Friday, July 19: At 73 and killing it as ever before, Bettye LaVette began what she herself refers to her as her “fifth career” in the year 2000, a renaissance of new recordings and recognitions that has not abated two decades into the millennium.
Friday, July 19: Walkway over the Hudson and the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association present Walkway at Night, an opportunity to enjoy breathtaking twilight views and study the night sky with telescopes.
Wednesday, July 31: Among the attractions at this summer’s Ulster County Fair will be an opportunity for children who love the history-based American Girl dolls to attend a tea party with New Paltz resident Jennifer Castle, author of two books about American Girl’s 2019 Girl of the Year, Blaire Wilson. Set in Ulster County, Blaire’s story involves living on a sustainable farm turned into a bed-and-breakfast and volunteering for the local food pantry.
Saturday, July 20: In retrospect, Blondie and Elvis Costello represent the style and the substance, respectively, of the New Wave pop revolution of the late ’70s.
In a cabin high on a peak, surrounded by the blue mountains and a vibrant, swirling sky, a young woman is visited by a traveling salesman as a lightning storm brews…
Saturday, July 20: Decorated dragon boats have been used in special ceremonies in China for over 2,500 years. The sport of international dragon-boat racing began in Hong Kong around 1976. Now, more than a hundred cities in the US host dragon boat races, including our own Poughkeepsie.
Saturday/Sunday, July 20/21: Native American dancing, drumming, craft vendors, food vendors, storytelling and audience participation are the fare being served up at the two-day gathering.
The versatile keyboard virtuoso Neil Alexander has made a lot of beans via homage and tribute: as a longtime member of the popular Pink Floyd tribute band the Machine; in his labor-of-love Weather Report, Herbie Hancock and Mahavishnu cover projects; and even, one could argue, in the decade or so of his life that he dedicated to developing a technically grueling two-hands piano version of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. But through it all, Alexander has been a prolific composer and songwriter in his own right, releasing many of his originals under the name NAIL.
In our 21st century, more than half the world’s population lives in an urban environment, with natural nocturnal darkness a phenomenon many only read about. But we who live in a rural setting still mostly enjoy the natural night and its splendors. Still, there’s dark and then there’s really dark.
A true celebration of the local by the locals, the long-running Rosendale Street Festival returns July 20-21.