Horsing around

This is shaping up to be quite a horsey weekend.

I hear the Fitch’s Corner Horse Trials are a fantastic event. Celebrating its 13th year, the public event takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Fitch's Corner, a private 130-acre farm at 632 North Mabbettsville Road in Millbrook. (More than 2,500 spectators and participants enjoyed the weekend last year.) There are lots of activities in addition to the equestrian events, such as a collector car parade and a dog handling exhibition. Fitch's Market, open over the entire weekend, will offer a range of products from fashion, jewelry, art, and antiques, to accessories and equine fashions. An updated schedule for the weekend is at the Web site. Sounds like fun -- and it benefits the local rescue squad.

There's more horse stuff the other side of the Hudson River this weekend, with some of the world's best show jumping at HITS in Saugerties. It culminates on Sunday with the $75,000 Tavern on the Green Catering Grand Prix. The HITS equestrian facility is just one mile outside the village of Saugerties and offers lots of on-site food choices in a family-friendly setting. Events at HITS have benefited Family of Woodstock, Inc., HITS' Official Charity for the Saugerties shows.

You can likely expect celeb sightings at both events. That's the only hint I'm giving ;-). Enjoy!

Old friend, wonderful poet

RSVP deadline is coming up to hear poet Matthew J. Spireng read from his work and discuss the genesis of the poems, in Stone Ridge. The focus of the interactive reading/talk (questions will be more than welcome) will be the varied sources of poetic inspiration … visual, verbal, auditory, memory, dreams, fantasy, etc. I've written about Matt before -- and he's a really talented thought-provoking poet.

When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 28
Where: The Quest, 3764 Main Street (Route 209) Stone Ridge (across from the Stone Ridge Post Office on Route 209)
Cost: $7. Includes refreshments.

Please RSVP to 845-687-7963 (The Quest), preferably by July 25, so food planning can be done.

For a good cause

I had a wonderful time recently at an enjoyable event for a worthy cause. The Violet H. Simmons Scholarship Fund celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner at Listening Rock Farm in Wassaic to support its Summer Enrichment Program. Speakers included 1963 Webutuck graduate Sandy Berger, who served as National Security Advisor under President Bill Clinton.

The Simmons Scholars program was created in 1982 to honor Miss Simmons, a history teacher at Webutuck for 48 years. While at the event, I enjoyed hearing former students of Miss Simmons describe the value they found in her teaching methods, which, while familiar to anyone who has attended a college of the liberal arts, were unconventional for a high school teacher. An endowment created at the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation allows the fund each year to award a Webutuck High School student a $10,000 merit scholarship (in four equal installments) throughout their college years. The fund has, to date, benefited 37 students. The fund recently received a $25,000 grant as part of its $70,000 capital campaign to endow a Summer Enrichment Program to allow Webutuck graduates to explore the world. The campaign will also enable them to increase the Simmons scholarship from one $10,000 scholarship to two $10,000 scholarships.

Among those on hand were Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine’s founding editor-in-chief, Meg Downey, who came from Nashville, Tennessee, where she now is managing editor of The Tennessean. (Meg’s husband, Ed Downey, an attorney and a trustee of the Simmons Scholarship Fund, was an organizer of the event.) That’s Meg, at right, in the photo above with me (left) and friend Joe Bostian (center.)

Hudson Valley Connoisseur photo by Michael Sibilia

Bounty of the Hudson

In the upcoming issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine, due out on August 1, we include a special section on regional wine festivals. Visit the Web site and look under How to Get It for a list of local stores that sell HVC magazine.

Here's something that takes place before the magazine comes out: the 12th annual "Bounty of the Hudson" Food & Wine Festival. Online ticket sales end a week from today for the event, which takes place on July 28 & 29 (Saturday and Sunday) at Brotherhood Winery, 100 Brotherhood Plaza Drive in Washingtonville, Orange County. Brotherhood, by the way, is "America's Oldest Winery."

Sounds like a fun event! You can sample wines from all 10 wineries on the Shawangunk Wine Trail as well as several others from around the Hudson Valley. There will also be food from area restaurants, produce from local farms, cooking workshops and live music! Noon to 5 p.m. each day.

$25 (plus tax) in advance, ($30 at the door)
Designated Driver Ticket $10.
More info at the Web site.

Connecting France

I had never considered myself a Francophile. Yet, after reading an e-mail from Chef Agnes Devereaux about her plans for celebrating Bastille Day in New Paltz (more about that later), I started to think about all the things French that I enjoy.

Although it's not one of the languages in which I am most fluent, I do speak French. Some of my favorite wines are Rieslings from Alsace in France. I own a Hermès scarf and dream of buying another, someday. Years ago I found a vintage Chanel jacket at a consignment sale in Rhinebeck that I still adore, and will fit into again, someday. ;-) One of my favorite actors, Daniel Auteuil, is French. (And I was named for the French actress Leslie Caron.)

And let's not forget Champagne...Yup, French things are good. Because this Saturday, July 14, is Bastille Day, it could be fun to celebrate and here are some ways to do that in the region.

My fun French day would start with shopping. Basic French is a boutique in the village of Red Hook that specializes in French imports. Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine spotlighted its adorable polka-dot tableware in our April issue. I like that they have La Compagnie de Provence olive oil soap that I am sooo addicted to ... and I have been thinking hard about buying their colorful multistripe espadrilles made in a Basque village in the Pyrenées.

For several months now I've been yearning for the La Rochere "bee" glassware made by the oldest glass factory in France and sold at Arcadia in Saugerties. As my everyday glasses at home keep cracking, I am getting closer to being able to rationalize the purchase.


My favorite film is Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, a sweet, amusing and thought-provoking film that is also worth watching just for the wonderful scenes of Montmartre (the hill of Paris) and the garden gnome.

So I definitely am not missing this at Upstate Films: Paris Je t'aime:
This omnibus tribute to the City of Light features shorts from a veritable who’s who of international filmmakers...including Joel and Ethan Coen, Alfonso Cuarón, Bruno Podalydès, Gurinder Chadha, Gus Van Sant, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, Christopher Doyle, Isabel Coixet, Nobuhiro Suwa, Sylvain Chomet, Olivier Assayas, Oliver Schmitz, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Wes Craven, Tom Tykwer, Frédéric Auburtin, Gérard Depardieu, and Alexander Payne. With eighteen Paris neighborhoods as its milieu and love as its raison d’etre, the sum total is an experience that acknowledges the idealized Paris people carry in their heads. Mostly in French with subtitles. It starts Friday and runs through July 19. Check the Web site for showtimes

Back to the e-mail from Agnes, chef-owner at the Village Tea Room, Restaurant & Bake Shop in New Paltz, which is celebrating Bastille Day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with a special menu that celebrates French food such as Salad Niçoise, Puy Lentil Soup, Coq au Vin, & Bouillabaisse. Desserts will include Choux a la Crème (their legendary Cream Puffs) as well as Clafoutis aux Cerise (Cherry Clafoutis) made with Tantillo Farm cherries.

Bon Appétit -- and Vive la France!

SE Europe, in Dutchess County!

Putumayo World Music's fabulous CD, Gypsy Groove: Balkan beats and gypsy jams from the dance floors of Eastern Europe and beyond, was my introduction several years ago to this vibrant musical genre. Now I see there are several opportunities to explore more about Southeastern Europe this weekend in Dutchess County ...

At Upstate Films in Rhinebeck, tonight and Thursday at 6 p.m.: Gypsy Caravan -- this uplifting documentary explores the music, lives, and heritage of five Gypsy bands from around the world as they unite for a six-week concert tour across North America.

On Friday (the 13th!) avant-garde vocalist-violinist Iva Bittová, called "one of the most remarkable personalities in Czech music" will perform an experimental mix of new music and Moravian folk music at 8:30 pm at the Spiegeltent Cabaret, part of SummerScape 2007 at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annanandale-0n-Hudson.

(By the way, be sure to check out the great video about the Spiegeltent on the Poughkeepsie Journal web site from Kathleen Wereszynski Murray and Chrissie Williams.)

Then get out your dancing shoes, because there is a Bulgarian Folk Music & Dance Party & Midsummer Birthday Celebration at Breezy Hill Orchard in Staatsburg, on Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight, rain or shine, featuring a reunion of Bulgarian musical treasure, The Kabile Bitov Wedding Band.

More info on Saturday's event: Suggested music contribution: Adults $15, Student & Seniors $10
A contribution for dinner would also be appreciated
Children 12 & under free, no one will be turned away
Reservations PLEASE - we need a head count for dinner! *
4-6 pm Meet & greet, music jams, lambs roasting from noon
6:30 Dinner w/ lamb, pasta, dessert, BYOB
Please bring a vegetarian salad or side dish if you can
8:00 Concert & dance until the last person drops!
Camping in the orchard, breakfast on request
This event is open to family, friends, and the folk music & dance community
To RSVP, volunteer or for further info contact:
* Noel Kropf - 845-739-8146 - nsk@bestweb.net
Breezy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill
828 Centre Road
Staatsburg, NY 12580
Salt Point exit from Taconic Parkway


Kabile Bitov Wedding Band photo provided

Here comes Harry

Lots of Harry Potter events going on in the region – here are two that sound FUN. (I especially like anything that involves food …)

Merritt Books is hosting a July 21 midnight release party for the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Magical midnight events and visitors from the Raptor Center, at the bookstores in Millbrook, Red Hook, and Cold Spring.

The Village TeaRoom Restaurant & Bake Shop in New Paltz is celebrating the new Harry Potter release by turning into Madam Puddifoot's Teashop for the evening of Friday July 20. Here are the details from chef-owner Agnes:

In the hours before the latest book goes on sale down the street at Inquiring Minds Bookstore, enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter food.

Authentic Shepherds Pie, Cornish Pasties (our lamb pies), Chocolate Gateau, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Éclairs & Trifle will fortify those who wait eagerly for the stroke of midnight.

Harry, Hermione & friends drink copious amounts of tea. We offer a Cream Tea. (Scones, Clotted Cream & Jam & A Pot of Tea)

Although the teachers at Hogwarts drink elderflower wine, we will serve Elderflower Pressé, a non-alcoholic British delicacy.

And of course, pots & pots of tea.

I'm guessing these are going to be popular so you might want to ask about making reservations.

Eating Out(side) Part 2

I'm revisiting some of the perfect picnic places we wrote about in last year’s Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine, and here are a few more ideas …

Each year you can see Shakespeare under the tent at the Hudson River estate Boscobel on Route 9D in Garrison, from June to September, courtesy of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. This year they’re presenting Richard III directed by Terrence O'Brien through August 18, and As You Like It directed by Kurt Rhoads through September 2. You can get ticket info at the Web site. Bring a blanket and a picnic, take in the panoramic views of the Hudson Highlands and see a show. That’s about as perfect as it gets.

Perfect Picnic places near Boscobel

Make a day of it. Boscobel Restoration, host of the Shakespeare festival, has a mansion-turned-museum that dates from the early 19th century and contains one of the nation's leading collections of furniture and decorative arts from the Federal period. Boscobel is close to the village of Cold Spring with its antiques and specialty shops. Bear Mountain State Park, the Dia:Beacon arts center, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point are a short drive away. And if you like to hike, here are two other fine ideas about where to park your picnic.

For those who prefer their picnics on the wild side, the Fishkill Ridge Conservation Area is home to eagles, falcons and numerous rare species. More than 1,900 acres of Fishkill Ridge, the northern gateway to the fabled Hudson Highlands, are protected by the Scenic Hudson Land Trust and managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Visitors will enjoy panoramic views of the Hudson River and the Catskills along with some of the region’s best hiking trails that connect to thousands of acres in Hudson Highlands State Park and on historic Mount Beacon. Open dawn to dusk. Free.

Visit Manitou Point Preserve in Garrison and enjoy magnificent Hudson River views from the former estate of another member of the Livingstons (one of the Hudson Valley's most prominent 19th-century families). This 136-acre retreat is owned by the environmental organizations Scenic Hudson and the Open Space Institute and has four miles of trails that wind along Manitou Marsh and past wooded uplands, the Hudson River and Copper Mine Brook ravine. You’ll also pass by a restored mansion (that is not open to the public) that is the national headquarters of Outward Bound. Open dawn to dusk. Free.

Eating out(side)

In the first issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur (June-July 2006) we printed a collection of articles that celebrated the fine art of eating outside (complete with a menu and recipes from a chef from the Culinary Institute of America.) I thought it would be fun to revisit some of our perfect picnic places since we have an upcoming holiday that’s perfect for picnics!

If you can’t get out to picnic on July 4, you have other options. SummerScape, the arts festival at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, takes place from July 5-August 19. The East Coast’s only Frank Gehry-designed performing arts center hosts a diverse performing arts lineup from around the world. A picnic before a world-class performance sounds like a perfect evening to me!

Perfect Picnic places near Bard College

You can picnic at three perfect spots that are an easy drive to the Bard College campus.

Burger Hill, off Route 9G just south of Violet Hill Road in Rhinebeck, has 76 acres of open meadows that rise to a 550-foot hilltop. Enjoy the panoramic vistas of the Hudson River Valley, including the Catskill and Taconic mountains, Shawangunk Ridge, Stissing Mountain and the Berkshires. (No picnic tables so bring a blanket.) Open from 9 a.m. until dusk. Free.

Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown offers exceptional views of the Catskill Mountains from the high banks of the Hudson River. The Livingston-family estate is now a museum and a park that has picnic tables and other public amenities. Admission to the grounds is free on weekdays, with a vehicle fee charged on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. (Clermont is a great spot for watching July 4 fireworks from Saugerties across the river, but get there early – the event is very popular and the parking area tends to fill up.) In general, the park is open from 8:30 a.m. to sunset.

The rolling fields and quiet woodlands of Poet’s Walk, on River Road in Red Hook, inspired Washington Irving, author of Rip Van Winkle. The 120-acre park has breathtaking views of the Hudson River, the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge and the Catskill Mountains. Two miles of trails wind through woods and open fields, with benches and several rustic cedar pavilions along the way, but no picnic tables. Open 9 a.m. to dusk. Free.