First Friday celebrates shopping local in Saugerties
First Friday in Saugerties on August 7 was well attended. Sunset series music was enjoyed at the Esopus Creek, Roadhouse performed at the food court in the Reis parking lot and Mateo and Dugan entertained diners in a tent behind The Dutch Ale House. All the shops and eateries were busy with patrons (mostly adhering to socially distant protocols).
With the efforts of Bob Siracusano, Dallas Gilpin, Brad Hoffstatter and others, Saugerties wants to reboot and let everyone know that they are open for business.
First Friday organizers ask that residents continue to support the local professionals, contractors, first responders, shops, eateries, musicians, artists and farmers’ markets.
SUNY New Paltz tightens up during the pandemic
The idea of a campus as a place of learning open on most occasions and for most purposes to the outside world doesn’t make sense during a pandemic. While the SUNY New Paltz campus remains open to the public, a number of campus spaces will begin this fall semester operating with reduced capacities and hours of operation. Some facilities will remain closed to the public through the fall.
Most campus buildings currently require student or employee ID cards for entrance. The college has implemented many other policies to prevent disease transmission, including masking and social-distancing requirements.
All walking paths remain open to the public, with the requirement that visitors using these spaces maintain social distancing of six feet and wear masks when they are unable to maintain that distance. Outdoor athletics fields, including tennis courts, are open only to SUNY New Paltz students, faculty and staff, until further notice. The Athletics & Wellness Center will be open to students only with recreational activities scheduled in blocks of time to allow for expanded cleaning protocols. The campus pool will be open only to students and employees.
The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz is closed for the summer. It will reopen next month with a full schedule of fall exhibitions. However, it will operate at reduced capacity with a limited number of occupants allowed in each gallery at any one time. Museum staff and visitors will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing at all times. The museum may also operate at reduced hours or be open fewer days per week. The Dorsky Museum will hold events as allowed by health and safety guidelines for group gatherings, and will also present select public programs in online formats.
Access to the Sojourner Truth Library will be permitted only with SUNY ID. Seating capacities on the library’s three floors will be reduced.
The Department of Theatre Arts has restructured its performance schedule with ten staged readings planned for the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Audiences will be able to attend these performances in limited numbers while masking and maintaining social distance. The staged reading format is designed to enable performers to wear personal protective equipment, including masks.
The Speech-Language Hearing Center will continue to provide services to community members on a limited basis with new restrictions and safety protocols in place. All speech services will be delivered remote only. The audiology clinic will continue to deliver in-person services at lower density and social distancing requirements in place. Personal protective equipment will be required. Simulated clinical experiences and teletherapy are available. Contact the center at 257-3600 to learn more.
All literacy programming for children at the Literacy Center will be delivered remotely during the fall semester. Contact director Sam Slotnick at slotnics@newpaltz.edu for information.
In-person shows at the John R. Kirk Planetarium have been suspended indefinitely, as the close quarters inside the planetarium make adequate social distancing impossible. Director Raj Pandya has been producing virtual planetarium shows on a biweekly basis. These shows are streamed live on the college’s Facebook page and recordings are published to the college’s YouTube channel. Some in-person events may be held at the Smolen Observatory, as these are outdoor events that can take place with social distancing and masking.
Climber, 25, dies in fall at Mohonk Preserve
A Brooklyn rock climber fell 50 feet and died at Mohonk Preserve on August 9. Lauren Sobel, 25, of Brooklyn, was leading a group of three climbers near the Trapps trailhead around 3:30 in the afternoon, according to police, when the accident occurred. It’s reported that she lost her grip while “setting protection gear in the rocks.”
Sobel’s father David, in a New York Post interview, said his daughter was certified to lead such a group, and that three different safety measures in place to guard against the worst all seem to have failed. Lauren Sobel had been an avid climber who traveled to find new locations, who was introduced to the sport by helping veterans who had lost limbs learn how to do it.
The group was apparently 70 feet up the popular rock face when the tragedy occurred. Sobel was pronounced dead at the scene. State police and forest rangers from the preserve responded.
— Terence P Ward
Community joins forces to combat hate speech in Gardiner
Move Forward NY cosponsored a March in Solidarity for Black Lives in the Town of Gardiner on August 3 to express concern over recent incidents of hate speech in the community. Approximately 200 people attended “We felt it was important to support the Black Lives Matter movement with an event for the entire family,” Debra Clinton of MFNY said, “especially after signs posted by white nationalist groups were spotted in Majestic Park and in neighboring Ulster County towns.”
Participants gathered at the Gardiner Town Hall and proceeded to the pavilion in Majestic Park, where local activist Rashida Tyler, state board member of Citizen Action Hudson Valley and Founder, The Real Kingston Tenants Union, addressed the group. Other speakers included local high school teacher Albert Cook, who discussed the importance of this critical movement.
Gardiner Democratic Committee chairman Tom Kruglinski said, “We believe strongly that our town should be a welcoming place to all people and co-sponsoring this awareness-raising event is an important thing to do.”
Cosponsors included the Gardiner Democratic Committee, Ulster Activists (U-Act), New Paltz Women in Black, the Plattekill Democratic Committee, the Town of Shawangunk Democratic Committee and Majestic’s Hardware in Gardiner.
Move Forward New York is a citizen-action group committed to promoting social and economic justice, preserving civil rights and ensuring environmental conservation by encouraging participation in the political process on all levels through education, collaboration and activism.
Woodstock Library Fair canceled
The 89th annual Woodstock Library Fair became one of countless casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic as organizers officially canceled the event on August 4.
The fair, a Woodstock tradition since 1931, is held on the fourth Saturday of July. In the early years, the fair was the primary source of funding for the library, but has continued as a highlight of Woodstock summers long after the formation of the public library district.
Organizers initially postponed this year’s fair until Labor Day, hoping to find a safe way to hold the festivities, but it just wasn’t in the cards.
“It’s with sadness in our hearts to announce the cancellation of the 89th Annual Library Fair. We just couldn’t see a safe way to host even a smaller event,” Friends of the Library president Michael Hunt wrote in a statement.
“The Friends will be busy over the next year supporting the Woodstock Public Library District in every way possible, including the ongoing effort to build a better library,” Hunt said.
“We will visualize and plan for a triumphant fair on Saturday, July 24, 2021.”
— Nick Henderson
Repair Cafes — what’s next
The last Repair Cafes in the Hudson Valley, pre-pandemic, were held in March in Rhinebeck, Esopus and Montgomery. Since then, all in-person repair activity has been suspended. Repair cafes thrive on across-the-table proximity and on passing things back-and-forth — and so does the virus.
There will be no regular in-person repair events until sometime in 2021. Many “interim” ideas have surfaced and are being considered by organizers and volunteers, such as small, single-category repair events (i.e., bikes) with strict protocols in place, open-air repair events (comparable to outdoor dining) and virtual DIY workshops. Many people have been learning to repair at home (#repairathome), and virtual repair events via Zoom have been organized.
The first repair café in the Hudson Valley was held seven years ago at the New Paltz United Methodist Church, inviting people to bring their “beloved but broken” items to be fixed or mended with the help of experts who are also their neighbors. This all-volunteer organization has more than 400 volunteers in the Hudson Valley, Catskills and the Capital District.
You can find regular updates, news and photos on the Repair Cafe HV Facebook or Instagram pages (repaircafehv). A re-designed website will soon be completed to include full information about each of the more than 35 Repair Cafes active in the region.
Racial equity committee
A New Paltz citizen group fighting for racial equity is accepting applications for committee membership. Open seats are available for two community members, three middle school or high school student members, one instructional staff member, two non-instructional staff members and three administrator members.
Applications are available on the district website. Submit your application to the district clerk via email at sermo@newpaltz.k12.ny.us or via postal mail.
If you have any questions, please contact the district clerk at 256-4020. Submit your application by August 20. The committee will be reviewing applications at its August 25 meeting.
Bardavon Presents Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited
Bardavon Presents @YouTube, a free online series “Albums Revisited” with a 55th anniversary celebration of Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisted on Sunday, August 30 at 8 p.m. The event will feature original performances created especially for the Bardavon: Like a Rolling Stone — Jack DeJohnette & John Medeski, Tombstone Blues — The Weight Band, It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry — Jimmy Vivino, Rich Pagano & John Sebastian, From a Buick 6 — Guy Davis, Ballad of a Thin Man — Steve Earle, Queen Jane Approximately — Lucinda Williams, Highway 61 Revisited — Kate Pierson w/The Restless Age, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues — Happy Traum w/special guests and Desolation Row — Simone Felice.
A portion of all donations from this streaming series will benefit People’s Place in Kingston and Dutchess Outreach in Poughkeepsie. The Bardavon and UPAC box offices will be closed to in-person sales, but will continue to sell tickets and answer questions via email at boxoffice@bardavon.org.
Rustic blueberry depictions
Join artist Shawn Dell Joyce from the Wallkill River School of Art for a rustic blueberry sign-painting party this Saturday, August 15 from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. at Sam’s Point.
There will be two sessions with ten people per session. This is a free program with a $10-per-vehicle parking fee, for all-day access to the park. all day,. Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Meet at the Sam’s Point Visitor Center. Pre-registration is required by calling Sam’s Point at 647-7989. The rain date is Sunday, August 16.
Young adult book club
The Gardiner Library virtual young adult book club will hold its final meeting via Zoom this Sunday, August 16 at 1:30 p.m. to cover Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Discussion, games and design a decorative fan during the meeting.
Registration is required by contacting Carolyn Thorez at cthorenz@rcls.org. There will be a limit of a dizen participants.
For information, please visit the Gardiner Library Facebook page.
Gertrude’s Nose hike
Join Sarah LaLumiere, SCA/AmeriCorps member, for a six-mile hike to Gertrude’s Nose via the most scenic route at Minnewaska this Saturday, August 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This cliff-edge scenic route features panoramic views of landmarks as far away as High Point State Park in New Jersey. Due to Covid protocols, the total number of participants for this program is limited to ten individuals. All participants must wear face coverings or keep a minimum six-foot distance away from those not part of your immediate household.
Meet at the Minnewaska nature center. Pre-registration is required by calling Minnewaska at 255-0752.
Director Allen Coulter introduces Hollywoodland at Greenville Drive-In August 18
Eight years before Birdman scooped up a passel of Oscars for its depiction of an actor who’s depressed that he isn’t taken seriously anymore after too many years of portraying a superhero, there was Hollywoodland. Originally to be titled Truth, Justice and the American Way – until Warner Brothers, owner of DC Comics, threatened a lawsuit for copyright infringement – it’s a fantasia on the mysterious death in 1959 of George Reeves (Ben Affleck), the original TV Superman.
The protagonist of the 2006 neo-noir film is Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), a fictional Hollywood private detective who becomes obsessed with rumors that Reeves’ shooting death may have been murder rather than suicide. Through the investigator’s eyes, we see three different possible scenarios play out, Rashomon-style. Among the suspects are the longtime mistress recently jilted by Reeves, Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), and her husband, movie producer/fixer Eddie Mannix, played by the late great Bob Hoskins. (Oddly enough, the Mannixes, cast in a less-sinister light, were also central to the plot of the Coen Brothers’ 2016 ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, Hail, Caesar!)
If you missed Hollywoodland the first time around, you’ll get another chance on Tuesday, August 18, when the fabulous Greenville Drive-In Cinema plays host to a screening presented by the Woodstock Film Festival in collaboration with Radio Woodstock. In case you missed it, drive-ins are the only safe place in these pandemic days to go see a movie the old-fashioned way: on a big screen shared with a big audience. An especially compelling incentive to trek up to the wilds of Greene County on a Tuesday evening, however, is the fact that director Allen Coulter will be on hand, in the flesh, to discuss the film and take questions.
These days, Coulter has become one of television’s most celebrated directors, best-known for his work on the groundbreaking series The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and Sex and the City. He directed the pilot episodes of Nurse Jackie, Damages, Sons of Anarchy and Ray Donovan. Coulter has been nominated for seven Emmys, five Directors’ Guild awards and the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion. Hollywoodland was his first feature film and was nominated for a Golden Globe.
The gate opens for this special showing at 7:30 p.m., when early arrivals will have the opportunity for a socially distanced dinner and cocktails outdoors, with an expansive menu of food and beverages available for purchase. Filmmaker Katherine Dieckmann will conduct the interview with Allen Coulter preceding the 9 p.m. screening. To purchase tickets or to learn more, visit https://woodstockfilmfestival.org/events/2020/8/18/hollywoodland-special-drive-in-screening-with-director-qampa. The Greenville Drive-In Cinema is located at 10700 Route 32 in Greenville.
— Frances Marion Platt
Work by Dave Channon on display at the Woodstock Art Exchange
The Scraptures of Dave Channon will be on display on August 15-16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Woodstock Art Exchange, located at 1396 Route 28 in Woodstock.
A walk and talk with scrap metal welding artist Dave Channon will be held in the garden of the Exchange.
Channon’s Scraptures “Detroitus,” “Warrior,” “Ostrich,” “Angel” and “Wonder Woman” will on display in front, behind and nestled around the studio.
All are welcome to learn about Channon’s principles of dynamic imbalance, his anti-gravity illusion, origin of inspiration and how these welded steel concoctions of rusted dairy farm relics, flood-deformed guard rails, fossil bones of old Fords, teeth of corroded old railroad ties and other pieces retain their peculiar identity yet coexist peacefully within the whole blissful artistic leap of faith.
To reserve a tour, call (845) 688-2977 or (914) 806-3573.
Record store evolves
Music fans holding out hope that Jack’s Rhythms or something similar would miraculously be opened in New Paltz where the well-regarded Main Street record shop was shuttered early in the pandemic probably had those dreams shattered at the August 4 village planning board meeting. The board gave the go-ahead for Frank Cardella to convert that space to sell consumables prepared in a commercial kitchen elsewhere.
The plans call for new electrical that would support a cooler and a warming unit, and space that would include a play area for children near where former owner John Lefsky used to sit behind the counter by the picture window.
The brief description in the application refers to a “cafe/eatery” in addition to specialty groceries. No seating is proposed. Rather, there’s an area where customers can stand at a counter if they choose. According to Cory Wirthmann, one of the village’s building inspectors, an actual cafe would be a different use than grocery and would require review by the health department in addition to planning-board approval.
— Terence P Ward
Glasses of virtual wine
The 19th annual Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival, slated for September 12-13 at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds has been canceled.. “It is with great disappointment to announce that the annual in-person event will be canceled out of an abundance of caution due to Covid 19,” said event producer Michael Babcock.
The virtual Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival on the same dateswill provide opportunities for both vendors and online attendees. Vendors will be provided access to the Virtual Vendor Village, which will allow them to post items for sale. Vendors can virtually staff their booths during the festival and hold live chat and video conferencing sessions with online guests. Celebrity chefs and wine experts will be live-streaming throughout the weekend.
The two-day event will live-stream on EventHub, at https://eventhub.shop/2020-hudson-valley-wine-food-fest.
Although tickets purchased for the 19th annual Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival are non-refundable, they will be honored for entry into the 2021 event. Groupon voucher holders will have their voucher expiration date automatically extended through the 2021 event and should receive notification directly from Groupon.
For information, visit HudsonValleyWineFest.com or call 658-7181.
Artstrong is live
The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (WAAM) is holding a benefit exhibit through September 13. Artstrong features the work of active WAAM members.
Help WAAM support both its artists and organization. Its first-ever online sale of artwork ranges from abstraction to realism and includes a wide range of media, from photography to painting to sculpture.To view the artists’ work, visit woodstockart.org.
The Glasco Fire Department, Kingston Hazmat Team and the DEC respond to a fuel spill in the Saugerties Plaza
More than 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled last Friday afternoon at the Saugerties Plaza on Route 9W after a box truck struck a pillar in the parking lot. The Kingston Fire Department Hazmat Team and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation were at the scene.
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts announces the return of Harvest Festival
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, has announced the return of its annual Harvest Festival Farmers’ Market. Now in its 22nd year, the farmers market will take place every Sunday for seven consecutive weeks — beginning August 30 and continuing through October 11.
The addition of the October Harvest Festival dates comes after the center’s decision to postpone the annual Wine Festival and Craft: Beer, Spirits & Food Festival, originally scheduled for Saturday, October 3 and Saturday, October 10, respectively. All ticket buyers will be automatically refunded.
Stringent protocols have been put into place to fight the spread of COVID-19 at the Harvest Festival. This includes:
• Creating a one-way foot traffic pattern in all vendor areas to reduce crowding.
• Increasing the footprint of the festival to disperse vendors and guests out and to reduce density.
• Limiting attractions that could cause excess congregation, including live music, demonstrations and horse and buggy rides, etc.
• Requiring masks to be worn at all times by all staff, vendors and guests.
• Encouraging cashless transactions while shopping.
• No sampling of vendor products will be permitted.
• Monitoring the density of guests admitted into the market at one time.
Bethel Woods has increased the amount of alcohol-based hand sanitizer stations available and the frequency in cleaning and disinfecting of high traffic areas. The center asks that any guests who have experienced COVID-19 related symptoms, has been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 or has traveled to any of the restricted states in the NYS Travel Advisory and not completed the required quarantine do not attend the event out of caution and consideration for others.
“Harvest Festival has been a staple for 22 years, providing an essential farmers market and opportunity for vendors to connect with our community,” said Eric Frances, CEO, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. “We are proud to be able to return this year and offer a safe and enjoyable market for guests near and far.”
The Harvest Festival occurs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission and $5 parking. Guests are encouraged to come with exact change to pay this fee.
Visit BethelWoodsCenter.org/VisitHarvest for more information on the rules and regulations of this event.