Saturday is one of those wonderful days to come to Millbrook. From the Farmer’s Market to the concert at the Bandshell and gallery opening, you can find parking (but not at the Audia building parking lot at the light – they do not like that) and spend the day walking around. You will need transportation to the Winery however, for the Bounty of the Hudson Valley Festival.
From the Hudson River Almanac by Stephen Stanne at the DEC: The sounds of cicadas that we tend to associate with hot and dry summers seem to be struggling in the wake of the record rainfall and cooler than average air temperature of the last seven weeks. In the last 60 years, for these seven weeks, only once (1975) has there been more rainfall. In July so far, the salt front in the Hudson has not been further north than West Point. It’s commonly at the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge at this time of year.
So, think about that and it’s implications for a moment. Molding hay that cannot be baled. Vegetables not getting the conditions they need to grow. Wildlife that depends on salt and fresh water, will they not need to migrate? Yes, this is climate change.
Has everyone heard William Shatner’s “North to the Future”? If you have not and would like the link, please email me.
Be proud of your local farmers. At least four farms in a 45 minute radius of Millbrook have been noted in Mother Nature Network www.mnn.com/food/farms-gardens/stories/40-farmers-under-40, including former Millbrook homeboy Owen O’Connor. Well done!
Guessing if that food expiration date really matters? Try http://stilltasty.com for their handy how to tell guide.
Rooster needs a new home. Please contact danalucas1@optonline.net if interested.
Millbrook’s Community 2009 will be September 12. If you would like to get involved, participate or sponsor, the next meeting is on Monday, August 17th at 5:30 pm at the Village Hall. Questions? Didi12545@gmail.com.
Anyone interested in a house swap NYC for Edinburgh for a week this fall?
Has anyone else seen these enormous, spotted slugs? Seriously, about four inches long at night, 1” in the day. They seem to grow in the moonlight. What are they? Does beer work to get rid of them or do I need something stronger?
Final question – has anyone else updated iTunes and coincidentally not been able to restore or use their iPod since?
The Town of Washington has a new means of communication available for Town residents. At www.washingtonny.org you can register to receive up to date information emailed directly you. Information like recreation news, emergency information, the Comprehensive Plan and general town information. You can also read more about the master plan steering committee’s vision of what is important, including a transcript of a meeting at www.millbrookmatters.org/article.php?aid=161. Regarding the referenced Gables development on the Salt Point Turnpike, photos are available. Please consider the master plan is about how you want your community to look and work in five, ten, twenty, hundred years. A gift or curse for the next generation or two (but certainly not seven).
Someone at the Millbrook Library came up with a very good idea. SOS. Save Our Spines. There are many books that will be taken out of circulation if they are not checked out soon. I found two wonderful books and one good story. I also found an early Gulliver’s Travels with Rackman illustrations, but that has been moved into a special collection.
Many garden centers and nurseries are having amazing sales right now. Twin Brooks is having a sale on fruit trees in containers, 30% off. Northern Dutchess Botanical Garden has specials on annuals and flats.
Auditions for HAMLET by William Shakespeare will take place August 16 and 17at 7 PM (callbacks August 18) at The Center for Performing Arts, Rte. 308, Rhinebeck, NY. No appointment necessary. All parts are open. Please prepare: a two-minute contemporary monologue. Production Dates: October 16 – October 25, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with several weekday morning performances for school groups. For further information, contact the Up In One Productions at (845) 876 5348.
Bard 845-758-7900 or fishercenter.bard.edu.
Summerscape main venue includes the Oresteia – all three parts of the trilogy: Eumienides, Agamemnon and Choephori. The Ted Hughes translation of Aeschylus. Interfamilial betrayal, murder and vengeance. Through this weekend, it is still possible to see the Oresteia in all three parts and I intend to do so. The start of Les Huguenots and films too. 758-7900, www.fishercenter.bard.edu.
Vassar’s Powerhouse Theatre features The Burnt Part Boys, a musical by Mariana Elder. Through July 26. The Powerhouse Apprentice Company Performances Of The Classics At The Outdoor Amphitheater, free, no reservations are needed and is performing Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, 6pm, through July 27. Shoe Story runs from July 23-25 and it’s an urban fairy tale. I love those. http://powerhouse.vassar.edu. 845-437-7235.
Vera Laughed by Keith Bunin, directed by Carolyn Cantor. July 30, 31, August 1 at 8pm; July 25, 26, August 1, 2 at 2pm. I saw Vera Laughed earlier this week and found it very … Chekhov. What Chekhov may have written in 2009. As most fresh theater, it is evolving with every performance.
This is the second reading festival at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theatre as well. Free, but reservations are strongly recommended.
Soul Cake by Dan Moran directed by David Wohl, Thursday, July 30 at 8pm
Pirate written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. Friday, July 31 at 8pm.
Rain By Regina Taylor. Saturday, August 1 at 2pm.
That Good Night by Andrew Dolan, directed by Bob Krakower. Sunday, August 2 at 2pm.
The Jacksonian By Beth Henley, Directed by Doug Hughes. Sunday, August 2 at 5pm.
Honk Jr. (musical about the ugly duckling- performed in London and won the equivalent of the Tony award) at Dover Jr. High Auditorium this Friday and Saturday at 7 pm. Cost $6 for adults and $3 for children. 845 832 6804. Great for all ages; the cast is second graders to high school seniors.
The Wizard of Oz at Suny Ulster. July 31 through August 16. The play, not the film. 845-687-4758.
The Producers, Mel Brooks’ hit Broadway musical comedy, winner of a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards, in Rhinebeck at The Center for Performing Arts through August 9th (Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings @ 8pm, Sunday matinee @ 3pm). 845-876-3080 www.centerforperformingarts.org, $22, Route 308, Rhinebeck.
Triarts in Sharon is quiet for a few days and then The Music Man comes to town – yes, with 76 Trombones. www.triarts.net. 860-364-show.
Hudson Valley Shakespeare at Boscobel, www.hvshakespeare.org, performs Pericles, Much Ado About Nothing and The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged). 845-265-9575.
And the Ulster County Fair is going on now through August 2. If you go, be sure to check out the Largest Blueberry in the World. On display in the Horticulture Building. Ulster County youth, Zachary Wightman, age 13 of Kerhonkson returns to the fair to crush the current world record of 7.0 grams with a humongous blueberry weighing in at a whopping 8.0 grams. That is one large berry!
Thursday, July 30:
Gathering of Gardeners- Garden Forum, 7-9 PM. East Fishkill Town Hall, 330 Route 376, Hopewell Jct, NY, 12533. Meet with CCE staff & Master Gardener volunteers to discuss gardening techniques, problems & environmentally sound gardening practices. Network with & meet fellow gardeners in our area. $5 (payable at door) to support Community Horticulture Program to help fund educational programming. RSVP to Nancy Halas, nh26@cornell.edu, 677-8223 x 115.
At the SpiegelTent, Musty Chiffon, this Hudson-based drag queen’s repertoire covers the ’60s to the ’00s – with Mother Fletcher, dishing out dancey ska, reggae, dub and funk. 8:30 start, $10 at the door.
The film Deception at Bard. Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains. $8, 7pm.
Friday, July 31:
Meet at the Grace parking lot at 9am for all who want to go to the Gates’ farm near Sharon, Ct to harvest vegetables for the Food Pantry. When you arrive at the farm, Dan and Mary Gates will give you instructions on how to do this and then on future Fridays you will know how to get there and what to do on your own. If you are coming on this trip, please email Kathryn Calame at klc1@columbia.edu.
Vassar’s Powerhouse shows Tina Girlstar…a black comedy musical. I just love those. Also on Saturday. 8pm.
Oblong Books & Music will host a reading with Ginnah Howard, author of Night Navigation: A Novel at 7:30. Night Navigation opens on a freezing-rain night in upstate New York: the kindling gone, the fire in the woodstove out. Del’s thirty-seven-year-old manic-depressive son needs a ride, but she’s afraid to make the long drive north to the only detox that has a bed. (845) 876-0500, www.oblongbooks.com.
Bard Summerscape Opera Les Huguenots starts. Based on the 1572 St. Batholomew’s Day Massacre with the timeless topic of religious intolerance, this was one of the hit operas of the 19th century. July 31, August 2, 5 and 7. 845-758-7900.
At the SpiegelTent, Lemon AndersEn. A hip-hop poet known for his Tony Award-winning work in Russell Simmons’s Def Poetry Jam, Lemon Andersen appeared with Denzel Washington in the recent film Inside Man. He’s working on his memoir, which is being developed by the American Place Theatre’s “Literature to Life” program and directed by Wynn Handman. Urban Latino magazine called Andersen the “next up-and-coming star.” He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. 8:30, $25.
Saturday, August 1:
Millbrook Farmer’s Market, 9 – 1 and Doug Marcus supplies the music.
Bounty of the Hudson Wine & Food Festival in Millbrook. For the first time ever, the Bounty of the Hudson Wine & Food Festival will be held on the east side of the Hudson River at Millbrook Winery. A weekend full of wine, food and music. Over fifteen Hudson Valley wineries will be represented pouring samples and selling their wines. Food vendors including Gigi’s, Wild Hive, Twisted Soul and Parties by Tomas will be selling food, and a multitude of other vendors from cheeses, vegetables and fruits to wine racks and coffee will also be here. Enjoy live music each afternoon while sampling your way through delicious wines and foods. The festival runs from 12 – 5 pm each day. Daily tickets are $25 per person in advance or $35 at the door. Purchase tickets for August 1, 2009 https://shawangunk-wine-trail.ticketleap.com/Bounty-of-the-Hudson-2009-08-01-2009-12-00/t/Millbrook. Purchase tickets for August 2, 2009 https://shawangunk-wine-trail.ticketleap.com/bounty-of-the-hudson-2009-08-02-2009-12-0/t/Millbrook.
Millbrook Art and Antiques Gallery has a special event for hometown artist, Kim Schneider. Kim is a painter with cerebral palsy and experiences her life from the perspective of a power wheelchair. Her most expansive sense of freedom comes from her paintings. Kim has painted from the time she was a young child, but began to receive more formal training in her 20’s, when she attended Ulster County Community College and then the Woodstock School of Art where she was inspired by Staats Fasoldt. She then studied at SUNY New Paltz before returning to classes with Pablo Shine at UCCC. “My work is inspired by nature and my emotions.” Kim is a prolific artist whose use of color expresses nothing short of joy. Her passion for painting pushes her beyond her physical limitations. Her works are wonderfully colorful, often cheerful and the exhibit runs to August 14th. Opening reception from 5 – 7 pm. 3297 Franklin Ave, Millbrook.
Dr. Peter Muir and Steve Fabrizio “A Hundred Years of Broadway” at the Millbrook Bandshell, free concert on the lawn, 7pm. www.millbrookartsgroup.org/mag_events.html.
Want to watch fencing and see if it is for you? NYS Championships at Vassar College. Contact the Phoenix Center for more details 845-486-4525, www.phoenix-center.net. Also on Sunday. Epee one day, foil the other.
Barrett Art Center Rent Party featuring food, fun & entertainment. With a weak economy and tough times for all, we want to continue to serve our community with art programs, exhibitions and support. Help your art center and be part of the fun, too! Music By Keith Gunderson & Monday Night Jammers. 5PM. $25 covers music, food and drink. door prizes and special deals! 55 Noxon Street, Poughkeepsie, 471-2550, www.barrettartcenter.org.
Kent Memorial Library will be hosting a Book Signing with Shelly Frome the author of “The Art and Craft of Screenwriting”, from 1-3pm. As part of the Kent Film Festival’s special programming, Shelly will be leading a seminar on screenwriting. Next film is August 8. Summerfilm series featuring the winners from the 2009 festival through August 29. Kent Town Hall in Kent, Connecticut. $10 per ticket at door or email tickets@kentfilmfestival.org or call 860.592.0059.
Cornwall Community Contra Dance at the Cornwall, CT Town Hall (24 Pine Street), 7:00 – 9:30 with David Kaynor calling and Still the Homegrown Band playing! Suggested Donation is $5/child, $7/adult. For more info call Debra at (860) 672-0229 or Jane at 860-672-6101. Good work out!
At the SpiegelTent, the long awaited Bindlestiff Family Cirkus – “PG-13”. Not your Family-Fare Bindlestiff: this is frisky, naughty neovaudeville fun – Bindlestiff has brought the circus arts to every type of stage and audience imaginable, and some unmentionable. Its shows have ranged from family fare to musical parodies and burlesque spectacles. Bindlestiff has been keeping the variety arts alive through performance and teaching in New York City and beyond for more than 15 years. 8:30, $25 and you will probably need tickets ahead of time. 845-758-7900.
Also at Vassar’s Powerhouse, Hello! My Baby. Book and new lyrics by Cheri Steinkellner, new music and arrangements by Jeff Rizzo, directed by Christa Kimlicko-Jones. 5pm.
Special film at Upstate in Rhinebeck, 6:45pm, $10. Screening of COLD SOULS, with Entertainment Weekly film critic LISA SCHWARZBAUM in person. A metaphysical comedy with an intriguing premise: an individual’s soul can be extracted and traded as a commodity. Paul Giamatti plays himself, agonizing over his role in an upcoming production of Uncle Vanya. Paralyzed with anxiety, he stumbles upon a solution via a New Yorker article about Soul Storage, a company run by Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn) that promises to alleviate existential burdens by deep-freezing souls. Paul decides to put his soul on ice, intending to reinstate it once he survives the play’s run. But he’s deeply uncomfortable with the side effects, as he vacillates between uncharacteristically buoyant and blithely callous‚ so Paul rents a Russian poet’s soul to make it through the play. When he goes to reclaim his own soul, major complications ensue. 876-2515, www.upstatefilms.org.
Sunday, August 2:
Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market, 10 -2.
Sunday Spiegel Lounge from 5:30 pm (tent closes at 11 pm), July 12 – August 16. The Spiegeltent is the place to wind down on summer Sunday evenings. Free admission. Film Unfaithfully Yours at 7pm, $8.
Free concert on the lawn at Locust Grove, 1 – 3 pm and gorgeous grounds to walk around. Hidden between Route 9 and the Hudson River, just north of TJMaxx and Marshall shopping meccas.
An Afternoon of Soft Summer Jazz at 3pm featuring pianist Brian Mann, with guest artists including jazz violinist Iain Mann. (845) 437-5900, www.vassar.edu/summer. The air-conditioned Skinner Hall of Music at Vassar College is wheelchair-accessible. (845) 437-5370. I believe there is no charge for this concert.
Tuesday, August 4:
Dinner special at Arrividerci in Sherman, CT. For two people, two entrees, salads, desserts, tea or coffee AND a bottle of perfectly drinkable wine for $38. Also on Wednesday. At the junction of Routes 37 and 39.
Wednesday, August 5:
Bill’s Toupee comes to play at the Vanderbilt Mansion, for free, 6:30pm. 229-8086.
Thursday, August 6:
American Red Cross Babysitter Training. 9am – 3:30 pm, ages 11 – 15. (Enrollment is limited to 15 students) Bring a bag lunch. Light refreshments served on break. There is a $20 fee for this course to be paid when registering. The actual cost of this course is $60 – the Millbrook Free Library is paying one-third of the cost and one-third is covered by a grant from Stewart’s Shops to the American Red Cross. Registration required.
Tivoli Bays Talks: Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge Transformed, Fred Shaeffer. Free. 7:30 – 8:30 PM. Tivoli Bays Visitor Center, Tivoli 845-889-4745 x105.
Melody Africa – West African music and dance from New Paltz, via Senegal and Guinea at the SpiegeTent. $10, 8:30 pm. www.fishercenter.bard.edu.
And next weekend:
Wine Blending at the Millbrook Winery, The Sharon Audubon Festival and much more.
And the one after:
The Wassaic Project Summer Festival will be held Aug. 13 through 16, 35 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic. www.wassaicproject.com, www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/arts/design/29wassaic.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th.