Explore Fall 2013

FALL 2013

A Times Union PUBLICATION

THINGS TO DO. PLACES TO GO.

FARM AID COMES TO SPAC

plus travel · outdoors · the arts · events calendar · and more!

PREPARE TO

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518-286-2400 www.yankeetrails.com *Asterisk shows date of price indicated. Prices are per person based on double occupancy and subject to change. All cruises subject to availability. Cruise line has the right to reinstate the fuel surcharge at any time. Ships’ Registry: Bahamas & USA.

Publisher George Hearst III Editorial Janet Reynolds Executive Editor Brianna Snyder Associate Editor Design Tony Pallone Design Director Colleen Ingerto, Emily Jahn Designers Contributing Writers John Adamian, Alan Bisbort, Phil Brown, Michael Hamad, Allison Kelley, Stacey Morris Contributing Photographers Sue Bibeau, Colleen Ingerto Sales Kurt Vantosky Sr. Vice President, Sales & Marketing Kathleen Hallion Vice President, Advertising Tom Eason Manager, Display Advertising Michael-Anne Piccolo Retail Sales Manager Jeff Kiley Magazine Sales Manager Circulation Dan Denault Home Delivery Manager Business Ray Koupal Chief Financial Officer

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TimesUnion.com Paul Block Executive Producer Explore is published four times per year. If you are interested in receiving home delivery of Explore magazine, please call: 518.454.5454.

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Explore is published by Capital Newspapers and Times Union 645 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12212 ¡ 518.454.5694 The entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2013 by Capital Newspapers. No portion may be reproduced in any means without written permission of the publisher.

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contents in every issue 6 Calendar of Events » Fall 2013 14 Our Backyard » Local gems to visit 32 Off the Beaten Path » Book barns galore!

39 Just the Two of Us » Chicago, Ill. 42 Last Call » Karen Score on India

page 14 — PHOTO BY PAUL BUCKOWSKI/TIMES UNION ARCHIVES

features ART 20 The Mummies’ Revenge » A new mummy exhibit in Albany MUSIC 16 Farmageddon » Farm Aid comes to the Capital Region 24 Supper’s Ready » Revisiting Genesis at the Egg COMEDY

page 20 — PHOTO COURTESY ALBANY INSITUTE OF HISTORY AND ART

23 A Nut in Every Car » Bill Cosby brings his standup routine to Great Barrington, Mass.

OUTDOORS 27 Scouting the Cedarlands » Fall is the best time to paddle and hike this Adirondack gem

page 27 — PHOTO BY SUSAN BIBEAU

on the cover Farm Aid: Support local famers, hear great music! Read the story on page 16.

— PHOTOS COURTESY FARM AID. FROM LEFT: WILLIE NELSON BY PAUL NATKIN; JOHN MELLENCAMP

BY KIM BUCHHEIT; NEIL YOUNG BY EBET ROBERTS; DAVE MATTHEWS BY KIM BUCHEIT.

page 39 — PHOTO BY CHRIS McGUIRE

timesunion.com/explore 5

calendar fall 2013 Music Classical Bennington Center for the Arts 44 Gypsy Lane, Bennington, Vt. benningtoncenterforthearts.org (802) 442-7158 Saturday, Nov. 30: Russian Duo. 8 p.m. Oleg Kruglyakov and Terry Boyarsky team up for a performance of traditional Russian music.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts 200 Hurd Road, Bethel bethelwoodscenter.org (866) 781-2922 Sunday, Sept. 29: Glenn Dicterow. 3 p.m.

Sun, Oct 6: Jeremy Denk. 3 p.m.

Piano.

College of Saint Rose The Massry Center for the Arts 1002 Madison Ave., Albany Saturday, Sept. 21: The College

of Saint Rose Camerata Family Weekend Concert: Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. 7:30 p.m. With music from Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Cuba.

Saturday, Oct. 12: Premiere of Fabrizio! the Musical!. 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 15: Saint Rose Choral Showcase. 7:30 p.m. The College of Saint Rose presents an evening featuring the outstanding talents of four vocal ensembles: Masterworks Chorale; Chamber Choir; Women’s Chorale; and Madrigal Ensemble.

Saturday, Oct. 26: The College of Saint Rose Camerata: Instrumental Chamber Concert.

7:30 p.m. Instrumental chamber music by Prokofiev, Barber and Poulenc.

Saturday, Nov. 16: Chamber Ensembles Concerts. 11 a.m. Daylong series of concerts by the college’s smaller music ensembles.

Performances at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 17: The College of Saint Rose Women’s Chorale.

7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 23: The College of Saint Rose Orchestra. 8 p.m.

A concert of classical and contemporary works.

Darrow School 110 Darrow Road, New Lebanon Saturday, Sept. 21: Brentano String Quartet. 6 p.m. Tannery Pond Concerts.

EMPAC The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center 110 Eighth St., Troy empac.rpi.edu (518) 276-3921 Saturday, Nov. 2: Calder Quartet. 8 p.m. New and not so new music and a work commissioned by Calder from film composer Don Davis.

Memorial Chapel Union College 807 Union St, Schenectady (518) 388-6000 Friday, Oct. 4: Jeremy Denk, piano. 8 p.m. Opening of Union College Concert Series’ 42nd International Festival of Chamber Music.

Sunday, Oct. 20: Sarasa Ensemble, Dominique Labelle, soprano. 3 p.m. Featuring the chamber music of Italian master Luigi Boccherini.

Friday, Nov. 15: Musicians from Malboro. 8 p.m. Scott St. John (former violinist of the St. Lawrence Quartet) and his colleagues offer a glimpse of the music-making that takes place each summer at the world’s leading chamber music festival.

New Marlborough Meeting House Great Barrington Road, New Marlborough, Mass. newmarlborough.org (413) 229-2785 Saturday, Sept. 21: Music and More 2013: The Apollo Trio.

4:30 p.m. Mozart, Schubert and Rachmaninoff performed

by Curtis Macomber, violin; Michael Kannen, cello; Marija Stroke, piano.

Schenectady County Community College Taylor Auditorium 78 Washington Ave., Schenectady sunysccc.edu (518) 381-1250 Wednesday, Oct. 2: Performance by Maria Zemantauski, guitar. 7 p.m. Part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Sunday, Nov. 3: An American Tapestry: Capital Region Wind Ensemble performanc. 3 p.m.

International program featuring Daniel Kallman’s An American Tapestry.

Wednesday, Nov. 13: Percussion and Piano Concert.

7:30 p.m. Percussionists and SCCC School of Music faculty Nachiko Maekane and Andy Janack are joined by Series Director Mark Evans and guest pianist Gili Melamed-Lev.

Skidmore College Zankel Music Center 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs cms.skidmore.edu/zankel (518) 580-5000 Friday, Oct. 11: Sitar Concert. 8 p.m. Featuring Skidmore faculty member Veena Chandra.

Friday, Oct. 18: Carnegie Hall Premieres. 8 p.m. Concert featuring Ensemble ACJW, fellows of The Academy — a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute.

Saturday, Oct. 26: Skidmore College Orchestra. 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 3: Flute Festival Ensembles. 3 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 14: Skidmore Band. 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 15: Falling for Song. 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 16: Skidmore Community Chorus. 3 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 25: Skidmore Big Band. 8 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 2: Skidmore String Ensemble. 8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 5: Skidmore Guitar Ensemble. 8 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 6: Skidmore Guitar Ensemble. 8 p.m.

UAlbany Performing Arts Center

TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME: Singer Roger Hodgson of Supertramp performs at The Egg on Oct. 22.

­ — PHOTO BY ROB SHANAHAN

6 EXPLORE

1400 Washington Ave., Albany albany.edu/pac (518) 442-3997 Friday, Sept. 20: Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre in Serenata Italiana. 7:30 p.m. Baritone Patrick McNally, tenor Chris

Lucier, mezzo-soprano Brooke Larimer and soprano Rachel Schmiege provide a taste of Italy performing popular Neapolitan arts songs and arias.

Thursday, Oct. 10: Christopher Dean Sullivan and Bob Gluck. 7 p.m. The bassist/educator joins the UAlbany pianist in a concert of musical improvisations.

Monday, Oct. 21: Tara Kamangar. 6 p.m. Rarely-hearsd works by Iranian composers of the past century.

Friday, Oct. 25: George Seror III. 7 p.m. This classical guitarist will perform a solo recital featuring works of Bach, Tarrega, Albeniz and more.

Sunday, Oct. 27: Uni­versity Com­munity Symphony Orchestra & Symphonic Band. 3 p.m. Two of the university’s large ensembles present a shared concert.

Monday, Oct. 28: Anna Tonna.

2 p.m. The mezzo-soprano offers a master class and participates in a meet-the-artist session.

Tuesday, Oct. 29: Art Songs from Latin America. 7 p.m.

Mezzo-soprano Anna Tonna and pianist Max Lifchitz perform works by composers from Argentina, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Sunday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 3: UAlbany/ENY-NATS Art Song Festival. This festival champions the study and performance of the classical art repertoire with this year’s particular focus on German lieder.

Thursday, Nov. 14: Frank Glazer, piano. 7:30 p.m. Performing a program of Haydn, Beethoven, Barber and Liszt as part of his current tour.

Sunday, Nov. 17: Youth Movements Festival — Four Hand Concert. 1 p.m. The sixth annual festival centers on music of Mozart, beginning this year with his complete works for four hands performed by pianists of all ages from all around the Capital Region.

Monday, Nov. 18: UniversityCommunity Jazz Ensemble. 7 p.m. Popular jazz standards.

Thursday, Nov. 21: Youth Movements Festival — Capital Trio. 7:30 p.m. Performing works

by Mozart, Dvorak, Amy Beach, and the world premiere of The Other Way by Los Angeles-based composer David Walther.

Pop, Rock, Folk, Country and Jazz Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker St, Woodstock bearsvilletheater.com (845) 679-4406 Saturday, Sept. 14: Keller Williams. 8 p.m.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts 200 Hurd Road, Bethel bethelwoodscenter.org (866) 781-2922 Friday, Sept. 13: Joan Osborne.

8 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 9: Colin Hay. 8 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 11 - Friday, Oct. 11: Vanilla Fudge. 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 23 - Sunday, Nov. 24: Arlo Guthrie. 8 p.m.

Calvin Theatre & Performing Arts Center 19 King St, Northampton, Mass.

(413) 584-1444 Friday, Sept. 13 - Sunday, Oct. 13: City and Colour. 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 17: Michael Franti And Spearhead. 8 p.m.

Friday, Sept.

20: The Waterboys. 7 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 7: Mavis Staples. 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 10: Ani DiFranco.

8 p.m.

College of Saint Rose The Massry Center for the Arts 1002 Madison Ave,, Albany Sunday, Sept. 15: The John Scofield Uberjam Band featuring Andy Hess, Avi Bortnick and Tony Mason. 7:30 p.m. After leading and writing for various funky bands in the ‘80s and recording and performing with Medeski Martin & Wood in the ‘90s, John Scofield started the Uberjam project in 2000.

Tuesday, Sept. 24: New Gary Burton Quartet. 7:30 p.m. The jazz artist’s 70th Birthday Tour with special guests Bopitude featuring Gary Smulyan.

Sunday, Sept. 29: The College of Saint Rose Jazz Ensemble. 12 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 10: The College of Saint Rose Wind Ensemble. 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 12: The College of Saint Rose Orchestra. 8 p.m.

Sun, Oct 20: The College of Saint Rose Jazz Ensemble and Empire State Youth Jazz Ensemble. 3 p.m. An afternoon of jazz.

Sunday, Oct. 27: An Evening with Chris Thile. 7:30 p.m. Chris Thile, of Punch Brothers, is a mandolin virtuoso, composer and vocalist.

Sunday, Nov. 3: Toad the Wet Sprocket. 7:30 p.m. Four-piece California rock band consisting of lead singer Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss.

Friday, Nov. 22: The College of Saint Rose Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Guitar Ensemble. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 3: The College of Saint Rose Campus Band. 8 p.m.

An evening of classic and contemporary works.

Thursday, Dec. 5: The College of Saint Rose Wind Ensemble.

8 p.m. A concert of classic and contemporary works.

Friday, Dec. 6: It’s a Jazzy Christmas. 6 p.m. The College of Saint Rose presents It’s a Jazzy Christmas! A Celebration of Vince Guaraldi’s Holiday Jazz Music, a family-friendly evening of Guaraldi’s signature style of jazz made famous in the Peanuts holiday specials.

EMPAC The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center 110 Eighth St., Troy empac.rpi.edu (518) 276-3921 Saturday, Nov. 9: Mark Fell. 7:30 p.m. Exploring multichannel loudspeaker arrangements and real-time sound synthesis, composer Mark Fell’s complex interaction of sound waveforms invade.

The Egg

Empire State Plaza, Albany theegg.org (518) 473-1845 (box office) / (518) 473-1061 (administrative) Thursday, Sept. 26: The Waterboys. 8 p.m. The Waterboys perform songs from their grand catalog plus their 2013 opus An Appointment with Mr. Yeats.

Sunday, Sept. 29: Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited World Tour 2013. 7:30 p.m. Steve Hackett revisits the golden era of his time spent as guitarist with the band Genesis.

Friday, Oct. 18: Over the Rhine and Tift Merritt. 8 p.m.

Featuring Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler.

Saturday, Oct. 19: The Piano Guys. 7:30 p.m. Hailing from Utah, the Piano Guys became

an Internet sensation with their original blend of classical music with pop.

Tuesday, Oct. 22: Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson. 8 p.m. Voice, writer and arranger of most of Supertramp’s greatest hits, he gave us amazingly enduring songs like: “Give a Little Bit,” “Dreamer,” and “Take the Long Way Home.”

Saturday, Oct. 26: The Fab Four. 8 p.m. Representing every era of the Beatles’ ever-changing career.

Thursday, Nov. 7: Joshua Redman Quartet. 8 p.m.

Performs music from his latest recording Walking Shadows which ranges from jazz standards to Bach, the Beatles, John Mayer and originals.

Saturday, Nov. 9: Roger McGuinn. 8 p.m. Voice of the Byrds, this is a guided tour of his role as a preserver of music traditions and innovations in the development of folk- and country- rock in the 1960s.

Iron Horse Music Hall 20 Center St, Northampton, Mass. iheg.com (413) 586-8686 Friday, Sept. 13: Southside Johnny & The Poor Fools. 7 p.m. Playing the music of Dylan, Mose Allison, Muddy Waters, NRBQ, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, the Band, George Jones, Tom Waits and more.

Saturday, Sept. 14: Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion. 7 p.m.

Folk-rock.

Friday, Sept. 20: John Ford Coley & Terry Sylvester. 7 p.m.

In the ‘70s, John Ford Coley and England Dan released “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” and “Love is the Answer.” Terry Sylvester’s group the Escorts shared stages around Liverpool with the Beatles.

Saturday, Sept. 21: Caravan Of Thieves. 7 p.m. Driving gypsy jazz rhythms, acoustic guitars, upright bass and violin.

Tuesday, Sept. 24: Robbie Fulks. 7 p.m. Country music.

Saturday, Sept. 28: Garland Jeffreys. 6 p.m. AfricanAmerican/Puerto Rican vocalist/songwriter.

Monday, Sept. 30: Vienna Teng. 7 p.m. California singer/ songwriter.

Friday, Oct. 4: Jill Sobule. 7 p.m.

Denver-born singer, songwriter, storyteller, guitarist and gypsy.

Sunday, Oct 6: John Gorka. 7

p.m. Icon of folk tradition.

Saturday, Oct. 12: Will Evans Of Barefoot Truth And the Sweet Remains. 10 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 18: The Fred Eaglesmith Traveling Steam Show. 7 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 27: Ted Vigil & Steve Weisberg. 7 p.m. The pair perform the music of John Denver.

Wednesday, Oct. 30: Brooks Williams. 7 p.m. Bluesy guitarist.

Thursday, Oct. 31: Dom Flemons Of Carolina Chocolate Drops. 7 p.m. Multi-instrumentalist and a songster.

Sunday, Nov. 3: Greg Brown.

7 p.m. Greg Brown has recorded more than a dozen albums and his songs have been performed by Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Michael Johnson, Shawn Colvin, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Thursday, Nov. 7: Griffin House.

7 p.m. Singer songwriter.

Sunday, Nov. 10: Christine Lavin And Don White. 7 p.m.

Satirical music.

Friday, Nov. 29: Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters. 7 p.m.

R&B. Saturday, Nov. 30: Roomful of Blues. 7 p.m. Blues, R&B and early rock ‘n’ roll music.

Thursday, Dec. 5: Moya Brennan.

7 p.m.

Irish songstress.

The Linda WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio 339 Central Ave., Albany wamcarts.org (518) 465-5233 Friday, Sept. 27: Moonalice. 8 p.m. A band of seasoned musicians who feel that live music should be a communal experience where the listener and musicians feed and derive inspiration from each other.

Thursday, Oct. 3: The American Roots Series at the Linda Presents: Walt Wilkins Solo Tour.

8 p.m. Wilkins is as Texas as it gets, a free spirit always in search of the next song.

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 14 Castle St., Great Barrington, Mass. mahaiwe.org (413) 528-6415 Sunday, Oct. 6: Bela Fleck. 8 p.m. Banjo Summit.

Mass MoCA 87 Marshall St, North Adams, Mass. massmoca.org (413) 662-2111 Friday, Sept. 20: Sarah Jarosz.

7 p.m. Singer-songwriter.

New Marlborough Meeting House Great Barrington Road, New Marlborough, Mass. newmarlborough.org (413) 229-2785 Saturday, Sept. 28: Music and More 2013: An Evening with Karen Akers. 4:30 p.m. Tony award-winning vocalist.

Old Songs Community Arts Center 37 S. Main St, Voorheesville oldsongs.org (518) 765-2815 Saturday, Oct. 5: Archie Fisher.

8 p.m. Master guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

Saturday, Oct. 12: Celtic Fiddle Festival. 8 p.m. Celtic Fiddle Festival is Kevin Burke (Ireland) Christian Lemaître (Brittany) Andre Brunet (Quebec) and Nicolas Quemener (Brittany, France).

Friday, Oct. 18: Jez Lowe & James Keelaghan. 8 p.m. Two titans of songwriting reunite!.

Friday, Nov. 1: John Roberts & Tony Barrand. 8 p.m. Widely acclaimed for their lively and entertaining presentations of English folk songs, the duo sing the ballads and songs of the British Isles.

Friday, Nov. 15: Alan Reid & Rob van Sante. 8 p.m.

Both long-time members of Scotland’s popular Battlefield Band, Alan & Rob present an evening of old and new music.

Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave,, Albany palacealbany.com (518) 465-3334 Wednesday, Oct. 2: Joe Satriani. 7:30 p.m. The veteran guitarist is touring in support of his latest album Unstoppable Momentum.

Proctors 432 State St, Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Tuesday, Oct. 1: Diana Krall. 8 p.m. Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals.

Sunday, Oct. 13: Benny Goodman Tribute. 2 p.m. Swing to Benny Goodman’s iconic

1938 Carnegie Hall concert.

Thursday, Oct. 24: Chanticleer.

8 p.m. This Grammy Awardwinning comprises 12 male singers.

Saturday, Oct. 26: Golden Oldies Spectacular. 7 p.m. This year’s Golden Oldies Spectacular features fan favorite Lou Christie (“Lightning Strikes,” “Gypsy Cried”), Kenny Vance & the Planetones (“Looking for an Echo”), Charlie Thomas’ Drifters (“On Broadway,” “Save the Last Dance for Me”), Sonny Turner, former lead singer of the Platters (“The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer”), Nicole Ortiz (girl group songs) and more.

Saturday, Nov. 2: World Blues.

8 p.m. Grammy Award-winning legend Taj Mahal joins guitarist Vusi Mahlasela and funk-folk band Fredericks Brown, featuring vocalist Deva Mahal.

Thursday, Nov. 7: Celebration of Rhythm. 7:30 p.m. Kicking off this three-part series of performances is Abenaki Nation: Here to Stay and Drums of Ghana featuring Zorkie Nelson.

Friday, Nov. 8: Video Games Live. 8 p.m. A hi-octane rock and fully orchestral concert that performs explosive renditions of the greatest soundtracks in gaming. From the 8-bit simplicity of Mario and Zelda, to the orchestral compositions of World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy, V.G.L. features game composer and guitarist Tommy Tallarico.

Saturday, Nov. 16: Chris Botti.

8 p.m. Jazz trumpeter.

Saturday, Nov. 23: Sixties Rock Experience. 7 p.m. Enjoy the music of the British Invasion, the California sound and the birth of American folk rock and psychedelic rock.

Sand Lake Center For The Arts 2880 State Hwy. 43, Averill Park slca-ctp.org (518) 674-2007 Saturday, Sept. 21: Joni Bishop. 8 p.m. Singer/songwriter/fingerstyle guitarist.

Saturday, Oct. 12: Bing Futch.

8 p.m. This award-wining singer/songwriter from Florida takes the Appalachian mountain dulcimer to electrifying extremes.

Saratoga County Fairgrounds 162 Prospect St, Ballston Spa saratogacountyfair.org (518) 885-9701 Friday, Sept. 13 - Saturday,

timesunion.com/explore 7

calendar fall 2013 Sept. 14: 17th Annual Irish 2000 Music & Arts Festival. One of the largest Irish festivals on the planet. The main stage features Kilrush, Unforgettable Fire, and Shilelah Law and Gaelic Storm.

music associated with the Jewish and Hindu and the old English carols of the 16th century.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

1400 Washington Ave,, Albany albany.edu/pac (518) 442-3997 Thursday, Oct. 10: Christopher Dean Sullivan and Bob Gluck. 7 p.m. The bassist/educator joins the UAlbany pianist in a concert of musical improvisations.

Monday, Nov. 18: UniversityCommunity Jazz Ensemble. 7 p.m. The mid-sized ensemble presents popular jazz standards.

108 Ave of the Pines, Saratoga Springs spac.org (518) 584-9330 Saturday, Sept. 21: Farm Aid: Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews & John Mellencamp, to name just a few. 1:30 p.m.

Shaker Heritage Society Meeting House Road, Albany shakerheritage.org (518) 456-7890 Saturday, Oct. 5: Music in the Meeting House with Dyer Switch. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass band.

Skidmore College Zankel Music Center 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs cms.skidmore.edu/zankel (518) 580-5000 Friday, Nov. 22: Beatlemore Skidmania. 8 p.m.

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall 30 Second St, Troy troymusichall.org (518) 273-0038 Thursday, Sept. 26: Josh Ritter.

8 p.m. The singer-songwriter performs songs from his new album, The Beast in Its Tracks.

Friday, Oct. 11: Sweet Honey in the Rock. 7 p.m. This all-women African-American a cappella ensemble is known for its diverse mixture of blues, African, jazz, gospel, and R&B music.

Friday, Oct. 25: Boney James.

8 p.m. An exciting evening of jazz with R&B roots and Latin rhythms with the saxophonist whose newest album is The Beat.

Wednesday, Nov. 6: Elvis Costello. 8 p.m. Solo performance of the iconic troubadour in an intimate setting.

Saturday, Nov. 30: An Nollaig: An Irish Christmas with Eileen Ivers. 7:30 p.m. Traditional Irish songs, original tunes and holiday favorites.

Friday, Dec. 6: A Solstice Celebration: The Festival of Lights. 7:30 p.m. The Turtle Island Quartet with special guest Tierney Sutton showcases

8 EXPLORE

UAlbany Performing Arts Center

Dance The Egg Empire State Plaza, Albany theegg.org (518) 473-1845 (box office) / (518) 473-1061 (administrative) Friday, Oct. 25: Camille A. Brown & Dancers. 8 p.m. Known for high theatricality, gutsy moves and virtuosic musicality, Camille A. Brown & Dancers use comedy, live original music, animation, theater, and poignantly retrospective dance vocabulary.

Friday, Nov. 1: Tango Fire. 8 p.m. The Tango Fire Company of Buenos Aires brings this smoldering art form to the stage with 12 dancers and a quartet of musicians, tracing the history of the art form from its origin on the streets of Buenos Aires through its evolution into contemporary ballroom styles.

Thursday, Nov. 14: Mark Morris Dance Group. 7:30 p.m. Affectionately known as America’s dance company, the renowned Mark Morris Dance Group is acclaimed for its craftsmanship, ingenuity, humor and eclectic live music accompaniments.

Hubbard Hall 25 E. Main St, Cambridge Saturday, Sept. 21: Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company & Hubbard Hall Present River Rhythms. 7 p.m. Celebrating classic children’s literature and the arts.

Palace Theatre

19 Clinton Ave,, Albany palacealbany.com (518) 465-3334 Thursday, Dec. 5: Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian

Nutcracker. 7:30 p.m. It is the holiday performance for families with magical toys, falling snow, growing Christmas trees, and astounding ballet moves.

Proctors 432 State St, Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Tuesday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 20: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty.

Skidmore College Dance Theater 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs Saturday, Nov. 16: Choreo II & Dance Production Showing. 3 p.m. Choreography II students present original group dance works in collaboration with the lighting designers in Skidmore’s Dance Production class.

Friday, Dec. 6 - Saturday, Dec. 7: Winter Dance Concert. The Skidmore Dance Department presents an evening of dance with choreography by faculty and guest artists.

Stage Albany Civic Theater 235 Second Ave,, Albany albanycivictheater.org Sunday, Sept. 8 - Sunday, Sept. 15: Big Maggie by John B. Keane, directed by Chris Foster.

Revolves around the domineering mother of four grown children who are determined to go their own ways and likely headed in the wrong direction.

Maggie’s often-drunk, womanizing husband has died so now she is free to exercise some control over her life and her children, much to the consternation of the young people.

Friday, Nov. 8 - Sunday, Nov. 24: Night, Mother. Jessie’s father is dead; her loveless marriage ended in divorce; her absent son is a petty thief and ne’er-do-well; her last job didn’t work out, she lives with her mother, and, in general, her life is stale and unprofitable. Here’s what she does next.

Barrington Stage Company Stage 2 36 Linden St, Pittsfield, Mass. barringtonstageco.org (413) 236-8888 Thursday, Nov. 7 - Sunday, Nov. 24: Emilie: La Marquise

Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight. Although today she is best known for her 15-year liaison with Voltaire, Emilie Du Chatelet (1706-1749) was more than a great man’s mistress.

She was one of the leading interpreters of modern physics in Europe, as well as a master of mathematics and linguistics, during the Age of Enlightenment.

Capital Repertory Theater 111 N. Pearl St, Albany capitalrep.org (518) 445-7469 Tuesday, Oct. 1 - Sunday, Oct. 20: Venus in Fur. 8 p.m. David Ives’ two-character play revolves around a brassy actress giving the audition of a lifetime for an uninterested writer-director, until she starts channeling the seductive lead character of the play within a play.

Tuesday, Nov. 26 - Dec. 22: A Christmas Carol. 8 p.m. Charles Dickens’ holiday classic gets a new adaptation, featuring five actors playing more than 20 characters.

Curtain Call Theatre

210 Old Loudon Road, Latham curtaincalltheatre.com (518) 877-7529 Sunday, Sept. 8 - Saturday, Oct. 5: One Slight Hitch. A smart, modern farce from The Daily Show’s Lewis Black. Life in Cincinnati is good for Doc and Delia Coleman on the morning they plan to throw their eldest daughter the lavish wedding they never had, until one slight hitch wreaks glorious havoc on all of their plans.

Friday, Oct. 18 - Saturday, Nov. 16: Abigail/1702. In Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s revisiting, The Crucible’s Abigail Williams tries to start over with a new name in a new town a year after the Salem Witch Trials.

Friday, Nov. 29 - Saturday, Dec. 28: Bermuda Avenue Triangle. Married actors and playwrights Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna concocted this comedy about two widows set up in a Las Vegas retirement condo by their daughters who fall in love with the same charming swindler.

Dorset Playhouse 104 Cheney Road, Dorset, Vt. dorsettheatrefestival.org (802) 867-5777 Thursday, Sept. 26 - Saturday, Sept. 28: Robert Frost/This

Verse Business. 8 p.m. Gordon Clapp, best known for his Emmywinning role as Detective Greg Medavoy on NYPD Blue, stars in this acclaimed one-man performance. Clapp portrays the great American poet Robert Frost, who travelled around the country for 45 years with his poetry, dry wit, and “promises to keep.”

Home Made Theater 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs Friday, Oct. 11 - Sunday, Oct. 27: The Drowsy Chaperone. A die-hard musical theater fan plays his favorite cast album on his turntable, and the musical literally bursts to life in his living room, in this Tony-winning musical comedy.

Proctors 432 State St, Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Saturday, Sept. 14 - Friday, Sept. 20: Ghost — The Musical.

Based on the the supernatural romantic film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.

Wednesday, Sept. 25: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. Armed with a Fender Stratocaster guitar, his signature specs and a charismatic blend of rockabilly swagger, Buddy explodes onto the stage in a jukebox musical fully loaded with classics “Peggy Sue,” “Oh Boy,” “That’ll Be the Day” and more.

Sunday, Nov. 3: Madeline and the Bad Hat. 2 p.m. Madeline, Miss Clavel and all of her friends have a new, but not well-liked, neighbor. When the new kid finds himself in a bind, Madeline must do what she does best — cause a little bit of mischief to avoid a big heap of trouble.

Thursday, Nov. 7: Hello Dolly!.

8 p.m. Emmy Award-winning Sally Struthers (All In the Family, Gilmore Girls) stars as the strong-willed matchmaker Dolly, as she travels to Yonkers, N.Y., to find a match for the ornery “well-known, unmarried half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder.

Saturday, Nov. 9: Godspell. 2 and 8 p.m. The beloved musical from Stephen Schwartz, the Grammy and Academy Awardwinning composer of Wicked.

Saturday, Nov. 16 - Saturday, Nov. 16: Tomorrow Never Knows: Deconstructing The Beatles’ Revolver. Exploring the Beatles album Revolver with a multimedia presentation that includes rare video clips, studio recordings and

behind-the-scenes footage of the Fab Four.

Thursday, Nov. 21 - Friday, Nov. 22: 50 Shades! The Musical. 8 p.m. The musical opens with a ladies book club deciding to read Fifty Shades of Grey. Through their interpretation of the novel, the audience is lead on an uproarious roller coaster ride of this unlikely bestseller.

Friday, Nov. 29 - Sunday, Dec. 1: We Will Rock You. From London’s West End, the worldwide smash hit musical by Queen and Ben Elton features the greatest hits of the legendary British rock group.

RPI Playhouse 15th St, Troy (518) 276-6505 Friday, Nov. 15 - Saturday, Nov. 23: The Importance of Being Earnest. Oscar Wilde’s famous farce features characters taking on false identities to escape social obligations in late Victorian London.

The Sage Colleges Schacht Fine Arts Center Division St and River St, Troy sage.edu/capa/facilities (518) 244-2248 Sunday, Sept. 29 - Friday, Oct. 11: Les Miserables. A musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel of social warfare in 19th century France.

Tuesday, Dec. 3 - Sunday Dec. 15: Secret Garden. An adaptation of the classic children’s book by Frances Hodgson Burnett about a young British girl living in India who loses her parents and is sent back home to live with her depressed and grieving uncle at his mysterious estate.

Schenectady Civic Playhouse 12 S. Church St, Schenectady civicplayers.org (518) 382-2081 Friday, Oct. 18 - Sunday Oct/ 27: Morning’s at Seven. 7 p.m.

Paul Osborn’s play focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1938, half of whom try to make some changes in their lives before it’s too late.

Friday, Dec. 6 - Sunday, Dec. 15: The Santaland Diaries. Joe Mantello adapted David Sedaris’ essay about an unemployed actor auditioning for the part of Crumpet the Elf at Macy’s during the holiday crunch.

SLOC Musical Theatre (Schenectady Light Opera Company) 427 Franklin St, Schenectady sloctheater.org 1-877-350-7378 Friday, Oct. 11 - Sunday, Oct. 20: Guys and Dolls. Desperate to find money to pay for his floating crap game, Nathan Detroit bets Sky Masterson a thousand dollars that Sky will not be able to take a local Salvation Army girl, Sarah Brown, to Cuba.

While Sky eventually is able to convince Sarah to join him, Nathan battles with his fiance of 14 years, Adelaide. The hijinks continue from there.

Friday, Dec. 6 - Sunday, Dec. 15: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. The story of the play itself is told through a series of vignettes that mimic the fourpanel format used by the original cartoon strip, Peanuts.

Theater Barn 654 Us 20, New Lebanon theaterbarn.com (518) 794-8989 Sunday, Sept. 8 - Sunday, Sept.

22: Better Late. This bitingly funny December-DecemberDecember romance by Emmy winner Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H) is a not-to-be-missed new comedy. Julian moves in with his ex-wife and her new husband to recuperate from an illness. Each day the awkward situation spirals further and further out of control.

UAlbany Performing Arts Center 1400 Washington Ave,, Albany albany.edu/pac (518) 442-3997 Wednesday, Oct. 2 - Saturday, Oct. 5: White Rabbit, Red Rabbit. Twenty-nine years old and forbidden to leave his country, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour distills the experience of an entire generation in an utterly original play about contemporary Iran and those born amidst the hardship of the Iran-Iraq war.

Thursday, Oct. 17 - Sunday, Oct. 20: New Play Project.

Audiences will be treated to an engaging and provocative opportunity to experience a staged reading of a new play, from an exciting up-and-coming New York playwright.

Thursday, Nov. 7: Othello.

7:30 p.m. In this magnificently complex study of extremes, Shakespeare pairs his most

loving and trusting leading man with his most conniving and ruthless villain in a dangerous dance of deceit and revenge.

American Shakespeare Center’s production is presented in classic Shakespearian style with actors playing multiple roles and surrounded by audience on three sides.

Words & Ideas College of Saint Rose Carl E. Touhey Forum in the Lally School of Education 1009 Madison Ave,, Albany Thursday, Oct. 3: Institute for Higher Education Leadership Distinguished Speaker Series.

7:30 p.m. The College of Saint Rose Institute for Higher Education Leadership launches its Distinguished Speaker Series with John Ryan, president of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. Ryan’s address will examine the challenges ahead for leadership in higher education.

Thursday, Nov. 7: Constance Vickery Lecture in Ethics and Leadership. 7 p.m. The College of Saint Rose presents an address by Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, president of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA. With a distinguished record of ethics scholarship and higher education leadership, Kiss specializes in moral and political philosophy, moral judgment and education, human rights, and moral reflection and commitment in professional, community, and civic life.

Events and Athletics Center 420 Western Ave,, Albany Thursday, Sept. 12: Frequency North - The Visiting Writers Reading Series at The College of Saint Rose. 7:30 p.m. The series launches its 9th season with faculty authors in the Saint Rose Master of Fine Arts program. Kenneth Krauss, Daniel Nester, Hollis Seamon, Barbara Ungar and Rone Shavers will read from their latest works.

Thursday, Sept. 26: Frequency North - The Visiting Writers Reading Series at The College of Saint Rose. 7:30 p.m. Rick Moody, multiple award-winning novelist and memoirist. A prolific writer, Moody’s works include novels Garden State (1992), The Ice Storm (1994), which

director Ang Lee made into an award-winning 1997 film, and others.

Huether Hall

994 Madison Ave, Albany Friday, Nov. 15: The Visiting Writers Reading Series at The College of Saint Rose. 7:30 p.m.

An evening with Sparrow. Poet, columnist, author and substitute teacher, he created a stir in 1995 when he picketed The New Yorker magazine with a sign reading, “My poetry is as bad as yours.” His poetry has since appeared in The New Yorker as well as The Quarterly, The New York Times and numerous other journals. Sparrow has authored three books.

Saint Joseph Hall Auditorium

985 Madison Ave,, Albany strose.edu Thursday, Sept.

12: Constitutionalism and Human Rights: The Dilemma of the United States. 8 p.m. A lecture

by Dr. Stanley Katz, director of Princeton University’s Center for Arts and Cultural Policy and lecturer in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Katz’s address is the eighth annual Kermit L. Hall Memorial Constitution Day Lecture at Saint Rose.

Empire State Plaza Eagle St and Madison Ave,, Albany ogs.ny.gov (518) 474-5987 Friday, Sept. 20: Archer Mayor at Bouchercon 2013. 12 p.m.

New York Times bestseller Archer Mayor appears at the 44th Bouchercon, the world’s leading convention for crime fiction readers, writers and others. Mayor authors the highly acclaimed, Vermont-based mysteries featuring detective Joe Gunther. Archer will read/sign his 24th Joe Gunther mystery, Three Can Keep A Secret (Oct 2013/St. Martin’s Press).

LEGEND OF THE BRITISH NEW WAVE MOVEMENT Elvis Costello is coming to Troy. Get tickets quick: He’s playing Nov. 6.

— PHOTO BY ANDY GOTTS

Pruyn House

Schacht Fine Arts Center

207 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham colonie.org/pruyn (518) 783-1435 Friday, Dec. 6 - Sunday, Dec. 8: “Winter Wonderland” open house weekend. 9 a.m. Come visit historic Pruyn House decorated for the holidays and open for touring. Blue Creek Garden Club Open House, Basement Boutique and Greens Sale Saturday 12/7 10am - 4pm; Friends of Pruyn House Open

House Sunday 12/8 12:30pm4pm featuring refreshments and music by the American Recorder Society. Fort Orange Garden Club Greens Sale and Boutique.

The Sage Colleges Division St and River St, Troy sage.edu/capa/facilities (518) 244-2248 Wednesday, Nov. 20 Sunday, Nov. 24: Dogs of War; Shakespeare’s Soldiers. 10 a.m.

And adaptation of the Bard’s eight history plays as told from the viewpoint of the characters who fight.

Saratoga National Historical Park 648 Route 32, Stillwater nps.gov/sara (518) 664-9821 Saturday, Sept. 21 - Sunday, Sept. 22: 236th Anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga. 10 a.m.

Large 18th-century American and British military camps feature nearly 200 soldiers helping set the 1777 scene with tents, campfires, cavalry troops, musket and cannon firings. Discuss the challenges of camp life with soldiers, officers, and camp followers; go on a “reconnaissance” party with soldiers; learn about army food, sewing, and cooking techniques. Event presented in partnership with the Brigade of the American Revolution.

Skidmore College 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs cms.skidmore.edu (518) 580-5000 Thursday, Sept. 19: FoxAdler Endowed Lecture. 5:15 p.m. The lecture will be delivered by Isaac Gewirtz, curator of the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.

Wednesday, Sept. 25: Changing the World Through International Service: One Woman’s Story. 7 p.m. by Karen Flewelling, a local woman, will share her experiences fundraising and traveling abroad to carry out international service work in communities in Tanzania, Nepal, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guinea, and many

timesunion.com/explore 9

calendar fall 2013 other countries to help install water wells and provide healthcare to women.

Friday, Nov. 1: The Ronald J. Fiscus Lecture in Constitutional Law by Jeffrey Rosen. 8 p.m.

A professor of law at George Washington University and the legal affairs editor of The New Republic. His most recent book is The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries that Defined America. Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College, summa cum laude; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School.

The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery Thursday, Sept. 26: Dunkerley Dialogue with John Weber and Jason Simon. 7 p.m. In conjunction with the fall exhibition, Classless Society at the Tang Museum.

Comedy The Egg Empire State Plaza, Albany theegg.org Saturday, Oct. 12: Ralphie May. 8 p.m. Stand up comedy.

Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave,, Albany palacealbany.com (518) 465-3334 Thursday, Sept. 26: Russell Peters. 7:30 p.m. The Notorious World Tour.

Sunday, Nov. 10: Bill Maher. 8 p.m. For the last 18 years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television, first on Politically Incorrect and for the last seven years on HBO’s Real Time.

Proctors 432 State St, Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Saturday, Oct. 12: Ladies of Laughter. 8 p.m. LOL features the funniest up-and-coming female comediennes for the best one night stand of comedy you’ll ever have. This year’s lineup features Chris Rich, Leighann Lord, Patty Rosborough and Regina DeCicco.

10 EXPLORE

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Lark Street

245 Lark St, Albany larkstreet.org/events/ larkfest.cfm (518) 434-3861 Saturday, Sept. 21: Larkfest.

10 a.m. LarkFEST is New York’s largest one-day street festival celebrating the heart of Albany.

The event hosts hundreds of vendors, two stages of music and entertainment, the Family Zone for kids of all ages, and national headlining music acts.

30 Second St, Troy troymusichall.org (518) 273-0038 Friday, Nov. 15: Jim Breuer. 8 p.m. Off-the-wall humor, stage antics and dead-on impressions from the Saturday Night Live alum.

Fairs, Festivals & Family Fun

Main Street Cafe 159 N. Main St, Mechanicville (518) 664-4854 Saturday, Oct. 26: Fallapalooza!. 10 a.m. Our 6th year and the event takes on a whole new life! They’ve added store-to-store trick or treating and now you can take your pumpkin with you. Food and craft vendors, entertainers, and children’s workshop.

Albany Upper Madison Avenue Between S. Allen and W. Lawrence, Albany Sunday, Sept. 22: Upper Madison Street Fair. 10 a.m. The street will be blocked off for an afternoon of music, kids activities, food, crafts, vendors, and more.

Maple Ski Ridge

2725 Mariaville Road, Rotterdam mapleskiridge.com (518) 381-4700 Saturday, Oct. 12: Fall Festival Craft, Car & Tractor. 10 a.m.

More than 40 crafters, food vendors, all makes and models of cars, trucks, and tractors, old and new.

Altamont Fairgrounds 129 Grand St, Altamont altamontfair.com (518) 861-6671 Saturday, Sept. 14 - Sunday, Sept. 15: Capital Region Apple and Wine Festival. 21st annual family fall festival. Haunted house, pony rides, kids’ activities, wine tasting, farmers market, entertainment and more.

Cantine Field Elm and Market streets, Saugerties welcometosaugerties.com/ attractions/cantine-field.php (845) 246-5890 Saturday, Sept. 28 - Sunday, Sept. 29: Official 2013 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival. 10 a.m.

Congregation Agudat Achim 2117 Union St, Schenectady Sunday, Sept. 29: Carrot Festival. 10 a.m. The Carrot Festival is the biggest fall festival in Schenectady. It features truckloads of delicious foods and baked goods including the not to be missed carrot cakes, also music, entertainment, fresh produce from the Schoharie valley, kids’ attractions.

Pruyn House

BILL MAHER is a political nonapologist, and love him or hate him, he’s got some interesting ideas about the way the world should operate. See for yourself at the Palace on Nov. 10.

— PHOTO COURTESY HBO

Empire State Plaza Eagle St and Madison Ave,, Albany ogs.ny.gov/default.asp (518) 474-5987 Saturday, Sept. 14: Hannaford Hispanic Heritage Celebration featuring Tono Rosario. 3 p.m.

Join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar marilyninmyroom.blogspot.com Saturday, Sept. 21: Five Rivers Fall Festival. 12 p.m. Free family fun with an environmental theme.

Hands-on activities and crafts, meet-and-greet critters, Insect Safari, guided hikes and more.

Sales of plants, cakes and secondhand books. Refreshments. Free parking and admission.

Goold Orchards

1297 Brookview Station Road, Castleton-on-Hudson goold.com/ (518) 732-7317 Sunday, Oct. 13 - Monday, Oct. 14: Goold Orchard Apple Festival and Craft Show. Arts, crafts, apple picking, games and more.

Hancock Shaker Village 1843 W. Housatonic St, Pittsfield, Mass. hancockshakervillage.org (800) 817-1137 Saturday, Sept. 28 - Sunday, Sept. 29: Country Fair. 10 a.m.

At the Country Fair, vendors fill the Village with delightful fresh

produce, finished farm products, and crafts of all sorts. The Farmers Market tents boast vegetables, flowers, maple sugar treats and hand-made cheeses.

Hunter Mountain 7975 Main St, Hunter Saturday, Oct. 26 - Sunday, Oct. 27: Hunter Mountain Wine and Brew Fest. 10 a.m. A variety of vendors offer specialty foods and delicacies, plus a variety of arts and crafts vendors, a farmers market, live entertainment and more.

Lake George

Village of Lake George Canada Street, Lake George Friday, Oct. 11 - Sunday, Oct. 13: Lake George’s Oktoberfest.

10 a.m. All German-inspired events to explore.

207 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham colonie.org/pruyn (518) 783-1435 Sunday,, Sepy. 8: Old Fashioned Sunday. 12 p.m. The 1830 historic House will be open for touring as well as the carriage house, school house, tool museum, barn & gardens. Music throughout the afternoon. A number of attractions are planned including old time craft demonstrations, exhibits, children’s activities.

Saratoga County Fairgrounds 162 Prospect St, Ballston Spa saratogacountyfair.org (518) 885-9701 Saturday, Sept. 21 - Sunday, Sept. 22: 24th Annual Antique Truck Show - Hudson Mohawk Chapter ATHS. 9 a.m. 24th Annual Hudson Mohawk Chapter of the American Truck Historical Society Truck Show at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds, Ballston Spa. Trucks of all sizes and from original condition to restored, typically over 300 trucks each year. Also antique tractors, engines and flea market.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center 108 Ave of the Pines, Saratoga Springs spac.org (518) 584-9330 Saturday, Sept. 28 - Sunday, Sept. 29: Saratoga Native American Festival. The Saratoga Native American Festival is a collaborative effort of the Ndakinna Education Center and the NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation. Authentic northeastern Native American Indian drumming and dancing, storytelling, music, crafts, and authentic traditional native foods will be part of each day’s offerings.

Saratoga Springs Downtown Saratoga Springs saratoga.org Saturday, Oct. 26: 13th Annual Fall Festival. 10 a.m. The Fall Festival provides free entertainment and activities including Radio Disney, magic shows, trick or treating, arts & crafts, trolley ride, games & prizes, pumpkin rolling races, characters in costume, a petting zoo & pony rides, bounce house, face painting, live music and more! The day ends with a colorful Kid’s Costume Parade down Broadway.

Thursday, Dec. 5: 27th Annual Victorian Streetwalk. 6 p.m.

Broadway in Saratoga Springs is transformed with holiday music, gingerbread house display, Festival of Trees, choral groups, Victorian costumes, Santa & Mrs. Claus, live reindeer and more.

Saratoga Springs City Center 522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs Thursday, Dec. 5 - Sunday, Dec. 8: 2013 Saratoga Festival of Trees. The benefit for Catholic Charities features hundreds of holiday wreaths and trees, breakfast with Santa Claus, and Don Erlenbush’s circus and carnival display featuring 400-500 different miniature items.

Schenectady

expected to be in the parade a vying for seven top prizes.

Schenectady County Historical Society 32 Washington Ave,, Schenectady schist.org 374-0263 Friday, Nov. 29 - Monday, Dec. 16: Festival of Trees. Visit beautifully decorated trees in the YWCA and the Schenectady County Historical Society.

Shaker Heritage Society Meeting House Road,, Albany shakerheritage.org (518) 456-7890 Sunday, Sept. 8 - Sunday, Sept. 8: Fall Harvest Craft Fair.

10 a.m. Get an early start on your holiday shopping as you discover jewelry, jams, quilts, apparel, pottery, soaps and decorative items for your home.

Stillwater Free Library 662 Hudson Ave,, Stillwater Stillwater.sals.edu (518) 664-6255 Saturday, Oct. 26: Stillwater Fall Festival. 12 p.m. Food, fun, family and friends.

Times Union 645 Shaker Road, Albany Sunday, Sept. 22: Times Union Car Show. 10 a.m. Top 20 trophies, dash plaques, Crazy Herb Texas BBQ, music and more.

Proceeds benefit the Times Union’s Hope Fund.

Guests of all ages are awed by this ongoing exhibition which features the Albany Institute’s mummies alongside loaned objects from other major museums. Three key concepts, “The Nile,” “Daily Life,” and “The Afterlife,” are explored through objects, text, and hands-on activities to give an overview of ancient Egypt.

Bennington Center for the Arts 44 Gypsy Ln., Bennington, Vt. benningtoncenterforthearts.org (802) 442-7158 Thru Sunday, Dec. 22: Small Works Show. May 11 - Dec. 22, 2013. Fine art - 11 x 14 and smaller figurative, landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife and stilllifes by nationally recognized artists make up the show.

Thru Sunday, Sept. 22: Laumeister Fine Art Competition.

Artists from around the country and the world are invited to submit work to be included in our fifth annual fine art competition.

The show will be juried by Peter Trippi of Fine Art Connoisseur.

Thru Sunday, Dec. 22: American Artists Abroad. American artists share their work in this beautiful world tour. We get to see famous monuments as well as quiet moments through the eyes of these talented painters and sculptors.

Fenimore Art Museum 5798 Route 80, Cooperstown fenimoreartmuseum.org/ fenimore/visit/experience (607) 547-1400 Thru Sunday, Sept. 29: The Hudson River School: Nature and the American Vision.

Extraordinary exhibition showcasing over 45 important 19th century landscape paintings.

Celebrated masterpieces rarely seen on tour include Thomas Cole’s iconic series of five monumental landscapes, “The Course of Empire.”

The Hyde Collection 161 Warren St, Glens Falls Thru Sunday, Sept. 15: Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George exhibition opens in Wood Gallery. Through a selection of

58 paintings, this landmark exhibition is the first to explore the formative influence of Lake George on the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986).

Iroquois Indian Museum 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave Thru Thursday, Oct. 31: IndianInk: Iroquois and the Art of Tattoos. Showcases contemporary tattoo art, with the work of both young Haudenosaunee designers and skin art commissioned by others. IndianInk includes contemporary expressions of this art and a look back at historical tattooing, once widespread among Indigenous peoples of the northeast.

Museum closed Mondays.

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art 87 Marshall St, North Adams, Mass. massmoca.org (413) 664-4481 Thru Monday, April 7: Jason Middlebrook. Explores the complex relationship between man and nature. Through April. Also,

Joseph Montgomery: Five Sets Five Reps. A selection of works by the New York-based painter.

Thru Sunday, Oct. 27: Xu Bing: Phoenix features two monumental birds fabricated from materials harvested from construction sites in urban China.

Thru April 2014: Guillaume Leblon: Under My Shoe. First solo exhibition of Paris-based sculptor Leblon’s work in a U.S. museum. Selection of works made over the last decade, in addition to two major new projects created for MASS MoCA.

miSci (formerly Schenectady Museum) 15 Nott Terrace Heights, Schenectady miSci.org 382-7890 Thru Sunday, Sept. 29: Dinosaurs! @ miSci. Meet a 32foot long apatosaurus. Tremble at a growling 12-foot tall cousin of T-Rex. Watch dinosaur mothers tend their broods. There’s even a nest full of eggs ready to hatch. Discover 18 animatronic

A STINKING ROSE, BY ANY OTHER NAME: The 2013 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival kicks off in Saugerties on Sept. 28.

Stock up for the winter!

— OHOTO BY KATHY MCLAUGHLIN/AP ARCHIVES

Waterford Harbor Visitor Center One Tug Boat Aly, Waterford (518) 233-9123 Sunday, Sept. 8 - Sunday, Sept.

8: TugBoat Roundup. 9 a.m.

Tugboats gather in Waterford, the weekend after Labor Day, to illustrate the maritime history of interior New York State.

With tugboat parades, tours, boat rides, kids activities, arts and crafts, there is something for everyone all weekend long.

Fireworks, the best in the region, on Saturday night.

Downtown Schenectady sayschenectady.org Saturday, Nov. 23: 46th Annual Gazette Holiday Parade. 5 p.m. The parade, a Capital Region tradition, attracts 20,000-40,000 spectators who will line State Street.

Spectators will enjoy more than 100 magical characters, floats, bands, marchers, dance troops, and decorated vehicles are

Museums Albany Institute of History & Art 125 Washington Ave,, Albany albanyinstitute.org (518) 463-4478 Thru Sunday, Sept. 29: Ancient Egypt: The Albany Mummies.

timesunion.com/explore 11

calendar fall 2013 dinosaurs throughout the museum. Learn all about these prehistoric creatures in the dino dig site, fossil rubbing station, and other hands-on discovery areas.

New York State Museum 264 Madison Ave,, Albany nysm.nysed.gov (518) 474-5877 Thru Sunday, Sept. 22: I Shall Think of You Often: The Civil War Story of Doctor and Mary Tarbell.

South Lobby Doctor and Mary Tarbell were typical of many New York couples who endured the hardships of the Civil War. This small exhibition, originally seen at the Tompkins County History Center, tells the story of the Tarbell’s courtship, marriage, and service during the war.

Thru Sunday, Sept. 15: Best of SUNY 2013. The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition returns to the New York State Museum, showcasing art created by SUNY’s top student artists from across the state.

Thru Sunday, Sept. 22: Russel Wright: The Nature of Design.

Explores the work and philosophy of renowned industrial designer Russel Wright, whose former home in the Hudson Valley — Manitoga — is now a national historic landmark.

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

College of Saint Rose

225 South St, Williamstown, Mass. clarkart.edu (413) 458-2303 Thru Wednesday, Jan. 14: Clark Remix. More than 80 paintings, nearly 20 sculptures, and more than 300 decorative arts objects from the Clark’s permanent collection. The exhibition is both a physical reality and a virtual space, featuring a dynamic salon-style installation and two new digital applications that offer exciting ways to engage with the collection.

1002 Madison Ave,, Albany strose.edu/gallery (518) 485-3902 Thru Sunday, Sept. 29: Design@Work. The exhibit features printed media, packaging, web and video works by 25 outstanding professional designers, all graduates of The College of Saint Rose graphic design program, juried by Alexander Isley.

The exhibition is named for Karene Faul, professor emeritus, who served 42 years as a member of the art faculty and 27 years as chair of the art department.

Thru Sunday, Dec. 8: Charlotta Westergren: Progeny. Charlotta Westergren’s paintings draw on Old Master techniques to evoke deep emotional responses. Her psychologically acute work explores our relationship with time and the increasing difficulty of stopping and slowing it in the modern age.

Williams College Museum of Art

15 Lawrence Hall Dr., Williamstown, Mass. wcma.org (413) 597-2429 Thru Sunday, Dec 1: Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960—1980. Exhibit chronicles the vital legacy of the African American arts community in Los Angeles, examining a pioneering group of black artists who helped shape the creative output of Southern California during a turbulent time in American history.

Skidmore College The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs tang.skidmore.edu Thru Sunday, Sept. 29: The First Fifteen: Photography from the Meredith S. Moody Residency at Yaddo.

Thru Sunday, Oct. 20: Caffè Lena: Inside America’s Legendary Folk Music Coffeehouse. A selection of photographs and ephemera from the legendary Saratoga Springs coffeehouse.

Thru Sunday, Dec. 29: Opener 25: Hildur Asgeirsdottir Jónsson.

Exploring the overlap between painting and weaving, Jónsson creates shimmering paintings on woven silk thread inspired by a range of sources.

Thru Sunday, March 29, 2014: Classless Society. The exhibition will present a range of contemporary art, as well as historical and cultural materials drawn from popular culture, music, film, literature, and advertising, all of which document the nature of class and explore the reality of the American Dream.

12 EXPLORE

Galleries Barbara Prey Gallery 71 Spring St, Williamstown, Mass.

Thru Sunday, Oct. 20: Barbara Ernst Prey: New Works. This exhibit showcases the virtuosic hand of internationally acclaimed artist Barbara Ernst Prey who has painted powerful views of her surroundings for 40 years. In this new series, which showcases a compelling collection of 40 never before seen watercolors, dry-brush and oil paintings, Prey continues her exploration of the Berkshire landscape and our complex relationship with the environment.

Center Gallery @ the Commons 6 Clifton Common Blvd., Clifton Park (518) 383-1343 Thru Monday, Sept. 30: Mostly Music Hall Portraiture by Jay Freud.

The Massry Center for the Arts

Saint Joseph Hall Auditorium 985 Madison Ave,, Albany strose.edu Friday, Oct. 18: Charlotta Westergren. Artist Charlotta Westergren will deliver a lecture in connection with the opening of Charlotta Westergren: Progeny on display at the Esther Massry Gallery, Massry Center for the Arts.

Greene County Council on Arts 398 Main St, Catskill greenearts.org (518) 943-3400 Thru Friday, Sept. 20: Eastern Standard: Indirect Lines to the Hudson River School. Greene County Council on the Arts, Masters on Main Street presents an exhibition of contemporary artists influenced by the 19th century Hudson River School painters. Works include paintings, photographs, films, and site specific work in storefronts of the 300 and 400 block of Main Street, Catskill. Event map available at GCCA gallery, 398 Main Street Catskill.

Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council 7 Lapham Place, Glens Falls (518) 798-1144 Thru Friday, Sept. 20: Story Untold. Featured Artists: Valerie Patterson (painting); Suzanne Reed (assemblage); Nicole M. Santiago (painting).

UNEXPECTED MANIPULATION OF OBJECTS AND SPACE c haracterize the work of Parisian sculptor Guillaume Leblon, whose first solo exhibition, Under My Shoe, is at Mass MoCA through April 2014.

— PHOTO BY BLAISE ALDON Thru Friday, Nov. 1: Annual Juried Exhibition: Pattern and Texture. Original works of art that display and define pattern and /or texture.

Rock Pavilion by Brian Brush at Architecture Omi. Thru Thursday, Oct. 31: Urban Gesture: Janet Echelman Sculpts the Space In Between.

exhibition combining the abstract paintings of Coyne with the figurative metal sculptures of Landon.

Omi International Arts Center

Salem Art Works

1475 Western Ave,, Albany sorellegallery.com (518) 482-2000 Thru Thursday, Sept. 19: Saratoga Memories: Equine Art

by Brian Fox, Kenneth Daly, Kathi Blinn, & Rita Dee.

1405 County Road 22, Ghent artomi.org (518) 392-4740 Thru Thursday, Oct. 31: Omi

19 Cary Road, Salem Thru Friday, Oct. 4: Elizabeth Coyne and Adrian Landon Art Exhibition at Salem Art Works.

Adrian Landon and Elizabeth Coyne collaborate on an

Sorelle Gallery

Listings compiled by the News & Information Services Department staff: Shannon Fromma, CJ Lais, Adrienne Freeman, Jennifer Patterson, Azra Haqqie and Bebe Nyquist. Calendars are compiled about six weeks before delivery, which is the first Sunday of April, June, September and December. To view a complete list of events, or to submit a listing, go to events.timesunion.com. For more information, call 454-5420.

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our backyard

fall’s best five five places to celebrate fall compiled by brianna snyder

1

Dutch Apple Cruises 

If you love the water and local history, taking a scenic and historical tour on the Hudson River with Dutch Apple Cruises is a wonderful way to spend a fall day. The boat has food and a cash bar — for grownup fun — plus private-party and charter availability.

Cruises run through the end of October, so it’ll be chilly near the end, but heated cabins plus fall sweaters should take care of that problem.

OPEN: Wednesday to Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (boarding 12:30 p.m.), through the end of October ADMISSION: $17.95 per ticket CONTACT: 518-463-0220, dutchapplecruises.com

— PHOTO BY JOHN CARL D’ANNIBALE / TIMES UNION ARCHIVES

2

The Arts Center of the Capital Region 

The catalog of classes at the Arts Center in Troy is astoundingly broad — everything from dance and fitness and yoga to art, crafts, cooking and kids stuff. The center’s mission is to “engage people in the creative experience,” and the modern building is located right in Troy’s rich downtown (stop in while you’re shopping the Troy Farmers Market). Curious about taking a writing course or a drawing class or a photography workshop? This is the place to start. And it’s affordable too.

OPEN: Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 4 p.m.

ADMISSION: Course prices vary, but hover in the $50-$125 zone CONTACT: (518) 273-0552, artscenteronline.org

3

Albany Visiting Writers Series 

This season’s lineup of visiting writers looks as exciting as last season’s. In the spring, visiting writers included George Saunders, Marilynne Robinson, James Salter, Gail Collins and more. The intimate events feature contemporary and acclaimed authors who come to read excerpts of their work and take questions from the audience. (There are book-signings too.) Coming up this fall: Ayana Mathis, Jonathan Lethem, T.C. Boyle, to name just a few.

ANNUAL FENCE SHOW at the Arts Center.

— PHOTO BY JONATHAN FICKIES / TIMES UNION ARCHIVES

14 EXPLORE

OPEN: Dates vary throughout the season; see calendar ADMISSION: Free CONTACT: (518) 442-5620, albany.edu/writers-inst

4

Grafton Lakes State Park 

A sprawling park with several hiking trails and a gorgeous lake, Grafton Park is an outdoor playground that offers the ability to hike, canoe, kayak, swim, grill and horseback ride — and those are just the good weather options. In winter, you can ice fish, skate, snowshoe and snowmobile. Trails range from easy to difficult, and picnic tables can be found everywhere — there’s even one hidden on the lakeshore on one of the trails.

You wonder how someone managed to haul a picnic table into the woods, but then you realize you don’t really care. This is where you’re having lunch.

OPEN: Sunrise to sunset ADMISSION: $8 per car CONTACT: (518) 279-1155, albany.com/parks/grafton-lakes.cfm

— PHOTO BY LORI VAN BUREN / TIMES UNION ARCHIVES

THIS FORMER NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR (and 26th U.S. President) is said to sometimes make appearances during Ghosts of Albany tours.

5

— PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Ghosts of Albany Tour 

One of the perks (for some people at least) of living in the Northeast is the plethora of places claiming to be haunted. Ghosts are everywhere, as this 90-minute ghost tour explains. With a walking tour of the city, Ghosts of Albany includes storytellers, experts and researchers on the afterlife to reveal the haunted areas of our capital city.

You’ll never look at Albany the same way again. And though Ghosts of Albany purports not to prove the existence of the supernatural, they do offer this interesting disclaimer: “The Ghosts of Albany cannot be held responsible for any haunting, supernatural event, soul-possession or poltergeist activity endured before, during or after participation on the tour.” Whoa.

JONATHAN LETHEM, acclaimed author of works such as Motherless Brooklyn.

— PHOTO BY FRED BENENSON

OPEN: Various tour dates through November; see calendar ADMISSION: Adults, $16; children 3-17, $12 (Saturdays $20 and $16 respectively) CONTACT: 518-417-2279, ghostsofalbany.com

timesunion.com/explore 15

music

farmageddon

farm aid comes to the capital region

16窶ウXPLORE

by michael hamad » photos courtesy farm aid

Photos: Opposite page, Dave Matthews and Neil Young by Kim Bucheit; Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp by Ebet Roberts. This page, photo by Kim Bucheit.

I

n the mid-1980s, when a song by John Mellencamp came on the radio, you usually stopped to listen. Mellencamp, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a certified multi-platinum-selling artist many times over, sang about the little guy — the young couple with dreams, the lower-middleclass family trying to make ends meet, the old and infirm, the small-business owner getting stomped by the mega-corporation. You related to his characters, even if your situation wasn’t exactly like theirs.

“Quite honestly, I don’t even know if I knew what I was writing,” Mellencamp, 61, told Explore. “But I was astute enough to look around and go, ‘Hey, that small town is not here anymore. Where the hell did it go? Hey, this family store is not here anymore. Where the hell did it go? Hey, the clothing store that I used to buy clothes at. It went out of business. How come all this is happening?’”

Family farms were especially struggling. In July 1985, at the Live Aid festival, Bob Dylan voiced his concerns; Willie Nelson teamed up with Mellencamp and Neil Young and decided to do something about it. Two months later, the first Farm Aid took place on the grounds of the University of Illinois in Champaign, drawing a crowd of 80,000 people and raising over $9 million. Nelson, Mellencamp and Young performed, along with Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Roy Orbison and B.B. King.

At 28 years old, Farm Aid is now the longest-running benefit series in the country. Farm Aid 2013 arrives on Sept. 21 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, where Nelson, board members Mellencamp, Young and Dave Matthews, and supporting artists, including Jack Johnson, Amos Lee, Kacey Musgraves, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Carlene Carter and others, will perform to a sell-out crowd (more than 25,000 tickets were sold in four days).

This year marks the second time the festival will take place in the Empire State (the first, in 2007, was held on Randall’s Island). Attendees, in addition to hearing great music, can learn about what it means to grow humanely raised organic food on one of New York State’s roughly 36,000 farms (they make up about 23 percent of the state’s land) while munching on local eats, served up by the festival’s own Homegrown Concessions.

For many upstate New Yorkers, this isn’t some out-of-touch hippie gab-fest; it’s everyday meat and potatoes. Farms cover nearly a quarter of the state. According to the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, most New York farms are operated by small families; only 3.6 percent, says the USDA, are larger than 2,000 acres. The 2007 Census of Agriculture counted 641 farms in Saratoga County alone, which was up 8 percent from 2002. New York ranks fourth in milk production nationwide and produces 8 percent of the country’s organic milk supply. Yogurt, cheese, fruit and wine are all important commodities.

The early 1980s were exceptionally rough on family farmers: Land values fell, while interest rates and production costs soared. A decade later, factory farms requiring vast stores of cheap grain for livestock sprung up everywhere, while Congress enacted policies that removed price supports. Family farmers, deeply in debt to banks, were barely hanging on. Still, many people — Mellencamp included — never thought twice about where their food came from or what was in it.

“I thought I was eating healthy if I ate a chicken sandwich from McDonald’s,” Mellencamp says. “There was a soft drink called Big Red, made in Waco, Texas, that tasted like liquid bubblegum. I used to have it flown in when I was on tour, because you could only buy it in Indiana and Texas. I’d drink, like, three or four bottles of it a day. It was just pure sugar. You add four or five packs of cigarettes to four or five bottles of Big Red” — and Mellencamp says he soon realized why he couldn’t sleep at night. Farm Aid got him thinking more about how the food he put in his body was tied to his health. continued on page 18 

the farmers of farm aid Farm Aid is about a lot more than Neil, Willie, John, Dave, Jack and whatever other musical giant might be joining in for the annual high-profile fundraiser and concert. Jennifer Fahy, Farm Aid’s communications director, spoke with Explore recently about the organization’s many day-to-day initiatives and how they all come together.

Farm Aid has worked to get the word out about and to support struggling family farmers, some who’d been on their land for generations. This year, and particularly with the Saratoga concert, Farm Aid hopes to prepare the way for the future. “New York and the Northeast are such a fertile ground for new farmers,” says Fahy. But new farmers face many challenges, particularly with regard to access to land, access to credit, and access to health insurance.

“Farming is the most labor-intensive

job,” says Fahy. And so insurance and fair prices are important if we all want to continue eating fresh, healthy, farm-grown food. As consumers grow more interested in local produce, the organization’s assistance to first-time farmers helps regional economies; it helps preserve farmland and open space, and it contributes to cultivating community, with growers networking with restaurants and chefs. This year concertgoers can expect interactive agricultural displays — if you want to learn about starting a garden, keeping chickens or pickling vegetables, this is the place.

“People can actually talk to a farmer and make those connections,” says Fahy. And the concessions will involve locally grown products and a festival food that’s made by regional chefs. Can you say artisanal organic corndog?

— John Adamian

timesunion.com/explore 17

music continued from page 17 Under Nelson’s leadership, Farm Aid would go on to fund grassroots initiatives to stop the spread of factory farms and to encourage Congress to level the playing field for family farmers. But back then, the founders were still learning on the job. “I think all of us were naive,” Mellencamp says. “Small family farmers were going out of business, which is really all that we really thought in the beginning.” The goal, he says, was simple: to draw attention to the plight of small family farms in America. “We thought, ‘The lawmakers will do what’s correct, and that’s it, it’s simple, done.”

Not so easy, it turns out. “And then we had to do another [Farm Aid], and then Willie and I testified in front of Congress [in 1987], and that’s when I knew, ‘Uhoh, we’re in for a long haul here,’” Mellencamp says. “I was only, what, 30? I was very naive about the whole makeup of factory farming, and corporate America, so very naive, all three of us, as smart as we thought we were.” The first sponsor of Farm Aid, tellingly, was Tyson Foods, one of the largest food producers in the world. “I said, ‘Willie, we can’t have these (expletive) people here. This is exactly what we’re talking about!’ But they don’t sponsor us anymore [laughs].”

I

FARM AID 2013, Sept. 21, 1:30 p.m., Saratoga Performing Arts Center, 108 Avenue of the Pines, Saratoga Springs, (518) 584-9330. (413) 528-0100, spac.org.

Photo by Paul Natkin.

n November of 1985, more than a month after the first Farm Aid, Mellencamp’s latest record, Scarecrow, hit the racks. Some songs have that cartoon-

ish ’80s feel, while others — “Rain on the Scarecrow,” “Small Town,” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Rumbleseat” — are arguably even more spot-on now than when Mellencamp wrote them, three decades ago.

“Damn, there was so much music,” Mellencamp says. “Music fought battles.

Strong music had a big stride and big footprints. ... Now, nobody can hardly play an arena. There’s about five of us left, and we’ll see if we can even do that anymore.” The song “Pink Houses,” from 1983’s Uh-Huh, was written after Mellencamp received some sage advice: “Someone told me, ‘If you want to sound important, write the word America in your song.’ That always stuck with me.”

Twenty-eight years is a long time to be fighting for anything. It’s a time span that speaks volumes about the organization’s dedication to the issue. It also suggests the problems aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon.

“There is absolutely no end to it,” Mellencamp says. “There’s too much money involved, so much money involved. ... They’re not gonna let three hillbilly singers come up and brew something up for them. It just can’t be done.”

E

18 EXPLORE

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history

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ANKHEFENMUT PREPARES to be scanned.

mummies’ revenge

mummies at the albany institute of history and art

J

by michael hamad » photo courtesy albany insitute of history and art

ust over a century ago, the directors of the Albany Institute of History and Art decided to do a little mummy shopping.

In popular culture, Egyptomania was all the rage. Bram Stoker’s ghoulish The Jewel of the Seven Stars, with its controversial, dark ending, was published in 1903. (It was adapted for television as The Curse of the Mummy.) Several silent films, including La momie du roi (The Mummy of the King Ramseses, 1909), were scaring and delighting audiences. Any noteworthy North American museum, the Institute’s directors realized, had to have a mummy or two. And Egypt’s Cairo Museum, having just discovered a huge new cache of mummies and coffins in 1891, was happy to oblige.

But what’s the going rate for a mummy?

Board member Samuel Brown, currently entombed under a granite pyramidshaped headstone in the Albany Rural Cemetery, was bullish. “They were haggling over price,” says Tammis K. Groft, interim director and chief curator for the Albany Institute, “and Sam Brown wrote, ‘These people are not in the business for their health, you know. We have to pay them!’” A deal was reached, two 21st dynasty (1085–945 BCE) mummies — one male, one female — and two coffins

20 EXPLORE

were shipped stateside, and a media frenzy was ignited.

Soon, the 3,000-year-old mummies will be back in the spotlight — risen from the dead, perhaps — thanks to Dr. Peter Lacovara, an internationally known Egyptologist who happens to live in Albany, about four blocks from the Institute.

Lacovara, a senior curator of ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern art at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., will guestcurate The Mystery of the Albany Mummies, a new exhibit opening at the Albany Institute on Sept. 21. The temporary exhibit is a complement to the institute’s resident exhibit, Ancient Egypt, bringing in new artifacts from museums worldwide and addressing specific themes relating to the mummies. “[Lacovara has] always been helpful to the staff here,” says Groft. “We are a museum that focused on the art and culture of the Upper Hudson Valley, and our curators are American specialists in decorative arts, painting and so on. Peter is a very generous, gracious curator.”

When Brown first acquired the mummies, the female was thought to be a priestess and the male a priest. Hieroglyphs on the coffin bottom indicated that it belonged to Ankhefenmut, a priest and sculptor in the Karnak Temple of Mut, while the other coffin bottom dated back to the Ptolemaic Kingdom (roughly 305-30 BC).

Come Explore Bennington Vermont this Fall!

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In 1989, the priest and priestess were taken to Albany Medical Center, where they were X-rayed and CT-scanned for gold, jewelry and amulets. “We looked, and it was very interesting, but that was the purpose,� Groft says.

Several years later, Lacovara organized a show for the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London, which also opened at the Carlos Museum and Albany Institute. “It was a tremendous success in terms of the show, the story, our audience, our membership, our school programs,� Groft says. “We didn’t have enough hours in the day to book all of the schools that wanted to come and see the show.�

Around that time, Lacovara started looking more closely at the Albany coffins and mummies; he determined one of the coffin bottoms matched a mummy cover at the British Museum, and that the coffin’s lid was in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. The mummies soon returned to Albany Med for more imaging, where Egyptologist and mummification specialist Dr. Bob Brier, radiologists Dr. Phuong Vinh and Dr. Michael Schuster, CTscan technician Howard Mayforth and Emily Johnson, an X-ray technician, and Lacovara tried to confirm the sex of the mummies. They studied high-resolution shots of the mummies, taken by machines capable of producing images sliced as thin 0.6 mm.

The “priestess,� it turned out, was male, what’s known in Egyptological circles as “re-sexing the mummy.� They also found his right arm and shoulder to be significantly more developed than his left, which would be consistent with the bone morphology of a sculptor, and that the mummy was well-fed, indicating status. “The idea that he was a priest and a sculptor, where his daily work would have been creating sculptures, fit perfectly,� says Groft. “You’re never going to know for sure, but all physical and intellectual evidence points to our mummy being Ankhefenmut.�

To round out the Mystery of the Albany Mummies, the Institute plans to borrow a number of items that would have been buried with the sculptor-priest. And not only will the parts of the coffin be reunited for the first time in 100 years, but the mummy itself will be returned to the coffin.

That, Groft says, is the icing on the cake. “This is a pretty big deal,� Groft says. “In the world of Albany and the Albany mummies, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We only have two mummies and two coffins. But I think in the world of Egyptology and archaeology, it’s a pretty exciting story. I love the fact that it’s this marriage of the humanities, science and technology.�

E

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comedy

a nut in every car

by brianna snyder » photo by erinn chalene cosby

O

nly Bill Cosby can get away with this kind of joke: When I called him recently for an interview, he answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Hello? Mr. Cosby?,” I said.

“No! This is Larry!,” Cosby replied. Ha! And: Duh. Bill Cosby, who’s 76 now, is a man known for many accomplishments. Depending on your generation, you may know him for his stand-up, for his kids shows Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids or Picture Pages, or for his phenomenally successful (and very funny, charming, endearing) sitcom The Cosby Show. Or Kids Say the Darndest Things. Or the J-E-L-L-O commercials. The list goes on practically forever.

In recent years, Cosby has been a prolific and prominent presence on social media. An active tweeter and Facebooker, Cosby is not just funny; he can also be political. He’s made pro-gun-control statements relating to both the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin as well as the mass shooting in a Newtown, Conn., elementary school. Cosby has long been a gun-control advocate; his own son, Ennis, was shot and killed in a robbery in 1997.

Foundations and scholarships have been established in Ennis Cosby’s name, and Bill Cosby is a big proponent of education generally. He earned a doctorate in education from UMass Amherst and much of his material for kids is fundamentally educational. When I asked Cosby about how the Internet might enhance education, he expressed ambivalence.

“I think it’s fantastic, but you have to be careful because not all of it is correct,” he says. “But think about how wonderful it is. … You may see people not even 50 yet and they’ll say, ‘What was the name of that thing?’ and they can’t remember it. Now you’ve got that little machine, you punch some things in, and it goes boop! ‘Yeah, yeah that’s it!’ You don’t have to wait until your friend calls you in the middle of the night to tell you he remembered the answer.”

Cosby is appearing at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington on Oct. 13. If you’ve seen his stand-up recently — Google his performances on Letterman in the past year or so — you know his style now is relaxed, freeform, improvisational. He sits in a chair and gets comfortable. His jokes go something like this: Talking about when his kids bugged him to get a dog, he says, “We’re of sound mind.

My wife and I said, ‘No. No dog.’ You look at these people and they can’t even — they don’t even tell you when they have a load.” In the end, they get the dog, and the kids don’t take care of it, and Cosby wonders at the way a 6-year-old “can take your mind.” (“He’s only been here six years!,” he says.) This is very proto-Louis C.K.-style.

Unlike many comics today, Cosby is clean but personal. He’s digressive, expressive, and gives a very strong impression that he doesn’t exactly care whether his jokes are working … which pretty much always guarantees that the jokes work.

Cosby’s writing process includes something he refers to as looking at things “cock-eyed.”

“Sometimes [my writing] will start as a sentence and I can’t go any deeper and

bill cosby brings his comedy to great barrington

MAHAIWE 2013 GALA: AN EVENING WITH BILL COSBY, Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m., The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle St., Great Barrington, Mass., (413) 528-0100, mahaiwe.org then all of a sudden it’ll come at a cock-eyed angle and I say, ‘Oh yeah, if I look at it the cock-eyed way then I can write more about it and stay linear,’” he says.

Are you familiar with Cosby’s famous “nut in every car” joke? In it, he speculates that New York City tries to save you some money at the theater by putting crazy people on every train. He had to tinker with that joke to make it funny, he says. Just talking about crazy people wasn’t funny enough. He needed a new angle: “I [was thinking on] the subway in Manhattan,” Cosby says. “I wrote a couple of things and people weren’t really laughing — not really laughing, just kind of chuckling. I wasn’t getting a full-monty feeling of go. And so then one day it came cock-eyed and ... I wrote it from my brain: ‘You know NYC is a very expensive city, so … what they did is deliberately put a nut in every subway. A nut in every car.’ … That’s one way to look at it.”

A Fat Albert box set came out this past summer, and fans of the show can look forward to new episodes, too: Cosby says they’re working on a reboot. “I am very, very excited because people 11 years old [today] have been known to look at [Fat Albert] and love it and say to their parents, ‘Why don’t they have things like this on TV?,’” he says. “So we’ll be able to bring on some things that you will enjoy and at the same time a kid [who’s] 7 or 8 will enjoy what they’re looking at also. … It’s gonna be huge. It’s very exciting.”

E

timesunion.com/explore 23

music

supper’s

ready

revisiting genesis at the egg by michael hamad » photos by lee millward

A

s a pop juggernaut, the Phil Collins-led, mid-1980s Genesis achieved household-name recognition, as flashy singles and videos for “Land of Confusion,” “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” and “Invisible Touch” owned the airwaves and MTV. (Remember those puppets?)

An ironic admiration for all-things-Collins remains alive and well (and probably always will). But for rock fans, the progressive music produced by the classic, early-1970s lineup of Genesis — vocalist Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist and guitarist Mike Rutherford, guitarist Steve Hackett and Collins on drums — will always top the chart-toppers.

Hackett has emerged in recent years as the bearer of the early flame; in addition to a steady output of solo albums, he’s released two lengthy tributes — 1996’s Watcher of the Skies: Genesis Revisited and last year’s Genesis Revisited II — that do more than attempt to cash in on his former band’s legacy. Much more: Each album is a quasi-symphonic-rock reinvention, stringing together early epics — the 23-minute “Supper’s Ready” (originally from the 1972 Foxtrot album) — with shorter fare, such as “Dancing with the Moonlit King,” from 1975’s The Lamb Dies Down on Broadway. Both Genesis Revisited albums feature some of the contemporary prog-rock scene’s top musicians.

24 EXPLORE

This fall, Hackett brings Genesis Revisted II to U.S. shores for the first time, including a performance at the Egg in Albany on Sept. 29. If you’d like to attend, you probably don’t want to sleep on getting tickets (a Connecticut show sold out months ago).

“It is fantastic,” Hackett says by phone from his home in England. “We’ve been doing sell-outs throughout the world with this stuff, and it’s great to have been an original member involved with [the group].”

The otherworldly, visual nature of Genesis’ early output, Hackett says, is what set it apart from everything else. “The idea of inhabiting different worlds those songs portray is part of it,” Hackett says. “Apart from that, in another sense I think that the stuff that was written in a pre-video era was uniquely visual in itself. I think the storyteller aspect is important, the journey-ing aspect is important, and the musical continuum aspect is important in songs that were much longer than two or three minutes, even seven minutes. Sometimes we were writing things that were 23 minutes long. ... I think it’s the sense of visualization and songs that were not just to be listened to, but landscapes that can be inhabited.”

After a successful audition, Hackett was invited to join Genesis in 1970. His tenure coincided with a remarkably creative period for the group, which saw the release of several prog-rock masterworks, including Foxtrot, Selling England

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By the Pound and Broadway, Gabriel’s last Genesis record. Hackett co-wrote songs and stunned listeners with solos, like his famous turn on Pound’s “Fifth of Firth.” (That two-handed tapping thing everyone associates with Eddie Van Halen? Hackett invented it.)

“When I first met them, I had no idea I was going to be with them for six or seven years,” Hackett says. “I think that I was initially intrigued, but I felt that the band needed to develop more, so I was extremely very caught in that way, and I gradually got my own way by expanding the people’s arsenal.”

Hackett’s influence stretched beyond the purely musical and into the visual realm; he talked the band into designing a customized light show, so they could control the visible environment wherever they went, or turn the stage into a time machine, if they wanted to. “Everyone seemed to possess an extremely inappropriate light show so you’d be bombarded by strobe lights,” he says. “At the quietest moments, it looked a little bit like a bad acid trip. So we needed to be able to control that.”

During that pre-video era, Hackett says, the band felt it was up to the music to paint pictures. Without videos, he says, “it was a more poetic era, and a more symbolic era. ... I think that we in turn were influenced by cartoons.” Music was less literal, romantic in ways beyond boy-meets-girl. “I think that we expanded the glossary of terms that were available to some other artists,” he says.

Hackett left Genesis in 1977, as Collins stepped forward to sing and the band’s direction veered toward radio-friendly hits. In 2010, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame allowed Genesis to join their ranks, making them the first progressive-rock act to be inducted.

Not surprisingly, Hackett remains a proud champion of the early music.

“I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did,” Hackett says. “Any band is just trying to make a living just doing what comes naturally to them, and you don’t expect that their work is going to survive competitively this long, so there must be something of worth there, and it cannot be just subjective. So, objectively I have to say that because there’s still an audience for it, it’s a great thrill and an honor to be able to bring it in front of people again.”

E

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scouting the cedarlands

outdoors

» THIS STORY originally appeared in Adirondack Explorer magazine. For information, go to adirondackexplorer.org

fall is the best time to paddle and hike this adirondack gem

W

story by phil brown » photos by susan bibeau

e had been hiking for more than an hour on the Skyline Trail — thrashing is more like it — when a bug flew into my eye and got under my eyelid. I didn’t stop lest I be swarmed by more bugs: deerflies, black flies, gnats, they were everywhere.

I wondered vaguely if a bug beneath an eyelid can lead to blindness but figured I’d take the risk. If I stopped, that would mean Martha would have to stop, and she was testy enough.

“Are you going to write about this?” my sweet daughter asked.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Why?” she demanded.

Short answer: it’s my job, and I can’t be deterred by a few zillion bugs.

Better answer: We had discovered one of the best short paddle/hike excursions in the Adirondacks. It’s an outing that has been available to the public for several years but has yet to appear in hiking guidebooks.

We’re talking about paddling across Mud Pond and McRorie Lake and then

hiking up Mud Pond Mountain to take in a stupendous vista of the High Peaks Wilderness and central Adirondacks. Both lakes and the mountain are on the 5,500-acre Cedarlands Boy Scout Reservation west of Long Lake. Thanks to an agreement between the Scouts and the state in 2002, most of Cedarlands is open to the public for ten months a year. In July and August, public access is restricted to Mud Pond (the dates may vary slightly).

Perhaps the best time to visit Cedarlands is late summer or early fall, when the skies are blue and crisp, the bugs few, and the colors many. The one-way trip to Mud Pond Mountain entails nearly two miles of paddling, a half-mile hike with 640 feet of ascent, and two carries totaling 0.9 miles. Likely, you’ll want to extend the trip by exploring the shoreline and islands of mile-and-a-half-long McRorie Lake.

You also could extend the trip by hiking the 4.5-mile Skyline Trail, which follows the ridgeline above McRorie Lake, but until the route is better marked and maintained, we cannot recommend it, at least not to everyone.

Sue Bibeau, Martha, and I had planned to go to Cedarlands in June, but when the trip got postponed, we received permission from Bill Laymon, the reserva-

timesunion.com/explore 27

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tion’s director, to visit in early July even though Scouts had already begun arriving for summer camp.

The parking area lies off a dirt road that leads to the camp. The state Department of Environmental Conservation intends to build a carry trail from the parking area to Mud Pond, but for now paddlers follow a gated dirt road that leads in 0.4 miles to the north shore of the pond. The gate is 0.3 miles past the parking area, so we drove to the gate, dropped off our boats, drove back to the parking area, and then walked back to our boats. Afterward, I was told by a DEC spokesman that the public has no right to drive past the parking area. Starting from the parking area, then, the portage to Mud Pond will be 0.7 miles (until a new carry trail is built).

Even our abbreviated carry of 0.4 miles was no picnic, so we were glad to be shouldering lightweight canoes. Paddlers with heavy boats may want to use a wheeled carrier.

Paddling west across Mud Pond, we enjoyed views of the Big Brook Hills directly ahead of us (the pond’s outlet flows into Big Brook). In a few minutes, we turned a corner and started winding northward up the inlet, paddling past an extensive tamarack bog and through a maze of pickerelweed and water lilies. The mountains rising above McRorie Lake added a dramatic backdrop to the peaceful scene.

The takeout for the second carry is 0.65 miles from the put-in. When the water is high you may be able to paddle to dry land, but we had to exit our boats in the muck of a grassy wetland and drag them several yards to the trail. The takeout is marked by orange ribbons.

A short carry through the woods leads to a dirt road (a continuation of the road used for the first portage). You need to turn left here, follow the road across the outlet, and look for another short path that ends at the water’s edge. The start of the path is unmarked and difficult to discern. It begins on the right maybe twenty yards beyond the bridge over the outlet.

At the put-in, the McRorie Lake outlet is really a narrow bay with little current. It took just a minute to paddle to the lake proper, where we were treated to views of Kempshall Mountain to the east and the Seward Range to the northeast.

On the shore to the right we could see a dock and canoes. This area is part of the Boy Scouts’ base camp, which is off limits to the public. Ahead of us was Loon Island, the largest of McRorie’s five islands (yes, loons can be seen on the lake).

Seeking the shortest route to the Mud Pond Mountain trail, we paddled straight ahead and passed through a boulder-filled channel that separates the island’s west shore from the mainland. Hugging the lakeshore, we rounded a point and entered a bay. We soon passed a large swimming rock on the left, from

From Long Lake hamlet, drive north on NY 30. Turn right onto Kickerville Road, reached 0.6 miles past the bridge over Long Lake. If coming from the north, you reach Kickerville Road 3 miles after crossing Big Brook. Go down Kickerville Road for 2 miles, where the road turns to dirt. Continue on the dirt road for 0.8 miles, where you will see a left turn for a parking area. The portage begins at the lot: walk 0.3 miles down the dirt road to a junction of three gated roads.

The one in the center is for Cedarlands. The one on the left is the continuation of the portage to Mud Pond. Continue another 0.4 miles to a put-in on the left.

which you can jump into the deep water and climb out with the help of a fixed rope. The landing for hikers is near the end of the bay, on the right, marked by an orange traffic cone, of all things.

The paddle from the outlet to the landing is just under a mile. The views from the lake — both distant and near — are so outstanding that you’ll probably want to spend more time on the water before or after the hike. A long ridge on the west and north side of the lake rises as much as a thousand feet above the water, culminating in the 2,900-foot summit of Rock Pond Mountain. From the water, you get the sense you’re sitting in a giant amphitheater. By making a circuit of the lake, you can get in an extra four or five miles of paddling. You also might want to stop at one of the smaller islands for a picnic and swim. There are two in the center of the lake, including one that’s mostly bedrock.

N

ow let’s get back to the hike. After landing, look for a faint path that leads in twenty yards or so to an overgrown woods road. Turn right and follow the grassy lane less than a tenth of a mile to a prominent dirt road (once again, a continuation of the road used in the carries). Turn left and look for an “OA Trailhead” sign on the right in two hundred yards.

The Scouts call Mud Pond Mountain “OA Mountain,” for the Order of the Arrow, a Scout honor society. They also have their own names for other landmarks: Mud Pond is Scout Pond; Grampus Mountain is Walker Mountain, named after an nineteenth-century owner of the property; and Rock Pond Mountain is Masters Mountain, named for a Boy Scout benefactor. One Scout name has earned a place on maps: McRorie Lake is named after Fred McRorie, an Eagle Scout who died at eighteen in a car accident. McRorie Lake is also known as Rock Pond—hence, the name of the mountain.

The trail up Mud Pond Mountain is marked by blue-and-silver disks. Generally, the trail is easy to follow, but you need to be alert for a left turn not far from the beginning, just after crossing a logged strip. After the turn, the trail ascends through a shady hardwood forest and then through an open area of ferns, grass, and bedrock slabs.

At 0.4 miles from the OA sign, the trail reaches a junction with the Skyline Trail; turning left, we presently came to the open ledges on the east side of the mountain and were bowled over by the view. There was a 180-degree vista, stretching from the northeast to the southwest, with only a few signs of

timesunion.com/explore 29

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outdoors

development visible. McRorie Lake lay directly below us, and nearby was Mud Pond, allowing us to trace our paddling route. Just beyond McRorie we could see pieces of Long Lake, and beyond that, armies of green mountains marching toward the horizon. I took out my map and identified some of the prominent peaks: Santanoni, easy to identify by its white scar (the Ermine Brook slide), the North River Mountains, Goodnow Mountain, Vanderwhacker Mountain, the Fishing Brook Range, and Blue Mountain. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a half-mile climb in the Park that offers a better view.

After lunch, we decided to hike the Skyline Trail, which goes over Grampus Mountain, Rock Pond Mountain, and all the nubbles in between and comes out near the northwest shore of McRorie Lake. We had visions of hiking along a ridge with views like those we had enjoyed on Mud Pond Mountain.

Things started out OK. The trail was not well worn, but we could follow it, and it led upward to a mossy forest of red spruce. After a while, though, we frequently found ourselves traversing sections that lacked any hint of previous use — apart from disks and pieces of orange tape. We were continually scratched by shrubs and branches and under attack by an air force of insects.

Eventually, Sue stopped and remarked in exasperation, “It isn’t so much of a trail as a marked bushwhack.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Can you do me a favor? I think a bug flew in my eye.”

I opened my eye wide, and with her index finger she extracted the offending creature. I could see clearly again, but alas there were no vistas to gaze upon.

We hadn’t had a decent view since leaving Mud Pond Mountain.

We were puzzled. Why was the route sometimes marked by disks, sometimes by tape, sometimes by both, and sometimes by neither? Why was it an obvious path in some places and an outright bushwhack in others? At times, too, we wondered if we had got off track. We were much relieved when we finally reached a lookout on Rock Pond Mountain, more than three miles from the start of the Skyline Trail.

Although the view was comparable to that on Mud Pond Mountain, Sue and Martha were in no mood to linger. We snapped one photo of McRorie Lake and moved on. The trail was now marked by yellow disks. It descended steeply from the ridge and eventually reached a labyrinth of overgrown logging roads. As the trail was not always marked, we often had to guess which way to go. Luckily, we guessed right and came out on the dirt road that we had seen so much of earlier in the day. From there, it was an easy 1.25-mile walk back to our canoes.

On the return paddle, Sue stopped at the swimming rock and jumped off. I did the same. The cool water was balm for our scratches and bug bites and washed away the frustrations of a trying day. We would remember Cedarlands for the paddling and the beautiful gift of Mud Pond Mountain.

E Phil Brown is the editor of the Adirondack Explorer, a nonprofit newsmagazine that focuses on outdoor recreation and environmental issues. For more information, visit AdirondackExplorer.org

timesunion.com/explore 31

off the beaten path

book it! day trips to book barns extraordinaire

L

ike the rumors of Mark Twain’s death, the reports of the demise of books — you know, those things with paper pages that you turn and bindings that you hold in your hands — have been greatly exaggerated. The Albany area, and the region within a day trip’s drive, is filled with places that adhere to this philosophy.

However, before arriving at these destinations, we must make a detour to the venerated artist Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses. Two of the bucolic upstate villages where book barns can be found, Hoosick Falls (pop. 3,500) and Greenwich (pop. 4,900), have legitimate claims on Grandma Moses (1860-1961).

She was born on a farm in Greenwich and died, at 101, in Hoosick Falls and is buried in the town’s Maple Grove Cemetery, where her grave is a tourist touchstone. Hoosick Falls gets bonus points because the grand old lady was “discovered” here at age 78, after displaying her folk art paintings in the window of W.D. Thomas Pharmacy on Main Street. A New York City art collector hoovered up the entire lot for $3 to $5 apiece, then went to her house and bought ev-

32 EXPLORE

by alan bisbort

erything else in sight (and no doubt died a multimillionaire). By the time of her dotage in the 1950s, Grandma Moses was as celebrated an elder American original as Robert Frost and Norman Rockwell.

But that’s not the full reason for our detour. It struck me, while scouring the area landscape for book barns, that Grandma Moses, Robert Frost and Norman Rockwell were all inspired, almost simultaneously, by the countryside within easy access to Albany — the rolling terrain of Upstate New York, western Massachusetts, rural Vermont and New Hampshire, and even parts of Connecticut — and by the vanishing ways of life found there that they captured in their work.

For those willing to drive a bit, little pieces of that collective pastoral past can still be found, free of fast-food franchises, cell towers and Idahos of asphalt in front of big box stores. Some of this past has been preserved by the book barns and book shops presented herein. Like the monasteries that protected the written word during Europe’s Dark Ages, these venues do more than just sell old books; they preserve our culture and remind us that some things are irreplace-

able by the Internet. (See Twain, Mark, above.) sturdy crates on the floor. The Owl Pen is not easy to find. As you enter GreenHoosick Falls is the first stop on our tour, a relatively straight shot northeast wich, keeps your eyes peeled for the signs, which are small and unobtrusive. You of Albany on SR 7. Here you can find the venerable DogEars Books, half a mile know you’ve stumbled on the place when you see the silhouette of a rooster on east of the lone traffic signal on SR 7 (which is at the junction of SR 22). It’s a the front, next to the front door. converted barn set off from the brick residence where owners Jeffrey and SylAs mentioned, the Lyrical Ballad Bookstore is just to the west of here, in via Waite live. As you enter, classical music plays unobtrusively and Mr. Waite, Saratoga Springs. It’s an antiquarian shop with a stock of 100,000 beautifully usually, sits off to the side reading just as unobtrusively, while the many loyal displayed books, antique prints, postcards, maps and other ephemera. DeMarco’s customers browse. If you’ve come for long quiet pokes through piles of volumes, specialties include New York State and local history, architecture and fine arts, you are in the right place. DogEars Books comprises two levels and sections are children’s and illustrated books, fine and decorative bindings and books about clearly designated and kept in a sort of rough order. Many books are older and, thoroughbred horse racing. All of this treasure trove is housed in the basement because the barn is not exactly cliof a former bank, which only adds to the, ahem, richness of the experience of mate controlled, the barn has a not unpleasant smell of old wood pulp.

The stock of approximately 30,000 volumes is shelved floor to ceiling, and the overflow from the shelves creates tottering piles that you must navigate as you browse (Lord help you if you want the book on the bottom of the pile). The only ornamentation is an interesting, oval-shaped stained glass window upstairs above the front entrance to the shop. In the wintry months, an old-fashioned wood-burning stove in the middle of the room keeps the place toasty.

Attached to the front of the barn is a cellar full of bargain paperbacks, many of which have seen better days although patient perusing can yield a few treasures. Opens Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Our second stop is in Grandma Moses’ birthplace of Greenwich, 15 scenic miles north DogEars Books on SR 7 and SR 372. Here, you will find LYRICAL BALLAD BOOKSTORE in Saratoga Springs (at left The Owl Pen, which was opened and above) is housed in the basement of a former bank. in 1960 by Barbara Probst, who at— PHOTOS BY COLLEEN INGERTO tempted to make a living as a farmer of chickens, hogs and lambs. That didn’t quite work out. As the Washington Post’s Lloyd Rose put it, “The books visiting. This is a top-of-the-line establishment. multiplied faster than the animals.” Thus, the bookstore was born and the aniNext stop is Stephentown, N.Y., 50 miles south of Greenwich on SR 22. Here, mals are now fading memories. you will find Down in Denver Books. It’s not a barn exactly, but a big nicelyThough the books were originally housed in a former hog pen, Probst found restored building called the Old Clark House (ca. 1840) that once served double a cast iron owl on a bracket, nailed it above the door and christened the place duty as the town’s general store. While the emphasis is on literature of the Beat The Owl Pen. The name is serendipitous but entirely appropriate, connoting wisGeneration — numerous images of Jack Kerouac and his book jackets adorn the dom and age. The Owl Pen is now owned by Edie Brown and Hank Howard, who walls and the shop’s name is apparently taken from Allen Ginsberg’s mournful learned much of their book trade while at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, poems about his “Denver doldrums” — the shop carries a wide variety of stock in where they picked the bibliophilic brain of John DeMarco, owner of Lyrical Balgood shape. The higher prices reflect the collectors’ market to which owner Daniel lad Bookstore (see next entry). The Owl Pen’s stock of 80,000 to 100,000 books Lorber, a Beat authority, caters. Nonetheless, rare (as in unexpected) treasures seems to have more turnover than DogEars Books though they attract some of can be affordably found by the intrepid browser. Lorber keeps the place open the same clientele. Meccas for writers are near enough to be on the radars of the from May to November, every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can’t miss Down in bookishly inclined — both the Yaddo Colony in Saratoga Springs and BenningDenver Books. A mural inscribed “We Buy Used Books” takes up an entire side of ton College, just over the Vermont border on Route 7. The shop is particularly the building. It looks as if it were created by an underground cartoonist from the strong in fiction and children’s literature. Spillover from the shelves are held in 1960s (and, yes, Lorber also has a few old underground comix for sale). continued on page 35 

timesunion.com/explore 33

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off the beaten path continued from page 33 Next stop is little Hillsdale (pop. 1,900), located 25 miles south of Stephentown near the junctions of SR 22 and SR 23, by the Massachusetts border. The former home of James Agee, Hillsdale is the current home of Rodgers Book Barn. It was opened in 1972 by Maureen Rodgers, who got her start as a book dealer in Manhattan but then moved here. She has made the place feel like a home away from home, with rugs in the aisles, free coffee and tea as well as comfortable chairs on which to read and decide which of the 15 books in your lap you really want to get. The low ceilings and tight squeezes also have a secret treehouse feel, which appeals to children and the young at heart. Not surprisingly, then, the kids section is particularly strong, well-lit, invitingly designed, light and airy with a lot of knick-knacks to look at. The bathroom is labeled “The Loo” and whimsically decorated with New Yorker covers. Some DVDs and CDs are for sale too. The stock of approximately 50,000 books covers everything from quilting to queer theory, and the books are in good shape, the frayed and broken ones winnowed out (or never purchased). Other book dealers are hip to the treasures to be found here, at affordable prices. Like The Owl Pen, Rodgers Book Barn takes some nifty navigating to find. Go through the center of Hillsdale, turn left at the sign that says “Book Barn — 4 miles.” Driving here is part of the fun, through a winding country lane called Rodman Road.

Since Hillsdale is only a few miles north of the Connecticut border, you may as

well make a full day of it by heading south, where two of New England’s greatest book barns await your discovery in the Nutmeg State. Take the Taconic State Parkway south to Interstate 84. Follow that 35 miles east to exit 23 in Waterbury. Take Route 69 south for about 10 miles until you see the Whitlock Book Barn sign on the right (look sharp!). Turn right here and follow the road into Connecticut’s horse country for quarter of a mile in Bethany.

“Used books’” doesn’t even begin to describe the business that the Whitlock brothers began here in 1948. First of all, it is not one barn but two. Both barns are open and filled with thousands of books. One houses the ‘”better books” — collectors editions, leather-bound sets, newly arrived treasures that draw collectors from around the world, but most people climb the hill to the other barn, where books are marked $5 or less.

Here buyers can find anything from paperback mysteries, novels and plays to foreign language tomes, esoteric monographs on philosophy, religion, and history, and art catalogs housed in shoeboxes. Timing is everything. If customers arrive soon after a major book buy, they could find some real treasures — the personal libraries of renowned Yale and Trinity professors, for instance — all for under $5. The cash register is still hand-cranked, the floor boards sag, the roofs creak and horses graze in the meadow next door. Paradise! continued on page 37 

if you go… book venues DOG EARS BOOKS, Route 7, Hoosick Falls, 518-686-9580. Open Friday to Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

THE OWL PEN, 166 Riddle Road, Greenwich, 518-692-7039, owlpenbooks@gmail.com. Open seasonally from May 1 to Oct. 31: Monday and Tuesday, closed; Wednesday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

RODGERS BOOK BARN, 467 Rodman Road, Hillsdale, 518-325-3610, rodgersbookbarn. com. Open Nov. 1 to March 31: Friday to Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Open April 1 to Oct. 31: Thursday to Monday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

DOWN IN DENVER BOOKS, 874 Route 43, Stephentown, 518-733-6856, downindenverbooks.com. Open May to November: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

BOOK BARN, 200 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, 518-786-1368. Open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

LYRICAL BALLAD BOOKSTORE, 7 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, 518-584-8779, lyricalballadbooks.com.

eat here BIG MOOSE DELI AND COUNTRY STORE, Route 7, Hoosick Falls, 518-686-5801. Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

You might not want to eat here but you simply can’t NOT visit, since it is across the highway from Dog Ears Book Barn.

J & J EATERY, 57 Main St, Greenwich, 518-692-1090. A favorite with the locals and a great place for a late breakfast to give you strength for book browsing.

MAN OF KENT TAVERN, 4452 Route 7, Hoosick Falls, 518-686-9917. Operated by a British expatriate who brings the best of pub fare to this corner of the world. Unexpectedly excellent selection of beers on tap and food that sticks to the ribs and absorbs the alcohol well for the ride home.

further afield NIANTIC BOOK BARN, 41 W Main St Niantic, Conn., (860) 739-5715, bookbarnniantic.com.

Open daily, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

WHITLOCK’S BOOK BARN, 20 Sperry Rd., Bethany, Conn., (203) 393-1240, whitlocksbookbarn.com. Open Wednesdays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

JOHN BALE BOOK COMPANY & JOBA CAFE, 158 Grand Street, Waterbury, Conn., (203) 757-2279, johnbalebooks.com. Open 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Edie Reynolds and Dan Gaeta have created a special haven in the heart of the world’s former brass-making capital. Leaders in downtown revitalization, the couple started as booksellers and, while retaining that niche (Gaeta is one of the leading booksellers on the Internet), they are now one of the best lunch delis and coffee shops in the area. Feed your head with their thousands of select books and your stomach with their homemade soups and sandwiches.

timesunion.com/explore 35

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off the beaten path

A COLORFUL BARN adjacent to the Down in Denver used book store in Stephentown says it all.

— PHOTOS BY LUANNE M. FERRIS/ TIMES UNION ARCHIVE

continued from page 35 Books have run in the Whitlock family. Clifford Whitlock, the paterfamilias, founded (in 1900) and ran a book business in New Haven, Whitlock’s Inc. (“‘Bookseller to Yale’”), where his six sons learned the book trade. Clifford Whitlock was also a real estate investor. When a farm went on the market in the Bethany area, he bought it. Today, Whitlock’s Book Barn sits on land Clifford bought in 1913. One of the sons, Gilbert, tried to raise turkeys for sale on the property but the book bug kept biting him, especially when turkey farming proved unprofitable. He converted the two barns to the book business. It quickly thrived, and Everett — the eldest of the six Whitlock brothers — left the New Haven shop to join Gilbert. The business took on the spirit of these two laconic Yankee brothers and the surrounding countryside. Theirs, in short, became a special place to buy books. Both brothers lived well into their 80s and, happily, new owners have kept their spirit alive.

“The shop takes on the personality of the people who own it, and everybody loved and respected the Whitlocks,’” says Edith Reynolds, who with her husband, Dan Gaeta, runs the John Bale Book Company, another fine used book shop and restaurant in Waterbury. ‘”They were the old school. They knew what they were doing. They never interrupted anyone who was browsing, but would gladly answer questions if asked.”

“Gil and Everett defined the book barn,” Gaeta says. ‘”Everybody knew the Whitlocks. California and European dealers would make a special trip to Connecticut … They had a constant flow of books.”

I’ve saved the biggest, and arguably the best, Niantic Book Barn, for last.

Located in the shoreline hamlet of Niantic, 30 miles east of New Haven via Interstate 95 and SR 156 (Exit 72 off 95), it is, like many of these stores, misnamed.

It is actually a complex of three separate book businesses that are spread out along a half mile of SR 156 (the official addresses are 41, 269 and 291 West Main Street). Founded and constantly being improved by the enterprising couple Randi and Maureen White, Niantic Book Barn is home to nearly half a million books.

It may, in fact, now be the largest book venue in New England. What started in 1988 in a single three-story barn and a few out-buildings has blossomed into what Larry McMurtry tried, and failed, to do in his boyhood Texas home — turn an entire town into a book destination.

To bibliophiles, the appeal of the Niantic Book Barn is an open secret. (To boaters and vacationers, the appeal of Niantic, located on the Long Island Sound, is obvious). A destination for book scouts from all over the country and book lovers around the state, it rewards regular visits. The stock constantly changes and books are priced reasonably (most $4 or less), enhancing chances of finding little treasures. But even non-collectors flock here, for the full Niantic Book Barn “experience.”

Among the inviting touches are things as simple as free coffee, Cheese Nips and mini-donuts, decent music unobtrusively played over speakers, gardens, benches, chairs and tables (with chess sets at the ready), and play areas for kids.

Also appealing to the youngsters are the animals. Yes, animals. In addition to a veritable army of friendly cats who wander at will, a caged area houses a family of goats, suitable for petting and feeding. The congeniality and lack of pretention is seen everywhere you look, from the laminated “cat spotting” guides to the “Rednek Reedin’ Room” (an outhouse filled with hiking books), “The Underworld,” an open-air structure (“Welcome to Hades…Hot in the summer and cold in the winter”) housing travel guides, and the “Haunted Book Shop,” a separate house inside which are more mysteries than the entire Northeast could read in one winter.

Bringing this all back home to New York, one last shop bears mentioning, the one closest to Albany itself. Called The Book Barn, it’s located in Latham, among the asphalt sprawl along US 9 in Colonie. Despite the name, it is not housed in a barn. Rather, it’s in a nondescript mini-strip mall that most travelers would speed past without noticing. It’s not in the same league as these others, and the surrounding area is not at all bucolic but the stock here can occasionally surprise. Open since 1991 and run by the same family, they know their customers and their trade.

Finally, we can’t bring this tour to a close without circling back to Hoosick Falls, which is today the home to Jenny Holzer, the controversial artist known for public installations like a bench at Barnard College with the inscription, “Stupid people shouldn’t breed.” / “It’s crucial to have an active fantasy life.”

Words to live by. May Jenny Holzer make it to age 101 and inherit Grandma’s mantle as an American original.

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timesunion.com/explore 37

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travel

the second city oh, the things you can do in chicago

BOAT TOUR VIEW: Lake Michigan and that incredible skyline.

— PHOTO BY JOHN LINDSEY

M

by allison kelley » photos courtesy illinois office of tourism

any might not immediately think of Chicago as a place for a weekend getaway. But a quick two-hour flight from Albany to the Windy City gets you to one of the country’s most interesting, beautiful and exciting cities.

When I’m in Chicago, I know I’m trading hikes through wooded trails for hikes through narrow sidewalks and large crowds. But what Chicago lacks in forests, it makes up for in lakefront access. The Chicago lakefront trail spans 18 miles along the southwestern side of Lake Michigan, and is a must-see for anyone visiting the city. The lakefront is a great place to sit and unwind, which is exactly what you’ll need after a long day shopping, eating, and exploring in the “Second City.”

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods — how many exactly is a favorite debate among locals — but at least 200 have been documented. Many neighborhoods, such as the German Lincoln Square or the Mexican Pilsen, are still deeply tied to the culture of their founding members. Still others, such as the artsy neighborhood of Old Town, remain true to the bohemian aesthetic residents cultivated in the 1950s.

While there is no shortage of things to do in Chicago, for a weekend trip you’ll probably want to focus on one or two neighborhoods. The Gold Coast and The Loop are two of the most thriving and active neighborhoods in the city. Fine dining, shopping, theater, landscaped parks and art installations are right outside your door in these two vibrant city enclaves.

The Gold Coast is home to Chicago’s wealthiest residents. Luckily, you don’t have to be ultra rich to peek into the lives of the city’s elite. Take a stroll down North State Street between Division Street and Lincoln Park and take in the ornate exteriors and unique architecture that make up many of the block’s turn-of-the-century mansions. Stop and take a photo outside the original Playboy mansion located at 1340 N. State St. The mansion, inhabited by Hugh Hefner and his bunnies from 1959-1974, once held a brass plate on the door with the inscription, “Si Non Oscillas, Noli Tintinnare” (Latin for “If you don’t swing, don’t ring.”)

At the end of the block you’ll run into the southern tip of one of Chicago’s largest parks, Lincoln Park. The park, named after Abraham Lincoln, houses several museums, a conservatory and a zoo.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is free and, like the lakefront, is another great reprieve from the roar of the city. Be sure to check out the African Journey permanent exhibit that simulates a walk through the African jungles and features giraffes, a hippopotamus, and meerkats. continued on page 41 

THE FAMOUS “EL” TRAIN: So named, because it’s elevated.

— PHOTO BY PETER J. SCHULTZ

timesunion.com/explore 39

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Enjoy the Times Union magazine experience.

Online.

Flip through the virtual pages of our Times Union magazine titles, accessible from anywhere online. The same award-winning layouts.

More photos. Links that take you where you want to go. All from the comfort and convenience of your own device.

www.tumagazines.com body. mind. spirit.

travel continued from page 39 Walk back down State Street and cross over to Rush Street, a hip and bustling section of the Gold Coast. Step into a dimly lit jazz bar and sip on a cocktail or shop at high-end retailers. End the night by eating dinner at Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House or indulge in a steak dinner at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse. Several five-star hotels are located within walking distance or a short cab ride from Rush Street, including Trump International Hotel and Tower, The Peninsula Chicago, and The Four Seasons Hotel of Chicago.

The Loop is the hub of this city’s business and tourism. As the “El,” Chicago’s elevated subway, makes its way downtown, it circles the city blocks below before heading south, thus giving the neighborhood its name. An El ride into the loop provides spectacular views of the downtown including the Chicago River and the 38 historic bridges that run along it.

Chicago’s official motto is “Urbs in Horto,” Latin for “City in a Garden,” and The Loop fully lives up to its green motto. Grant Park, Chicago’s largest park, and Millennium Park, are situated right next to each other, across from the bustling shopping mecca, Michigan Avenue. Most notable in Millennium Park is the three-story-tall, permanent steel sculpture, Cloud Gate, affectionately called “The Bean,” by Chicagoans for its legume-like shape. A trip to Chicago is not complete without a photo near, next to, or under the reflective Bean.

Past the Bean is another steel structure, similarly mammoth and awe-inspiring, but with more green space to sit on and take in the beauty. The Jay Pritzker Pavillion is a bandshell, designed by heralded architect Frank Gehry, and accompanying lawn in Millennium Park. It is the official home of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the Grant Park Music Festival, the nation’s only remaining free outdoor classical music series. In the warmer months it’s host to hundreds of free musicals, theater, and interactive performances.

The Loop is also home to several world-class theaters, such as the iconic Chicago Theatre, whose distinctive marquee is the city’s “unofficial emblem.”

Recent shows have included everyone from Bill Cosby, Kevin James and Bill Burr to Earth, Wind & Fire and the Allman Brothers. Down the street is the Bank of America Theatre and The Cadillac Palace Theater, who will host Elf the Musical this winter.

With a city as large as Chicago it would be hard to pack everything into a weekend, so make sure to plan a return trip or two.

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if you go… eat here

CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER, 78 E. Washington St., cityofchicago.org

GINO’S EAST, 633 N. Wells St., (312) 988-4200, ginoseast.com HUGO’S FROG BAR AND FISH HOUSE, 1024 N. Rush St., (312) 640-0999, hugosfrogbar.com GIRL & THE GOAT, 809 W. Randolph, (312) 492-6262, girlandthegoat.com

THE CHICAGO THEATRE, 175 N. State St., thechicagotheatre.com LURIE GARDEN, 201 E. Monroe Ave., luriegarden.org

stay here THE PENINSULA CHICAGO, 108 E. Superior St., peninsula.com

SIGNATURE LOUNGE AT THE 96TH FLOOR, John Hancock Building, 875 N. Michigan Ave., signatureroom.com

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL AND TOWER, 401 N. Wabash Ave., trumphotelcollection.com/chicago

GIBSONS BAR & STEAKHOUSE, 1028 N. Rush St., gibsonssteakhouse.com

THE DRAKE HOTEL, 140 E. Walton St., thedrakehotel.com

go here THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, 111 S. Michigan Ave., artic.edu SECOND CITY THEATRE, 1616 N. Wells St., secondcity.com

THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL OF CHICAGO, 120 E. Delaware Pl., fourseasons.com/chicagofs THE WIT HOTEl, 201 N. State St., thewithotel.com

CLOUD GATE SCULPTURE in Millennium Park.

— PHOTO BY VINCENT DESJARDINS/FLICKR

timesunion.com/explore 41

last call BEST PLACE FOR …

Although Score’s most recent visit to India was a six-week odyssey that spanned the continent by way of plane, car, foot, and train, she recommends that first-time travelers zero in on a particular region.

Here’s a primer on some of her favorite spots: CULTURE AND COCONUTS

Kerala Southwest India, Malabar Coast keralatourism.org “It’s probably the most westernized city in India,” says Score of the fertile coastal region known for exports such as coconut, tea, cashews, and spices. “We went up into the Ghats mountains and visited a tea plantation; it was stunning.”

SMILING FACES

Vrindavan North India, State of Uttar Pradesh up-tourism.com/destination/vrindavan/vrindavan.htm Known as Krishna’s birthplace, Score says the town practically has a wall-to-wall array of temples dedicated to worshipping Krishna and the female deity, Radha. “Because there are thousands of temples, there’s always the sound of kirtan and the smell of incense. It’s a very sacred place,” she says.

karen score why i love india

S

by stacey morris » photo by colleen ingerto

aratoga Springs resident Karen Score grew up in downstate Orange County where she earned a sociology degree from SUNY New Paltz. Rather than join some of her classmates pursuing a teaching career, Score instead threw herself into the full-time career of motherhood.

“As our boys David and Ryan [now 25 and 24] were growing up, I devoted my life to them as a stay-athome mom and school volunteer. When they went away to college, it threw me for a loop!,” she says.

“When I mentioned that I didn’t know what I was going to do, my older son said, ‘Get a life.’ It really hit me at that moment that I would have to do just that.”

Score had already been practicing yoga, but a serendipitous encounter with a favorite teacher led to her signing up for teacher training certification. She began teaching Vinyasa yoga classes at Yoga Mandali’s Broadway studio and became immersed in the love of teaching. When the yoga studio’s original proprietors, Gopi Kinnicutt and Heather Dacus, were ready to turn the reins over to a new owner five years ago, both saw Score as a natural choice.

In recent years, Yoga Mandali’s growing class schedule and number of students called for relocating to a more spacious Broadway studio that Score designed herself, right down to the reclining wooden Ganesh statue (carved from a mango tree) she found while visiting India. The studio offers nearly 40 classes per week, as well as kirtans (music and chanting), book

42 EXPLORE

clubs, and vegan cooking classes.

Score says the perception most Westerners have of yoga is that it’s only about poses and flexibility. “I tell people yoga is not about the shape of your body; it’s about the shape of your life and the person you are becoming. Other elements of yoga include compassion towards self and others, meditation, self-inquiry, and selfless service.

“My yoga journey has opened me up to so many new life experiences,” she adds. “I’ve travelled to so many interesting places for yoga retreats, including three trips to India, where I was able to completely become immersed in the ancient, spiritual traditions of all forms of yoga.”

Score says that India can be as overwhelming as it is captivating and that it’s a good idea to do plenty of research before plunking down money for plane tickets. “It’s important to read up on things like food and water safety. There are definite precautions to take.

A great way to experience India for the first time is on a yoga retreat. The MVT Ashram (mvtindia.com) is a good way to ease into the India experience. An excellent resource for general information is Lonely Planet’s website (lonelyplanet.com/india).

“On my first visit I thought I wouldn’t return again soon, but you get hooked on India,” she says. “Judi Dench’s character in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel described India perfectly: It’s a dirty, crazy, chaotic place but there’s an indescribable sense of calm in the chaos.”

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TROPICAL BEACHES & CHOCOLATE

Goa Southwestern India goa-tourism.com “Goa is a beautiful, tropical place with gorgeous beaches and the perfect place to end our six-week trip,” says Score. “Being there allowed us to relax and reflect on all we experienced. The restaurants are amazing, too. We ate breakfast every day at Le Chocolat, which has the best chocolate croissants.”

ANCIENT HISTORY

Varanasi North India, State of Uttar Pradesh lonelyplanet.com/india/uttar-pradesh/varanasi “It’s the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth, and it’s really amazing being near the Ganges River,” Score says. “We attended the Maha Kumbh Mela in nearby Allahabad, which happens every 12 years. Last Feb. 10, 45 million people converged at the Ganges where three sacred rivers intersect. It was an amazing experience.”

A MEANINGFUL WALK

Govardhan Hill North India, State of Uttar Pradesh up-tourism.com The massive hill located near the town of Vrindavan is famous for being a sacred site that Hindus believe was formed by Krishna. Score says the 14-mile walk around the hill is done in a clockwise circle, often barefoot. “From an airplane, Govardhan Hill is the shape of a peacock. The hill is circumvented instead of climbed,” she explains. “You walk through towns, countrysides, and all types of topography. ”

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