Kingston Tiger Marching Band returns
The Kingston High School (KHS) Tiger Marching Band completed its first summer band camp since 2019 from August 18 to 31 at Crosby Elementary School. The band is preparing to return to the New York State Field Band Conference competition after last year’s canceled season.
The band is directed by Stephen Garner and Jeffrey Giebelhaus, with visual design by Hernan del Aguila. The 2021 show is titled I-Am-AI and features music by composers Jay Bocook, Vienna Teng and Frank Ticheli.
The marching band will compete in five field band competitions across the state this fall, culminating with the New York State Field Band Championship on October 31 in the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University. Local performances will include the competition hosted by KHS, the annual Fall Fanfare at Dietz Memorial Stadium on Sunday, October 24.
UC Italian Festival back at Kingston waterfront October 10
The Ulster County Italian American Foundation’s 14th annual Italian Festival will return to T. R. Gallo Park at the foot of Broadway on October 10 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Last year’s festival was scaled back and moved to the Town of Ulster, due to the COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. “We did our best last year with a mini-festival at Tech City, but we’re working hard to make this year’s festival a real family and community celebration,” said Les Lombardi, president of the Foundation.
The opening ceremony begins at 11 a.m. on the main stage, followed by a full day of entertainment, children’s activities, food and craft vendors, a spaghetti-eating contest and street performers. During the festivities, the Ulster County Italian American Foundation will honor the 2021 Signore and Signora of the Year, yet to be announced.
Musical acts scheduled to perform include vocalists Angela Bruno, Andrew Hoben and Vanessa Racci, as well as Vince Chiarelli and his band and world-famous accordion player Cory Pesaturo. The Michael Dell Orchestra will close out the day with a dance party.
The 300-member Ulster County Italian American Foundation, established in 2015, aims to promote, preserve and celebrate Italian heritage and culture in Ulster County.
Shuttle buses to the festival will be available at Kingston Point (handicapped-accessible), Kingston Plaza and the Cornell Street municipal parking lot.
Admission to the festival is free. For vendor and sponsor information as well as schedule updates, visit www.uciaf.org. All proceeds from the festival will go to UCIAF’s annual education awards and community grants programs.
Shekere workshop at Kingston Point Beach
A hands-on Shekere workshop with Carol “Caru” Thompson took place last Saturday at Kingston Point Beach. A shekere is a traditional African percussion instrument made from hollowed-out gourds and decorated with beads, shells, seeds or nuts woven into a net. Caru, a shekere master and percussionist, also taught the class rhythms and songs while playing the instrument.
Kingston wins NYS grant for Wilbur, Ponckhockie neighborhoods survey
Mayor Steven Noble has announced that the City of Kingston was awarded $27,016 from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to support a survey of the Wilbur and Ponckhockie neighborhoods.
The Historic Preservation Fund’s Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant Award will help fund the surveys of the Wilbur and Ponckhockie neighborhoods, which will advance the City’s historic preservation efforts and will result in the determination of eligibility of new potential local landmarks as well as State/National Register designations.
“The project will focus on two overlooked neighborhoods, both of which occupied major roles in Kingston’s history,” said Mayor Noble. “This work also aligns with the Kingston 2025 Comprehensive Plan for further preservation of the City’s historic and architectural resources, while making our historic designations more inclusive.”
The City’s Planning Department will oversee this initiative with the cooperation of the Friends of Historic Kingston and members of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission. This research will build upon previous individual National and State Historic Registry listings, studies already conducted and the Historic Buildings Inventory identified in the 1987 Urban Cultural Park Plan.
“Both Wilbur and Ponckhockie are keys to Kingston’s maritime and industrial past,” said Mark Grunblatt, chair of the Historic Landmark Preservation Commission. “The brickyards drew immigrant laborers to Ponckhockie, and their work remains obvious from Kingston Point Beach. The caves below today’s industrial park once grew mushrooms for market. Wilbur’s quarrymen gave Kingston its bluestone curbs and sidewalks, while kilns in the Wilbur hillsides produced cement for New York City’s streets and buildings. Prior surveys failed to explore these important neighborhoods. This grant will allow the City to show a fuller breadth of Kingston’s history and bring Ponckhockie and Wilbur new notoriety.”
At the conclusion of this research, the project team will be creating a digitized inventory of historic assets in and for Wilbur and Ponckhockie, along with a detailed written history to be included in a later comprehensive citywide preservation plan. This information will also be used to nominate eligible properties located in these two neighborhoods to the National/State Registry.
Movies with Spirit film series returns September 18 with Soul
Movies with Spirit returns with Pixar Animation Studios’ animated fantasy/comedy/adventure Soul on September 18 at 7 p.m. at the New Progressive Baptist Church at 8 Hone Street in Kingston. The screening, open to the public, marks the community film series’ return after an 18-month COVID-19 hiatus.
“We’re thrilled to be back. We’ve had a lot of requests to return, but we wanted to do it only when it was safe,” said Movies with Spirit voluntary organizer Gerry Harrington of Kingston. “The series will comply with all federal, state and local health and safety protocols, including those of each screening venue.”
Soul, released by Walt Disney Pictures, tells the story of Joe Gardner (the voice of Jamie Foxx), a middle-school band teacher in New York City who gets the chance of a lifetime to play in the band of jazz great Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). The 2020 movie won 116 film festival and critic awards, including two Academy Awards: one for Best Animated Feature Film and the other for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score).
The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Refreshments will be served. Attendees over age 12 are asked to contribute $10 a person.
The monthly Movies with Spirit series seeks to stimulate people’s sense of joy and wonder, inspire love and compassion, evoke a deepened understanding of people’s integral connection with others and with life itself and support individual cultures, faith paths and beliefs while simultaneously transcending them. The films are screened in diverse places of worship and reverence – and this season, in a place for art, too – across Ulster and Dutchess Counties on the third Saturday of every month.
The schedule: September 18: Soul, New Progressive Baptist Church, Kingston; October 16: The Insult, Rondout Valley United Methodist Church, Stone Ridge; November 20: Pain and Glory, the DRAW, Kingston; December 18: Lost Christmas, St. James United Methodist Church, Kingston; January 15: Indian Horse, Old Dutch Church, Kingston; February 19: Arrival, Woodstock Jewish Congregation, Woodstock; March 19: Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, Episcopal Church of the Messiah, Rhinebeck; April 23: The Father, Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kingston; May 21: Woman at War, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, New Paltz; June 18: Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times, Vivekananda Retreat, Stone Ridge; July 16: The Man from Earth, Congregation Emanuel, Kingston; August 20: Blinded by the Light, Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Kingston.
For more information about Soul and the rest of the series, contact Harrington at (845) 389-9201 or at gerryharrington@mindspring.com. Details are also available at facebook.com/movieswithspirit.
Healing Hearts support group
Healing Hearts, a support group for families who have lost loved ones to sudden, tragic death, will meet on Sundays, 5 p.m., at the Old Dutch Reformed Church, 272 Wall Street, second floor in Kingston.
This is a new, informal, peer-led support group in which participants share their experiences, grief and recovery. Whatever your experience, you are welcome. There is no cost and no registration.
COVID masks required and are available at the door.
For additional information, email healinghearts737@gmail.com. The first meeting was held September 12.
Voting for kids
In recognition of Patriot’s Day last Saturday, the Ulster County Board of Elections and the Ulster County Clerk’s Office released a new activity booklet for students. “Voting for Kids” is filled with fun facts, activities, games, puzzles and more. The release was held at the Matthewis Persen House Museum and visitors were able to try colonial-era games and vote for their favorite and receive a “I voted” sticker.
Join the family! 
