Columbia County’s massive ArtsWalk hits its striding mid-festival peak this weekend with a host of events as it marches on through its multi-week run in Hudson and environs. Artwise, the big events include the Saturday-night opening of the always-popular, if somewhat chaotic, big Columbia County Council for the Arts members’ show in the massive old Pocketbook Factory, just off the city’s main drag Warren Street, and an all-day Saturday extravaganza in Hudson’s sweetly old-timey Seventh Street Park, where a train rolls through with regularity on weekdays, featuring an Artist Marketplace, ArtsWalk Kids events and even a mini-festival of music and performance art from a central stage.
Also kicking off on Friday night, October 10 at the unique Spotty Dog coffeeshop/bookstore/beer bar/art supply store on Warren, before moving across and down the street a bit to the Hudson Opera House, is ArtsWalk Literary, where a dozen “diverse and talented” regionally based poets and authors, representing a variety of genres, will share selections from their work in a series of readings. Among those on view will be Gretchen Primack, Manuel Borras, Dorothy Albertini, Veronica Wong, Geoffrey Gatza, Celia Bland, Dara Lurie, Mark Lamoureaux, Kenyatta Paul Garcia, Katie Yates, Sean Cole and Norm Magnusson, reading in pairs designed for entertainment as well as enlightenment.
Continuing throughout the three weekends of ArtsWalk in its 20th outing will be various Windows on Warren Street displays and accompanying art exhibits, including the premiere of a new body of work by Patrick Terenchin (a noted gallerist himself) at McDaris Fine Art with a Saturday-night reception from 6 to 8 p.m., various concerts at local music venues and pop-up openings seemingly everywhere.
Next weekend, on the 18th and 19th of October, everything comes to a final head with a performance arts festival at the Opera House and paint-out festival and auction, plus cocktail reception, at nearby Olana.
Columbus Day weekend Arts Walk Hudson event highlights:
Friday, October 10
5-7 p.m.: “Small Gems” fundraising show opening, Columbia County Council for the Arts, 209 Warren Street, (518) 671-6213
7 p.m.: ArtsWalk LitFest launch, Spotty Dog, 440 Warren Street, (518) 671 6006
Saturday, October 11
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Artist Marketplace/ArtsWalk Kids events, Seventh Avenue Park
5-7 p.m.: Opening, Pocketbook Factory, North Sixth & Prospect Streets
6-8 p.m.: Opening, McDaris Fine Art, 623 Warren Street, (518) 822-9896
Saturday & Sunday, October 11 & 12
12 noon-5 p.m.: LitFest readings, Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street
For full info call (518) 671-6213 or visit www.artscolumbia.org.
Join the family! 
