Political theater sometimes has “that didactic tag on it that turns people off,” Amy Trompetter says. “But our vocabulary, of puppets, is simple; simple-minded in a certain way. A giant Mother Earth puppet can inspire a feeling of where we came from and be more inspiring to the truth of our existence on this earth and how we expend our energy on that path than a verbal approach.”
Accompanied by the emotive Mariachi Sol De Mi Tierra echoing off the walls of the sanctuary, the rose-bedecked image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was carried by solemn parishioners in procession to the altar of St. Joseph Catholic Church in New Paltz last Wednesday, December 12, the faithful bearing bouquets of flowers to be left at the base of the icon in tribute.
What is a “crazy bowl,” you ask? The focus of the menu is on “bowlz” of either rice, noodles or salad, topped with a protein of the customer’s choice and accompanying ingredients offering either Mexican or Asian flavors, the final product remaining true to its origins or becoming a pleasing combination of the two.
The Hanukkah festivities held Sunday, December 9 at the Jewish Congregation of New Paltz Community Center officially began with the ceremonial lighting of some two dozen menorahs.
Clip-clop, clip-clop went the steady hooves of the two large black horses pulling the wagon carrying passengers on a festive ride down Historic Huguenot Street last Saturday, December 1 at the annual “A Holiday on Huguenot Street” event that officially launches the season at the history-laden site.
Friday, December 7: Book signing/discussion at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck: I’d “left fashion out of my own quest for a sustainable lifestyle. I’d been thinking a lot about food and housing, but not so much about clothing.” Katrina Rodabaugh went on a “fashion fast,” pledging not to purchase any new clothing for a year, focusing instead on making simple garments, buying secondhand and mending what she already owned.
A “Raise the Roof” benefit concert to kick off the capital campaign to build the center will be held this Sunday, December 2 from 2 to 4 p.m.
After years of hosting their annual holiday art and craft fair at the New Paltz Middle School, followed by a two-year run on the SUNY New Paltz campus, Unison Arts Center is bringing the fair home this year, holding the 28th annual holiday Craft, Art and Design Fair at their 68 Mountain Rest Road headquarters in New Paltz over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, December 1-2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
“I think what we do here is more important now than it’s ever been,” says director Jim Tinger. “The struggle with anxiety and other mental health issues has been more prevalent for kids in recent years than I’ve ever seen before. And isolation is our big battle now. Before electronics, I used to say we were combating boredom, because kids get in trouble when they’re bored. And that’s still true, but now battling isolation is the new war.”
The 15th annual Turkey Trot, sponsored by Family of New Paltz, will take place Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22.