When police found Queens resident Keith Johnson, 46, in the woods near Phoenicia on May 12, he was alive but unresponsive. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police reports. The New York Daily News reported that Johnson, a music teacher in a Queens public school, had been showing signs of distress recently.
“Chekhov wrote for the masses. He wrote wonderful plays that people really enjoyed going to. I wanted to find that spirit in an American version, so American audiences could enjoy it the same way.”
Saturday, May 5: In his talk entitled “The Catskill Tanneries: An Environmental Disaster with a Happy Ending,” local historian Paul Misko describes the development of the tannery industry — particularly in Phoenicia’s Woodland Valley but also in other parts of the Catskills — as well as the consequences of the tanneries’ brief reign, which he says weren’t all bad.
Glo Spa has taken over the former Riverrock building on Ricks Road in Woodstock and will be offering an abundance of services from massages to saunas to beauty treatments.
The Phoenicia Playhouse takes on Moon Over Buffalo from May 4 through 20, Fridays through Sundays, with direction by the theater’s artistic director Michael Koegel.
While issues such as gun control, the proposed Belleayre Resort project, and the Ashokan Rail Trail tend to polarize local residents, it’s instructive to be reminded that people on both sides of these controversies have always had a love of the land and nature as their primary motivation.
The Women’s Woodstock Cycling Grand Prix (WWCGP) returns to the area on Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5, bringing the sixth edition of the world-class women’s-only bicycle road race to Woodstock, Shandaken, Hurley and Saugerties.
Starting Memorial Day weekend 2018. A new venture, based in Phoenicia, lets visitors ride the rails along the Esopus Creek on rail bikes.
Woodstock will mark the 48th Earth Day with a community event, presentation, films, and an interfaith event dedicated to reconnecting with nature.
Shear ended up writing two hit songs, “All Through the Night,” performed by Cyndi Lauper, and “If She Knew What She Wants,” by the Bangles. A total of 11 of his songs have made the top 100 either here or abroad, including his own recording of “Steady,” which made it to number 57 on the U.S. chart. He continues to write and record his music and has been living in Woodstock since the 1980s.
The business of media is changing, but local, on-the-ground, fact-checked journalism is needed now more than ever.
