Explore Fall14/Winter15

FALL 2014 / WINTER 2015

A TIMES UNION PUBLICATION

THINGS TO DO. PLACES TO GO.

It’s a

Dog’s Life

Cesar Millan gives us a few tips on dog-training pg. 20

plus Block Island · Erie, Pennsylvania · fall/winter activities and more!

CHRISTMAS PTEMBE

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Dates in yellow include lunch at Planet Hollywood!

**All prices above are based on online reservations. Add $5 per person if booking by phone or in person. *Child price with online reservations. Adults: $29. Saturday shows: $34 per child / $39 per adult with online reservations.

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american masters

Rockwell & Hopper this fall

A rare look at Edward Hopper’s littleknown illustration career, together with Rockwell’s iconic favorites.

Enjoy Rockwell’s historic Studio, Gallery talks, Terrace Café, and the ArtZone for family fun.

nrm.org • 413.298.4100 • open daily • Stockbridge MA An easy, beautiful, one-hour ride from Albany!

Edward Hopper, Men Seated at Café Table, (1906). Transparent and opaque watercolor, pen and ink, brush and ink, and graphite pencil on paper. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1348 © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by Whitney Museum of American Art. Digital Images © Whitney Museum of American Art

Don’t miss this exclusive exhibition that has received rave reviews; check us out on Trip Advisor!

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2014 PREMIER SPONSOR

Publisher George R. Hearst III Editorial Janet Reynolds, Executive Editor Brianna Snyder, Senior Editor Design Tony Pallone, Design Director Colleen Ingerto, Emily Jahn, Designers Contributing Writers John Adamian, Alan Bisbort, Phil Brown, Nick Keppler, Elizabeth Floyd Mair, Stacey Morris, Gillian Scott Contributing Photographers Elizabeth Floyd Mair, Lori Van Buren 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

Norman Rockwell’s World

Reinterpreting the American Tradition in the 21st Century

On view through January 4 Sponsored by

Lyman & Leslie Wood

Circulation Todd Peterson, Vice President, Circulation Dan Denault, Home Delivery Manager Business Nick Gagliardo, Chief Financial Officer TimesUnion.com Paul Block, Executive Producer

LET IT SNOW Winter Scenes in Snow Globes and Japanese Prints

October 28-January 4 Explore is published three times per year. If you are interested in receiving home delivery of Explore magazine, please call: 518.454.5454.

For advertising information, please call: 518.454.5358.

Explore is published by Capital Newspapers and Times Union 645 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12212 · 518.454.5694

21 Edwards Street, Springfield, MA 01103 • 800.625.7738 springfieldmuseums.org •

The entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2014 by Capital Newspapers. No portion may be reproduced in any means without written permission of the publisher.

Capital Newspapers is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation.

CONTENTS

In Every Issue 8 Calendar of Events » Fall 2014 - Winter 2015 27 Off the Beaten Path » Block Island is the perfect off-season getaway 31 Just the Two of Us » Erie, Pennsylvania 34 Last Call » Charles Peltz: Why I Love Boston

Features

Pg. 22

ART

— PHOTO BY LORI VAN BUREN

18 Fact and Friction in Williamstown » An intriguing exhibit at Williams College ENTERTAINMENT

20 Leader of the Pack » Cesar Millan gives us a few tips on dog-training OUTDOORS

22 Taking on Lake George » Fall is the perfect time for kayaking 24 A Wintry Mix » Fun ways to explore the outdoors in winter

Pg. 24 — PHOTO BY LAKE PLACID CVB/LAKEPLACID.COM

On the Cover It’s a Dog’s Life » Cesar Millan answers some readers’ questions. Read the story on page 20.

— PHOTO BY GIO ALMO

ONLINE EXTRAS

(Online only at timesunion.com/explore) National Feelings » The music of America retains its nostalgic glow. (See them at the Egg on Nov. 29.)

Pg. 27 — PHOTO COURTESY BLOCK ISLAND TOURISM COUNCIL

timesunion.com/explore 7

fall/winter 2014 Music

Massry Center for the Arts 1002 Madison Ave., Albany (518) 337-4871 Fri, Sep 12: Mehregan — Celebrating Women of the Middle East. 7:30 p.m. Persian classical vocalist and musician Sepideh Raissadat.

Fri, Jan 30: Gleb Ivanov Solo Piano Recital. 7:30 p.m. Includes performances of Mendelssohn’s Concerto No. 1 with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and more.

Sat, Oct 18: Albany Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique. 7:30 p.m. With pianist Joyce Yang.

Sat, Nov 22: Albany Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Pastorale.

7:30 p.m. Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, leads the orchestra.

Sun, Dec 7: Albany Symphony Orchestra: The Magic of Christmas. 3 p.m. Join the ASO for the Capital Region holiday tradition.

Sat, Jan 17: Albany Symphony Orchestra: Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony. Percussionist Colin Currie returns to the Albany Symphony in this all-Scottish program.

The Egg

Proctors

Classical The College of Saint Rose

Empire State Plaza, Albany theegg.org (518) 473-1845 Sat, Oct. 11: 8 p.m. Ethan Bortnick ­— The Power of Music. Thirteen-year-old Ethan Bortnick is a pianist, composer and singer.

Sat, Oct 25: Symphonic Landscape of America. 7 p.m. Performed by ESYO’s Youth Orchestra and featuring artwork that depicts the music, created by high school students.

Fri, Nov. 14: Hiromi. 8 p.m. Pianist and composer Hiromi.

EMPAC 110 Eighth St., Troy empac.rpi.edu (518) 276-3921 Sat, Oct 25: The Rensselaer Music Association’s Annual Family Weekend Concert. 4 p.m.

Sat, Feb 28: The Rensselaer Music Association’s Annual Pops Concert. 7 p.m.

The Hyde Collection 161 Warren St., Glens Falls hydecollection.org (518) 792-1761 Sun, Sep 21: de Blasiis Chamber Music Series. 2 p.m. Violinist Rolf Schulte and pianist James Winn.

Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave., Albany palacealbany.com (518) 465-3334 Mon, Dec 8: The Piano Guys.

7:30 p.m. The quartet best known for their original blend of classical music with pop.

8 EXPLORE

432 State St., Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Wed, Oct 22: ESYO’s Youth Orchestra Concert for Senior Citizens. 1 p.m. Conducted by Helen Cha-Pyo. Sun, Nov 9: Schenectady Symphony Orchestra. 3 p.m. A quartet of the best soloists from past student competitions.

Thu, Nov 13: Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m.

Skidmore College Arthur Zankel Music Center 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs skidmore.edu/zankel (518) 580-5321 Fri, Sep 12: Sitar Concert. 8 p.m. Featuring Skidmore faculty member Veena Chandra.

Sun, Sep 14: Horn Concert. 3 p.m. Featuring Skidmore faculty member Patrice Malatestinic.

Fri, Oct 17: Carnegie Hall Premieres. 8 p.m. Featuring Ensemble ACJW. Thu, Oct 23: Concert by Finger Lakes Guitar Quartet. 8 p.m.

Sun, Oct 26: A Jacob Perlow Series Event. 3 p.m. Celebrating the music of Jewish composers: Milhaud, Schoenfield, Mendelssohn, Schulhoff and more.

Mon, Oct 27: The Klemperer Trio. 8 p.m.

Sat, Nov 1: The Talich Quartet.

8 p.m. One of Europe’s finest chamber ensembles.

Sat, Nov 8: Skidmore College Orchestra. 8 p.m.

THE ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA performs Brahms’ Third Symphony on Feb. 21 at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

— PHOTO BY TINA FINEBERG/THE NEW YORK TIMES Sat, Nov 15: Skidmore Community Chorus and Vocal Chamber Ensemble. 8 p.m.

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall 30 Second St., Troy troymusichall.org (518) 273-0038 Sat, Dec 20 - Sun, Dec 21: Albany Symphony Orchestra: The Winter’s Tale. Stravinsky, Bach, Corelli, and a world premiere by Albany favorite Michael Torke.

Sat, Feb 21 - Sun, Feb 22: Albany Symphony Orchestra: Brahms’ Third Symphony. Philadelphia Orchestra tubist Carol Jantsch makes her Albany debut.

Sat, Mar 21 - Sun, Mar 22: Albany Symphony Orchestra: All Amadeus.

University at Albany Performing Arts Center 1400 Washington Ave., Albany albany.edu/pac (518) 442-3997 Mon, Sep 29: Quartet Anagram.

7:30 p.m. Drummer Dennis Mariano, pianist Mark Olivieri, bassist Kyle Vock and guitarist Greg Wachala.

Fri, Oct 17: An Evening with Margaret Chalker. 7:30 p.m. The soprano, accompanied by pianist Victoria von Arx, reflects on 40 years on stage with text, lieder, arias and selections from musicals.

Sun, Oct 19: University-Community Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Band. 3 p.m.

Sun, Oct 26: Art Song Festival. Celebrating the study and performance of the classical art song repertoire with a particular focus on French art song.

Sun, Nov 9: The Choral Hour. 4 p.m. The University-Community Chorale and University Chamber Singers perform.

Mon, Nov 10: Latin America in Song. 7 p.m. Cuban-American soprano Susana Diaz joins UAlbany pianist Max Lifchitz for a recital featuring art songs from the Caribbean and the Americas including works by Ernesto Lecuona, Aurelio de la Vega, Manuel M. Ponce and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Fri, Nov 14: Youth Movements Festival — Melinda Cestaro & Duncan Cumming. 7:30 p.m.

The seventh annual festival celebrates piano music for four hands.

Tue, Nov 18: Piano Preludes.

7:30 p.m. Holly Roadfeldt performs preludes for piano by Frédéric Chopin and Kirk O’Riordan.

Sun, Dec 7: Holiday Concert.

4 p.m. Department ensembles (Chorale, Chamber Singers, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra) are joined by student groups (Serendipity, Earth Tones and Pitch Please) for a concert celebrating the season.

Mon, Dec 8: Twenty Drummers Drummin’. 7 p.m. The University Percussion Ensemble is joined by one or more area ensembles for a concert of percussion music … some holiday, some not.

Pop, Rock, Folk, Country and Jazz Basilica Hudson 110 S. Front St., Hudson basilicahudson.com (518) 822-1050 Fri, Sep 12 - Sat Sep 13: Basilica Soundscape 2014. A wide range of music, visual art, and literature that aims for specific connections and overlaps instead of “festival”-style overload.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts 200 Hurd Road, Bethel bethelwoodscenter.org (866) 781-2922 Sat, Sep 13: Tom Chapin. 8 p.m.

Fri, Sep 26: The Last Waltz. 8 p.m.

Thu, Oct 9: Phil Vassar with Easton Corbin & Amie Mangola. 8 p.m.

Fri, Nov 14: George Winston. 8 p.m.

Fri, Dec 5: The Wailers. 8 p.m.

Sat, Dec 13: Maureen McGovern. 8 p.m.

Calvin Theatre 19 King St., Northampton, Mass. iheg.com/calvin_ theater_main.asp (413) 584-1444 Fri, Oct 17: Jake Shimabukuro. 8 p.m.

Sun, Oct 19: The Milk Carton Kids and Sarah Jarosz. 8 p.m.

Fri, Oct 24: Mary Chapin Carpenter. 8 p.m.

Tue, Oct 28: Rodrigo Y Gabriela. 8 p.m.

Fri, Nov 14: ABBA Mania. 6 p.m.

Sat, Dec 13: Dar Williams. 8 p.m.

Crandall Public Library 251 Glen St., Glens Falls (518) 792-6508 Thu, Oct 9: The Boxcar Lilies. 7 p.m.

The College of Saint Rose Massry Center for the Arts 1002 Madison Ave., Albany Sat, Sep 27: An Evening with John Pizzarelli Quartet. 7:30 p.m. World-renowned jazz guitarist and singer.

Fri, Oct 24: ESYO’s Youth Jazz Ensemble with The College of Saint Rose Jazz Ensemble. 7:30 p.m.

Sat, Mar 14: NOLA FEST with Terrance Simien. 7:30 p.m. Zydeco.

Fri, Oct 17: An Evening with Mary Lambert and Howie Day. 7:30 p.m.

Fri, Nov 14: The Weight Playing the music of the Band with Sean Rowe. 7:30 p.m.

Fri, Dec 5: It’s a Jazzy Christmas! Massry Center Family Holiday Concert. 6 p.m. A celebration of Vince Guaraldi’s holiday jazz music.

Thu, Jan 29: An Evening with Tim Reynolds. 7:30 p.m. With a musical career spanning more than 35 years, the guitarist, sonic innovator and Dave Matthews Band member is known for his masterful command of melody and timing, and his.

Fri, Feb 27: Bridge Jazz Festival. 5 p.m. The Marcus Roberts Trio and the Anat Cohen Quartet and more.

The Egg Empire State Plaza, Albany Tue, Sep 9 - Wed Sep 10: King Crimson. 7:30 p.m.

Tue, Sep 16: Chris Isaak. 8 p.m.

Expect to hear the hits plus tunes from Beyond the Sun, his latest album paying tribute to the roots of rock n’ roll.

Sat, Sep 27: Britishmania. 8 p.m. Tribute.

Sat, Oct 4: Andy Suzuki & The Method. 7:15 p.m.

Sat, Oct 4: Marc Broussard. 8 p.m.

The singer performs his distinctive mix of soul, blues, R&B, rock, pop, and Southern roots music.

Tue, Oct. 7: Hugh Masekela & Vusi Mahlasela. 7:30 p.m. Two of South Africa’s true freedom fighters and renowned musical icons.

Sat, Oct 11: Richard Thompson.

8 p.m. Iconic British folk-rock legend.

Tue, Oct 14: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo. 8 p.m.

Sat, Oct 18: Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. 8 p.m. hard-core R&B and streetlevel rock.

Sun, Oct 19: Drive-By Truckers.

7 p.m. Alternative country-rock.

Mon, Oct 20: In Collaboration: the Milk Carton Kids & Sarah Jarosz featuring Alex Hargreaves, Paul Kowert, and Nathaniel Smith. 7:30 p.m.

Tue, Oct 21: Robin Trower. 8 p.m. Trower performs live in celebration of the 40th anniversary of his historic recording Bridge of Sighs.

Fri, Oct 31: Renaissance. 8 p.m. performing A Symphony of Light — an evening of band classics along with highlights and debuts from their new album.

Thur, Nov 6: The Mavericks.

7:30 p.m. featuring lead singer Raul Malo are back with their polyrhythmic brand of postmodern country.

Sun, Nov 9: George Winston.

7:30 p.m. A solo piano concert

by George Winston featuring selections from his seasonal favorites performed in his melodic folk style, some New Orleans R&B and stride piano.

Sat, Nov 22: The Touré-Raichel Collective. 8 p.m. Features Malian guitar virtuoso Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli superstar pianist Idan Raichel.

Sun, Nov 23: Steve Hackett – Genesis Extended.

Sat, Nov 29: America. 8 p.m.

Classic rockers known best for their signature song “A Horse With No Name.”

Fri, Dec 5: Solas. 7:30 p.m.

Irish-American band.

Sat, Dec 6 - Sun, Dec 7: Mountain Snow & Mistletoe. A downhome concert of holiday songs and stories with Christopher Shaw and Bridget Ball.

Tue, Dec 9: Michael McDonald. 8 p.m. McDonald performs “This Christmas, An Evening of Holiday & Hits” featuring music from his time as a member of the Doobie Brothers, his solo career and songs of the season.

Sun, Dec. 14. Brad Mehldau Trio. 7:30 p.m. Along with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, the trio is at home performing Thelonious Monk classics, American Songbook standards, as well as contemporary tunes and originals.

Holy Spirit School 54 Highland Drive, East Greenbush hsseg.com (518) 477-5739 Fri, Sep 26: Hair of the Dog — an evening of Celtic Rock. 7:30 p.m. Celtic rock.

Iron Horse Music Hall iheg.com (413) 586-8686 Wed, Sep 10: Elephant Revival. 7 p.m.

Sun, Sep 14: Solas. 7 p.m. Celtic band.

Fri, Sep 26: Caravan Of Thieves. 7 p.m. Driving gypsy jazz rhythms.

Wed, Oct 8: Carrie Rodriguez — Carrie With Luke Jacobs. 7 p.m.

Thu, Oct 9: Grace & Tony. 7:30 p.m.

Fri, Nov 28: Ronnie Earl. 7 p.m.

Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave., Albany palacealbany.com (518) 465-3334 Tue, Sep 9: The Fray. 7:30 p.m.

Featuring special guests A Great Big World and Andy Grammer.

Fri, Sep 26: Kip Moore, Charlie Worsham & Sam Hunt. 8 p.m.

CMT On Tour 2014: Up In Smoke.

Thu, Oct 9: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. 7:30 p.m. As a solo artist and with the Four Seasons, Valli has produced 19 top-10 hits and sold over 100 million records world wide.

Fri, Oct 17: Australian Pink Floyd Show. 8 p.m. Featuring a light show, multiple inflatables and laser effects.

Fri, Oct 24: Primus & the Chocolate Factory. 8 p.m.

Sun, Nov 2: The Best of Jethro Tull performed by Ian Anderson. 7:30 p.m. Fronting seminal Prog outfit Jethro Tull and performing simply under his own name, Ian Anderson has performed in more than 54 countries over 45 years.

urtain Call THEATRE

2014-2015 SEASON

210 Old Loudon Road, Latham • www.curtaincalltheatre.com

Comedies • Dramas • Thrillers • Regional Premiers September 12 – October 11 | FAMILY FURNITURE by A.R. Gurney *REGIONAL PREMIERE This period piece set in the 1950s is a coming of age tale about a family and one certain summer when everything shifts. Gurney gives us Buffalo, gin and tonics, tennis doubles, vichyssoise and so much more in this heartfelt story about parents and children.

October 24 – November 22 | THE LYONS by Nicky Silver *REGIONAL PREMIERE As Ben Lyons lies dying, his wife Rita can’t figure out how to redesign her living room. Her son is in a dubious relationship and her daughter is barely holding it together. This deliciously dysfunctional family gets propelled into finding a new human connection.

December 5 – December 21 | HOLLYWOOD CONFIDENTIAL by V. Cate and Duke Ernsberger *REGIONAL PREMIERE What happens when a washed-up actor tries to help a temperamental actress in distress? It doesn’t take long for him to discover that no good deed goes unpunished. How the once great film star Larry Lancaster ends up wearing a dress is one thing, how long he can keep it a secret from the scandal magazine Hollywood Confidential is something else entirely.

January 16 – February 14 | TIGERS BE STILL by Kim Rosenstock *REGIONAL PREMIERE A quirky, endearing new dark comedy that follows the misadventures of Sherry Wickman, an unemployed, overwhelmed art therapist hiding out in her childhood bed. Now, if only her mother and sister would leave the house, her first therapy patient would do his homework, and someone would catch the escaped tiger, everything would be just perfect.

February 27 – March 28 | THE HOUND of the BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Adapted by Steven Canny & John Nicholson) *CAPITAL REGION PREMIERE The most popular of the Sherlock Holmes stories becomes pure comic bliss in this brand new farce where three actors play dozens of roles as they attempt to solve the mystery of the century.

Don’t miss this hilarious masterpiece that took London’s West End by storm.

April 10 – May 9 | DINNER WITH FRIENDS by Donald Margulies It’s about you, your friends and how you change. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play revolves around two couples, life-long friends who find their relationships forever altered as one couple announces their divorce. Wryly funny and richly layered, Dinner With Friends is about the path you choose the ones you don’t and the detours that make it worth the ride.

May 22 – June 27 | VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE by Christopher Durang *CAPITAL REGION PREMIERE Broadway’s smash-hit and winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play is a wacky comedy with a nod to Chekhov that will leave you rolling in the aisles. Vanya and Sonia have lived at home while Masha has traveled the world and become a famous movie star. When Masha returns with her boy toy Spike, an unforgettable weekend of farce ensues. This lovable bunch won’t ever be the same.

July 10 – AUGUST 1 | CLEVER LITTLE LIES by Joe DiPietro *REGIONAL PREMIERE A mother always knows when something’s up. Bill Jr. is distracted, under pressure and off his game. Will a surprising evening with mom and dad send him over the edge? Secrets are exposed and clever little lies are crafted when a confidence shared between father and son escalates into an unexpected revelation that could change everything.

Reservations call: 877-PLAY (7529)or email at theatre.curtaincall@gmail.com

fall/winter 2014 Wed, Sep 24: Safe In Sound Festival Featuring Destroid + Guests. 6 p.m.

Fri, Nov 21: Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens. 7 p.m.

Fri, Nov 21: Beartooth. 8 p.m.

Tue, Nov 25: Slayer with Suicidal Tendencies and Exodus.

7:30 p.m.

Dance Performance The Egg

THE PARSONS DANCE TROUPE b rings its New Orleans-style show to The Egg on Oct. 3.

— PHOTO BY KRISTA BONURA/PARSONS DANCE

Sat, Nov 15: Dark Star Orchestra.

7:30 p.m. Grateful Dead tribute.

Sun, Nov 30: Straight No Chaser.

7:30 p.m. The a cappella group’s Happy Hour Tour.

Mon, Jan 19: Joe Bonamassa.

Unplugged.

Proctors 432 State St, Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Sat, Sep 20: Fleabag! UkeFest Evening Concert. 7:30 p.m. Located at the Education Center.

Fri, Oct 24: Johnny Mathis. 8 p.m. Celebrating his 58th year in the music industry, Mathis is Columbia Records’ longestrunning artist. Best known for his supremely popular hits like “Chances Are,” “It’s Not For Me To Say” and “Misty.”

Thu, Oct 30: Rockapella. 8 p.m.

Rockapella has provided a funky powerful soundtrack to several generations of vocal music fans, and managed to keep it all fresh along the way. With buckets of catchy original songs, and contemporary revisions of Motown, pop, and soul classics, this group

10 EXPLORE

has always been the one to watch.

Thu, Nov 6: Under The Streetlamp.

8 p.m. The group performs an evening of classic hits from the American radio songbook.

Sat, Nov 8: Sixties Spectacular.

7 p.m. Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone and B.J. Thomas coheadline, along with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Dennis Tufano, original lead singer of the Buckinghams and the Happenings.

Sat, Nov 29: Sixties Rock Experience. 7 p.m. Celebrate The 50th anniversary of the British Invasion.

Sat, Feb 7: The Australian Bee Gees. 8 p.m. A multimedia theatrical-concert experience that takes a nostalgic trip through the legacy the Bee Gees left behind, celebrating over four decades of the chart-topping music written by the trio.

A very special evening with two artists whose stories intersect at Caffe Lena.

Fri, Sep 26: Eric Harland with Voyager. 8 p.m. Multi-Grammynominated jazz drummer.

Fri, Nov 21 - Sat Nov 22: Beatlemore Skidmania. A music event celebrating the Beatles.

Skidmore College

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Arthur Zankel Music Center 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs skidmore.edu/zankel (518) 580-5321 Sun, Sep 7: An Evening with G. Love and John Hammond. 7 p.m.

Times Union Center 51 S. Pearl St, Albany timesunioncenter-albany.com (518) 487-2000 Sun, Sep 7: Demi Lovato. 7 p.m. with Christina Perri and MKTO. Thu, Sep 11: Cher. 7:30 p.m. The superstar, Oscar, Grammy and Emmy-winning performer brings her D2K Tour to town.

Sat, Sep 27: Five Finger Death Punch and Volbeat with Hellyeah and Nothing More. 6:20 p.m.

30 Second St, Troy troymusichall.org (518) 273-0038 Fri, Sep 19: 1964. The Tribute. 8 p.m. Beatles tribute.

Fri, Oct 10: Chris Thile and Ed-

gar Meyer. 8 p.m. Mandolinist/ composer Chris Thile, of Punch Brothers, and bassist/composer Edgar Meyer team up again.

Fri, Oct 24: Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn. 8 p.m. Banjoists Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn have mastered the intricate art of the duet.

Fri, Nov 21: Judy Collins. 8 p.m.

Collins is famous for hits including “Chelsea Morning,” “Cat’s in the Cradle,” and “Bird on a Wire.”

University at Albany Performing Arts Center 1400 Washington Ave., Albany albany.edu/pac (518) 442-3997 Mon, Nov 17: University-Community Jazz Ensemble. 7 p.m.

The mid-size ensemble presents a concert of popular jazz standards.

Washington Avenue Armory 195 Washington Ave., Albany thewashingtonavenuearmory.com (518) 694-7160 Mon, Sep 8: A Day to Remember, Bring Me the Horizon & Chiodos.

6:30 p.m.

Empire State Plaza, Albany theegg.org Fri, Oct 3: Parsons Dance.

8 p.m. New Orleans takes center stage as Parsons Dance celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Fri, Oct 24: Kun-Yang Lin/ Dancers. 8 p.m. An evening of repertory works including BE/ LONGING-Light/Shadow – a deeply spiritual and unexpected hybrid of Western and Eastern dance inspired by martial arts, calligraphy and tai chi.

Fri, Nov 21: Cartier Williams & Company. 7:30 p.m. Williams, a protege of Savion Glover, demonstrates the evolution of modern tap dance — from Flash, Buck & Wing and Hoofing – in Rhythm Refix with a company of six hoofers and music ranging from jazz to hip-hop.

Sat, Jan 31.: Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company. 8 p.m. The evening features a world premiere plus the works Sea Ghosts and Speaking Duchamp.

Wed, Feb 11: Tango Buenos Aires. 7:30 p.m. The troupe performs Song of Eva Perron – exploring the life of the legendary first lady of Argentina with deftly engineered movements, dips, deep slides, energetic foot stomps and balletlike turns accompanied by live music.

Sat, Mar 14: Ragamala Dance.

8 p.m. Ragamala Dance freely moves between past and present, composition and improvisation, music and dance, delving into the concept of longing through the lens of recollection, appeal, and total surrender in Song of the Jasmine.

Proctors 432 State St., Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Sat, Nov 22 - Sat Nov 22: Dancing Pros Live. 2 p.m. A competition show that features professionals from “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance” plus dance champions from around the globe, and the audience chooses the winner.

Featuring co-host Alan Thicke and guest judges Edyta Sliwinska and Karina Smirnoff.

Fri, Dec 5 - Sun, Dec 7: Northeast Ballet’s annual Nutcracker.

Skidmore College Dance Theater 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs Sat, Nov 15: Skidmore College 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.

Fri, Dec 5 - Sat Dec 6: Winter Dance Concert. The Skidmore Dance Department presents an evening of dance with choreography by faculty and guest artists.

The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery Thu, Oct 16 - Sat Oct 18: An Evening of Music and Dance. Composer David Lang, Skidmore faculty member and choreographer Debra Fernandez, and the musical group So Percussion will present an evening of dance and song.

Comedy The Egg Empire State Plaza, Albany theegg.org Thu, Sep 25: Chris D’Elia. 8 p.m.

D’Elia can next be seen starring as Danny on NBC’s new comedy Undateable.

Sat, Sep 27: Carly Aquilino. 8 p.m. Stand-up comedian seen in MTV’s Girl Code.

Thur, Oct 16: Italian Bad Boyz of Comedy. 8 p.m. Vic DiBitetto, Sam Fedele, Freddy Proia and Frank Santorelli poke fun of their heritage in a way that will make you laugh whether you are of Italian descent or not.

Fri, Oct 17: Steven Wright.

8 p.m. The undisputed world champion of weird one-liners.

Sat, Nov 8: Danny Bhoy. 8 p.m.

Stand-up comedian and storyteller.

Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave., Albany palacealbany.com (518) 465-3334 Thu, Oct 16: Lewis Black. 8 p.m. The Grammy Award-winning stand-up comedian’s live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience.

Sat, Oct 25: Amy Schumer. 8 p.m. The Comedy Central star’s Back Door Tour.

Proctors 432 State St., Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Wed, Dec 31: First Night of Funny. 8 p.m. Four professional comedians with four unique and hilarious perspectives on the world.

Sat, Mar 7: Irish Comedy Tour. 8 p.m. Irish American comedians tear apart as well as validate all of the Irish myths and stereotypes.

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall 30 Second St, Troy troymusichall.org (518) 273-0038 Sat, Nov 8: Kathleen Madigan.

8 p.m. Madigan has won the American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian and has performed on two USO tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. She is the only comedian in the history of NBC’s Last Comic Standing to go unchallenged.

Stage Albany Civic Theater 235 Second Ave., Albany albanycivictheater.org Sun, Sep 7 - Sun Sep 14: Man From Nebraska. A luxury sedan, a church pew, and visits to a nursing home form the comfortable round of Ken Carpenter’s daily life. And then one night, he awakens to find that he no longer believes in God. This crisis of faith propels an ordinary middle-aged man into an extraordinary journey of self-discovery. This wickedly

funny and spiritually complex play examines the effects of one man’s awakening on himself and his family.

Thu, Nov 6 - Sun Nov 23: The 39 Steps. Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python, and you have this fast-paced whodunit.

Thu, Feb 5 - Sun Feb 22: Proposals. Burt Hines, mid-’50s and convalescing from a second heart attack, eagerly anticipates the arrival of the ex-wife he still loves. Daughter, Josie, has just broken her engagement to a Harvard Law student and pines for his buddy Ray, an aspiring writer with whom she once had a brief fling. Clemma, the housekeeper at the center of the action, casts an astute eye on the complications while dealing with her own unresolved past.

Capital Repertory Theater 111 N. Pearl St., Albany capitalrep.org (518) 445-7469 Fri, Sep 26 - Sun Oct 19: Other Desert Cities. Jon Robin Baitz’s comedy-drama about a prodigal daughter who returns to her Palm Springs home with news of her impending childhood memoir, only to find resistance from her conservative parents, her just-out-of-rehab aunt and her slacker brother.

Fri, Nov 21 - Sun, Dec 21: The Secret Garden. Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s Tony-winning musical version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic story about an orphaned girl who transforms the life of her uncle and his garden.

Fri, Jan 16 - Sun, Feb 28: How Water Behaves. Sherry Kramer’s comedy about a down-on-theirluck couple who decide to get out of their family’s tradition of extravagant gift giving by “donating” money to a fake charity in the recipient’s names.

Fri, Feb 27 - Sun, Mar 22: Souvenir. Stephen Temperley’s fact-based comedy follows the fortunes of real-life turn of the 20th century opera diva Florence Foster Jenkins and her dedicated accompanist all the way to Carnegie Hall, despite her total lack of singing ability.

Curtain Call Theatre 210 Old Loudon Road, Latham curtaincalltheatre.com (518) 877-7529 Fri, Sep 12 - Sat, Oct 11: Family Furniture. A.R. Gurney’s comingof-age period piece examines one summer in the lives of a 1950s Buffalo family when everything changes.

Fri, Oct 24 - Sat, Nov 22: The Lyons. Nicky Silver’s Tony-nominated play about a severely dysfunctional family dealing with the impending death of the patriarch in wildly different ways.

Fri, Dec 5 - Sun, Dec 21: Hollywood Confidential. This comedy

by V. Cate and Duke Ernsberger follows what happens when a washed-up actor tries to help a temperamental damsel in distress.

Fri, Jan 16 - Sat, Feb 14: Tigers Be Still.” Kim Rosenstock’s dark comedy about an unemployed, overwhelmed art therapist hiding out in her childhood bed.

Fri, Feb 27 - Sat, Mar 28: The Hound of the Baskervilles. Steven Canny and John Nicholson adapt Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes mystery into a farce where three actors play dozens of roles.

Debuts Theater Co. 40 N. Russell Road, Albany mydebuts.com Fri, Sep 19 - Sun, Sep 28: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Six adolescents in the throes of puberty who are vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime.

Home Made Theater 19 Roosevelt Dr., Saratoga Springs Fri, Oct 10 - Sun Oct 26: “The Addams Family.” Charles Addams’ all together ooky cartoon characters come to life in this macabre musical adaptation by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.

Fri, Dec 12 - Sun Dec 21: “The

AMY SCHUMER is hilarious and kinda raunchy on Oct. 25 at the Palace Theatre.

— PHOTO BY TONY CENICOLA/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Jungle Book.” Mila Johansen adapts Rudyard Kipling’s classic about a boy raised by a panther and a bear.

Fri, Feb 13 - Sun Mar 1: “The Complete History of America (Abridged).” Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor’s rollercoaster ride through American History in a “New Vaudeville” style.

Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave., Albany palacealbany.com (518) 465-3334 Thu, Sep 18: “A Mother’s Love — The Show.” 8 p.m. A story that captures the roller-coaster relationship between a mother and daughter.

Proctors 432 State St., Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Fri, Sep 12 - Sat Sep 13: Cassandra, The Musical. An epic sung-through musical based on the Greek myth.

Fri, Sep 26 - Sun, Oct 5: A Couple of Blaguards. Frank McCourt and Malachy McCourt’s autobiographical account of their years growing up in poverty in Ireland.

Sat, Oct 11 - Fri Oct 17: Newsies, The Musical. The Disney tale tells the story of a band of underdogs who become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York.

Tue, Oct 28: Evil Dead: The Musical. 7:30 p.m. The musical comedy sensation takes all the elements of Sam Raimi’s cult classic films and combines them into one crazy theatrical experience.

Mon, Dec 1: A Christmas Carol.

A production that tells the great and enduring tale in a manner that people of all ages will enjoy.

Thu, Dec 4: It’s a Wonderful Life.

7:30 p.m. Immediate Theatre Project’s annual performance is a fresh new adaptation of the film set in the fictional studio of WVL Radio Theatre.

Fri, Dec 12 - Sun Dec 21: The Gringo Who Stole Christmas. A Hispanic take on the classic Dickens tale A Christmas Carol.

Tue, Dec 23 - Sun Dec 28: Elf The Musical. The tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Tue, Jan 13 - Sun Jan 18: Jersey Boys. The award-winning musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi.

This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history.

Thu, Jan 29: Nice Work If You Can Get It. 8 p.m. A 1920s-era feel-good musical, complete with extravagant dance numbers, glittering costumes and an unlikely love story between a wealthy playboy and a rough and tumble lady bootlegger.

timesunion.com/explore 11

Lenox, MA

“Dietz’s spiraling structure and breathless pacing provide enough of an oxygen rush to revive any moribund audience member.” —Village Voice September 20 – November 9

PRIVATE EYES

by Steven Dietz

Jonathan Croy. Photo by Kevin Sprague.

Plymouth Getaways ~ America’s Hometown ~

PASSPORT TO HISTORY BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! December 5 – December 28

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Aadapted LIVEby RADIO PLAY Joe Landry

from the original screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert hackett, Frank Capra, Jo Swerling Sarah Jeanette Taylor, David Joseph. Photo by Kevin Sprague. directed by Jenna Ware

All inclusive package featuring 2 nights, meals and admission to Plimoth Plantation, a Historic Walking Tour and much more!

HAUNTED STAYS & CORN MAZE A 1 night package including admission to Sauchuk Farm’s 7 acre Corn Maze and Ghosts and Legends Walking Tour

Packages starting as low as $170 for two guests!

70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA · 413-637-3353

SHAKESPEARE.ORG Tony Simotes, Artistic Director

Plymouth, MA • (855) 211-4418 www.JohnCarverInn.com

fall/winter 2014 Thu, Feb 5 - Sun Feb 8: Tony & Tina’s Wedding. Eat, drink, dance, converse, and get caught up in the festivities of this all-inclusive, interactive matrimonial experience.

Tue, Feb 17 - Sun Feb 22: The Illusionists. This mind blowing spectacular showcases the jaw dropping talents of seven of the most incredible illusionists on earth.

Fri, Feb 27: Wild Kratts Live!. 10 a.m. An all-new theatrical stage show based on the hit Emmynominated animated television series Wild Kratts.

Tue, Mar 3 - Sun Mar 8: Annie. Featuring book and score

by Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, Annie includes such unforgettable songs as “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You,” plus the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

Tue, Mar 10 - Wed Mar 11: Blue Man Group. Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine comedy, music, and technology to produce a totally unique form of entertainment.

Sat, Mar 21: Peter And The Starcatcher. This swashbuckling prequel to Peter Pan features a company of a dozen actors play more than a hundred unforgettable characters, all on a journey to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become The Boy Who Never Grew Up? Sat, Mar 28: Jekyll & Hyde. 8 p.m.

The epic struggle between good and evil comes to life on stage.

Schenectady Civic Playhouse 12 S. Church St, Schenectady civicplayers.org (518) 382-2081 Fri, Oct 17 - Sun Oct 26: The Liar. David Ives’ “translaptation” of Pierre Cornielle’s 17th-century mistaken identity farce.

Sat, Dec 6 - Sun Dec 14: The Game’s Afoot. In Ken Ludwig’s comedy, a 1930s Broadway star, famed for playing Sherlock Holmes, invites his fellow cast members to his estate where he has to solve a real murder.

Fri, Jan 30 - Sun Feb 8: Rabbit Hole. A couple deals with the loss of their four-year-old son in this Pulitzer Prize-winning play

by David Lindsay-Abaire.

Fri, Mar 20 - Sun Mar 29: Daddy’s Dyin’... Who’s Got the Will. A family reunites in a small Texas town to await the imminent death of their patriarch in Del Shores’ comedy.

Shakespeare & Company 70 Kemble St, Lenox, Mass.

Sun, Sep 7 - Sun Sep 14: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

Christopher Durang’s uproarious take on the plays of Anton Chekov revolves around a man and his adopted sister living in their family’s Pennsylvania farmhouse who find their lives turned upside down by the arrival of their narcissistic movie-star sister and her much younger boyfriend.

Skidmore College Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs skidmore.edu/academics/theater (518) 580-5431 Thu, Oct 16 - Wed Oct 22: Dancing At Luhgnasa. By Brian Friel, directed by Marie Glotzbach.

Fri, Nov 14 - Sun Nov 23: American Medea. Written and directed by Holly Derr.

SLOC Musical Theatre (Schenectady Light Opera Company) 427 Franklin St., Schenectady sloctheater.org (877) 350-7378 Fri, Oct 10 - Sun Oct 19: The Rocky Horror Show. The cult classic movie becomes a stage musical, complete with transvestites, science fiction and more.

Fri, Dec 5 - Sun Dec 14: Shrek.

The Tony-winning Broadway music based on the Oscar-winning animated film which was based on the award-winning children’s book by William Steig about an irritable ogre.

Fri, Feb 6 - Sun Feb 15: South Pacific. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical of love in wartime, based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

performances by more than 300 active-duty soldiers from The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and The U.S. Army Band.

Thur, Oct 2 - Sun, Oct 5: Cirque du Soleil — Dralion. The fusion of ancient Chinese circus tradition and the avant-garde approach of Cirque du Soleil.

Ulysses S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site Mt McGregor Road., Gansevoort grantcottage.org (518) 584-4353 Sat, Sep 13 - Sun Sep 14: Sunset on Mount McGregor. 1 p.m.

Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant were friends. But when Twain visited the General at Grant Cottage, he came as an editor assisting an author. This is an original, multi-media theater event, produced by John Quinn.

Times Union Center

University at Albany

51 S. Pearl St., Albany (518) 487-2000 Fri, Sep 19 - Sat, Sep 20: Spirit of America. Spirit of America is a patriotic, live-action show that tells the history of our nation through the eyes of the American soldier. It features

Performing Arts Center 1400 Washington Ave., Albany albany.edu/pac (518) 442-3997 Wed, Oct 8 - Sun Oct 12: Born This Way: A Musical Revue. Rock and Roll meets The Great White Way in an entertaining and thoughtful examination of diversity in America. This original production by the Department of Music and Theatre features music from Broadway’s most popular musicals and contemporary rock songs for a thrilling and entertaining journey.

Wed, Oct 15: Much Ado About Nothing. 7:30 p.m. While the villainous Don John devises a scheme to shatter the nuptials of Claudio and Hero, the young lovers conspire to trick Beatrice and Benedick into admitting their much-denied love.

Fri, Oct 31 - Sat Nov 8: Reasons to Be Pretty. The Department of Music and Theatre presents Neil LaBute’s explosive dark comedy that confronts our collective obsession with physical beauty. Greg’s tightknit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his offhand remarks about a female coworker’s pretty face and his own girlfriend Steph’s lack thereof get back to Steph. But that’s just the beginning…

Thu, Nov 13: County of Kings by Lemon Andersen. 7:30 p.m. Originally developed and directed

Check out CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S DRALION at the Times Union Center on Oct. 2 through Oct. 5.

— PHOTO BY DANIEL DESMARAIS

by Elise Thoron, American Place Theatre took Lemon’s life story and adapted it into a solo play now performed by Michael Angel Viera. Weaving hard-edged drama with urban poetry and gritty prose, the work follows Lemon’s coming-of-age memoir of the same name in an astonishing journey toward self-discovery.

Sat, Nov 22: Bach to Broadway.

7:30 p.m. Vocal majors perform classical, Broadway and pop favorites in this annual concert.

Words & Ideas Irish American Heritage Museum 370 Broadway, Albany irishamericanheritagemuseum.org (518) 427-1916 Sat, Oct 4: “Strong Celtic Women.”

2 p.m. James MacKillop explores some of the reasons Celtic myths feature more prominent and forceful women than are generally found in Greek or Norse mythologies.

Proctors 432 State St, Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Tue, Oct 21 - Wed Oct 22: Pure Poe: Three Stories From America’s Master Storyteller. 10 a.m.

A production of lost loves, mad murders and a prosperous prince attempting to defy death and doom, Edgar Allan Poe’s characters come to life.

Fri, Oct 31 - Sat Nov 1: Proctors Ghost Tour and Paranormal Investigation. 7 p.m. The tour takes you on a spine-tingling journey through places in the historic theater that few dare to go.

Skidmore College 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs skidmore.edu Davis Auditorium Wed, Oct 1: Greenberg Middle East Scholar-in-Residence Lecture. 7:30 p.m. Greenberg Middle East Scholar-in-Residence Lecture: “Rule of Law in the Middle East: The Ottoman Antecedent,”

by Avi Rubin of Ben-Gurion University in Israel.

timesunion.com/explore 13

Fall in the

Berkshires

36th Annual

Harvest Festival

Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 13th - 14th

10AM - 5PM

Join us for the ultimate celebration of autumn on the beautiful grounds of The Farmers’ Museum! Enjoy great food, performers, vendors, animals, and games.

Fall in Love with the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail BROOKVIEW STATION WINERY FURNACE BROOK WINERY HARVEST SPIRITS DISTILLERY HUDSON CHATHAM WINERY HUDSON VALLEY DISTILLERS TOUSEY WINERY

For map & details visit:

www.hudsonberkshireexperience.com

Magic Wings

FarmersMuseum.org Open Year Round

Open 7 days a week, all year round

authentic harvest with Celebrate the ican entertainment!

German-Amer BMW t

Gestal lly 8 -2 7 Automobile Ra 2 .

T P SE kills ts Ca e th in Colors lly OCT. 4-5 MotorcyclLae Ra erk w uf Das 2 -1 Eurocar Rally 1 1 .

T C O Traditions Oktoberfest ineries lW ca Lo .

9 at Fe -1 OCT. 18

Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens

Looking for something amazing to do with your family and friends?

Visit Magic Wings and marvel at the beauty of nearly 4,000 butterflies as they fly around you in our tropical indoor conservatory. Open daily 9-5. Gift shop, food court and Monarchs Restaurant on site.

413-665-2805 www.magicwings.com

281 Greenfield Rd., South Deerfield, MA 01373

5775 Rt. 80 Cooperstown, NY

It’s always 80 degrees at Magic Wings!

y Sturr & ent from Jimm • Entertainm (October 11) ra His Orchest traditional Knockwurst, • Bratwurst, s er German be • Vendors

Country& Fall Fair Festival September 27 & 28 A Classic Country Fair hancockshakervillage.org

• Kids’ Tent

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800.486.8376 HunterMtn.com

fall/winter 2014 City of Schenectady SchenectadyChamber.com Sat, Nov 22: 47th Annual Gazette Holiday Parade. 5 p.m.

The parade, a Capital Region tradition attracts 20,00040,000 spectators who will line State Street in downtown Schenectady for what is widely known as the largest nighttime parade in the Northeast.

Spectators will enjoy more than 100 magical characters, floats, bands, marchers, dance troops, and decorated vehicles are expected to be in the parade a vying for seven top prizes.

City of Troy

THE 47TH ANNUAL GAZETTE HOLIDAY PARADE takes place on Nov. 22 on State Street in downtown Schenectady. — PHOTO BY JOHN CARL D’ANNIBALE/TIMES UNION ARCHIVES Gannett Auditorium Thu, Sep 25: Karen L. Coburn Lecture. 5:30 p.m. “Transnational Feminist Dialogues on Neoliberalism and Radical Praxis” by Chandra Talpade Mohanty distinguished professor, Department of Women’s and Gender Studies; and Dean’s Professor of the Humanities at Syracuse University.

Scribner Library Tue, Sep 16: Constitution Day Lecture Series. 5:30 p.m. “The Written Constitution and the Unwritten Tradition of Common Law,” by James R. Stoner, department of political science, Louisiana State University.

Ulysses S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site Mt McGregor Road., Gansevoort grantcottage.org (518) 584-4353 Sun, Sep 14: Unknown Museums of Upstate New York. 1 p.m. So wrote Chuck D’Imperio in his book Unknown Museums Of Upstate New York. The Cottage was the last of fifty pilgrimages the author made to museums and historic sites that deserve more public attention.

Sun, Oct 12: Children’s Porch Chat: Solomon Northrup. 1 p.m.

The film Twelve Years A Slave

has brought Solomon Northup’s improbable but true story to the attention of the world. Northup, a free black man living in Saratoga, was kidnapped, sold into slavery in 1841, and was not returned to his family until 1853 and wrote a book about his horrifying experiences.

Free Evenings at the Albany Institute of History & Art. The Albany Institute of History & Art offers free admission to the museum’s galleries on Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. Explore the exhibitions, shop in the museum store, and participate in special activities.

University at Albany

Altamont Fairgrounds

University Art Museum 1400 Washington Ave., Albany albany.edu/museum (518) 442-4035 Thu, Nov 6: An Evening with Lemon Andersen. 7 p.m. In an intimate and informal setting, Lemon addresses the audience about his life and work, focusing on what nurtures him as an artist and how that has been the salvation in his life.

129 Grand St, Altamont altamontfair.com (518) 861-6671 Sat, Sep 13 - Sun Sep 14: Capital Region Apple and Wine Festival. Annual family fall festival.

Haunted house, pony rides, kids’ activities, wine tasting, farmers market, entertainment and more.

Fairs, Festivals, Family Fun Albany Institute of History & Art 125 Washington Ave., Albany albanyinstitute.org (518) 463-4478 Thu, Sep 11 - Thu Dec 18:

City of Saratoga Springs Downtown Saratoga Springs (518) 587-8635 Thu, Dec 4: Saratoga Victorian Streetwalk. 6 p.m. Step back in time by attending the 28th Annual Victorian Streetwalk in Saratoga Springs. With 50 entertainment sites to visit, including carolers, children entertainers, bands and animals, the Victorian Streetwalk in Saratoga Springs is sure to delight you.

Plus, you’ll even get to see Santa and Mrs. Claus and their reindeer at the event.

Downtown Troy victorianstroll.com Sun, Dec 7: 32nd annual Troy Victorian Stroll. The annual holiday celebration features live music, concessions, arts and crafts, children’s activities, sled dogs, dancers and Santa Claus.

Clifton Park Elks Lodge #2466 695 Macelroy Road, Ballston Lake Sat, Sep 13: 8th Annual Clifton Park Elks Car, Truck and Bike Show. 9 a.m. All years and makes of cars, trucks and motorcycles are welcome.

Dutchess County Fairgrounds 6550 Spring Brook Ave., Rhinebeck dutchessfair.com (845) 876-4001 Sat, Oct 18 - Sun Oct 19: NYS Sheep & Wool Family Festival.

Wool and fiber crafts, sheep shearing demonstrations, frisbee and Sheep dog herding demos, food and much more.

Empire State Plaza Convention Center Madison Avenue, Albany ogs.ny.gov Sat, Sep 13: Hannaford Hispanic Heritage Celebration. 5 p.m. The family-friendly Latin festival features performances by local dance troupes, musical entertainment, Latin arts and crafts and food vendors.

Sat, Sep 20: Back to School Expo. 10 a.m. Peyton List, from Disney’s hit show Jessie will

make an appearance. The expo is an educational and recreational exposition and will focus on interactive exhibits, fun activities, and unique learning experiences for children ages 4-14, ranging from Lego robotics to hair-raising science experiments.

Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport 443 Queensbury Ave., Queensbury Thu, Sep 18 - Sun Sep 21: Adirondack Balloon Festival. 4:30 p.m. Hundreds of hot air balloons take to the sky at the 42nd Annual Adirondack Balloon Festival, taking place Septe. 18-21.

The Opening ceremony is held Thursday, Sept. 18th in Crandall Park, Glens Falls.

Hancock Shaker Village 1843 W. Housatonic St, Pittsfield, Mass. hancockshakervillage.org (800) 817-1137 Sat, Sep 27 - Sun Sep 28: Country Fair. Farmers market, vendors, pie contest, children’s activities and much more.

Lark Street, Albany larkstreet.org Sat, Sep 20: LarkFest. New York State’s largest one day openair street festival featuring up & coming local, regional, and national musical acts, local vendors, and Lark Street nostalgia.

Madison Theatre 1036 Madison Ave., Albany (518) 438-0040 Fri, Oct 3: 15 Minutes Max Film Festival. 5 p.m. View the winning entries in 15 Minutes Max, a short film competition sponsored by The College of Saint Rose and the Times Union. The juried contest, with prizes ranging from $100 to $500, was open to students at all area colleges and universities.

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site 1013 Old Post Road, Kinderhook (518) 758-9689 Sat, Dec 6: Martin Van Buren NHS Winter Celebration. 12 p.m.

Lindenwald, home of President Martin Van Buren, with be “fitted out” for the holiday season.

Oakwood Cemetery 186 Oakwood Ave., Troy oakwoodcemetery.org (800) 556-6273 Sat, Dec 13 - Sat Dec 13: Christmas Concert and Singalong. 1 p.m. Sing along with your favorites, sip warm cider and nibble on Christmas cookies provided by the Friends of Oakwood.

Proctors 432 State St, Schenectady proctors.org (518) 346-6204 Fri, Nov 14 - Fri Nov 14: Super Scientific Circus. Alternately assisted and foiled by the comedic antics of Trent the Mime, Mr. Fish uses amazing circus skills involving boomerangs, bubbles, beach balls, bull whips, and magic to introduce the principles of friction, inertia, centripetal force, aerodynamics, sonic booms, air pressure and ultraviolet light.

Saratoga County Fairgrounds 162 Prospect St, Ballston Spa saratogacountyfair.org (518) 885-9701 Fri, Sep 12 - Sat Sep 13: 18th Annual Irish 2000 Music and Arts Festival. Featuring more than 25 acts, dance and a Celtic kids area. Featuring the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Solas, Sephira, Black 47, The McKrells, Makem and Spain Brothers, Screaming Orphans, Shilelagh Law and more.

Saratoga Springs City Center 522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs flurryfestival.org Fri, Feb 13 - Sun Feb 15: Flurry Festival. The flurry is a folk festival of traditional dancing and music featuring more than 250 events.

Skidmore College

The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs Sat, Oct 11 - Sat Dec 13: Tang Museum Family Saturdays. Suitable for children ages 5 and older with their adult companions.

Programs include a brief tour of a current Tang exhibition followed by a hands-on art activity.

Free and open to the public.

timesunion.com/explore 15

fall/winter 2014 Waterford Harbor Visitor Center One Tug Boat Aly, Waterford (518) 233-9123 Sun, Sep 7 - Sun Sep 7: Waterford Tugboat Roundup. 9 a.m. A spectacular display of working tugs, restoration projects, pleasure tugs, mini tugs and other vessels line the port of Waterford for three days. The celebration starts Friday with a parade of tugs up the Hudson River.

Vendors, live music, tug tours and boat rides start Friday and continue through Sunday. Kids’ activities all weekend; fireworks Saturday evening.

Museums Albany Institute of History & Art 125 Washington Ave., Albany albanyinstitute.org (518) 463-4478 Thru Sun, Sep 7: Summer Exposures: Photographic Works by Martin Benjamin, Carolyn Blackwood, Tom Fels, Dana Hoey, and William Jaeger. Works from five regional photographers come together this summer at the Albany Institute.

Each photographer was given the freedom to select the content for his or her own exhibition.

Thru Sun, Sep 28: Small + Seductive: Contemporary Art from the Albany Institute’s Collection.

The Albany Institute’s exhibition, Small + Seductive, is the third in a series to highlight the museum’s contemporary art collection. It features more than thirty paintings and sculptures of smaller proportions by some of the Upper Hudson Valley’s most ingenious and talented artists.

Sometimes intimate, occasionally intricate, but always intriguing, small works of art invite us to step close and peer into their spatially bounded world.

Hudson Valley Community College Marvin Library Learning Commons 80 Vandenburgh Ave., Troy hvcc.edu/library (518) 629-7333 Thru Fri, Sep 19: Out of Print. A fresh look at books and print materials by artists who reflect upon the

16 EXPLORE

past and uncertain future of these information mediums. The artists have manipulated and documented existing books to create new forms and structures. Each treats books and print materials differently: as found objects and relics, as flawed systems for information delivery, or as simple raw materials.

The Hyde Collection 161 Warren St, Glens Falls hydecollection.org (518) 792-1761 Sat, Sep 27: Ann Diggory: Hybrid Visions. The exhibition features recent work by the artist Anne Diggory. Her new works explore “hybrid media,” a multi-layered process combining sections of photography and painting. The exhibition features a selection of her dramatic landscapes that juxtapose moving water and changing skies against the seeming permanence of the land.

Iroquois Indian Museum 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave Thru Fri, Nov 28: Standing in Two Worlds: Iroquois in 2014.

Showcases Iroquois art which explores contemporary issues including the environment, the digital/disposable age, the impact of national/international events and decisions and the role of tradition and community.

MASS MoCA 87 Marshall St., North Adams, Mass. massmoca.org Thru Sun, Jan 4: In Transit: Between Image and Object. Artists Dike Blair, Hugh Scott-Douglas, and collaborative duo Guyton\ Walker paint, print, and project abstract images and patterns onto the surface of shipping crates.

Thru January: Darren Waterston: Uncertain Beauty. Drawing parallels between the excesses of the Gilded Age and current economic conditions, the artist reimagines James McNeill Whistler’s Peacock Room as a fantastic ruin.

Thru January: The Dying of the Light: Film as Medium and Metaphor. Features the work of 6 artists — Rosa Barba, Matthew Buckingham, Tacita Dean, Rodney Graham, Lisa Oppenheim, and Simon Starling.

Thru March: Teresita Fernández: As Above So Below. The exhibit combines graphite and gold to

create a series of immersive, interconnected installations whose scale shifts from intimate to vast, from miniature to panoramic.

Thru May: It’s Only Human. The exhibit, on view in Kidspace, examines the human figure from the inside – an unexpected and often unfamiliar perspective apart from the medical and scientific world.

New York State Museum

Madison Avenue, Albany (518) 474-5877 Thru Sun, Jan 4: Focus on Nature XIII. The exhibit features 91 natural and cultural history illustrations, representing the work of 71 illustrators from 15 different countries. The subjects represented are diverse, ranging from those only found in the artists’ home country to those that have a worldwide distribution.

Norman Rockwell Museum 9 Glendale Rd, Stockbridge, Mass. nrm.org (413) 298-4100 Thru Sun, Oct 26: Edward Hopper: Art for Commerce. Edward Hopper, Art for Commerce presents a unique and comprehensive study of the little-known twenty year illustration career of the realist master. Attitudes toward art and the crosscurrents of contemporary commercial society during the early to mid twentieth century will be explored in this exhibition, which provides an integrated understanding of Hopper’s published and personal art.

Olana State Historic Site 5720 Route 9G, Hudson Thru Sun, Nov 2: All the Raj: Frederic Church and Lockwood de Forest- Painting, Decorating and Collecting at Olana. Featuring oil sketches and paintings

by Church and de Forest of the view from Olana and a rare 19th century collection of decorative arts from India that de Forest designed and provided for the interiors of the house at Olana.

Skidmore College The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs Thru Sun, Oct 26: Elevator Music 27-Kamau Patton: Torus-Variation 1.

SEE RAW COLOR: The Circles of David Smith, at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute through Oct. 19.

— PHOTO COURTESY THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE Thru Sun, Nov 16: Opener 28: Erika Verzutti: Mineral. This first solo museum exhibition for Sao Paulobased artist Erika Verzutti features bronze, concrete, clay and wax sculptures that are imbued with a sense of mysterious ritual.

Thru Sun, Jan 4: I was a double.

Organized in collaboration with composer David Lang, this exhibit brings together visual artists who, like composers, create a set of rules as a basis to make their art.

Thru Sun, Jan 4: Opener 26: Jeff Sonhouse. Over the past 10 years, New York-based artist Jeff Sonhouse has created a powerful body of portrait paintings depicting often-masked black male figures that consistently defy and obscure classification.

Thru Sun, Jan 4: Opener 27: Beverly Semmes: FRP. Beverly Semmes’ Feminist Responsibility Project (FRP) includes drawings, video, ceramics, and illuminated glass forms that are suspended throughout the gallery.

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute 225 South St, Williamstown, Mass. clarkart.edu (413) 458-2303 Thru Sun, Sep 21: Cast for Eternity. Drawn from the core of the Shanghai Museum’s exceptional

collection of bronze vessels and bells dating from the late Xia through the Western Han dynasties (c. 1800 bce-c. 8 ce). The 32 objects in the exhibition show the range of artistic expression and variety of sculptural forms realized during China’s Bronze Age. Thru Mon, Oct 13: Make it New: Abstract Painting from the National Gallery of Art 1950-1975. Make It New examines the different paths taken by abstract painting in the first quarter-century of the postwar period. The exhibition presents Abstract Expressionist and color field masterpieces alongside other canonical works organized by the formal categories of pattern, texture, and shape. Ranging from experiments with color and geometry to works in cloth, wax, and other materials, these works reveal how artists continued to expand the definition of painting during this time.

Thru Sun, Oct 19: Raw Color: The Circles of David Smith. Bringing together all five of David Smith’s central Circle sculptures, explores the crucial role that industrial color and its relationship to nature played in the work of one of the twentieth century’s most influential and celebrated sculptors. Smith’s boldly painted steel constructions will be on display both indoors and

outdoors at the Stone Hill Center, resituating them against a Berkshires setting, similar to the Adirondack site where Smith created and installed them originally.

University at Albany University Art Museum 1400 Washington Ave., Albany (518) 442-4035 Thru Sun, Oct. 12: Mary Reid Kelley: Working Objects and Videos.

The UAM partners with the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, State University of New York at New Paltz to present Mary Reid Kelley’s visually rich and intellectually stimulating video art along with the finely crafted and researched costumes, objects, and drawings she creates for her videos.

Williams College Williams College Museum of Art 15 Lawrence Hall Dr., Williamstown, Mass. wcma.org (413) 597-2429 Thru Sun, Oct 26: Mitchell, Benglis, Wilke. Three women artists approach abstraction from different angles. On view are a monumental oil on canvas painting, a floor piece of multi-colored industrial latex poured and congealed, and nine wall-mounted latex forms, folded and snapped into shape.

Galleries Art de Cure, Endocrine Group 1265 Washington Ave., Albany artdecure.org (518) 756-3649 Thru Fri, Oct 10: The Endocrine Group Gallery. A collaboration between art and medicine, Art de Cure curates art galleries in medical practices and features a formidable selection of work by local and regional artists. Proceeds from art sales go a charity of the host’s choice, in this case the American Diabetes Association.

Center Gallery @ the Commons 6 Clifton Common Blvd., Clifton Park (518) 383-1343 Thru Tue, Sep 30: Oils and Acrylics

by Aumara. Peruvian born artist, Aumara Issel, uses found materials to create art that you can not only see, but feel.

Clement Art Gallery

Skidmore College

201 Broadway, Troy clementart.com (518) 272-6811 Thru Wed, Sep 17: of Beauties & Beasts. Thirteen artists from Denmark, Canada, England, Ukraine and The United States will present work in mediums ranging from paintings, drawings & bronze sculpture. Their diverse works are filled with grace, mystery and elegance.

Schick Art Gallery 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs Thru Sun, Oct 19: Selected Faculty Exhibition. Exhibition of new works by selected members of the Skidmore College Art Department.

Exhibitors include Kate Leavitt, Janet Sorensen, Sarah Sweeney, and Joanne Vella.

Galerie BMG and Sweetheart Gallery

807 Union St, Schenectady union.edu Arts Atrium Gallery Thru Wed, Dec 24: On Longing: photography by Frank Rapant. Local artist and freelance photographer Frank Rapant will be exhibiting his body of work, On Longing.

On Longing is a body of work pertaining to the grieving process, and how a person might approach this from a faithless standpoint.

These images touch on a commonality of desire between human beings. Things we can all relate to wanting: our lost loves, the ability to come unbound from the Earth, physical beauty or attractiveness, intimacy with another, and some amount of grace or art.

Mandeville Gallery muse.union.edu/mandeville (518) 388-6004 Thru Sun, Nov 30: Jaune Quickto-See Smith. One of the most acclaimed Native American artists working today, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith is internationally known as an artist, curator, lecturer, printmaker and professor. Smith uses humor and satire to examine myths, stereotypes and the paradox of Native American life in contrast to the consumerism of American society. Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Tuesday, September 16, 5-7pm, Nott Memorial Schaffer Library union.edu/library Thru Fri, Oct 17: Inaugural Art Installation Series: Aliene de Souza Howell. Embracing the concept of the library as a laboratory, the Mandeville Gallery and the Schaffer Library at Union College collaboratively present the exhibit.

17 Cricket Ridge Rd., Woodstock galeriebmg.com (845) 679-6206 Thru Sun, Oct 5: Elsewhere, Mixed Media Photographs by Kamil Vojnar and Norman Bacon Retrospective.

New photographs by Kamil Vojnar and a Retrospective of Norman Bacon’s work will be featured.

John Davis Gallery 362 1/2 Warren St, Hudson johndavisgallery.com (518) 828-5907 Sat, Sep 13: Leonid Lerman at John Davis Gallery with Lundsfryd, Paskow, Hamann and Bowdish. Leonid Lerman in Main Galleries and sculpture garden with Tine Lundsfryd, Linnea Paskow, Paul Hamann and Chuck Bowdish in the Carriage House.

Olana State Historic Site 5720 Route 9G, Hudson Thru Sun, Nov 2: Preserving Creative Spaces: Photographs from The Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios Program. This documentary installation shines light on the Historic Artists’ Home and Studios (HAHS) program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This exhibition features information about the consortium and documentary photographs and personal artists’ quotes from its nearly 40 member sites, including an image of Frederic Church and his son on a camel in Beirut (1868), the trip which inspired the Persian-style house and studio the painter would later build at Olana.

Three ways to enjoy the Park!

Union College

Listings compiled by the News & Information Services Department staff: Shannon Fromma, CJ Lais, 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.

Photo by Susan Bibeau

Thru Sun, Jan 25: Material Friction: Americana and American Art. Material culture from the dawn of the United States shoulders in among work from WCMA’s American art collection. Samplers and blanket chests take up residence next to luminous paintings from the Hudson River School and works of high Modernism by the likes of Georgia O’Keeffe. It’s Joseph Cornell in conversation with a Colonial cabinet maker and John Frederick Kensett talking with a limner from Connecticut.

Thru Sun, Jan 25: Franz West.

Franz West (Austrian, 1947-2012) is known for willfully unserious, non-ideological, and sometimes mischievously erotic mixed-media drawings, sculptures, and furniture. Intentionally crude collages combine isolated figures from magazine ads with slapdash coats of thick paint and representations of the artist’s own work. His large colorful sculptures of lacquered aluminum reference and gleefully mock the usual formal decorum of abstract sculpture.

In print

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art

Fact and Friction in Williamstown

W

illiamstown is blessed in so many ways that it’s easy to overlook some of them.

The small town (pop 7,750), located among the rolling foothills of the Berkshires in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, is home to a Tony Award-winning theater festival as well as a world-renowned art museum, the Clark Art Institute (aka, The Clark), that for some eccentric reason is located in this far-flung corner of the Bay State and not in some metropolitan crossroads where you’d expect to find it.

But the town is also home to the campus of Williams College, a world-class liberal arts institution that is itself home to a stellar cultural anchor — Williams College Museum of Art. The museum’s current exhibition, Material Friction: Americana and American Art (up through Jan. 25) is one of its most thought-provoking in recent years.

The exhibition features 80 objects from the Jonathan and Karin Fielding Collection that are augmented by pieces from the museum’s own permanent collection. It is far more ambitious than a mere assemblage of early American folk art and antiques

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An intriguing exhibit at Williams College Museum of Art

By Alan Bisbort

A (from the Fieldings) and fine art (from the museum’s holdings). As presented by Kevin M. Murphy, the museum’s Eugenie Prendergast Curator of American Art, the assembled objects both complement and clash with each other, forcing visitors to find links between otherwise seemingly disparate things. This is not an exercise in futility; connections are there.

For example, Murphy places “Lake George” (1853), one of the museum’s landscape paintings by Hudson River School artist John Frederick Kensett, near a vernacular wooden blanket chest and an antique log scale. Kensett, says Murphy, depicted “the taming of forested land as an indicator of manifest destiny,” and the log scale, he says “provides a different lens through which to examine romanticized landscape paintings — as filled with commodities to be measured, harvested and sold,” rather than beautiful scenery to be admired. Similarly, he juxtaposes the work of a Colonial-era cabinetmaker with the 20th century visionary artist Joseph Cornell. Cornell’s exquisite handmade box assemblage holds a series of red and pink marbles arranged like birds eggs inside

a crate. It is “fine art,” in that it has no “use” other than to be appreciated as an aesthetic object. And yet, Cornell’s careful tinkering with his box recalls the sophisticated artisanship of itinerant woodworkers in 18th-century America.

Of course, even those who don’t want to work overtime to find such linkage or “friction” will be charmed by this exhibition, filled as it is by fascinating works that can be appreciated as individual pieces. Take the tiny portrait silhouettes of Elvira and Samuel Fish (ca. 1810) attributed to someone known as the “Puffy Sleeve Artist.” Both of these folk-art images anticipate the work of 20th-century “outsider artists” like Bill Traylor and Howard Finster while also revealing the Fish family’s airs of respectability. Elvira is holding flowers and wearing jewelry and Samuel is decked out in military regalia while firmly hoisting a goblet, and yet the images of them are child-like, drawn by a hand untrained in the “fine arts.” Similarly, “Young Couple with Trees” (ca 1830), by an unknown artist, portrays two well-dressed but somber-looking newlyweds who seem to be practicing poses of respectable sobriety for posterity (and, in essence, posterity is exactly what they’ve achieved thanks to the Fieldings’ collecting urges).

The same expressions are found, rendered with more polish, in a series of portraits by Ammi Phillips from the 1820s — stiff, proud, perhaps a bit nervous over their image of rectitude. The most striking portrait from the Fieldings’ collection — and one of their personal favorites — is by Samuel Miller from 1840 of a young girl named Cynthia Mary Osborn. The colors seem bolder than they actually are largely because they are juxtaposed against all these other Spartan images — genuine childhood joy bursts through all

MATERIAL FRICTION: Americana and American Art, Highlights from the Jonathan and Karin Fielding Collection is on view through Jan. 25, 2015 at Williams College Museum of Art, 15 Lawrence Hall Drive, Williamstown. Call (413) 597-2429 or visit wcma.williams.edu.

The museum is open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Thursdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (Beginning in September, it’s closed on Wednesdays).

A: Silhouette portraits of Elvira and Samuel Fish (ca. 1810) attributed to the “Puffy Sleeve Artist.” Collection of Jonathan and Karin Fielding.

Tee Time in No Time!

B

Less than an hour from Albany

B: Stenciled Drawing of Two Puppies (mid-19th century). Collection of Jonathan and Karin Fielding. Photo

by Arthur Evans.

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C: Devotion Family Slant-front Desk (ca. 1700–40). Collection of Jonathan and Karin Fielding.

that righteous posturing.

After spending time with these works, you realize that here — between the Fieldings’ early Americana (spanning 1650-1850, mostly from New England) and the grandeur of the museum’s own American “fine art” paintings — lies the foundation of our national identity: sober, hardworking, puritanical and God-fearing defenders of freedom who also love scenic vistas and feel exceptionally blessed by our geographical gifts. You can’t help but wonder, though, Where are the Indians in all this? and What would the Colonial American make of the present-day obsession with tattoos, body decorations and mutilations that were the sorts of things associated with the “noble savages” whose “uncivilized” state they were trying to rise above? Have we now come full circle?

(See, I told you the exhibition would create linkage and friction!)

The exhibition also serves as a tutorial on how to build a world-class collection on a limited budget and with what the Fieldings self-effacingly describe as “a thimbleful of knowledge about New England antiques.” To wit: Jonathan Fielding caught the art-collecting bug while an undergraduate at Williams College in the mid-1960s, when he spent many hours wandering among The Clark’s masterpieces. Then, after he married, he and his wife Karin collectively caught the bug for antiquing after they bought an 18th-century cape-style home in Maine.

One thing led to another and now they own a handsome and widely respected slice of early American life.

Indeed, much of their collection is built around utilitarian objects such as

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baskets, pottery, cupboards, kitchen utensils, needlework in addition to the portraits by itinerant naive painters. These simple objects were invested with a unique elegance by their makers, many of whom are unknown now.

Because it does sit within the venerable shadows of The Clark, Williams College Museum of Art is among those things more often than not overlooked in the town. This is true now more than ever as The Clark just underwent a major expansion that is drawing raves in the worldwide media. It would be a mistake to pass this show by in deference to all the buzz currently surrounding The Clark.

So, why not take in both venues, get a meal at any of several excellent restaurants in the area, most featuring locally-grown or made victuals, and even stay the night at the 1896 House Country Inn or The Orchards? Okay, it was just an idea. I’m not trying to cause any friction. E

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entertainment

Leader of the Pack

Cesar Millan gives us a few tips on dog-training

By Brianna Snyder Photo by National Geographic Channels/Evelyn Hockstein

C

esar Millan is an internationally famous dog trainer, TV personality and author. He’s most famous for hosting The Dog Whisperer, a show in which he tamed angry, unruly dogs using a strategy based on the behaviors of wolf packs. He says dogs need strict authority -- they need to know who’s boss.

And they need exercise and affection, of course.

Millan is coming to Proctors in November and his new show, “Cesar 911,” premiered this year. We asked him a few questions over email.

Explore: What are some things you’re getting to do with the new show that you weren’t able to do with The Dog Whisperer?

With “Cesar 911,” the focus is on more than just one human pack and their dog. In this show, I focus more on community and I work with dogs that are causing problems for more than just the people they live with — dogs that are terrorizing neighborhoods, acting up in the dog park, disrupting work places, and so on. I also get to surprise people, since we use whistleblowers to report a dog misbehaving in their community. That’s one of the fun parts of the show for me — walking up to an unsuspecting dog owner to ask if I can help, and then they realize, “Oh my God, it’s Cesar Millan!”

Can you tell us about one big failure you had when trying to rehabilitate a dog?

Generally, I’m not successful at rehabilitating a dog when the people I work with don’t follow through with what I’ve taught them, and that happens sometimes.

Otherwise, I’ve only had a couple of cases I couldn’t rehabilitate, but that’s because they were the products of puppy mills and terribly inbred. Those dogs had neurological problems that could not be fixed through training and rehabilitation.

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Probably the hardest dog issue to solve is separation anxiety. How would you advise someone who wants to help their dog get over this anxiety?

One of the best things you can do is to not turn your coming and going from the house into a big deal. As you’re getting ready to leave and after you return home, practice “no touch, no talk, no eye contact.”

Your dog isn’t going to notice if you don’t say good-bye and hello, but if you do do these things, it’s just going to make the dog more anxious because now you’re drawing attention to leaving the house and making it more than it should be.

Before you leave the house, make sure you’ve taken your dog on a long walk to drain her excess energy. This will help calm her down and keep her too tired to get overly excited. Also, establish a space where your dog needs to be before you leave — either by crate training, or just by teaching her to lie down in her bed when you’re getting ready to go.

This will give her a place to be and something to do — the “discipline” part of exercise, discipline, and

affection — and will help build her confidence and reduce her anxiety.

If the problem is severe, start with small steps.

Leave the house for five minutes, then 10, then 20.

This will get your dog used to the idea that you’re coming back.

Most of all, don’t feel guilty about leaving your dog alone. Feelings like that are projected by our energy, which dogs can sense. If you feel guilty, your dog will feel nervous, and that feeds right into the problem you’re trying to avoid.

Is it true that some breeds are “safer” or more family-friendly than others?

Or is that a myth perpetuated by the Snuggly Puppy Lobby?

This is a myth. Chihuahuas can be just as aggressive as large breeds. The difference, of course, is that a large dog can do a lot more damage if it bites. What’s

5798 ROUTE 80 COOPERSTOWN, NY

more important is whether the dog is balanced, and the job of providing balance belongs to us, the humans. We are the ones who make dogs anxious or fearful or aggressive by not fulfilling their needs for exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order. We do that by giving them nothing but affection, affection, affection. Without leadership, any dog can be dangerous.

Remember: pit bulls were actually nanny dogs at one time, and people left them alone to look after the children.

Your methods have been criticized as being too harsh with the animals you work with. Have you changed the way you approach dogs as a result of that criticism? If so, how? If not, why not?

Of course my methods have evolved, but the basics have always been the same. What people have to remember, though, is that early on in my TV career, I only worked with the most extreme cases, so they’ve only seen dogs that needed a stronger approach to start their rehabilitation. There’s also a lot of misinterpretation of what’s going on when I touch a dog to correct it or nudge it with my foot. Some people claim that I’m punching or kicking dogs when I do this, but I’m not.

What is the most important factor in a dog’s well-being?

Humans letting the dog be a dog.

Too often, people try to apply human psychology to dogs and it doesn’t work. Dogs don’t operate through intellect and emotions like we do. They operate on instinct. When we learn to understand dog psychology and approach dogs in that way, then we can help them achieve balance and have happy lives.

Remember, every dog needs fulfilment through three things: exercise, discipline, and then affection, in that order.

Is there a way to keep your dog from sniffing people’s private regions?

First off, remember that a dog’s scent is a dog’s most important sense. They rely more on their nose than their eyes or ears, and that’s exactly the order in which they perceive the world: nose, eyes, ears. To a dog, you are not your name. You are your scent and energy.

There are certain places on humans that have stronger scents (not just the private parts, either), and these are the ones dogs are drawn to in order to figure out who you are. Human faces, especially around the mouth and nose, are another place that dogs would sniff if they could, but most of them aren’t tall enough to do that. On the other hand, a lot of dogs are exactly the right height that they’re already in a position to sniff people’s crotches anyway.

If you have a dog that constantly does this to people, then it’s up to you as the Pack Leader to redirect them away from sniffing by correcting them with the lead just as they’re about to go in for a sniff. You also need to not let them jump up on you and the rest of their human pack when you return home. It’s a matter of teaching your dog to respect human boundaries.

If you encounter a dog that tries to sniff your crotch and you don’t want it to, then respond the way that another dog would. Turn aside or move away from the dog, and push its head away from you if necessary. The dog won’t take this personally. It’s just the simplest and most direct way to say “Don’t do that.” You don’t even need to say “No,” and it’s probably a good idea to not say anything, because it could be interpreted as a snarl or growl. E

» CESAR MILLAN , $20-85, Nov. 15, 8 p.m., Proctors, 432 State St., Schenectady, 518-346-6204, proctors.org

Dorothea Lange’s America SEPT. 18 -DEC. 31 Dorothea Lange. Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936 All works are from the collection of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg.

This exhibition was organized by art2art Circulating Exhibitions.

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fall outdoors

Taking on

Lake George Fall is the perfect time for kayaking

By Phil Brown » Photos by Lori Van Buren

22 EXPLORE

L

ake George can be daunting to paddlers, especially those in open boats. If you’re unsure about venturing onto the big lake, take a trip down the brook that leads to Northwest Bay. It’s a worthwhile excursion in itself, and once you reach the bay, you can decide about paddling the lake.

If you do go on the lake, stay close to the bay’s eastern shore. If you get as far as Montcalm Point, you can take a hike up the Tongue Mountain Range to First Peak or, better yet, French Point Mountain for marvelous views of the lake. And if you paddle around Montcalm Point, you can explore the islands in the Narrows.

In the height of summer, the lake is often buzzing with powerboats and jet-skis, so this trip is best done in spring or after Labor Day. The start is at a state launch site for car-top craft.

After putting in, bear right and go around a bend. In

0.3 miles, you reach an opening on the left that leads to a marshy bay with a view of the Tongue Range. The bay has two lobes, and if you explore both to their ends, you’ll get in more than a mile of paddling.

Continuing down the brook, you reach Northwest Bay in another 0.8 miles. Thus, the distance from the put-in to the lake is only 1.1 miles if you don’t bother to explore the marsh on the way. With the side trip, the distance can be two miles or more.

Northwest Bay Brook is associated with one of the largest wetlands on Lake George. The wetland complex — which includes emergent marsh, wet meadows, alder scrub, and forested swamps — provides a rich environment for birdlife. The guidebook Adirondack Birding says a number of songbirds may be seen or heard in the brush at the start of the trip, such as blue-headed vireo, Baltimore oriole, chestnut-sided warbler, and American redstart. In the marsh are

great-blue heron, least bittern, wood ducks, mallards, and hooded and common mergansers. Merlins nest in pines along the route.

Northwest Bay can be especially choppy when the wind blows from the south, so pick a calm day if you intend to continue your journey. A kayak is recommended over an open canoe.

Three miles from the brook’s mouth you come to Montcalm Point, the tip of the Tongue. The distinctive hump of Dome Island, a nature preserve, can be seen two miles to the south. Rounding Montcalm Point, you enter the Lake George Narrows, with dozens of islands of various sizes and shapes. Most of the islands are state-owned, and many are open to the public for camping for a fee. You can spend a few hours winding among the islands.

If you want to stretch your legs, land at Montcalm Point and pick up the Tongue Mountain hiking trail. It leads eleven miles over the spine of range, traversing several summits and ending at

Route 9N. You can obtain good views of the lake by climbing First Peak, whose summit is reached in 2.3 miles. Better views are found on French Point Mountain, reached in 3.7 miles. French Point’s summit is more than 1,400 feet above the lake. Besides the lake and its islands, the vista includes Black Mountain, Buck Mountain, and numerous lesser peaks rising above the opposite shore. Timber rattlesnakes dwell on Tongue Mountain, but they are rarely seen by hikers.

If you explore the Narrows and the Northwest Bay Brook marshes and climb French Point Mountain, you’ll have a full day: about fourteen miles of paddling and 6.4 miles of hiking.

But the trip can be shortened to suit your schedule and ambitions. If you have only a few hours, they will be well spent in the scenic marshes. E

DIRECTIONS: From Northway Exit 24, drive east on County 11 for 4.8 miles to a T-intersection with Route 9N. Turn left and go 4.4 miles to a parking lot on the right. For information about the Lake George Islands State Campground, visit the DEC website or call 518-457-2500.

This article is excerpted from Adirondack Paddling: 60 Great Flatwater Adventures, by Phil Brown, the editor of the Adirondack Explorer news magazine.

Stunning Views...

Spectacular Opportunity...

The “Great Dome’ car will offer a rare and unique travel experience to view fall’s brilliance on the Adirondack®. The dome is open to all passengers on a first come, first served basis on these select departures.

Make your reservations now at Amtrak.com! The Great Dome car will be added to the Adirondack® service between Albany-Montreal, from September 25 through November 4.

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Amtrak and Adirondack are registered service marks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Seats in the dome car are not reserved and are available on a first come, first served basis only.

winter outdoors

A Wintry Mix

Fun ways to explore the outdoors in winter

— PHOTO BY LAKE PLACID CVB/LAKEPLACID.COM

By Gillian Scott

W

hen winter descends with drifts of snow and sheets of ice, you have a choice, Capital Region residents: You can complain about this coldest and darkest of seasons or you can do your best to embrace it.

Rather than spending months indoors or running from your heated house to your heated car, why not explore some of the outdoors fun winter has to offer?

Here are some wintry outdoor recreation options to inspire you to make the most of the season. Don’t worry if you don’t have gear: All equipment is available at the venues (rental fees may apply), so you won’t need to bring a thing. Just be prepared to bundle up — you won’t have fun if you’re freezing.

Ice skating Strap on some skates — rented or your own — and slip across the ice in the shadow of the State Capitol and The Egg at Albany’s Empire State Plaza. A

24 EXPLORE

snack shop is available to refresh hungry skaters, and patio heaters and a glass enclosure provide warmth for those who need to take a break. Heather Groll, spokesperson for the Office of General Services, says the state tries to open the skating rink the day after Thanksgiving and keep it open through the first weekend in March, but they can only do so if it’s cold enough. A skaters’ lounge offers restrooms, pay lockers and skate rentals. The venue also offers occasional skating clinics and hosts special events.

Where: Empire State Plaza, Albany, between Madison Avenue and State Street, and Swan and Eagle Streets When: Last year, the rink was open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Check with the Plaza Visitors Center for 2014-15 hours.

Cost: Free; skate rental cost $4 in 2013.

Info: 518-474-2418; winter.empirestateplaza. org/empire-skate-plaza-ice-rink

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

THE LAKE PLACID TOBOGGAN CHUTE — PHOTO BY LAKE PLACID CVB/LAKEPLACID.COM

Cross-country skiing

Snowshoeing

If you’d like to get some good cardiovascular exercise, give cross-country skiing a try at the Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center in Northville. Located in a “snow basin” known for heavier snowfall, Lapland offers 50 miles of trails, 38 of them groomed.

A grill offers lunch and dinner, and the facility has a snack bar as well. The ski school offers lessons to newcomers and experienced skiers alike and rental equipment is available in the ski shop. You can also ice skate on the lake, sled on a nearby hill and visit the reindeer.

Snowshoes require little skill to use and are a great way to connect with nature, allowing users to take a walk in the woods even when there’s a foot or more of snow on the ground. If you’d like to give them a try, but aren’t ready to head out on your own (or aren’t sure where to go), look into a guided outing through retailer L.L. Bean’s Discovery School. Equipment and instruction will be provided, but as the retailer says: “If you can walk, you can snowshoe.” Kids as young as 8 are welcome; the Discovery School will also host birthday and other parties.

Where: Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center, 139 Lapland Lake Road, Northville, NY

Where: 131 Colonie Center, Albany; event locations vary, but most snowshoe tours take place at the Albany Pine Bush

When: When snow allows, trails are open for crosscountry skiing from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekends and holidays, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

What to wear The best way to stay warm and dry during winter activities is to dress in multiple, lightweight layers. Body heat will be trapped between the layers. As your level of exertion changes — as you move from sitting down to skating, for instance — you can add or remove layers to keep from getting too warm or too cold. Avoid getting sweaty: the moisture will be trapped next to your skin and will make you feel chilled. Always bring a hat and gloves.

Layers should include: • An inner moisture-wicking layer of synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon, not cotton. For less aerobic activities, look for mid- or heavyweight long underwear with wicking capabilities.

• A middle insulating layer, such as a breathable fleece sweater or vest. For less aerobic activities, consider a heavier, windproof fleece.

• An outer shell layer made of waterproof, windproof fabric. For less aerobic activities, look for a jacket with more insulation.

— Source: National Ski Patrol (nsp.org)

Cost: Free for children under 6; $10 for children age 6-11; $18 for children 12-17; $18 for seniors and $20 for adults. Rental packages cost between $15 and $25. A $2 facility and rental rate discount is available for those who arrive after 2 p.m.

When: Once there is snow on the ground, tours take place Saturdays and Sundays and on some Fridays there are moonlight tours. Check store or website for dates.

Cost: $20 Info: 1-888-552-5519; llbean.com (click on “Outdoor adventure” on the menu bar, then select Albany as the location.)

Info: 518-863-4974 or laplandlake.com

Sledding If you’re not satisfied with scooting down a hill in your local park on a plastic sled, go big in Lake Placid. The town of Elba converted a 30-foot high ski jump trestle into a toboggan chute to send riders sailing down across frozen Mirror Lake. According to Kim Rielly, director of communications at Lake Placid-based Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, in the right weather conditions, the oldfashioned toboggans can travel over 1,000 feet across the lake surface.

Dog sledding For another kind of sledding, why not sit back and let a canine team do the work? Two companies provide short (5-10-minute) sled rides on Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake as ice conditions allow. Be warned: the dogs can go quickly and there may be quite a breeze.

Golden Arrow Hotel Dog Sled Rides Where: Golden Arrow Hotel, 2559 Main Street, Lake Placid When: Times vary but rides general begin around Christmas and take place Thursday-Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. First come, first serve.

Where: Parkside Drive, Lake Placid

Cost: $10-$15 per person

When: Generally opens in early January, but dates vary; the ice on Mirror Lake must be thick for the chute to be used. Hours: Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.; Sundays, noon- 2 p.m.

Info: 518-523-3353; golden-arrow.com

Cost: $5 for students; $10 for adults. Includes toboggan.

Info: lakeplacid.com/do/family-fun/lake-placid-tobogganchute. Call the Lake Placid CVB visitors service staff at 518-523-2445 to confirm the toboggan run is open.

Thunder Mountain Sled Tours Where: At the park across the street from High Peaks resort When: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday Cost: $10 per person Info: 518-891-6239 E

timesunion.com/explore 25

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off the beaten path

Heading to

The Block Forget the summer crowds: Block Island is the perfect getaway off-season By Elizabeth Floyd Mair

Y

ou may think you know Block Island. But if you’ve only visited at the height of summer, jostling for space in the sand to spread out a beach towel, you might want to consider another trip off-season. Locals know well that fall is really the best time of year to enjoy the island’s pristine beauty.

And in September and October this small island — 7 miles long and 3 miles wide — located 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island still offers plenty to do even as the days shorten and the sea breezes cool the air.

I visited during Memorial Day, the first weekend of the “season.” Taxi driver and long-time resident Vin McAloon told me that autumn is when “the maddening crowds are gone” and confided that the water is “warmer on Columbus Day than it is on the Fourth of July.”

Here are just a few of the things you can enjoy in a trip off-season:

See and hear up to 150 species of visiting songbirds.

Fall is the best time for birdwatching on the island, according to Laura Carberry, refuge manager of the Audubon Society Rhode Island.

Block Island is located in the Atlantic flyway and is a resting point for thousands of young and inexperienced migrating songbirds that overfly the mainland or are blown off course by storms. Peak migration season on the island lasts a couple of weeks, from about the last weekend in September through Columbus Day. Carberry says that on a really good weekend, birdwatchers may see as many as 150 different species.

She leads a Block Island birdwatching tour each fall.

Last year, she says, they saw birds including a yellowheaded blackbird, blue grosbeaks, dicksessals, and clay-colored sparrows.

According to Jessica Willi of the Block Island Tour-

— PHOTO COURTESY BLOCK ISLAND TOURISM COUNCIL

ism Council, most individual birdwatchers just head for the Greenway trails — more than 30 miles of interconnected, dedicated hiking trails on the island that are not open to bicycles or other vehicles — since birds can often be spotted there, resting and fueling up on insects and berries before continuing their migration.

Hike or bike.

With the crowds of summer gone, biking can be a great option for getting to sites that are farther out on the island, such as the North Light, or for seeing the lessdeveloped areas on the western part of the island.

While many parts of the island do not have sidewalks, and bicyclists must use the shoulder — wider in some areas than others — drivers of cars are accustomed to sharing the road, and biking is popular even with families with kids.

Be sure to check out the bike rental options for families, which include traditional bicycles-built-fortwo, as well as tandem bikes for an adult in the front and a child in the back, and regular adult bikes with a child seat or child trailer. continued on page 28 

timesunion.com/explore 27

off the beaten path

THERE’S NOTHING BETTER than having the beach all to yourself.

— PHOTO BY ELIZABETH FLOYD MAIR

Helmets are always included with the rental; some agencies also include locks and maps for no additional charge. Bike rentals start to close down midOctober, so call ahead or plan to bring your own bike on the ferry after that time.

Rental options are aplenty. Here are two: BEACH ROSE BICYCLES Includes helmets, locks, and maps in the rental fee.

1622 Roslyn Road (401) 466-5925 beachrosebicycles.com ISLAND MOPED AND BIKE RENTAL Rents bicycles through October 26.

41 Water Street (401) 741-2329 bimopeds.com

Enjoy the discounts.

The event known as Taste of Block Island is held twice a year, at the “shoulders” of the season, in spring and fall. This year’s fall event is September 26–28.

Buy a button for $5 on the ferry or at the Chamber

28 EXPLORE

of Commerce. Many shops and restaurants offer discounts to anyone wearing a button. Enjoy the many special events held that weekend, including beer and wine tastings, tours of the Historical Society’s collection, twilight walks, and free tours of the remarkable Abrams Family Farm (with its collection of exotic animals including a zedonk, a yak, ring-tailed lemurs, and fainting goats).

Write poetry.

Hygeia House innkeeper Lisa Starr is former Poet Laureate of Rhode Island (2007–2012) and the founder of the Block Island Poetry Project, now in its 11th year.

The project offers weekend-long poetry workshops and other events that may include, depending on who’s taking part, dance, photography, music, and other art forms. Poets who have participated in the past include Robert Bly, Marie Howe, and Li-Young Lee.

Go for a run.

With the salt air and water views, you’d be hardpressed to find a more beautiful location for a road race. 2014 marks the 39th year of the popular Run

Around the Block organized by the Chamber of Commerce, held this year on September 6. The course is a loop of 15 kilometers of rolling blacktop roads.

Tour a mini mill.

The island is home to a micro yarn mill, North Light Fibers, located within the Abrams family farm alongside the Manisses Hotel. The mill produces minimally processed yarns from exotic fibers including alpaca, yak, camel, bamboo, and soy silk. They wash, spin, weave, and knit the yarns on-site and sell yarns, garments, and home décor. They also teach classes in knitting, weaving, and needle felting and sell $25 kits that allow visitors to create a mini felted alpaca or camel at home. North Light Fibers also offers free daily tours.

NORTH LIGHT FIBERS 129 Spring Street (401) 466-2050 northlightfibers.com Free tours every morning at 10 am except Sunday, when the tour begins at noon. Open year-round.

Photo: Diane Diederich/GettyImages.

Visit the island’s two working lighthouses.

Due to erosion, the Southeast Lighthouse, a National Historic Landmark, had to be pulled back in 1993 from the edge of the 150-foot cliffs. It was one of the largest brick buildings on the Northeast Seaboard to ever be moved intact. Inside are a small museum and shop.

At the island’s northernmost tip is the North Light, which sits half a mile out across a sandy, pebbled beach, within the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, home to many shorebirds. Visitors cannot go up into the tower, but a maritime interpretive center inside gives information about the Wildlife Refuge and the history of the North Light (the present lighthouse is the fourth on this site, and has stood since 1867). Even if you don’t walk out to the lighthouse, the trip out there along Corn Neck Road is beautiful.

Be sure to stop at the sacred labyrinth, located on private land, but open to visitors for free. E

THE NORTH LIGHTHOUSE at sunset.

If You Go… In addition to the suggestions above, here are some other options.

Do This…

BLOCK ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY 18 Old Town Road (401) 466-2481 The society has scheduled hours of operation through the end of October; after that, it is open by appointment.

SOUTHEAST LIGHTHOUSE (401) 466-5009 Open weekends through Columbus Day. Escorted tower tours, as staffing permits, $10 adults, $5 seniors and children.

Eat Here…

BEACHEAD 596 Corn Neck Road, New Shoreham, R.I. 401-466-2249 facebook.com/pages/TheBeachead/486484824758514 This restaurant right across a small road from Crescent Beach has great

views and, more importantly, great food. I had the Fish & Chips (“beer battered flounder lightly fried”), which was unbelievably light, airy, and flavorful. They also offer steamed mussels, steamed lobster, and many other seafood dishes as well as nachos, chili, hamburgers, etc. Child-friendly.

Open daily through the end of September, and then open Thursday through Sunday until Thanksgiving.

THE 1661 INN blockislandresorts.com Offers a grand buffet-style hot brunch— featuring a whole fresh-caught fish, omelettes made to order, champagne, and mimosas—open to the public through Columbus Day. From Columbus Day, has a smaller-scale hot brunch (still including champagne and mimosas).

ELI’S RESTAURANT 456 Chapel Street (401) 466-5230 elisblockisland.com Serving self-styled “Asian-inspired comfort food,” this small and intimate

restaurant is open for dinner only.

Entrees, which include octopus pasta and Atlantic halibut, run about $25–$28. Eli’s is too small to accommodate high chairs, although kids are welcome. Usually closes down two weeks before Thanksgiving.

RESTAURANT 1879 AT THE ATLANTIC INN 1788 High Street (401) 466-5883 atlanticinn.com Open to the public for dinner only. The menu features items such as “roasted lamb loin & braised belly” and is pricier than some (entrees run about $24–$28). Open through Columbus Day. BETHANY’S AIRPORT DINER Block Island State Airport, Center Road, New Shoreham 401-466-3100 Located in the main terminal building of the island’s small airport, serves substantial diner fare with unlimited refills on coffee. Sit outside on a warm day to watch planes come and go. Open year-round.

Stay Here…

SPRING HOUSE HOTEL 52 Spring Street (401) 466-5844 springhousehotel.com Historic hotel with sweeping ocean views from the front lawn.

ATLANTIC INN 1788 High Street (800) 224-7422 atlanticinn.com Upscale historic B&B THE 1661 INN & HOTEL MANISSES 5 Spring Street (401) 466-2421 blockislandresorts.com Upscale historic B&Bs HYGEIA HOUSE 582 Beach Avenue (401) 466-9616 thehygeiahouse.com Historic B&B

timesunion.com/explore 29

Your table is waiting …

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just the two of us

City of the

Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, is enchanting any season

BICENTENNIAL TOWER

By Nick Keppler » Photos courtesy VisitErie

B

uffalo and Cleveland are cities on the lake.

Erie, Pennsylvania, is a city of the lake.

Almost all culture, history and industry of this burg of 104,000 extends from its location on the southernmost reaches of Lake Erie, where it is hugged by a hook-shaped sandy peninsula called Presque Isle. At the dawn of the republic, Erie was a ship building site. After industrialization, it became a port where merchandise was unloaded and sent through a nexus of rail lines. Today, it is a low-rent tourist mecca that sees parades of RVs, Harleys and family station wagons from the day the sheets of ice on the water begin to crack until the first snow. Its attractions include beaches, boats, a nautical museum, a water park, and an observation tower overlooking (you guessed it) the lake.

Erie being defined by the lake was unfortunate

when the lake was synonymous with industrial waste and sewer discharges. In the bad old days, swimming was banned within Presque Isle Bay, which absorbed much of the city’s industrial muck.

But, like most of the lake, the waters around Erie have made an impressive recovery since the passage of Clean Water Act and the carpeting of the lake bottom with water-filtrating zebra mussels. Because Erie had so much at stake, it was especially dedicated to getting its act together, and in 2002, Presque Isle Bay became the first place ever delisted from the Great Lakes Areas of Concern, a program implemented by the environmental agencies of the U.S. and Canada.

Since 2007, a group of swimmers has traversed the bay in celebration of its improvement.

Today, the water is a deep, gorgeous blue (with a hint of algae green), and parts of tree-lined Presque Isle, near the bird nesting sanctuary at its tip, look as if they have been untouched since pre-Colonial

times. City fathers of Erie past had the good sense not to develop much on the peninsula itself, other than a few lighthouses, Coast Guard stations, and one loop of a road, with a biking/rollerblading trail off it its side.

And Erie’s grimy past does have one upside: The city never developed into a retreat for Pittsburgh doctors and Toledo lawyers. Erie is a definitively working-class town, one that sees more visitors stay in tents and RVs than at its Marriott or a bed and breakfast. Along its main drags of 12th and 26th streets, no-frills bars cater to vacationers and students from Mercyhurst College and Gannon University (with patios so patrons can catch lake breezes) and retro-style diners and the occasional Applebee’s serve families who’ve made a Griswold-esque sojourn to Waldameer Park, Erie’s amusement/water park. Kayaks and aluminum fishing boats vastly outnumber sailboats and yachts. Fishing, the nautical equivalent of bowling in terms of its so-

timesunion.com/explore 31

just the two of us THE U.S. BRIG NIAGARA part of the Erie Maritime Museum FLY FISHING in Elk Creek

cioeconomic audience, is sacrosanct in Erie. The casual beach atmosphere extends to locals’ habit of entering bars and convenience stores shirtless.

Lakeside life continues in Erie far past summer. Presque Isle is tree-lined and the area around the city is hilly, resulting in a gorgeous leaf season. Several fall festivals — from September’s city-wide Wine Country Harvest Festival to the Halloween week Erie Horror Film Festival — take advantage of the backdrop. And when the lake freezes over, it offers a vast tundra for ice fishing. In January, the ice is so thick, fishermen light fires for warmth and let them burn all afternoon.

I

f Erie seems obsessed with its shoreline, it’s because it has quite a lot. Jutting off the mainland as a thin strip, 3,000-acre Presque Isle essentially gives Erie three shores. The shore on Presque Isle faces the lake, one of beaches and rolling waves.

The shore on the opposite side of the landmass faces

32 EXPLORE

the city and is dotted with parks, piers and ponds.

Lastly, the shore on the mainland itself boasts Erie’s brick-and-mortar attractions. Each of the three has a unique character.

The Presque Isle shore facing the lake is a surreal site: a vast sandy beach in Pennsylvania. Stone jetties sit off the shore, protecting swimmers from the sometimes vicious waves of Lake Erie. Lifeguards are on duty during most park hours during the swimming season. Every evening at sunset, couples secure spots and watch the sun slowly submerge into the water in a haze of orange and pink. Another favorite activity on this edge of the peninsula is combing for beach glass: bits of glass that leave the shore as littered bottles are broken down and reshaped by waves and come back as smooth, glittery stone-like objects.

The shore on the other side of Presque Isle, facing the mainland, holds a tranquil bay and a system of ponds within the peninsula itself. It’s perfect

for kayaking, canoeing and paddle-boarding. (Only expert paddlers should venture into the lake itself and only on the calmest days.) Luckily, there is a boat rental station near Graveyard Pond (named so for the Colonial-era cemetery next to it). If you’ve got the stamina, try this route: Row along the rocky shoreline, past the pier dotted with fishermen and women, and up to the mouth of the bay, where a tip of the peninsula is just a few yards from a thumbshaped extension of the mainland. Take a left at the

lighthouse and suddenly, you will be on Thompson Bay, a pocket bay off the main one, featuring a vast expanse of undeveloped sandy shores and cradling a cool, lagoon-like pool of water. Those looking for a less taxing way to see the sights can get on board the Lady Kate, a cruise boat that departs on 90-minute tours from the Bay of Misery (another ominous name, this one coming from the harsh winter Naval officers suffered there after the War of 1812).

On the mainland shore are Erie’s manmade attractions. Near the entrance of Presque Isle is century-old Waldameer Park, where ride tickets are purchased a la carte, perfect if you and your squeeze just want to catch a ride on the Steel Dragon and go.

Waldameer’s next-door neighbor is the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. (Remember Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security and the inventor of the color-coded terror alert levels? He was also a governor of Pennsylvania.)

But for my money, the best educational experience in Erie is closer to downtown: The Erie Maritime Museum. It’s small, the work of a few civilminded local historians, but it tells a fascinating story from America’s most overlooked conflict, the War of 1812. The U.S. Navy established a shipyard in Presque Isle Bay, where shallow waters protected it from the British fleet and allowed for the building a sea squadron capable of bulldozing the Brits at the Battle of Lake Erie. The museum’s centerpiece is a life-sized replica of the flagship, the U.S.S. Lawrence. For naval warfare dorks, it’s remarkable stuff, not made tired by infinite retellings on the History Channel. While you are there, take a trek up to the observation deck of Bicentennial Tower, the lookout that accents Erie’s skyline in the way the Space Needle defines Seattle’s.

The downtown area also has lots of dining options. Erie is fond of stashing restaurants in odd,

refurbished locations. There’s Brewerie at Union Square, a micro-pub in a former train station; Alto Cucina, a Nuevo Italian restaurant in a converted family home; and Pufferbelly, a full-service eatery in an old firehouse. Erie’s trendiest spot might be 1201 Kitchen, a Latin/Asian fusion joint located in the city’s former industrial end. On the other end of the spectrum, Erie has many oft-visited diners, such as Sara’s and Sally’s, serving beachgoers the entrance of Presque Isle, and the Zodiac Dinor, with its 50s-style checkerboard floor and zany, multi-colored walls.

But Erie Country’s real strength is less culinary and more oenological: The place is a ripe wine country.

6 Mile Cellars is the only winery in the city itself. But in the nearby country town of North East, there is Penn Shore Vineyards, South Shore Wine Co., Presque Isle Wine Cellars, Courtyard Wineries and a handful of others. Grab a bottle to sip during sundown as you inevitably gravitate back to the lake. E

If You Go… Eat Here…

ALTO CUCINA 3531 W. Lake Road (814) 835-3900 altocucina.com Combines dishes and cooking styles from several regions of Italy BREWERIE AT UNION STATION 123 W 14th Street (814) 454-2200 brewerie.com Working brewery with a menu of hearty comfort foods KITCHEN 1201 1201 State St. (814) 464-8989 1201restaurant.com Erie’s most exotic choice since 2007, serving Asian/Latin fusion cuisine THE PUFFERBELLY 414 French Street (814) 454-1557 thepufferbelly.com American cuisine in a former firehouse

SARA’S AND SALLY’S 25 Peninsula Drive (814) 833-1957 sarasandsallys.com Diner at the entrance of Presque Isle, a favorite of families and campers

PRESQUE ISLE STATE PARK Peninsula Drive (814) 833-7424 presqueisle.org Erie’s defining landmass/attraction, featuring trails, shores and beaches

Stay Here…

Go Here…

PRESQUE ISLE DOWNS & CASINO 8199 Perry Highway (814) 860-8999 presqueisledowns.com Racetrack/casino, not really located on or near Presque Isle

SARA’S CAMPGROUND 50 Peninsula Drive (814) 833-4560 sarascampground.com So close to Presque Isle, campers practically sleep on the beach

TOM RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER 301 Peninsula Drive (814) 833-7424 trecpi.org Environmental education center with a focus on local fauna, plus an eatery/café

SPENCER HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST 519 West 6th Street (814) 464-0419 spencerhousebandb.com The picture of an old-fashion B&B

6 MILE CELLARS 5727 Firman Road (814) 580-8375 6milecellars.com Winery with affordable tastings ERIE ART MUSEUM 411 State Street (814) 459-5477 erieartmuseum.org Gallery with classes, rotating shows and an emphasis on local art ERIE MARITIME MUSEUM 150 E Front Street (814) 452-2744 flagshipniagara.org History museum dedicated to Erie’s military history, with a replica of the War of 1812-era U.S.S. Lawrence

WALDAMEER PARK AND WATER WORLD 220 Peninsula Drive (814) 838-3591 waldameer.com Amusement park with more than 75 rides

LAMPE CAMPGROUND Port Access Road (814) 454-5830 Camping on the shore facing Presque Isle

VINEYARD BED AND BREAKFAST 10757 Sidehill Road, North East (888) 725-8998 vineyardbb.com Right on a working vineyard in North East, Pennsylvania For more information, go to visiteriepa.com

timesunion.com/explore 33

last word

Charles Peltz » Why I Love Boston

By Stacey Morris

F

CHARLES PELTZ conducting in Jordan Hall in Boston, at the New England Conservatory.

— PHOTO BY ANDREW HURLBUT

or the past 15 years, Charles Peltz has been a man of two cities. Because he’s the director of the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, Peltz and his family own a home in the small city just south of Lake George. It is in Glens Falls where he spends weekends at the farmers market, rehearsing with singers and musicians, and conducting sold-out symphony concerts that include the upcoming “English Heritage” on Nov. 2, and the annual “North Country Christmas” on Dec. 7.

The rest of his time is spent in Boston, where Peltz is a faculty member at the New England Conservatory, teaching graduate conducting and overseeing the wind ensemble. “When you decide to pursue a career, everyone reminds you there’s a narrow opportunity for livelihood,” he says. “But you don’t undertake a career in music for the money; you do it because it’s a calling.”

It’s a calling that has taken him around the world, in-

BEST PLACE FOR

APPRECIATING THE ARTS

AQUATIC HISTORY

The Museum of Fine Arts 465 Huntington Ave., Boston (617) 267-9300 ∙ mfa.org

The USS Constitution Charlestown Navy Yard Constitution Rd., Charlestown (617) 426-1812 ussconstitutionmuseum.org “Its nickname is Old Ironsides,” Peltz says of the three-masted frigate named by George Washington that was built in 1795. “It was one of the first great warships of the U.S. Navy and is a fabulous, two-level tour.”

MINGLING AND OBSERVING Faneuil Hall 1 Faneuil Hall Square, Boston (617) 242-5642 nps.gov/bost/faneuil-hall-vc.htm The site of inspirational speeches

by Samuel Adams and other famous patriots, Faneuil Hall has been a marketplace and meeting site since 1742.

34 EXPLORE

Peltz says the museum is one of the city’s treasures, which includes an impressive permanent collection and traveling exhibitions such as Goya’s Order and Disorder, and Fashion Jewelry From the Silver Screen. .

ITALIAN AND AMERICAN HISTORY The North End “The North End has traditionally been an Italian neighborhood, and it’s in the area of the USS Constitution between Charlestown and Bunker Hill,” says Peltz. It’s also the site of the Old North Church, where Paul Revere hung the famous warning lanterns.

And it’s a great place for a good cannoli and espresso. “If I’m going to pay someone else to make coffee, I go to the North

End, where a big copper machine makes espresso at a bar-caffe that’s been there for 100 years … then I sit back and enjoy it as I watch the world go by.”

DRINKING A PINT WITH POWER Doyle’s Cafe 3484 Washington St., Jamaica Plain (617) 524-2345 doylescafeboston.com “It’s an old Irish neighborhood bar that’s been there forever, maybe since the mid-19th century,” said Peltz. “It’s not fancy but they pull a tremendous pint. The food is good, but it’s the atmosphere that makes it unique.”

EATING SEAFOOD WITH A SOLID REPUTATION Union Oyster House 41 Union St., Boston (617) 227-2750 unionoysterhouse.com

cluding for collaborations with Bogota’s Orquestra Nacional, and the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland.

But it’s in Boston that the Finger Lakes native has put down permanent roots. It’s a city that Peltz says brims with both history and new life. “Boston is the seat of American history. Around every corner is an important reminder of the birth of freedom in America, and the rewards of that freedom,” he says.

“Whether it’s the landmarks on the Freedom Trail, or the Italian families in the North End, or the Irish families in the south end, it’s a city about birthing freedom and having all these wonderful people come from other places to prosper in that freedom.

“I’m luckiest man in world because I live in two great cities. Glens Falls is a wonderful place with special people; it’s not just small-town folk out of central casting,” said Peltz. “And Boston is one of the most compact and interesting cities in the world.” E

“When you want the most oldfashioned dining experience in Boston, you come here because it’s the nation’s oldest continually running restaurant,” says Peltz.

“They have a great raw bar and the broiled scrod is excellent.”

ENJOYING THE FOREST

BY THE SEA World’s End Martins Lane, Hingham (781) 740-7233 ∙ thetrustees.org Peltz describes this out-of-theway park as a slice of unspoiled wilderness amid the urban landscape. “It once was a farmstead where hay was cut.

The houses are gone but the land was preserved by a trust for historical preservation to keep it in a semi-wild state,” he says.

ENJOYING A MOMENT OF BOSTON HISTORY The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial

Beacon and Park streets (Boston Common), Boston (617) 742-5415 nps.gov/saga/historyculture/ the-shaw-memorial.htm “This memorial is one of the great stories of Massachusetts,” says Peltz of the bronze relief sculpture by Augustus SaintGauden that depicts the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as they marched down Beacon Street in 1863 led by Colonel Shaw. The regiment was one of the first official African American units during the Civil War. “It’s a very moving memorial and it reminds you of the best of Massachusetts.

After having been the cradle of liberty … when that liberty was tested, Massachusetts responded not only with their own sons and daughters, [but] they also brought oppressed sons and daughters together so they could fight for themselves.”

AAA Hudson Valley

2014 FALL

Travel Nights Plan your dream vacation with AAA

ur o s s i m Don’t nts! e v e E FRE

EVENT DATE

TRAVEL PARTNER

TOPIC

September 24

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Alaska

October 1

Celebrity Cruises

Alaska

October 13

Princess Cruises

ent (Palace Theatre) Alaska Wildlife Event (P e)

October 29

Insight Vacations

Italy

November 12

AAA Member Choice Vacations Exotics (Latin America, Peru & more)

November 19

Carnival Cruise Line

Caribbean and Bermuda

December 3

Trafalgar Tours

European Touring

This will be an exciting presentation on AAA's exclusive Alaska cruise tour. The show will include a wildlife encounter

by Hawk Creek Wildlife Center, Inc. plus an Alaska presentation by Princess Cruises.

***RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL SHOWS***

Seating is limited. RSVP Now!

Book online at AAA.com/dreamvacation Email booktravel@aaahv.com

Include event choices and number attending

Call 518-426-1000

Everyone is welcome at AAA! You don’t need to be a member to join our events and use AAA Travel Agency Join before you book to enjoy member specials and perks

Join u snack s for s, pri and fu zes n!

TIME

All events: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

LOCATIONS

Princess Cruises Alaska Wildlife Show Palace Theater 19 Clinton Avenue, Albany 12207 Only 200 Seats are available, don’t wait to RSVP! All other events AAA Hudson Valley 618 Delaware Avenue, Albany 12209 Dates and times are subject to change. AAA Hudson Valley will notify registered attendees of any changes prior to the event.

17 DAYS OF

TIMELESS

MEMORIES It’s your little girl’s squeals when she catches a strand of Mardi Gras beads. The way your husband smiles after finishing a Craz-E Burger. Or the look on your friend’s face as she twirls through the sky on a crazy ride. The biggest fair in the Northeast is filled with amazing little moments. What will yours be? This year at The Big E, enjoy:

Darius Rucker

Special Guest: Joel

Sun. 9/14 • $39

Crouse

• 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair Exhibit, sponsored by Uncommon USA, daily, in the Young Building • A Grizzly Experience, sponsored by Chicopee Savings Bank, three shows daily at the Avenue ShowPlace • Circus Spectacular, sponsored by Coca-Cola, three shows daily Get Advanced Discount Tickets and a full list of performance times and locations at TheBigE.com.

THE

Little Big Town

ZZ Top Fri 9/26 • $39/$49

Sat. 9/27 • $39

BIG E Sept 12-28

TheBigE.com • #BigEMoments West Springfield, MA

Cassadee Pope

Emblem3

“The Voice” Winner Special Guest: Chris Janson Fri. 9/19

Special Guest: Midnight Red Sun. 9/28