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YOU WORK HARD TAKING CARE OF EVERYONE ELSE. IT’S TIME TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.
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Gift of Happiness
Apply time-tested practices to live a happier and more conscious life.
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Jobs come and go, physical beauty fades, markets rise and fall. Even close relationships can end. But the benefits of philosophy last a lifetime. As a gift to the community tuition for our Philosophy Works course is being waived for the winter term beginning January 6, with classes in NYC, Hudson Valley, and On-Line. Register now to discover time-tested principles leading to freedom and sustainable happiness. Classes are offered in: HAMLET OF WALLKILL, NY Tuesdays 7–9PM, 10 sessions starting January 14, 2020 BEACON, NY at the Howland Cultural Center, Saturdays 10–12PM, 10 sessions starting January 18, 2020 Register online or in person for this 10–week introductory course. There is no charge for this introductory course. For information and registration go to philosophyworks.org/hudson or call 845-895-9912 What I’m looking for is not out there, it is in me. — Helen Keller
2 CHRONOGRAM 1/20
1 20
january
Foraged fall foliages above the dance floor at Foxfire Mountain House, created by floral designers Heart & Soil. PETAL PUSHERS, PAGE 58
FRONT MATTER
HEALTH & WELLNESS
6 On the Cover: Todd Koelmel 10 Esteemed Reader 13 Editor’s Note 14 Big Idea: The Devil’s Advocate
36 Getting Unstuck
FOOD & DRINK
OUTDOORS
16 Budget Eats 2020
40 All Downhill From Here
For when you’re saving for that tropical vacation, we’ve rounded up 15 Hudson Valley restaurants where you can get a respectable dinner entree for under $15.
21 The Drink: Recess This generation’s panacea-du-jour, CBD, now comes in its most effervescent form yet, thanks to this start-up.
23 Sips & Bites Five spots where we’ll be dining and drinking.
HOME & GARDEN 26 The Curated Table Chef Melina Hammer and photographer Jim Lafferty have tapped into their talents to create a meal-centric, farm-to-table Airbnb experience.
New year, new you, right? Often easier said than done. To help you actually fulfill your healthy resolutions for 2020, health editor Wendy Kagan talked to experts in three fields for tips on how to get unstuck from old patterns.
This winter already has several large snowfalls under its belt. Want to make the most of the powder? Here’s an update on what’s new slopeside at the region’s ski resorts.
COMMUNITY PAGES 54 Mass Appeal: Great Barrington Beneath Great Barrington’s quaint Rockwellian facade, tectonic plates are shifting, as unprecedented forces of change roil in the sectors of development, racing, and legal marijuana
HOROSCOPES 84 Grow Up and Get Real Lorelai Kude scans the skies and plots our horoscopes for December.
features 52 Food for Thought by Lissa Harris
As planned cuts to the national social safety net threaten the USDA’s universal free cafeteria meal program, we look at how this might affect Hudson Valley school districts.
58 Petal Pushers by Hayley Arsenault
For couples tying the knot in 2020, early winter is peak period for seeking out vendors. We’ve rounded up Hudson Valley floral stylists that will make your wedding, er, bloom.
64 In Full Flight by Peter Aaron
An avid appreciator of music—jazz above all else—Tony Falco had a near-prophetic vision when he founded The Falcon in Marlboro. In two decades, the music venue/restaurant/art gallery has become regular stomping grounds for some of the biggest names in the biz.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM 3
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BEACON INSTITUTE FOR RIVERS AND ESTUARIES
1 20
january
Robin Helfand of Robin’s Candy in Great Barrington, Massachusetts MASS APPEAL, PAGE 44 Photo by Anna Sirota
ARTS
THE GUIDE
68 Music
75 “Animalia” at Ann Street Gallery celebrates the animal kingdom via contemporary art.
Album reviews of You Don’t Know the Life by Jamie Saft/Steve Swallow/Bobby Previte; Multiverse by Full Spectrum Alliance; A Place Where Nobody Goes by June Cleaver & the Steak Knives; and Ride Free by Spirit Family Reunion.
76 ZviDance brings its new climate changethemed dance production to Orpheum. 77 Cats are always on trend, and never more than in the New York Cat Film Festival.
69 Books
79 A gallery guide for December.
In his new memoir, The Art of Resistance, Holocaust survivor Justus Rosenburg chronicles the four years he spent in the French Resistance during World War II; plus short book reviews.
83 Six live shows to pencil in for January.
70 Poetry Poems by D. Burnstone, Esther Cohen, Jay Erickson, Kira Hall, Ken Holland, John Kiersten, Wayne Memmer, Lee Russ, Spencer Watson Seupel, Cathryn Shea, Nina Shengold, J.R. Solonche, Matthew J. Spireng, and Jeffrey van de Visse. Edited by Philip X Levine.
88 Parting Shot Poughkeepsie teacher and photographer Randy Calderone shares a super-heroic shot from his travels.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM 5
on the cover
alt covers For this issue’s alt covers, we asked cover Todd Koelmel to recommend another artist he would put on the cover of Chronogram. Koelmel suggested the work of Brooklyn-based painter Dustin Joyce. From top: Trending Plastic; Infected.
Chronogram
Reservoir Sunset, oil on panel, 2018 TODD KOELMEL
T
he Ashokan Reservoir has been inspiring musicians, writers, and artists for generations. This month’s cover artist, Todd Koelmel, says he’s constantly drawn to the water’s many moods and constant beauties. “I drive across that dyke nearly every day,” he says. “I love that primitive view. There can’t be many lakes with so little development on the shoreline.” Growing up in Woodstock is impossible without a certain amount of art exposure, but Koelmel’s personal journey didn’t lead straight to a paintbrush. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and spent two decades as an engineer, founding Kingston-based Solar Generation with partner Jason Spiotta in 2005. “My art is self-taught, and it’s very much informed by my engineering background,” he says. “It almost feels as though I build these images the way you would a structure. Coming up with a plan, creating a design, and then executing it—I love every step of the process.” Koelmel’s process begins with images captured on his iPhone. “When I get an image that moves me, with the right elements of interesting contrast, layout, and balance, I’ll take that image and start working with it digitally, just fiddle with it for a couple of days,” he says. “Meanwhile I build a panel for it. I don’t paint on canvas, I paint on birch plywood panels, so going and selecting the right wood from the lumberyard and cutting, sanding, and 6 CHRONOGRAM 1/20
mounting it is a whole procedure in itself.” The panel is then painted black, and the digital image is printed as a stencil to guide Koelmel’s paintbrush. “I paint in oils, and then when the stencil is removed, the black background is negative space between blocks of colors and I love that,” he says. “It adds high definition. I love pop art, although I don’t want to limit myself to it—I’ve just always been drawn to hard lines and solid blocks. I don’t do a lot of shading.” Koelmel sold Solar Generation in 2017, allowing him to shift his art from avocation to vocation. “For 20 years, I was painting in my free time—after work, after the kids went to bed,” he says. “For the last five years, it’s been every day. Three or four years ago, I came to this style and I had to see where it would take me.” He’s been selling work now for 18 months, and has exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, and the Hudson Valley. (Koelmel’s work came to our attention via the Small Bands of Misbehavior show last fall at Studio929 Canal in Middletown.) “And now a Chronogram cover!” he says. “I agree with Warhol that art can be business; otherwise, you’d run out of places to put the stuff. I feel so lucky to have found this unique voice that feels like me. And I just put a studio on the house this year, so the kids are in and out all the time and see their dad happily building paintings.” Portfolio: Toddkoelmel.com
Chronogram
Willow by Charlie Palmer at Mirbeau
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1/20 CHRONOGRAM 7
THE FIRST ANNUAL
Chronogrammies READERS CHOICE AWARDS
in the beginning was the nomination Nominate your favorite Hudson Valley business for a Chronogrammie! Nominations open now through February 29!
chronogram.com/chronogrammies 8 CHRONOGRAM 1/20
EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Brian K. Mahoney bmahoney@chronogram.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR David C. Perry dperry@chronogram.com DIGITAL EDITOR Marie Doyon mdoyon@chronogram.com ARTS EDITOR Peter Aaron music@chronogram.com HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITOR Wendy Kagan health@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 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Phillip Pantuso ppantuso@chronogram.com
contributors Hayley Arsenault, Melissa Dempsey, Deborah DeGraffenreid, Lisa Di Venuta, Micahel Eck, Roy Gumpel, Lissa Harris, Lorelai Kude, Jamie Larson, Haviland S. Nichols, Carolyn Quimby, John Rodat, Jeremy Schwartz, Anna Sirota, Sparrow, Carl Van Brunt, Kaitlin Van Pelt
PUBLISHING FOUNDERS Jason Stern & Amara Projansky CEO Amara Projansky aprojansky@chronogram.com PUBLISHER Jason Stern jstern@chronogram.com CHAIRMAN David Dell
media specialists Kelin Long-Gaye k.long-gaye@chronogram.com Jordy Meltzer jmeltzer@chronogram.com Kris Schneider kschneider@chronogram.com Anne Wygal awygal@chronogram.com SALES DEVELOPMENT LEADS Thomas Hansen thansen@chronogram.com SALES MANAGER / CHRONOGRAM SMARTCARD PRODUCT LEAD Lisa Montanaro lmontanaro@chronogram.com
marketing ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Samantha Liotta sliotta@chronogram.com MARKETING SPECIALIST Victoria Levy vlevy@chronogram.com NATIVE CONTENT EDITOR Ashleigh Lovelace alovelace@chronogram.com
interns MARKETING & SALES Rommyani Basu SOCIAL MEDIA Sierra Flach
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administration CUSTOMER SUCCESS & OFFICE MANAGER Molly Sterrs office@chronogram.com; (845) 334-8600x107
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PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Kate Brodowska kbrodowska@chronogram.com Amy Dooley adooley@chronogram.com
office 314 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401 • (845) 334-8600; fax (845) 334-8610
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Chronogram is a regional magazine dedicated to stimulating and supporting the creative and cultural life of the Hudson Valley. All contents © Chronogram Media 2020. 1/20 CHRONOGRAM 9
esteemed reader by Jason Stern
cultural park for dance • tivoli ny
Happy New Year!
Yes, the world is an illusion. But Truth is always being shown there. —Subhani, a 13th-century Persian Sufi teacher Esteemed Reader of Our Magazine:
Join Kaatsbaan in the New Year! Newly Appointed Artistic Director, Stella Abrera, teaches a Winter Ballet Intensive and Workshop January 19, 2020 Intermediate/Advanced Students 5-Classes + lunch Includes technique class and repertory from Swan Lake $250 Adult Workshop Beginner/Open Ballet, November 3 • 10 Hairy Legs, November 9 • Rock theLevel Technique class&and special Q&A $25 Kaatsbaan Tivoli Gala with Robbie Fairchild Stella Abrera, November 16 • Makers Dance Company, November 23 • Classes information at kaatsbaan.org & Open Studios throughtout the season. Tickets KAATSBAAN.ORG
NOVEMBER Attic Projects/Luke Murphy, November 2 • Vivo
Photo: NYC Dance Project Stella Abrera, Principal Dancer American Ballet Theatre
Personal Transformation/Classroom Transformation “An intelligent, meditative, and effective guide to creating a productive classroom atmosphere.”– Kirkus Review of Books angerintheclassroom.com
10 CHRONOGRAM 1/20
I stood on the side of the road with my thumb extended. The day was sunny and cold. Cars sped by, and I looked at each person’s face as a hunter might assess his prey. Some saw me and looked away, others seemed not to notice a person standing on the shoulder in a state of need. Unaccustomed to studying the faces of drivers, I was struck by the sense of isolation of people in their cars. Men and women, young and old, driving trucks or family vans or compacts or German sedans looked preoccupied, distracted, and alone. Studying faces in brief snapshots as they passed, I realized how alone we can be while being in close proximity. The glass and metal and plastic enclosure of the vehicles seemed to be a material metaphor for a state of alienation from a larger world. Each driver was living in a world of personal preoccupation, concerns, and waking dreams, completely apart from the actual event of driving on a road in southern Ulster County. As a child in the 1970s, hitchhiking felt quite normal, joyous even. We hitchhiked as a family, and my parents unfailingly stopped to pick people up, even if it meant cramming eight people into a car designed for six. There was flexibility then, because car seats were not buckets but big benches stretching from door to door, front and back. I recall the cars had lap belts but no one wore them, and they were inevitably lost somewhere in the cracks of the seats. Hitchhiking was like a pop-up party. We met new people, sometimes found strange connections or synchronicities within a few degrees of separation, shared stories, breathed one another’s exhalations, and gave and received rides. Having a car is powerful and satisfying. It imparts a feeling of strength and independence. The downside is we rarely run into anyone we don’t know unless it’s the result of a collision. In Europe, there’s a greater emphasis on public transportation and a corresponding sense of community in travel. In the ’80s, when I first traveled Europe, the train cars had small, intimate cabins in which a half-dozen strangers would sit together and relate. In the intervening years, experiences have become more isolated, I guess because there’s more money to be made in selling people stuff individually. Business benefits from steering people away from collective, homegrown experience and into more isolated, productized, and specialized modes of engagement. With our cars and computers and devices, we are like so many babes nursing at one of the myriad teats of the corporate Artemis. With this isolation comes a fear of other, diminished empathy, and lessened ability to stand in someone else’s shoes, let alone walk a mile in them. I suspect this is a cyclical thing, and eventually the pendulum will shift towards a greater sense of the joy of interconnection. This may require the collapse of the structures and institutions that monopolize attention in so many one-to-many relationships, necessitating that we return to a less individualized, more cooperative and interdependent mode of relating. Or perhaps a shift may arise organically as a spontaneous realization of the paucity and loneliness of our solitary existence. On the side of the road I am roused from my private thoughts about isolation by a bright face, looking over the steering wheel of a red Toyota, with eyes that make contact with mine. The car pulls over, and I jog over and jump in. “Hi,” she says tentatively, “I don’t pick up hitchhikers.” “No problem,” I reply. “I’m not a hitchhiker. Just a guy looking for a ride back to town.” I discover her name is Molly. She lives in Rosendale, but she used to live in New Paltz. We have a good chat, and Molly drives the extra mile to bring me all the way home.
Cover artwork by Joel Griffith
BLAST FROM THE PAST
READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS RETURN WITH THE CHRONOGRAMMIES
G
et stoked: Nominations for the Chronogrammies Readers’ Choice Awards are officially open. From now until the end of February, you can nominate your favorite outstanding Hudson Valley businesses in 125 categories. From tacos to tattoo parlors, we want to hear about all the people, places, and things that you love about this region. You might be wondering why we’re handing over the critics’ role to our faithful Chronogram community after all these years. “We’re excited to discover hidden gems from the people who share our values and are as obsessed with the Hudson Valley as we are,” says Chronogram editorial director Brian K. Mahoney. “The Chronogrammies are the voice of our readers, offering them a platform to highlight what they love about this place that is so special to all of us.” Between now and February 29, head over to Chronogram.com/chronogrammies to nominate your favorite Hudson Valley businesses. After nominations close, the top three businesses in each category will advance to the final voting round. We’ll announce the winners, plus the first and second runners-up, in the July issue of Chronogram. Then, it’s time to party! For one night only, we’ll toast our winners right alongside the people who chose them—you!
Between 1998 and 2000, Chronogram published annual “Best of the Mid-Hudson Valley” issues. We detailed our own idiosyncratic preferences and found out what you, our readers, loved. It was hard work! Google was barely two years old and Mark Zuckerberg hadn’t even graduated from high school. That meant we surveyed the old-fashioned way: printing a tear-out sheet in the magazine and pounding the pavement with clipboards and a spirit of enquiry. We dug into the archive to find the issues and unearthed some real gems. Like looking at old photos of oneself, it was a mixture of nostalgia and embarrassment. We had categories for Divorce Lawyer (no clear consensus), Step Toward Sustainability Living (CSA farms), Organic Produce (Mother Earth’s), Road for Speeding (New York State Thruway), Cleanest Bathroom (Fishkill Mobil Mart), and Waterway (is it any surprise that one went to the mighty Hudson?). Thankfully, gathering opinions is much easier now. We get to use a fancy online ballot system to reach a wider audience. You get to lounge on the couch with your phone, scrolling through Facebook and voting for your favorite Hudson Valley businesses at the same time. (Okay, maybe take a walk outside to balance out all that screen time.)
Chronogrammies Countdown NOMINATIONS OPEN January 1-February 29 NOMINATIONS TALLIED March 1-31 VOTING ROUND April 1-May 31 FINAL VOTES TALLIED June 1-30 WINNERS ANNOUNCED July 1 LET’S PARTY! Come celebrate the Chronogrammies with a blow-out bash. More details to come. Chronogram.com/chronogrammies
1/20 CHRONOGRAM 11
THE FIRST ANNUAL
Chronogrammies READERS CHOICE AWARDS
nominate early nominate often Nominate your favorite Hudson Valley business for a Chronogrammie! Nominations open now through February 29!
chronogram.com/chronogrammies 12 CHRONOGRAM 1/20
editor’s note
by Brian K. Mahoney
Content Never Sleeps
H
appy New Year, dear readers. Welcome to 2020, destined to be a memorable spin around the sun given all the predictable reasons. It’s a leap year. (Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious extra day? I was going to suggest we all ditch work and watch the wheels of capitalism grind to a halt, but February 29 falls on a Saturday, so I’ll probably just clean out the garage instead. #DomesticHeroism). I’m just guessing here, but odds are it’s going to be the hottest year on record yet again. (Sorry, climate change deniers.) There’s a presidential election (vote Putin!). And your humble editor turns 50. But before surging ahead into the new decade, let’s reminisce about a few of the remarkable pieces we published in 2019. Here’s why: If you’ve actually taken the time to read this, you’ve chosen this piece of content over, literally, tens of billions of other pieces of content created at the same time—magazine articles, Netflix comedy specials, text messages, Facebook posts, Tik Tok videos, presidential tweets, podcasts, Jehovah’s Witness pamphlets, and on an on— vying for your attention. To take just one small corner of the internet as an example: According to a study by Micro Focus ControlPoint, more than 4 million hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every day, with users watching 5.97 billion hours of YouTube videos each day. We are swept along on a raging cataract of content. But not all content is created equal. As Jonathan Haidt and Tobias Rose-Stockwell noted in the December issue of The Atlantic (“The Dark Psychology of Social Networks: Why It Feels Like Everything Is Going Haywire”), there’s content that was created yesterday and content that has stood the test of time. “Our cultural ancestors were probably no wiser than us, on average, but the ideas we inherit from them have undergone a filtration process. We mostly learn of ideas that a succession of generations thought were worth passing on. That doesn’t mean these ideas are always right, but it does mean that they are more likely to be valuable, in the long run, than most content generated within the past month.” In that spirit, I am resurfacing some of our pieces from the past year that are worth revisiting. Consider me a filtration process. They’re all available at Chronogram.com and Therivernewsroom.com. Immigration In collaboration with The River, our journalism sister site, we spilled a lot of ink (and zeros and ones) covering immigration issues this year, beginning with a report in February on ICE crackdowns in the region. In March and April, we featured Michael Frank’s reporting on ICE’s detention of Luis Martinez. On January
16, the businessman was arrested outside his office in New Paltz and imprisoned at the Orange County Jail. Martinez, though born in Mexico, has spent most of his life in the US, building a business and raising his kids here. Frank’s reporting included an extensive dive into Martinez’s personal history, how it intersected with immigration law and enforcement, and the fear-filled lives of undocumented immigrants in the Hudson Valley. On June 16, after 153 days in detention, Martinez was released from custody after a judge ruled that the government had held him unlawfully, denying him due process. In our November issue, Frank tackled the immigration piece from a different angle, profiling local immigration advocates in “A Helping Hand.” It chronicled the efforts of the organizations fighting back against unjust federal policies targeting immigrants. The spirit of the piece is captured in the words of Father Frank Alagna, an Episcopal priest and cofounder of the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network: “To fail to resist is to be complicit.” Microdosing In 2018, Michael Pollan’s bestseller How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence captured the public imagination by profiling the resuscitative efforts of a small group of scientists, psychotherapists, and “psychonauts” who were advocating for the therapeutic use of psychedelics in large doses. In our September issue, Health & Wellness editor Wendy Kagan reported on a grassroots microdosing movement in our region. More subtle than tripping, microdosing generally acts like a mood enhancer; the idea is to take a miniscule dose every few days to experience its benefits. For the Hudson Valley residents Kagan spoke to, it was a game-changer, “Honestly, from day one, it completely changed everything. I stopped having bad days, physically and mentally,” artist Emily Ritz said. “The day after I started microdosing, I would hop out of bed in the morning early to go hike and swim. I felt so energized. I was living my fantasy.” So, who’s got the blotter? Palestine Hosting Society As part of Bard College’s “No Wall Remains” festival, which centered on the subject of borders, in November Mirna Bamieh brought her food/ performance art project Palestinian Hosting Society to Murray’s restaurant in Tivoli for three days of food and conversation. Menu of Dis/ appearance presented dishes from Palestinian cities and villages, as well as others that were preserved in Palestinian refugee camps outside Palestine and encompass the intergenerational
food habits and cultural memory of the Palestinian diaspora. The suppressions of a food source, and the cultural implications that go along with it—the erasure of customs and collective memory surrounding an indigenous cuisine—are Bamieh’s focus. “Because of the political situation, as Palestinians we are made to feel like guests in our own country, we cannot move around freely,” she told Peter Aaron. “With the tables, we are taken out of the passive role. We become the hosts.” At a time when the plight of Palestinians seems largely forgotten in this country—and conditions continue to worsen in Palestine—Bamieh’s cultural education efforts are especially poignant and important. Isis Charise’s Grace Project This portfolio contained more nudity (six pages!) than this editor is usually comfortable with, but I was on sabbatical and it was all in the service of a good cause—celebrating the beautiful bodies of breast cancer survivors. After photographing one woman with a mastectomy scar, Kingston-based photographer Isis Charise decided she “needed to put a face to breast cancer and the beauty and grace that exists through that whole process.” The photographs, printed on silk, convey both vulnerability and power. The women, draped in gauzy fabrics that catch the light, gaze at the camera in pain and triumph. “I’m not photographing models,” Charise told acting editor Marie Doyon. “I’m photographing suburban housewives living in the Midwest. Ordinary people. People who would have never posed naked pre-cancer.” Follow the project on Instagram @800goddesses A Slumlord in Newburgh In another collaboration with The River in our December issue, Arvind Dilawar investigated properties in Newburgh owned by John Boubaris, one of the city’s biggest landlords. Freedom of Information Act requests revealed that Boubaris’s properties have amassed hundreds of complaints, from lack of heat to unpermitted construction, collapsed ceilings to unlawful rental of individual rooms. According to William Horton, Newburgh’s building inspector, these problems are typical across the city, as owners view their buildings as money extraction machines first and investments second. Seventy percent of the city’s 29,000 residents rent. With fewer than 5,500 residential properties in the city, demand is swollen for housing that is often both old and neglected. “The landlord business is a booming business in the City of Newburgh,” Horton told Dilawar. “People for a long time have made a lot of money in Newburgh without putting a lot of money into it.” 1/20 CHRONOGRAM 13
Photos by Amberly Jane Campbell
BIG IDEA
Devil’s Advocate Student-Run News Platform By Anne Pyburn Craig
W
hen Alex Shiffer and Sharon Richman began publishing the Shawangunk Journal in 2006, their daughter Jasmine was just a tot. Ten years later, she was well-schooled and positioned to note that Ellenville High School lacked a dynamic news source. “When I was a freshman, there was a printed school paper that came out twice and then just vanished,” Jasmine Shiffer says. “I thought there ought to be something out there that people would actually notice. So I just kinda went for it, started writing posts.” The Devil’s Advocate (Ellenville’s sports teams are the Blue Devils), a free app with studentwritten content, has been downloaded by at least 270 people. One story a week is printed in the Shawangunk Journal. “Last year there were 10 of us, this year there are seven,” Shiffer says. “We meet once a month and have a group chat where we get stuff done. Students talk about it, even teachers talk about it—we did a series of teacher interviews last year and they all really got into it. I love reading the comments, and when people come up to me in person with reactions. We get all kinds of feedback.” Sometimes the feedback is contentious. A recent opinion piece about the district’s decision not to close school when the 14 CHRONOGRAM 1/20
weather broke bad on the day of a bond vote drew phone calls from aggravated board members; the Devil’s Advocate plans to follow up with a news story about the vote that will include an interview with district superintendent Lisa Wiles. A piece about trans people in athletics became “a fullfledged debate between one older guy and four of my friends,” Shiffer recalls. Shawangunk Journal publisher Amberly Jane Campbell is confident in the news judgement of her young colleagues. “The critical thinking and depth constantly impresses me. We chose not to write about a student going through a pregnancy, but when a student got arrested, that was covered; we had really deep discussions about both of those decisions. Every time I sit down to hear their point of view, I’m enlightened. It’s beautiful to watch.” Besides the free app, the Devil’s Advocate is part of NewsAtomic, a hyperlocal journalism multiverse designed by the Shawangunk Journal’s tech-savvy founders. There’s a subscriber paywall, but nonsubscribers can read content from Hudson Valley Livelihood, the Delaware Hudson Canvas, the Livingston Manor Ink, and the BKAA Guardian for 25 cents a story.
The Devil’s Advocate staff (top left to right): Violet Shiffer, Cassie Reyes, Bella Ramirez, Vanelys Malave, Alida Goldsmith, Lukasz Kogut Bottom row, l-r: Jasmine Shiffer, Meghan Stone-Wardinsky, Rageena Chander, and Alayna Stickles Opposite: Alex Shiffer and Jasmine Shiffer in the offices of the Shawangunk Journal.
The business model was featured in late October in the Atlantic as “The New Approach to Local Journalism,” and folks took notice. “We were approached by a few fellowships and grants, by some local organizations to be on panel discussions, we were invited on various radio shows, and three other local independent publishers reached out to us to be a part of NewsAtomic—Ulster Publishing, Mid-Hudson News, and Sullivan Times,” says Campbell. “There’s also an investigative, women-led publication starting up out of Kingston.” Alex Shiffer says it’s working well. The Shawangunk Journal gained 200 digital subscribers last year, and print subscriptions rose for the first time in five years. The software that powers the student pub is available to districts everywhere, free of charge. “Rondout Valley’s version of the app is being finished; they’ve got teachers involved and kids ready to go,” says Campbell. “We have a school in Minneapolis, and one in New York City. Those places are adopting it through district channels. Ellenville’s been a bit more rogue, but we want it to have a future, so down the road it may become official.”
“We just need a faculty member who’s a strong believer in the First Amendment and understands that honest journalism is never going to be 100-percent positive,” says Alex Shiffer. “The dream was to have underground, insurgent school papers popping up everywhere, but without the school buying in, it’s difficult. But it’s really easy for community publishers to sponsor school efforts and get great content and terrific PR. I’d like to see every district in Ulster County get involved.” His daughter has caught the news bug. “I’m not certain what my life will look like, but at least in college I definitely plan to be involved in journalism,” Jasmine says. “I think it’s a powerful way to reach people and encourage them to concentrate more and see what things actually mean; it brings people together and helps them understand one another.” That, says Campbell, is higher-order education. “Especially in a place like Ellenville, where we have students from every point on every imaginable spectrum of circumstances and viewpoints. They need to learn about agreeing to disagree and staying civil. And they are unlikely to pick up a print newspaper.” Newsatomic.com 1/20 CHRONOGRAM 15
food & drink
Burger and fries from the Anchor in Kingston.
Budget Eats
2020
DINNER FOR <$15 By Melissa Dempsey
W
hen you dine out, you’re indulging in an experience. Food, service, and atmosphere are all a part of what makes your night memorable, whether you leave satisfied or exasperated. Here in the Hudson Valley, there is no shortage of fine dining establishments at which artfully plated dishes and gracious servers are the modus operandi; our region grows more fortunate each time a Culinary Institute of America grad falls in love with their surroundings and decides to call the Valley home. But great food is an art, and not all fastidious feasts need to break the bank—there are plenty of eateries in the Mid-Hudson region to dine on a dime, without sacrificing flavor or quality. This year, our annual cheap-eats roundup includes 15 dinner options for $15 or less (bring a little extra for tax and tip) that delight even the pickiest gastronome. 16 FOOD & DRINK CHRONOGRAM 1/20
Burgers, Wings, and Things at the Anchor
Though they’ve been bringing indie acts to Midtown Kingston for close to a decade, the Anchor is much more than a music scene. It’s become an inclusivity-centered public house known as much for its revolving craft beers on tap, as it is for its mouthwatering menu. Choose from a selection of burgers for $15 or less, like the Johnny Cash, with root beer pulled pork, jalapenos, and bacon ($15); or the Bob Marley, with melted blue cheese crumbles and buffalo sauce ($12). And don’t miss Wednesday Wing Nights: Get a full plate of saucy chicken wings or cauliflower “wings” for less than $10. Theanchorkingston.com
Sandwiches of All Stripes at Brios
Heading toward the Catskills? Stop by Phoenicia’s quaint Main Street to enjoy a budget-friendly meal at Brio’s Pizzeria and Restaurant. Try the Tuscan chicken sandwich: asiago bread with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and pesto mayo served with fries ($11.95); or a classic roast beef on asiago bread with horseradish sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion ($12.95). If you’re craving Italian, personal pizzas start at $10.99. Don’t miss the goat cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, portabellos, garlic, and olive oil ($11.99). Brios.net
Two-and-Change Tacos at Mexican Kitchen
There’s no shortage of great places to eat in New Paltz, but the deals can’t be beat at Mexican Kitchen. Plus, they serve breakfast all day; you can have your huevos rancheros with bacon and beans ($6.50) before you hit the town’s vibrant nightlife. But tacos, less than $3 each, come in hard-to-resist flavors like pork and pineapple, chorizo, vegetarian, or lengua—beef tongue. Add a horchata to drink for an authentic treat. (845) 256-5070
Big Easy Meets the `Burgh at Mama Roux
You don’t need to travel to New Orleans to get your fix of classic Creole cuisine. (Though, you really should. At least twice.) At Mama Roux in Newburgh, you can enjoy the Big Easy’s finest, like the fried oyster po’boy, divinely dressed in Cajun remoulade with chicory slaw for just 14 bucks. Indulge in some true bayou eats with the gator and crawfish Sausage ($15) served with Creole mustard. When it comes to classic soul food, you can’t go wrong with Mama’s fried chicken, tender and juicy chicken under a crackling crunch, two pieces for $6, a half-chicken for $11. Order up a Sazerac from the bar, and as they say in Nawlins, “Laissez les bon temps rouler.” Mama-roux.com
Ten-Dollar Tortas at El Azteca Mexican Deli
Don’t let the name fool you; this authentic Mexican eatery in the City of Poughkeepsie is much more than a grab-and-go deli. With true south-of-the-border flavors, festive decor, and low-cost meals, you’ll want to stay awhile. Tostadas go for $8, and a tamale platter for $12, but at a mere $10, their filling torta sandwiches are hard to pass up. Try the ham and cheese Oaxaquena; the Nortena with grilled steak, onions, and mushrooms; or the Azteca with ham, chorizo, and chipotle chicken. Don’t leave without dessert—churros are just $4. (845) 483-7677
Brisket Sandwich at Brothers Barbecue
This New Windsor-based barbecue joint makes authentic, Southern smokehouse delights; the three brothers behind the smoker spent much of their childhood visiting family Down South and brought those flavors and techniques back to the Valley. Meats are smoked daily with a signature blend of woods and spices, like the peppercrusted brisket, which comes as a sandwich for only $14.99. The pulled pork sandwich, piled high on a brioche bun, is another popular option for just $12.99. Smokenallday.com
Allan’s Famous Falafel Plate at Allan’s Falafel
A belly-filling platter of delicious falafel and sides for $12.50? You can see why it’s considered famous. Allan’s Falafel is a cafe in Chester well known for its authentic Israeli cuisine, including fresh chickpea falafel with parsley, cilantro, and spices that are fried to a perfect crisp on the outside while staying moist within. The famous falafel plate comes with green salad, hummus, tahini salad, rice or fries, and two pitas. If you’re not as hungry, try the pita version, which comes with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, hummus, and tahini served in warm pita ($6.95) or the four-falafel appetizer for just $3.50. Allansfalafel.net
Budget Burritos at Bubby’s Take Away Kitchen
Bubby’s made a name for itself as a burrito stand in Red Hook. Now that it’s become an eat-in or to-go cafe, it’s become an absolute staple for health-conscious Caribbean and Latin American cuisine. Their generously stuffed burritos are made for two hands and come in a variety of flavors: chicken, pork, chorizo, brisket, or guacamole for $10, with a side salad. Single tacos topped with salsa come in sweet and savory flavors like pork and pineapple or chicken tomatillo for just $3.25 each. Vegetarians love the cauliflower curry ($11) with cilantro, cashews, garbanzo beans, and brown or coconut rice. (845) 758-8226
Fried chicken and biscuits from Mama Roux in Newburgh.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM FOOD & DRINK 17
So Many Delicious Reasons to Visit RESTAURANTS
EVENTS
CLASSES
ciarestaurantgroup.com
ciaweddingsandevents.com
ciafoodies.com
1946 Campus Drive (Route 9) Hyde Park, NY 12538
The Hudson Valley’s Premier Restaurant & Event Space
Brunch •Lunch •Dinner •Events 1379 US 9, Wappingers Falls, NY 125 90 | @heritagefooddrink | 845.298.1555 | www.heritagefooddrink.com
18 FOOD & DRINK CHRONOGRAM 1/20
Chicken Pad Thai at Wasana’s Thai
Wasana Nicholos spent her childhood in Thailand, where she learned traditional cooking from her family. She and her husband Harold, a CIA grad (1994), have been serving up authentic Thai dishes at Wasana’s Thai Restaurant in Catskill for more than two decades. Sure, there are plenty of exotic curry and stir-fried meals with varying levels of spicy heat to try. But the wallet-friendly chicken pad Thai keeps diners coming back for more, at $12.50. Save room for desserts like black rice pudding topped with coconut cream, fried banana with palm sugar sauce, or a simple slice of chocolate cake, each just $5. Wasanasthairestaurant.com
Boitson’s Weeknight Deals
Boitson’s has been known for its quality, gourmet meals in Uptown Kingston since before the neighborhood established itself as a hotspot for weekenders. But those who visit town for just a weekend are missing out on some great deals. On Monday night, Boitson’s features a chef ’s choice Blue Plate Special for $10; past dishes have included beef stew over pappardelle pasta and grilled pork tenderloin with a pineapplecherry gastrique. On Wednesdays, enjoy a hearty burger and hand-cut fires for just $10, or fill up with a fried chicken dinner on Thursdays: two pieces with mashed potatoes, veggies, and honey for just $14. Boitsons.com
Sunday Special at Catskill Mountain Pizza
Woodstock has no shortage of gourmet restaurants and fine fare. But sometimes you just want a simple slice or two of New York-style pizza. On Sundays at Catskill Mountain Pizza, you can enjoy your pie at a bargain with the Sunday Special: Get a large cheese pizza— that’s 18”—for the price of a small ($11, normally $15). More of a sandwich person? Grab a Philly cheesesteak or chicken parm hero for only $10 all week long. Catskillmountainpizza.com
A Dozen Dumplings at Palace Dumpling
Though it looks like an unassuming hole-in-the-wall, Palace Dumpling is a family-owned eatery offering top-notch dumplings, noodles, and other cuisine of the Dongbei region of North China, where owner Hu Yanmei grew up. As the name implies, dumplings
are the star of the show—firm on the outside, fluffy and flavorful with each bite, in a variety of flavors. And the fact that you can enjoy a dozen delicious dumplings for around $10 is a deal that’s hard to resist. Try popular options like pork with chive or chicken with onion for $8.99 each, or beef with carrots for $9.99. Palacedumplingny.com
Bargain Bar Food at Dutchess Bier Cafe
This Belgian-inspired biergarten is well known for its craft brew selection, but their menu of high-end pub grub shouldn’t be overlooked. You can’t go wrong with poutine—fries with gravy, local cheese curds, and chives for $12, or a hearty bowl of chili at $6. Try the loaded BLT with a half pound of bacon, plus lettuce, tomato, and dill mayo on Texas toast; on the lighter side, there’s crispy Brussels salad with Belgian endive, fried Brussels sprout leaves, local apple, pecorino, and pomegranate dressing (both $12). Thedutchessbiercafe.com
Grass-Fed and Organic at Grazin’ Diner
Grazin’ in Hudson maintains that vintage diner vibe while appealing to today’s palates and sustainable values, with a focus on local, grass-fed and finished, and organic food. Here, even a burger and fries is thoughtfully made with grass-fed beef and hand-cut organic potatoes fried in non-GMO organic oil. Try the Grazin’ burger, lightly seasoned for just $11.99, or the veg-friendly Bello, a whole marinated and grilled portobello cap with roasted red peppers and buttermilk aioli for just $13. Grazinburger.com
Monday Flammkuchen at Jägerberg Beer Hall & Alpine Tavern
Mondays are made better when ended with comfort food and a hearty pint—especially when you can save some cash. Jägerberg Beer Hall & Alpine Tavern serves German classics like schnitzel, sausage, sauerbraten, and flammkuchen, a German flatbread pizza. On Mondays, they offer a Flammkuchen special: $15 will get you a flatbread pizza and a draft beer. Pick your pint from a rotating selection of German-style beers, some brewed locally, including pilsners, Kolsch, Shwarzbier, and others. Jagerberghall.com
Catskill Mountain Pizza in Woodstock.
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Fine Dinering
588 ROUTE 9
FISHKILL , NY 12524
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20 FOOD & DRINK CHRONOGRAM 1/20
LIVE MUSIC IN THE TAVERN
ACCORD
TROTWOOD RE S TAUR AN T
DINNER Thursday to Sunday 5p -10p
BRUNCH Saturday & Sunday 8a - 3p
230 Winter Clove Road . Round Top, NY 12473 . (518) 622-9363
SAT URDAY NIGH T S
FUCHSIA TIKI BAR
In the heart of the Catskills!
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the drink Recess
I
n our company,” says Benjamin Witte, founder and CEO of New York-based start-up Recess, “We never use the word ‘relax.’” It’s a paradoxical maxim for a brand that makes CBD-infused seltzer, a trendy drink known for its calming ingredients. Recess, like many innovative start-ups, spawned from a problem: Witte suffered from anxiety and struggled to ease his stress while remaining alert and focused. His “lightbulb moment” occurred by chance in 2017, after purchasing a bottle of green juice from a health food store. This juice contained a curious new ingredient: CBD extract, which made him feel even-keeled, calm and focused. Witte, who worked in tech marketing in San Francisco prior to founding Recess, recognized the potential in that first sip of CBD-infused juice. His premonition: “CBD will become the next caffeine.” Witte wasn’t wrong. Today, CBD has infiltrated the retail industry, rising from obscurity to become one of the most ubiquitous consumer products on the market. You can purchase CBD-infused tea, shampoo, lotion, gummies, dog treats, and more. Rather than an offshoot of the beverage or wellness industry, Witte thinks of Recess as a productivity company. “To be your most productive self, you need to take recesses.” That’s why Recess aligns itself with the creative community. Creatives are constantly producing, thinking, and hustling. To sustain this level of output, you need cognitive clarity. Recess offers a refreshing, carbonated chill pill bottled in millennial pink cans. Its tagline proclaims the seltzer to be “an antidote to modern times.” While Recess is based in New York City, the Hudson Valley has proved invaluable for Witte’s business. Early in Recess’s development phase, Hudson Valley Brewery owner JohnAnthony Gargiulo introduced Witte to local business owner Jason Schuler. Schuler is the founder of Beacon’s Drink More Good, which produces all-natural soda syrups. He helped Witte devise Recess’s signature formula—a combination of seltzer, CBD extract, and adaptogens. Since then, Schuler has been a strategic partner at Recess. Both companies share a manufacturing facility in East Fishkill, where Recess has produced more than 400,000 cans since October 2018. Follow the journey on Instagram: @TakeARecess —Lisa Di Venuta
1/20 CHRONOGRAM FOOD & DRINK 21
From left: Jenny Hayward, Caitlin Nagel, and Maggie Wynn at Fuschia Tiki Bar in New Paltz.
Sponsored
Photo by Roy Gumpel
new paltz bar hop with CHRONOGRAMSMARTCARD C
an you really call your Friday evening “a night on the town” if it ended at 8pm after a too-quick meal from your weekly standby? With new bars and restaurants opening in the Hudson Valley every month, it’s a shame not to fill an evening to its brim. Luckily, New Paltz’s compact downtown is home to a curated bar and restaurant scene. You can nurse a high-impact tiki drink, have a leisurely dinner, then finish out the night with the new drafts from top-tier Hudson Valley brewmasters. Even better news: You can find these spots on Chronogram Smartcard, the free app that saves you up to 50 percent at select local Hudson Valley restaurants. Head to the App Store or Google Play to download the free app, then plan a New Paltz night out from a few (or all!) of the options below. A Taste of the Tropics at Fuschia Tiki Bar The whimsical cocktails at this Polynesian paradise scream retro-Hollywood fun. If you’re feeling ambitious, round up your friends for the expedition. This large-format drink serves four to five, and combines a hard-hitting duo
22 FOOD & DRINK CHRONOGRAM 1/20
of bourbon and black rum with a jolt of coffee. Single-serving classics like the Piña Colada and the Undead Gentleman (a sans-ice take on the rum-based Zombie) are on standby, too. Fuschiatikibar.com Beer Hall Heaven at Schatzi’s This German-influenced beer garden and pub doesn’t just carry classic brews from the motherland. They also have some heavy-hitting names from this side of the Atlantic, like Sloop, Grimm, and the Alchemist. To get the full experience, add a soft pretzel with beer cheese dipping sauce. Iloveschatzis.com
New Orleans-Style Sips at The Parish When you touch down at this homage to the Big Easy, opt for an old-school cocktail like the snow-white Ramos Gin Fizz. Its fluffy, frothy texture comes from raw egg white and rich cream vigorously shaken together with lime juice and fragrant orange flower water—topped off with a spritzy splash of club soda. Theparishrestaurant.com
French Bistro Vibes at RUNA Bistro Do as the French do and settle in for a relaxing meal at the newly opened RUNA. Hearty bistro fare like duck cassoulet, mushroom and vegetable bourguignon, and crème brûlée will surely fuel the evening ahead. Runabistro.com Farmhouse Funk at Arrowood Outpost Make your way down the stairs beside Barner Books on Church Street and you’ll uncover a subterranean refuge where Arrowood Farm Brewery is serving its finest pours. If you’re ending your night here, be sure to grab a growler of a hazy farmhouse-style ale to go. Arrowoodfarms.com Brew and a Burger at Bacchus Ready for a last-call drink and some late night eats? Head to this welcoming watering hole that boasts over 300 different beers. A few of them even come straight from the microbrewery in back. If a pile of wings or a juicy Pat La Frieda burger are calling your name, the kitchen takes orders until 1am Thursday-Saturday. Bacchusnewpaltz.com
sips & bites Industrial Arts Brewing What’s better than drinking beer inside? Drinking beer outside, duh. In a stroke of genius, Industrial Arts Brewing has opened up their greenhouses to customers in the back for a passive-solar winter biergarten experience, with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Industrial Arts, whose flagship location is in the Garner Arts Complex, was awarded Best Brewery by VinePair in 2018. In both locations, Dolly’s restaurant in Garrison is curating the food menu, so the Industrial Arts folks can stay focused on producing the best beer possible. The Beacon location features 10 taps and an expansive event space, with large banks of windows on both sides, one overlooking the brewery floor, the other looking out at Mount Beacon. They’re just hitting their stride, but looking forward, expect lots of music and film programming.
511 Fishkill Avenue, Beacon
Alebrijes After mysteriously disappearing off the map from their prominent location at the corner of Kingston’s Wall and John streets in 2018, the owners of Alebrijes Mexican restaurant resurfaced with a splash last summer taking over the iconic, forlorn former location of Skytop Steakhouse. Perched on a rocky outcropping overlooking the Hurley flats (and, yes, also the Route 209/28 on ramp), the space sat dormant for years, its expansive views going to waste. Now owner Jose Velasco brings his signature pizzazz for food and fiesta to this new spot. Insider reports say the food is better than ever, and the DJ dance parties on the weekends, spinning a mix of cachengue music, are a welcome injection of diversity.
Locations 20 Garden St., Rhinebeck, NY (845) 516-5197 338 Route 212, Saugerties, NY (845) 247-3665
237 Forest Hill Drive, Kingston
AMA Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar Sometimes the old way is the best way. AMA Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar in Fishkill is not trying to mess with a good thing, honoring age-old Italian traditions and recipes and sourcing the bulk of the ingredients for their pizzas, pastas, and secondi directly from Naples. You won’t feel like you’re in the Old World though, as the Dutchess County restaurant has a modern gleam, with a large wall of glistening white subway tiles, Edison bulb light fixtures, and a demure gray color scheme. This new eatery is the latest from the restaurateurs behind Enoteca Ama and Cafe Amacord, both located in Beacon. If you like seafood, don’t miss the linguini alla scoglio ($22), and make sure someone in your group orders the anduja pizza with spicy prosciutto paste, mozzarella, shallots, and tomatoes ($14).
1083 Route 9, Fishkill
Le Gamin Country If you’ve never been to this little slice of Paris plunked down in the middle of Warren Street in Hudson, you may wonder why everyone is hugging each other. One reason: In a town of headline- and tourist-grabbing restaurants, Le Gamin is an open secret, known well by locals but not much written about. Also, it’s only open for breakfast and lunch. The classics are all here, however: Quiche Lorraine, a compelling mix of eggs, air, cheese, and smoky, thick-cut bacon ($8.25); the essential French breakfast sandwiches, Le Croque Monsieur and Le Croque Madame ($8.75/$9.25); a dozen each savory and sweet crepes ($5-$12.95); salads like La Salade Nicoise ($11.50) and an endive salad with Roquefort, apples, and walnuts ($11.50). Beer and wine are available, as are antique French signs, and hugs from the gregarious owner. A word to the wise: Le Gamin Country is cash-only.
w w w. b u n s b u r g e r s n y. c o m
of Full Line uts C ld o C Organic ooking C e m o H and en Delicatess
79 Main Street New Paltz 845-255-2244 Open 7 Days
Local Organic Grass-Fed Beef • Lamb • Goat • Veal • Pork • Chicken • Wild Salmon
No Hormones ~ No Antibiotics ~ No Preservatives Custom Cut • Home Cooking Delicatessen Nitrate-Free Bacon • Pork Roasts • Beef Roasts Bone-in or Boneless Ham: smoked or fresh Local Organic Beef • Exotic Meats (Venison, Buffalo, Ostrich) • Wild Fish
609 Warren Street, Hudson
Grinds and Grains While we concede that the market viability of a cereal bar may be limited to a densely populated college town, we still dig the endearing concept behind Grinds & Grains. The colorful little cafe, down a side street, serves up more than 20 cereals, which you can pair with a dizzying array of dairy and nondairy milk options and finish off with some gourmet toppings. A regular bowl is $3, a large $4.50, and you can even order to go if you’re in a rush. Let your imagination run wild—Frosted Flakes in strawberry milk topped with fresh raspberries and almonds? Got it. Cheerios in chocolate milk? Got it. And if you’re in the mood for something heartier, G&G also offers a range of hot food options like fresh-made soups and chilis, sliders, and hot dogs, along with local granola and steel-cut oats. As the name suggests, G&G also takes its coffee seriously, with a full espresso bar serving up caffeinated beverages made with beans from Partners Coffee Roasters.
3 Church Street, New Paltz
Give LOVE this new year! OPEN EVERY DAY! LOVE APPLE FARM.COM 1421 ROUTE 9H • GHENT NY 12075 • (518) 828 - 5048
1/20 CHRONOGRAM FOOD & DRINK 23
62 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 256-0101
B I S T R O
lunch
•
brunch
10 Plattekill Ave, New Paltz, NY
•
•
dinner
845 419 5007
THE
PANDORICA RESTAURANT 165 Main St, Beacon (845) 831-6287
•
62 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 256-0100
runabistro.com
Doctor Who themed restaurant serving a varied international menu. Many gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options.
thepandoricarestaurant.com
www.bsidegrill.com
We are proud to be offering the freshest local fare of the Hudson Valley, something that is at the core of our food philosophy. OPEN 5 DAYS A WEEK
Serving breakfast & lunch all day 8:30 - 4:30 PM Closed Mondays and Tuesdays CATERING FOR ALL OCCASIONS
845-255-4949 2356 RT. 44/55 Gardiner NY 12525 VISIT US ONLINE
www.miogardiner.com
New Paltz’s hidden tropical escape, serving island style since 2019. Sample the largest rum selection in the Hudson Valley.
Farm-to-table, all-vegetarian, Indian meals based on the ancient dietary practices of Ayurveda.
215 Main St., New Paltz, NY 845-332-2109 Mon–Sat: 11-9pm, Sun: 11-4pm 94 South Robinson Ave., Newburgh, NY | 845-245-6048
24 FOOD & DRINK CHRONOGRAM 1/20
fuchsiatikibar.com f | l @fuchsiatikibar
New Orleans Style Cuisine — Open 7 Days — Sunday Brunch 11-4 • Outdoor Seating with Sunset Views Craft Cocktails & Craft Beer Wednesday - 1/2 Price Bottles of Wine theparishrestaurant . com
845.255.4205
water street market, new paltz
T H E B A K E RY
Voted Best Indian Cuisine in the Hudson Valley
Red Hook Curry House ★★★★ DINING Daily Freeman & Poughkeepsie Journal ZAGAT RATED
grilled sandwiches desserts & cookies hot cocoa hot soups
HUNDI BUFFET
TUESDAY & SUNDAY 5-9PM
4 Vegetarian Dishes • 4 Non-Vegetarian Dishes includes: appetizers, soup, salad bar, bread, dessert, coffee & tea All you can eat only $16.00 • Children under 8- $10.00
check out our warm and cozy upstairs café 13 A North Front Street, New Paltz NY | ilovethebaker y.com
28 E. MARKET ST, RED HOOK (845) 758-2666 See our full menu at www.RedHookCurryHouse.com
OPEN EVERY DAY Lunch: 11:30am-3:00 pm Dinner: 5:00pm-10:00pm Fridays: 3:00pm - 10:00pm
Catering for Parties & Weddings • Take out orders welcome
fresh fish market & seafood restaurant new paltz | 845-255-1717 | gadaletos.com
On & Off Site Catering Available
KRISTA WILD, Owner www.wildfireny.com
Eclectic American Cuisine. Fresh, Local Ingredients. Everything’s Homemade!
74 Clinton Street Montgomery, NY 12549 (845) 457-3770
beacon, new YORK 1/20 CHRONOGRAM FOOD & DRINK 25
The side table in Melina Hammer and Jim Lafferty’s kitchen is full of ingredients. The food and flowers are all from their garden, foraged from nearby woods or gathered from local farms. The couple host Airbnb guests almost every weekend in their home and Hammer specializes in cooking custom multi-course menus. “We love showcasing the incredible flavors or wild foods paired with thoughtfully grown and harvested cultivated foods of the season,” says Lafferty.
26 HOME & GARDEN CHRONOGRAM 1/20
the house
The Curated Table A PHOTOGRAPHER AND CHEF PREPARE A PLACE FOR FEASTING IN ACCORD
By Mary Angeles Armstrong Photos by Deborah DeGraffenreid
The living room of Hammer and Lafferty’s home includes a working fireplace, views to the abundant perennial garden, and an assortment of furniture and art. “Melina has a penchant for one-of-a-kind, eclectic pieces largely incorporating weathered and worn elements: well used old cutting boards, retooled chairs, antique transferware and ironstone china, and vintage rugs from places around the world,” says Lafferty.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM HOME & GARDEN 27
ABOUT US
J. McManus & Son, Inc. has been providing home improvement services in the Hudson Valley for over 50 years.
OUR SERVICES
Metal Rooong • Gutters • Skylights Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication and more...
8457955159 | 9147553991 info@jmcmanusandson.com 161 Willow Tree Road, Milton, NY 12547
jmcmanusandson.com 28 HOME & GARDEN CHRONOGRAM 1/20
Cu sto m Wo o d F lo o r i n g, Pa n e l i n g & B e a m s s i n C e 1 9 95 CUSTOM W O O D F L O O R I N G , PA N E L I N G & B E A M S S I N C E 1 9 9 5 mill: Pine Plains
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t was Melina Hammer’s father who planted the seed. A few years ago, Hammer invited her parents to dinner at the Brooklyn apartment she shared with her husband, Jim Lafferty, something that happened on a semi-regular basis. “Whenever anyone visited, our days were plotted around the awesome meal that Melina was planning to make,” says Lafferty. As usual, Hammer sought out the freshest seasonal ingredients, chose a seasonal bouquet of flowers for the table, and hand-picked linens and tableware of varying textures and vivid colors to complement the meal. Afterward, her father made an observation. “So many of your meals are three dimensional,” he said. “There’s gorgeous flowers, there’s all these interesting objects, the food is incredible: It would seem there could be a way to bring people into the experiences you create.” It was an offhanded comment, “but it stuck,” explains Lafferty. That idea germinated in both Lafferty and Hammer’s minds over the next few years, growing as both their careers evolved and life took them to Birmingham, Alabama, and then back to New York City. It eventually propelled them to the Hudson Valley, where the elder Hammer’s observation has proved prescient. Those meticulously planned, seasonally inspired feasts have flowered into Hammer and Lafferty’s year-and-half-old, farm-to-table, meal-centric Airbnb, where they specialize in not just seasonally inspired menus but in creating the community and the connection those meals can foster. Dubbed the “Catbird Cottage,” after the local bird that often mews like a cat with its call, their 1946 Cape Cod is set on a lush two acres bursting with abundant ingredients both cultivated and wild. Since purchasing the 1,800-square-foot house in 2018, Lafferty and Hammer have restored the three bedrooms, two baths, and dining and sitting rooms with the same painstaking attention to detail that Hammer applies to meal preparation. Roots of the Garden Hammer’s road to gastronomical artistry was a long and winding one. Originally from Detroit, she studied metalsmithing at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she was drawn to the slow-hammering process of the ancient art and the variety of textures she could create with metal. She also studied ceramics, weaving, and glassblowing, received a grant to pursue fine art photography. To help support herself, Hammer began working in restaurants. That’s where she met Lafferty (now a photographer), when the two were working in competing Nuevo Latino restaurants. Hammer was making an independent film and needed help with the editing, so she made Lafferty a proposal—in exchange for his help editing the film, she would cook him a meal. “He was my first guinea pig,” she says. From there, both her relationship with Lafferty and her interest in the culinary arts grew. “I really didn’t know anything about food. I knew fine art, textures, relationship to colors, the scale of things, and composition, stuff like that,” says Hammer. “But I was curious. I love the ingredients and I love that there could be so many wonderful flavors. And I like to eat.”
Hammer made the sourdough bread (as well as her ring) from scratch. The chance to create handmade meals, and encourage more thoughtful consumption, was part of what brought them to the Hudson Valley. “We wanted a better day-to-day quality of life, an opportunity to grow our own food and be better stewards of the Earth,” says Lafferty. With guest meals, the couple try “to lace in an awareness of humane consumption, having grown more conscientious of the finite resources on this planet.”
1/20 CHRONOGRAM HOME & GARDEN 29
She and Lafferty moved to New York City. In attempts to channel her creative work into something that was commercially viable, she began working in the commercial photography field. Eventually she was able to converge her interest in the culinary arts with her creative talents when she began making and photographing recipes for the New York Times. It was a detour to Birmingham that inspired both Hammer and Lafferty to delve deeper into culinary science. Although they'd originally moved for a job, it was the lifestyle they discovered there that really stuck. “It was a combination of a healthy admiration for a little more space and connection to people that we really both took away from the experience,” says Lafferty. “We both became close with young, independent family farmers and every weekend we would go to the farmers market and pick up impeccable amazing produce just pulled from the ground.” The two also appreciated the easy access to nature Birmingham offered. “Ten to fifteen minutes from our apartment was dense, lush nature,” Hammer explains. “My interest in foraging and my ability to readily, easily forage at a moment’s notice grew exponentially.” Because of Lafferty’s career, they needed to move back to 30 HOME & GARDEN CHRONOGRAM 1/20
the New York City area. “But we took with us the idea that we wanted more space and we wanted to connect with local farmers and local food,” Lafferty explains. Seeds Planted (Eventually) Grow They set their sights on the Hudson Valley. The area’s natural resources, the abundance of local farms and the proximity to New York City made it seem like the next step in both their creative and professional development. “I wanted to do something I really believed in, and to have the ability to pull on my personal talents and strengths,” explains Hammer. “When we were looking at homes, we planned on incorporating a bed and breakfast aspect. We wanted to build community and I wanted to share the voice I had found in Birmingham. There’s an Instagram following that drools over pictures—and that’s wonderful—but if food really is the magic, then why not find a way to share that food with people?” They began searching the area for the right home and almost bought a property in Tillson, before their real estate agent pointed them to their house in Accord. “It was the last house we saw that day and our agent said the photos of the place didn’t do it justice,” says Lafferty. “Most
Top: When they bought the 1946 Cape Cod in 2018, it included vestiges of a large perennial garden planted in the 1970s. The couple have been working to bring it back to life, as well as planting an heirloom vegetable garden to supply their guests’ meals. Bottom left: The home’s living room looks out to the natural bounty of the Hudson Valley. “With each season, we’ve loved learning about the particulars of nature in a new ways,” says Lafferty. Bottom right: The couple outfitted the home’s upstairs’ master suite as space for guests and dubbed it the Catbird Cottage. The room is decorated with pieces inherited from Hammer’s grandmother, including a Swedish tablecloth. “We’re not really white linen tablecloth kind of people,” explains Hammer. They hung it on the wall.
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The home’s dining room can accommodate up to 14 people. Over the past year, the couple have hosted three eating events—a late summer harvest dinner, “Eat the World” and an oyster bar and welcome 2019 brunch—as well as fivecourse cooking workshops. “We would like to collaborate with local venues to produce future eating events, to bring in more community from this beautiful region,” says Lafferty.
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people passed on seeing it but she thought we would commit.” Their agent was right—when they walked in they were smitten. A sunny front living room had hardwood floors and a brick fireplace with a row of oversized windows framing old-growth trees in the front yard. A large dining area off the kitchen had another wall of windows framing a perennial garden, which was a bit neglected by previous owners but ready to be coaxed back into life. The dining area featured brick floors and exposed beams—it would be the perfect place for a community table. In June 2018, they moved in and hit the ground running. “I had these grand visions of establishing raised beds before we moved in, which was totally unrealistic,” Hammer explains. So, they began with container gardens, resuscitating the large perennial gardens planted by a previous owner, and then established raised beds throughout the property by the end of the summer. They also began foraging for mushrooms, greens, and berries on their own two acres and in nearby woods. Inside, they knew they had to match Hammer’s great meals with well-appointed rooms and thoughtful touches. Upstairs, the home’s master suite was renovated to become a guest space utilized primarily for Airbnb. Hammer whitewashed the ceiling and hung an heirloom tablecloth along the wall. A skylight over the bed was installed by previous owners and the couple kept the wall-to-wall white carpet, which adds to the room’s airy feel. She also added antique chairs and tables collected from her grandmother, who was a secretary at Knowles Furniture in the 1960s. The upstairs suite also includes a private bathroom. Hammer and Lafferty converted the two downstairs bedrooms into private space— one a home office and the other a bedroom for themselves. The remaining downstairs areas are shared with their guests. Hammer has decorated the walls of the sitting room almost exclusively with paintings created by her grandmother, and a curio cabinet brought from Pennsylvania is filled with one-of-a-kind ceramic pieces created by friends and utilized as serving dishes for her meals. The dining area is decorated with an heirloom rug and has a pass-through to the kitchen—allowing for an easy back and forth between Hammer and her guests as she prepares their meals. While Lafferty and Hammer love their new home and the lifestyle it has enabled, it’s this opportunity to bond with strangers over their shared passion for food—and where it comes from—that the couple really prize. It took their actually hosting guests before both Hammer and Lafferty could realize what they’d created. “We were so focused on creating a great space that it took a special pair of guests who said to us, ‘Listen, everything about our experience was fantastic. But what you created for us was an opportunity to connect,’” explains Lafferty. “Now, if I could only figure out a recipe for poison ivy,” he adds. “Yeah,” agrees Hammer, “then we’d live like kings!”
Hammer and Lafferty have been industriously building their extensive outdoor garden. Along with the original perennial garden, they’ve planted a pollinator garden to attract hummingbirds and monarch butterflies, and incorporated native plants from Catskill Native Nursery and Adams Fairacre Farms into the landscaping in multiple terra cotta pots and barrels. They also constructed a cedar trunk deer fence with an arched planted trellis at the entrance.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM HOME & GARDEN 35
health & wellness
36 HEALTH & WELLNESS CHRONOGRAM 1/20
W
ell, hello there, 2020. Hello and hallelujah to the promise of a new year, a new decade, a blank slate where everything is possible. Or is it? Round about now, many of us are diving into freshly minted goals and resolutions. Yet after a promising start, old patterns dog our progress and we return to our pre-January ways of being. We feel stuck. If this sounds familiar, take heart. I talked to experts from three different traditions—neurofeedback, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy—to find out how we can get unstuck once and for all, and effect the positive changes we want to see in our lives. Here is their wisdom. Retraining Your Brain with Neurofeedback Amy McTear has seen all sorts of people set all sorts of goals—it’s part of her work as a life coach, counselor, and neurofeedback trainer in New Paltz. After seeing many people struggle with their goals unsuccessfully, McTear grew curious about why it is so hard for many of us to bring about the shifts we deeply desire on the conscious level. And what she found were roadblocks on the unconscious level. “A huge reason why people don’t change is because most of our programming happens before the age of six years old,” she says. “It creates a template in the brain, so a lot of our beliefs about who we are, our self-image, are created before age six. That becomes the default in your life, unless you intervene.” McTear started looking for ways to address these roadblocks on a neurological or subconscious level. At the same time, someone close to her was suffering from anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and in her desire to help this person, she came across neurofeedback as a possible tool. As it turned out, neurofeedback—a form of biofeedback that offers self-regulation training for the brain—was more effective than talk therapy at relieving the suffering. As she explored deeper, McTear discovered that neurofeedback could help not just her loved one, but also her clients create changes in their lives and fulfill their potential. Neurofeedback is not a medical treatment— rather, it’s a technology that helps to train the brain. It uses an EEG, a simple readout of the brain’s electrical activity, and subtle signals through music or sound, to show the brain what it’s doing. While some forms of neurofeedback might push the brain to a different state (for example, through brainwave entrainment), the form that McTear uses does not direct the brain’s activity. “Nothing goes into the head—it’s just reading the electrical activity coming off the brain and putting that into the software. It’s 100-percent safe and has zero side effects,” she says. “Basically, the brain wants to conserve its energy. So, if the brain sees that what it’s doing is not an efficient use of its energy, it will make a better choice.” Often, that choice
will involve moving away from unhelpful patterns of being, or away from fight-or-flight mode, and toward greater ease. The experience itself is designed to be relaxing. The practitioner places a few sensors on the person’s skull and ears, and the session (typically 30 minutes) involves no effort. “The conscious mind is not involved, so you don’t have to do anything,” says McTear. “It’s interrupting these negative patterns—whether it’s patterns of anxiety or sleeplessness or zoning out or overthinking. The person just listens to music, and there are these beautiful fractals on the screen.” Kids can watch a movie during the session. McTear notes that neurofeedback is not a quick fix and, like any training, often takes many sessions to have a lasting impact. Clients see her for all sorts of problems, from ADHD and chronic pain to post-chemotherapy brain fog. Neurofeedback is one of several tools that McTear uses to help people overcome obstacles to being who they were meant to be. She also teaches a three-month life coaching intensive, Upgrading Your Inner-verse, that helps people get clear on their conscious goals and work through their subconscious hindrances, which may include limiting beliefs or stories. “My thing is, beat the system at its own game,” she says. “If you know how consciousness works, you can use it to your advantage. That’s what I empower people to do, so they can apply it to their own lives.” Pressing the Pause Button with Mindfulness For Mary Guip, a mindfulness teacher and substance-use-disorder counselor working across Dutchess and Ulster counties, being stuck is synonymous with feeling stressed. “When we’re stuck, usually we’re in some kind of habit pattern that is self-soothing, whether it’s eating too much, drinking too much caffeine, binge-watching television, or even cleaning or exercising too much,” she says. “Our thought habits and our reactionary habits can be a negative feedback loop. And the danger of getting stuck in stressful thinking and reacting is that it begins to take a toll on our bodies physically.” Mindfulness—or the practice of paying attention to your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations in a non-judgmental way—is a powerful way of dislodging stuck habits and releasing stress on a grand scale. There’s a landslide of scientific evidence to support mindfulness as a way to break through unhelpful patterned behaviors. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognizes mindfulness as a critical, evidence-based tool that can help us with our habits. And Weight Watchers, one of the most popular weightloss programs in the world with some 4.5 million subscribers, now uses mindfulness in its programs and recently partnered with the meditation app Headspace. “We now know that practicing mindfulness can help change our brains for the better,” says Guip, who recommends working with a teacher to understand mindfulness beyond the simplified definitions circulating in popular culture. Then
GETTING UNSTUCK THREE WAYS TO HELP YOU DO YOU THIS YEAR. By Wendy Kagan
we can see how to apply it in everyday life. “We learn through mindfulness how to pause, to feel a sensation in the body that is directly linked to a particular thought or emotion,” she says. “Pausing is essential, because it helps us to be responsive instead of reactive.” Say you’re driving to an event and suddenly find yourself gripping the steering wheel tightly. Your mouth feels dry. Your body signals that you’re caught in a stress loop, whether you’re worrying about getting to point B on time or concerned about paying the mortgage. “Mindfulness teaches us how to be aware of our reactivity, and to make a choice to lighten our grip on the steering wheel. Take a few conscious breaths—just paying attention to the breath itself can completely reset you. Your heart rate begins to slow, blood pressure begins to lower, and you can think more clearly.” The nonjudgmental piece is also huge. “When we practice mindfulness meditation, we become pretty quickly aware that the mind is constantly wandering, loving two places: It loves the past and it loves the future, but it’s rarely present, in the here and now,” says Guip. “We begin to see just how much we’re spending time in the past and future, and we can have a lot of judgment around that. The woulda-coulda-shouldas, the 1/20 CHRONOGRAM HEALTH & WELLNESS 37
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maybe-might-bes. We want to avoid being harsh on ourselves for things we can’t go back and fix, or for worrying about things that may or may not happen.” In an overwhelming world of information overload, mindfulness is an oasis of self-care. We’re more aware of the transience of our emotions, and the stress reaction no longer rules us. “We forget that we have this ability to be incredibly resilient, and to tune in to what’s on our mind,” says Guip, who is teaching a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course in Kingston that starts in mid-January. She also teaches the .b (“dot be”) program, a mindfulness curriculum for kids ages 11 to 17. And she incorporates mindfulness into her work in counseling people with opioid addiction. “When we pay attention to what’s going on in our physical body and our mental state, then we realize, ‘Hey, I have some say in this.’ What mindfulness really teaches us is how to enjoy life.” Uncovering Core Beliefs with CBT So many of our habits happen on autopilot, whether it’s overeating or avoiding exercise or lighting up a cigarette. To disrupt these habits, we need to observe closely what’s happening beneath the surface. One tool for doing that is cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT—a widely used and wellestablished therapeutic approach with a lot of rich science behind it. “CBT is one approach that—similar to mindfulness-based practices or Buddhist practices, which I also incorporate into my work—involves learning to cultivate a stronger witness to oneself,” says Heather Bergen, a licensed clinical social worker based in Red Hook with an office in Kingston. “With CBT, we’re questioning our thoughts rather than just believing them automatically. It’s a process of inquiry.” While someone would typically explore CBT with a counselor in therapy, it’s also possible to find CBT worksheets—often called thought records—online and work with them independently. What unfolds is a series of questions that come into play when a difficult thought arises. Say you want to start going to the gym more often and are frustrated with yourself for not following through. A CBT approach would begin with, “What is my thought about exercising?” “A really common thought in a case like this might be, ‘I’m out of shape and look really bad and I need to look differently,’” says Bergen. “You might find a lot of negative self-talk. ‘I need to lose weight and change my body.’ Or, ‘I’m unattractive.’ Then, if we really get down to core beliefs, the thought we might uncover is ‘I’m not lovable.’ And if we ask ourselves how we feel with a thought like that, it’s going to be rotten. We’re going to feel bad about ourselves—ashamed, scared, worried. Do we tend to want to run right into [exercising] when we’re feeling ashamed and bad about ourselves? Not really. We tend to want to avoid those activities.” Yet just because we have a thought doesn’t mean it’s true. CBT drills down deeper to ask, “What evidence do I have to support these thoughts about myself ?” “In my work,” says Bergen, “I want to know, ‘Where did you learn to believe those things or think those things?’ If you identify a thought that’s based on past experiences of hurt or trauma, then you can tend to it for what it is—which is a thought, belief, or feeling that’s based on past experiences rather than what’s actually happening now. Doing that frees you up to have more true thoughts about what’s happening now. With CBT, you would choose different thoughts, purposely. If the thought ‘I’m really ugly and out of shape and nobody loves me’ isn’t helping to motivate me, then what are different thoughts I might choose? It might be, ‘Exercising helps me feel more energetic.’ Or, ‘I want to do more yoga because it feels enlivening and restorative to me and makes me feel more connected to myself and better in my body.’” CBT is a process of deepening your attention, and if you notice selfdeprecating thoughts along the way, that can be important information and a big clue as to why making a shift or reaching a goal feels hard to do. “The negative beliefs that we have are never really true,” says Bergen. “But they can run our lives without us even knowing it. What’s liberating is that we can identify what’s been running our show and making us behave in a certain way. And once we identify it, that’s where our freedom is. Because that’s the beginning of releasing it and having choices.” RESOURCES Amy McTear Amymctear.com Mary Guip, RN, CASAC-T Mid-hudsonmindfulnessmbsr.com Heather Bergen, LCSW-R Heatherbergentherapy.com
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outdoors
All Downhill From Here
For the 2020 season, Plattekill Mountain has added a Junior Alpine Race program. Photo by Rob Tringali
A Guide to What’s New on the Slopes This Season By Phillip Pantuso
W
inter weather may be more volatile than ever, but at New York’s myriad ski areas by now the lifts are turning, snowmaking operations are cranking away, and mountaingoers from novice to expert are gliding downhill. But these places don’t look exactly the same as last year. Millions of dollars have been invested in infrastructure improvements, new accommodations, revamped dining options, and experience upgrades. New York is a better place to ski than ever. To get you up to date for the 2019-20 ski season, here is our guide to what’s new on the slopes since last year. Consider it our service to you. Belleayre Mountain After tricking out its terrain parks last season, Belleayre Mountain has loads of improvements for the 2019-20 season, says sales coordinator Selina Guendel. The big one is the expanded, modernized Discovery Lodge, the resort’s Scandinaviancamp-style convening place. There are now more seats in the cafeteria and lounge areas, with floorto-ceiling windows that look out at the slopes; an expanded kids section; and a new patio with an 40 OUTDOORS CHRONOGRAM 1/20
outdoor ticketing area. The $14.6-million update was overseen by the Pike Company, a Rochesterbased builder founded in 1873. Belleayre also relocated its entire learning area to a centralized location and installed a new quad chairlift to deliver skiers and snowboarders to its beginner slopes. The lift has a loading carpet at the bottom, to make the switch from riding carpets in the learning area easier. Lastly, the ticketing system got a major update this year: All of the gates now have radiofrequency-identifying (RFID) ticket readers, which means guests don’t have to remove their tickets to be scanned at the lift gate. That’ll mean faster lines and fewer worries about losing tickets. “You simply move through the gate as it reads your ticket,” Guendel says. “We like to say our guests are now like an EZ Pass.” 181 Galli Curci Road, Highmount; Belleayre.com Catamount Mountain Resort The retro, laid-back Catamount is one of only three ski areas in the country to straddle multiple states (New York and Massachusetts), and this year it’s added even more terrain: There are five new trails with snowmaking opening for the 2019-20 season, and 100 new snow guns in the
park overall. The mountain now has 40 trails with snowmaking, 130 skiable acres, eight lifts, and a famed double black diamond trail (aptly named Catapult) with a 1,000-foot vertical drop. Also new this year: A 350-seat base lodge— which includes a restaurant, bar, ticket area, and customer service desk—and a state-of-the-art snow groomer called LEITWOLF, from the Italian manufacturer Prinoth. 78 Catamount Rd, Hillsdale; Catamountski.com Windham Mountain One of the more upscale resorts in the Catskills, Windham has invested more than $12 million into park and guest experience improvements over the past two years, and the results are being unveiled this season. Operational updates include fully automated snowmaking on the park’s signature top-to-bottom runs (Upper and Lower Whistler); a booster pump house for the East Peak and new piping to increase snowmaking efficiency; upgraded lifts out of the base area, bringing Windham’s uphill capacity to more than 22,000 passengers per hour; and a new PistenBully snow groomer. Lodging and dining options have also been improved. The new “European-inspired” Umbrella
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Bar is the centerpiece of the base patio area, with 360-degree views of the landscape. (A second new building in the patio area houses a ski simulator that offers guests the chance to virtually ski downhill race venues from around the world.) And the Winwood Inn, a quaint lodge operated by the resort in the town of Windham, has renovated rooms and a new restaurant serving classic American comfort cuisine. 19 Resort Drive, Windham; Windhammountain.com Plattekill Mountain Scrappy Plattekill, independently owned and operated by the Vatjay family for more than 25 years, offers a broadly appealing, family-friendly atmosphere out in the northwestern Catskills. New features for 2019-20 include a new carpet lift in the snowtubing park; upgrades to snowmaking operations; renovations to the base lodge, including totally revamped food service; and a new Junior Alpine Race program, for the kiddos. That program joins a cadre of ski and snowboard packages that appeal to a wide variety of riders, from private lessons to programs like “Return to the Snow” (if it’s been years since you hit the slopes) and “Never Ever” (if you’re not sure what you’re even doing on a mountain). 469 Plattekill Road, Roxbury; Plattekill.com Hunter Mountain This season is the 60th for Hunter, and the popular resort is marking the anniversary with special giveaways and events throughout the winter. The birthday bash on January 11 is
particularly of note—there will be prizes, live music, a DJ, and throwback ski wear. This year, Hunter also added a new six-person chairlift and a new entrance to the Hunter North expansion, which opened five new trails and four new glades last year. Other projects include widening the intermediate Belt Parkway trail, creating a new access point for the intermediate Way Out trail, and adding a new black diamond trail. The park also boosted snowmaking capabilities for the double-black diamond Racer's Edge trail. 64 Klein Avenue, Hunter; Huntermtn.com Mount Peter This season, Mount Peter is debuting an allnew instructional ski and snowboard area called Valley View, serviced by a carpet lift. The hill is meant to complement the park’s popular Basin Learning Area, which is for beginners; one step up in difficulty, Valley View is for skiers and riders who have the basics down but aren’t quite ready for the lifts. Well-known for being supportive of novices, Mount Peter will also continue to offer free beginner ski and snowboard lessons (with the purchase of a lift ticket) on all weekends and holidays. “We’re known as New York’s ‘family mountain,’” says Justin Cooper, Mount Peter’s marketing manager. “We strive to be a fun, friendly area to spend the day without any pressure and people blazing down the hill past you.” 51 Old Mt. Peter Road, Warwick; Mtpeter.com
The Catskill Thunder gondola at Bellearye Mountain. Photo by Darren McGee Top: Hunter Mountai has boosted snowmaking capabilities for the double-black diamond Racer's Edge trail. Photo by Rob Sharpe
1/20 CHRONOGRAM OUTDOORS 43
community pages
A Christmas scene straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting on Main Street in Great Barrington.
Mass Appeal
Great Barrington by Jamie Larson photos by Anna Sirota
T
his time of year, Great Barrington charms. Its snow-covered New England streetscape is filled with cozy-chic shops and restaurants that excel at assuaging holiday hangovers and impending seasonal affective disorder. But beneath the Rockwellian facade, tectonic plates are shifting, as unprecedented forces of change roil beneath this Hudson Valley/ Berkshires border town. Massachusetts’s yearold recreational marijuana industry has claimed Great Barrington as its western capital, three major mixed-use construction projects are in their final stages, and a battle over the return of horseracing to the town’s forgotten fairgrounds has tested this vocal and engaged community’s civic morality. “It’s a weird time in Great Barrington,” said Betsy Andrus, Southern Berkshires Chamber of Commerce executive director. “There’s always an ongoing evolution, but we are finishing up a period of great growth. Now we get to decide how to take advantage of that.” “Green” Barrington Theory Wellness cofounder and CEO Brandon Pollock suggests Great Barrington visitors make his recreational marijuana dispensary, just outside the town center, their first stop. Since opening in January 2019, Theory often has lines snaking
44 COMMUNITY PAGES CHRONOGRAM 1/20
through its parking lot and down the street. “From our perspective, every adult should have safe access [to marijuana],” Pollock says. “Our goal for our products, from the beginning, is to emulate the awesome local craft beer movement. We’re honestly surprised at just how successful it’s been.” While the CEO demurs from talking numbers, he says Theory will pay over $1 million in municipal taxes in their first year. That’s an impactful windfall for a town with a 2019 operating budget of just over $11 million. Theory pays six percent in taxes just to Great Barrington. The Berkshire Eagle did the math over the summer and posited Theory was on track to gross over $30 million in their first year. While Theory was able to open immediately after state legalization because of a previously held medical marijuana license, another shop slated for Main Street has been stuck in a licensing labyrinth for over a year. Calyx Berkshire Dispensary, a female-focused, womenowned-and-operated shop, has remained an empty storefront as owner Donna Norman jumps through bureaucratic hoops. “It’s been crazy, but the town has been super supportive,” says Norman, who hopes to receive her state provisional license this month, after applying in October of 2018. “I’m very excited to be that neighborhood store, where you see who’s running the show.”
Theatergoers queuing outside the Mahaiwe for the December 15 perfromance of Selected Shorts.
Prairie Whale staffers Sarah Kate Hartt, Alex Pendergist, and Taylor Nickel with patron Nick Bloomstein.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM COMMUNITY PAGES 45
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Donna Norman of Calyx Berkshire Dispensary on Main Street is still waiting to get her license to sell marijuana after originally applying in October of 2018. Norman hopes to open in the spring of this year.
Marijuana businesses in Massachusetts run by women were supposed to get priority in the licensing process due to the overwhelmingly white-male presence at the top of the industry, but Norman says her application process stagnated for months as she proved to the state, among other things, that she was indeed a woman. While she has paid a year of rent on an empty piece of prime real estate, and she’s heard growing skepticism that Calyx will ever open, Norman doesn’t begrudge the state agency workers overwhelmed by the task of implementing new laws and policies. In December, the Massachusetts US Attorney’s office mounted an investigation into how some municipal politicians have been improperly shaking down dispensary applicants for cash. Great Barrington, along with many other towns, confirmed they had been subpoenaed. Both Pollock and Norman say the town has been a great business partner. Norman speculates that the subpoena of Great Barrington’s “Host Community” activity was simply a matter of due diligence. (A special provision of the Massachusetts marijuana legislation is the Host Community Agreement,
which is essentially a tax paid directly from the marijuana retailer to the municipality where it’s located.) The municipal purse and Theory’s owners aren’t the only ones profiting from weed money in Great Barrington, however. Many other businesses have anecdotally noted an increase in patronage from folks coming into town to buy legal weed from Robin’s Candy Shop and nearby Barrington Brewery to (of course) the Shire Glass boutique head shop, and Theory’s neighboring McDonald’s, pot is clearly a gateway drug to shopping local. Another Type of Growth Investors clearly see long-term potential in Great Barrington. Powerhouse Square on Bridge Street is $30 million mixed-use development with 22 condo units and the new upscale home of the Berkshire Co-op Market on the ground floor. INC Architecture also recently finished an adaptive reuse of 47 Railroad Street, originally constructed at the turn of the last century as the Granary of Great Barrington. Though the highly visible construction and vacant storefronts were a source of some public consternation, the now 1/20 CHRONOGRAM COMMUNITY PAGES 47
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complete renovation features 13 apartments and the bottom floor is home to buzzed-about new bar and eatery Moon Cloud (more on that later). The most visible and perhaps most polarizing commercial construction project in town is the nearly complete “Flying Church.” Developer and local resident Paul Joffe bought the abandoned United Methodist Church, a town historic landmark, jacked it over six feet in the air and remodeled it into an eyecatching mixed-use venue. The name “Flying Church,” was originally used by the community as a pejorative, but Joffe embraced it and it’s now the official name of the building. “It was really something, and people were concerned—and they’ll tell you,” Joffe says of the unusual project. “But now it looks nice and there’s a lot of excitement. This is a really good time for Great Barrington, because we don’t just have one season any more.” The Flying Church will soon house Zachary Sosne Design Studio, and the office of Evoque Investments, and a coffee shop is opening in a side building. The main floor of the church, 5,000 square feet space which Joffe says would be perfect for a restaurant or performance venue, is still available. There is talk that yet another marijuana dispensary is in the works for the Flying Church, but Joffe neither confirms nor denies the rumors. Rural Living in Urban Style The appeal of Great Barrington to new, younger residents, eager to escape cities and work from home in the country, is selfevident. Popular restaurants like Prairie Whale, Cafe Adam, Bizen, and many more continue to innovate and impress diners. The clothing and wares sold in town are also of metropolitan quality—at shops like Hammertown, 1 Mercantile, GB9, Boho Exchange, and Asian art emporium Asia Barong. Entertainment venues attract new visitors as well, with professional and community performances of all types at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and the Daniel Art Center at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Also turning heads is the new bar, Moon Cloud. Run by Josh and Emily Irwin, owners of Cantina 229 in nearby Marlborough, Moon Cloud is offering something fresh— by serving things that aren’t. Due to the lack of space for a commercial kitchen, all the dishes on the small plate menu are made with cured and preserved ingredients. It’s high-style drinking food inspired by Josh Irwin’s recent culinary research trip to Italy. The bar is also putting out a vibrant cocktail program helmed by bartender Billy Paul, who is a Great Barrington native. Josh Irwin has put together a menu based on traditional salumi, cheeses, and preserved local vegetables. His goal is to soon serve only ingredients sourced from the Berkshires (excepting cheese). There are also plans to build the cocktail menu around seasonal local produce as well. “This baby is a true passion project for the three of us,” says Irwin. “Everyone’s got good taste these days, and young people especially want a place that’s open late where you can go out to drink and have great food that goes with your drink. It’s communal. It’s the kind of place you can come in and ask Billy, ‘What’s good?’ and have a new experience every night.” Another Great Barrington small business that’s seizing the moment and offering more is an old favorite, Gedney Farm. A respected event space and wedding venue for many years, about a year ago Peter Miscokoski and Michael Smith bought the business and have revitalized the adjoining restaurant. Now the skilled staff, led by head chef Ryan McLaughlin, are bringing the expertise and style they offer event attendees in the more personal restaurant environment. Despite offering some thrilling dishes, including seafood, oysters, a pizza night and internationally diverse prix fixe menus on winter weekend nights, The Gedney restaurant is still a bit of a local secret, as wedding bookings preclude the restaurant from being open on weekends three seasons a year. But winter is a perfect time to discover something delicious just off the beaten path, in a beautiful setting.
Top: The Flying Church is an adaptive reuse of the landmark United Methodist Church into a mixed-use venue. Below: Developer Paul Joffe inside the Flying Church.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM COMMUNITY PAGES 49
Hold Your Horses While construction and pot shops have been points of contention over the past few years, nothing has been as controversial as a recent plan by Suffolk Downs to revive the 40 years dormant track at the fairgrounds outside or town. Suffolk Downs looked to take advantage of a new potential loophole in legislation governing the sport. A bill filed in the State legislature in January 2019 inserts a sentence stating that, if the Massachusetts Racing or Gaming Commission had at any time in the past granted a license for commercial horse racing at a location, no further approval by the local selectboard is needed and residents would not be able to challenge through referendum. Energized citizens filled the high school auditorium for a huge town selectboard meeting December 11, where the board voted unanimously to enact home rule. Home rule gives voters a say on whether or not horse racing and gambling will be able to return to Great Barrington. Judging by the large and boisterous crowd at the meeting, signs seem to be pointing toward no horse racing. While a minority spoke in favor 50 COMMUNITY PAGES CHRONOGRAM 1/20
of how the track would revitalize the unused fairgrounds, many more, like Mark Rubiner, spoke passionately about how the specter of gambling’s deleterious effects and the animal cruelty inherent in the sport run contrary to the values of Great Barrington’s progressive spirit. Rubiner, the founder and owner of Rubiner’s Cheesemongers and Grocers and Rubi’s Cafe in the center of Main Street since 2004, is a thoughtful spokesperson for the town’s shifting character. “If there’s one constant in this town, it’s that it’s always in flux,” Rubiner says. “A lot of businesses left over the past few years, but just when you thought the town was on a downswing, things pick back up.” Rubiner says 2019 was his shop’s best year ever. After 15 years of trying, he finally got a beer and wine license, but, other than that he says they’ve just tried to stick to their core offerings, offer the best quality products they can, and ride with Great Barrington through good times and bad. While residents may be struggling to define their new cultural identity as Great Barrington evolves in real time, to outsiders all this activity reads as vitality and momentum. The town may have old bones, but there’s a new energy.
The bar at Barrington Brewery & Restaurant has been a drinking and dining mainstay in Great Barrington since 1995.
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This directory is a paid supplement.
A collaboration with
Food for Thought
The Promise of School Lunch for All Text and photos by Lissa Harris
C
afeteria workers in Minnesota have thrown children’s food in the trash in front of them. Elementary-school children in Alabama have had their arms stamped “I Need Lunch Money.” A teenager in Illinois was banned from the homecoming dance after racking up lunch debt because of a school accounting error. In one of the most extreme cases of harsh cafeteria collection tactics, parents with lunch debt in suburban Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, got letters from the school threatening to have their children put in foster care. These “lunch shaming” incidents—sparking parent outrage and viral news headlines—are flash points in a larger, quieter struggle: Most school districts have unpaid lunch debt, and the amount is on the rise. A recent survey by the School Nutrition Association found that threequarters of all districts had unpaid cafeteria bills at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, ranging from $10 to as much as $500,000, and that the median district debt balance had risen to $3,400 from about $2,000 in 2014. Schools that cannot collect from parents often turn to charitable contributions to cover their unpaid debt, or dip into the district’s general fund. For almost half of the nation’s public schools, there’s a potential way out that doesn’t involve humiliating children: Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a USDA program that funds 52 FEATURE CHRONOGRAM 1/20
universal free cafeteria meals in low-income schools. The program has been widely considered a success by participating schools, and universal free lunch adoption is on the rise nationwide. But planned cuts to the national social safety net may soon reduce access to the program—and hunger policy experts say small, rural upstate New York schools will be among the most affected by the changes. Created in 2010 by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, piloted in 11 states, and launched nationwide in 2014, CEP now provides free lunch to 13.6 million US schoolchildren, about 27 percent of the 50.8 million students enrolled in American public schools. To qualify for CEP, a school must have at least 40 percent of its students automatically qualified for free meals through food stamps, Medicaid, or another federal program, and must agree to serve all students breakfast and lunch without charging a fee. The amount of USDA funding a school gets through the program is based on the percentage of students automatically qualifying for free lunch, and ranges from about 64 percent of the full cost of meals for districts on the low end of eligibility to 100 percent in districts with very high rates of poverty. For large, urban school districts where rates of free lunch approach 60 percent or more, the benefits are clear, and the funding is enough to cover the cost of meals. The New York City
public school system, the largest district in the nation, began offering free meals to all students through CEP in 2017. Schools in Middletown and Newburgh—both among upstate New York’s largest districts, with almost 60 percent of students qualifying for free lunch—have also embraced the program. The positive impacts on students have been immediate: In Newburgh’s first year on CEP, rates of tardiness, absence, nurse visits, and behavioral problems in the district went down. Free school meals are also making progress on child hunger in the smallest and most rural districts. My own district, the Margaretville Central School in the rural Catskills, joined CEP in 2019. Many of upstate New York’s smallest districts qualify for the free lunch program, and some are beginning to embrace it. But these districts typically have fewer students who automatically qualify for free lunch, making CEP adoption a complex budget decision. For a district at the edge of CEP eligibility, with levels of student poverty high enough to qualify for funding but not high enough to get full reimbursement, joining the program means extra work to make the budget balance. Child hunger advocates are worried that looming cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, will force districts like Margaretville out of the program entirely.
This page: The cafeteria at Margaretville Central School Opposite: Connie Mathiesen, Margaretville’s cafeteria manager, convinced the local school board to adopt CEP.
“What we’re mostly concerned about is districts like yours: smaller districts that might have been on the cusp of making this financially viable, and then not being able to because they’ve seen a drop,” says Jessica Pino-Goodspeed, a child nutrition programs specialist for the nonprofit Hunger Solutions New York who helps districts navigate the ins and outs of state and federal school lunch bureaucracy. “These are rural districts. Many of them are very small, less than 500 kids. A change of 10 children means the end of the community eligibility program for them.” Margaretville: A Case Study For all the national furor over lunch shaming, so-called “entitlements,” and the politics of spending tax dollars to feed people, the launch of free government-funded meals for Margaretville children this fall was a quiet affair. There was an announcement in the school newsletter. Parents shared the news on Facebook. And that was that: no protests, no flame wars, just kids lining up for pizza sticks and applesauce. “It’s given the school a different feel,” says principal Laura Norris. “Kids are feeling that they can eat safely. There’s no concern about who has money and who doesn’t.” Since the school began serving free breakfast and lunch in September, Norris says, she’s seen fewer behavioral issues, especially among the younger children. “I feel like we’re seeing the
benefits in terms of kids that can focus. They just feel better when they’re well-fed.” Margaretville Central School District is one of New York State’s smallest districts, a small-town K-12 in a rural county with no real private alternatives. The district’s lone school, an unassumingly genteel New Deal-era building flanked by tall oak trees, hosts about 370 students. (Full disclosure: One of them is my daughter, who recently started the sixth grade; my wife is an elected town official who has voiced support for free meals in the district.) Margaretville might have signed up for CEP eventually, but it probably would have taken longer if it hadn’t been for Robin Williams, a cheerful and tireless font of enthusiasm who, when she’s not wrangling her two young children or organizing for some community-minded effort, skates roller derby with the Oneonta Hill City Rollers. Inspired by a national news story about lunch debt, Williams began campaigning for free lunch for Margaretville through community fundraising. In researching the issue, she came across CEP, and began lobbying the district to adopt it. Local school administrators were already hearing about CEP from state officials and from their peers, and Williams’s passionate pitch for the program fell on open ears. The question was: Could they make the numbers work? For a school thinking about joining CEP,
the critical number is the Identified Student Percentage (ISP): the percentage of the student body who are automatically eligible for free lunch because they receive SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid benefits, are part of the Food Distribution Program on Indian reservations, are enrolled in Head Start, or are classified as foster care, homeless, or migrant children. Most of the students counted in the ISP get their free lunch certification from SNAP. Under CEP, districts are reimbursed for the meals they serve at 1.6 times the ISP. Margaretville’s ISP currently stands at around 53 percent. At that level, the USDA is reimbursing the district for about 85 percent of the meals served in the cafeteria, leaving the school to find a way to either slash per-meal costs below USDA rates or cover the other 15 percent itself. Connie Mathiesen, Margaretville’s cafeteria manager, thought the numbers were close enough to make the program work. Last spring, she and other district officials pitched it to the local school board and were met with enthusiastic support. “We decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and see if the board would be interested in letting us try this,” she says. The gap between what the USDA will pay for and the cost of feeding every student can run into the tens of thousands of dollars for some eligible districts. Some look at the potential budget gap and decide, like 1/20 CHRONOGRAM FEATURE 53
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Northampton County Public Schools in Virginia recently did, that they can’t afford to join CEP. Schools who want to adopt free lunch despite the potential costs find different ways to close the gap. For some districts, participating in CEP means raiding other parts of the school budget to spend on meals; one district in Plumas County, California, faced an extra $45,000 in new costs this year from joining CEP, but school officials decided the program was worth it. Serving free meals with ISP numbers in the low 40s is daunting, but some regional schools at the low edge of eligibility are making it work. Beekmantown Central School District, a district with about 2,000 students in Clinton County, has been participating in CEP for five years with an ISP of just 43 percent, a number that means the USDA will only reimburse the school for about 69 percent of the meals served. Food services director Roxann Barnes works hard to keep cafeteria costs low, but the district still has to cover some of the expense through the general fund. “Without the support of the superintendent and the Board of Education, you can’t do what we’re doing here,” Barnes says. “The stressful part is making sure we’re doing everything we can to make it as close to breaking even as possible.” So far, Margaretville is making CEP work without raiding the general fund. By juggling a half-dozen vendors who bid to supply items like pizza and chicken nuggets, and by making the most efficient use of staples like vegetables and ground beef that the school gets for free from the government, Mathiesen is keeping the cost of every lunch below the $3.56 per meal contributed by the USDA. Serving free meals has boosted Margaretville’s cafeteria lunch service by about 25 percent on a typical day, and has nearly doubled the number of students eating school breakfast. The goal is to try to get even more students to participate so the economy of scale works in the district’s favor. Snapping SNAP The SNAP program has become a lightning rod for political conflict in recent years. Stymied by Congress, which shot down sweeping proposed cuts to SNAP in both the 2018 federal budget and the most recent Farm Bill, the Trump administration turned to the rulemaking process to chip away at food stamp eligibility. A new work requirement for childless adults that recently went into effect is expected to drop 700,000 people from the food stamp rolls, and two other rule changes that will limit SNAP access have been proposed. The proposed rule that worries school policymakers would remove “broad-based categorical eligibility” (BBCE) from SNAP, which would restrict states’ leeway for giving benefits to people with income slightly over the federal SNAP guidelines. An agency analysis found recently that the move to drop BBCE, if enacted, would eliminate access for roughly 982,000 of the 30 million children who rely on the free and reduced lunch program Most of those children could still apply directly to their local district for free or reduced lunch despite no longer being eligible for SNAP, but the agency did not look at the impacts on school CEP eligibility. A recent research brief for the Urban Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, estimated that 142,000 students attend schools that would lose CEP eligibility altogether if the rule is enacted, and another 1.05 million attend schools that would no longer receive full USDA reimbursement. Those figures don’t account for the even greater number of students in partialreimbursement CEP schools, like Margaretville, where the rule would take a swipe at the bottom line. School lunch advocates have been quick to condemn the move. In comments submitted to the USDA on October 31, Hunger Solutions New York blasted the proposal, writing that the agency “failed to consider the impacts of the proposed rule on community eligibility.” The increasingly punitive federal immigration policy is another silent drain on CEP. Undocumented children are not eligible for SNAP, but children who are US citizens are. With ICE increasingly targeting families for separation and deportation, Pino-Goodspeed says, undocumented parents with children who are US citizens are terrified even to apply. “Politically, there’s so much fear,” she says. Immigration policy is an incendiary topic, one school officials can be reluctant to engage with, whether for fear of targeting members of the community for punitive enforcement, stirring up controversy, or both. As
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deeply rural as Margaretville is, detention and deportation are real threats to students and parents in the community. ICE has made detention sweeps in neighboring Fleischmanns, a tiny village whose Hispanic immigrant community has been the subject of an award-winning documentary (Bienvenidos A Fleischmanns), and is home to many children in the district. Asked if she thought the school’s ISP data was missing children who should be qualifying for free lunch, Norris was quick to say yes. “Yeah. I do. I’m concerned.” The perception that food aid isn’t for working people sometimes keeps people from applying for benefits, Norris says. “I think some families just don’t understand that you can be a full-time employed person and you might have still qualified for some kind of reduction in the cost of meals. I think families feel like, ‘Oh, I have a job, I shouldn’t be asking for that.’” A Safety Net Full of Holes When discussing the challenge of ensuring children can eat at school, policymakers use phrases like “high-poverty schools” to describe the situations CEP was designed to help. This language fails to convey how normal it is for a US public school to have many children living in poverty. A high-poverty school is not an aberration; it is depressingly typical. There are 98,158 public schools in the US, according to 2017 data from the National Center for Education Statistics Of those schools, 44,358— almost 45 percent—have high enough levels of poverty to be eligible for CEP, as of the 2018-19 school year. Measured by districts, the picture is even bleaker: About 64 percent of public school districts have at least one school that is CEP eligible. Cuts to SNAP may force districts to drop CEP, but it might take a long time for the impact to be felt. CEP participation has four-year cycles, so even if a school’s ISP number drops, it could be several years before it affects eligibility or reimbursement levels. But with the number of schools in the program already high and rising, policies that threaten CEP eligibility could cause widespread problems. One thing that could help: Congress is due to take up Child Nutrition Reauthorization, a legislation package that would extend the programs of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. As part of that legislation, hunger advocates are lobbying for Congress to change the USDA’s 1.6 multiplier to 1.8, a formula tweak that would make it much more financially feasible for districts at the low edge of CEP eligibility to take up the program. But although Congress was slated to act on the bill this year, little progress has been made. For her part, Norris isn’t worried; she thinks that because CEP has been successful already, elected officials will find a way to protect it from political slings and arrows. Taking away free lunch from schoolchildren is just the sort of thing that could make trouble for politicians. “I believe I’ve seen enough about the politics of the way schools work, and the way the government works,” Norris says. “When something is successful, they tend to try to hang onto that, because it has its own political fallout.” From her position on the front lines of policymaking, Pino-Goodspeed is less sanguine. Organizations like hers are constantly reacting to new efforts to tweak the byzantine rules of food benefits programs, scrambling to analyze the ripple effects of every fresh proposal to cut more holes in the social safety net. “There’s so much that tries to jab holes into whether kids are really eligible for free or reduced lunch,” Pino-Goodspeed says. “There’s some scary stuff happening in these programs.” Meanwhile, school districts everywhere continue doing the daunting work of making sure every child gets fed. It’s too early in the school year to tell for sure how well Margaretville is doing in its first year in CEP, but Mathiesen, the cafeteria manager, says it’s going well. “It’s a good program for everyone. And we don’t have to deal with problems of getting money, getting paid. Charges and things like that were constantly a problem for the cafeteria, because some of the kids’ parents couldn’t come up with the money.” The critical factor in making the program work for the district, Mathiesen says, is getting more children to eat school meals. The cafeteria is experimenting with ways to make the breakfast-time crunch easier for kids to navigate, and letting kids taste-test new menu items to try to help with food aversions. “The program really needs participation,” she says. Is your local school eligible for CEP? Look up data from the Food Research & Action Center to find out: Frac.org/community-eligibility-database.
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rivate schools often get a bad rap—the cost of the tuition alone is enough to spur a protracted debate on the disappearing middle class. No one knows this better than Cecil Stodghill, the newly appointed head of the Doane Stuart School in Rensselaer, a co-ed independent college preparatory school serving grades Pre-K through 12. Stodghill has spent most of his career in independent schools precisely because he believes in their power to change lives. Stodghill was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by a single mother who made ends meet with the help of government assistance. His own education began in one of the city’s public schools, which he describes as “struggling.” Despite that, one of Stodghill’s teachers could see his potential. Hoping to make a difference in his future, she reached out to an admissions counselor at the nearby private McCallie School on his behalf. With financial aid, Stodghill’s mother could afford to send him to the all-boys college
Cecil Stodghill’s Path to Private School Leadership preparatory school through his high school graduation. “It was by far the best thing that happened to me,” Stodghill says. “It exposed me to an entirely different education, to ethnicities different from my own, and socioeconomic resources I had never seen.” Stodghill went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Miami and a master’s in school education from the University of Tennessee. He has dedicated the last 21 years of his career to making independent schools more accessible for the students in their communities. Most recently, he was an admissions director at an independent school in Charlotte, North Carolina. During his tenure, the school’s enrollment rose 11 percent, with a significant increase in students of color and international students. “I came to those schools as a way to give back, and to give access to kids like me,” he says. For Stodghill, the low student-to-teacher ratios and high college acceptance rates are only part of what independent schools should be offering students and their families. They
should also have a responsibility to reach out into their community. At Doane Stuart, that will mean strengthening its ties to Rensselaer, which it relocated to from Albany in 2009. It also means focusing on real world issues like community service, social justice, and environmental sustainability, which will make its students more engaged citizens. “We’re here to give students the tools to be productive contributors in our community,” Stodghill says. It’s clear that Stodghill’s passion for his work comes from the impact his independent school education had on his own life. It’s also something he has been cautious about bringing to the forefront of the conversation until now. When you consider the fraught nature of the national conversations on Southern identity, minority status, and poverty, it makes sense. Each issue has a complicated enough history for a person to carry on its own, let alone all three. As Stodghill mulls over his own story though, he seems increasingly at ease with its truth. “It’s who I am. It’s why I’m here today.”
1/20 CHRONOGRAM FEATURE 57
weddings
Petal Pushers Hudson Valley Floral Designers By Hayley Arsenault
E
mbracing the ephemeral artistry of contemporary floral design, the host of Hudson Valley florists highlighted below are united by a shared inspiration found in the palette, proportions, and ethos of the local landscape. Surpassing the standards of simple flower bunches and bouquets, the region’s bountiful blooms and seasonal stems are constructed into sculptural compositions and dramatic clusters that set the scene for special occasions small and large. Possessing the innate ability to define the aesthetic of any affair, these artists work with nature as they adapt to the distinct desires and needs of their individual clients to render bespoke bunches and bucolic backdrops for weddings and events. Ingenuity and flair in floral design abounds across the Hudson Valley. From foraged flowers to harvested blossoms, these local designers draw from the verdant appeal and wealth of floral yields that surrounding farms and fields have to offer. 58 WEDDINGS CHRONOGRAM 1/20
Dark + Diamond
Spearheaded by the Beacon-based husband-and-wife team of Katie and Michael Patton, Dark + Diamond specializes in delivering a bespoke design aesthetic that deciphers beauty through thoughtfully curated floral design. The design duo behind Dark + Diamond revels in a distinguished approach that embraces their extensive experience as multidisciplinary artists as well as their enthusiasm for the ephemeral artistry of flowers. Drawing from delicate and exquisite details found in nature, they handselect every bloom—sourced from local growers and wholesalers—and customize each event with tailored designs that adhere to architecture, environment, and season. Darkanddiamond.com
Petalos Floral
Blending a background in botany and horticulture with decades of experience in floral design, Brian Bender-Tymon founded Kingston’s Petalos Floral. Acquiring many accolades throughout his extensive career as a floral designer, Bender-Tymon’s work has attracted a remarkable roster of clients, while his designs have adorned the interiors of prominent hotels and premiere fashion events across the country. Fresh florals, bountiful bouquets, and intricate arrangements flourish inside Petalos Floral’s Stockade District storefront, which carries hard-to-find seasonal stems and offers delivery throughout the area, in addition to catering to client requests for weddings, special events, and occasions. Petalosfloral.com
Dark + Diamond A wild, winter bridal bouquet with peonies, unripe raspberries, ranunculus, scabiosa, hanging amaranthus, camellia, limonium, antique carnations, ferns and cascading pepper berry foliage. Opposite: Moody spring florals inspired by the Dutch masters. Including blooming spirea branches, fritillaria, parrot tulips, butterfly ranunculus, hyacinth, hellebore and jasmine vines.
1/20 CHRONOGRAM WEDDINGS 59
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A centerpiece of fennel, orchids, and poppy pods by Heart & Soil.
Heart & Soil
Combining an interest in farming with a cultivated eye for foraged flowers, Heart & Soil is a floral design studio located in Newburgh that offers locally grown blooms for a breadth of occasions and affairs—ranging from small orders and accounts for local businesses to weddings, interior styling, and photoshoots. The studio was founded in 2016 by Kelsey Ter Meer. Working closely with clients to creatively convey their distinctive characteristics and requests into a cohesive aesthetic, the communityconscious designers at Heart & Soil cleverly curate their floral arrangements to resonate correspondingly with the customer, venue, landscape, and season.
An arrangement of feverfew, jackpot thistle, craspedia, lisianthus, seeded eucalyptus, and wax flower by Earthgirl Flowers.
Heartandsoilflowers.com
Earthgirl Flowers
Operating out of a century-old barn bounded by cut flower fields in Callicoon Center, Earthgirl Flowers is run by self-proclaimed “petal pusher” Jill Wiener. In order to gather the best budding blooms for special occasions, Earthgirl sources first from their own gardens and then from the fields of other local farmers, while also maintaining access to a global network of responsible growers. Always on the hunt for antique additions to their expansive inventory, Earthgirl’s offerings include a varied selection of vintage vases and vessels that are always available to loan. Earthgirlflowers.com
1/20 CHRONOGRAM WEDDINGS 61
Hops Petunia
Hops Petunia is a floral business with a brick-and-mortar space— brimming with bright blooms and a bounty of botanical accessories— located in the historic Rondout section of Kingston. The boutique boasts a familiar farmhouse feel and is stocked with fresh flowers from local growers gathered delicately in vintage vases or arranged into colorful bouquets ready to be gifted. Founded in 2014 by former graphic designer Kelli Galloway, Hops Petunia is well-acquainted with prominent wedding venues across the Hudson Valley and Catskills regions, and is dedicated to partnering with its patrons to select seasonal floral arrangements, cohesive color palettes, and alluring props to achieve the desired aesthetic of the occasion. Hopspetunia.com
Bear Creek Farm
Set in the hushed hamlet of Stanfordville, Bear Creek Farm was founded by Debra Kaye in 2015, and has quickly earned an esteemed reputation for its extensive offerings. The female-operated flower farm cultivates an abundant assembly of over 100 varieties of dahlias, peonies, and other rare flowers, which are offered in a kaleidoscopic compendium of rich colorways. Embracing sustainable agriculture practices, Bear Creek offers farm-fresh floral arrangements for weddings and special affairs, while cut stems can be found in wholesale markets throughout the tri-state region, as well as at Manhattan’s Union Square Market. Bearcreekfarm.com
Dahlia ‘Diva’s’ from Bear Creek Farm
Flowerkraut
With an airy storefront along Warren Street, the city of Hudson’s main drag, Flowerkraut is a floral studio owned by sisters Nicole and Amanda Bruns. Specializing in custom floral design, the shop is stocked with a seasonal selection of fresh flowers—grown within a 200-mile radius when weather permits—that are available for pick-up, delivery, and special events, as well as a sustainable selection of local goods and gift items. The studio also offers greening services—comprised of temporary or permanent installations of tropical foliage, cacti, and succulents—that lend a lively and leafy aesthetic to any atmosphere. Flowerkrauthudson.com Ariella Chezar
Offering an organic and seasonally attuned approach to floral design, Ariella Chezar’s extensive experience in the flower industry has garnered her an international roster of admirers. Chezar grows seasonal blooms on her sustainable flower farm—situated on 90-acres of land in Columbia County—utilizing the floral yields to supply her wedding and event work throughout the area. The designer’s work is distinguished by a delicate approach to color with opulent palettes and intricate arrangements that conjure the layered brushwork of a watercolor painting. Combining cultivated flowers and foraged elements from nature, Chezar’s pioneering pursuits in floral design are also chronicled across of trio books that divulge her artistic interpretations. Ariellaflowers.com
62 WEDDINGS CHRONOGRAM 1/20
A field of dahlias at Bear Creek Farm.
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1/20 CHRONOGRAM WEDDINGS 63
arts profile
In Full Flight The Falcon By Peter Aaron
64 ARTS & CULTURE CHRONOGRAM 1/20
Tony Falco onstage at the Falcon
H
ey everyone, please support living artists,” implores Tony Falco before pointing out the location of the tip box at the back of the room. It’s a mantra and routine the curly haired impresario repeats with reverence every night as he introduces performers from the stage of the Falcon, the music venue/restaurant/art gallery he opened 11 years ago in its second Marlboro location. On paper, it shouldn’t work. A gorgeously appointed, acoustically superb nightclub in the middle of farm country that consistently presents leading jazz, rock, blues, world, and roots music artists to packed, enthusiastic, and attentive audiences and pays them well—via donations, and without the club itself taking a cut. But work it does, and beautifully. “We don’t charge a cover,” Falco explains. “We just ask people to donate what they can afford, and we don’t judge anyone by the amount they can donate. When times are tough, they do what they can. And when they’re doing a little better, hopefully they give a little more.” Anyone who’s visited the venue and been around its owner will likely tell you the same thing: What makes the Falcon fly is that it’s an extension of Falco himself, an evangelical believer in the power of music and art. “What Tony’s doing is so great,” says Medeski Martin & Wood keyboardist John Medeski, a Hudson Valley resident who performs frequently at the venue. “There’s a feeling there that you really don’t find at too
many other clubs, anywhere. The club scene in New York is screwed right now: There used to be more places like [Lower East Side venue] Tonic, which worked to create an identity of being a place where you could come to hear real, creative musicians doing their thing. But now most of the clubs in New York are more about getting some Wall Street guy in who plays music as a hobby, so they can sell cocktails to his stockbroker friends. The Falcon treats the musicians with respect, and the audience just totally digs what we do. I’d play there more if I could. I tour a lot, and it’s really great to be able do a gig like that and then go home and sleep in your own bed the same night. To have that right in your own back yard.” And it was right in Falco’s own back yard that he began the ongoing venture. In 2001, after he’d stepped in for a year as the talent coordinator at a nearby community center, he began hosting casual concerts in the barn-like studio he’d constructed behind his family’s home. A donation box was installed inside the timber-frame building, potluck food was brought in by guests, and, thanks to Falco’s connections as a part-time musician who’d worked with cult rocker Buzzy Linhart, word began to spread about the series’ uniquely warm atmosphere. Jazz giants like Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Dewey Redman, and Brad Mehldau, who’d headlined at festivals and large venues around the world and at Manhattan’s most upscale clubs, began appearing regularly 1/20 CHRONOGRAM ARTS & CULTURE 65
Danny Blume, Joey Eppard, Jeff Mercel, Leslie Ritter, and Adam Widoff tuning up at the Falcon for an Abbey Road tribute show.
to play simply for the largesse of the host and a small but appreciative audience. “It’s about creating a vibe where [the musicians] really feel relaxed,” offers Falco. “Like they’re playing in their living room.” After nine years, though, the operation had outgrown the Falcos’ “living room”—along with their residential neighborhood, which was beginning to chafe at the increased traffic the concerts were attracting—necessitating the move to a larger and more accessible site. The new location: a rustic former button factory right in the center of town. The high-roofed, 3,500-square-foot main floor features a 24-foot-by-16-foot stage with excellent sightlines from its tabled seating, and its arsenal of in-house gear (full backline with drum kit, grand piano, Hammond B3 organ, state-of-the-art PA, stage monitors, and lighting system) is a musician’s dream. The dining is also more than a few notches up from the humble potlucks of the original Falcon: With a full bar and kitchen, its wait staff serve savory, imaginative, and affordable dinner nightly and brunch on Sundays. The large outside deck and patio seating overlooks the adjacent Marlboro Falls, which originally powered the 18th-century facility (the expansive deck was decimated by Hurricane Irene in 2011, a year after the venue opened, but has since been rebuilt in upgraded form). The downstairs houses the Falcon Underground, a smaller live music venue; the New York Tap Room 66 ARTS & CULTURE CHRONOGRAM 1/20
and Beer Garden (with 16 regional and state craft microbrews); and the Avalon Archives, a rotating collection of concert posters and other rock ’n’ roll memorabilia. Both the upstairs and downstairs bars take full advantage of the surrounding area’s preponderance of local wineries, and the upstairs space is lined with the changing art of selected area visual artists, whose works are for sale (just as with the money that goes to the performers, the house takes no percentage of the sales). “The order of importance is 1) the vibe, 2) the music, 3) the food, and 4) the bar,” explains Falco about the club’s formula, an approach that’s drawn numerous return visits from the acts who played its original incarnation, as well as other big names, like David Amram, Paul Schaeffer, David Bromberg, and David Johansen, whose family Falco, as a boy, delivered newspapers to during the singer’s pre-New York Dolls days. Falco grew up on Staten Island, one of seven siblings whose father sang and played bass in a pop jazz group called the Keynotes. In 1974, he moved up to the Hudson Valley to study chemistry at SUNY New Paltz and environmental science at Ulster Community College. He launched his “day gig,” Environmental Labworks, in 1984, and played guitar and bass in local bar bands. Although it was rock that had fired him up at first (“the Stones, Leon Russell, Cream”), with the early 2000s advent of the intimate
performances at the first Falcon, he found himself increasingly drawn to jazz, a genre that he’d grown up identifying mainly with his father. “It was the depth of the music, the quality,” he says. “[ Jazz musicians] are some of the best pure players in the world. It hit me that a lot of the great jazz musicians who play these big places in New York actually live up around here; people like Larry Grenadier [Kingston] and Brad Mehldau [Newburgh]. I figured I could get some of them to come and play if I treated them well and let them do what they love to do.” Falco clearly loves what he does and, busy as he is, doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to retire. When the time comes, though, of his and his wife Julie’s four children, it would appear that Lee, who sometimes runs sound at the club and does some of the booking, is the one most likely to take over the operation. But until then the 25-year-old son is quite busy himself: An in-demand drummer, he’s played with Donald Fagen, Phil Lesh, Graham Nash, Amy Helm, and Rachel Yamagata, and at the time of this writing is on tour in Europe with the Lemonheads and his own band, the Restless Age. For his dad, though, it’s been one fanciful flight after another on stage at the Falcon. Of all the artists who’ve played at the club, does Falco have a favorite? He thinks hard for a minute before answering: “Yeah! Whoever played last night.” Liveatthefalcon.com
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make your friends famous and your enemies jealous Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your choice. Who gets the award? chronogram.com/chronogrammies 1/20 CHRONOGRAM ARTS & CULTURE 67
music Jamie Saft/Steve Swallow/Bobby Previte You Don’t Know the Life The Jamie Saft Quartet Hidden Corners (RareNoiseRecords.com) The expressive range of the organ is explored on keyboardist Jamie Saft’s You Don’t Know the Life. Kicking off with the Bill Evans’s composition “Re: Person I Knew,” Saft colors drummer Bobby Previte’s shuffle-and-chime percussion with guitar-like tones, mounting to a joyous frenzy one might be tempted to say shreds. The original “Dark Squares” is low and droney, almost stoner-y. “Moonlight in Vermont” has a romantic, couples’-skate vibe, not subverted but given sexy subtext by Previte’s fills and bassist Steve Swallow’s loping lyricism. Throughout, the album exploits and escapes the listener’s (this listener’s, anyway) associations of non-ecclesiastical organ, giving classic-pop-adjacent tunes (Bacharach and David’s “Alfie”!) rock muscle and swing. On Hidden Corners, Saft’s quartet are a more traditional configuration: Saft on piano, Dave Liebman on saxes and flute, Bradley Christopher Jones on bass, and Hamid Drake behind the drums. Inspired in part by John Coltrane’s own exploration of the Jewish study of Kabbalah, the group probe the mysteries of a “musical geometry.” In “Positive Way,” there is a sense of sprawling structure: a Latin percussive groove matched with quick-fingered bass figures that suggest a Middle Eastern oud leading into a frayed, sax announcement. “231 Gates” lilts in on a high wooden flute that evokes a samurai, a gunslinger, and a bird simultaneously while the bass, piano, and percussion behind create a kind of natural weather. It’s a Kurosawa-evoking track. The titular tune is contemplative, an inward conversation of steady-trucking longing, perhaps, finding the rhythmic route from one far-flung musical corner to the next. —John Rodat
Full Spectrum Alliance Multiverse (FSA Records) Fullspectrumalliance.bandcamp.com Multiverse: a name befitting for the goulash of unscripted sensations presented by this chance ensemble of musicians—open to source, collectively riding an organic sonic current, temporarily transcending the sea of samsara into a danceable dimension where music self-creates. These songs were played only once, improvised by the players who weighed in for the jam: Stanton Warren on bass and beats, David Donnelly providing vocals and lyrics, Dave Ruigrok on bass, Matthew Fogel on treated electric and synth guitars, AC Voss on Elecktron octatrack sampler and beats, Dan Becevel on flute and bass, and John Boldt on treated Jazz Master guitar. Recorded and engineered by Warren, this heavenly hash morphs through gently rollicking rhythms and trippy cosmic dins with titles such as “Magic Carpet,” “DMT,” and “Solar Turbulence” that challenge boundaries and alter the mind. If drugs ain’t your druthers, this neural mélange might be the mindshift you lack, as shoegaze meets stargaze. —Haviland S Nichols
68 MUSIC CHRONOGRAM 1/20
June Cleaver & the Steak Knives A Place Where Nobody Goes
Spirit Family Reunion Ride Free
(Independent) Cleavermusic.com
(Independent) Spiritfamilyreunion.com Now this, this is delightful. Like a sunny 16 Horsepower or a winsome Asylum Street Spankers, Spirit Family Reunion, for sheer fun, matches any Jimbo Mathus project yet conceived, while flirting with the flat-out accessibility of the Lumineers or the dreaded Mumfords. “Ease My Mind,” indeed! They’ve been doing the “open-door gospel” thing for a decade now, and with Ride Free they are sounding better than ever. Nick Panken’s sweet, plaintive wail is a joy, and Maggie Carson’s still unorthodox banjo plunking serves as its own center of gravity, even on low key gems like “Come Our Way.” Whether assailing the tumbleweed moan of “Whoopie Ti Yi Yo” or romping through the ersatz title track “One Way Ticket,” the Spirits score high marks here. Americana was a tired term the day after it was coined, but this music makes good on the promise. It’s just what repeat play was invented for. —Michael Eck
Although their previous album hit the decks all the way back in 2004, it would be inaccurate to say prog heroes June Cleaver & the Steak Knives have been idle. Multi-instrumentalist brothers Christopher and Patrick Bradley have produced and scored animated film shorts, while working out of their respective homes in Chicago and Accord. Their new album packs quite a punch, with 15 fresh tracks of genre-busting rock. The Bradleys create a dense soundscape that draws on the atmospherics of new wavers like Echo & the Bunnymen as well as concept-heavy forebears like Frank Zappa and Radiohead. “Infallibility of the Knife,” is a reverband-electronica-flavored meditation of the dark side of human nature. “Haunting Me” is driven by an eerie keyboard figure and the guest vocals of Marianne Taskick. Connoisseurs of eclectic, quirky pop will find much to enjoy here. —Jeremy Schwartz
books Leading the Way Marianne Schnall TILLER PRESS, 2019, $16.99
Schnall, a Woodstock resident, is a journalist and the founder of Feminist.com and Whatwillittake.com, websites engaging women to take action and advance in leadership roles. Her latest book is Leading the Way: Inspiring Words for Women, features insights from many of the extraordinary people she’s interview over the past 30 years on how to live and lead with courage, confidence, and authenticity; interviewees include Nancy Pelosi, Glora Steinem, Anita Hill, Sheryl Sandberg, and more. Schnall will read from and sign Leading the Way and her new book for girls, Dare to Be You, on January 11 at Barnes & Noble in Kingston.
The River’s Never Full William Shannon TWO-HEADED CALF PRESS, 2019, $12.95
Shannon, a former reporter for the Hudson Register-Star, became aware of the riverside shantytown in Hudson (also known as the Furgary Boat Club), when he was sent to cover the evictions by SWAT team of its inhabitants in 2012. Subtitled “Hudson’s Lost Shantytown,” Shannon’s novel The River’s Never Full is fictionalized account that follows a young newspaperman who’s fascinated with the shanty dwellers and seeks to make sense of their plight, while they spend most of their time fishing for herring and striper, target-shooting, steaming clams, cooking eel, and talking about better days.
The Good Citizen JoAnne Myers ROUTLEDGE, $44.95, 2019
Myers, an associate professor of political science at Marist College, examines five components of privilege that have come to define levels of citizenship in the United States in her latest book: patriotism, property rights, participation, productivity, and reproduction. Myers provides a new framework for looking at citizenship and power by going past the binary norm of citizen/noncitizen to investigate the norms, policies, and laws that can marginalize people and groups—citizens and noncitizens alike—as “other.”
Green Day Bob Gruen ABRAMS, 2019, $24.99
For more than 40 years, part-time Woodstock resident Bob Gruen has documented the rock music scene in striking style, creating iconic images of such artists as the Clash, the Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, Ike and Tina Turner, and, perhaps most famously, John Lennon and Yoko Ono (see Gruen’s famous shot of Lennon on his “New York City” T-shirt). His latest volume follows second-generation punks Green Day from mid-’90s Manhattan through their stratospheric global success to today.
Like Falling Through a Cloud Eugenia Zukerman EAST END PRESS, 2019, $21
Zukerman, an internationally renowned flutist, has enjoyed a storied career as a musician, writer, and CBS arts correspondent. A few years ago, however, she began experiencing memory lapses and losses—Alzheimer’s. Zukerman unflinchingly confronts her condition in her latest book, Like Falling Through a Cloud, a lyrical memoir of that details coping with forgetfulness, confusion, and a dreaded diagnosis. The poetry and simple prose in Cloud unfold in fragments, a testament to living in the now and the acceptance of futureas-mystery.
The Art of Resistance
Justus Rosenberg WILLIAM MORROW, 2020, $28.99 Nearly 75 years after the official end of World War II, the urge to preserve the voices and stories of survivors is stronger than ever. Justus Rosenberg, professor emeritus of languages and literature and visiting professor of literature at Bard College, decided to capture his story in his own words. In his new memoir, The Art of Resistance, the nearly 100-year-old (“ninety-eight to be exact”) Holocaust survivor chronicles the four years he spent in the French Resistance during World War II. Told chronologically, and rife with history, intrigue, and suspense, Rosenberg’s memoir details an extraordinary life in an unassuming way. Born to parents of the “Mosaic faith” (as Judaism was referred to at the time), Rosenberg was born in 1921 in the Free City of Danzig. The Rosenberg family tried to assimilate to German life and culture as deeply as possible. They, like many Jews in Germany, considered themselves “Germans ‘of the Mosaic persuasion.’” However, as the Nazis rose to power, antisemitism and violence against Jews in Danzig intensified. In response, Rosenberg’s parents decided to send their 16-year-old son to Paris to continue his schooling. In the early days of 1937, Rosenberg studied, wrote weekly letters to his parents, and wandered around the city, soaking up the art and culture. In December 1938, Rosenberg received an eight-page letter from his family—which would be their last correspondence until after the war ended. In June 1940, with the German occupation of Paris imminent, Rosenberg asks, “Would they bombard this jewel of a metropolis, demolishing its magnificent and superbly tasteful architecture? Would the spirit of Paris itself be ravaged and destroyed?” In the face of this uncertainty, he decides to flee the city he’s grown to love. In a series of chance meetings during his nomadic journey, Rosenberg meets journalist Varian Fry who, as a member of the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), was helping artists, writers, and intellectuals escape the Nazi regime. Fry gives Rosenberg his first job in the Resistance. As the war rages on, Rosenberg becomes more deeply enmeshed in the Underground, even assuming an alternate identity. In addition to tracking German movements, he trains and serves as a guerrilla fighter before he joined the United States’ 636th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Over and over again, he narrowly escapes danger (including imprisonment at a detention camp) and even death. In the memoir’s final section “Epilogue: What Happened to…,” Rosenberg writes about what happened to many of the people whom he crossed paths with during the war. The subsections include everyone in Rosenberg’s life, his Battalion lieutenant, to the countless unknown persons who helped him while in the Underground. As for his family, his parents and sister survived by resettling in Palestine but the majority of the Rosenbergs (64 of 68 members) died during the war. In the epilogue’s final subsection, Rosenberg reveals he received France’s highest honor in 2017—being promoted to the rank of Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur—and that he’s nowhere near done telling his story (about his extensive FBI folder, he says he hopes to “deal with all these things in future memoirs”). Even at 100 years old, Rosenberg remains vigilant about rooting out hatred and intolerance, and helping to mend the world we live in. The Art of Resistance is an unforgettable account of one of history’s darkest moments—and those who helped bring us into the light. —Carolyn Quimby
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poetry
EDITED BY Phillip X Levine
Blackberry As a blackberry falls Off the edge of a cliff At the end of a long road By the city in a cloud You may hear a soft whir That you think not of twice But if you desire to listen to it Instead it’s a voice, strong and clear A mother wrapping her newborn In sheets of fine linen The needle and thread sewing The dress of bright red And the unfathomable excitement Of the white gown strolling down Down the red carpet The happiness and sorrow The love and the joy From the first lick of air To the last peaceful breath Is the magnificent journey To the city in the clouds Where we will all go To watch the blackberries grow —Spencer Watson Seupel (1990-2012) Spencer wrote this poem when he was 14.
Conjuring Consider the heat off our bodies— that which comes from the body but is no longer the body itself. A conjuring, an illusion Made manifest. My touch, not to be held. The last, my fingertips On the crest of your shoulders. Lightly, lightly. Now away. —Ken Holland There Are Always Poems Even on difficult days when a close friend dies Things Happen the way they do because life is when Things Happen snow and a strange woman falls then she gets up we help get up she walks away I go to the library to get More Books always More Books reading small miracle of life reading has always saved me because No Matter What life is stories. Even poems. —Esther Cohen
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Ekphrastic Poem Andy Warhol Exhibit at the Whitney January 17th, 1998 Shall we say that it’s great? Let’s say it’s great. It’s great! —p
Physics Here, in the hour before trees abandon camouflage and begin to reassemble lines and edges to reflect a slumming sun, it is true that bodies at rest tend to stay at rest until acted upon by an outside force. Here, above a young hawk’s flight where atmosphere begins to tear along the line between fur speck and the gliding, hungry eye it is true that bodies in motion tend to stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force. Here, under faltering light where the only sound leaks from glass forced to bear the image of our tedious approach and retreat it is true that motions in bodies tend to stay at rest until acted out upon an outside force. —Lee Russ Remembering Something from Childhood Out of the past, whatever was remembered earlier, now forgotten, little thing briefly recalled, but, seemingly so significant, certain to be remembered later, old memory gone again. —Matthew J. Spireng
After You for Pauline Uchmanowicz The lap pool glistens aqua Red and white race pennants, Floats. It’s summer in America. Chlorine, lotion, shouts of Marco Polo, splash and sink. Bored teen lifeguard, spandexed mothers, Sun-shrunk crones, that one Strutting stud (there’s always one). Life, life, and so much life! And you have left it. Water chokes. I flip my body, dead man’s float. An underwater heartbeat thrums my ears. I can’t imagine you not running Past. Cape Cod, salt water, Words and worlds flow through me, Yours. A chair, abandoned. —Nina Shengold The Slick Slope My husband signs us up for Ski Patrol (without telling me) and I find myself learning CPR and to backboard head injuries. I study snow conditions: black ice, powder, Sierra cement, the danger of tree wells. Our children join us on their diminutive skis. My husband is too fast for us and we can never keep up. I stay with the kids and he shushes off to the black diamond run. There goes their father zig-zagging down the fault line, not a care in creation it seems. I’m only on Ski Patrol in name. I mostly rescue the family. I help behind the scenes. I’m not out there in front risking. I never know when I could take a spill. —Cathryn Shea
Second Warning to a Young Poet
The Empty Glass
When you read the words of others that are better than your words, and that you know in your mind of minds, are better, you will know jealousy, envy and spite. They will churn in the pit of your stomach, and you will want to bring up jealousy, envy and spite like phlegm and spit jealousy, envy and spite into the faces of everyone you meet. You will want to stop your own words from coming. You will want to bury yourself in the earth. You will want to crawl on your belly on the ground and crawl into a dark fissure deep in the earth. You will want to jump into the sea, from the stern of a ship, in the fog. You will want to shave your head down to skin. You will want to rend your favorite blue shirt. You will want to cut off your right thumb. You will want to drink cheap red wine until it gurgles back up into your throat. You will want to curse the moon when it is full and when it is gone. You will write the first of many poems about writing your last poem. You will want to be martyred, shot through and through with pens. You will want to take up golf.
I’ll pour myself a drink tonight, while out of sight—a champagne clink to think of you and everywhere you’ve gone.
Near the water; there. It’s the river. Earth’s liquid veins. Bloodlines spring and sponge Through fabled rills, whose source seems blessed far Away, God, as these streaming thoughts Build me bold as banks, bayous, bodies Of water, whose equations are known To equal one, just one; all for one.
Birdsong tinsels our burbling current. This tree, young as she is, sees a fish On hind legs; studies roots exposed. Leaves natter. A trim of trees garden. Earth gives a lawn’s eye look at pavement. Everything appears breathing; still Held, touched. Hey. On my way. Home soon. —Jeffrey van de Visse the hummingbirds left all the faded dead flowers and winter for me —John Kiersten
—Kira Hall Crossing Over we were crossing the muddy delta between Argentina and Uruguay when you left your body
people gather around the dying the way we encircle newborns
Across the Street From Where I Live
We wonder in color. Polished stones Make waves. Sometimes, it is ducks aligned. Look, generations! Right? Call delight Here, on the way to understanding. Whatever this is dances about Bird’s swoop and our river’s distance. Relations plait; physics plays in kind.
I seem forever doomed to spill, on the rocks at midnight talks and still I find it hard to walk and your soul hard to fill.
the girls perched in one of the ferry’s window wells scanning the choppy horizon
—J.R. Solonche
Shadows river green. Shining rocks clack. This river is not for touching. Things It cannot do: it cannot sustain life. We know now. We’re knowing memories. G.E. flushes through me; forgiving. I am not poison. I pray. The river sings As ever, and ever brings me here.
The droplets on my water glass will make up the moments passed, and glue together every smashed open bottle of wine.
with wonder and love and trembling the layers of daily life falling away offered up like smoke Final Phoenix
He sits with the heat on and the windows open. He smokes the pluming black wind of depression. He drinks the poisoned oceans of regret. She carries the stale fragments of hope. She dances with hells of unintentional griefstricken compassion. She bears the weight of cosmic creation. They follow the figurine ideals of freedom. They anguish through the leap. They love throughout within the onslaught of fear. We choose. —D. Burnstone
grape seed oil reminds me of my mom she would always tell me to rub it on something but i can’t remember if it was a burn or a cut or maybe a blister or dry skin
leaving something softly blazing we find ourselves upside down in a new and strange land i am on the phone with your daughter and granddaughter looking up at alien constellations recalling your twinkle and the personal finger wiggle wave that made us all feel special a star streaks across the sky as if moved by an unseen finger the next morning, we watch a troop of hundreds of yellow butterflies drift across the grass towards the beach like snow in the afternoon, your great granddaughters play in the sand the sun sliding under the water i feel you in their hearts in all of our hearts
i miss her
always the source and the center even as you reach that distant shore
—Wayne Memmer
—Jay Erickson
Full submission guidelines: Chronogram.com/submissions 1/20 CHRONOGRAM POETRY 71
MARTIN PURYEAR’S BIG BLING AT MASS MOCA At 40 feet tall, Martin Puryear’s Big Bling was hard to miss in New York City’s Sullivan Park, where it was first exhibited in 2016. Now anchoring the South End of MASS MoCA’s campus in North Adams, Massachusetts, this imposing, but enigmatic work of wood and chain-link fencing, dominates. Purposeful ambiguity is key to Puryear’s beautifully crafted art. He’s not in the business of pontificating, nor is he avoiding the pressing issues of our collective history. That golden shape at the apex of this structure is indeed a shackle, an emblem of slavery, overlaid with a hip-hop veneer of gold leaf; catalizing, in the words of MASS MoCA’s website, “an ongoing dialogue with history, art history, identity, and politics.” Through at least 2025.
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the guide
January 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 January 4: 2020 New York Cat Film Festival at Proctor’s Theater January 8: “Animalia” at Ann Street Gallery January 16: Simi Stone Retrospective at the Colony January 18: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabin Fever Cabaret at Helsinki Hudson January 24: Steven Wright at UPAC January 25: Levin Brothers Band at the Senate Garage January 26: “Tikkun” at the Center for Perfoming Arts at Rhinebeck January 29: “Louise Bourgeois: Ode to Forgetting” at Lehman-Loeb Art Center
For comprehensive calendar listings visit Chronogram.com/events. 1/20 CHRONOGRAM THE GUIDE 73
CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION presents
ZVIDANCE in a performance of
MAIM (“Water” in Hebrew) A new work by Zvi Gotheiner that seeks to raise awareness of the world’s diminishing water resources due to global warming.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
8:00 PM
Tickets Purchased Ahead: $25; $20 seniors; $7 students At the Door: $30; $25 seniors; $7 students
“One does not just watch a dance by Zvi Gotheiner. One enters a world with its own internal logic, a sensual, organic world of movement, language, and images where one is pulled along by currents unseen and inevitable.” - Dance Magazine
Orpheum Film & Performing Arts Center 6050 Main Street, Village of Tannersville, NY To purchase tickets, visit www.catskillmtn.org Or call 518-263-2063
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art
Portrait of a Snowshoe Hare in Summer, Erin Gardner, felt, painted aspen wood
Historically, the first gods were amalgams of animals and humans. Indians prayed (and continue to pray) to the elephant-headed Ganesh; Egyptians worshiped the jackal-headed Anubis. Many of us see divinity in our cats and dogs and cockatiels. “Animalia,” a show at the Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh, celebrates nonhumans in contemporary art. Twenty-seven artists depict horses, chickens, cats, dogs, snakes, foxes, caterpillars and one squid. Gretchen Woodman’s drawing Sounding is a clever image of a church bell with a deer’s head as the clapper. “Animalia” runs through January 11. Particularly appealing are the felted sculptures of Erin Gardner. Four are mock trophies: a barred owl, a polar bear, and two snowshoe hares. Two are complete animal replicas: an orca and a white deer. All are rather small: the deer’s only six-inches long. The “trophies” consist of animal heads mounted on painted aspen wood. (Unlike a real trophy, there’s no armature.) Do I imagine sadness in the eye of the polar bear? Certainly today’s arctic bears face tragedy, as climate change erodes their hunting grounds. Gardner is parodying the hunting trophy, that unnatural union of laminated wood and animal fur which is itself an inadvertent surrealist statement. Mounted heads satisfy a particular type of male ego. Gardner’s “trophies” express a different kind of pride— the pride of a maker rather than a killer. Constructed from wool, hers are, in a sense, vegan animals. Needle felting utilizes a barbed needle to repeatedly poke into a mass of wool to lock the fibers together, forming felt. Concentrated indentations in any area of
the wool make it smaller and denser. Layers may be added to build up form and create detail. Gardner studied painting in graduate school at the University of North Carolina, but found her art schedule changing over time. “When I had my children, I more fully got into needle felting as my creative outlet because it is portable, nontoxic, and very easy to pick up and put down,” Gardner writes via email. She was initially drawn to mounted head sculpture as a way of saving time; a full-body animal could take more than a month to construct. “I think of the mounted heads as portraits of the animals, and as a way to focus on their most expressive component, their faces,” Gardner explains. The titles reflect this approach, for example Portrait of a Snowshoe Hare in Summer. Sometimes Gardner chooses a subject based on a personal encounter. While driving on the New York State Thruway one spring afternoon, she saw a phantasmal white animal, which she later identified as a Leucistic White-Tailed Deer. This creature lacks pigmentation in its fur, yet possesses brown eyes, and is known as the “ghost deer” in Native American culture, where it has mythic status. Gardner grew up in in the Ulster County hamlet of Shokan, but now lives in Central New York with her husband and two daughters. She owns a felting supply and workshop center in New Hartford, Grey Fox Mercantile, where she instructs students in the meditative art of felting. “Animalia,” will remain at the Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh through January 11. —Sparrow
Vegan Animal Trophies "ANIMALIA" AT ANN STREET GALLERY Through January 11 Safe-harbors.org/events/animalia
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dance
MUSIC Simi Stone Retrospective January 16 Taking a break from touring with the New Pornographers in support of their new album In the Morse Code of Brake Lights, Simi Stone brings her “mountain Motown” music to Colony cafe this month. The local girl made good has toured with David Byrne, Natalie Merchant, and Conor Oberst. (Stone and her band headlined the Chronogram Block Party in 2015.) A homecoming gig for the Woodstock native, this show will undoubtedly be peppered with special guests who’ve played and recorded with Stone, from David Baron to Carl Newman—pretty well assured to be a hootenanny. Colonywoodstock.com
CABARET Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabin Fever Cabaret January 18 Bindlestiff’s longstanding winter residency at Helsinki Hudson is back again this year, with a string of monthly performances through March. Established in Brooklyn circa 1995 and based in Hudson since 2006, Bindlestiff Family Cirkus is led by performers Stephanie Rousseau and Keith Nelson, who corral a quirky, colorful cornucopia of clowns, acrobats, musicians, magicians, and cabaret, vaudeville, burlesque, and sideshow artists. The Bindlestiff stage is one of the few arenas in the world where you may see internationally renowned street performers, featured acts from Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Brothers, and artists made known by “America’s Got Talent” live, on stage, and in the same show. Rooted in New York’s underground club and performance art scene, the Bindlestiffs are renowned for their risqué programming—yet each winter’s residency also includes a family-geared Sunday matinee. January 18, February 22, and March 21; family matinee on March 22. Helsinkihudson.com
COMEDY Steven Wright at UPAC
January 24 Academy Award-winning comedian Steven Wright is coming back to the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston on January 24. Wright distinguished himself as a standout comedian after an appearance on “The Tonight Show” in 1982. Since then, his ability to make everyday topics seem comical with his signature deadpan delivery style has afforded him a spot (#15) on Rolling Stone’s list of 50 Greatest Stand-up Comics, as well as the Johnny Carson Comedy Legend Award. Classic Wright one-liner: “I have the world’s largest collection of seashells—I keep it on all the beaches of the world.” Upac.org
THEATER Tikkun
ZviDance performs "Maim" in Tannersville this month.
Water, Water Nowhere ZVIDANCE AT THE ORPHEUM The latest from the forefront of the climate change crisis: 1.9 billion people are at risk from mountain water shortages as mountain glaciers, snow packs, and alpine lakes are run down by global heating and rising demand, a study published in Nature in December noted. Dancer and choreographer Zvi Gotheiner, who grew up on the slopes of Israel’s Mount Gilboa, is no stranger, like others from that arid region, to droughts, water shortages, and tension over scares resources. During Gotheiner’s childhood, the Israeli government spearheaded a water conservation campaign with the slogan “Every Drop Counts.” This month, the renowned choreographer brings ZviDance’s latest production, “Maim” (maim means water in Hebrew) to the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Orpheum Film & Performing Arts Center in Tannersville on January 18. “Maim” was developed during a three-week residency in January 2019 at Lumberyard in Catskill by Gotheiner and his creative team, including composer Scott Killian, media designer Joshua Higgason, lighting designer Mark London and ZviDance’s seven athletic and expressive dancers. The production highlights the human-made devastation of global warming, connecting Gotheiner’s own experience with the world’s dwindling resources. “One does not just watch a dance by Zvi Gotheiner,” writes Dance magazine. “One enters a world with its own internal logic, a sensual, organic world of movement, language, and images where one is pulled along by currents unseen and inevitable.” Catskillmtn.org 76 THE GUIDE CHRONOGRAM 1/20
January 24–26 Tikkun olam: to repair the world. This concept refers to the burden Jews bear not only for their own moral, spiritual, and material welfare, but also for the welfare of society at large. Think of it as Jewish social justice. This month “Tikkun,” a new play by Roselee Blooston, premieres at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck. Directed by Emily DePew, “Tikkun” is a magical realist drama spanning 74 years and two continents, chronicling a father and daughter struggling with Jewish-American identity, survivor guilt, assimilation, and intermarriage. The play was one of five national finalists in the 2006 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition for works with Jewish themes. Starring Deborah Coconis, Andy Crispell, Molly Feibel, Ronnie Joseph, Jane Langan, James McTague, Lou Trapani, and Dennis Wakeman. Centerforperformingarts.org
FILM Kind Hearts & Coronets
Check for dates and times Long before he was the legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi of Star Wars fame, Alec Guinness played Louis D’Ascoyne Mazzini, 10th Duke of Chalfont, in Robert Hammer’s black comedy Kind Hearts & Coronets (1949). In one of the great acting tour-de-forces in the history of cinema, Guinness also plays Mazzzini’s eight relatives, whom he kills one by one as he ascends to the dukedom of Chalfont through a series of ingenious, improbable, and hilarious murders. On the 70th anniversary of the film’s release by England’s legendary Ealing Studios, a newly restored 4K print will be shown in select theaters across the country. Upstate Films will screen the film at its Rhinebeck location in January. Upstatefilms.org
For comprehensive calendar listings visit Chronogram.com/events.
film
One of the stars of Cat Nation, screening as part of the 2020 New York Cat Film Festival.
Hello Kitty THE 2020 NEW YORK CAT FILM FESTIVAL January 4 Proctors.org
Cats make the perfect movie stars, really. They’re natural actors, literally. Besides being so damn cute and all that, they’re unpredictably impulsive, doing what they want to do and making it dramatic when—and if—they feel like doing it. Maybe they just want to lie there for a few hours, snoring their little snore while lying on their back, tummy exposed and ready for rubbing. Or maybe they want to tolerate wearing a shark costume as they ride around on a Roomba, chasing a duck (look it up). Whatever the attraction is, internet video sensations like Keyboard Cat, Grumpy Cat, and Lil Bub (RIP) have become household names. With new camera-ready kitties cropping up by the minute, ready to be liked and shared, it’s not at all surprising that there’s now a growing litter of feline-fanatic filmmakers who are taking this amateur-video craze to next level: actual indie films focused on, yes, cats. And on January 4, a pack of them will screen their moggy movies at Proctor’s Theatre for the 2020 New York Cat Film Festival. Now in its third year, the festival was founded by Tracie Hotchner, the author of The Cat Bible and The Dog Bible; former host of NPR’s “Dog Talk (and Kitties, Too!)” and Sirius/XM’s “Cat Chat”; and the founding podcaster of the Radio Pet Lady Network. She answered the questions below via email. The 2020 New York Cat Film Festival will take place at Proctors Theater in Schenectady on January 4 at 1pm. Tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for seniors and students with ID; a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit local animal welfare groups. Proctors.org. —Peter Aaron
How did the idea for the film festival come about? Did any theater programmers think you were crazy when you approached them about hosting the event during the first year? The Cat Film Festival was a natural evolution of the Dog Film Festival, which was already two years along when cat lovers made their desires known to give cats “equal representation” on the screen. Theaters were very happy to have both festivals available, because independent theaters are struggling to maintain and grow an audience—so special events like this are very attractive to them. The preponderance of amateur internet videos (which the short independent films in the New York Cat Film Festival are not) has certainly shown that people enjoy watching the things that animals— cats, especially—do. What is it about cats that you think people find so fascinating as film subjects? As you pointed out, the films in my festival bear little resemblance to the shenanigans that are celebrated in cat videos online. I find animal videos cause people to laugh at pets, so I am not a fan of seeing animals being “cute” in compromising or silly situations. I cannot answer as to why true cat lovers don’t see the disconnect between admiring and loving cats and watching them basically make fools of themselves. I think one of the reasons the Cat Film Festival has been so successful is precisely because it shows cats all over the world in a respectful, caring way.
How did you select the 14 short films featured in this year’s festival? Can you tell our readers about a couple of them? The films were the most audience-engaging ones that were submitted to me through the online platform Filmfreeway. I made choices so that there was an emotional experience for viewer: animation, funny, thought-provoking, heart-tugging. “Cat Nation” is a fantastic, funny documentary about the Japanese obsession with cats; “Marnie: The Cat Guru” is told in a cat’s own voice/point of view about a toy mouse; and “Akmatsu the Cat” is an uplifting documentary about a man making a good life possible for a paralyzed cat in a “cat wheelchair.” Why should someone who’s not obsessed with cats attend the festival? If people just love the art of film, then they will see a vast array of styles and types of films. Also, it is rare to see short films up on the big screen, so this is a chance to explore this lovely length and variety of filmmaking. What is it you most hope people who come to the festival and see these films feel and experience? I hope people come away with a deeper sense of the importance and magic of cats in society and as parts of people’s families. The fact that a portion of every ticket goes to an animal shelter should also raise awareness of the important, life-saving work being done at the shelters every day—and encourage them to adopt their next pet from a shelter.
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Beacon Barry Le Va Chelsea Mel Bochner Currently on view
Sites Dia:Beacon 3 Beekman Street Beacon New York www.diaart.org
Affiliates Totally Dedicated: Leonard Contino, 1940–2016 78TH-BIRTHDAYARAMA WITH LINDA MARY MONTANO! JANUARY 18, 7:00–8:30PM INTERACTIVE LAUGH-CRY / PREMIER SHOWING OF THE FATHER HARTY DRUM CORPS / GUEST PREACHER/BYO BDAY CAKE CONTEST / ONE CHICKEN DANCE/Q&A.
ALL BIRTHDAY CAKES WELCOME!!! YES YES YES!! $10 AT THE DOOR 11 JANE ST. ART CENTER, 11 JANE STREET, SAUGERTIES, NY. | WWW.11JANESTREET.COM
Leonard Contino, Lady, 1967, courtesy the Estate of Leonard Contino
January 22 – April 5, 2020 Opening reception: Saturday, February 8, 5 – 7 pm SAMUEL DORSK Y MUSEUM OF ART
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT NEW PALTZ
www.newpaltz.edu/museum
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Kenneth Ragsdale, Wishram, 2007; Ragsdale’s photos are part of the “Rear View: Life Examined” exhibit at the Pine Hills Branch of the Albany Public Library.
exhibits
“TOTALLY DEDICATED: LEONARD CONTINO, 1940–2017” AT THE SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM
“AMERICAN MODERNISM: 20TH CENTURY INFLUENCERS IN ROCKLAND COUNTY” AT ROCA
“REAR VIEW: LIFE EXAMINED” AT THE ALBANY PUBLIC LIBRARY PINE HILLS BRANCH
Contino, who at age 19 was paralyzed in all four limbs as the result of an automobile accident, was committed to making art from morning to night each day over the course of a 50-year career. He befriended Mark DiSuvero when both were patients at a rehabilitation hospital in New York City and the famed sculptor was a source of encouragement and collaboration throughout Contino’s life. His wrist supported by a metal brace, Contino created a serious body of work of more than 600 pieces, over 80 of which are on view, including hard edged abstraction, collage, and sculpture. One rigorously crafted work from 1967 entitled LADY toys with the abstract language of the day. Featuring a surprising angle disrupting a centered diamond shape, this painting is an act of artistic heresy and perhaps a defiance of fate. January 22–April 5
From the 1910s through the 1960s, Rockland County was home to artists who impacted the development of Modernism in the US, including Mary Mowbray-Clarke and her husband John F. Mowbry-Clark, who along with painter Arthur B. Davies, founded the 1913 Armory Show. Visiters to this exhibition will see the work of 16 artists in all, such as innovative ceramicist and painter Henry Varnum Poor, whose work is represented in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and textile artist Ruth Reeves, who is best known for her wallcoverings for Radio City Music Hall. Fans of Abstract Expressionism should not miss the work of founding member of the New York School, Richard Pousette-Dart, who had retrospectives at the Met, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim. January 12–February 23
This group show delves into the work of nine artists taking various paths down memory lane in search of a way to make sense of the present. Gavin Christie, blessed with something like total recall, organizes his memories in categorized lists which his sister Leona reenvisions as debossed photopolymer relief prints. Steve Rein’s figurative works in enamel on reclaimed wood present compositions inspired by found photographs. With titles like Hollow Prince, they suggest a complex adult view of a more innocent past. Paul Miyamoto’s paintings mine his mother’s memories of her parents’ incarceration in Japanese internment camps during World War II. Others whose work is on view include: David Austin, Daesha Devón-Harris, Meighan Gale, Kenneth Ragsdale, and Gale Skudera. Through May 2
“DONALD ALTER: THE LATE WORK/ IN MEMORIAM 1930–2019” AT HUDSON BEACH GLASS A ubiquitous presence in the gallery scene centered around Beacon, Donald Alter always had something thoughtful to say about the work on view. He was a serious guy, and what he had to transmit about the work of other artists was a heady brew of long experience going back to his Black Mountain days, healthy skepticism about gimickery passing for innovation, and a genuine excitement about something that caught his discerning eye. All along, he made his own work, never staying still, always looking for something fresh, his love of color the integrating theme. The work on view at Hudson Beach Glass includes his Walmart series, reflecting his fascination with possibilities of computer drawing nurtured while he was in his 80s. January 11–February 2
LINDA MARY MONTANO 78TH BIRTHDAYARAMA AT 11 JANE STREET IN SAUGERTIES Performance artist Linda Mary Montano once spent an entire year, 24 hours a day, bound by a length of rope to Taiwanese performance artist Tehching Hsieh. Later, she performed her 7 years of Living Art, 1984–1991, during which (according to the Dorsky Museum website) “she wore strictly monochromatic clothing, spent a portion of every day in a colored room, and listened to a designated tone, all of which corresponded to the energetic qualities of a specific chakra.” This one evening performance at 11 Jane Street celebrating her birth will be somewhat shorter in duration than many of her famous works, bridging the gap between life and art. Included will be an Interactive Laugh-Cry, the premier of the Father Harty Drum Corps, guest preacher, BYO BDAY cake contest, one chicken dance, and a Q&A. January 18, 7-8:30pm
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exhibits “HEIRLOOMS: QUILTS FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY QUILT CYCLE” AT WASSAIC PROJECT The Quilting in America website asserts that heirloom quilts “are more than just pretty bed-covers; these precious quilts carry within them connections to our personal, as well as cultural past.” But what if the patches and threads weave the narrative of racism and slavery in our collective history? That is the question asked in this exhibition of not so warm and cozy quilts by DARNstudio. Each quilt is created by stitching together (according to Wassaic’s site) “approximately 2,800 custom matchbooks whose covers bear logos memorializing the place where an unarmed black victim of police violence...was killed.” The “Quilts from Another Country” heirlooms are passionate calls to action rather than invitations to take a nice winter’s nap. January 18–March 28
Nu, Shoo, Fly, DARNstudio, 2018, custom matchbooks,cotton thread, wool felt, 92” x 100”
11 JANE ST
BOJO TRUST GALLERY
GARRISON ART CENTER
“The Black and White Group Show.” Internationally acclaimed artists inspired by high contrast. Artworks by Valentina DuBasky, Peggy Cyphers, Johan Wahlstrom, Ford Crull, Daniel Rosenbaum, Antonia A Perez, Gabrielle Meyerowtiz, Dalila Pasotti, Jeffrey Bishop, Todd Monahan. Through January 4. Linday Mary Montano 78th Birthdayarama celebration and performance, January 18, 7-8:30pm.
“Dnieal Jocz: Portraits.” Through January 2.
ALBERT SHAHINIAN FINE ART GALLERY
CAFFE A LA MODE
“Analecta: Excerpts from a Whole by Cali Gorevic.” The exhibit will include one of her ceramic puzzle sculptures which is also the subject of her photographic images. Through January 5. “Presence 2.0: Works on Paper.” Doug Navarra. January 25-March 1. “Divergent Boundaries.” Digital media, video, and sound works by Matt Frieburghaus. January 25-March 1. Opening reception for Matt Frieburghaus and Doug Navarra January 18, 4pm-6pm.
11 JANE STREET, SAUGERTIES
22 EAST MARKET STREET SUITE 301, RHINEBECK “22nd Anniversary Winter Salon.” Karl Dempwolf, James Coe, Polly Law, Crista Pisano & Friends. Through January 31.
ART OMI
1405 COUNTY ROUTE 22, GHENT “Statues.” An exhibition of work by Francesca DiMattio. Through January 5.
ATWATER GALLERY
793 BROADWAY, KINGSTON “Jim Holl: Both a Point and a Wave.” New paintings. January 4-31. Opening reception January 4, 5pm-8pm.
127 WARREN STREET, HUDSON.
BYRDCLIFFE KLEINERT/JAMES ARTS CENTER 36 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK
“Dimensions Variable.” Painting, sculpture, ceramics, and other media by Byrdcliffe’s membership. January 17-February 16. Opening reception January 18, 4pm-6pm.
1 OAKLAND AVENUE, WARWICK “Works by Bruce Young.” Through March 8.
CATALYST GALLERY
137 MAIN ST, BEACON “Catalyst Small Works Show.” 7th annual Catalyst Small Works Show. Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, prints and mixed media work for sale by more than 70 artists. Through January 12.
THE CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT WOODSTOCK 59 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK
“Annual Holiday Exhibition and Object d’art Show.” The Holiday Exhibition features smaller paintings, photography, drawings, printmaking and mixed media works—as well as 3-D objects of glass, ceramics and sculpture. Through January 12.
“Photography Now 2019: The Searchers.” Juried and curated by Maurice Berger and Marvin Heiferman. Martha Díaz-Adam focuses on the cross-cultural. Maureen R. Drennan envisages a 1951 cross-country journey taken by her stepfather. Nona Faustine digs into racial and gender stereotypes. Luther Konadu, Cynthia Bittengield, Sara Macel, Jean Sousa, and Derrick WoodsMorrow also contribute their distinctive takes on the parameters of personhood. Through January 19.
BCB ART
CUNNEEN-HACKETT ARTS CENTER
“Emil Alzamora Sculpture and Richard Butler Painting.” Two masters of figurative art are brought together for simultaneous exhibitions, each with its own title: “amoamasamat” for Butler and “On the Royal Road” for Alzamora. Through January 12.
“Winter Photography Group Show.” Featuring: Steven Steele Cawman, Kara M. Cerilli, David H. Curtis, Cindy Gould, David King, Peter Lemieszewski, Paul Markwalter, Paolo Nigris, Holly Pierce, and Ulana Salewycz. Through January 31.
BANNERMAN ISLAND GALLERY 150 MAIN STREET, BEACON
116 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
12 VASSAR STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
BEACON ARTIST UNION
DIA:BEACON
“Beauty Found, Beauty Wrought.” An exhibition of experimental works of found and made objects in resin by Melissa Schlobohm. Through January 5.
Barry Le Va. Long-term view. Mel Bochner. Long-term view.
506 MAIN STREET, BEACON
BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN
5 WEST STOCKBRIDGE ROAD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA “Unborn Sun,” Paintings by John Gordon Gauld. A New York City based artist, John Gordon Gauld’s compositions depict assemblages that seem unintentional at first, but with sustained attention, reveal a myriad of calculated, symbolic associations. Through February 7.
3 BEEKMAN STREET, BEACON
EAST FISHKILL COMMUNITY LIBRARY 348 ROUTE 376, HOPEWELL JUNCTION
“Photography Exhibit by Nate Ciraulo.” Ciraulo is an experienced nature photographer, inspired by the magnificence of the earth. January 1-31.
GALLERY AT 46 GREEN STREET 46 GREEN STREET, HUDSON
Blue. Gallery at 46 Green Street is pleased to present a group show of artists exploring the many ways of experiencing and interpreting “Blue.” Through February 2.
80 THE GUIDE CHRONOGRAM 1/20
23 GARRISON’S LANDING, GARRISON
GREENE COUNTY COUNCIL ON THE ARTS GALLERY 398 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL
“CREATE 10 x 10 Exhibit Small Works Large Scale.” 10 x 10 Exhibit: Original artwork created by CREATE Members and emerging artists. This exhibit is first of its kind and challenges the artists’ creativity in many ways. First, to create small works. Second to present their work in overall dimensions of exactly 10 inches x 10 inches. From there the possibilities are endless. Though the artwork may be small in size, the scale is large balancing a thought, creativity, problem solving with unique voice and expression. Over 140 artworks on display and priced at $300 or less. Through January 4.
TREAMINE ART GALLERY AT HOTCHKISS 11 INTERLAKEN ROAD, LAKEVILLE
“Flat File: Works on Paper by Cleve Gray.” Through January 12. “Truppe Fledermaus & the Carnival at the End of the World.” Photos by Kahn & Selesnick. January 25-February 23. Opening reception January 25, 4pm.
HUDSON BEACH GLASS GALLERY 162 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Works by Alison Palmer.” Through January 5.
HUDSON RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM 50 RONDOUT LANDING, KINGSTON
“Water/Ways.” This traveling Smithsonian exhibition explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment. January 11-February 23,
HUDSON VALLEY MOCA
1701 MAIN STREET, PEEKSKILL “How We Live: Selections from the Marc and Livia Straus Collection.” Through December 6.
MARK GRUBER GALLERY
17 NEW PALTZ PLAZA, NEW PALTZ “43rd Holiday Salon: A Group Show.” Featuring over 20 artists and artisans using a wide variety of media and styles. Through January 31.
exhibits
PALMER GALLERY
VASSAR COLLEGE 124 RAYMOND AVENUE “Self-taught and Outsider Art from a Private ‘Teaching Collection.’” Curated by Arthur F. Jones, an art history professor, collector, and also an artist. January 21-February 16. Openign receptino January 30, 5pm-7pm.
PINKWATER GALLERY
56 NORTH FRONT STREET, KINGSTON Marked Differences. A mid-winter exhibit of nearly 40 professional artists working in the abstract form. In Marked Differences, these artists explore various personal approaches to making marks in which form, light, color, and line function to both “reveal and conceal”, as described by Meredith Rosiér, the dynamic artist and curator of this show. January 3-February 28. Opening reception January 4, 5pm-9pm.
QUEEN CITY 15
317 MAIN STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE “Just Us Plus.” Linnea Brown, Gerardo Castro, Penny Dell, Dan Goldman, Barbara Masterson, Sherry Mayo, Marlene Wiedenbaum, Rochliegh Wholfe, David Wong Paola Bari, Donna Blackwell, Tom Ellman, Anita Fina Kiewra, Nansi Lent, Laura Martinez-Bianco, Manny Ofori, Suprina, Tamara Thomsen, Lisa Winika, and Zheng Xuewu. January 4-25. Opening reception January 4, 4pm-6pm.
RHINEBECK SAVINGS BANK
6414 MONTGOMERY STREET, RHINEBECK “Performances by Harvey L. Silver.” Pphotographs featuring musical icons from rock and roll, blues, country and folk. Through January 11.
ROCKLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS
27 SOUTH GREENBUSH ROAD, WEST NYACK “Natural Progressions.” Site-specific installations in the Catherine Konner Sculpture Park at RoCA. Large on-site installations address themes with interactive work, integrating sensory elements. The exhibit invites visitors to reconnect to nature and to relieve the ‘nature deficit’ so prevalent today. Through April 30.
SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART 1 HAWK DRIVE, NEW PALTZ
“Totally Dedicated: Leonard Contino, 1943-2017.” Opening Reception. Leonard Contino was a self-taught abstract artist whose tenacious exploration of pictorial space spanned a fifty-year career. Featuring over seventy artworks, “Totally Dedicated” is the largest exhibition of Contino’s work to date and includes colorful hard-edged geometric paintings, playful collages, and delicate reliefs and maquettes from the 1960s through to 2010. Through April 5. Opening reception February 8, 5pm-7pm.
SEPTEMBER
449 WARREN STREET #3, HUDSON
“There’s My Chair I Put it There.” Mixed-media paintings and sculpture by Odessa Straub. Through January 12.
STANDARD SPACE
147 MAIN STREET, SHARON, CT “The Book of Hours. Jessie English’s large-format, multi-exposed mural photographs. Through January 12.
THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA 1946 CAMPUS DRIVE, HYDE PARK
“Amber Waves: Transforming Grain, Transforming America in the 19th & 20th Centuries.” Student-curated exhibit. TThrough April 30.
THE FIELD GALLERY
4 NELSON AVENUE, PEEKSKILL “Winter Wonderland: A Celebration of the Season.” A group show. Through January 7.
UNISON
68 MOUNTAIN REST ROAD, NEW PALTZ “Composed to Decompose.” Forty-five artists have composed installations that are intentionally designed to decompose over the course of an entire year. They demonstrate that it is through decomposition that fertility is replenished, ecosystems are revitalized, and life is renewed. Through July 31.
WIRED GALLERY
11 MOHONK ROAD, HIGH FALLS “The Shape of Light.” Seven artists from the Hudson Valley bring their interpretations of how light affects their work. Curated by Ann Crowley and Laura Taylor. Featuring works by Anne Crowley, Diane Dwyer, Cristeen Gamet, Heather Hutchinson, Lisa Jacobson, Joana Murphy, and Laura Taylor. Through April 26.
“LOUISE BOURGEOIS: ODE TO FORGETTING” AT FRANCIS LEHMAN LOEB ART CENTER Recognized as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Bourgeois was still making important art well into her 90s. “Ode to Forgetting” focuses mostly on works making use of fabrics and embroidery, which manifest her career-spanning interest in textiles going back to childhood; the Bourgeois family had a tapestry restoration business in Paris. Lest this all sounds a bit quaint for an artist who made giant spider sculptures, fear not, there’s plenty of weirdness in this show, often having to do with relationships. Take for example, Blue Bed from 1998 (Aquatint, drypoint, engraving, softground etching, and roulette), which does not make use of textiles, but does present a deceptively simplified scene of intimacy. Rolling waves of bedding conceal all but the heads of a couple, while pulling back from the bedside closest to the viewer to reveal an over-sized, decidedly sensual, and somewhat sinister mouth. January 24–April 5
WOMENSWORK.ART
4 SOUTH CLINTON STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE “Celebration!” Multidisciplinary arts exhibition that aims to organize, recognize, & celebrate(!) women, femme, & nonbinary creatives. This salon-style show will be curated by CelebrateWomxn845. January 10-31. Opening reception February 10, 5pm-9pm. ,
My Hand, Louise Bourgeois, 2002, lithograph on vintage cloth, collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer Photo by Christopher Burke
1/20 CHRONOGRAM THE GUIDE 81
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82 THE GUIDE CHRONOGRAM 1/20
WESTERN STARS
PRESENT LAUGHTER
live music
Courtney Barnett plays the Iron Horse January 24.
ACOUSTIC STARDUST ’20
COURTNEY BARNETT
THE LEVIN BROTHERS BAND
January 11. Local musical and literary luminary Robert Burke Warren organizes sporadic events at Colony that pay tribute to some of modern music’s greatest songwriters: Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and, here for its second year, this one honoring David Bowie. As the night’s name indicates, it’s an acoustic-based affair that homes in on the genius running through Bowie’s tunes and shows that they translate to any setting, as all truly great songs do. Joining Warren in his glamorous homage to the Thin White Duke will be a stellar band featuring Dennis Yerry, Mark Lerner, Nancy Howell, Ann Osmond, Peter Newell, and Cally Mansfield. (The Felice Brothers return January 3; Mames Babagenush dishes up klezmer January 19.) 7pm. $20-$22. Woodstock. Colonywoodstock.com.
January 24. Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett’s plainspoken style suggests the Outback of her homeland: dry, droll, rambling, and real. The songstress snagged influential ears with her 2015 debut Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (featuring the single “Avant Gardener”) and collaborated with Kurt Vile for 2017’s Lotta Sea Lice; her 2018 sophomore album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, released on her own Milk! Records label, won that year’s Australian Recording Industry Association Music Award for Best Rock Album. This intimate date at Iron Horse Music Hall is part of Barnett’s first-ever solo-acoustic American tour. Hachiku opens. (Patty Larkin performs January 4; Son Little sings January 28.) 7pm. $45, $50. Northampton, Massachusetts. Iheg.com.
January 25. Led by local legends Tony (bass) and Pete Levin (piano) and featuring Jeff “Siege” Siegel on drums, the Levin Brothers Band revisits the classic 1950s cool jazz stylings that inspired the band’s namesake siblings to pursue music as kids. Tony, of course, is well known for his years with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, and has recorded as well with John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, and a long list of other giants; Pete has worked with Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus, Annie Lennox, Jaco Pastorious, Wayne Shorter, and many more. The familial unit floats in for this cozy concert at the Senate Garage presented by consistent promoters Jazzstock. 7:30pm. Check website for ticket prices. Kingston. Jazzstock.com.
BOB MOULD
HANNAH COHEN
January 22. A founding member of highly influential 1980s punk kingpins Hüsker Dü and ’90s trio Sugar, guitarist and singer Bob Mould for some reason doesn’t make it up to our neck of the woods very often—which makes this appearance at Infinity Hall a real don’t-miss date. As a solo artist Mould has explored traditional singer-songwriter terrain, electronica, and more polished rock realms, but his most recent releases, 2016’s Patch the Sky and last year’s Sunshine Rock, find him back in familiar high-octane power-trio mode in a band that also includes drummer John Wurster (Superchunk) and bassist Jason Narducy (Verbow). Critics are hailing this current Mould mode as his best music in decades. (Albert Lee arrives January 24; Martin Sexton sings January 25.) 7pm. $39-$54. Norfolk, Connecticut. Infinityhall.com.
January 25. Born in San Francisco to a musical and literary lineage—her father is a jazz drummer, her grandfather was the poet Bertie Rogers—waifish singersongwriter Hannah Cohen unveiled her third album, Welcome Home, last April on the Bella Union label. With touches of folk and contemporary R&B, the dreamy disc was produced by her partner and musical foil Sam Evian and radiates with enough breathy, confessional earnestness to fill the forlorn nights of passed-over high school girls the world over. Evoking her new record’s title, the now Woodstock-based artist arrives home, or close enough, anyway, to play a rare local show at BSP. (Patch Road pulls in January 11.) 7:30pm. $10, $12. Kingston. Bspkingston.com.
January 31-February 1. New this year to fill the winter music festival void is the Irvington Folk Festival, which brings a full two nights of folk magic to Westchester County’s Irvington Theater. Headlining the first night is beloved regional tunesmith Dar Williams, supported by Antje Duvekot. Topping the ticket the following night is the Dustbowl Revival, preceded by Joe Crookston, Nora Brown, and Divining Rod. A VIP reception and whiskey tasting presented by Kings County Distillery and a nearby songwriting workshop led by Crookston add to the festivities. See website for schedule and ticket prices. Irvington. Irvingtontheater.com.
IRVINGTON FOLK FESTIVAL
1/20 CHRONOGRAM THE GUIDE 83
Horoscopes By Lorelai Kude
SATURN-PLUTO CONJUNCTION: GROW UP AND GET REAL The long-awaited Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn arrives January 12. The astro-blogosphere’s scare tactics trigger the fear factor, ominously hinting at international power clashes, constrictive structural and societal pressures around issues of borders and boundaries, and the powerful versus the powerless via this heavy, intense transit. Regardless of the global implications of the meeting of the cosmic timekeeper, Saturn, with raw, ruthless power-player Pluto, this transit need not inspire fear or dread if we accept that the purpose of change is to develop maturity. Growing up, getting real, and accepting personal responsibility is only scary if one has no role model for successful adulting. This month provides celestial parenting on a grand scale. Maturity means accepting reality in all its messy ambiguity and imperfection. Good parents prepare their children to face reality. The “parents” here are the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Moon-ruled Cancer, opposite the Sun, Saturn and Mercury in Capricorn January 10. Light, symbolic of consciousness, is darkened during an eclipse. When the Moon is re-revealed, she allows us to see our truth in a new, realistic, unromanticized light. With the Sun, Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter, and the South Lunar Node all in Capricorn now, that light reveals the shouldering of adult responsibility, the acceptance of hard work and personal sacrifice in order to nurture growth, nest a domestic environment, enhance emotional security and preserve ancestral heritage and family values. The square of the Sun to Uranus January 22 portends shakeups in the hierarchal status quo. New Moon in Aquarius January 24 with Neptune’s conjunction to Venus January 26 and square to Mars January 28 reveal the genuine. Authenticity’s value skyrockets. It turns out our fears are only as scary as our refusal to grow up and get real. The more we accept the unvarnished truth, the wiser we grow.
JOY
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Kicking off 2020 with a First Quarter Moon in Aries January 2 inspires courage; ruling planet Mars in positive, perceptive Sagittarius January 3 energizes your quest to right the wrongs of this world. The Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn January 12 may bring profound structural changes in your career. Resentments which have been brewing for years reach the boiling point. Power struggles come to a head and your reaction against feelings of restriction or powerlessness may range from rebellion against perceived authority or simply walking away and starting anew. Avoid hotheaded ultimatums now. Don’t sacrifice long-term goals for short-term gains.
TAURUS (April 19–May 20)
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Retrograde Uranus in Taurus stations Direct January 11 followed by the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn January 12, possibly undermining your feelings of stability and security. The foundations of your faith may be shaken as you question the structures and institutions which may no longer deserve your uncritical trust and support. People, places and things which are exotic or unfamiliar take on an especially powerful, influential role now, challenging you to enlarge your comfort zone. Ruling planet Venus enters peaceful Pisces January 13, offering succor in the form of empathy, emotional sensitivity and compassion for yourself as well as others. Uranus yields weird delights.
A practicing, professional astrologer for over 30 years, Lorelai Kude can be reached for questions and personal consultations via email (lorelaikude@yahoo.com) and her Kabbalah-flavored website is Astrolojew.com
Horoscopes
GEMINI (May 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;June 21) The Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon in Cancer January 10 triggers memories of significant others who saw your potential, encouraging you to be your highest self. These recollections are your fuel now, as you seek the opportunity to recreate yourself in your own best image. The Saturn-Pluto conjunction January 12 may test your relationship with other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money, personal debt, and shared resources. Diligent accountability is your best offense against sticky entanglements. When integrity is tested, have faith that the good will of the universe is in direct proportion to the good will youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve shown others throughout your life.
CANCER (June 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;July 22) The Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon in Cancer January 10 shines an evaluatory spotlight on your relationships. The Sun/ Mercury conjunction in Capricorn the same day supports speaking truth to power, illuminating what is real so that the false might be exposed. Mounting pressure to commit to a decision peaks at the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn January 12, when bottom-line, unromantic, fundamental, and perhaps harsh judgements need to be made. Choices you make now will have enduring consequences and may not be reversible. Keep conscious of power imbalances influencing your decisions. A relationship that endures this test will become strengthened.
LEO (July 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;August 23) The Saturn-Pluto Conjunction in Capricorn January 12 may reflect a powerful realignment of your mind-body connection. Recommitting to your physical well-being is rededication to the harmony and balance of every part of your life. Feelings of discomfort and restriction around the daily grind might be alleviated by robust investment of your time and energy to a structure or routine around your health. Community becomes an important source of support. Unexpected friends may appear to buoy your efforts January 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;23; New Moon in Aquarius January 24 raises questions involving romantic partnerships. Sages and elders have important messages for you now.
VIRGO (August 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;September 23) Simplifying your life becomes even more of a priority at the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn January 12. Making choices about your creative endeavors in the light of what is ultimately useful and productive takes the forefront. Your desire for respect and to be taken seriously will be fulfilled in proportion to the self-respect you display and the gravity with which you regard your own ideas. Now is the time when creative projects that might be viewed as hobbies are tested for viability. Is what you love doing making you money? Can you wed your passions to your purse strings?
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LIBRA (September 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;October 23) Home is where the heart is. Security and long-term viability of your living arrangements begin to be questioned at the Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon in Cancer January 10. The Saturn-Pluto Conjunction January 12 asks you to get extremely real about what home means to you, and what your responsibilities might be around issues of family commitments. The Last Quarter Moon in Libra January 17 brings wisdom and acceptance of the ties that bind and the inevitable cycles those ties undergo throughout our lifetime. If those ties are toxic, now is the time for them to be irrevocably severed. 1/20 CHRONOGRAM HOROSCOPES 85
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SCORPIO (October 23–November 21) Ruling planet Mars enters straight-shooting Sagittarius January 3, inspiring you to pick up the pace, but Saturn-Pluto conjunct in Capricorn January 12 feels heavy, ponderous, slowing you down at every turn. Best to stop and smell the proverbial roses because fighting the feeling of constriction induced by powers beyond even your control will only frustrate you otherwise. Accept this temporary congestion in your immediate environment as an opportunity to experience the smallest thing, even quotidian pleasures, in a fresh, new way. The square of Mars to Neptune in Pisces January 28 elevates a secret dream into a potential reality.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 22) Launch a preemptive strike against the Saturn-Pluto Capricorn conjunction January 12 by being your own financial auditor. Downsizing and eliminating everything that doesn’t align with your values or fit into either storage or a suitcase saves Saturn-Pluto the trouble of having to perform that elimination process for you. Generosity to others with your abundance has never been a premeditated strategy to ensure your own blessings, but this month you find the universe has been keeping score. Fortunately, your record for open-handed sharing is stellar. Mars in Sagittarius all month energizes personal independence. Remember the free spirit you really are!
CAPRICORN (December 22–January 20)
THE FIRST ANNUAL
Chronogrammies READERS CHOICE AWARDS
The Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon in Cancer and the Sun’s conjunction to Mercury in Capricorn January 10 reveal dynamic tension between past and present. Welcome to maturity: ready or not, here it comes with the SaturnPluto conjunction in Capricorn January 12. It’s now time to assess what is appropriate for your age and bid goodbye to that which no longer serves a functional purpose. Make reality your best friend and it needn’t be harsh. Powerful realignments of relationship dynamics and hierarchal structures, whether family or work-related require significant choices to be made. Choosing what represents enduring value now.
AQUARIUS (January 20–February 19)
Be ambitious Capricorn
The Saturn-Pluto Conjunction in Capricorn January 12 tests the limits of your comfort zone by asking you to briefly endure lonely or isolated circumstances. Ultimately this is simply an opportunity to excavate the rich mines of your personal past, buried deep in your unconscious/ subconscious mind. Enormous therapeutic breakthroughs and Divine revelations around the source and foundation of any ancestral trauma may occur. Solitude is your succor as you process newly revealed truths which are essential to your quest for wholeness and integration. New Moon in Aquarius January 24 reshuffles the deck; friends may become lovers or lovers become friends.
PISCES (February 20-March 19)
Don't wait, nominate. chronogram.com/chronogrammies
86 HOROSCOPES CHRONOGRAM 1/20
The collective, your community, and beliefs you share with your friends is the area the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn January 12 tests for reality-based long-term viability. You must choose to let go of that which no longer serves any useful purpose, including relationships based on past affiliations which no longer align with your more mature and developed values. Sever nonfunctional, potentially problematic ties in the most graceful way with Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces January 27. Two squares to Neptune in Pisces—Venus on the 26 and Mars on the 28—inspire choosing long-term benefit over momentary gain.
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11 Jane Street Art Center . . . . . . . . 78
Green Cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Red Hook Curry House . . . . . . . . . 25
Adams Fairacre Farms . . . . . . . . . . 4
Green Meadow Waldorf School . . . . . 54
Red Line Diner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Alora Laser Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School . . . 55
Red Mannequin . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Androgyny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Health Quest . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover
Ridgeline Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Angry Orchard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Heritage Food and Drink . . . . . . . . 18
Rocket Number Nine Records . . . . . 82
Arrowood Farm Brewery . . . . . . . . 60
Rockland County Tourism . . . . . . . . 41
B-Side Grill & Burrito Burrito . . . . . . 24
Holistic Natural Medicine: Integrative Healing Arts . . . . . . . 39
The Bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Hollenbeck Pest Control . . . . . . . . 33
Bard College at Simon’s Rock . . . . . 46
Homespun Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Baright Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . 31, 33
Hotchkiss School . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Berkshire Food Co-op . . . . . . . . . . 48
The Hudson Company . . . . . . . . . 28
Berkshire Waldorf School . . . . . . . . 48
Hudson Hills Montessori School . . . . 56
Bistro To Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Hudson Valley Distillers . . . . . . . . . 25
Bliss Kitchen & Wellness Center . . . . 24
Hudson Valley Phone . . . . . . . . . . 33
The Bookloft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Hudson Valley Sunrooms . . . . . . . . 31
Brook n Wood Family Campground . . 42
Imperial Guitar & Soundworks . . . . . 82
Buns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
J McManus & Sons . . . . . . . . . . . 28
SUNY New Paltz . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Cabinet Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Jack’s Meats & Deli . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Third Eye Associates Ltd. . . . . . . . . 85
Cafe Mio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Jacobowitz & Gubits . . . . . . . . . . 74
Upstate Films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Cassandra Currie . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
John A Alvarez and Sons . . . . . . . . 33
Valentina Custom Frame . . . . . . . . 33
Catskill Liquors Wine & Spirits . . . . . 63
John Carroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Van Deusen House Antiques . . . . . . 33
Catskill Mountain Foundation . . . . . . 74
Kaatsbaan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Vegetalien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Clarkson University . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Kary Broffman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Villa Vosilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 60
Columbia Memorial Health . . . . . . . . 2
Kasuri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Country Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Kol Hai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Wallace and Feldman Insurance Brokerage . . . . . . . . . 33
Crisp Architects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Lambs Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
WDST 100.1 Radio Woodstock . . . . . 74
The Culinary Institute of America . . . . 18
Liza Phillips Design . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Wild Earth Programs . . . . . . . . . . 42
Daryl’s House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Love Apple Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Wildfire Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Dia: Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Magic is Real . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Doane Stuart School . . . . . . . . 54, 57
Mahalo Gift Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Williams Lumber & Home Center . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
Dr. Ari Rosen - Stone Ridge Healing Arts39
Manitou School . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Dreaming Goddess . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Marbled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Edward Tuck Architect . . . . . . . . . 33
Mark Gruber Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Emerson Resort & Spa . . . . . . . . . 63 The Falcon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Mid Hudson Regional Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover
Fall Kill Creative Works . . . . . . . . . 85
Mirbeau Inn & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chronogram January 2020 (ISSN 1940-1280)
Fionn Reilly Photography . . . . . . . . 84
Mohonk Mountain House . . . . . . . . . 9
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Frost Valley YMCA . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
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Fuchsia Tiki Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Pandorica Restaurant . . . . . . . 24
Gadaleto’s Seafood . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Parish Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Glen Falls House . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Peter Aaron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Glenn Nystrup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Primrose Hill School . . . . . . . . . . . 56
The Roost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Rosendale Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Runa Bistro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Salix Intimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art . . . . . 78 Sassafras Land Care . . . . . . . . . . 46 School of Practical Philosophy . . . . . . 2 Stamell String Instruments . . . . . . . 82 The Stewart House . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Wimowe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild . . . . . . . 74 Woodstock Healing Arts . . . . . . . . 39 YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County . 56
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1/20 CHRONOGRAM AD INDEX 87
parting shot
Captain America, Randy Calderone, 2017
Randy Calderone, an English teacher at Spackenkill High School in Poughkeepsie, is a consummate street photographer. Having lived in cities across the country—Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New York City among them—Calderone uses photography as a way to become intimate with his environment. “I’ve spent countless hours walking the streets with my camera,” says Calderone. “Sometimes it leads to fruitful pictures, sometimes it’s just a nice walk.” One fruitful walk occurred in Paris in 2017, when Calderone spied two kids speeding down the sidewalk—one on a scooter, one giving chase in a Captain America costume. Calderone just happened to be passing by and waited for the composition to coalesce around the multicolored Citroën in the foreground—a lucky, serendipitous occurrence. “The great thing about street photography is catching those unplanned moments,” says Calderone. In October, Calderone had his first solo show at Oak Vino in Beacon. His portfolio can be viewed at Randycalderonephotography.com. To submit street photography for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue, email your 300-dpi photos with captions to our creative director at david.perry@chronogram.com.
88 PARTING SHOT CHRONOGRAM 1/20
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