Author: Jeff McKinney

Creator/Editor of ColumbiaCountyCurrent, Lover of Happy Hour, NY REALTOR, World's Best Uncle, Movie Buff.

The 7th Annual Great Hudson Valley Pedal

Roughly 150 bicyclists from two dozen states and Canada will head out on a grueling 6-day sightseeing excursion in the 7th Annual Great Hudson Valley Pedal. 

The tour began on Tuesday with the first section of the ride going from Albany to Hudson. The second day took the bicyclists from Hudson to Hyde Park, where there was a rest day before resuming the ride today. Today’s ride will leave from Hyde Park and end in Garrison then it’s on to Nyack on Saturday and finally ending on Sunday in New York City. The 200-mile bike tour will take participants of all ages down the Hudson River. The scenic course will visit sites along the way including FDR’s House, The Mill House, Bear Mountain State Park and West Point.

From the organizers:

“The Great Hudson Valley Pedal is designed for fun and relaxation and to acquaint you with the richness of the Hudson Valley. You don’t need to be an expert to participate in this tour but you and your bicycle should be in good physical condition. You’ll cover 35-45 miles per day. Elevation changes are moderate. The route has been carefully selected for optimal bicycling but, especially as the tour approaches NYC, some busy roads are inevitable.”

The event is organized by Parks & Trails New York, a statewide not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit www.ptny.org.

Library of Congress Coming to Pittsfield

library-of-congress-mobile

The Library of Congress’ mobile museum, “Gateway to Knowledge”, will be setting up in Pittsfield in time for the city’s Third Thursday celebration from 5 to 9pm tomorrow.

This mobile museum is housed in an 18-wheeler that expands to three times its width. Inside the truck, visitors will find museum-style exhibits and multimedia displays, including facsimiles of many of the Library’s most prized treasures. Those facsimiles include the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the 1507 Waldseemüller Map (the first document to use the word “America”), the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, the 1962 drawings for the comic book that introduced Spider-Man to the world and  Walt Whitman’s poem “Leaves of Grass.”

You can find the “Gateway to Knowledge” truck  parked at Park Square in front of Bank Row. The exhibit will open tomorrow for Third Thursday at 5pm and close at 9pm. It will remain in town Friday and Saturday and will be open from 10am to 6pm on both days. The exhibit is free.

Brooklynites Blessing the Hudson Valley With Hipness

I missed this article on gawker.com earlier this month but wanted to pass it along to everyone else who may not have read it.

Here is an excerpt:

“”You can’t keep a good creative down,” as the old saying goes. When pushed out of their community by covert gentrification,overt invasion, and other insidiousnesses, good creatives will simply move elsewhere and establish new, even more authentic communities. This is how the Land of NoBro came to pass.

What and where is this magical place called NoBro? As the New York Times suggests, it is, in some ways, a state of mind—a mixture of 1980s SoHo, 1990s East Village, and 2000s Williamsburg, where one can find communion with the universe and like-minded spirits. In the tangible, physical world, however, NoBro is Beacon, N.Y., one of the many towns scattered about the Hudson Valley that has apparently witnessed an influx of migratory Brooklynites in recent years.”

You can read the entire article on Gawker by clicking here.

Opening At The Crandell: The Smurfs

Opening tonight at The Crandell in Chatham, family-friendly flick, The Smurfs!

Showtimes:
Saturday, August 13, 2:00 Matinee
Every Night at 7:00pm

From The Crandell’s website:

“This animated/live action adaptation of a 1980′s tv kids show featuring blue thingies has been a surprise hit. When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours—in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down. A semi-clever script supplies some adult appeal as well. Starring a very funny Hank Azaria, who steals the movie.”

Rated PG-13
102 minutes
Animation/Comedy/Family
Ticket prices at The Crandell are $5 for adults and $4 for children under 12.

The Crandell Theatre is located at 48 Main Street in the Village of Chatham, NY.

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