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WDST choosing 3 local bands for Mountain Jam

Woodstock rock radio station WDST (100.1-FM) has chosen 15 local bands that have a chance to perform at the station's annual Mountain Jam festival. Three bands will be chosen, and among the finalists are two well-known in Greene and Columbia counties, Voodelic (left) and Mother Fletcher. The other bands in the running are WeMustBe, The Penguin Revolution, Steve Schultz, New Clear Rhythm, Elysium Theory, Happy Windsday, Penny Racer - Say Hello To Strangers, Sasha & The Vocal Soul, Crossroads Band, Babydoll, A Sound Decision, 4 Gun Ridge, and David Kraai & The Saddle. Go here to listen to a song from each of the bands, and, once registered with WDST, to vote, deadline is Sunday Apr. 25 at 5 p.m.

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Food movement passing upstate NY by?

From The Watershed Post:

The image above is a detail from a map from the USDA, showing growth and decline in farming between 2002 and 2007. Each red dot represents 20 farms lost during those five years; each blue dot is for 20 new farms. Read the entire article in The Watershed Post.

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Striper biting in Hudson River

TomG of River Basin Sports reports on the first day of the 23rd annual River Basin Sports Striper Contest tournament going on today on the Hudson River:

Well, it didn’t take too long to get our striped bass contest off to a good start. Early this morning at the crack of dawn John Munno, our past 2006 contest winner, hit the waters of the Hudson River in the vicinity of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and discovered that yes, indeed, the stripers are here. Using herring as bait over a rock-gravel bottom in about 20 feet of water he landed a 34 incher, lost a couple of others that were hooked and then boated the first contest entry of 2010 – a 38 ½ inch beauty. Now, John knows, just as well as we here at the River Basin Sports shop do, that there is no way this fish has a prayer of finishing in the money but it was his first striper outing of 2010 and - the first contest entry of the year is always a premiere accomplishment here. Since it was the first fish to be entered we also threw it on the shop scale and saw it tip the needle at 21 lbs 13 ounces. Fishing action in the Catskill – Stockport area of the river continues to be fair to good. Slightly further south, around Germantown, decent action is also reported. We received a report from the Castleton T-way bridge area of good action there over the weekend with fish up into the low 30 inch mark. And even up in the Albany-Troy area there is decent action with a few stripers reported to be running up to around the 3 foot size although one report from there is that the herring have become a little bit spotty. Our Striped Bass Contest sign-ups concluded with a RECORD number of registrants – 604. As our participants are probably aware - we are paying back 100% of the entry monies as prizes 1 through 6 to the entrants bringing in the top six fish (length). That means that at least $9,060 will go to the winners. Read the entire article here.

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Greene County Arts Council funds cultural institutions

Greene County Council on the Arts awarded 11 County Initiative Program awards: Bronck Museum of the Greene County Historical Society was awarded $2,200 to continue, expand and promote cultural, educational, and arts programming, including Music of History series, Heritage Craft Fair and Chilly Willy Tours; Catskill Mountain Foundation, Inc. was awarded $2,650 toward artist fees and related costs for year-round performing arts series, which includes dance, theater, classical music, pop music and family performances; free103point9 was awarded $1,200 for support of the online portion of WGXC (at the time of the application known as Greene/Columbia community radio station project); Greene Room Players was awarded $1,800 in support for 2010 community theater productions plus the Reel Teens film program; Horton by the Stream in Elka Park was awarded $1,000 toward artist fees for production of the 2010 season of free summer professional staged readings of plays, primarily by Horton Foote; Irish American Heritage Museum was awarded $500 for year two of the exhibit “The Irish in Battle” at the museum in East Durham; Music & Art Centre of Greene County was awarded $2,500 toward the 2010 season of summer concerts, Classical music series and Ukrainian folk arts workshops at the Grazhda in Jewett Center; Planet Arts was awarded $1,500 toward support for the 2010 Jazzone2one Series to be held at the Athens Cultural Center in Athens; Thomas Cole National Historic Site – Cedar Grove in Catskill was awarded $2,650 in support for the 2010 exhibition: “Remember the Ladies;” Windham Chamber Music Festival was awarded $2,500 in support of its 2010 concert series in Windham; Zadock Pratt Museum was awarded $2,000 in support for its 2010 season of programs and projects.

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Truck festival comes to Catskills

The Truck festival comes to Shandaken April 30 through May 2, with the Hudson Valley's Mercury Rev headlining with a chamber orchestra. For more information contact the Full Moon Resort at 254-5117.

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'Where We Live' opening Saturday in Freehold

The Broderick Fine Art Gallery hosts the April 24 opening of "Where We Live," a show of plein air landscapes of the Northern Catskills by Barbara L. Walter. The gallery is located upstairs at Ruby’s Hotel, 3689 County Road 67 in Freehold, just off Route 32. The show runs through May 22 and gallery hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 5–10 p.m. and the opening is this Saturday from 5-7 p.m.

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Board of Education candidates file petitions

From The Daily Freeman:

Candidates for Board of Education seats in Ulster, Columbia, Dutchess and Greene counties filed petitions [by] Monday to secure a spot on the May 18 school district election ballots.... The candidates, listed by school district, are as follows:

Columbia County
In Germantown, incumbent Teresa Repko, of Germantown, and Eric Mortension, of Gallatin, were the only candidates to file petitions early Monday. The names of the two will appear on the ballot for election to a four-year term and a one year unexpired term left by the resignation of Suzanne Pelletier.

Greene County
In the Cairo-Durham school district, eight candidates are running for four seats on the board, with three seats carrying a three-year term and the fourth seat with a one-year unexpired term. The three-year seats are currently held by board Vice President Thomas Plank and trustees Greg Koerner-Fox and Fred Zimmerman. Debra Armstrong resigned from the fourth seat. Besides incumbents Plank of Mountain Avenue, Purling, and Koerner-Fox of Indian Ridge Road, Earlton, incumbent Trustee Beatrice Clappin of Enchanted Valley Drive, Cornwallville, also filed a petition. Clappin was appointed to fill Armstrong’s seat until the May 18 election. Also running are Nicole Maggio of Halfmoon Drive, Cairo; Samuel Mozzillo of county Route 31, Purling; Dean Pectal of Gibson Road, Greenville; Patricia Ublacker of Orchard Drive, Leeds; and Jennifer Sabine of state Route 20, Durham.

In Catskill, 10 individuals will vie for three seats, each carrying a three-year term, as well as a fourth seat to fill a vacancy, which carries a two-year term. The three seats are currently held by board President Randall Griffin of Mahican Way, Catskill, and trustees Michael Bulich of Greenpoint Road, Catskill, and Lisa Warner of Bogardus Avenue, Catskill. The vacancy was created by the resignation of former Trustee Beverly Cotten. Besides the three incumbents, candidates are former board member Carol Schilansky of Elting Road, Catskill; Carthette Burnett of Main Street, Catskill; Francesca Daisernia of Leeds; Ronald Frascello of Gary Lane, Palenville; Matthew Leitman of Pleasant Drive, Catskill; Tracy Powell of Bogart Road, Palenville; and Christopher VanLoan of Rams Horn Drive, Catskill.

In the Coxsackie-Athens school district, three seats, each carrying a three-year term, are up for election, though only two incumbents are being challenged. Incumbents Mark Gerrain, of Hamilton Street, Coxsackie; Russell Nadler, of Flats Road Extension, Athens; and Beth Tailleur, of state Route 81, Climax, each filed petitions for re-election. Tailleur is being challenged for her seat by Kim VanAusdle, of Sunset Boulevard, Coxsackie, while Nadler is being challenged for his seat by Stephen Oliveira, of Schoharie Turnpike, Athens. Gerrain, the current board vice-president, is unopposed for re-election.

In the Hunter-Tannersville school district, incumbent Trustee Marc Czermerys of June Lodge Drive, Tannersville, is being challenged by Penelope Fromer, address unavailable, for a five-year term. Read the entire article here.

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Club Helsinki opens May 1

Saturday morning Club Helsinki announced to its Facebook members that the club from Great Barrington will open in Hudson May 1, near the corner of N. 4th St. and Columbia St. Spottiswoode & His Enemies (watch YouTube video below) will open the club that Saturday. Cellist Matt Haimovitz and his eight-piece cello ensemble, perform May 8, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus takes the stage May 30, and there will be a WGXC fundraiser at Club Helsinki June 17.



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Tenants, experts ponder fate of Bliss Towers

Debora Gilbert in The Columbia Paper has a detailed story that also gets the big picture about Tuesday's meeting about the future of the Bliss Towers housing complex on N. 2nd St. in Hudson. Yet, like the Register-Star story that ran before the meeting, this recap does not say where the meeting was held.

”Are you saying you are going to knock it down?” someone asked at a meeting held this week to discuss the future of Bliss Towers, the 36-year-old public housing complex. “We're entertaining the idea of replacement. Maintenance has become a headache,” said Jeffrey First, who manages the building as executive director of the Hudson Housing Authority, a program associated with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Bliss Towers, the only federal housing project in the city, needs either significant renovation or replacement. A renovation that would bring the building up to new green energy and health standards required by HUD could cost $17 million or more, over $100,000 per unit. The concrete apartment complex was built before planners designed for greater energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainable maintenance costs. The first informational meeting to discuss its possible replacement with new housing was held last September. The meeting Tuesday, April 13, brought together a roomful of green housing experts, city officials and five tenants to exchange information and ideas about the possibility of replacing the towers... But tenant Tiffany Garriga voiced her opposition to such [green energy] plans. “I don't want my kids to be squeezed because you guys want to go green,” said Ms. Garriga, who lives in a 7th-floor, 3-bedroom apartment with a view of the Catskill Mountains. She was not the only tenant present who said that high-rise construction deterred crime. She just wants officials to fix the building and add a fully equipped playground. Since it was built in 1973, repairs to the structure, boilers, elevators, windows, plumbing and roof, have cost $1.75 million. A lobby renovation in the planning stage for the past 10 years has not yet been realized. The experts in the room agreed that renovation costs are usually higher than new construction, and said it was a harder sell to get HUD to agree to renovation. Read the entire article here.

Using the word "lobby" to describe the current entrance to Bliss Towers is sadly comical.

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Gibson, Seward address 'tea party' rally Saturday in Otego

From Tom Grace in The Daily Star:

Later Thursday, Chuck Pinkey of Otego said another Tea Party Protest will be held at River Valley New Holland in Otego on Saturday, April 24. Among those to speak that Saturday will be state [New York State] Sen. James Seward (who represents Greene County], R-Milford, and two Republican congressional candidates, Richard Hanna of Barneveld and [Republican Congressional challenger in the NY-20 race against Scott Murphy] Christopher Gibson of Kinderhook, he said.

According to this Daily Star letter to the editor, the protest will be from 1 to 4 p.m. at River Valley Ford, which is about halfway between Oneonta and Otego on Route 7.

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International Dinner photos

International Community Dinner and Cultural Festival at First Presbyterian Church, 4th and Warren Sts. in Hudson.

(David Gallardo and Oscar Santillan performed songs of Ecuador.)

(Carline Murphy of the Haitian Community Development Project spoke about the prospects for long-term relief for the people of Haiti.)

(Jody Rael of Sun Dog Solar in Chatham spoke about sending solar ovens to Haiti.)

(Hosneara Kader, Kaniz Fatima, and Salami Miah played Bangladeshi music.)

(Abby Lappen played her guitar.)


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Gibson vs. Murphy: Quarterly FEC reports

CONGRESSIONAL COMPARISON

Click here to search for Federal Election Commission finance reports from candidates from March 31.

Chris Gibson (Republican)
Receipts $108,519
Individual $102,119
PAC $1,500
Party $0
Candidate $4,900
Other $0
Cash on hand $91,826

Scott Murphy (Democrat)
Receipts $3,730,535
Individual $1,821,342
PAC $1,252,403
Party $8,807
Candidate $250,000
Other $397,983
Cash on hand $1,090,368

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Saturday night rocks

Lady Moon at Savoia, 244 Warren St., Hudson.
Mother Fletcher at Main St. Pub, 12 Main St., Philmont.
Smokin' Aces Blues Band at Fernwood Theater, 341 Malden Ave., Palenville.
NYC-based Girls in Trouble focused on obscure female characters in the Bible, with area songstress Ali Dineen at Spotty Dog Books & Ale.

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Molinaro hosts public forum Wednesday in Hudson

New York State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro (R,C,I-Red Hook) and Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C-Canandaigua) will speak at a public forum in Hudson, NY to discuss the People’s Convention to Reform New York Act (A.9157) Wednesday in Hudson. This legislation would place a question on the ballot for the 2010 elections calling for a Constitutional Convention, according to a news release from Molinaro's staff. The forum is Wednesday, April 21, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hudson Elks Club, 201 Harry Howard Ave., in Hudson.

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International Community Dinner and Cultural Festival Saturday

Ninth annual International Community Dinner and Cultural Festival admission-free event includes traditional cuisine (potluck), music, and dance from diverse nations and cultures, including Haitian, Bangladeshi, Puerto Rican, Nicaraguan, African-American, Mediterranean, and African Sat. Apr 17, 2010 from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Please bring your ethnic food to share! Information at 366-2551 or 672-7901. Also, hear about efforts to rebuild Haiti, including a shipping container going there from Columbia County. (Donations welcome: tents, sleeping bags, soap, toilet paper, rice, pasta, canned fish, dried beans, and powdered milk.) At First Presbyterian Church, 4th and Warren Streets in Hudson.

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Organic composting facility coming to Cairo?

From Susan Campriello in The Daily Mail:

An organic waste disposal company hopes to open a composting facility for food and yard waste on town-owned property on Route 145. The facility, which could process 3,000 tons of material a year, could be located on a roughly seven-acre portion of the former Cairo Cement Plant and quarry behind the Cairo Highway Department complex. The developer, Charles Docktor, of Catskill Mountain Organics, must enter into an lease agreement with the town in order to proceed with the facility. Read the entire article in The Daily Mail.

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Malpass to challenge Gillibrand

The Associated Press reports economist David Malpass announced Wednesday he would seek the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

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Congressman: Catskill's Holcim concrete mine among 48 most dangerous

In the wake of the mine disaster last week in West Virginia, yesterday U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, released a list of 48 mines identified by federal mine safety officials in August 2009 for increased scrutiny, but were not targeted due to unresolved appeals filed by mine operators. The list includes Greene County's Holcim (US) Inc mine, and notes the owner contests 29.95 percent of violations against the mine. Holcim has 126 employees. Firedoglake has a table here.

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Store follows club to Hudson

Club Helsinki has also brought at least one musician, Evan Randall, and now, apparently, a store from Great Barrington to Hudson, per Rural Intelligence:

When Club Helsinki closed last year, “It broke my heart,” says Meri Avratin (left), who had been a bartender there for over seven years. “I still miss it. For me, it was the cultural epicenter of the Berkshires, and I loved being part of it.” With the center ring suddenly dark, Avratin cast about for something new to do, and, a year ago, she opened Sideshow Clothing Co., purveyors of vintage and used clothing for men and women, in Sheffield, MA. Recently, she relocated her store from the tiny space it had occupied on Route 7, just south of Great Barrington, to a much larger storefront across from the park in the 700 block of Warren Street in Hudson. Read the entire article on Rural Intelligence.

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19th Annual Antique & Classic Bicycle Auction and Swap Meet

The Fallons have a long and respected reputation with the annual antique & classic bicycling auction Friday, April 16, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. at Copake Auction House, 266 Cty Rt 7A, Chatham. A recent addition is a day long Swap Meet before the auction. Browse their online catalog at www.copakeauction.com.

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Seward backs amendment to opt out of health care

Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I- Oneonta) is proposing a state constitutional amendment that would permit New York residents to opt out of the federally mandated requirement to purchase health insurance. Under Senator Seward’s New York Health Care Freedom Act (senate bill 7374), "individuals would have the right to choose their health care plans, and also be allowed to opt out of coverage. The bill is intended to protect the liberty of New York citizens to control their own medical care, and wouldn’t affect those who want the federal care." Seward's staff says similar amendments have already been signed into law in three states and proposed in 36 others. An mp3 audio file from Seward is here:
NY State Sen. James Seward on amendment to opt out of health care.

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Film crew sought for area production

Per the Woodstock Film Festival (h/t The 12534), Ulster County-based actress Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed) makes her directorial debut with a low-budget production called "Higher Ground" that films nearby and is looking to hire Hudson Valley crew members for May-June film production. Send e-mail with resume to highergroundmovie@me.com. They are looking for: 1st A.D; Art Department Personnel; Caterer; Gaffer; Key Grip; Production Designer; Sound Person, and crew and cast housing. If you have a rental available in Kerhonkson area during May-June, e-mail highergroundmovie@me.com. Farmiga will also star in the film, which is based on This Dark World, a memoir by Carolyn Briggs. The script is by Briggs and Tim Metcalfe, and production is slated to begin here this June, according to /Film.

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Despite local opposition, legislature eases absentee ballot process

Rick Karlin of Capitol Confidential reports that this morning the New York State Senate passed an absentee ballot bill 35-27. The bill, previously passed by the Assembly, will make it easier to cast an absentee ballot, removing requirements to "disclose the special circumstances requiring his absence," among others. Not surprisingly, Greene and Columbia counties' Republican legislators are against the bill. Both local Assemblyman, Marc Molinaro in Columbia and Pete Lopez in Greene, voted against the bill. Both Senator Jim Seward (Greene) and Sen. Steve Saland (Columbia) voted against the bill this morning. Recently, Republicans in Columbia County have challenged many absentee ballots, targeting second-home owners as the voting totals have turned from slightly Republican to slightly Democratic in the county.

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Pataki will not challenge Gillibrand

From North Country Public Radio:

State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand looks less and less vulnerable these days, and more and more like a juggernaut. The last truly viable Republican who might have taken her on, former Governor George Pataki, has formally bowed out. So have the Democrats who once threatened to challenge her in a primary. Meanwhile, Sen. Gillibrand's war-chest has grown dramatically -- she's raised more than $8 million dollars in the year since Governor Paterson anointed her. Read the entire article from North Country Public Radio.

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Murphy comes to Palenville

Congressman Scott Murphy will hold a town meeting in Palenville Monday, April 19, at 1:30 p.m. at the Palenville Fire Department, 717 Rte. 32A, Palenville. Murphy is running for re-election against Republican Chris Gibson.

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Seward to appear at Schoharie County "Tax Day Tea Party"

New York State Senator Jim Seward will speak at a "Tax Day Tea Party" at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15 at Lancaster Development, Inc., 145 Podpadic Road, Richmondville, in Schoharie County.

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Gibson has $91,825 for race against Murphy

From Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential:

Chris Gibson, the retired Army colonel from Kinderhook who is running against Rep. Scott Murphy, has raised $108,000 toward his race against Rep. Scott Murphy. According to his quarterly FEC filing, Gibson has $91,825.97 on hand for his run against Murphy, a freshman Democrat from Glens Falls. Murphy’s quarterly disclosure is not yet filed (it’s due tomorrow) but his aides have indicated he raised $475,000 this quarter, bringing his total war chest to $1.1 million. Gibson formally declared his candidacy March 6, and said he would report a “respectable” amount of money, that would make him competitive “in the air” against Murphy. Read the entire article in Capitol Confidential.

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State to close bridge on Route 9G for six months

From The Daily Freeman:

The state Department of Transportation has announced the Roeliff Jansen Kill Bridge, on the Germantown-Livingston town line on state Route 9G, will be closed beginning Monday, April 19, until October. The closing for replacement of the bridge deck, among other work, will require through traffic on state Route 9G to detour to U.S. Route 9. The bridge is located on the segment of state Route 9G between Block Factory Road and Columbia County Route 10. From the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and points north, motorists will be detoured to state Route 23 east to Route 9 south; to Route 9G north. From the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge and points south, traffic will be routed to state Route 199 east to Route 9G south; to Route 9 north to Route 23 west. Read the entire story at The Daily Freeman.

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IDA denies Kohl's tax break

From Francesca Olsen in The Register-Star:

The Columbia County Industrial Development Agency unanimously denied a request Tuesday morning from Widewaters Development Corp. on behalf of the Kohl’s department store chain for a 15-year payment in lieu of taxes. Read the entire article at The Register-Star.

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Shad on the rebound?

From The Watershed Post:

American shad, once plentiful in the Hudson and the smaller rivers they return to each year to spawn, have suffered tremendous declines in recent years--so much so that the NY DEC declared them off-limits in the Hudson this year. Nevertheless, the guides at Cross Current Fly Fishing think this is going to be a good year for shad on the Delaware:

Reports of 20+ fish days are common throughout the river up to the Delaware Water Gap. This past week the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission electrofished a stretch of river near Raubsville, PA and averaged 39 fish per hour, a very high number according to fisheries biologists. Read the entire story in The Watershed Post.

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No JetBlue expansion plans at Stewart, for now

From Mid-Hudson News.com:

JetBlue Airways is for now planning on sticking with its two daily flights to Florida from Stewart Airport, just west of Newburgh. The airline flies one flight a day each to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. At some point it would like to consider expanding, but for now, officials say they are satisfied with the level of service they provide to the Hudson Valley. If and when they decide to expand, one city they would consider is Las Vegas. In fact, JetBlue Northeast Regional Manager Susan Gorski told MidHudsonNews.com in an exclusive interview that airport officials have pitched them to cover that destination city. “We would have to have enough traffic to sustain that; 150 people on a daily basis,” she said. “I know our folks do a lot of research before they go into a market because when we go into a market, we are committed to it and don’t want to go in and pull out of a market.” Read the entire article at Mid Hudson News.

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Chris Gibson positions

Conservative blog The Daily Sok reports on what Kinderhook's Republican Congressional candidate Chris Gibson said, meeting with a group of so-called "tea party" citizens outside NY's District 20 at Duke's Pub in Glenmont last Wednesday, about his positions in his quest to unseat Democrat incumbent Scott Murphy:

The Colonel didn’t miss a beat answering the opening question (posed by a local activist sporting a symbolic Tin Foil Hat), “Will you support impeaching President Obama for violating the terms of his Oath of Office?” His level reply: “No”. Rather, he said, he will focus on “making him [President Obama] a one-termer”, which drew a cacophony of applause from those gathered. Other answers drew mixed reactions. On Abortion, the Colonel, who was “raised Catholic”, doesn’t oppose Abortion “in the first trimester”, which split the crowd roughly evenly. He responded to calls from the crowd that the “Fed has no place [in Abortion]” by re-emphasizing that his position is “aligned with limited government”. When asked “Why can’t you be bought?” Gibson revealed he intends to turn back his military pension when he is elected, to avoid any semblance of “double-dipping” and sees the opportunity to represent NY-20 as “not a job, a cause”. He sees a balanced budget and term limits as steps towards shifting power away from Washington and back to the local communities. He indicated that, as a 24-year Veteran, he is keenly aware of the need to cut Soviet-era systems and his 4 combat tours in Iraq have given him a unique insight into effective strategies for dealing with threats like Al Qaeda, including (exceedingly popular with the crowd) dismantling the Department of Homeland Security.

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Defrosted audio

"Defrost" was a fundraiser for WGXC March 20, 2010 at Spotty Dog Books & Ale with a number of amazing performances. Really, this was a special night with some incredible performances. Below are links to mp3 audio recordings of performances that night. They may not play in Internet Explorer, try a different browser. You may need Quicktime Pro Player to download files.

Rob Hervey performed first, and you can hear all but the very beginning of his performance here, or by pasting this url into your media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
RobHervey_SpottyDog_WGXC_032010.mp3

After Hervey, DJ Lunar Moon (who can be heard Thursdays at PM Wine Bar) kept everyone happy until Evan Randall (pictured, above right) performed. Listen to his mp3 here, or insert this code:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
EvanRandall_SpottyDog_
WGXC_032010.mp3

Catskill's Brian Dewan (right) followed with a set that included "Our Ever-Improving Village," which one could surmise draws locally for some of its descriptions and metaphors. Dewan is pictured at right, and his set's mp3 can be heard here, or by inserting:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
BrianDewan_SpottyDog_WGXC_032010.mp3

Lady Moon (right) kept the auto harp flava going, with her set here, or here:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
LadyMoon_SpottyDog_WGXC_032010.mp3

Matthew O'Koren (below, right) did some comedy while standing up, which you can hear here, or here:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
MatthewOKoren_SpottyDog_
WGXC_032010.mp3

Alexander Turnquist (below) finished up the night on guitar, with some vibes help from O'Koren. Click here to listen to the mp3, or insert:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
AlexanderTurnquistMattOKoren_SpottyDog_WGXC_032010.mp3



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Bliss Towers meeting

The first line of Jamie Larson's story in the Register-Star about the Bliss Towers renovations never gets proven: "Residents and city officials agree: Hudson’s 30 year old, 11 story, 132 unit low-income housing high-rise built during the height of the Urban Renewal program in the 1970s, is obsolete." Larson never produces one person to verify that statement. Who are these people that agree? In Hudson? Who says it is obsolete? Why not ask someone who lives there? Then Larson says, "On Tuesday, Omni Housing Development will hold an informational planning discussion with local officials and developers to discuss what they hope will be a more socially and environmentally responsible low-income housing system to replace the aging tower." The story never says where the meeting is, or what time it is on Tuesday.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Lequin/Morini/Kelly at Hudson Opera House

Incident Report and WGXC presented three performances at Hudson Opera House last night: Canada's Julie Lequin, and Hudson's Tom Morini and Jeremy Kelly. Kelly went first and performed with Geoff Macioleck (left in photo), and was followed by Morini solo at the piano. Lequin finished things up, and her audio would not make sense without the video she played with it, so we will not post an mp3 of her performance. Lequin's "Car Talk" installation is viewable/listenable at Incident Report's 348 Warren St. location through April 19.

Click here to listen to mp3 of Tom Morini's performance, or paste this into your media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
TomMorini_HOH_WGXC_041010.mp3

Click here to listen to mp3 of Jeremy Kelly and Geoff Macioleck's performance, or paste this into your media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/04/
JeremyJeff_HOH_WGXC_041010.mp3

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Hudson changes

As we reported Friday, Jean Deux Books & Records is moving out of its current space at 339 Warren St. April 17 after the landlord raised the rent dramatically. In its place, a reclaimed lumber store will open, we hear. Jean Deux is contemplating taking over the building next to Strongtree Organic Coffee Roasters across from the Amtrak station. At the other end of Hudson, several sources suggest there is a falafel restaurant opening at 11 N. 7th St. on the park, where a construction permit dated April 6 hangs. There is now a Facebook group for the restaurant. And the Times-Union reports Mexican Radio is opening a Schenectady outpost, to add to its original Manhattan location and its spot at 537 Warren St. And Sam Pratt says Baba Louie's (of the 517 Warren St. and Great Barrington locations) will open another outpost in Pittsfield.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Startup Greene-Columbia radio station raises $28K

From Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman:

The fundraising deadline to help community radio station WGXC get on the air has been extended until July 1, the program director says. Tom Roe said that, as of Friday, the station has raised 40 percent of what it needs to match a $71,486 grant provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration through its Public Telecommunications Facilities Program. He said the station has raised $28,357, but still needs another $43,128. “It’s been going very well so far,” Roe said of the fundraising. He said $5,000 was raised in the past two weeks to get the deadline extended from March 31 to July 1. Roe said the money being raised will help the station buy the equipment necessary to get on the air. He said the grant, though, will only pay for large equipment, like the transmitter. The grant will fund half of the equipment needed to put the station on the air later this year at 90.7 on the FM dial. WGXC will be a 3,300-watt non-commercial community radio station with shows about local issues such as agriculture, history, the arts and education. It will reach most of Greene and Columbia counties and have studios at the Catskill Community Center and in Hudson. Another studio may be established in Cairo. Roe said the station is trying to get on the air by the end of September and that individuals interested in hosting shows have until May 1 to apply. The application form is available at www.wgxc.org. Most of the shows will be hosted by people from Columbia and Greene counties and feature topics of interest to those locales, Roe said. One of the station’s next fund raising events will be an open mic night on April 23 at Gallagher’s, 513 Main St., Cairo. The event will run from 7 to 9 p.m. and is being held in conjunction with the Cairo Public Library.

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Murphy comes to Bard Monday

Congressman Scott Murphy, now also running a campaign against Republican Chris Gibson, to retain his seat in New York's 20th District, holds one of his town meetings this Monday, April 12, from 2:45 – 3:45 p.m. at the Weis Cinema in Bertelsmann Campus Center, at Bard College, 30 Campus Rd. in Red Hook.

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WGXC in Hudson Saturday

WGXC staff will be in Hudson on Saturday, first in front of Jean Deux Books & Records at 339 Warren St. (though they just lost their lease and will be out of this space April 18), giving out information about community radio and taking Founding Memberships from 1-4 p.m. Then, at 6 p.m. we move to the Hudson Opera House, where WGXC and Incident Report present Incident No. 31: Julie Lequin One Night Performance of Top 30, with special guests Tom Morini, Jeremy Kelly on Saturday, April 10, from 6-9 p.m. The performance of Top 30 combines live presentation with video projection. Admission is free. Incident Report is an experimental viewing station for visual projects, located in Hudson, NY. We are a model of portability, non-site, no-budget and low-maintenance. We offer an interface between the many publics of the street, and the concepts and issues generated by artists and social thinkers in a wide yet coherent spectrum. Installation of Jule Lequin's "Car Talk": March 22 - April 19, 2010 Knitting together excerpts from the NPR show of the same name and my own fabricated responses, Car Talk presents a fictional conversation between myself and the two radio icons discussing my linguistic troubles, my Québécoise identity and life as an artist. Also one-night performance of Lequin's "Top 30," April 10 with special guests Thomas Morini and Jeremy Kelly. WGXC live broadcast on WGXC Online Radio at www.wgxc.org. Performances at the Hudson Opera House: April 10, 6-9 p.m. @ 327 Warren Street - Hudson, NY. One Night Performance of Julie Lequin's, Top 30 With Special Music/Sound Performances by Jeremy Kelly and Thomas Kiko Morini.

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Young Paris ft. Lady Moon: All Alone

New song from Hudson's Young Paris, "All Alone" with his sister Lady Moon.

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Timlin and thenumber46 Saturday in Albany

From Nippertown!:

The Albany Sonic Arts Collective just keeps hitting ‘em the out of the ballpark: Saturday at Upstate Artists Guild in Albany, they’re hosting “Defragmented: A Concert of Emergent Systems,” featuring the Finnish based composer/sound artist Marko Timlin and thenumber46. Both acts use improvisation and non-linear analog systems to create music that teeters on the edge between control and chaos. Helsinki-based Marko Timlin has invented a variety of virtual and analog instruments and his music focuses on real-time interactions with electronic media with often unpredictable and surprising results. thenumber46, a duo comprised of electro-acoustic flutist (and free103point9 collaborator) Suzanne Thorpe and electronic musician Philip White, improvise volatile and explosive soundscapes by pushing and coaxing feedback systems to their limits.

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Bella's Bartok: Satan's Song

Bella's Bartok plays original song "Satan's Song" at WGXC New Year's Masquerade Ball at Basilica Industria in Hudson, NY for radio station WGXC, New Year's 2009/2010.

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Kelli Rudick: Hudson Opera House (in five parts)

Kelli Rudick performing at the Hudson Opera House, Jan 30 2010 (live webcast on WGXC Radio). Part one of five on YouTube.

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George Quasha: Axial Drumming & Preverbs

Video, drum performance, and text (preverbs) by George Quasha. First full live performance of "Axial Drumming with Preverbs" using digital LED of Preverbs text (presentation design by Susan Quasha) on the occasion of a benefit fundraiser at Nicole Fiacco Gallery in Hudson, New York, for WGXC radio station --"Hands-on Radio 90.7 FM" (see www.WGXC.org). Event organized by Paul Smart and Max Goldfarb for WGXC.

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Greene County factory will not close, sparing 200 jobs

From Chris Churchill in the Times-Union:

GlaxoSmithKline announced this evening that it would shift its toothpaste manufacturing from New Jersey to Greene County preventing the shutdown of its plant in Oak Hill. The British pharmaceutical giant had planned to shutter the Oak Hill plant by 2012, following its $3.6 billion acquisition last year of Stiefel Laboratories, which made skin products there. Glaxo will still shift skin-product manufacturing to a plant in Canada, as originally planned. But it will invest $56 million to remake the Oak Hill factory to manufacture Aquafresh, the company and Greene County officials said. The move will not save every Glaxo job in Greene County. After the transition, the Oak Hill plant will employ about 200 workers, down from the more than 260 who work there now. And some of the jobs will be taken by workers transferring from the plant in Clifton, N.J., which will close in 2012. "It's going to be a mix and match of current employees and new employees," said Alexander "Sandy" Mathes, the executive director of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency, which worked to save the plant. Glaxo's decision to close the plant stunned Greene County officials, who have depended on the factory as a stable source of employment in the mostly rural area. Officials described Thursdays announcement as a victory resulting from a long effort by several local and state agencies including Empire State Development, the Division of Housing and Community Renewal and others to keep the factory open. In part, they did that by targeting the factory for nearly $7 million in grants designed to boost energy efficiency and modernize the plant. Also, the Greene County IDA will freeze property taxes at the site and exempt Glaxo from some sales taxes. The Oak Hill plant consists of 250,000 square feet of manufacturing and laboratory space along Route 145.

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Stream management program funds awarded

Michael Ryan in the Windham Journal writes:

Thousands of dollars were handed out when the Schoharie Watershed Advisory Council awarded its second round of Stream Management Program funds, last week, during a meeting at the Windham Country Club. SWAC members awarded $77,627 to seven entities in Greene and Delaware counties for projects aimed at preserving water quality in the New York City reservoir system and increasing awareness of watershed related issues. All of the funds are provided by the Department of Environmental Protection, which has set aside $2 million to be distributed over a 5-year period, with two years having passed on the contract, administered by the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District. [Greene County] Funds were allocated in round two as follows:

—EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: The Mountaintop Arboretum in Tannersville, $6,810, with a $750 In-kind contribution to create landscape design plans for a Wooded Walk outdoor classroom, accommodating approximately 45 people. The natural amphitheater will offer year-round outdoor programming on ecological and natural history topics relating to the watershed such as wetland plants, insect and wildlife along riparian areas, birding, stream health and leaf pack workshops to learn about geology.

—EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: Greene County Cornell Cooperative Extension, $1,884 with a $498 In-kind contribution to set up a rain barrel workshop that will be held at the Sugar Maples Arts Center in Maplecrest. The hands-on workshop will take place during Schoharie Watershed Week, May 17-23, 2010, providing materials and instruction for approximately ten families, teaching them to construct a rain barrel for home use. While the rain barrels will be fun to build, they will also be functional. The workshop will also introduce participants to methods of stormwater control, non-point pollution prevention and conservation of water resources in a residential setting.

—EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: the SWAC Education and Outreach Committee, $5,100 with an In-kind contribution of $4,125 to conduct a series of events, activities and workshops for people of all ages during Schoharie Watershed Week, taking place throughout the region. On tap will be a watershed-related film series (at the Hunter Theater in the town of Hunter), fly-fishing demonstrations, downspout disconnect programs, an Adopt-A-Stream clean up, a watershed scavenger hunt and kayak and canoe demonstrations.

—RECREATION/HABITAT IMPROVEMENTS: the Town of Windham, $15,000 with an In-kind contribution of $6,536 (and a potential to raise more in community contributions) to be used toward the creation of a multi-use, non-motorized trail on the Batavia Kill. The 1.1 mile loop trail will be built on a 68-acre parcel owned by the town at the former Police Anchor Camp, along Route 23, on the eastern outskirts of the hamlet district, allowing for improved access to the popular fishing stream. Bridge and boardwalk materials are needed to cross over a wetland and a tributary. A trail committee of local residents and business owners is planning the Windham Path with assistance from the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District.

--PLANNING & ASSESSMENT: the Town of Hunter, $35,000 with an In-kind contribution of $5,000 to conduct a detailed review of current land use regulations with an intent to adopt revisions and write new regulations and/or guidelines promoting low impact design, climate smart and smart growth principles. In the absence of zoning, the town is seeking to investigate, and adopt as appropriate, innovative land use practices which will be an incentive to achieve desirable future growth related to private housing, development and commercial enterprises.

--PLANNING & ASSESSMENT: the towns of Ashland, Jewett, Lexington and Windham and the villages of Hunter and Tannersville, $12,000 with an In-kind contribution of $21,500 from the Catskill Watershed Corporation to hold “Mountaintop-wide Better Site Design Plan Workshops.” The workshops will guide each community through a comparison of the local codes against model development principles using a consensus building approach. Model principles will then be compiled into a General Guide for Mountaintop Communities, facilitating specific recommendations for each community.

SWAC has thus far awarded a total of $518,957.50 in the first two rounds of programming, leaving $1.481,042.50 for future projects. The application deadline for round three is August 2, 2010, with approvals formally taking place on October 27, 2010. Projects awarded funding in round one included improving stream access along the Schoharie Creek in the town of Prattsville by constructing a parking area and installing floodplain drains under Vista Ridge Road in the Town of Jewett, reducing backwater conditions causing channel aggradation. Stormwater retrofits were approved at the Mountaintop Library in the village of Tannersville and Town of Hunter, reducing the quantity of, and improving the conveyance of, stormwater runoff, vastly improving water quality.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Barrett campaign announcement

Didi Barrett announces her campaign for NY State Senate in Poughkeepsie, NY April 7, 2010 in the video above. Later in the day, she also announced her candidacy at the Columbia Courthouse in Hudson, with about 50 onlookers, the Register-Star reported. Barrett so far is the first Democrat to announce a challenge for the 41st New York State Senate seat held by Republican Steve Saland that covers Columbia County, and Dutchess and other nearby area.

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Copake Green for sale: $1.2M

Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper reports:

The 122-acre cornfield between the hamlet and the Copake town hall--the proposed site of a controversial 138-unit senior and mixed-income housing development called Copake Green--is now up for sale [from Housing Resources of Columbia County]. The asking price is $1.2 million. And unless someone ready, willing and able to invest in the housing project shows up before the property is sold, Copake Green will be nothing more than a not-so-fond memory for many in town who never thought it was a good idea.

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Feds: If you close parks, you risk losing funding

Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential reports:

Federal officials have sent a letter to Gov. David Paterson, warning him that his proposed closure of state parks and historic sites would put New York in “non-compliance” with the requirements attached to funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, possibly resulting in the loss of federal funding for parks or other areas. “In addition, closure of any park acquired through FLP (Federal Land to Parks) could result in reversion of the property to federal ownership and the possible sale of the property,” wrote Dennis Reidenbach, Northeast Regional Director for the National Parks Service. The letter, posted on Facebook by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, is dated March 31. New York received just under $1.9 million in federal parks funding in 2010, the letter said. Paterson’s proposed closures would save about $6.3 million; the state faces a $9.2 billion budget deficit.

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ZBA gives Lebanon Valley Speedway’s go-cart track green light

Property rights issues are always the most intense and contentious issues, and Paul Crossman of the Chatham Courier tells one story:

Overnight RV parking and the construction of a new go-cart track at Lebanon Valley Speedway have been issues of contention in New Lebanon for quite some time now. But while one issue has been resolved — the go-cart track — the other has not. And racing season is fast approaching. At their regular meeting Tuesday night, April 6, the Zoning Board of Appeals, with the exception of board President John Dax, who recused himself due to a conflict of interest, voted unanimously to allow a special site use permit for the go-cart track, with certain conditions and restrictions. “It’s been a very long, tedious process,” said Lebanon Valley Speedway owner Howard Commander. “The board, in the end, acted fairly, but nothing changed [regarding the track] from day one.” Commander added that nearly all the conditions the board stipulated had already been met in his original plan for the track. Stipulations the ZBA instituted for the track and its use include taking steps to minimize sound and light pollution, including a landscaped buffer area at least 50-feet wide, 10 feet of which must be coniferous trees; no structures located within 100 feet of adjoining property lines; adequate off-street parking for up to 200 additional cars; and limiting track use to Wednesday and Sunday from May 1 to Oct. 31, when other races are already occurring to minimize sound discomfort to neighbors. The go carts would also have to meet standards for the quietest exhaust systems available. The ZBA also considered the fact that the closest neighbors live more than a mile from the track and reports indicate that the sound level at that distance would be around 48 decibels — less than the volume of a normal conversation.

UPDATE: Crossman apparently missed the news that track owner Howard Commander plans to hold a multi-day music festival there this summer, and there is now a kerfuffle between the town and Commander over the definitions of camping and "overnight parking," according to Gail Heinsohn's story in The Columbia Paper.


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'Chillavision' premieres on local access TV

Rob Hervey, a Catskill-based musician who has performed at several WGXC fundraisers, has created "Chillavision," a public access television show of his music set to video footage with effects that debuts Wednesday, April 14 at 10 p.m. on Mid-Hudson Cable's Channel 11. "The first episode features songs from my 2006 release "Subterralembic" with locally shot video footage manipulated in such a way to entrance and mesmerize the viewer," Hervey says.

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Local newspaper chain buys last independent Greene County weekly

The Hudson-Catskill Newspaper Corp. -- the company that runs the only daily newspapers in each county (The Daily Mail and Register-Star) as well as weekly papers in Chatham, Windham, and on the mountaintop -- bought Greene County's only remaining weekly, the Greene County Local Courier, and The Ravena News-Herald, from George McHugh, today's issue of the Courier reports. The story names frequent contributor Melanie Lekocevic as new editor, and says H-CN plans to continue publishing both weeklies. The story does not say whether the purchased papers will now get web sites. Earlier this year The Greenville Press ceased publication.

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Friar Tuck closed

WTEN reports:

The Friar Tuck Inn didn't find a Robin Hood to save it. The massive resort and conference center in Catskill that had fallen into disrepair and bankruptcy has been closed. Ulster Savings Bank of Kingston had recently taken over the property and had been seeking a buyer. But at a hearing at bankruptcy court in Albany Wednesday morning, the bank's attorney said the resort is closed. The facility is still operating its timeshare and efficiency apartment businesses.

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Solid Sound Festival curated by Wilco

The Solid Sound Festival is a new festival curated by the Chicago band Wilco. It debuts August 13 – 15 at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Adams, MA. The Solid Sound Festival is an independently promoted and ticketed three-day event of music, art, comedy, interactivity and more. Wilco headlines the weekend, in the bandʼs only East Coast performance of the summer. This new festival also presents individual performances by all the Wilco membersʼ side projects including Glenn Kotcheʼs On Fillmore, The Nels Cline Singers, The Autumn Defense featuring John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensenʼs Pronto. Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA also plays host to additional musical performances, a fully programmed comedy stage, interactive installations and exhibits (including the Solid Sound Stompbox Station, an interactive guitar pedal exhibit created and demonstrated by Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, a concert-poster screening demonstration, planned workshops by luthiers and more), plus film, video installations and djʼs. Festival attendees will have full access to the entire MASS MoCA campus, which incorporates 150,000 square feet of galleries. MASS MoCA, a renovated 19th century textile mill, is the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the U.S. Art on display in the galleries during the festival includes the Sol LeWitt Retrospective (chosen #1 exhibition of the year by Time magazine), Inigo Manglano Ovalleʼs Gravity is a Force to be Reckoned with, Petah Coyneʼs Material World: Sculpture to Environment, Leonard Nimoyʼs Secret Selves and a new installation by Michael Oatman. Tickets for Solid Sound FestivalL are on sale this Friday, April 9 through the bandʼs official website wilcoworld.net and through solidsoundfestival.com. From April 9 to May 31 tickets for the three-day event will be available for $86.50 (including all fees and parking) and after June 1 for $99.50 (including all fees and parking).

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"Hydrant, road trade controversy continues"

The Jamie Larson story in The Register-Star today is incredibly detailed, but I still do not understand the big picture of the proposed switcheroo of a fire hydrant for a road closure. And which meeting did things get decided at, who says, or is that just implied? Can someone in Taghkanic explain?

The occasionally contentious inter-municipal deal to trade the installation of a hydrant for the Taghkanic Fire Department along the city of Hudson water supply line for the closure of the road along the city owned Churchtown reservoir has shifted course, according to town and city officials. At the Monday meeting of the Taghkanic Town Board, members and Highway Superintendent Tom Youhas said the two issues are now separate. Taghkanic Supervisor Elizabeth Young said the hydrant is a public safety issue that is up to the fire department and Youhas will have the ultimate say on whether the road along the reservoir and dam will be closed. Youhas has expressed disapproval of the proposal to trade Reservoir Road for a fire hydrant to be located on Post Hill Road. Hudson Superintendent of Public Works Robert Perry said he’s not sure whether they are separate issues or not. He said the city would like to alleviate a certain level of risk on the city’s end, meaning potential dangers posed to the dam by allowing vehicle traffic on its bank, if the city is going to assume the risk associated with installing and monitoring a hydrant that taps into the city’s pipe running from the smaller dam at a waterfall on the Taghkanic creak to the reservoir 10 miles away. “The ball’s in their court,” Perry said. “The negotiations have just begun. All we’re asking is some consideration to minimize risk elsewhere.” The forge, of New Forge Road, has also become a focus of concern for some in Taghkanic who take issue with the fact that during a drought the waterline can drop below the forge dam spillway and cut off the stream entirely. There is a valve in the dam that can release water past it but Perry said it may never have been opened in the nearly 100 years since it was installed and they aren’t going to touch it for fear that it may rust out and not close. “The DPW people are not sure if the dam is holding the valve in place or if the valve is holding the dam in place,” said Town Board Member Lawrence Kadish at the meeting Monday. “Even if we could open the valve it’s unlikely in a drought situation it would create flow. The obvious conclusion is you need to build a new dam there.” Perry said there is no need to build a new dam and such construction in a creek bed would never be approved by the Department of Environmental Conservation in the modern era. Destruction of the old dam, he said, would most likely have to involve blowing it up with dynamite. “You can clearly see it is lack of rain and not any appurtenance on the part of Hudson that reduces the amount of water in the creek during time of drought.” Taghkanic Creek runs right behind the town’s firehouse and the Taghkanic Volunteer Fire Company #1 uses the creek for water to put out fires. When the creek is dry, the fire company has to travel to one of five privately owned ponds and pump out of a dry hydrant into the four water-carrying vehicles. The dry creek is another reason a hydrant would be so useful. Perry said he does not have a problem with taking the road out of the deal but will hold his opinion until he hears the official request he expects soon from the fire department and not the highway department. All of these issues were discussed on April 24, at a meeting between representatives from both municipalities that included Young, Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera, Perry, Youhas and Kadish. Perry said at the end of the meeting he had the understanding that at the Monday Taghkanic Town Board meeting the idea of closing Reservoir Road to vehicle traffic but leaving it open as a pedestrian trail would be brought up to the public. On Monday however the topic was not brought up at the meeting.

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Bindlestiffs take Hudson, Helsinki opens

The Bindlestiff Cirkus is back in their hometown including at Hudson's Club Helskinki, which appears will be open at least by May 30 judging from this press release from the clowns of Bindlestiff:

*Saturday April 24- with Walking the dog Theater's Improv Theater Ensemble at Space 360, Hudson 8 p.m., $20 (more details below)

Sunday, May 30 and Friday, June 25: Bindlestiff Cirkus Cabaret- featuring a different cast of special guests each show, from NYC's circus, burlesque and variety community- accompanied by live original music! At the brand, spanking new Club Helsinki, located at 405 Columbia Street, Hudson showtime 9 p.m., tickets $15 (more details below)

the more details below:
SATURDAY APRIL 24 - a benefit performance for Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc. and GhostWALK Hudson,
with Walking the dog Theater's Improv ensemble
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus co-founders and variety artists Keith Nelson and Stephanie Monseu team up with Walking the dog Theater’s OFF LEASH! Improv Theater Ensemble for an evening of circus and improvisation at Hudson's Space 360 on April 24th at 8 p.m. Bindlestiff will bring to the mix a few of it's signature acts, featuring a twisted take on physical comedy and prop manipulation, in addition to some new, original collaborative fun with Walking the dog Theater's Improv cast. Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc., based in Brooklyn and Hudson, NY, is a non-profit performing arts organization dedicated to increasing the knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the history of circus, sideshow, vaudeville, and related arts through activities including performances, lectures, print media, and workshops for the general public as well as creating opportunities for cultural exchange and fostering a sense of community. Walking the dog Theater, a keystone of Columbia County's artistic community, has been at the forefront of collaboration and support for other local arts groups, offering benefit performances of it's monthly OFF LEASH! Improv Theater Ensemble to raise funds and awareness for local artists and organizations. March's performance benefitted the Awgawamuck Project for the Fine and Practical Arts, a new educational-therapeutic initiative based in Philmont. Aprils' show will benefit Bindlestiff- Hudson's own Cirkus and Walking the dog Theater's partner in GhostWALK Hudson. To find out more about Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, please visit http://www.bindlestiff.org
Suggested donation: $20.
Location Space 360, 360 Warren Street in Hudson . For more information, please contact: David Anderson david@wtdtheater.org (518) 610-0909.

SUNDAY MAY 25 AND FRIDAY JUNE 30
BINDLESTIFF FAMILY CIRKUS CABARET
Where: Club Helsinki 405 Columbia Street, Hudson, NY
When: May 30 (Sunday) and June 25 (Friday), 2010
Showtime: 9 pm Doors: 8 pm
Admission: $20 ($5 discount for clowns in make-up)
Info: 1-877-BINDLES bindlestiff.org clubhelsinkiweb.com

On May 30 and June 25, The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabaret comes to Club Helsinki's brand new home in Hudson, NY. The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabaret features new, phenomenal acts each show from the world's best artists in the disciplines of Circus, Variety, Burlesque, Sideshow, and Physical Comedy. Live, original Cirkus tunes by our Maestro of Musical Mystery. Expect jugglers, clowns, acrobats, and trapeze artists to share the stage with musicians, magicians, dancers, daredevils, and more. Each show features a unique combination of acts, but all promise a legendary lineup of circus feats, sideshow marvels, and world-class entertainers. The New York Times said of the BFC Cabaret: “It’s old-fashioned variety entertainment of the sort Ed Sullivan so astutely scooped up, but with twists.” Every show features Ringmistress Philomena and Kinko the Clown, a/k/a Bindlestiff co-founders Keith Nelson and Stephanie Monseu, along with an amazing lineup of guest stars.
With the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus' first Winter Cabaret in New York City 1995, and subsequent national tours, the stage was set for today's far-reaching vaudeville and burlesque revival. Since then Bindlestiff has become a legend in the New York and national performance scene. The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has featured over 400 guest variety artists; supported and presented original theatrical shows by other artists working in the variety arts field; launched Bindlestiff's Cavalcade of Youth, a mentoring program and showcase for young performers; brought vaudeville back to Times Square; fostered new variety artists and new acts by established performers at its monthly Open Stage; and toured nationally for 14 years. Since Bindlestiff co-founders Monseu and Nelson moved to Hudson in 2005, they have been teaching circus arts classes and workshops in the area, producing Bindlestiff Cirkus shows for youth and adults, and collaborating with local arts groups and organizations like The Basilica Industria, Time and Space Limited, Columbia County Council on the Arts, Perform Columbia, the Hudson Opera House, Operation Unity, Walking the dog Theater, The Hudson Department of Youth and the Morris Memorial.
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Bad year for maple syrup in Catskills

(The Watershed Post interviews George and Duane LaFever, Catskill maple syrup producers.)

The Watershed Post reports on the lack of maple syrup production this spring:

It's the peak of New York's annual maple festival, and local tappers are saying the maple syrup yield in the Catskills is worse than it's ever been. Sugar producers in the Catskills are collecting under a quarter of the sap that they usually do at this time of year, says Helen Thomas, the executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Association. Production is down across the board in the warmer parts of New York, she adds, including at her own Syracuse farm. But the Catskills are seeing the most dramatic sap shortage. "It's pretty universal in the Catskill region that you're just doing lousy," she says. Jessica Ziehm, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, confirms that because the Catskills are the southernmost syrup-producing region in the state, they "might be a little worse-off than others." But it's been a bad season for syrup all over, she adds. At Catskill Mountain Maple, a sugar house in Delancey, 74-year-old George LaFever, a second-generation syrup-maker, says that this is the worst maple season in memory. "It's been a horrible season," says his son, Duane LaFever, who owns Catskill Mountain Maple with business partner Tom Kaufman. "We're probably at maybe 25 percent of normal." "Pretty much everybody I know in about a 50-mile circle from here is having the same type of terrible season," says Kaufman. "Nobody can figure out exactly what's going on." This winter's intense blizzards, which have been chased by freakishly early warm weather, are probably playing a role, says Thomas, who spoke with the Watershed Post by phone as she was cleaning her sap lines in an attempt to boost her own forest's yield. "The nights have gotten way too warm way too fast," she says. "It's supposed to warm up slow. That way the trees wake up slow." "We haven't had the freezing nights," Kaufman says. "And it seems like when we have had the freezing nights, it's still going wrong." But there might be another factor at play: the forest tent caterpillar, or as George LaFever calls them, "maple worms." Forest tent caterpillars eat leaves and can kill trees. Cornell's Sugar Maple Research & Extension program advises maple producers to spray for them if the defoliation is bad enough to hurt sap production. Kaufman says he has sprayed for tent caterpillars three times in recent years. However, according to Ziehm, there have been no studies showing a link between tent caterpillars and sap reduction in the maple industry.

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