Community cycling event draws record numbers
The Tour de Kingston and Ulster was back on the roads and trails of Ulster County this past Sunday with over 250 participants, according to the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County. “We are overwhelmed by the support of our riders, volunteers and sponsors,” said Tom Polk, chairman of the Tour Organizing Committee and the YMCA’s Bicycle Program manager.
“Our 2020 Tour had to be conducted virtually, and we had planned for our 2021 ride to be in its traditional June weekend. The continuing health and safety concerns of the pandemic caused us to reschedule to the fall,” Polk said. “With the rise of the Delta variant, we didn’t know what to expect, but in the end, we had our largest group of riders ever.”
Tour founder Allen Nace, who started the Tour de Kingston after riding in the Tour de Bronx and other community cycling events, said, “I wanted to get my friends and family out riding and knew that Ulster County had the potential to be a great biking destination, and it was great to see the riders turn out for our road rides, trail rides, the five-mile Family Fun Ride.”
The annual Tour de Kingston Community Scholarship was awarded to Maria Cecilia Deferrari. “Maria is continuing her education at SUNY New Paltz and has a strong commitment to serve the residents of Ulster County,” Polk said.
“Opera Favorites” at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston
Harwood Management, in conjunction with The Old Dutch Church, will present “Opera Favorites” on Saturday, September 25, noon, at the Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street in Kingston. The performers are Michele Sexton, soprano; Emily Lipschutz, mezzo soprano; Ziwen Xiang, tenor; and Brian Montgomery, baritone; with pianist, Craig Ketter. These artists each have vast national and international appearances with opera companies, symphony orchestras and concert agencies.
The performance will include works by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Bizet and others. This program is free, donations gratefully accepted at the door. Donations paid directly to the church by check are tax deductible; please designate them for this concert.
Ways to donate: www.Olddutchchurch.org (donate button), Paypal info@olddutchchurch.org, HarwoodManagement@gmail.com, Venmo Harwoodmanagement@gmail.com.
Bans off our bodies: Abortion rights rally in Kingston October 2
Hudson Valley Strong-Indivisible is hosting a rally/march to defend reproductive rights on Saturday, October 2 at 11 a.m. at Academy Green Park, located at 238 Clinton Avenue in Kingston. Mask-wearing is requested. Please sign up to attend! Show up with signs and determination to let lawmakers know: Our Body, Our Choice!
To sign up, visit https://act.womensmarch.com/event/oct-2-2021-march/1770?source=map&akid=. For additional information, e-mail voteblueorelse@gmail.com or call (914) 489-7814.
Art Walk in Kingston
A celebration of the arts and the local community took place at the annual Art Walk Kingston on Saturday and Sunday, September 18-19 held throughout the City of Kingston. Thirty-one individual artists and 15 galleries participated in this two-day open studio tour. Visitors and local residents were invited to explore the three distinct areas of Kingston to encourage and support local artists.
Seed Songs Farm family fun weekends
Seed Song Farm will host farm-family-fun events every weekend through Halloween weekend. Located at 160 Esopus Avenue in Kingston, Seed Song has acres of farmland for U-pick sunflowers and is soon to offer U-pick pumpkins. The fall festivities will take place every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
U-pick sunflowers, live music, hayrides, a hay bale scramble, scavenger hunts, farm animal visits, games and farm-fresh food and refreshments will all be available this weekend. Admission includes a dozen Big Smile small sunflowers. Additional sunflower varieties and colorful flowers are available to purchase.
U-pick pumpkins, a haunted trail with a local history theme and an alternative corn maze will be available in the coming weekends. For more information and to RSVP, visit www.seedsongfarm.org or e-mail info@seedsongfarm.org.
Open House for the Franklin Street Complete Streets Project
Kingston mayor Steven Noble has announced that the City of Kingston will host a public Open House for the Franklin Street Complete Streets Project on October 6. The City of Kingston is seeking public input on the preliminary streetscape design for improvements to Franklin Street. The in-person Open House-style meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 6 from 5 to 7 p.m., outdoors at the Everette Hodge Community Center, located at 21 Franklin Street.
The Franklin Street Complete Streets Project will improve upon the existing pedestrian and cyclist accessibility and will enhance the overall visual qualities of the street. In order to improve the safety of this corridor for all travelers, the City will construct new sidewalks, ADA-accessible ramps, bicycle infrastructure and crosswalks, and plant new street trees along the entire length of Franklin.
“As a former co-director at the Hodge Center, I saw firsthand how many of our youth walked to and from the Everette Hodge Community Center,” said Mayor Noble. “This project is critical in providing our youth and families in Midtown with safe access to their homes and essential services. I look forward to introducing these designs to the community and moving this important project forward.”
Preliminary design plans will be presented at the Open House. City staff and consultants from MJ Engineering & Land Surveying will be available to answer questions, and the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback.
The rain date is Thursday, October 7. In the event of inclement weather for both dates, a virtual public Open House will be held on October 7 at 5 p.m. Instructions on how to join will be posted on the project website.
This Franklin Street Complete Streets Project is supported with $750,000 in funding from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s Climate Smart Communities Grant Program.
Additional information, including a survey and opportunity to provide written comments, can be found on the project website at https://engagekingston.com/franklin-street-complete-streets.
Register for Capital-to-Capital 5K run/walk
For the second year, the Rotary Club of Kingston is sponsoring the Capital-to-Capital 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, October 17. The event kicks off at 9 a.m. on Fair Street in front of the Senate House in Uptown Kingston and finishes on Main Street in the Village of Hurley. The event helps to raise funds for the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration.
The Capital-to-Capital 5K commemorates the human story of the Burning of Kingston, when, in October 1777, over 2,000 Kingstonians fled to the Town of Hurley seeking refuge as British soldiers burned their city to the ground. This included moving the new state capital from Kingston to the Van Deusen House in Hurley. Participants in the event will follow the same path as fleeing colonists did 244 years ago.
The event is open to all, with registration online at www.kingstonnyrotary.org/page/captocap. There is no registration on race day. A virtual option is available for participants to walk or run a five-kilometer (3.1 mile) distance on a trail or park in their hometown or elsewhere, anytime between Monday, October 4 and Sunday, October 17.
For more information, visit www.capitaltocapitalrun.com or contact Richard Cattabiani at cattabianir@gmail.com.
Check out the sukkah at T.R. Gallo Park in Kingston
Last Sunday afternoon at T.R. Gallo Park in Kingston, Desiree Huffman O’Clair of the Jewish Federation of Ulster County decorated a sukkah. This three-sided hut will be open from noon to 7 p.m. during the week. Children and adults of all faiths are invited to come and hear stories and ask questions about different customs. On Saturday, September 25 the sukkah will be open from noon to 8 p.m. with Rabbi Yael Romer sharing stories of Tikkun Olam at 2 p.m. and Havadalah on the Hudson at 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Jonathan Kligler. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call (845) 338-8131.
Join the family! 
