caught the tail-end of a ludicrous exercise foisted on children: To practice hiding under our desks as we visualized nukes exploding outside. With all these looming threats, my childhood emotional life was woven with a sense of doom bolstered by an assurance that the end of the world was at hand.
In my teen years the counter-phobic impulse impelled actually dangerous exploits. I rode my motorcycle too fast, solo-climbed difficult rock walls hundreds of feet high, and took too many drugs. Something in me was daring the world to end.
In time, the threats did not materialize, and I began to relax. I stopped worrying about global catastrophe because I could see that worrying not only did me no good, but it even destroyed possibilities for really living. Relaxing the tension of concern for abstract, potential dangers, I became more available to myself, and to what and who was in front of me.
Now when I hear someone decry the state of the world, I try to fathom which world they are referring to. Is it an abstract world portrayed by educational and media mythologists or is it a domain of direct experience?
A friend bought a run-down log cabin down a long driveway, on a hill overlooking the Shawangunk Ridge. Between jobs, he has given his time to restoring the building. He’s dehumidified, rebuilt, painted, and reappointed almost the entire house, which is nearing completion.
“This is starting to feel like my whole world,” he said last night as we stood on his recently finished deck. “I’m doing the work as a prayer, bringing order where I can.”
His words struck a chord and I had the image of a fractal, in which each part is a miniature of the totality. In this nonlinear view of space-time geography, the work we do in the domain we inhabit reverberates out and in, up and down. My friend’s work to raise the level of the cabin was at the same time raising the level of his inner life and the larger world at the same time.
The air was filled with the litany of the peepers, cicadas, crickets, and night birds. My friend and I stood in silence, listening.
“They are tuning the atmosphere,” I commented, and he agreed in a way that showed he was thinking the same thought at the same moment. We sat a bit longer in silence and then began to speak in tones that allowed our voices to mingle with the concerted voice of the singers.
We spoke about the illuminating science of cymatics, experiments we observed in our high school physics class. Sound is amplified through a flat surface on which some responsive substance like sand, mercury, or water is laid. The vibration of a specific wavelength causes the substance to assume a corresponding shape. Interestingly, many of these forms are recognizable in old stained-glass windows in cathedrals, and yantra from the Vedic tradition.
The experiments show that vibration precedes form, that matter takes its shape from a substrate of sound vibrating through it. The sound takes the same form in air, in sand, and the glass of the Rose Window at Notre Dame. The subtler media always precedes and organizes the cruder. And, as the Gospel of John begins, in the beginning was the word.
We are accustomed to seeing the world as an interaction of matter and objects. We see our daily activity as the manipulation of bodies and gadgets and doodads. We think that matter magically structures into bodies to become a vehicle for the subtler vibration of life. But the demonstrations of cymatics show that in fact the opposite is true. Vibration and energy underlie and inform the manifestation of the material world.
This is also the principle of the Vedic concept of karma, which describes a living economy of vibrations and the lawful return of waves we set in motion through speech and deeds.
We are swimming in a soup of sound that also circulates within us. It suggests that the body and its state of balance and vitality is related to the substrate of thoughts, emotions, and sensations oscillating in our inner life, and that those inner experiences take form on the basis of the substrate of consciousness.
Is it possible to be cognizant of this more causal world, this domain of resonance? If so, how may this be done?
We’re coming to the season for celebrating and great food. That’s why we stock the best selection of kitchen tools in the area— More than any other kitchen store offers. It’s why more chefs come to Warren Kitchen & Cutlery for their kitchen tools! For them, it’s personal. It’s also the reason our customers keep coming back year after year.
WK&C carries and stocks the Hudson Valley’s best selection of fine cookware, cutlery, appliances and accessories! Where else would anyone shop for for their kitchen?
•Unique and rare knives from around the world.
•Cookware, bakeware and barware.
by Brian K. Mahoney
The building sits on a residential block of Greenkill Avenue between Sterling Avenue and Iwo Jima Lane across from the train tracks that slice through Midtown Kingston, neatly dividing the city in half. It’s equidistant from the Maennerchor and Damenchor German social club (established 1868) and the marijuana dispensary set to open in the coming months at the thorny intersection of Route 32, Wall Street, Fair Street, South Wall Street, and Greenkill Avenue, known colloquially as “Five Ways to Die.”
I’d driven past the building for years, the parking lot overgrown with weeds and the sign above the door, “Kingston News Service,” broken between the first and second words and “News Service” angling obliquely toward the ground.
Riding by last month on my bike (Greenkill Avenue now doubles as part of the Empire State Trail), I noticed a new, enigmatic sign above the door: “You Done Messed Up.” It’s at once a tease, a joke, a provocation, and a condemnation. (Or a sly reference to the Substitute Teacher sketch from a 2012 episode of “Key & Peele.”) But who is it directed at?
Is it meant for the dog walkers on the rail trail to refuse to clean up their pets’ shit? The teenagers (and occasional magazine editor) who cut across the train tracks as a shortcut?
Is it the freight trains that thunder through the neighborhood, some carrying a highly flammable gas/oil mixture, 30,000 gallons per rail car? Is it an attempt to trigger our internal critic, activate the malicious inner monologue we carry around like a supernumerary nipple of self-doubt. (Did you know that extra nipples are fairly common, affecting six percent of the US population? News to me.)
Or is it the city itself, the commentary a gnomic thumbs down to Kingston’s transformation in the past decade from post-IBM doldrums to whitehot it city? Hillary Harvey explores the city’s varieties of longing this month in “The Yearning of Kingston” (page 40).
Housekeeping
Speaking of messing up: Last month, we misattributed an article on an exhibition of Bert Stern’s photographs of Marilyn Monroe.
The writer was Julia Dixon. Our apologies. I’m excited to announce that Chronogram will be taking part in this year’s Woodstock Film Festival. I’ll be moderating a panel discussion, “The State of the Industry and How to Break into It,” with film industry vets William Horberg, Gill Holland, and Blair Breard on October 16, 6pm, at the Fuller Building in Kingston. The conversation will focus on advising aspiring filmmakers how to get into the film and media industry in today’s ecosystem. Tickets at Woodstockfilmfestival.org.
And thanks to all who answered the call last month—via the odious QR code—to subscribe to our newsletter. It’s a surefire way to not miss out on any of the stories we’re publishing every day on Chronogram.com . Plus, we’ve added a daily Hudson Valley trivia question and ticket giveaways in Monday’s event newsletter. Recent giveaways included a sail on the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s solar-powered boat Solaris and John Sebastian and Jimmy Vivino at Bethel Woods. You can sign up for our free newsletter anytime at Chronogram.com/newsletter.
On August 22, Chronogram hosted a party for the fifth annual Chronogrammies at Hudson House and Distillery in West Park. Over 350 people—including many proud 2024 Chronogrammies winners—showed up for a picture-perfect summer night under the stars celebrating the creative people who make the Hudson Valley absolutely amazing.
DJ Dave Leonard got folks on the dance floor with the groovy tunes and the staff of Hudson House kept the food and drink flowing. Congratulations to all the Chronogrammies winners and thanks to all who made it a magical night.
Special thanks to our sponsors for the evening, Hot Water Solutions, Ulster Savings Bank, and Sawyer Savings Bank.
Many more photos from the event are posted online at Chronogram.com/2024chronogrammies.
Farm to Bottle
KLOCKE ESTATE DISTILLERY IN CLAVERACK
By Melissa Esposito
In creating our experience, we had this classic Hudson Valley vision for a space that feels as though you’ve been transported, that’s also very distinctly of this region,” says Kristine Danks, general manager of Klocke Estate. “The same can be said about the brandy and vermouth we make.”
A visit to Klocke Estate, a new distillery with a farm-to-table restaurant in Claverack, begins as soon as you reach its front gates. A long winding driveway toward the main building’s hilltop setting takes guests through vineyards and orchards bearing fruit to be used for making brandy and vermouth. Once inside, a muraled entryway with hand-painted coffered ceilings offers a vibrant welcome to the restaurant’s bar, elegantly designed with a marble top and copper accents. Large windows overlook the Catskills, allowing nature to provide its own seasonally changing backsplash. You’ve only just arrived, but the wow factor doesn’t stop.
With a focus on spirits crafted in an old-world European style, but with fruit and botanicals grown on-site and in-state, CEO John Frishkopf’s goal was to combine both classic, traditional distilling methods and the modern design of a
progressive farm-to-bottle operation. Although he purchased the property in 2018 and began planting in 2020, the $21 million farm, distillery, and restaurant opened to the public in July.
Most of the capital raised to fund Klocke Estate’s steep price tag came from equity provided by private investors. Loans were provided by Farm Credit East and by Walden Mutual. Grants were provided by Empire State Development, Market NY, National Grid, and the Office of Community Renewal. In addition, Klocke Estate joined an IDA/PILOT program from Columbia County IDA.
A Passion for Tradition
Originally from Boston, Frishkopf became fascinated with brandy-making while living in Europe for a decade. “I’d been making brandy for years and always wanted to create a place like this that’s focused on making high-quality spirits in a regenerative way that positively impacts the environment and community,” he says. “I chose the Hudson Valley for three main reasons: The beauty of the region, the acceptance and support for slow food and farm-to-table food and beverages, and the ability to grow fruit that’s ideal for making brandy. It took two years to
prepare the land for farming before setting vines with cold-hardy grapes like vidal blanc and Ugni blanc—both of which are typically used in making brandy and cognac—and planting 43 varieties of cider apple trees.” (The cider they make is not bottled, but used as an ingredient.)
Frishkopf’s passion for tradition includes centuries-old distilling and aging methods. He had a traditional cognac still delivered from the Cognac region of France that took three weeks to construct with multiple teams. It takes 48 hours for a full batch to be distilled before being transferred to French oak barrels to age for a minimum of three years. The on-site barrel house was designed in the same fashion they were made 200 to 300 years ago in Europe: sunken into the ground, insulated with straw, and with a dirt floor to maintain ideal temperatures and humidity.
“We really leaned into the history of cognac, which was actually invented by the Dutch in the 1600s,” Frishkopf explains. “Claverack is also a Dutch name, which is all part of why we came up with our name, Klocke, Dutch for ‘clock’—it’s about an appreciation of patience and time, while acknowledging local history and the history of bringing brandy to the new world.”
Comfort with Panache
While classic methods are held sacred, the facility, designed by Barlis Wedlick Architects, is progressive in its design. Although not certified, the estate employs regenerative, organic farming practices including composting fruit remnants from stillage, low-till methods, no herbicides, and organic sprays to ensure a living soil.
Heat produced from the stills is sent through a system that reuses the heat for the building, hot water, and floors; any leftover heat can be directed outside to melt icy sidewalks during snowy seasons.
This and more can be learned during a tour, which includes a visit to the still bay, a walk through the learning garden, and a tasting within the restaurant’s tasting room. Those who stay for dinner can enjoy the same storied ambiance carried through to the dining room, where two antique chandeliers that are simultaneously massive yet unobtrusive in their farmhouse simplicity complement the jewel-toned, patterned wallpaper and cushy seats at farmhouse-style tables.
“Our designer Ken Fulk is known for creating these dimensional, textured spaces in which you feel at home, while still adding a level of panache,” Danks explains. “And although some people prefer to enjoy brandy or a cocktail in our fireplace lounge, you’ll see that it actually pairs well with a number of items on our dinner menu.”
“Nothing Ugly”
As expected, the vibrant and storied design carries through to the short yet alluring dinner menu, which adapts to changing seasons and farm availability. For instance, a savory beet and melon starter with mint labneh and pistachios ($15) evolves to a warm beet salad as the temperatures fall; this summer’s tender, rich scallop entree with sweet corn puree was as fleeting as the season felt. Knowing the limited nature of these dishes adds to the appeal.
Executive chef Becky Kempter—a California native who’s held previous local positions at Deer Mountain Inn and Cedar Lakes Estate—worked with a team to design what she calls American cuisine with European flavors using local ingredients as much as possible.
The artful plating aligns more with what you’d expect of a fine dining establishment, than one that’s technically a farm distillery. “We all eat with our eyes,” Kempter says. “In the past, I worked for people who’d say, ‘Nothing ugly on display,’ and that stayed with me, so I want things to look beautiful as much as I want them to taste good.”
Even the bread and butter is elevated; the warm crusted focaccia ($11) comes with a small dish of garlic confit and cultured butter with edible blue flowers placed atop. The bar is now raised on standard crudité, as the aioli sampler ($30 petit, $55 grand) makes an elegant presentation on a
Top: A beet and melon salad served with mint labneh, cured olives, pistachio, and sorrel.
Right: Only 1,000 bottles of Klocke Estate’s were made and it will never be produced again.
Bottom: Pork chop au poivre served with black garlic and charred broccolini.
Opposite: Large windows in the barroom look out toward the Catskills across the river.
Join the Fun AT MINARD’S FAMILY FARM
bronze serving plate with assorted vegetables, jumbo shrimp, and a farm egg, beside a trio of flavored aiolis. The vegetables, grown at Morningstar Farms just beyond the boundaries of the estate, are so satisfyingly snappy and fresh that they taste as though they were plucked from a garden right before arriving at the table. They might have still been growing. “I go to Morningstar at least twice a week, their produce is just beautiful,” she says.
Additional farms and purveyors include Bluestar Farm in Stuvesant, Rolling Hill Organic Farm in Catskill, and Grimaldi’s Farm Store around the corner where they procure limited selections of organic, grass-fed beef.
Entrees include flavor-rich takes on steak, poultry, and seafood, like duck breast ($42), from Crescent Farm in Long Island—a tender cut with a crisp crackling over caramel fennel, leek soubise, and a peach mostarda. “Our soubise is a small twist on a very simple sauce; we use leeks and fennel to impart more flavor,” Kempter says. “And the rest of the duck is used for other meals; the duck fat is used to confit the legs for our lunch menu, bones are used for broth—we try to utilize as much as possible to reduce waste throughout the kitchen. For example, we also use Ronnybrook milk and cream to make our own yogurt, butter, and ricotta, from which the byproducts go to crème fraîche, baked goods, and in cooking certain foods to impart more richness. We also compost all scraps, eggshells, and coffee grinds; the goal is to have a chef’s garden and make soil out of our cooking waste.”
While the entrees are not over-decadent, the desserts are rich treats, like the almond cake with armagnac, figs, mascarpone, and orange blossom honeyed almonds, or the chocolate semifreddo: espresso caramel, malted white chocolate, cacao nib crust (both $15). A selection of dessert brandies and coffees are available; try them both in a Vikings Don’t Cry cocktail (Dudognon ‘Reserve’ 10-year-old Cognac, vodka, aquavit, cold brew coffee, and cacao; $17).
The menu continues to evolve as harvests change. “I’d like to do a really sophisticated steak and potatoes dish and other comfort foods as the weather gets colder,” Kempter says. “Part of my vision for the menu is taking a classic, favorite dish then figuring out how to turn it around and make it something special.”
Beverage captain Brian Crocco says the cocktail programs were designed to support brandy offerings, but also the cuisine. You’ll find classics like the Klocke Estate Sidecar ($18) with cognac, Cointreau, and demerara; innovative flavors like the Draper’s Guild ($18) cognac, sweet vermouth, and Cointreau with a smoky touch of lapsang souchong; or a homegrown appletini ($24) made with limited-batch Klocke Estate apple brandy, honeycrisp apple, and Klocke Estate white vermouth. That same limited-batch apple brandy is available for purchase while available; only 1,000 bottles were made and it will never be produced again ($150/bottle).
Red and white vermouth are also available at $45 each.
“We recognize that brandy is a little less explored, so we have something for everyone,” Crocco notes, “but we’re also interested in introducing people to quality brandy—not pushing it, but quietly waving a flag about how wonderful brandy can be.”
Klocke Estate
2554 County Route 27, Hudson Lunch is served Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 12 to 3pm. Dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday, 5 to 9pm.
Southern Comfort in Eastdale Village
BARBUE
By Lindsay Peyton
Skip the plane ride and be transported to New Orleans when you walk the doors of Barbue, a newly opened destination for Cajun cuisine and cocktails in Poughkeepsie from the team behind Buns Burgers. The space, in the Eastdale Village complex, feels pulled straight from the French Quarter—from the ever-lit gas lamps on the front porch and the checkerboard tiled floors to the high-backed banquettes and brass fixtures, including alligator door pulls.
The menu features Louisiana classics like fried shrimp po’ boys ($18), chicken and andouille gumbo ($11), and boudin balls ($14). There are also creative twists on Cajun flavors. For instance, the okra fries ($9) are served crispy with touches of lime and cayenne and a buttermilk dipping sauce. The linguine ($26) comes with blue crab, chorizo, jalapeño, and parmesan. And check the board for the daily selection of fresh oysters ($22 for a half dozen), served with mignonette—and don’t forget the hot sauce.
Plates are meant to be passed around and shared, perfect for pairing with a cocktail ($12-
$18). New Orleans classics include the sazerac, daiquiri, Vieux Carre, and Pimm’s cup. Bartender Alexander Harvey has also stirred up a selection of creative concoctions. One of his current favorites is the Coffin Nail, which he describes as “a split-base mixture of blended Scotch, Islay single malt Scotch and joven mezcal, with a touch of coffee liquor, nutmeg syrup and Turkish tobacco bitters.”
The bistro’s name, Barbue, a playful tonguetwister, is inspired by one of the well-loved critters of the bayou. “Barbue” is the French-Cajun word for catfish. “We were looking for a fun name, because that’s what Louisiana and New Orleans are all about—having a good time,” says Ryan Viator, who co-owns the place with Sean Weeks, the team behind Buns Burgers.
Barbue is a long-time ambition for Viator, who was born and raised in New Iberia, Louisiana, attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and spent a stint in New Orleans. “It represents my home, my family, and my culture,” he says. “I want to make them proud.”
Viator, who now lives in Lake Katrine, grew up stirring the roux in the kitchen alongside his mother Gretchen and grandmother Goldie, grilling outside with his father and uncles and heading to crawfish boils. In Louisiana, he says, “Food is a big thing. Food is around everything you do and everywhere you go.”
And even though he majored in kinesiology, became a physical therapist, and contemplated medical school, Viator also developed a passion for cooking and an interest in the restaurant business. In college, he began waiting tables, took on bartending, and eventually transitioned to the kitchen.
Out of his warring interests, eventually, the restaurant world won. Viator decided to head to the Culinary Institute of America in 2006 and soon fell in love with the Hudson Valley. “I could see the potential here,” he says. “This is where people were coming for food. There were a lot of opportunities.”
After graduating, Viator became chef de cuisine at New World Home Cooking in
With French bistro-meets-Grand Central vibes, the new Barbue offers a destination for Cajun cuisine and cocktails in Eastdale Village, from the team behind Buns Burgers.
Saugerties, followed by market and catering executive chef at Gigi’s Trattoria in Rhinebeck in 2010, and then executive chef at Boitson’s in Kingston in 2012.
He almost let go of his aspiration to have a restaurant of his own. “That’s when Sean came in,” he recalls. Sean Weeks, who lives just outside of Kingston, moved to Saugerties at age 12. He was about 21 when he took a job cooking at a town-favorite Miss Lucy’s Kitchen. Viator’s future wife Sarah started working there a few months earlier— and ended up buying the establishment in 2020.
When Weeks opened a cross-fit gym, Kingston Athletics, Sarah joined. “And they eventually dragged me into it,” Viator recalls. It didn’t take long for Weeks and Viator to become fast friends. One day, Weeks asked, “Have you ever thought about owning a restaurant?” Viator admitted that it had been his plan but was shelved for now. “Every few weeks, he would check back in with me,” Viator recalls. “And he asked, ‘Would you like to do something together?’”
Finally, Viator agreed. He described his dream restaurant would harken back to his Louisiana roots, with Cajun food and top-notch cocktails. “But we couldn’t find a good space for it,” Viator says. Then opportunity knocked. A member at Weeks’ gym had a property available in Rhinebeck with a smaller footprint. “It was like a perfect storm,” Weeks says.
Since the place was too small to work for the original plan, Viator and Weeks went back to the drawing board. “Well, what could we do with this space?” they pondered. Viator took it up with his children, who were in middle and high school at the time. “We want a place to hang out, get a burger and a milkshake,” they told him.
Buns Burgers was born. “It was immediately successful,” Weeks says. “We were very fortunate.” The Rhinebeck location opened in 2016, Saugerties followed the next year, and Kingston launched in 2020.
A fourth location in Poughkeepsie, which fired up its grills in February, resulted after Weeks and Viator were approached by multiuse development Eastdale Village. Founder and CEO Joseph Kirchhoff explains, “After meeting Ryan and Sean, we told them we were still looking for the right operator for a cocktail bar/lounge.” Viator and Weeks considered whether it was the right space and the right time for their other concept, “the one we thought about years ago.”
The duo returned with a concept for a building that would house both Buns Burgers and a New Orleans-inspired lounge. “We were thrilled,” Kirchhoff says. “From the cocktails to the Cajun fare to the impressive interior and exterior, they knocked the concept out of the park, and we are so proud to have them with us.”
Maverick and Muse developed the design with tall windows, breezy ceiling fans, soft tones, and brass details. Viator and Weeks worked on the interior build-out, as they had done with all of the Buns Burgers locations. They also created a patio, complete with a fire pit. “We just wanted it to feel inviting,” Viator says. “It’s a place where you can hang out—for as long as you want.”
Barbue officially opened on August 14. Viator describes the menu as an elevated take on Cajun food with a Hudson Valley twist, saying “It’s an homage to my old home—and my new one.”
Weeks adds, “Ryan has wanted to do this for a long time. It’s been like a snowball effect. There’s a lot of momentum.” Viator calls it a 20year journey—a concept that formed before he entered culinary school. “It’s a little surreal,” he says of actually walking into the restaurant. “You have to step back and appreciate that it’s really here. I don’t think it’s 100 percent sunk in yet. This is my lifelong dream—and it’s really just starting for me.”
Already plans are in the works for future events, including a Mardi Gras party. “We have a lot of ideas,” Viator says. “It’s just a matter of bringing them to life.”
Barbue
30 Eastdale Avenue North, Poughkeepsie Dinner is served Wednesday and Thursday, 3 to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 3 to 11pm, and Sunday 2 to 9pm.
Your village wine shop. Respecting traditions. Defying conventions.
63 Tinker St., Woodstock, NY WOODSTOCKWINEANDLIQUOR COM
Woodstock Wine and Liquor
FEATURED
TO THE
With our lush valleys, crystal-clear waters and dramatic high peaks, Delaware County offers visitors amazing views with equally incredible outdoor experiences.
Plan your next adventure at
GREATWESTERNCATSKILLS COM
FACTORY FACTORY
sips & bites
Meyer’s Olde Dutch
15 Collegeview Avenue, Poughkeepsie
With a new business partner at his side, Brian Arnoff, the proprietor behind Beacon’s Kitchen Sink and Meyer’s Olde Dutch, expanded his classic burger joint concept with a second MOD location in Poughkeepsie earlier this year. Right across from the Vassar campus, the spot is a modern interpretation of a classic burger joint that promises local ingredients, made-from-scratch sauces, and condiments—not to mention a full cocktail bar. The crispy chicken sandwich is a MOD classic with fried chicken cutlet, pimento cheese, pickles, and coleslaw ($11.50). The simplest burger, the New York State Special, comes with a quarter-pound beef patty, muenster cheese, and garlic aioli and is an affordable lunch option at $8.50 (order your fries separately for $3.50). More elaborate options like the pork and bacon BBQ burger, chili burger, or the Double Dutch range from $11 to $16. Meyersoldedutch.com
Agave
53 Main Street, New Paltz
In a college town boasting plenty of taco joints and Mexican restaurants, the Agave distinguishes itself with Mexican-Asian mixed-origin cuisine. Tacos, ordered individually and served with the classic onions and cilantro, are economical at $3.75 a piece with all the traditional options from chicken to carne asada and carnitas. A General Tso cauliflower taco, served with pickled vegetables and aioli makes a tasty vegetarian option. The same proteins can be served in bowl format with your choice of yellow or fried rice ($14-$15). Classic dishes like chicken tostadas ($13), huarache ($13), and braised beef birria ($14) are joined by a ramen offering, served with grilled chicken, bok choy, ginger, and scallion ($20). Don’t skip dessert—both churros and tempura fried ice cream are on the menu ($8). And make it a margarita night with half a dozen selections ranging from the classic ($12.50) to more complex creations like the Spicy Guayaba with tequila blanco, orange liqueur, guava, muddled jalapeno, and lime ($13.50). @agavenewpaltz
Vitsky Bakery
3 Main Street, Wassaic
With a locally sourced approach forged during her time working in a remote lodge in Patagonia and honed in Troutbeck’s kitchen, Ariel Yotive brings an agile, hyperseasonal approach to her new venture. While there are a few staples, like sourdough bread and the wildly popular cardamom brioche buns, expect a different selection of sweet and savory pastries, dictated by the bounty of Yotive’s local producers like Maitri, Thistle Pass, and Forthill Organic farms. Seasonal selections have included goat cheese and zucchini; shishito, corn, and cheddar danishes; shiro plum sugar twists; and a sandwich with roasted eggplant, nardello pepper, and Thai basil on a tomato butter roll. Vitskybakery.com
Day&Nite Lounge
2655 E Main Street, Wappingers Falls
As the name suggests, Day&Nite aims to cater to two crowds, opening at 2pm during the week and 12pm on weekends for lunches, remote work, boozy meetings, and happy-hour cocktails during the day and for the night crowd: daily drink specials and live entertainment. The elegant interior features exposed brick, black hex tiles, and geometric wallpaper in neutral tones. The cocktail program shines here with options like Rosita, with mezcal, hibiscus, lime, egg white, orgeat, and chili liqueur ($14); or the 3 Dollar Bill with Askur dry gin, Brooklyn Kura sake, organic matcha, cucumber, lemon, and yuzu soda ($13). If you’re posting up to remote work (or taking a night off), order a “placebo,” for a tasty non-alcoholic drink. There are also a dozen wine options, with many organic selections, beer, coffee and tea. The ricotta tartine ($12) and the housemade organic chicken liver pate with jam, bread, and cheese ($16) are among the heartier options on the snack menu.
@dayandnite_lounge
The River Grill
40 Front Street, Newburgh
On Newburgh’s waterfront, the River Grill has long been famous for its epic views of the Hudson. A recent change in ownership has led to a complete overhaul of the culinary concept: a transition from New American eats and seafood to Indian cuisine. But the views remain the same, as you swap your shrimp cocktail for tandoori shrimp ($21.99) and grilled chicken breast for chicken kali mirch ($15.99). Starters are split into vegetable and non-, and include classics like pakoras (fritters), samosas, paneer, and kebabs. The clay Tandoori oven offers options ranging from spice-marinated lamb chops ($29.99) to roti bread. Entrees are separated by protein, with an ample vegetarian selection, plus biryanis, soups, salads, and half a dozen naan selections. Therivergrillnewburgh.com
—Marie Doyon
The Shipping News
NEW YORK TO ALLOW DIRECT SHIPPING FOR CIDERIES & DISTILLERIES
By Ryan Keegan
Hard cider in New York has seen an unprecedented surge. According to the New York Cider Association, the industry has grown by over 2,400 percent in the past decade, now representing a $1.7 billion economic impact on the state’s agricultural economy. With more than 125 licensed producers generating over five million gallons annually, New York leads the nation in active cideries and ranks second in apple growers, trailing Washington State. The industry is now poised for further growth that will level the playing field with other craft beverage producers. On August 19, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation allowing New York’s cideries, meaderies, and distilleries to ship their products directly to consumers. While direct shipping privileges for wine producers have been in place since 2005, cider and spirits producers were only granted the ability to direct ship temporarily during the pandemic.
The new legislation, effective November 17, will provide these small craft producers with greater market access by allowing them to sell directly to consumers both within New York and to other states that allow shipment. The law is expected to have a notable impact on the craft beverage industry.
Opinions Differ
For Hudson House Distillery co-owner Paul Seres, it’s a long-awaited development that will allow smaller distilleries to bypass traditional distribution channels. “We’re excited about this change which allows us to expand our reach without having to pay a middle company,” he says. “I think it’ll only help our business and our brands—it’s a huge benefit for somebody like me, because 35 to 40 percent of our business is from people outside of the area. It opens up the door for reordering, connects us better to our customer base, and allows them to buy directly from us.”
Members of the cider, distilling, and agricultural industries toast Governor Hochul’s recent signing of legislation allowing direct shipping for cideries and distilleries at the Dutchess County Fair in August.
Photo courtesty of Assemblymember
Donna A. Lupardo, Assembly District 123
However, some, like Tim Graham of Left Bank Ciders, are more cautious in their optimism about the new legislation. Graham notes that while Left Bank likely plans to take advantage of the new shipping options, he’s uncertain whether smaller producers will see significant benefits.
“Our pre-existing footprint in the state before direct shipping is small but decent, and I don’t know where consumers looking for our cider are in the state that couldn’t already get it,” says Graham. “We’re in a few places in the city, so it might help that market develop, but I’m not sure if people in, say, Buffalo or western or northern New York are looking for our cider and can’t get it. It’s hard to say how impactful shipping just within New York would be for us. I think the impact of direct shipping is much bigger when you go across the country than within the state because things are more local.” Graham speculates that the legislation might benefit businesses with a larger market presence or those already engaged in cider clubs with quarterly subscription services.
Impact May Vary
And while the new law does apply to meaderies, it seems like they won’t see the same bonuses as cideries and distilleries. According to Eric DeRise, co-owner of Salt Point Meadery, they’ve already been able to ship mead thanks to a winery license in place since 2017. Though Salt Point switched to a farm meadery license in 2020 for added benefits, federal regulations still classify mead under wine licensing. This allows them to ship to New York and 30 other states using Vinoshipper, a third-party service that helps manage the process.
However, DeRise notes that shipping mead hasn’t significantly boosted sales due to high shipping costs, which often discourage customers. “In my opinion, even from a customer standpoint, you can be excited about purchasing a bunch of mead or wine or whatever from your favorite place you can’t get to, but as you order it online, the shipping amount is a huge roadblock,” says DeRise. “A lot of people think it’s not worth it because shipping costs are up there. It doesn’t hurt to have the option, but I don’t think it makes a huge difference, at least with our experience.”
Still, the full impact of the new law remains to be seen, and direct shipping to consumers could change how craft beverages are marketed and sold, possibly leading to a more integrated industry. “We expect the bill to have a tremendous impact economically,” says Scott Ramsey, Executive Director of the New York Cider Association. “It’s hard to predict exactly what that number would look like. But we estimate it would have been a loss of around $20 billion to New York state tourism. The impact to agritourism alone that these industries have is huge. So we’re really excited about the opportunity and looking forward to seeing how it grows.”
Hudson House Distillery produces Black Creek whiskey and Altair vodka, which it will soon be able to ship to direct to consumers.
43 Wagner Lane, Callicoon, New York www.seminaryhill.co
Spirited Victorian
Psychic medium Julia Drahos’s haunted house in Wappingers Falls
By Mary Angeles Armstrong
Photos by Winona Barton-Ballentine
Old houses have a way of calling the right owners,” says Julia Drahos, reflecting on the serendipity that brought her to Miss Fanny ’s, her Victorian farmhouse in Wappingers Falls. Drahos, a psychic medium who also works in the funeral services industry, was searching for a multigenerational nest when she stumbled onto the empty home that seemed destined for a developer ’s wrecking ball. “I’ve always wanted an old house and I’ve especially always wanted an old Victorian,” she says. “I also love history and all things creepy.”
The moment Drahos saw the 1860s house, she sensed it was something special—although she didn’t know just how special at the time. With 4,500 square feet of space spread over three stories, there was plenty of room for Drahos, her father, and her three kids. However, it was the home’s intact Gothic-style Victorian detailing, seemingly untouched by 21st-century life, that captured Drahos’s heart. Two wide downstairs parlors were accessed by a series of carved-wood French doors. Inside each, intact ceiling medallions, black marble fireplace mantles, and the original steam radiators seemed set for a 19th-century seance. Lanterns punctuated the home’s wide entrance hall, complete with creaky wide-plank floorboards and the home’s original staircase with a carved-wood balustrade winding from the entranceway straight into the past. “I didn’t know anything about the home’s history at the time,” says Drahos. She didn’t realize she’d found more than just a historic Victorian. “I certainly didn’t know it was haunted.”
The primary bedroom of Julia Drahos’s Victorian sits on the second floor. Drahos decorated the space with antiques, oddities, and gothic flair that match her love of “all things creepy.” “My aesthetic is Addams Family,” she says. “The mannequin reminds me of my favorite Vincent Price movie, House of Wax. I love classic old movies. “
Illuminating the Shadows
For someone who has one foot in the spirit realm, Drahos has a decidedly down-to-earth demeanor. The day I visited her one-acre property, she wore a black dress printed with spiders and had just finished decorating for an early Halloween party. Skeletons, cobwebs, and an open coffin layered onto the parlor rooms that were already decorated with a collection of Gothic antiques and Victorian artifacts. With the late summer sunshine splashing through the oversized windows, however, the scene was more festive wake than dour funeral. “I thought we were taking photos today,” she explains of her costume, laughing. “Normally, I would dress down.”
Drahos admits to loving the kitschy macabre of it all. (And, yes, there is a creepy doll room on the third floor.) When she talks about her journey to become a psychic medium, however, it ’s clear her work is grounded in both compassion for the living and respect for those who have passed. “I don’t advertise it a lot,” she says. “And it ’s not my main job—it ’ s very draining and also it feels too sacred for that.”
Drahos grew up in Sleepy Hollow where her grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle all worked at the cemetery. “Basically, I grew up in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery,” Drahos says. “My grandfather would tell us stories, some real and some he made up I’m sure, but I was steeped in the lore of the area. Everyone in my family seems to be drawn to the unknown.” She followed in the family business, getting a job with a local undertaker.
Drahos’s gift for communicating with the supernatural emerged early. “My mom’s parents died when she was 10 so I never knew them,” Drahos says. “But I would have visions and specific, vivid memories that would pop into my head like I was dreaming. I’d ask my mother about certain details I was seeing. She’d always say, ‘How did you know that?’”
Although her mother encouraged her, Drahos found her psychic abilities weren’t always welcome in the wider world. “I learned to keep the gift to myself,” she says after bad experiences in school.
Nevertheless, as she grew older, she continued to experience vivid otherworldly visions and have a heightened
On one wall Drahos mixed a collection of portraits with an antique dresser. “You’ll never find me at Raymour & Flannigan,” explains Drahos. “I pick up what I like from flea markets, estate sales and Facebook marketplace.”
Besides adding her own gothic twist to the home’s interiors, she’s changed very little about the house.
Mastery of the Craft.
1. MAGNIFICENT CATSKILL VIEWS
376 Hollow Road. 93+ Acres.
Stuyvesant, NY. 4BR. 2.2 Baths.
$2.9M. Web ID 23096819.
Chris Pomeroy 212-381-2531
Maret Halinen 518-828-0181
2. PRIVATE HUDSON BEACH
105 River Road.
Ulster Park, NY. 5BR. 3.0 Baths.
$975K. Web ID 23141367.
Justin Stolarczyk 212-906-0544
3. SERENITY AND SECLUSION
83 May Hill Stop 36 Road. 5 Acres. Ghent, NY. 5BR. 2.5 Baths.
$1.1M. Web ID 23139554.
Nancy Felcetto 917-626-6755
Robin Horowitz 917-626-6755
4. 1920’S ESTATE ON 14 ACRES 108 North Smith Road. Union Vale, NY. 4BR. 3.0 Bath. $1.25M. Web ID 23059699. Stephan Delventhal 518-660-1306
5. MAGICAL 17-ACRE ESTATE 1081 Wittenberg Road. Mt Tremper, NY. 4BR. 3.3 Baths $2.43M. Web ID 23097398. Chris Pomeroy 212-381-2531 Nancy Felcetto 917-626-6755
6. MIXED USE - HISTORIC HOME 2279 US State Route 9. 6+ Acres. Livingston, NY. 4BR. 2.0 Baths. $995K. Web ID 22900427. Nancy Felcetto 917-626-6755 Robin Horowitz 917-626-6755
7. OWN THE ENTIRE MOUNTAIN State Route 97. Narrowsburg, NY. 370 Acres. $2.95M. Web ID 22727685. Richard Orenstein 212-381-4248 Felicia De Chabris 212-381-6513
8. RARE 12-ACRE FARM 183 -187 County Route 14. Hudson, NY. 8BR. 3.5 Bath. $1.495M. Web ID 23075264. Norah Burden 212-588-5617 Owen Davidson 917-783-2009
9. CHARMING SUN-FILLED HOME
8 Brick Row. Athens, NY. 3BR. 1.0 Bath. $349K. Web ID 23008316. Norah Burden 212-588-5617 Owen Davidson 917-783-2009
10. GREEK REVIVAL FARMHOUSE 623 Argusville Road. Sharon Springs, NY. 5BR. 2.0 Baths. $225K. Web ID 23036066. Stephan Delventhal 518-660-1306
11. 1900’S VICTORIAN FARMHOUSE 26 Chatham Street. Kinderhook, NY. 3BR. 2.5 Baths. $629K. Web ID 23062221. Scott Olsen 718-613-2059
Drahos in the center entranceway of her historic Victorian. Built by the Van Wyck family in the 1860s the home passed down through the family until Fanny Van Wyck died in 1988. Drahos, a psychic medium, didn’t know any of the home’s history when she bought it in 2002. However, she soon realized a kinship with Fanny Van Wyck who also connected with the home’s supernatural elements by holding seances and inviting in psychics.
sense for paranormal activity. Sometimes she could pick up the residual activity and even messages from the deceased; sometimes she had clear visual or auditory impressions of supernatural activity around her. Usually, Drahos experienced paranormal activity like a strong daydream. “ The visions are like memories that touch my mind ’s eye,” she explains. “I might not actually see something in front of me but I can see it very clearly in my mind.”
Cosmic Real Estate
After Drahos’s mother died, her father moved in with her in 2002, which sent her searching for her dream house. “ The realtors kept taking me to houses from the 1960s and I kept saying, 'no, no, no I want an old house, ’” she recalls. “All the old houses they took me to were completely gutted. There was nothing intact with a sense of character.”
Driving through Beacon one day, Drahos passed by a For Sale by Owner sign. “It was a Victorian,” she says. “So I pulled over and knocked on the door.” The home was sold already, but the woman who answered was another realtor who understood Drahos’s dream house immediately. “I know exactly what you want,” the realtor said. Then she took
Drahos to the house in Wappingers Falls.
Built in the 1860s by the Van Wyck family, the home was originally the center of a 120-acre farm. It was passed down through the generations until the 1980s when the last remaining family member, Fanny Van Wyck, died. “She left the property and the house to the town with the intention of making it a community center,” says Drahos. “Instead it mostly sat vacant until developers bought everything.” The surrounding farmland was developed but the home was initially rescued by another family. “ They did some upkeep but didn’t change anything,” says Drahos. When she came across it, it again had been sitting empty for a while. “ There were raccoons living in here,” says Drahos. “I’m really shocked the developers left the house standing.”
Although it was a bit worse for the wear, neglect had saved the home ’s historic interiors from being updated or altered. The scope of the project intimidated Drahos, but the sense of stepping back into history captivated her. “ My kids were little at the time and it was a lot to take on,” says Drahos. “ But my realtor kept saying, ‘ The house needs you, it needs you.’ It was the weirdest thing how that resonated with me.”
Halloween decorations in the home’s fourthfloor attic space. Shortly after moving in, Drahos began experiencing paranormal events, including children’s laughter, voices, furniture, and light disturbances along with apparitions of people. Drahos was particularly well suited to steward a home with spirits. “I grew up having experiences of ghosts,” she explains, acknowledging that the gift is sacred. Drahos opens the home up for parties, ghost hunts, and the occasional psychic reading and renamed it “Miss Fanny’s” after the protective (but not malevolent) spirit of Fanny Van Wyck.
Drahos decorated a third-floor bedroom with a collection of antique dolls, an old gramophone, antique clocks, and portraits. Along with the gothic and Victorian artifacts, Drahos, who works in the funeral services industry, has added funeral memorabilia throughout the home’s decor.
AUTHENTIC TO YOUR DREAM
Andersen
The 4,500-square-foot farmhouse once sat on 120 acres of farmland. Passed to the town after Fanny Van Wyck’s death, the land was developed and the home passed between owners before Drahos found it. “She intended that the home be used as a museum or for the public in some way,” says Drahos. The home is currently on the New York State haunted history trail and Drahos is working to get it on the National Historic Register. She hopes to ensure that its legacy—and its spirits—are protected for years to come.
Ancient Roommates
After figuring out the logistics, Drahos bought the house. It was soon after moving in that she realized her family weren’t the only residents. From the beginning, she began to hear unexplained noises. “ I would hear laughter and giggling in the middle of the night,” she explains. “ I thought my kids were out of bed so I ’d get up, only to find them fast asleep.” After that, Drahos began to have clear visions of entities in the house. One of the most startling experiences was encountering a young African-American boy in old clothing. “ I woke up at three am one night and after glancing at the clock, something caught my eye in the corner of the room. I looked down and there ’s this young Black male in a fetal position in old clothes sitting on the floor,” recalls Drahos. “ I froze in shock, then pulled the blankets over my head. When I looked again, he was gone.”
Two other spirits have also made their presence known to Drahos. “One is an older gentleman who I believe is Stephen Van Wyck, who built the house,” says Drahos.
“ We’ve also done EVP [electronic voice phenomena] recordings at the house and picked up a woman’s voice saying, 'This is my house.'” After learning about the home’s history, Drahos believes the voice is the spirit of Fanny Van Wyck, who also communicated with the spirit world by holding seances on site. “I believe she’s a very protective spirit of the house,” says Drahos. “She wanted the home to be open to the community somehow and we’re doing that.”
Drahos named the home Miss Fanny ’s in honor of the protective spirit. Over time, she restored the interior detailing to its original state, only replacing the windows and adding her own Gothic decor to the home. Along with hosting parties, gatherings, and the occasional oneon-one psychic medium session, she’s been working to put the home on the national historic register. “I think it ’ s important that no one messes with it,” says Drahos. “ There are so many memories here. Not just my family ’s but the collective memories of the people who came here before us. It ’s my job to honor them.”
Looking for a place to swim laps, join a volleyball team, or take a yoga class? The YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County has all the classics covered, along with newer programming and lessons on everything from boxing to Reiki. Many of its offerings are designed to help members and drop-in visitors lead lives full of fun and fitness. But there’s a whole other side to the Y, and it’s laser-focused on helping families succeed: affordable, well-managed childcare that covers a lot of the gaps that trip up working parents.
The Y’s “School’s Out!” before- and after-school programs provide a stimulating, nurturing environment (and snacks!) for those early morning and late afternoon hours when many parents of school-aged kids need help the most. The programs, which run from 7am to the start of school hours and dismissal to 6pm, are offered for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade at elementary schools in Kingston, New Paltz, Marlboro, Highland, Marbletown, and Ellenville.
“In the morning, when the kids are just coming in, we offer quiet activities that allow them to follow their interests and they have breakfast before they head to class,” says Heidi Kirschner, president and CEO of the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County, who has been leading the organization since 2011.
“In the afternoon, we have 30 to 45 minutes of quiet time— some kids choose to rest, others get their homework out of the way, some do quiet activities like arts and crafts. Then we have a snack, and after that we get outside if the weather’s good or play in the gym to get active. After that, it’s usually games or homework or a special activity,” says Kirschner. “We want parents to have a reliable situation, to know that their kids are safe, and that they’re doing cool, interesting things in those hours.”
The Y’s childcare offerings also extend to its “No School Today” program, which runs 8am to 5pm on most days when schools close for longer breaks, special holidays, and district conference days.
Come summertime, the Y offers three varied day camps for kids and teens in kindergarten through grade 9 at its Kingston location, at Lenape Elementary School in New Paltz, and on Camp Seewackamano’s 37 wooded acres in Shokan. It also offers youth summer sports programs that build soccer and basketball skills, and it runs a two-week rowing program in collaboration with the Hudson River Maritime Museum and the Rondout Rowing Club.
The programming, says Kirschner, benefits everyone involved. “It’s great for us because it’s helped us grow as an organization,” she says. “We’re lucky to have really great staff in place at this point in time. They’re young, energetic, and educated, and this is what they really want to do. They spend a lot of time thinking up ways for the kids to have fun and explore and challenge their brains and their bodies.”
In addition to providing opportunities for enrichment for hundreds of kids year-round, as one of the region’s largest youth employers, nurturing budding educators is key to the organization’s mission. “I love the ownership the young people take in figuring out what’s important for the kids to know,” Kirschner says. “They help build our curriculums—from basic engineering concepts to nutrition, gardening, and science on our farm to swimming, bike riding safety, and public speaking. It’s amazing to watch people I knew as tweens grow into young adults working here, then bring their own kids to the programs years later.”
For anyone looking for an opportunity to grow in their career and give back to their community, Kirschner notes that the Y is always hiring for positions in its childcare programs as well as its wide variety of other offerings for all ages. For more information, call (845) 338-3810 or visit Ymcaulster.org/employment.
HELPING FAMILIES FLOURISH
CHILDCARE PROGRAMS AT THE YMCA OF KINGSTON AND ULSTER COUNTY
The Y offers a variety of childcare programs year-round, ranging from beforeand after-school care at local elementary schools to summer camps, sports camps, and more.
The Healing Power of Sound
Vibration and Resonance at Sage Academy
By Jaime Stathis Photos by Piotr Redlinski
Intention plus sound equals healing,” says Lea Garnier, director and founder of Sage Academy of Sound in Woodstock. Garnier found sound healing about 20 years ago through shamanic work in a ceremonial setting. Most Westerners hadn’t heard of Himalayan singing bowls back then, and few had witnessed their resonant sound. “So I’m in this ceremony, sitting across from this guy,” Garnier recalls. “He brings out this bowl, starts playing it, and my heart completely cracks open.”
Before we get too deep into the physical and emotional health benefits of sound healing, let’s talk about what it is and what a session is like. The first thing to know is that “sound healing” and “sound bath” are used interchangeably. The former is because sound is healing, and the therapeutic value of sound vibrations has been tracked for thousands of years across most cultures. The latter term came about because a session can feel like bathing in sound and letting it wash over the body, like a wave.
Semantics aside, sound healing typically refers to the experience of being in a room—alone or in a group—where one or more people are playing various instruments used to create healing
frequencies. The instruments may include any combination of Tibetan singing bowls, crystal singing bowls, gongs, cymbals, bells, tuning forks, and voices, and depending on the tradition, didgeridoos, flutes, drums, rattles, shells, and more may also be incorporated.
Science and Mystery
The Tibetan singing bowls are the most common instrument used in sound healing. They consist of seven different metals and produce a healing frequency of sound when hit, tapped, struck, or rubbed by a mallet usually wrapped in leather or wool.
Garnier’s first sound bowls were frosted crystal bowls given to her and her then-husband, Phillippe Garnier (with whom she founded Sage Academy of Sound in 2008), by her neighbor in New York City, who had been using them in his work as a psychoanalyst.
Garnier explains that healing is a word that’s been attached to sound bowl sessions, and while practitioners are looking for a therapeutic outcome, they can’t say they heal anybody. “People heal themselves, and whatever is inside them that needs healing happens spontaneously through
the sound bath,” she says. “That’s the mystery of it, but then again, there’s so much science around sound healing, too, and I don’t like to take away the mystery.”
The vibrations created by sound bowls and other instruments create a resonance that can impact us on a cellular level. “Resonance is a word that sound healers use a lot,” Garnier says, adding that resonance is a natural vibration of any object, and everything has resonance and a specific frequency. “That’s why you and I are connecting,” Garnier says during our interview. “If we didn’t like each other, this conversation would go in a different direction, if we didn’t feel like we were on the same frequency.”
“One reason sound heals on a physical level is because it deeply touches and transforms us on the emotional and spiritual planes. Sound can redress imbalances on every level of physiologic functioning and can play a positive role in the treatment of virtually any medical disorder,” according to Mitchell Gaynor, MD, former clinical assistant professor and director of medical oncology at the Weill Cornell Medical College’s Center for Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Gaynor authored The Healing Power
of Sound and posits that while sound healing can’t cure cancer on its own, there are benefits of incorporating relaxing modalities such as meditation, chanting, breathing exercises, and exposure to the resonance of sound bowls and other similarly resonant instruments, which include our voices.
Many people—even professionally trained singers—find that working with the resonance of instruments allows them to free their voices. Garnier shared the words of Scott Williams, who trained with Sage in 2015 and is now one of the senior teachers who leads the monthly new moon and full moon workshops alongside Garnier. “Freeing your voice is one of the highest freedoms you can ever find,” Williams says. “It’s the closest thing to flying.”
Sound Healing’s Origins
Healing through music is an ancient concept. As long as we’ve had the ability to make sound, we’ve had healing and connection through the principle of resonance. Even before we had instruments to create sound, there were the sounds of nature, such as wind rustling through a tree’s leaves and birdsong. Any sound can be music—nature sounds as well as sounds coming from a mouth—and all
music can be mesmerizing and transformative. Music is mentioned in 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament, and in Greek mythology, Orpheus (son of Apollo) had superhuman musical skills. Since ancient times, vibration has been used to aid digestion, treat mental disturbance, and induce sleep.
According to Aristotle, flute music was used to evoke emotion and purify the soul, and ancient Egyptians used chanting as a form of prayer to heal the sick. Some cultures believe in the healing frequency of buzzing bees, and lest you think this sounds on the far side of bizarre, InsightTimer has a sound meditation from inside a beehive with 4.8 stars and great reviews.
“All the mystics from all the areas of the world—Tibet, Greece, South America—they were way more in tune and having profound experiences with sound,” Garnier says. “They were doing ceremonies and using the sound specifically for things like healing mental and physical problems; they’d use the didgeridoo to heal broken bones.”
Shepherds of Sound
A sound healer is a shepherd of sound, but the power of healing lies in the intention behind
it. The sound healer isn’t performing music for an audience, yet they do have a purpose for the sounds they create. “You are offering the sound into a person’s body, and the aim is to find a resonant home for that sound,” Garnier explains.
Sound healers must believe in and deeply understand the power of energy and the resonance of different frequencies. They may work one-onone with clients or groups, but regardless of the setting, the sound healer must read the room.
Entrainment is a core concept of sound healing, and it involves synchronization and vibratory resonance. Practitioners find the right resonance for clients through instruments, but they also have a vibratory state, and clients entrain both to the frequencies of sound and the frequency of the healer.
“I was taught through my shamanic teachers that sound is sentient and that connecting with sound is a way to connect with your being,” Garnier says. “We think of sound as a wave— because it is, and we’re waves as well—and the sound waves into the body,” Garnier explains. “We don’t know where the sound will go, but we know it goes where it’s needed. The organs, bones, brain, heart, etc., have frequencies, and the practitioner finds the sound that raises that vibration.”
Above: Students practicing gong, Himalayan bowls, and conch at Sage Academy of Sound in Woodstock.
Opposite, left to right: Sound Pioneer Dr. John Beaulieu, students practicing with tuning forks, Lea Garnier, director and founder of Sage Academy of Sound, with a crystal singing bowl.
With Dr. John Beaulieu, N.D.,
•
The Sacred Geometry of Sound
There isn’t one way to be a sound healer, and there’s no one path to becoming a sound healer. People can surely engage in self-study, but at schools like Sage Academy of Sound, students work with masters of the craft and learn about the principles of sound and healing: the ancient shamanic traditions; the basics of sound as an energy wave; how sound affects our emotions, mental brain waves, and physical cellular body; the meridians, chakras, and energy flow of the cellular body; sacred geometry; and the electromagnetic field of the heart-mind.
Students explore the science behind sound healing, learning about concepts such as resonance, coherence, and cymatics —the sacred geometry of sound—pioneered by Swiss medical doctor and natural scientist Hans Jenny.
Sound healing education also includes working with the Himalayan sitting and standing bells, bowls and gongs, crystal bowls and pyramids, shruti boxes, tuning forks, harmonic overtone singing, and call-and-response chanting for well-being.
Sage Academy of Sound offers shorter events around the new moon, the full moon, and every Sunday, which are opportunities to experience sound healing. The next new moon event is on October 5, and the next full moon ceremony will be held on October 19.
For those who want to go deeper or become a sound healer, Sage Academy of Sound offers six certification training sessions yearly, plus they do weekend-long SoundHealing Intensives. For the last-minute planners, the last training of the year—which happens to be a weekend intensive— will be held on October 4-6 at Sage Academy of Sound & Woodstock Yoga Center, located at 6 Deming Street in Woodstock.
Information about upcoming events can be found at
Senior teacher Dave Binck with gong at Sage Academy of Sound.
Take Back Your Health with Acupuncture, Detox, Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, & Biofeedback/ Neurofeedback Frequency Healing
Specializing in Lyme, EBV, chronic fatigue, pain/injury, auto immune, digestive disorders, migraines, neurological disorders, & skin issues Dr. Erika S.Gabriello DACM L. Ac www.holisticnaturalmedicine.com
347.988.0178
New Paltz 169 Main St.
Helping Families and Professionals work and stay in the U.S.
Helping Families and Professionals work and stay in the U.S.
Immigration Attorney - Beacon, NY
Immigration Attorney - Beacon, NY
http://www.beaconimmigration.net
http://www.beaconimmigration.net
+1 845-288-2435
+1 845-288-2435
EVENTS CALENDAR
The Yearning of Kingston
By Hillary Harvey Photos by David McIntyre
Ulster County SPCA volunteers Ken and Kate walking Ziva, the shelter's oldest resident, at the SPCA's facility on Wiedy Road.
Opposite, top: View of the recently refurbished Wurts Avenue Bridge from Dock Street on the Rondout.
Opposite, bottom: Soccer tournament at Metro Field on Greenkill Avenue. The event was organized by Comite Aj Ralchoch in celebration of Guatemalan Independence Day on September 15.
Some people say there are three neighborhoods in Kingston—Uptown, Midtown, and the Rondout. But with citywide concerns around jobs, displacement, and connectivity, among average Kingstonians it’s not geographic divisions that are discussed. The Burning of Kingston happens this month—that annual re-enactment of the British attack on Kingston which celebrates the pluck of Colonial settlers—now with acknowledgement that the Stockade was built not only to thwart the British but also indigenous peoples. For Kingston, the truly unifying vibe is its distinct styles of longing.
Hiraeth (Welsh), the Nostalgia for Lost Places
There’s a breakfast club somewhere in Kingston, still bemoaning the loss of the old Post Office that was demolished just over 50 years ago. When local politicians describe themselves as lifelong Kingstonians, or recall a parent’s job loss after IBM left, these are the voters they’re courting. The documentary film Lost Rondout: A Story of Urban Removal by Stephen Blauweiss and Lynn Woods,
which chronicles the destruction of not only historic buildings in the neighborhood, but also the multicultural fabric of a working class community made vibrant by jobs in the shipping industry, is a must-see for understanding the grief exacted by 1960s urban renewal in the city.
The Hudson River Maritime Museum (HRMM) was born of the desire to preserve what was vanishing. Their collection of maritime artifacts was originally showcased, beginning in 1979, in a surviving historic building on the corner of Broadway and Abeel Street, where Rosie General now gathers and feeds people. The museum moved to its current home on the Rondout Creek in 1983 when it purchased the 1898 tugboat Mathilda. “There’s a lot of nostalgia and mourning about losing these beautiful steamships that were going up and down the river for over a century,” says Lisa Cline, executive director of the HRMM.
To make the nonprofit museum sustainable, beginning in the 2010s, HRMM focused on growing its campus and cultivating partnerships. It won a grant to buy and renovate an adjacent building now used for winterizing
sloop Clearwater and extra event space. HRMM bought another adjacent property and developed the Wooden Boat Building School, which also spawned a Sailing School because people wanted to use the boats they built.
It provides a public dock, and the Rondout Rowing Club and the Kingston High School varsity crew team house their equipment at the museum. They host visiting vessels to bring history alive, like last summer’s Amistad, a replica 19th-century ship which was overthrown by an uprising of enslaved people from Sierra Leone. Cline says HRMM is a series of schools, and that the cross-pollination of all the programs has really grown the museum.
One of the most popular programs is the solarpowered tour boat, Solaris, which HRMM built as a prototype, and functions as a floating classroom.
“The Rondout Lighthouse is our most popular tour, and I understand why,” Cline says. “It takes you out to an otherwise inaccessible house on
an island where you go back in time to a whole different world; it’s just a very evocative trip.”
Saudade (Portuguese), the Longing for a Time that Can’t be Re-Lived
Every generation of Kingstonians has its own nagging desire for a time that can’t be re-created. In the 2010s, residents talked about the nuances between Old Kingston and New—between pre-Trump liberals and conservatives, between walkable cities and cultural relativism. It was the blow-ins versus the good old boys. In 2012, there was a dust-up between factions when a renovation to the Pike Plan canopies in Uptown Kingston was surreptitiously decorated by artistic graffiti, and the Red Goat’s amorphous meaning is now the stuff of local legend. But gentrification touches everyone.
Abe Uchitelle, Majority Leader of the Ulster County Legislature, represents Kingston, and says that the track the city is now on was evident
when he moved here from New Paltz after college in 2013. “That path brought a very vibrant community of businesses, artists, galleries, and shops, but also left in its wake a loss of beloved businesses, event spaces, and community members that are no longer here,” Uchitelle says. “With Kingston’s growth, there have also been a number of tragedies; we’ve lost some of what was special about this community—when it was in transition and, in many ways, struggling but also thriving.” There are always restaurants opening and closing to the pleasure and pain of residents, but when BSP (Backstage Studio Productions) closed during the pandemic, for many, it was an unrecoverable loss. Officially an arts and entertainment complex, BSP spanned half a city block from Wall and Crown Streets. There was a cavernous theater in the back for conventions and concerts with a Spiegeltent, the front venue with full bar and stage, a studio for Hudson Valley Circus Arts in between, and a fully
The fourth annual Uptown Car Show took place on September 14. The controversial "Pike Plan" awnings can be seen canopying the sidewalk on both sides of Wall Street.
Opposite: On weekends, the Catskill Mountain Railroad runs eight-mile trips from Westbrook Station in the Kingston Plaza to the Hurley Flats and back.
equipped dance studio on the second floor. Their Halloween (in collaboration with Chronogram) and New Year’s Eve parties were legendary, and BSP played a pivotal role in supporting the O+ Festival as one of its primary venues.
Trevor Dunworth moved to Kingston in 2011 and, with friends, brought a small production company to BSP, eventually transitioning to owning the business and managing its day-to-day operations. Mike Amari was the booking agent and brought in bands like Television, Big Thief, and Yo La Tengo. BSP made people realize they didn’t need to leave Kingston for a great show—an indie rock venue just down the street. For New Kingstonians, they knew it when.
“There are a handful of local venues now keeping the spark alive,” Dunworth says, “but none share nearly the same square footage as BSP, so the scene is more fragmented and spread out.” He says Tubby’s in Midtown comes closest to showcasing the same types of bands. Amari has brought his booking prowess and some of the Uptown scene to Opus 40, the
outdoor sculpture park and arts center in Saugerties.
“People really miss it, and many express sadness or frustration with what has happened in Uptown since our closure. More and more, I meet people who moved here after 2020, and they only know about BSP through stories or hearsay,” Dunworth says. “That said, I consider myself very fortunate to have been at the helm of that ship alongside so many amazing friends, and I will always be grateful that opportunity led me to Kingston when it did.”
Fernweh (German), Farsickness or the Ache for Distant Places Kingston is ever-enticing: urban in a small town; close to both outdoorsy activities and New York City; it’s got historic architecture, the arts, local food, spirits, and beer, cultural diversity, and endless promise for that startup or business you’ve been dreaming about. With every wave of new settlers, the only constant is that another wave is coming.
During the pandemic, people came to flee.
The staff of Mirador, an Andalusiuan tapas bar that opened on Broadway in Midtown last December. Owners Nick Africano and Harry McNamara are pictured in the front next to chef Massoud Violette-Sheikh.
Kaitlyn Murray opened La Vie Apres L'Amour, a clothing boutique featuring upcycled fashion from redesigned and vintage textiles, in the summer of 2023 on Abeel Street in the Rondout District.
Your Upstate Experts
Hudson. This stunning 4-bed, 3.5-bath contemporary home sits on 15.6 private acres with jaw-dropping views of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains. Meticulously transformed to fit seamlessly into the landscape, with salt pool, two ponds, cantilevered sunset viewing deck. $3.495 Mil. Call Greg Kendall, 954-804-9085.
Catskill. A stately 6-bed, 3-bath 1850’s farmhouse on 2 acres, meticulously restored with many of the original historic details intact. Set up currently as a 2-family, could be converted easily to a single family. Close to local hot spots, and 15 minutes to Hudson. $799,000. Call Martin Salerno, 917-734-8161.
Big Indian. Nestled within a private community dedicated to preserving the beauty of the Catskill Mountains, this charming 3-bed cabin o ers a serene escape surrounded by nature’s wonders. 2-car garage. Lots of hiking nearby in the Big Imdian Wilderness Park. $449,000. Call Danielle Marchisella, 845-399-6326
Athens. An outstanding Hudson River property, just over the Rip Van Winkle bridge from Hudson. With 40+acres, pool and gently sloping grounds, eye-popping River views. The Italianate style home has 11 beds and 6 baths. Development and family compound possibilities. $4.95 Mil. Call Lisa Bouchard Hoe, 413-329-1162.
Canaan. Unique and beautiful round home with separate round guest house. Tastefully restored, very private, down a long driveway. 3 beds, 2 full baths. Great wrap-around deck, potting shed. Quiet and peaceful, minutes to the Berkshires and close to Chatham. $729,000. Call Martin Salerno, 917-734-8161.
Hudson. This lovely 1860 Italianate Revival home is set on 30 acres with pond and frontage on the Stockport Creek. The 3,656 square foot house has been beautifully maintained, with 5 beds and 2 full baths. Close to downtown Hudson, Kinderhook and Chatham. What a beauty! $950,000. Call Janet Kain, 917-709-8724.
Remote work exploded, and the housing market in Kingston skyrocketed, exacerbating the pre-existing dilemmas of corporate landlords monopolizing rental properties and a lack of new housing.
Jenna Goldstein, the Tenant Organizer for the activist organization For the Many, runs a hotline for tenants. Typical calls are about sudden, massive rent increases and disputes around property repairs. Goldstein says Kingston residents are more than rent burdened, often paying 50 percent or more of their income in rent. “Housing affordability is definitely nonexistent right now. It’s not fair to have people that are retired or on fixed incomes be pushed out of their homes because they can’t make more money. It’s a very flawed system.”
While Kingston has worked to evaluate its vacancy rate, declare a Housing Emergency, and pass Good Cause Eviction laws, Goldstein says the average renter working three or four jobs to afford rent would also need a parttime law degree to understand the regulations. She’s seeing lifelong Kingstonians being forced out. “A mortgage is rent control for a homeowner who happens to have money for a
down payment. These tenants have paid well over $200,000 in rent in their lifetime, but they’ve got nothing to show for it. It’s just another tax on working class people,” Goldstein says. “By saying Kingston’s up-and-coming, it tells people who have been here their whole lives that they’re not welcome anymore.”
Uchitelle has long used the term housing crisis. “As soon as the pandemic came, everybody saw that struggle in every community. But those of us representing Kingston, we saw it much earlier,” he says. “Over the last few years, we’ve made significant progress, investing in creating new units of affordable housing. But this takes time, and we’re at risk of losing members of our community while we wait for the effects of our housing investment to take shape. And that’s why bringing forward an anti-displacement program is incredibly important.”
In August, the legislature passed an expansion to a 2023 pilot program, which connected tenants facing eviction with attorneys and case managers to help ensure tenants become sustainable over the long-term. The new iteration dedicates American Rescue Plan Act funding to be used by Legal
Black Creek Mercantile founders Josh Vogel and Kelly Zaneto with their daughter Violet Victoria Vogel at their new showroom at the O&W Building on Hurley Avenue.
A Forest Of Choice.
A Forest Of Choice.
The broadest selection of the biggest trees and plants in the Hudson Valley.
broadest selection of
The broadest selection of the biggest trees and plants in the Hudson Valley.
The broadest selection of the biggest trees and plants in the Hudson Valley.
trees and plants in the Hudson Valley.
The broadest selection of the biggest trees and plants in the Hudson Valley.
Choice.
Valley.
The broadest selection of the biggest trees and plants in the Hudson Valley.
The broadest selection of the biggest trees and plants in the Hudson Valley.
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday,
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
NURSERY • CUSTOM LANDSCAPE
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
FULL-SERVICE
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
9W & Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
FULL-SERVICE NURSERY • CUSTOM LANDSCAPE DESIGN & INSTALLATION • STONE YARD & HARDSCAPING WATER FEATURES • IRRIGATION • LIGHTING • RETAIL SHOP & MORE
& Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com
FULL-SERVICE NURSERY •
FULL-SERVICE NURSERY • CUSTOM LANDSCAPE DESIGN & INSTALLATION • STONE YARD & HARDSCAPING WATER FEATURES • IRRIGATION • LIGHTING • RETAIL SHOP & MORE
NURSERY • CUSTOM LANDSCAPE
Services of the Hudson Valley to make one-time payments to landlords for rental arrears. “People are often facing eviction after falling into a hole because of a one-time issue—maybe a medical issue; in many cases, it was something that happened during the pandemic, and they’ve never been able to dig out,” Uchitelle says. “So with this program, we’re able to take a unique approach to keeping people in their homes and avoiding evictions.”
Ulster County Legislative Chair Peter Criswell, who represents Kingston, established a new housing subcommittee this year. “The conversation on housing is so broad that we thought it was important to create a dedicated space to address the wide range of housing issues,” he says. The subcommittee falls under the Legislature’s Health Committee because Criswell believes housing impacts areas like mental health, and the Legislature’s priority is to support constituents holistically.
Both legislators note that Kingston is a hub for transportation and services, and Criswell credits former Kingston Legislator Phil Erner with making the UCAT county bus service free. “I think that was a really important lesson for us to learn, and we’ve seen the ridership increase exponentially,” Criswell says. “We need to keep engaging with the community to understand what they truly need. There’s an assumption that everyone has a car, but that’s simply not the case.”
Sadly, Kingston is not always as cosmopolitan as people dream. Shops open on side streets hoping to attract walk-in traffic with sandwich boards on Broadway, but it’s not a truly walkable city. For all the sidewalk upgrades and bike lanes, car culture in Kingston is dominant and buses run too infrequently to be a reliable alternative. Kingston is a collection of neighborhoods and hamlets looking for connection.
As school reopened last month, the renovated Dietz Stadium reopened too, where generations have played sports and graduated. The Andretta Pool there and Kingston Point Beach were awarded $3.5 million through Governor Kathy Hochul’s NY SWIMS grant for improvements and climate adaptations to save the beach from rising sea levels. On any given day, people are swimming, playing volleyball, jet skiing, polar plunging, and staring wistfully at the no-longerso-polluted Hudson River.
People used to call Kingston a ghost town, but even with fewer shuttered shops and for-rent signs, the vibe is still haunted. Tread lightly.
Top: Making a Charlie Sour at Sorry, Charlie, a bar/ pizzeria that opened in June on Delaware Avenue in the city's emerging North Ponckhockie neighborhood.
Bottom: Inspecting finished candles at Keap Candles' manufacturing facility in the O&W Building on Hurley Avenue. Keap uses recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable materials in its products and packaging.
Discover Livingston Street
Socially Responsible Care and Education for the Young Child www.LivingstonStreet.org | 845-340-9900
20 Livingston Street, Kingston, NY 12401
Offering full-year programming for children ages 2 years/9 months through 5 years old in Kingston. With a focus on emotional/social development, communication skills, and community, Livingston Street creates an enchanted and engaging learning environment that is appropriately challenging and fun for children. Activities at Livingston Street include outdoor play, the arts, early literacy games, dramatic play, reading, sensory play, making friends, and much more!
and fortifies
Kingston
Pop-Up
Portraits
by David McIntyre
We returned to the Kingston Farmers' Market for our second annual photo shoot behind the Ulster County Courthouse on September 7. Thanks to Lorraine Salisbury for organizing a spot for us and kudos to the Kingstonians who showed up to rep their fair city.
Agustin Power
Top row: Alanna Medlock, owner of Curious; Charles Mathews, chef/coowner Chleo; Dakota Lane, writer and artist; Aleah Dacey, instructional designer and Clementine Bottomley; Bruce Henning, educator.
Middle row: Calief Housen, Founder/Career InTouch Inc. with Amanda Schmidt, massage therapist; Carmel Gold, Behavioral HealthCare of New York; Daniel Mazza and Brian Ricci; Brandon Kurta, Wright’s Farm.
Bottom row: Amanda Marlowe, children’s teaching artist; Jeanne Halal, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts; David Hilliard, software engineer and locomotive engineer; Emily Perman, wine marketing; David Basch, consultant.
Top row: S. Leigh Thompson-Shealy, coowner of the Asterisk with Jolly ThompsonShealy; Amanda Joaquin, marketing, with Jax and Ozzy; Daniel and Cat Mazza with Archie; David Dallis, CPA, with Willow.
Middle row: Julie Hedrick, artist, Peter Wetzler, composer and musician with Fiona, Evie, and Caitlin; Alex Corigliano-Maceli and Caitlyn Corigliano-Maceli, teachers, with Samson; Jennie Dundas, The Domes Dispensary, with Davi Tivnan, Jasper Barlow, and Diego Maradona.
Bottom row: Maggie Inge, Kingston Midtown Arts District, with R&F Paints founder Richard Frumess and Nick Carroll; Lindsay Farrell, product designer and architect, with Ian Nicholson, Holland and Malcolm; David Boyle, sales, with Katherine and Dougal; Noelle McEntee, founder of local tech startup Legado, with Dominic and Iola Volante.
Top row: Sherri Cohen, artist; Joe Gonzalez, cofounder of Art Walk Kingston; Linda Law, executive director of the HoloCenter, holographic artist; Sara Pasti, cultural worker and Kingston Ward 1 Alderwoman; Matthew Pleva, artist and illustrator.
Middle row: Lyndsay von Miller, acupuncturist, Ian von Miller, von Miller Design, with Hazel and Ian von Miller; Jeanne Rakowski, Corcoran Country Living; Sandy Nunez and Juliana Machado, teachers at Ascension JiuJitsu & Yoga; Pedro Marques and Christopher Ramos, Ascension Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Bottom Row: Karen Leider, probation officer; Samrat Pathania, New Yorkers for Clean Power with Noor Safi; Konstantine Barsky, Ulster County SPCA, with Mikhail Berman; Louis Torchio, woodworker.
Top row: John Earle, motion designer, Shana Luther, interior designer, with Charlie and Portia Earle; Leah Watkins, Folk Refillery & Supply; Marvin Warren, Earth Healing Arts; Felicity Taylor, real estate professional at Corcoran Country Living with Zoe.
Middle row: Kevin Mattice, freelance video editor/KevEdits; Sarah LaMoy, acupuncturist; Ivan Lajara, editor Daily Freeman.
Bottom row: Kyle McDonough, sound engineer/ seamstress; Stefano Diaz, butcher/owner of The Meat Wagon.
Maya Angelou was once quoted as saying, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” That adage certainly holds true to the exploratory spirit found at the Cornell Creative Arts Center (CCAC) in Kingston, whose arts programs and workshops offer a welcoming space for community members to try a dance or movement class on for size or spend hours honing their painting practice.
“This year we have so many classes for all ages, and new instructors offering a variety of workshops in everything from watercolor and acrylics to ceramics, music, dance, and more,” says Jo Ann Campise, CCAC’s director.
The CCAC, a striking black-and-brick building on the corner of Cornell Street and Bruyn Avenue, was renovated and decked out with state-of-the-art facilities in 2020. It houses a ceramics and sculpture studio with a gas kiln, an electric kiln, and eight pottery wheels, including one that’s wheelchair-accessible. There’s also a dance and movement studio; a painting and mixed-media studio; rehearsal halls for music; a digital arts/ media studio that’s perfect for learning Photoshop or graphic design instruction; and an airy gallery and exhibition space.
In addition to a full schedule of regular classes and workshops, including a paint-your-own pottery class starting in the fall, the CCAC hosts a variety of fun events designed to spark creativity. For its first “Makers Matinee” on October 19 from 4 to 6pm, attendees will enjoy a screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas while making their own movie-themed apothecary jars. Register for the event in advance on the CCAC website. Families can also look forward to the upcoming “Craftmas” event on December 7, which Campise describes as “a kids holiday crafting extravaganza.”
With such a diversity of creative spaces inside the building, the CCAC has also become a favorite spot for everything from birthday parties to group outings for field trips, team-building events, family reunions, corporate retreats, and more. Located just a few blocks from Broadway, there is easy off-street parking and everything at the CCAC is on street level and accessibility-minded.
“We also rent out our gallery space for exhibits in collaboration with community members and organizations,” Campise adds. Past exhibits have included a student show in collaboration with the Kingston City School District; “I’ve Known Rivers,” an exhibition of historic African art; “Air, Land, and Sea Summer Showcase” in partnership with youth organization The Coop Concept; and “Pride 2023.”
The gallery is open to the public Monday through Saturday, which also offers community members an opportunity to take a peek at what’s going on with classes and workshops that day. “Whether it’s your first time here, or you’ve been here before, stop by for a fresh look at the space,” Campise says.
To stay up-to-date on the current calendar or learn more about renting space for events, visit Ccacny.org, follow the center on Facebook and Instagram, or call (845) 768-5080. Sign up for CCAC’s weekly newsletter on the website to be the first to know about new workshop offerings and upcoming events. Artists interested in teaching a class or showing at the gallery can contact the CCAC for more information.
KINGSTON’S CREATIVITY HUB
CORNELL CREATIVE ARTS CENTER HAS CLASSES FOR ALL INTERESTS
Located in Midtown Kingston, the CCAC offers classes in art-making, music, dance and movement, and more; hosts shows at its art gallery; and can be rented for events.
Produced by the Chronogram Media Branded Content Studio.
Street Ea ts, Elevated Haema Pops Up
By Jamie Larson
Chef Hannah Wong says street food is a window into the vitality and regional specificity of East Asian cuisine. Some of the most interesting food in the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires is coming out of the pop-up scene. Now, Wong’s new concept, Haema, is bringing the flavors of the dishes she’s loved while traveling the world to can’t-miss dinners and events across the region.
Wong and partner/co-operator Sarah Jane (SJ) McLaughlin have been working nonstop this summer to establish Haema as a presence in the area and folks are taking note, coming back for dishes that the pair are modeling after classic street food but adapting with a seafood-forward approach and the implementation of the best local produce.
“Street food is just what I gravitate toward,” Wong says. “The flavors are unapologetic and the experience is focused and personal. I love restaurants but I feel like sometimes the modern dining experience is a little out of touch. The vibrancy is on the streets.”
Being a pop-up allows Haema to change the menu regularly and improvise, but the hits include items like a popular lemongrass shrimp burger served on a Hawaiian sweet roll bun, with ginger-pineapple jam, sambal mayo, and a red cabbage slaw. Haema concocts many of its seafood dishes based on what’s in season, using all manner of fish, as well as scallops, squid, and octopus.
Haema also serves a variety of noodle dishes and Wong
is bringing her passion for the complex art of hand-pulled noodles to the table. She’s even taught classes on that subject, among others, at HGS Home Chef. Education and cooking classes are just one more aspect to Haema’s programming, which Wong hopes to expand with time.
While there is a playful surf and turf bent to the Haema menu, the team has worked hard to build a range of vegetarian options, which Wong said is made much easier by the quality of farm-fresh fruits and veggies available here. She’s even created her own version of a vegan “fish sauce.” The umami character of the ingredient is pivotal to many East Asian dishes, so a ringer was a priority.
“There isn’t a lot of variety of Asian food in the region,” says Wong. “The pop-ups are tiding us over until we can find a brick and mortar. But we’ve really come to see the value in it and want to continue them. It really gives us room to be creative.”
Wong was born in South Korea and adopted by Chinese and Hong Kong-born parents in New Jersey. While her upbringing informs her cooking (her father was a chef), she originally went to school for English and biology at Williams College. Fittingly, the name Haema has biological and etymological roots. Hippocampus haema is the scientific moniker for a species of wild Korean seahorse (a representation of which is the pop-up’s logo). Haema is also a close homonym for the Icelandic word heima, which means “at home.”
Top left: Chef Hannah Wong
Top right: Mushroom and Taleggio toast with chili oil and scallions made with Tivoli mushrooms and Rock Hill Bakehouse sesame bread.
After graduation, Wong taught English in Hong Kong and traveled across Southeast Asia and parts of China. The trip inspired her to change direction and commit herself to the kitchen.
While Haema may be new on the local scene, it’s been driving Wong’s personal ambition for years. After a decade of gaining skills and accolades in the New York City kitchens of Gramercy Tavern and DB Bistro Moderne, she teamed with restaurateur Yen Ngo to launch the Michelin Guiderecommended Van Da. When the pandemic closed the restaurant, Wong turned her focus to helping feed her community, working with One to One Foods and Food Issues Group. All the while, she was actively working to launch Haema as a full-scale restaurant in the city.
When it became clear the pandemic was unrelenting, she had to abandon her effort and moved to Kinderhook to help Ngo open her new restaurant, The Aviary. She built the menu and served as executive chef for the Vietnamese/Dutch fusion restaurant and its daytime cafe concept Morning Bird. It was here Wong met McLaughlin, an industry pro in her own right from the Capital Region who ran the New World Bistro Bar in Albany for 10 years. After opening The Aviary in the restored old Knitting Mill complex, the locale became a central hub for the small town and Wong’s recipes drew praise and press. Her efforts getting the complex project off the ground with Ngo was always meant to be temporary and Haema remained her passion.
Somewhat to her own surprise, Wong admits, the vibrant culinary scene and quality of ingredients has inspired her not to return to the New York City to open Haema. As they build an identity and a following, Wong and McLaughlin are looking for the best location for Haema to finally build a permanent home. “[The decision to stay] mostly came down to the community I’ve built here,” says Wong. “And the access to really highquality ingredients felt inspirational to me.”
In an effort to achieve their goals sooner than later, Wong and McLaughlin have been working an extremely busy schedule. October is shaping up, with pop-up dinners planned at Old Chatham Country store on October 20 and 21. Visit Haema’s website for updates on details, times and availability. Haemahospitality.com
27 Housatonic St. Lenox, MA Open 5pm to 1 am Kitchen Till Midnight Closed Sundays
Salad made with MX Morningstar Farm heirloom tomatoes, Staron Farm musk melons, pickled red onion, shiso, Thai basil and miso-ginger vinaigrette.
Great Barrington, MA
Sponsored by
pink martini featuring china forbes 30th anniversary tour
ailey ii
suzanne vega old songs, new songs and other songs sat oct 5 at 8pm
Sponsored by
Co-presented with
Sponsored by
Daryl Hall
D (Virgin Music Group)
The world has changed much for the worse in the 13 years since the release of Laughing Down Crying, Daryl Hall’s last solo album. But as his new record D attests, the passage of time hasn’t diminished Hall’s marvelously supple pipes in the slightest, nor has it negatively impacted his innate knack for crafting soulful pop songs. Recorded at a leisurely pace at the sometime Hudson Valley resident’s home in the Bahamas, D’s nine songs were coproduced (and largely cowritten) by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, who had previously produced Hall’s 1986 solo album, Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine. Unsurprisingly, D bears a solid resemblance in sound and spirit to Three Hearts, with the cameo from former Hall & Oates saxophonist Charlie DeChant on “Why You Want to Do That (To My Head)” lending an unmistakable mid-’80s pop sheen to the proceedings. But for the most part, D is less a retrenchment than a reminder of why Hall remains such a popular and respected musical figure some 50 years since Hall & Oates scored their first hit with “She’s Gone.” Songs like “Too Much Information,” “Rather Be a Fool,” and “Walking in Between Raindrops” (the latter of which shares more than a splash of DNA with the Dramatics’ classic “In the Rain”) are impeccable slices of blue-eyed soul, studded with personal-yet-relatable lyrics and sung with skill and conviction. D may run a tad short at just 36 minutes, but it’s all killer and no filler—so don’t be surprised if you wind up spinning it several times in a row.
—Dan Epstein
Gabbarein Gabbarein
(Our Silent Canvas Records)
Churning industrial grooves give way to ethereal vocals on Gabbarein’s self-titled debut album. The Woodstock duo is made up of Norwegian vocalist Cecilie Hafstad and American composer Christopher Bono. Together they create slow-moving soundscapes, often foreboding, often dulcet, at times even cute. The album was recorded on a fjord within the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway (brrr!). But upon listening, it’s really no surprise, as the album is airy in its vocals, glacial in its pace, and icy at its heart. The second track, “Kyss Meg,” shows the duo’s sweeter side, where achingly beautiful vocals are given a minimalist but weighty accordion accompaniment. The album is a celebration of Hafstad’s voice, a soaring animalistic spirit, elevated to a toyful power through peculiar instrumental backing: kalimba, gong, electronics, flute, and more, and wafted to haunting heights on tracks like “Alt En Kan Tenke Seg ” The title track is more highly produced, adding a primal groove to the album. The following track, “Lyngen,” places us in Norway’s northern chill, with the sound of gently swelling waves introducing textured vocals that carry forth the mysticism of the sea. Closing track “Mamma” keeps the album balladeering and folkish. You don’t need to be fluent in Norwegian to cold-plunge into the mystical and nature-inspired wisdom being channeled by the duo.
—Tristan Geary
Johnny Irion
Sleeping Soldiers of Love (Blackwing Music)
Honey-voiced western Massachusetts folk rocker Johnny Irion furthers his Cosmic American Music cred with his latest long player, Sleeping Soldiers of Love. Like past releases, the self-produced Soldiers, mixed by Wilco’s Pat Sansone, is an endlessly pleasant affair, an album that wafts by with perhaps more charm than ambition, without feeling any slighter for that. Obvious touchstones—for Irion and cowriter and Jeff Bridges collaborator John Goodwin—are Gram Parsons and Neil Young’s mystically ecological efforts. Less obvious, but no less potent, are echoes of Appaloosa’s baroque freak folk. Guests include Bridges, Sansone, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, the Mother Hips, and Chatham Rabbits. At its heaviest, on “Back Hoe Daddy,” Soldiers—with a title track coauthored by Irion’s former father-in-law Arlo Guthrie—recalls side two of Young’s proto-grunge masterpiece Rust Never Sleeps. “Nice” rarely works in rock ’n’ roll, but it does here, and the concept serves as Irion’s calling card.
—Michael Eck
SOUND CHECK | Karen Schoemer
Each month we ask a member of the community to tell us what music they’ve been digging.
When Sky Furrows got together in 2016, I was focused on literature and barely went to shows. But over the past few years we’ve played with so many great bands, I find myself getting more of my art fix from music. We did a few shows with Oneida in early 2024 and I was walloped by their relentless braininess and power. They’ll play the same chord progression at warp speed for eight minutes straight, a crisis din of monotony; when they shift it up it feels like a dam breaking. Their 17th (!) album, Expensive Air, harnesses their warped mania brilliantly.
Flutist and saxophonist Wednesday Knudsen works the opposite extreme—she plays quiet, often beatless music that realigns the time centers in your brain, forcing you to slow to her fragile pacelessness. Yet her music is urgent too—
ambient is the wrong word—she provides balms for the unsettledness we all feel all the time. She has a new collaboration with Kryssi Battalene, guitarist for Mountain Movers (another great band!), called Ogden Garden, which describes itself as “feathery nutmeg dub” and brings me into a medieval church ruin overgrown with weeds and flowers. I relish any chance to witness the high concept/lowbrow grandeur of Animal Piss, It’s Everywhere, featuring Clark Griffin (Wednesday’s husband and partner in the late Pigeons) and Shannon Ketch from Sunburned Hand of the Man. This is boozy country schmaltz pushed to the brink of derangement. Their new album, Grace, includes lope-y mindbenders like “Beach Song” and “Fried Baloney.”
Karen Schoemer is a poet and writer and the vocalist of experimental rock band Sky Furrows. She lives in Philmont.
Photo by Michael Rogers
The Usual Silence
Jenny Milchman
THOMAS AND MERCER, 2024, $16.99
Fans of the Hudson Valley’s own reigning woman of mystery Milchman will be delighted to know that The Usual Silence is the debut novel in a planned series of adventures featuring child psychologist Arles Shepherd, a heroine wrestling with her own demons while working to heal vulnerable kids. Anyone who’s ever been part of a family of any type knows that mystery is the unspoken middle name; Milchman, a Mary Higgins Clark-award winning and bestselling author of five novels, crafts edge-of-your-seat suspense laced with bold compassion.
A Slow Rise: Favorite Recipes From Four Decades of Baking With Heart
Dan Leader with Lauren Chattman
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, 2024, $40
Bread Alone founder and CIA graduate Dan Leader has been practicing “soft-skill” baking for four decades, his Woodstock-born business rising like a fine artisanal loaf. With his fellow James Beard-award winner and baker Chattman, he’s put together a history of that adventure well-blended with over 60 recipes for Bread Alone’s iconic favorites, from simple to elaborate. All of it is infused with Leader’s focus on baking as an art with heart that requires all five senses plus a bit of practical magic.
Dispelling the Shadow: Activities Exploring Life and Death with Young People
Mala Hoffman and Lucy Moran
PRUFROCK PRESS, 2024, $22.99
Comprehending death takes a lifetime, and we do young people a great disservice if we treat something so natural and inevitable as unspeakable—but it can be a challenging conversation even for adults. Hoffman, a Gardiner writer and poet, and local holistic sex educator and loss companion Moran draw from science, folklore, belief systems, and creative expression to craft this helpful, comprehensive curriculum of activities, discussion prompts, and resources that lays out age-appropriate approaches to universal truths of human existence.
Pat Metheny: Stories beyond Words
Bob Gluck
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, 2024, $22
Gluck, a Westchester resident and professor emeritus at SUNY Albany, has an intimate relationship with music—he’s a pianist and composer of jazz and electroacoustic, with 12 albums in his discography. This is his third portrait of a jazz great; he’s previously published works on Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, and the work blends interviews and interpretations of Metheny’s music into quite the smooth jam. Catch his talk and performance with his trio Transcendence at the Kleinert/James Center in Woodstock on October 26 at 4pm.
When Rape Goes Viral: Youth and Sexual Assault in the Digital Age
Anna Gjika
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS, 2024, $29.95
It’s not as if young people had gender relations, dating, and power balances completely figured out before the internet came along and wrecked everything. It’s undeniable, though, that the age of instantaneous self-publication and image reproduction that can be shared with a vast audience has added still more confusion and complexity to the mix. So how are the kids holding up? Cjika, an assistant professor of sociology at SUNY New Paltz, uses interviews and analysis of high-profile cases to help us get closer to understanding.
—Anne Pyburn Craig
Our Narrow Hiding Places
Kristopher Jansma
ECCO, AUGUST 2024, $30
Did you know eels could write? They certainly do in Our Narrow Hiding Places by Kristopher Jansma, which offers a close-up view of the horrors of World War II. The novel follows Mieke Geborn, a Dutch octogenarian living on the Jersey Shore. Her days are spent in mostly pleasant ways that reveal little of the horror of living through the Hunger Winter (1944-45) in the Netherlands. Jansma packs into flashbacks granular details of the brutality of the Nazi occupation and systematic decimation of the population through torture and lack of food. But there are also tender reminiscences of being on the cusp of adulthood and part of a close, makeshift family in a village simply struggling to stay alive.
The eel, in a prominent and unlikely role, writes as a collective “we,” contributing an introduction and regular asides with historical anecdotes. Not only are these sections like fly-on-the-wall reports, they depict nature enduring as humans flourish, dominate, kill one another, and die. Resembling snakes but actually fish, eels have been thought throughout history to possess magical powers, in part due to their ability to live in the sea but traverse land. Mieke, a wild child, employs a variety of survival tactics. She learns to catch, kill, and flay eels. Old tires and wire are fashioned into makeshift shoes, valuable tulip bulbs are ground into a bitter flour, a rare scavenged beet (which she dislikes) provides sustenance for days. In order to avoid conscription into labor, the town’s men hide, wedging themselves into attic floorboards (hence the book’s title), similar to eels burying themselves in the mud in order to avoid capture. The townsfolk eventually fray into paranoid sects of resistors, collaborators, and Jews—all terrified and exhausted by the Nazi occupation.
The modern-day Mieke walks to her neighbor’s to retrieve a book, falls, and can’t move for hours before being discovered. Shortly after, her New Yorkbased doctor grandson Will, going through marriage and job troubles, decides to visit his grandmother with his wife Teru. Later, in haste, Will slips and falls into a snowbank during a bombogenesis, mirroring his grandmother’s accident; both lay immobile for spells, drifting in and out of a nether state. Will recovers, and learns about the status of his long-missing father, which raises questions about his genetic predispositions and the potential to pass along certain traits to his future children.
Jansma writes fluidly and with frankness when dealing with gruesome subjects. He paces sections covering an inherently horrific topic by switching between wartime and modern day, with a periodic eel’s perspective mixed in. There is no single or collective hero, as in other wartime novels like Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See or Kristin Hannah’s The Women, although compassion arises from unsuspecting characters. The war ends as Mieke and her ad hoc family are a week away from starving to death. It reminds us that even as contemporary events seem apocalyptic, World War II produced unspeakable crimes against humanity.
While reading the book, I also happened to read a New Yorker article by Paige Williams on glass eels (elvers), which hatch in the Sargasso Sea and migrate to the coasts of North America, including the Hudson River, and Europe. Little is known about their lives, but market demand in Asia for elvers as a delicacy has led to the highest per-pound fish in the US. As they have for eons, these slippery, primeval creatures exert influence and captivate us despite their opaque life cycle, even in times of turmoil.
—Susan Yung
Nutmeg
I’m watching the Premier League when she comes home, hurrying, with a jar of whole nutmeg.
This seems a good time to share that nutmeg is a soccer term for a humbling trick, and that some say Connecticut, where she is from, is nicknamed the nutmeg state for wood mixed with the pits.
She takes a breath, then tells me she left the store wondering, Is this the last whole nutmeg we’ll ever need? I understand. It’s October, and we’re awash in painted bones and memories.
I try to say we’ll nutmeg time and win another life as fortunate as this.
She just turns the glass and reads, Whole nutmeg, properly cared for, lasts indefinitely.
—William Keller
The Dogwood on the Left
I don’t have to venture further than the front door. Coming or going. Can’t tell which sometimes. There they are standing upright— two dogwoods, sentinels, one on either side. But it’s the one on the left as I’m leaving that I’m thinking about today. Torrential rains yesterday, sheets of water plunging from eaves, their troughs overflowing, waterfall making its way under the door and onto the floor. No matter to that four-petaled white flower still hanging on through baking sun and now the downpour, the solitary blossom on both trees. For more than ten days the lone flower. No matter the news, I, too, have to hang on.
—Jim Tilley
Bird Is the Word II listen to us
we like it when light fades and even more when it dawns!
—Peter Coco
The Fourth
I had me a sweet watermelon back in ’58. Yessir! I didn’t even spit out the seeds they was so sweet. And I slurped me some fancy ice cream out of one of those cardboard containers. It came with its very own wooden spoon! This is while my folks just about drowned themselves in bourbon playin’ gin rummy in the bar of the Cheyenne Country Club.
My lips wet and red from watermelon, belly bloated by ice cream, I leaned my eight-year-old body against one of them wicker lawn chairs and watched the other kids blow the dickens out of each other—sparklers blinding an eye, a thumb-tip blastoff from an M-80, an ambulance for the four-year-old with a tiny rocket stuck in his leg. Yahoo! The fourth of July in Ole’ Cheyenne where the buffalo were in cages at Frontier Park and discouragement was all that bloomed on the prairie.
—Charlie Brice
Windstrewn
I have a thing for the wind. Against my back it pushes me. Whips around my bones and reminds me, who is really the boss. Sometimes it quietly whispers. Through the trees it speaks to me. Reminding me of who I am, and where I come from. When it’s quiet, it still says something. Enjoy the stillness, find your peace. Invoking me to reflect on what, and who is yet to come. I have a thing for the wind, and I do believe it has a thing for me too.
—Norina Vigeant
Hothouse
this much is certain: there is something to be said about the aftertaste, about exhaustion following hours of hothouse sex, flesh sprinkled with the sweets of love, lips already alive for the next time: a Hollywood moment, a happy ending. hallelujah.
—Cary B. Ziter
The Sprig and The Stone
I came across a sprig and stone today, side by side, placed in the gutter by someone who must have hurried on.
I picked them up, held them in my hands, studied them in disbelief. Sprig spoke first and said: Keep me, take me home. Water and root me.
I will grow to be your friend.
Stone spoke next and said: Sprig will only grow to wither and fade away one day. Take me home. Use me as paperweight or whatever you desire. I will stay the same.
I stood on the path myself, wondering which I should listen to, one, both, or none at all.
—Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Brands
Rolling Rock, Natural Ice, Keystone, and it’s not the beer aisle at the store. A two-mile round-trip dog walk along the rural road and one could pack a large trash bag with cans and bottles tossed from cars. Budweiser, Busch, Coors Light. Think about it. Most beer drinkers stick to their brands, so if there are thirty different brands both sides along the one-mile stretch of road, that’s thirty different people, many at the wheel, who think it’s okay to drink
and drive and litter too. Oh, they know drinking while driving’s illegal. That’s partly why they toss their cans. Don’t want to get stopped with empties in the pickup or car. Maybe one day one will get caught and sentenced to gather cans and bottles along this stretch of road. Narragansett, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Stroh’s. Lying in brush and bushes, ditches and shallow streams, mostly tough to get to, unlike at the store. Schaefer, Old Milwaukee, Genesee Cream Ale, Miller, Milwaukee’s Best.
—Matthew J. Spireng
Resolutions
I took an oath.
I will not covet the life of Methuselah and watch inventions become obsolete. I will not rewrite the Book of Genesis, nor will I skydive in some desperate attempt to fill a bucket.
I took an oath.
I will not allow the rants of newsroom addicts to mute the laughter that keeps me young, nor will I cross an expanse of ocean simply to touch a tomb, learn a new culture or buy trinkets from children.
I took an oath.
I will follow stone walls under the super moon of winter while the female moths emerge from their pupae, and I will read adventure stories in a wicker chair until my lids become heavy or a dinner bell rings in my head.
I took an oath.
I will keep my hedonism simple so as to refute its dissolute reputation; the debauchery will be limited to that dream that fades too quickly, and I will keep the bucket empty as all that I have is all that I need.
—William A. Greenfield
Prayer to Today
Today,
Help me wring out joy from my day
A wet washcloth
Dank from blood, ink, dirt
Squeeze out an American goldfinch And a nuthatch
A moment’s rest on the couch
A short string of words from my daughter
Or son—without expletives
A text about tofu
A friend’s new haircut
An evening walk with a lacrosse stick and a boy And the cool twilight breeze that comes after a storm
—Ilyse Simon
Full submission guidelines: Chronogram.com/submissions
Write Happy Poems
upon posting a poem online an ex lover texts me and says, “you changed that poem?” yes, i added a verse changed the ending felt better to me
“i like the first one better, i got a knot in my stomach with that one new line…”
she pauses, questions herself, “huh, maybe that makes it a better poem.”
i always enjoy her feedback, more than she knows she hates my depression and hates to love the words it spews out of me
i sip my coffee enjoy the warm sunshine on my face in the cool autumn air and i think, life’s not so bad sometimes so don’t worry about me happy friends, my melancholy poems help me feel better
and for those of you reading them wholeheartedly, and especially feeling them wholeheartedly, i am truly grateful.
—L. V. Bach
Civil Proceedings
wasted morning wait downtown reshuffling our love documents sir your fingerprints her photo we choked on dotted lines and left really were we better off apart what difference does a stamped and sealed two hearts upon a paper make you walked too fast i didn’t talk we lost our love in traffic spent the afternoon huffing in our separate hearts to hell with this we cursed we cried our fears we died but back in line at four oh holy state of red tape shredding to i do we are the kiss confetti
—Toby Campion
Carpool Commuters
The gas station coffee’s too hot to chug at 5:58 AM en route to work so we fill our first few highway miles with recent recollections of the minuscule victories and minor defeats that shape our daily lives
laughing ourselves to tears at these predicaments—
acknowledging how we’re turning slowly into our fathers just enough to be grateful while achieving the one unspoken wish that these better men maintained for their sons:
Not losing ourselves along the way like the embers of our cigarettes flittering off behind us between white and yellow lines.
—Mike Vahsen
Loss
The headstones in the old graveyard on Verplanck Avenue in Beacon are crumbling, inscriptions effaced—
Here are some dates, 1808-1888, there a family name, La Farge
We can only tell by the small size of the markers where a child is buried
and many stones just say MOTHER
—Joanne Grumet
you may discover walking in autumn evenings where the wild things are
—Jennifer Howse
The Most Oft-Repeated Sentence of All Time
And I was like, “Oh my God!”
—George J. Searles
2024 Fall Arts Preview
Like a crisp leaf and a favorite sweater, fall has descended on us once again here in the Hudson Valley. And once more the season is offering a varied and truly formidable selection of arts-related activities with which to pack the datebook. This year, long-running and reliable attractions (Ailey II at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, FilmColumbia, Todd Rundgren at the Bearsville Theater,) nestle in next to family favorites (New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, Beacon Bonfire, “Stomp” at UPAC) and rub elbows with welcome upstarts (Noirvember at the Jacob Burns Film Center, mind reader Vinny DePonto at Bethel Woods, Half Waif at PS21).
This laboriously curated section rounds up a sizeable selection of the worthy autumnal happenings that jumped out at us and managed to fit in the pages that we dedicate to each October to our much-awaited Fall Arts Preview. The odds are strong that, like every year at this time, there’s a hearty handful of them with your name on them. But don’t stop here: There are even more to be found on our website, where users one and all can sign up to add notices about their own goings-on to our events calendar, 24/7. See you out there, beneath that famous foliage we never get tired of looking at.
—Peter Aaron
Bang Group
October 4-5
Lead by choreographer David Parker, the five-member contemporary dance company Bang Group lives up to their name. Specializing in percussive rhythms within modern, classical, and social dance styles, the troupe brings humor, beauty, brawn, and smarts to it performance at the Stissing Center for the Arts in Pine Plains.
Eddie Izzard
October 5
A modern-day icon, comedian, actor, activist, author, and marathon runner (look it up), Eddie Izzard is a wizard of hysterical, thought-provoking, stream-of-consciousness performance. Local link: Izzard is of French Huguenot descent, which connects her to early Hudson Valley settlers. A rare local show at the Ulster County Performing Arts Center in Kingston.
Field + Supply Fall MRKT
October 11-13
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of its launch, Field + Supply Fall MRKT returns to the historic Hutton Brickyards site alongside the Hudson River in Kingston. The covered outdoor market features a curated selection of hundreds of vendors offering new and vintage goods, artisanal food, and crafts.
“Bat Boy: The Musical”
October 11-27
“Bat Boy” is a play about a half-bat/half-boy creature that is discovered in West Virginia. The Rhinebeck Theater Society presents this spooky show in the perfect setting of the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck’s intimate barn house theater. “Bat Boy” first premiered in 1997 on Halloween night. This rendition is directed by Lisa Delia and includes Musical Direction by Karen Dalmer-Sheehy, and choreography by Brooke Wallace.
Hudson Valley Dance Festival
October 13
A varied group of companies, choreographers, and performing artists will assemble for this event, which celebrates the art form and its community while raising funds to help those dealing with AIDS at Catskill Point in Catskill. Performances will be at the site’s historic warehouse; participants will be announced on the Dancers Responding to AIDS website.
“If It Bleeds It Leads”
October 13 and 27
Starring and written by Sean Allison and directed by Shae D’Lyn (“Dharma and Greg,” “Boardwalk Empire,” Vegas Vacation), this gritty, acclaimed one-man show draws on Allison’s real-life experiences as a TV news cameraman and journalist in 1990s New York City chasing ambulances and news stories. At Park Theater in Hudson.
FilmColumbia
October 18-27
Now showing since 1999, the nationally known FilmColumbia is one of Columbia County’s premier cultural events, held at the Crandell Theater in Chatham. The 10-day series presents major-studio, independent, and international films, documentaries, animated features, and children’s films plus talks, workshops, and more. Screening this year: The Room Next Door starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore
New York State Sheep and Wool
Festival
October 19-20
This beloved annual gathering of fiber-arts enthusiasts at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck hosts more than 300 vendors and draws nearly 30,000 visitors. Centered on knitting, crocheting, hand spinning, and related tools, it has livestock competitions, sheepdog trials, a sheep-to-shawl contest, and more.
ArtEast Open Studio Tour
October 19-27
Created in 2006 to celebrate the abundant culture and beautiful scenery of the Hudson and Harlem valleys, this happening, held over two weekends every October, allows art lovers to visit the studios and see the work of dozens of Dutchess County artists.
Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton star in The Room Next Door, part of FilmColumbia at the Crandell Theater in Chatham, October 18-27.
Ailey II in Francesca Harper's "Luminous," which they will perform at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, on October 25-26.
Photo by Christoper Duggan
Open Daily | 10am-5pm
Some visit to relive the past and their journey to Woodstock. Others come to experience what it was like for the first time. As you step inside the exhibit you hear the echo of 450,000 chanting “no rain” and see the stories of those who were actually there. Through artifacts, films, music - and even a hippie bus - you will be inspired not only by what was the most prolific three-day festival in history, but by the ideals that still remain relevant today.
BethelWoodsCenter.org
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural organization located at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, is committed to building upon our rich history of peace and music by providing extraordinary experiences and access
Catskills Comedy Festival
October 18-20
Bobcat Goldwait headlines the first annual Catskills Comedy Festival, a weekend of improv, storytelling, panel discussions, art exhibits, and comedy at Avalon Lounge and the Foreland Bookhouse in Catskill. Ophira Eisenberg of NPR’s “Ask Me Another” will also perform, and Sir Richard Castle presents “A Schticky Situation,” an alt-burlesque extravaganza.
Hudson Valley Pottery Tour
October 19-20
The eighth annual Hudson Valley Pottery Tour offers ceramic lovers the opportunity to get a free, up-close look the working studios of potters in Ulster County, where visitors can view and purchase their distinctive, handmade works.
Ailey II
October 25-26
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of iconic choreographer Alvin Ailey’s groundbreaking dance company, Ailey II continues to bring the spirit of its founder to the stage. Current artistic director Francesca Harper keeps the Ailey legacy thriving while mentoring its new crop of creative dancers. At the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Tracy Morgan
October 26
Brooklyn-born, Emmy-winning funnyman Tracy Morgan rose to fame as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (1996-2003) and as Tracy Jordan on “30 Rock” (20062013), going on to star in “The Last OG” and his own, short-lived “The Tracy Morgan Show.” At Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill.
Vinny DePonto: Mind Reader
October 26
Given its title, you probably don’t need to be a psychic to determine what this event at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel is about. Mentalist Vinny DePonto is the creator of the Off-Broadway show “Charlatan.” His act employees a combination of brain-bending tricks, visuals, and masterful storytelling.
Lee Opens October 27
Kate Winslet stars in this biopic about the Lee Miller, a Poughkeepsie native who became a model and later one of the few women accredited as a war correspondent during World War II; her pitiless images of the concentration camps are among her best-known work. Miller’s life and work cast a jagged shadow across the middle third of the 20th century. She was a lover of Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, and others as she saw fit, more like a man than a woman of her time in the exercise of sexual privilege. At the Moviehouse in Millerton.
“The Weir”
Through October 27
Tony-nominated playwright Conor McPherson’s “The Weir” takes place at a salty pub on a blustery night in rural Ireland. There, its five characters share what are, ostensibly, ghost stories—but turn out to be tales that offer deeper glimpses of themselves. At the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Borscht Belt Film Festival
November 1-3
Ellenville’s cultural renaissance continues with the first annual Borscht Belt Film Festival at Shadowland Stages. Top billing goes to Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock (2009), which fixes the 1969 festival in a Borsht Belt context. Lee will be in attendance for post-screening discussion. But don’t miss The Dancing Man: Peg Leg Bates (1993), David Davidson documentary about the legendary one-legged tap dancer who opened a landmark Black Catskills resort.
Noirvember: Film Noir from Yesterday to Today
November 3-17
This intriguing program focuses on the deep history of film noir with classics from the vanguard era (Gilda, Mildred Pierce) and more recent examples (Chinatown, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) at Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Talks by noir experts and costumesencouraged “unhappy hours” add to the fun.
Field + Supply convenes hundreds of high-end makers at Hutton Brickyard in Kingston October 11-13.
Over Decades:
The "Stomp" troupe brings its assortment of noisemakers to UPAC in Kingston on November 17.
Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Roman Polanski's Chinatown, which screens as part of Noirvember at the Jacob Burns Film Center.
June 15 – November 3, 2024
Through video, sculpture, drawing, and interactive media by sixteen contemporary artists, this exhibition explores how language plays a part in establishing social roles and global power politics.
Jim Breuer
November 8
Currently out on his “Survival with Laughter Tour,” Jim Breuer was a “Saturday Night Live” cast member from 1995 to 1998—known for his Goat Boy character—and starred in the 1998 stoner-comedy cult favorite Half Baked. At the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center in Sugar Loaf.
“The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord”
November 14-24
The title’s certainly a mouthful—but it’s also more than a little intriguing, yes? Written by “Real Time with Bill Maher” executive producer Scott Carter, this no doubt-surreal comedy theorizes about what might happen if the three famous figures were locked together in Hell. At Bridge Street Theater in Catskill.
Mark Normand
November 15
Called “the best young up-and-coming comic” by Jerry Seinfeld, Mark Normand has done comedy specials for Comedy Central and Netflix and made numerous appearances on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” At the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie.
“Stomp”
November 17
Initially a street performance in the UK in 1991, the percussion-dance sensation “Stomp” went on to conquer New York and the world while winning Obie, Drama Desk, and Olivier awards. In the performers’ hands trash can lids, paint cans, plumbing fixtures, shopping carts, and other objects become divine instruments. At Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston.
Brian Regan
November 23
Known for his sarcastic, observational, and self-deprecating style, stand-up comedian Brian Regan made his TV debut in 1991 on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and has since appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” and has three Netflix comedy specials to his credit. At The Egg in Albany.
Middle: "Bat Boy: The Musical" flaps into the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck October 11.
Eddie Izzard brings her The Remix Tour to UPAC in Kingston on October 5.
Top: Vinny DePonto reads minds at City Winery in Montgomery on October 26.
Concerts
Half Waif
October 5
Chatham-based singer-songwriter
Nandi Rose, aka Half Waif, has been winning hearts and ears with her fragile fusion of pop, classical, and experimental sounds. She keeps it close to home with this release show at PS21 for See You at the Maypole, her sixth album. Fellow local Elori Saxl opens.
Todd Rundgren
October 22-23
On his Me/We Tour, the Hermit of Mink Hollow himself returns to his familiar Bearsville terrain to pick up a key to the town from Woodstock’s town supervisor for his local cultural contributions— and to play two nights at the Bearsville Theater, adjacent to his former Utopia Sound studio.
Photo by Richard Kerris
Hudson Jazz Festival
October 4-6
The Hudson Jazz Festival is back—and bigger. The event is still centered on its main stage at Hudson Hall, where headliners Ekep Nkwelle, Riley Mulherkar, and Ethan Iverson will play. But this year it’s expanded with live music at Return Brewing, the Half Moon, and Kitty’s Backyard, plus pop-up sets by Bard College jazz students and local musicians.
Las Migas
November 9
Coming to us from Barcelona, the all-women quartet Las Migas plays authentic flamenco to make your soul and your feet move. With rhythmic acoustic guitars, soaring violin, passionate vocals, and torrid dancing, the Latin Grammy-nominated quartet fills halls in Europe. At Stissing Center for Arts and Culture.
O+ Festival
October 11-13
O+ once again takes over Kingston for three days of music, art, and wellness to benefit artists and their health. 2024 performers include Neko Case, Kate Pierson, Hannah Cohen, Rhett Miller, Eric Redd, Beech Creeps, Tall Juan, Milagro Verde Cumbia, and many others. There’s also a Blair Witch Project 25th anniversary screening, readings, and healing arts practitioners.
Dark Star Orchestra
November 17
Dark Star Orchestra is, arguably, the premier live Grateful Dead experience—that is, now that the original one is no longer with us, of course. DSO often programs their shows using actual set lists from Dead concerts, bringing their own collective style to the equation to take the music to other realms. At MJN Center in Poughkeepsie.
Caramoor Center for the Arts Fall Lineup
October 6-December 8
Caramoor’s fall season has classical pianist MarcAndre Hamelin (October 6), Americana with Amythyst Kiah (October 18), period instrument ensemble Le Consort (October 20), cabaret by Julie Benko (October 25), jazz great Abdullah Ibrahim (November 8), folk supergroup Bonny Light Horseman (December 7), Trio Mediaeval with Catalina Vicens (December 8), and more.
Los Lobos
October 11
Touring to herald their 50th(!) anniversary, everyone’s favorite East LA band rolls into Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill. The group’s deep blend of soul, R&B, doo-wop, blues, jazz, rock ’n’ roll, Nortena, rancheras, bolero, cumbias, son huasteco, and son jarocho reflects the richness of America’s diverse culture.
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
November 30
Two towers of contemporary roots music, Welch and Rawlings have been hailed as “protectors of the American folk song” by Rolling Stone. Welch’s career went into overdrive when she appeared on the soundtrack of 2000’s O Brother Where Art Thou?. A songwriter as well, Rawlings has produced albums for Old Crow Medicine Show, Dawes, and others. At Ulster Performing Arts Center.
Puddles Pity Party
November 6
The voice, the greasepaint, the phenomenon. The sad, seven-foot clown with the dazzling repertoire and the deep, deep, deeeeep baritone pays another visit to the valley with this rare small-room show at Daryl’s House. Perhaps Puddles’ll bust out a version of “Maneater” for the occasion.
Formed in Boston in 2000, the Dresden Dolls are a “Brechtian punk cabaret” duo consisting of Amanda Palmer (lead vocals and piano) and Brian Viglione (drums, bass, guitar, and vocals). The group came together when Viglione saw Palmer perform solo at a Halloween party. Eschewing Goth, the Dolls embrace the aesthetic of dark cabaret instead, with Palmer and Viglione donning dramatic make-up and fancy theatrical clothing to enhance their image.
“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by the idea of people making live art in small rooms for their communities,” says Palmer, a Woodstock resident. “Everything about bars and cabarets and little theaters makes me happy. When I learned about the Cabaret scenes in Europe in the 1920s, the depression, the war, the censorship and then artists and hope, I knew I had found my passion.”
The band’s dualistic name suggests horror and innocence by referencing the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, during World War II by Allied forces and the porcelain dolls made in pre-war Dresden. It also evokes destruction and delicacy as well as the cabaret culture of Weimar Germany. Sonically, they alternate between a whisper and a scream.
As to the melding of cabaret and punk, Palmer says, “When I was growing up in Lexington, Massachusetts, my older siblings, the iconic ruffians of the town, were all into punk. It was PIL [Public Image Limited], Fugazi, Sonic Youth, and all that. That was the local brand of iconoclasm and freedom. I grew up with a diet of punk, but I romance around cabaret. They felt the same to me.”
Sharing a somewhat similar approach to spectacle, the Dolls toured with Ukrainian gypsy folk punk band Gogol Bordello, whose frontman Eugene Hütz is a comrade.
“They’re old friends of ours from the early days! But their stomping ground was New York City and ours was Boston. They were Gypsy punk, we were punk cabaret. We both filled halls with sincere weirdness and unapologetic joy in a post-grunge and post9/11 world,” Palmer says.
Their live shows have gained notoriety by inviting audiences to participate as stilt walkers, human statues, fire eaters, and other performance artists. The band’s ardent fans are known as the Dirty Business Brigade, whom Palmer calls “an integral part of our shows.”
About building rapport with her fans, Palmer says, “I connect by bringing my actual self to the stage and letting the audience into my heart. A good show is such a strange alchemical combo of factors. The room. The temperature. Whether the staff have been nice. The sound. The lights. The news of the day. A good band can make anything out of anything usually, and that’s one of the strengths of the Dresden Dolls. We’ve played in every possible condition, so we have every tool possible to deal with the weather.”
Palmer is excited for aP two-night stand at the Bearsville Theater. “Come dressed for the end of the world—or the beginning,” Palmer says. “And if you come, talk to a stranger. One of my favorite things about Dresden Dolls shows is how many neighbors find each other. It’s a great place to find your people, since it’s a very specific umbrella of love, art, and family. Don’t be shy. Ask someone a question, they will answer. And don’t be afraid to dance, sing out loud, and yell. The band likes it when you do that.”
—Mike Cobb
Plush Punk THE DRESDEN DOLLS AT BEARSVILLE THEATER
October 26-27
Bearsvilletheater.org
Brian Viglione and Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls.
Photo by Brandon Soder for Meow Wolf
“The Western is our Greek tragedy,” Jim Glossman observes. He’s speaking of “The Road to Jerusalem,” a play he’s directing set in New Mexico in 1879. The comedy-drama will have its world premiere at Shadowland Stages in Ellenville on October 4. (Shadowland held a staged reading of the play in February, featuring Judd Hirsch and Joe Morton.)
As the title suggests, the town itself is the play’s main character. Though New Mexico didn’t become a state until 1912, the pure freedom of the frontier was beginning to fade by the 1870s. “It’s the point where what we think of as the Wild West was starting to get domesticated,” remarks playwright Nicky Glossman (Jim’s son). The citizens of Jerusalem, New Mexico, are creating the foundations of a stable community. The play’s characters include the town physician, the madame of a brothel, the sheriff, and “Bloody Evers,” an outlaw. All of them must contend with Orin Haggert, the ruthless plutocrat who runs the town. Four actors play 22 roles in an ensemble marathon. One of them, Eilis Cahill, takes on both male and female identities. There are seven scenes with, of course, no more than four people in each scene.
The name of the fictitious town is not accidental. Early European immigrants to this continent believed they were building a New Jerusalem, a holy dwelling place. The word itself means “city of peace”—an etymology that is, in fact, discussed in the play. But the American “experiment” has rarely been peaceful.
The theme of most westerns is the rule of law. If the criminals are stronger than the sheriff, what happens? Hopefully the Lone Ranger rides in to save the day—but what if he doesn’t? Will the “good people” of the town band together, or will they lose courage?
Nicky Glossman was a history major at Brown University, and many of his plays are historical dramas. “The Road to Jerusalem” was informed by his reading, including Ulysses S. Grant’s memoir and Son of the Morning Star by Evan S. Connell. But fiction can speak where a textbook is silent. A character in a play may utter a cry of desperation that history books ignore. This play began as a single scene for a contest on the subject of “The Genesis of Evil.”
Nicky was also influenced by director Anthony Mann’s psychological westerns, including Winchester’ 73 and The Man from Laramie
He has been writing plays since he was 15. Nicky estimates that he has written between 15 and 20 scripts. “Because I grew up around the theater, it came naturally to me,” he recounts. In high school Nicky won a contest resulting in his play being published by Samuel French, the preeminent theatrical publisher. Some of his college professors allowed him to write plays in lieu of papers. Nicky, now 30, is currently a graduate student at Georgetown University, in a department called “Engaged and Public Humanities.” He will receive college credit for this play (though his main emphasis is a drama about Benedict Arnold). “In everything I write, I’ve got to have humor, because it seems unrealistic to me if someone’s not trying to crack a joke,” Nicky reveals.
Jim has been directing at Shadowland for 25 years. His first play was Jeffrey Sweet’s “Bluff,” starring John Astin, famous as Gomez on the original “Addams Family” TV show. Shadowland has premiered important works, including the US debut of John Cleese’s farce, “Bang Bang!” (in 2018) and the first production of “Safe Home” by Tom Hanks, cowritten by Jim Glossman (2022). —Sparrow
A New Jerusalem
“THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM”
October 4-20 at Shadowland Stages Shadowlandstages.org
The cast of "The Road to Jerusalem" rehearsing at Shadowland Stages: Reh Eilis Cahill, Adam LeFevre, Jim Glossman, and Jay O. Sanders.
Time to Roll
The Woodstock Film Festival Returns
Film festivals come and go like sequels to Saw For every one that manages to make it past its second year, there are dozens whose organizers give up and go home to watch Netflix after their first starry-eyed attempt. The fact that the Woodstock Film Festival has risen to become one of the most respected cinematic summits in the world and is this month returning for its 24th year is noteworthy, indeed. To find out what the festival has planned this time around, we chatted by email with its cofounder Meira Blaustein. The Woodstock Film Festival will take place October 15 to 20 at venues in and around Woodstock. See the festival’s website for a schedule of screenings and other events, passes, and more information.
—Peter Aaron
How does it feel to reflect on the occasion of the festival’s 24th season? What are some standout moments in its history that come to mind? It is a testament to the passion, dedication, perseverance, and creativity of everyone involved—from the in-house team to the filmmakers, actors, volunteers, and, of course, the audience. Some standout moments include in the first year, when we showed Stop Making Sense at the Bearsville Theater, taking all the chairs out and turning it into a dance floor where everyone, young and old, was dancing from beginning to end of the film. Or in the second year, which took place only nine days after September 11, when everyone who had previously planned to fly in from the West Coast canceled (except for one dedicated filmmaker who got in his car in San Francisco and drove all the way to Woodstock to be a part of the festival), but more and more people came up from New York City, leaving it for the first time after that terrible day, to arrive in Woodstock and finally begin to recover. There have been so many standout moments. Each one is more special and meaningful than the other.
What made you and Laurent Rejto want to start a film festival in the first place? Why host one in Woodstock?
The festival was at first supposed to take place in New Paltz, and at the time the tag line was “Scaling New Heights of Independence” (in a nod to the ’Gunks). But that ended up falling though, and so the idea of Woodstock came up. An artistic town, with one small movie theater. There were many artists and musicians, but no filmmakers. And conversations with some of the stakeholders in the town then showed clearly that, as one person told us, if Albert Grossman was still alive, he would have loved the idea of a Woodstock Film Festival. And so it was born, quickly, very grass roots. The Hudson Valley in general was an obvious location, Woodstock has been synonymous with being an artist colony, to which the festival became a beacon for artistic talent and a magnet for those seeking a vibrant, creative environment.
The festival is focused on indie films, which makes it markedly different than, say, Cannes or Sundance. How else is it different than other film festivals?
The festival stands apart not just because of its focus on indie films but also because of its unique character, ethos, and the intimate environment it fosters. While so many other great festivals certainly have their own prestige and scale, the Woodstock Film Festival offers a distinctly unique experience, with a community-centric atmosphere, intimacy, and accessibility, and a certain democratic feel to the festival. There’s an absence of red carpets and velvet ropes. Everything—parties, screenings, and events to panels and Q&As—seems to spill onto the streets, where everyone is equal and everyone can meet and connect. There’s a greater sense of inclusivity, and not to mention the scenic and serene setting.
How many film submissions on average do you get ahead of each festival? What’s the process of selecting those that screen at the festival like? What
Marianne Jean-Baptists stars in Mike Leigh's latest, Hard Truths
Opposite, clockwise from top left: Richard Gere and Uma Thurman in Paul Schrader's Oh, Canada; : A still from Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue; and a scene from We Can Be Heroes, about the Hudson-Valley based Wayfinder Experience.
are some basic things you look for when considering films for inclusion?
We receive thousands of submissions from throughout the country and the world, and each year those numbers increase. We have over 30 volunteer screeners who watch the submissions, and a fantastic programming team consisting of feature narrative and documentary programmers, shorts programmers, animation programmers, and other advisors who all contribute to the overall lineup.
What are some of the standout films and event highlights this year?
I love them all, and so it’s hard to pick and choose. But among the panels, some of the perhaps less predictable ones include AI And the Creative Process, which delves into the pros and cons of the advent of AI use in film and beyond. Or Trans Storytelling, which features exciting voices in queer cinema whose authentic visions are shaping the perception of trans communities. Among the documentaries, some of the many standouts include the world premiere of films such as Coastal by Daryl Hannah about Neil Young; Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue, featuring supermodels such as Tyra Banks and Carol Alt, who will be in attendance; the US premiere of films such as Paul Anka: His Way, about the iconic musician; Wisdom of Happiness, about his holiness the Dalai Lama; The Bibi Files, a work in progress featuring leaked tapes of the investigation on Benjamin Netanyahu; and Viva Verdi!, about the house that Verdi built for retired musicians. Among the narratives some of the standouts include Boundary Waters with the amazing Carol Kane, who will attend; Gazer starring Woodstock native Ariella Mastroianni; the Cannes sensation Anora by WFF alum Sean Baker; and the Sundance breakout story A Real Pain by and starring Jesse Eisenberg and costarring Kieran Culkin. Every film, every panel, every event at the film festival are special and worthy of discovery.
We Can Be Heroes
The Hudson Valley’s own Wayfinder Experience is the subject of the latest documentary by Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons. Wayfinder is a live-action role-playing company based in Kingston that runs programs for teens in which they create and inhabit fantasy worlds of swords and demons. We Can Be Heroes is an inspirational film about the power of imagination and companionship. A Q&A with Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons follows both screenings.
October 19, 5:30pm at the Orpheum Theater, Saugerties; October 20, 1:15pm at the Bearsville Theater, Bearsville
The State of the Industry and How to Break into It
Chronogram editor Brian K. Mahoney hosts a panel discussion with film industry vets William Horberg, Blair Breard, and Gill Holland about the state of the film industry today, and the projects they are currently working on. The conversation will also focus on the humble beginnings of the panelists’ careers, with an eye toward advising aspiring filmmakers how to get into the film and media industry in today’s ecosystem.
October 16, 6pm, Fuller Building in Kingston
Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue
Films to be screened include Rob Harris’s cultural history of alcohol, Shaken and Stirred; We Are Athletes, Angel Fonseca’s profile of the Adaptive Sports Foundation, which trains differently abled and neurodivergent individuals; and Munay Wasi, Fonseca’s documentary about the creation of an Indigenous cultural center in Warwarsing. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Rob Harris and Angel Fonseca. October 20, 10:15am at the Bearsville Theater, Bearsville
Nightbitch
Based on Rachel Yoder’s magical realist novel, Nightbitch sees Amy Adams in a meaty role as a stayat-home mom who’s quite literally gone to the dogs. Directed by Marie Heller, the film explores boredom, tenderness, and carnality of motherhood in humans and canines, and our capacity for transformation and wonder. October 19, 9:30pm at Tinker Street Cinema, Woodstock; October 20, 8pm at the Rosendale Theater, Rosendale
Hard Truths
Woodstock Film Fest Top 10 To-Dos
Actors’ Dialogue: A Conversation with Amanda Seyfried and Jennifer Carpenter
Here’s our list of what’s not to be missed at this year’s festival.
A frank and in-depth conversation with actors Amanda Seyfried and Jennifer Carpenter, focusing on their storied careers and their acting craftsmanship. As successful actors who work separately, but also together (A Mouthful Of Air), the two will discuss teamwork (actors with actors, actors with directors), and share anecdotes from some of their more well-known films. A not-to-bemissed glimpse behind the scenes of the careers of two award-winning actors.
October 20, 10:30am at the Kleinert/James Center for the Arts in Woodstock
64 Days
Through never-before-seen footage, exclusive access to the Proud Boys, eyewitness reports, unreported emails, videos, social media posts, interviews with politicians on both sides of the aisle, and unprecedented access to the investigators supporting the January 6 Committee, 64 Days chronicles the most important period of our modern republic—the 64 days between the election and the devastating January 6th insurrection. The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Nick Quested and political journalists.
October 15, 3:30pm, Bearsville Theater, Bearsville
Filled with never-before-seen footage, Beyond the Gaze not only tells the story of the world-famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, but also the woman behind the revolutionary idea. Creator Jule Campbell pioneered a groundbreaking feminist fashion feature that continues to pioneer new territory, like featuring 81-year-old Martha Stewart on the cover in 2023.The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jill Campbell and supermodels Tyra Banks, Carol Alt, and Stacey Williams. October 18, 7:30pm at the Woodstock Playhouse
British icon Mike Leigh is still cranking out empathetic, nuanced family dramas at 81. His latest, Hard Truths, reunites Leigh with Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Oscar nominated for Secrets and Lies), who plays a tormented woman slowly alienating everyone around her as her Black working-class family disintegrates.
October 17, 8:15pm at the Orpheum Theater, Saugerties; October 18 at 4:15pm at the Rosendale Theater, Rosendale.
The End
caption tk
Hudsy Shorts
The Kingston-based nonprofit filmmaking cooperative programs a morning of Hudson Valley-focused content.
Michael Shannon does a doomsday reprise of sorts (remember 2011’s psychological thriller Take Shelter ?) in Joshua Oppenheimer’s first feature film. An idiosyncratic blend of drama, musical, and end-of-theworld storytelling, The End portrays a family holed-up in a bunker 20 years after the apocalypse.
October 19, 10:30am at the Rosendale Theater, Rosendale
Oh, Canada
Written and directed by Paul Schrader, Oh, Canada follows ailing documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife (Richard Gere), who sits for an extended interview with a former student. Finally revealing the truth and lies in his life and career, Leonard charges ahead with candid stories about his younger self in the fractious 1960s, and beyond. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Paul Schrader.
October 19, 12:30pm, Woodstock Playhouse, Woodstock —Brian K. Mahoney
Kimmah M. Dennis, Untitled, 2022
“Power Full Because We're Different” November 3-December 31, 2026
Multidisciplinary artist Jeffrey Gibson creates installations, paintings, sculptures, and performances that interpret and advance the historically marginalized queer and Indigenous communities. Gibson’s “Power Full Because We’re Different” is a newly commissioned immersive installation that occupies MASS MoCA’s Building 5 gallery and will host a series of performances by Indigenous creatives.
by Thomas Roeschlein
Photo
Join CCE Ulster for this workshop where you’ll discover the enchanting world of moss and learn how to cultivate it as a stunning addition to your home garden. Unleash your creativity by transforming ordinary spaces into lush, green havens with low-maintenance moss projects that thrive in both indoors and outdoors.
Learn more about the magic of CCE’s programs at our Showcase & Dinner on Nov. 1st at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge. Ulster.CCE.Cornell.edu/Showcase
Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County is an employer and educator. Contact the office in advance for any accommodation requests. (845) 340-3990 | Ulster@Cornell.edu
MUSIC FOR STRINGS AND PIANO 4 HANDS
Sunday, Oct 13 ~ 4pm Senate Garage, Kingston, NY chambermusiconthehudson.com
Nurturing Learning, Creativity & Community Through the Visual Arts, Since 2012 Figure and Portrait Studies, Plein Air Painting, Print Making, Landscape Painting, Natural Dye Workshop and others All levels from beginners to more advanced... for Adults, Teens and Children
• Classes on site and in Hudson
• Saturday Classes for Children and Weekdays for Home Schooled
Inessa Zaretsky, PianoAnna Elashvili,Violin Joshua Halpern, Cello Lenore Davis, Piano
“Seats for Everyone”
Through October 27
At Turley Gallery in Hudson, Kristin Mills’s interactive and immersive installation of cardboard furniture and video is a campy good time, a seeming realization of a child prodigy’s art thesis project. “Seats for Everyone” is joyous, funny, absurd, and a well-executed trip into Mills’s imagination, which blurs fantasy and reality.
“Shaboom: Presumed Ignorant”
October 5-January 26
The first institutional exhibition of the Shaboom collective— Silky Shoemaker, Paul Soileau, and Lex Vaughn—takes up the golden era of ‘90s court TV with an installation that will be activated by juvenile antics as well as billboards and happenings in the wild. Embracing slapstick, Shaboom presents scenes that teeter on the edge of disaster and teem with slips, flops, and cheap thrills.
Fall for Art
November 9-15
This popular juried art show, art sale, and community fundraiser began in 1996—now exclusively online— and features work by dozens of the Hudson Valley’s most gifted artists. In addition to supporting the artist themselves—and delighting viewers and customers—the event supports regional nonprofit organizations.
“A Radical Alteration”
Through January 31
“A Radical Alteration: Women’s Studio Workshop as a Sustainable Model for Art Making” examines the 50-years-strong Rosendale-based organization’s history as a voice for underserved communities through its artists’ books, printed materials, ephemera, and archival materials, and how the group’s policies, programming, and operations have evolved.
“Daniel Jocz: Ripped, Shredded, and Sprayed”
October 10-November 17
This exhibition at Made Rose Gallery in Millerton promises a selection of abstract wall panels rendered with his unique ripped-and-torn construction, which often pairs a stark black and white palette with splashes of color. Also on display are Jocz’s freestanding sculptures, which include a Teddy bear constructed from torn aluminum panels.
“Cradled”
Through December 1
Actress Frances McDormand has teamed up with conceptual artist Suzanne Bocanegra for “Cradled,” a thought-provoking exhibition in collaboration with the Shaker Museum that illuminates the core Shaker values of compassionate care at the Kinderhook Knitting Mill. Shakers built adult-size cradles to provide nurturing care and respect at the end of life. This exhibition showcases the craft of both adult and child-sized Shaker cradles through the curation of objects, soundscapes, lighting, ephemera, and experience.
“Erect”
Through December 21
Kingston born Alanna Farrell now lives in New York City and chronicles eerie cityscapes filled with psychodrama
in her paintings, currently on view at Alexander Gray Associates in Germantown. Combining the psychodrama of Douglas Sirk’s films with the magic realism of George Tooker, Farrell’s recent works on paper explores the parallels between the city’s transformation and its queer and trans communities.
“Abelardo Morell: In the Company of Monet and Constable”
November 23-February 17
A viewer would be forgiven for thinking that Abelardo Morell’s lush, gauzy images were Impressionist paintings. The Cuban-American photographer works with a tentcamera, a device that allows him to unite the features of a landscape view with whatever happens to be underfoot. His show at the Clark Art Institute features photographs of places in England and France where nineteenthcentury landscape painters John Constable and Claude Monet made their iconic works.
Lucas Samaras
Ongoing
Now on view alongside the other treasures at Dia:Beacon are two sculptural works by Greek-born American multi-disciplinary artist Lucas Samaras (19362024) that have been acquired for the center’s collection: his totemic Cubes and Trapezoids (1994-1995) and the mirrored Doorways (1966-2007).
Installation photography by Spencer House Studio
Installation view of "Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art" at the Williams College Musuem of Art.
“Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art” Through December 22
This retrospective at the Williams College Museum of Art is dedicated to the work of the inventive though long-overlooked Teddy Sandoval (1949–1995) who was central to Los Angeles’s queer and Chicano artistic circles, and was active in both US and international avant-garde movements. The exhibition covers a quarter century of the artist’s work, revealing how Sandoval produced subversive yet playful works that explored the codes of gender and sexuality, often mining archetypes of masculinity through the signature icon of a faceless man sporting a mustache.
510 WARREN ST GALLERY
510 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Multilayered.” Paintings by Doris Simon. Through October 31.
1053 GALLERY
1053 MAIN STREET, FLEISCHMANNS
“Magicians, Musicians, and Mystics.” Group show curated by Carol McCranie and Javier Magri. October 5-November 17.
AL HELD FOUNDATION
26 BEECHFORD DRIVE, BOICEVILLE
“Der Wolley Eulb 07.” Mixed media sculptures by Michelle Segre. Through October 13.
“On the Grounds 2024.” Work by Natalia Arbelaez, Nicole Cherubini, Re Jin Lee, and Katy Schimert. Through October 13.
THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
258 MAIN STREET, RIDGEFIELD, CT
“Eminem Buddhism, Volume 3.” Work by Elizabeth Englander. Through October 20.
“Layo Bright: Dawn and Dusk.” Work by Layo Bright. Through October 20.
ANN STREET GALLERY
104 ANN STREET, NEWBURGH
“Emerging Artist Fellowship Exhibition.” Work by Matthew Gilbert, Nicole Hixon, and Zeinab Manesh. Through November 24.
ART OMI
1405 ROUTE 22, GHENT
“Shaboom: Presumed Ignorant.” Installation by the Shaboom collective: Silky Shoemaker, Paul Soileau, and Lex Vaughn. Through October 5-January 26.
ATHENS CULTURAL CENTER
24 SECOND STREET, ATHENS
“Particle Point Collisions.” Paintings by Jim Holl. October 26-November 10.
AVAILABLE ITEMS
64 BROADWAY, TIVOLI
“Edible Arrangements.” Work of Ori Carlin. Through October 6.
BANNERMAN ISLAND
150 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Bannerman Castle Trust’s 30th Anniversary Exhibition.”Artwork, photographs, and artifacts showcasing the history of Bannerman’s Island. Through January 31.
BAU GALLERY
506 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Event Horizon.” Work by Nataliya Hines. October 12-November 3.
“Only History Remains.” work by Ilse SchreiberNoll. October 12-November 3.
BCMT GALLERY
79 HURLEY AVENUE, KINGSTON
“Sensibility Conversations.” Work by Joshua Vogel, Kat Howard, Sue Kirk, Julia Dankov, Margaret Griffith, Nettie Sumner, Ann Swingler, Sam Aguirre, Henry Pfeffer, Sarah Kersten, and Peter Petrochko. October 12-November 15.
BENNINGTON MUSEUM
75 MAIN STREET, BENNINGTON, VT
“Vermont Rocks!”. Geologic troves of the Green Mountain state. Through November 10.
BERNAY FINE ART
296 MAIN STREET, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA
“Lines and Colors.” Work by Diane Ayott, John Franklin, Jenny Kemp, Ellie Kreischer, and Nancy Simonds. Through October 20.
BILL ARNING EXHIBITIONS / HUDSON VALLEY
17 BROAD STREET, KINDERHOOK
“Other Beings.” Work by Hannah Barrett, Richard Butler, Jim Esber, and Cruz Ortiz. Through October 13.
“Over Decades.” Work by Judy Glantzman and Stephen Lack. October 19-December 8.
CAROL COREY FINE ART
6 NORTH MAIN STREET, KENT, CT
“Elise Ansel: Works on Paper.” Work by Elise Ansel. Through October 20.
CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY
622 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Understories.” Work by Annika Tucksmith, Anne Francey, Allyson Levy, Eileen Murphy, Rinal Parikh, and Ragellah Rourke. Paintings by David Konigsberg upstairs. Through October 13.
“Echoes.” Work by Frank DiPietro, Louise Laplante, Olan Quattro, Vincent Pomilio, Ralph Stout, and Joe Wheaton. October 11-December 1.
CATSKILL ART SPACE
48 MAIN STREET, LIVINGSTON MANOR
“James Esber, Jane Fine, Tracey Goodman, and Jim Leen.” Group show. Through October 26.
In late August, I had the pleasure of meeting painter Ted Dixon for the first time. A small group of us met to break bread together before an artist talk at Susan Eley Fine Art in Hudson presented by The Hudson Eye, including the lovely and tenacious Eley herself and the powerhouse Savona Bailey-McClain, executive director and chief curator at the West Harlem Art Fund and comoderator of the gallery conversation with me.
During our lively meal, Dixon spoke enthusiastically about his emotional process during the six months that it took to create the suite of 18 paintings—plus one footnote work titled Origins (2024)—that embody his engagement with The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (2019), the Pulitzer Prizewinning book by Nikole Hannah-Jones. With The 1619 Project as the arduous foundation for his artistic explorations, Dixon created the “Eighteen” exhibition, a body of work that references the 18 chapter titles of the book that candidly reframe US history and the consequences of slavery for a contemporary audience.
Dixon also shared with us a poignant story about the reality of driving around the country in his youth. He clarified that his family did not adventure South in the car (he was born in New York City) for fear of race-based confrontations, whereas his wife Sheila and her family (both are from families of seven children) piled into their sedan and made the annual road trip to Florida (she is white). They smiled lovingly at each other as they spoke of their distinct experiences. However, their paired anecdotes spoke volumes about the cultural narrative in our country—and it was a powerful prelude to seeing Dixon’s show.
The sun setting, we headed over to the gallery, welcomed a kind crowd, and soon dove into a dialogue with Dixon on the essence of his abstract-expressionist style and the context of the dynamic paintings that empowered the room. He spoke of the impassioned roller coaster that he went through while reading
the book and working on the series, citing bouts of anger that tore through his psyche and admitting that he had to walk away from the entire project a few times in order to return to it with renewed strength. With titles that refer to the themes of The 1619 Project, including Capitalism, Sugar, Fear, Citizenship, and Punishment (all works 2024), Dixon’s paintings express the complexity of the Black-American experience through stern and spirited compositions that together sing a sturdy song of intensity, recognition, hope, and healing.
Despite the gravitas of “Eighteen” and its many layers of social entanglement as embodied by the rawness of paint on canvas, Dixon’s joyful energy infuses his work with unwavering determination and care. His artistic candor provides a sacred space for encountering the downright difficult topics concerning race and the gruesome realities that haunt our nation. Where nuanced works such as Dispossession and Democracy lean into the heaviness with labored, dark tones and frenzied markmaking (the later featuring abstract figures with nooses around their necks), other works such as Justice (laden with stars and stripes) and Music (vibrating like a Rothko) illuminate a sense of fortitude and forward-facing purpose.
Toward the end of the artist talk, Dixon’s face lit up as he pointed across the room to Church, a bright painting with four crosses that hover above a yellow chapel symbolically suspended in time. He spoke of the significance of that particular piece as he held his heart and closed his eyes and referenced the song “Back Pew” by Lily Rose as a source of inspiration. The next day I looked up the tune and found myself weeping to the country-infused aria that echoed Dixon’s own sentiments about personal transcendence through art: “The most challenging moments of a painting are often the most pleasing.”
—Taliesin Thomas
Brushstrokes of History
“Eighteen” by Ted Dixon at Susan Eley Fine Art
Through October 13 Susaneleyfineart.com
Left: Sugar,Ted Dixon, acrylic and graphite on canvas, 32 x 28 inches, 2024
Right: Inheritance, Ted Dixon, acrylic and graphite on canvas, 32 x 28 inches 2024
“Reproductive”
Through February 2
With a full title of “Reproductive: Health, Fertility, Agency,” this exhibition of works by 10 contemporary artists (including Joanne Leonard and Wangechi Mutu) at Vassar College’s Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center “explores the psychological, physical, and emotional realities encountered by women and people assigned female at birth in the years leading up to, during, and after fertility.”
CHESTERWOOD
4 WILLIAMSVILLE ROAD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA
“Birth of a Shadow.” Work by Peter Barrett, Peter Dellert, DeWitt Godfrey, Wendy Klemperer, Michael Thomas, Natalie Tyler, and Joe Wheaton. Curated by Lauren Clark. Through October 21.
“Metamorphosis: Three Ways through Fire.” Ceramic works by Anne Ferril, Ingrid Raab, and Nina Ryan. October 5-20.
CLARK ART INSTITUTE
225 SOUTH STREET, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA.
“Edgar Degas: Multimedia Artist in the Age of Impressionism.” Through October 14.
“Fragile Beauty: Treasures From the Corning Museum of Glass.” Selected glass objects from antiquity to the present day.
Through October 27.
“Guillaume Lethiere.” 80 works by Guillaume Lethière (1760–1832), a key figure in French painting during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Through October 15.
FRONT ROOM GALLERY
205 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Living Lines.” Photographs by Zoe Wetherall. Through October 13.
GALLERY CHATHAM
2 DEPOT SQUARE, CHATHAM
“Late Summer Soiree.” Group show of small works curated by Benjamin Jose and Emma Daley. Through October 31.
GALLERY40
40 CANNON STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
“The Gilding Age.” Work by Dan Burkholder, Beth Haber, Janine Lambers, and Julia Santos Solomon. October 5-30.
GARNER ARTS CENTER
55 WEST RAILROAD AVENUE, GARNERVILLE
“Clare Kambhu.” Paintings. Through October 27. “Track Spikes.” Sculpture by Pat Hickman. Through October 27.
GARRISON ART CENTER
23 GARRISON’S LANDING, GARRISON
“Susan Magnus.” Work by the visiting artist. Through October 20.
GREEN KILL
229 GREENKILL AVENUE, KINGSTON
“Dionysus the Unmasked God.” Paintings by Gary Mayer. Through October 26.
GRIT WORKS | GRIT GALLERY
115 BROADWAY, NEWBURGH
“River Reflections.” Work by Maria Lago. October 26-January 26.
HAWK + HIVE
61 MAIN STREET, ANDES
“There’s a Light Somewhere.” Work by Christopher Burk. Through October 6.
HESSEL MUSEUM OF ART/CCS BARD
BARD COLLEGE, ANNANDALE
“Carrie Mae Weems: Remember to Dream.”
Revisits the range and breadth of Carrie Mae Weems’ prolific career through rarely exhibited and lesser-known works. Through December 1.
JANE ST. ART CENTER
11 JANE STREET, SAUGERTIES
“American Hieroglyphs.” Work by R. A. Jenkin. Through October 26.
KINDERHOOK KNITTING MILL
8 HUDSON STREET, KINDERHOOK
“Cradled.” Objects, soundscapes, lighting, ephemera, and experience curated by Frances McDormand and Suzanne Bocanegra. Through December 1.
KINGSTON POP MUSEUM
672 BROADWAY, KINGSTON
“Pacha Mama de la Selva.” Work by Roldan Pinedo, Benito Romania Arevalo, Wilfredo Castro Pina, Miguel Vilca Vargas, and Euclides Ruiz Lopez. Through October 12.
LABSPACE
2642 NY ROUTE 23, HILLSDALE
“Susan Carr: rituals.” Paintings, ceramics, and sculpture. October 5-November 24.
THE LACE MILL GALLERIES
165 CORNELL STREET, KINGSTON
“Ghost Stories.” Work by Carl Cox. October 5-27.
“Potpourri.” Work by Edward Burkise. October 5-27.
LONGYEAR GALLERY
785 MAIN STREET, MARGARETVILLE
“September Songs.” Work by Gail Freund.
“Recent Paintings.” Work by Sheila McManus. Both shows through October 14.
MAD ROSE GALLERY
5916 NORTH ELM AVE, MILLERTON
“Ripped, Shredded, and Sprayed.” Work by Daniel Jocz. October 10-November 17.
MAGAZZINO ITALIAN ART
2700 ROUTE 9, COLD SPRING
“Marco Anelli: Building Magazzino 2014–2024.” Photos by Marco Anelli. Through October 14.
MANITOGA / THE RUSSEL WRIGHT DESIGN CENTER
584 NEW YORK 9D, PHILIPSTOWN
Self-Portrait in the Aftermath, Krista Franklin, ink, watercolor, pencil, chalk, and collage on watercolor paper, 2020.
From "Reproductive: Health, Fertility, Agency" at the Lehman Loeb Art Center.
CONVEY/ER/OR GALLERY
299 MAIN STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
“Trigger Warning.” Worky by Theresa Gooby. October 4-14.
D’ARCY SIMPSON ART WORKS
409 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Mother Should I Run For President?” Work by Daniel Robin Clurman. Through October 13.
DIA BEACON
3 BEEKMAN STREET, BEACON
“Bass.” Installation by Steve McQueen comprising 60 ceiling-mounted lightboxes that journey through the complete spectrum of visible light in concert with a sonic component. Through December 31.
THE FOUNDATION GALLERY/ COLUMBIA-GREENE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
400 ROUTE 23, HUDSON
“feeling uncomfy.” Work by Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres. Through October 20.
“Ho Tzu Nyen: Time and the Tiger.” First in-depth examination of Ho Tzu Nyen (b. 1976), Singapore in the United States. Through December 1.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WOODSTOCK
20 COMEAU DRIVE, WOODSTOCK
“Woodstock Village: The Evolution.” Photographs. Through October 13.
HOLY CROSS MONASTERY
1615 ROUTE 9W, WEST PARK
“Icons from the Christian East.” A collection of 12 icons “written” by Saugerties artist Joan Monastero. Through November 3.
HUDSON AREA LIBRARY
51 NORTH 5TH STREET, HUDSON
“Near and Far.” Photographs by Dolwain and Suzanne Green. Through October 28.
HUDSON RIVER BEACH GLASS
162 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“I Could Save Time.” Work by Susan Walsh. October 12-November 2.
Group show curated by Patricia Miranda. Through December 7.
“Psychological Portraiture.” Group photography show. Through June 30, 2025.
JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY: THE SCHOOL
25 BROAD STREET, KINDERHOOK
“Lie Doggo.” Work by Nina Chanel Abney. Through November 16.
“The Moss Room.” Outdoor sculpture by Alma Allen and Bosco Sodi. Through November 18.
MARK GRUBER GALLERY
13 NEW PALTZ PLAZA, NEW PALTZ
“A Passion for Painting.” Work by Kevin Cook and Marlene Weidenbaum. Through November 2.
MASS MOCA
1040 MASS MOCA WAY, NORTH ADAMS, MA
“Like Magic.” Work by Simone Bailey, Raven Chacon, Grace Clark, Johanna Hedva, Gelare Khoshgozaran, Cate O’Connell-Richards, Rose Salane, Petra Szilagyi, Tourmaline, and Nate Young. Through August 31, 2025.
THE MILDRED I. WASHINGTON ART GALLERY, DUTCHESS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
1 GALLERY CIRCLE, POUGHKEEPSIE
“The Clothesline Project 2024.” Hundreds of t-shirts created in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Through October 25.
MOTHER-IN-LAW’S
140 CHURCH AVENUE, GERMANTOWN
“Encyclopedia of Light.” A Duchampian take on a showroom of light fixtures. Through November 24.
THE MOUNT
2 PLUNKETT STREET, LENOX, MA
“Sculpture at the Mount.” Juried group sculpture show. Through October 20.
MUROFF-KOTLER VISUAL
ARTS GALLERY
491 COTTEKILL ROAD, STONE RIDGE
“Making.” Work by Michael Asbill, Thomas Sarrantonio, and David Soman. Through December 6.
Brian Mahoney Moderator
“Permanent Trespass”
October 16-30
This newly commissioned, experimental multimedia performance work by international artists Bassem Saad and Sanja Grozdanic incorporates film projection, sound, and the state-of-the-art technology of EMPAC’s acoustically amazing Studio 1—Goodman theater. Subtitled “Beirut of the Balkans and the American Century,” the loosely script-based piece makes its premier in Troy.
Performance documentation of "Permanent Trespass (Beirut of the Balkans and the American Century)," by Bassem Saad and Sanja Grozdanic, 2021.
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM
9 ROUTE 183, STOCKBRIDGE, MA
“What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD.”
The art and satire of MAD. Through October 27.
OLANA STATE HISTORIC SITE
5720 ROUTE 9G, HUDSON
“Afterglow: Frederic Church and the Landscape of Memory.” At the heart of this exhibition are Frederic Church’s rarely seen memorial landscape paintings. Through October 27.
PAMELA SALISBURY GALLERY
362 1/2 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Understory: Snakes, Snails, and the Forest Floor.” Group show. Through October 5.
PINKWATER GALLERY
237 FAIR STREET, KINGSTON
“In Repose.” Paintings by Kristin Osterberg. Through October 30.
PRIVATE PUBLIC
530 COLUMBIA STREET, HUDSON
“Voice of Silence.” Photographs by Susan Wides. Through November 3.
REHER CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT CULTURE AND HISTORY
101 BROADWAY, KINGSTON
“Taking Root: Immigrant Stories of the Hudson Valley.” Through December 1.
ROBIN RICE GALLERY
234 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“No Ordinary Blue.” Paintings by Erica Hauser. October 19-December 22.
SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART
1 HAWK DRIVE, SUNY NEW PALTZ
“Mis/communication.” Group show. Through November 3.
“In and Out of Lineage: Tracing Artistic Heritage
Through SUNY New Paltz Faculty.” Group exhibition featuring artwork by 20 members of the University’s Departments of Art and Design. Through December 8.
SEPTEMBER
4 HUDSON STREET, KINDERHOOK
“All at Once.” Work by Anne Beresford, Diane Dwyer, Ellen Lesperance, Holly Mills, Natalie Lerner, Sacha Ingber, and Sam Vernon. October 12-November 22.
THE SPARK OF HUDSON
502 UNION STREET, HUDSON
“Our Town On The River.” Work by Chiarra Hughes Mba, David McIntyre, Gretchen Kelly, Ifetayo Cobbins, Jonathan Simons, Kim Bach, Michelle Fox Smith and Pauline Decarmo. Through December 7.
SPENCERTOWN ACDEMY
790 ROUTE 203, SPENCERTOWN
“Members' Show.” Group show curated by Norma Cohen and Karen Andrews. October 5-November 3.
STORM KING ART CENTER
1 MUSEUM ROAD, NEW WINDSOR
“Arlene Shechet: Girl Group.” Six large-scale outdoor sculptures—spanning heights of 10 to 20 feet and lengths of up to 30 feet—along with complementary indoor works in wood, steel, and ceramic. Through November 10.
SUNY WESTCHESTER CENTER FOR THE DIGITAL ARTS GALLERY
27 N DIVISION STREET, PEEKSKILL
“Art or Merch?” Work by Marcy B. Freedman. Through November 24.
SUPER SECRET PROJECTS
484 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Form + Dysfunction.” Work by Laura Holmes McCarthy. October 12-November 2.
SUSAN ELEY FINE ART
433 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Eighteen.” Abstract paintings by Ted Dixon inspired by The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. Through October 13.
‘T’ SPACE
120 ROUND LAKE ROAD, RHINEBECK
“Shou Sugi Ban Sculptures.” Wooden geometric sculptures by James Casabere. Through October 13.
THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
218 SPRING STREET, CATSKILL
“Native Prospects: Indigeneity and Landscape”. 19th-century paintings by Thomas Cole featuring Native figures in context with Indigenous works of historic and cultural value, and artworks by contemporary Indigenous artists: Teresa Baker, Brandon Lazore, Truman T. Lowe, and Kay WalkingStick. Through October 27.
“Alan Michelson: Prophetstown.” Site-responsive solo exhibition. Through December 1.
TILLY FOSTER FARM
100 NY-312, BREWSTER
“Sculpture Exhibition at Tilly Foster Farm 2024.” Collaborative Concept’s annual outdoor exhibition. Through October 31.
TIME AND SPACE LIMITED
434 COLUMBIA STREET, HUDSON
“Address Earth: Flora and Fauna.” Group show curated by Bibiana Huang Matheis. October 12-November 10.
TREMAINE ART GALLERY AT THE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL
11 INTERLAKEN ROAD, LAKEVILLE, CT
“Threaded Together.” Group alumnae show. Through October 27.
TURLEY GALLERY
98 GREEN STREET, SUITE 2, HUDSON Seats for Everyone.” Installation by Kristen Mills. “Specificities.” Work by Evan Halter. Both shows through October 27.
THE WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART
15 LAWRENCE HALL DRIVE, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA
“Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art.” Teddy Sandoval retrospective. Through December 22.
WINDOW ON HUDSON
43 SOUTH 3RD STREET, HUDSON “Bibi-Mimi Hudson Memo.” Work by Bibiana Huang Matheis and Mimi Czajka Graminski. Through October 13.
WIRED GALLERY
11 MOHONK ROAD, HIGH FALLS
“Memoirs Alive.” Work by Judith Hoyt. Through October 27.
WOMENSWORK.ART
12 VASSAR STREET, 3RD FLOOR, POUGHKEEPSIE
“Last Breath: Death and Contemporary Art.” Group show. October 4-November 24.
WOODSTOCK ARTISTS ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM
28 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK
“Paper Unframed.” Group show. Live online auction October 6, 2pm. Through October 6.
Horoscopes
By Cory Nakasue
The Cauldron
If you love gothic melodrama, dark wave music, and espionage stories, October will not disappoint. Glamorized expressions of angst and yearning, and some rather savage actions in the name of power and passion are on the menu too. It’s all introduced right up front with a solar eclipse in Libra on the 2nd of the month. Typically, a Libra eclipse would indicate new beginnings that are sweet, judicious, and balanced, but this particular one has a stained history and is ruled by Venus in the sign of its antithesis. Venus in Scorpio can do many wonderful things, but balance is not one of them. Scorpio is a Marsruled water sign, which turns Venus toward the beauty of darkness and extremity. It’s not here to make friends, it’s here to possess, obsess, and dig deep.
On the heels of that eclipse, Mars enters its retrograde shadow on October 5. The story lines that present themselves now will be revisited during the actual retrograde. Mars’s condition is also important because it’s in a tense alignment with the full Moon in Aries that takes place on the 17th. It also rules this lunation. This full Moon mirrors the situation with the Libra eclipse in that its ruler is compromised (again in the sign of its antithesis). Mars cannot cut as cleanly or move as directly in this water sign because it gets bogged down with feeling. But, the sign of Cancer can turn Mars into a ferocious agent of change and defense on behalf of family, home, and security. Emotions are both target and weapon with this combination. Traditions could come under attack.
The atmosphere lightens up a bit as Venus moves into high-spirited Sagittarius on October 17. However, with the Sun’s and Mercury’s entrance into Scorpio mid-month, we can’t escape the cauldron.
ARIES (March 20–April 19)
What’s worth fighting for? Who’s worth fighting for? Can self-preservation be taken too far? These are the types of questions that are likely to come up this month as you reevaluate the delicate balance between self-advocacy and compromise. Someone might ask you to give something up, let them go, or that you bring more of yourself to the table. Whatever you decide will create a brand-new dynamic in important relationships, including the one you have with your own strong desires. Beware that your aggressively competitive spirit and need to dominate doesn’t alienate you from people you value.
TAURUS (April 19–May 20)
How do you balance all-encompassing passion for other people with your need to maintain healthy relationship habits? Your astrology suggests that you will have to reckon with some unruly and rather delicious opportunities to lose yourself in a new obsession. You don’t need to resist these urges, but you might want to tie a safety cord around your waist so that you don’t get lost in the abyss of another person. Extreme feelings expand our nervous system’s capacity to process richer emotions. This is a good thing, but you must prepare yourself for this kind of intensity.
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
GEMINI (May 20–June 21)
You need to rewrite the rules for pleasure and selfexpression. You’re hitting an uncomfortable patch in your creative life. Dexterity and cleverness are seeming a little stale, and you want something deeper, darker, and more challenging. I would suggest taking a look at your everyday routines as a way to begin courting intensity. Perhaps you swap your balancing yoga practice for an exhilarating trail run—anything that helps you acclimate to a sense of danger and adrenaline. Instead of prioritizing your schedule using logic, prioritize by desire, curiosity, or even fun. The goal is to acclimate to imbalance.
CANCER
(June 21–July 22)
Disturb the peace now for more peaceful times later. There needs to be more room for you in your home, your family, and your own body. You might need to fight for this extra space, but it’s well worth it and there’s no better time. After a few years of adjusting to some new predilections and values, you now have vivid clarity as to what makes you feel fully alive. This new and enlivened you needs more space to expand into. Don’t let yourself be crowded out by the people you share your life with, or even your own sense of comfort.
LEO
(July 22–August 23)
There are mental habits that need excavating. There are routines and ways of relating that keep your interactions unfulfilling. You have a good mind that’s practical and very aesthetic, but it might be too good at intellectualizing big, mysterious feelings. This month, allow yourself to be mesmerized by your own emotions, and follow them without analysis, narrative, or rationale. You have an opportunity to expand your experience of life if only your mind will let you. For now, allow yourself to be guided by something numinous. Explore the unknown and the unfamiliar. If it makes you feel comfortable, it’s not for you.
VIRGO (August 23–September 23)
It’s helpful to do some relationship inventory every so often to keep affairs balanced. Of course, this should include self-questioning as to what you bring to the people in your life. We’re here on this earth to be useful to each other. Even the most seemingly individualistic endeavor is in relationship to a multitude of conditions and people that surround it. You’re reaping what you’ve sown in your partnerships. It’s time to celebrate the fruits of what you’ve done together, or, settle the score. Don’t get angry. Get even (but remember that balance is ever-shifting).
LIBRA (September 23–October 23)
New moon, new you! A solar eclipse in your first house of body, energy, and spirit indicates a bone-deep makeover. Considering that this is a south node eclipse, it might be a “make-under.” What types of things get in the way of your agency, your voice, and sense of self? The north node, at the opposite end of your chart suggests that it’s other people, or even the idea of other people. What do you imagine they need from you? How does “managing” others contribute to your ego? Let others live by their own instincts so that you can clearly feel your own.
SCORPIO (October 23–November 22)
The portmanteau “frenemy” made from the words “friend” and “enemy,” describes relationships that are maintained for superficial benefit that are built on the foundation of distrust, ill-will, or other nefarious agendas. Right now, you have the opportunity to weed out and dispense with people that consistently sabotage your best efforts or drain your life force. You’ll also be able to address the reasons why you’ve entertained these relationships as long as you have. You may be surprised to find that you are your own worst frenemy. How are you doing a disservice to yourself while making it all seem okay?
SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 22)
You’re usually not one who cares too much about the social politics that surround you. “I am who I am, I said what I said, now deal with it.” This month, however, you could learn a lot by paying attention to your colleagues, comrades, and the communities you circulate through. There’s a pattern of relating to larger groups of people that is up for review. By paying closer attention to cliques, cool kids, outcasts, and rebels, you can get specific about the people you look to for support. You are not for everyone, but playing nice with the right people could pay off big.
CAPRICORN (December 22–January 20)
A long time ago, when you were young, someone impressed upon you the importance of being pleasing. No matter what your personal aesthetic or sense of morality is, you received the impression that to be successful, you must be seen as unfailingly fair, logical, and attractive. This month, you get to confront whether or not you actually care about how others see you and if you’ve adopted a criterion for success that you don’t agree with. It’s time to risk unpopularity for the sake of true success. Project your authentic, ever-changing being out into the world. Untether yourself from who you “should” be.
AQUARIUS
(January 20–February 19)
The term “galaxy brain” was coined for your ilk; the ones who are able to zoom out and make the bigger ideological connections that everyone else misses. You are also the zodiac’s intellectual architect—designing new blueprints and building conceptual scaffolds from which to hang our lived experience. This month, you’ll have to shift gears and begin a dismantling process and, possibly, violate your own codes of belief. While uncomfortable, know that this period of time will ultimately result in the ability to envision larger frameworks of reality. The price of admission is relinquishing some dearly held attitudes about right and wrong.
PISCES
(February 20–March 19)
Do not underestimate your ability to be savvy and judicious in the face of emotional pressure. Don’t let any criticism or self-concept of your being a “softy” discourage you from using your keen powers of discernment to untangle situations of enmeshment. Pisces doesn’t usually get the credit it deserves for understanding concepts of ownership and sovereignty. With Aries ruling your second house of possessions, you’re not above feeling anger when treated unfairly. Pisces deeply understands personal desire, it’s just that you choose to operate from a place of fluid compassion. This month, choose a different operating system. Write your name on everything that’s yours.
Ad Index
1053
Harm nious Development
ArtEast
parting shot
Art as Activism: “Soon Is Now”
As climate change accelerates around the globe, the Hudson Valley is beginning to feel its effects. According to the Hudson River Maritime Museum, the temperature in the Hudson Valley has risen by 3.9°F in the past 100 years, and the average winter temperature has increased by 4°F. Over the next century, the Hudson River is expected to rise over six feet, having catastrophic effects on nearby homes.
Artists have come together to protect their communities with “Soon Is Now,” a free, family-friendly, interactive festival at Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park in Beacon bringing awareness to climate change.
“Soon Is Now” was founded by Beacon-based artist, photographer, and documentary filmmaker, Eva Morgenstern. “What’s cool about it is you’re watching a performance, but you’re also taking in the nature all around you,” she says.
“Soon Is Now,” founded in 2021, sprouted from
Morgenstern’s idea to create an ecological art project. Then she discovered Climate Change Theatre Action, a project that commissions playwrights to create work dedicated to climate change. During the first “Soon Is Now,” local actors read some of these plays and Morgenstern’s co-producers Connie Hall and Brian Mendes curated an array of artist’s works.
At “Soon Is Now,” on October 5, dozens of artists will take audiences through a climate experience along the Hudson. The festival runs from 1 to 4:30pm and guests can sign up for a walking tour through the park. The tours, starting at 2, 2:30, and 3pm, stop at each of the performing art pieces including original works of poetry, dance, music, and sculpture. Scenic Hudson’s River Center will host an art exhibition featuring the work of a dozen artists and a live performance by Elizabeth Castagna. Environmental organizations Riverkeeper and Beacon Climate Action Now will be tabling in the barn.
Cecilia Fontanesi, Randy Burd, and Erick Montes performing Fall Arrest at the 2023 “Soon Is Now” event in Beacon.
Photo by Flynn Larsen
Morgenstern’s festival isn’t solely an arts festival, it’s also an opportunity for the community to learn about the environment around them. At 1 and 2pm Oglala Lakota herbalist, Amy White Eyes, will lead a mugwort plant walk and an interactive workshop. Artist and educator at T. Charnan Lewis will teach a climatefocused art workshop.
“We all know art has an important role to play in inspiring climate awareness and activism and we need these experiences of coming together in community to experience art and live performance to feed our imaginations on how to solve this crisis,” says Morgenstern. “What better place to do it than in a park that has been designed to capture and release the flood waters of the Hudson River, predicted to rise six feet or more by the end of this century?” Soonisnow.org
