In the thick of summer it is easy to get bogged down with your home. Constant weeding is required in order to not let them take over. Dusting seems endless. Dishes are always crying out to be washed. And that heat slows everything and everyone down.
My sage advice is this: Let the weeds win! Let the dust settle! Tell the dishes they will have to wait! All of those things will be there for another day.
However, the events going on in the summer won’t happen again for another year. If we learned anything from the pandemic, events might even be put off more than a year or cease to exist altogether. Nothing is guaranteed. So take advantage of all that is happening today. Have fun! Live life! Enjoy! These are our top picks for the week.
Celebrate like the French. Bastille Day Celebration 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, July 14 at the Hudson House, 1835 Rte 9W, West Park. Dinner, drinks and live music with Elaine Rachlin. Reservations recommended. For more information see: www.thehudsonhouseny.com or call (845) 834-6007. — Elizabeth’s pick
Sing it on the beach. The Beach Ball: A Community Open Mic BBQ, 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 15, at Kingston Point Beach, Kingston. This Queer Friendly, Family-Friendly outdoor event will give you an opportunity to gather, listen to local artists, and eat delicious food! Food will be available for sale by The Meat Wagon. Vegan sausages available! They ask you to bring your own beverages to cut down on waste! Sign up for Open Mic or go to watch! It will be held under the pavilion. For more information see: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5980607841950482&set=gm.429725928728553 — Diane’s pick
Lights, camera, action. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On screening by Upstate Films at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 17 at the Old Dutch Church, 277 Wall Street in Uptown Kingston. A tiny, chatty, one-eyed young seashell walks and talks and opines about the marvelous world around him in this charming animation. Great for the entire family! For more information see: www.upstatefilms.org — Angela’s pick
Feel the Beat. Fela Kuti Tribute. Nikhil P. Yerawader’s Living Language, 7 p.m. Friday, July 15 at White Feather Farm, 1389 NY 212, Saugerties. Led by multi-instrumentalist Nikhil P. Yerawadekar of Antibalas and Low Mentality, Living Language pays homage to Fela Kuti and his Afrobeat concept in a nimble, soulful jazz format. $15 advance. $20 at the door. $10 student at the door. Proof of vaccination required at the door, masks are optional. For more information see: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-fela-kuti-tribute-from-nikhil-p-yerawaders-living-language-tickets-369006467277 — Lynn W’s pick
Take a Hike. “I’m not a fan of the heat but I’m an outdoor enthusiast. So, when the temperatures climb and the trailheads get crowded, I head to the Undivided Lot Trail at the Mohonk Preserve. It’s mostly shady, with some nice views and for the most part flat. Just the coolness of the large conglomerate rock boulders and the pine-needled path takes the temperature down about ten degrees. Happy Trails!” — Erin’s pick
Folksy Finds. “Harmonies on the Hudson” Concert Series featuring Shandy, 6 p.m. Thursday July 14, at Clermont State Historical Site, 1 Clermont Ave, Germantown. Shandy is the husband-wife duo of Shannon and Andy Schober. Shandy specializes in telling lyrically-driven stories by blending acoustic, folk and Americana around Shannon’s emotionally-charged voice and Andy’s deep harmonies. They perform a wide catalogue of covers including the likes of Brandi Carlile, The Honeycutters, John Prine, Devil Makes Three, Old Crow Medicine Show as well as their own pieces. Due to mansion restoration work, this season of concerts will be held adjacent to the main parking lot, near the Arryl House ruins. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket, as seating will not be provided. Picnic dinners are welcome, but please leave your alcoholic beverages at home. Registration is recommended, but not required. For more info call: 518-537-6362 or email: info@friendsofclermont.org — Pam’s pick
A perfect pairing: jazz & Opus 40. Sarah King & the Three Queens, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 16 at Opus 40, in Saugerties at 356 George Sickle Road. This quartet joins forces to create a true gift of an experience- recreating tunes from a bygone era, when popular music was born. Expect heartfelt and sunny interpretations of songs from the early days of jazz, with vocal harmonies to boot! Featuring Albanie Faletta, (guitar) Jen Hodge, (bass) Tamar Korn and Sarah King (vocals). For more info see: www.opus40.org/events/ — Lynn C’s pick
Party for days. The Rosendale Street Festival, starting at noon Saturday July 16 and Sunday, July 17, runs all day. Main Street in Rosendale gets shut down and boasts six stages, over 70 bands, over 100 of the best vendors in the Hudson Valley, a dance party, kids crafts, and short films. For a complete schedule of bands and to find out your parking options in advance see: www.rosendalestreetfestival.org — Genia’s pick
Twinkle, twinkle… “Two years ago on July 4th I stumbled across a secret firefly disco out on the Wallkill Valley rail trail. Out over a meadow, hundreds of these living flashing lights. Last year on July 4th I found them again. Same spot. Same party. The date is important because nobody else goes out on the trail in the darkness on that night. They go downtown to watch the explosions there instead. And anyway most people are afraid of the forest at night. Well, this year I attended the man-made show, so I’m heading out in the darkness over the weekend, to make up for it and find the firefly disco again.” — Rokosz’s pick
Amps on Fire. Ultra Deluxe, DJ Hueman, Mirrorxlane and Muck, 7 p.m. Friday July 15 at Tubby’s, 586 Broadway, Kingston. A night of incredibly inventive and incredibly loud music awaits. Headlining is NYC’s Ultra Deluxe, with their blistering blend of indie rock, screamo and post-hardcore. Muck (fronted by Kingston resident and master stylist at Le Shag, Kristen Ciliberti) will rock a shoegaze-while-headbanging set of grunged-up bangers. DJ Hueman and Mirrorxlake will be spinning hard-hitting sounds to fill the bill. For more info see: www.tubbyskingston.com — Zac’s pick
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