Before electricity, Hudson Valley ice helped NYC keep its cool
In the late 19th century, the Hudson Valley was home to at least 135 commercial icehouses, collectively capable of storing as much as three million tons of ice during the winter months.
Almanac Weekly
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The Last Jedi brings fresh faces & ideas to the Star Wars universe
Beneath the shiny surface of an almost-universal stamp of approval among movie critics, Rian Johnson’s new chapter in the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, has polarized the fandom like nothing has since the introduction of Jar Jar Binks.
Darkest Hour is Gary Oldman’s finest
Gary Oldman stars as Winston Churchill in director Joe Wright’s new film. Oldman completely sells the transformation, offering up the range of the man from supremely self-confident to near-broken.
First Day hikes in the Hudson Valley
Monday, Jan. 1: Start off the new year with a walk on the wild side.
Poughkeepsie’s own Smith Brothers Cough Drops make a comeback
William and Andrew Smith – jocularly known in their own lifetimes as “Trade” and “Mark” because that’s what it says under their portraits on the cough drops boxes – were geniuses at marketing.
Adopt a furry friend at Morgan’s Cat Café in Red Hook
The small café, located on West Market St. in Red Hook, offers luncheon items – burgers, salads, cold noodles – along with smoothies, tea, baked goods and a fun time with a bevy of adoptable kittens and cats. Patrons can sit with their entrées and drinks and witness a roomful of felines as they play, eat, groom, nap.
Survey asks: What do you want from your Joppenbergh?
From the 1930s until 1971, the steep-sided little Rosendale mountain became the site of ski-jumping competitions, which drew skiers from near and far, including several Olympians.
Ian Felice touts new LP at Colony
Friday, Dec. 22: In the Kingdom of Dream finds the Felice Brothers’ principal songwriter turning toward personal subjects.
Play your boombox or your phone at Unsilent Night in Hudson park
Saturday, Dec. 23: This pioneering work of public sound art debuted in Greenwich Village in 1992, and is today a tradition that has been celebrated in more than 100 cities across five continents.
Kids’ Almanac (Dec. 21-28)
Be a part of the Operation Christmas Cheer card-writing community. My friend created and manages this local card campaign, and the rest of us are simply tasked with showering medically compromised, chronically or terminally ill children with colorful, upbeat cheer.