Category: Home, Garden, Design

Happenings, Home, Garden, Design

“Afternoon on a Hill”: Musical Celebration to Benefit Steepletop, Aug 13

On Saturday, August 13, the grounds at Edna St. Vincent Millay’s historic home, Steepletop, will be open for the first time in three years for a special musical event to benefit the restoration and maintenance of the historic site. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to wander through Millay’s gardens and fields and explore the Poetry Trail that leads to the Millay family gravesites. Millay’s house will also be open for tours for a limited number of ticket holders.

The centerpiece of the day will be a 2:00 pm concert under a tent on the hill by Millay’s home, featuring celebrated musical interpreters of Millay’s poetry: Scottish harper, composer and producer Maeve Gilchrist, and The Edna Project, made up of Liz Queler, Seth Farber and their son, Joey Farber.

Maeve Gilchrist, who will perform the title cut from her latest CD, “The Harpweaver,” inspired by one of Millay’s iconic poems, has been described by one critic as “a phenomenal harp player who can make her instrument ring with unparalleled purity.” Maeve‘s innovative approach to her instrument stretches its harmonic limits and improvisational possibilities. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, currently based in Brooklyn, New York, she is as at home as a soloist with an internationally renowned orchestra as she is playing with a traditional Irish folk group or working with electronic sounds in a more contemporary setting. Maeve has released five albums to date, including “The Harpweaver,” which the Irish Times gave a five-star review, calling it “buoyant, sprightly and utterly beguiling…a snapshot of a musician at the top of her game.” 

The Edna Project, who will perform a selection of Millay’s poetry set to music, has been hailed as “an eclectic sublimely musical melding of folk, bluegrass, rock and jazz with humor and great harmonies” and “an amazing bunch of top-notch musicians and first-rate lyrics taken from the poetry of Millay.” Each member is a remarkable musician: singer/songwriter/composer Liz is a three-time Grammy nominee who has performed extensively as a singer and as an instrumentalist.

Composer/musician Seth was music director for the late folk/blues legend Odetta and has also been nominated for several Grammys; he has numerous Broadway credits and his music has been used extensively for film and television. Joey, a recent graduate of the Berklee School of Music, is fast amassing his own impressive credits, including several national jingles, an off-Broadway show (“Soul Doctor”) and appearances on SNL and other late-night television shows.

A wine reception will follow the concert.

DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 13, 2022 / 10am – 5:30pm

LOCATION: Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop
440 East Hill Road
Austerlitz, NY

TICKETS: $95, $125
$95 per person for concert & reception
$125 for concert, reception, and 45-minute house tour (a limited number of house tours are available).
Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.millay.org, or at the door.

MORE:
www.millay.org
facebook.com/MillaySociety
instagram.com/MillaySociety
info@millay.org
518-392-3362

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Happenings, Home, Garden, Design

Afternoon on a Hill Returns to Steepletop, Aug 13

Edna St. Vincent Millay’s historic home, Steepletop, is thrilled to announce that on Saturday, August 13, 2022, we will open the Steepletop grounds for the first time in three years for a special musical event to benefit the restoration and maintenance of the historic site. We hope you’ll take advantage of this rare opportunity to wander through Millay’s gardens and fields and explore the Poetry Trail that leads to the Millay family gravesites. Millay’s house will also be open for tours for a limited number of ticket holders.

The centerpiece of the day will be a 2:00 pm concert under a tent on the hill by Millay’s home, featuring celebrated musical interpreters of Millay’s poetry: Scottish harper, composer and producer Maeve Gilchrist, and The Edna Project, made up of Liz Queler, Seth Farber and their son, Joey Farber.

Maeve Gilchrist, who will perform the title cut from her latest CD, “The Harpweaver,” inspired by one of Millay’s iconic poems, has been described by one critic as “a phenomenal harp player who can make her instrument ring with unparalleled purity.” Maeve‘s innovative approach to her instrument stretches its harmonic limits and improvisational possibilities. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, currently based in Brooklyn, New York, she is as at home as a soloist with an internationally renowned orchestra as she is playing with a traditional Irish folk group or working with electronic sounds in a more contemporary setting. Maeve has released five albums to date, including “The Harpweaver,” which the Irish Times gave a five-star review, calling it “buoyant, sprightly and utterly beguiling…a snapshot of a musician at the top of her game.”

The Edna Project, who will perform a selection of Millay’s poetry set to music, has been hailed as “an eclectic sublimely musical melding of folk, bluegrass, rock and jazz with humor and great harmonies” and “an amazing bunch of top-notch musicians and first-rate lyrics taken from the poetry of Millay.” Each member is a remarkable musician: singer/songwriter/composer Liz is a three-time Grammy nominee who has performed extensively as a singer and as an instrumentalist. Composer/musician Seth was music director for the late folk/blues legend Odetta and has also been nominated for several Grammys; he has numerous Broadway credits and his music has been used extensively for film and television. Joey, a recent graduate of the Berklee School of Music, is fast amassing his own impressive credits, including several national jingles, an off-Broadway show (“Soul Doctor”) and appearances on SNL and other late-night television shows.

A wine reception will follow the concert.

DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 13, 2022 / 10am – 6pm

LOCATION: Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop
440 East Hill Road
Austerlitz, NY 12017

ADMISSION: $95 & $125
$95 per person for the concert and reception
$125 per person for the concert, reception, and a 45-minute house tour (limited availability).
Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.millay.org

MORE:
www.millay.org
facebook.com/MillaySociety
518-392-3362

For more local happenings, news, and events, follow ColumbiaCountyCurrent
on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter

Gadgets & Gear, Home, Garden, Design

Chatham Repair Cafe, May 14

Have a toaster that won’t toast? Bike with a flat tire? Necklace that needs a new clasp? Start gathering your beloved but broken items, and get ready for the CHATHAM REPAIR CAFE on May 14th 10-2 at the Chatham Firehouse!

Repair Cafes are free, fun, community events where local volunteer “fixers” help their neighbors repair broken household items and keep them out of the landfill! Hosted by local Climate Smart Communities (Chatham, New Lebanon, Austerlitz, Village of East Nassau).

If you’re handy and want to volunteer as a helper, contact karlak@taconic.net

DATE/TIME: Saturday, May 14, 2022 / 10am – 2pm

LOCATION: Chatham Firehouse
2 Hoffman St,
Chatham, NY 12037

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Happenings, Home, Garden, Design

Garden Conservancy Open Day in Canaan & Spencertown, Aug 1

The Garden Conservancy invites you to visit two beautiful gardens of Columbia County on view in Canaan and Spencertown on Sunday, August 1.

Rockland Farm – The garden comprises a variety of areas that flow one from another over about ten acres of our property. A 450-foot-long rock ledge runs parallel to the front drive and is topped by a dry garden in silver, gray and blue, with a thyme walk along one edge. Raised areas on the west side of the house feature exotic and tropical plants, many in containers. Behind the house is a sequence of garden rooms: a lavender garden contained within a raised hornbeam hedge; a perennial garden in pastels surrounding our pool; a water garden, fronted by a white garden and with a shade garden and rhododendron walk behind; a hot sundial and rock garden; and a fenced vegetable and cutting garden.

Landscape of Linda B. Horn – The restoration of my landscape has been the goal for fifteen years of living here after a move from Chicago. There are four restored ecosystems: wetlands, waterfall, domestic area of native grasses, and woodland. The last section of restoration was started last fall with eliminating dead trees and then new seeding. This year goldenrod was weed-wacked and new trees planted. The landscape was featured in a five-page article in the September 2017 issue of New York Cottages & Gardens. Native restoration workshops have also been held here through the Columbia Land Conservancy, Spencertown Academy, and Berkshire Botanical Garden.

DATE/TIME: Sunday, August 1, 2021 / 10am – 4pm

LOCATION: Rockland Farm – Canaan NY
Landscape of Linda B. Horn – Spencertown NY

ADMISSION: $10 per person
Children 12 and under are free

  • Pre-registration is REQUIRED for each garden. Pre-register for each on this website, except where specifically indicated otherwise. Children under 12 are free and do not need to be pre-registered if accompanied by pre-registered adult.
  • Capacity is limited. Sorry, no walk-ins allowed; no paper tickets or cash payments will be accepted on-site.

MORE:
gardenconservancy.org
facebook.com/The.Garden.Conservancy
instagram.com/thegardenconservancy

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Happenings, Home, Garden, Design

Spencertown Academy Virtual Lecture: “Vegetable Garden Planted, What Now?”, Jun 19

Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents “Vegetable Garden Planted, What Now?”, A Virtual Lecture with Ron and Jennifer Kujawski.

Though planning, preparation, and planting a vegetable garden takes some effort, the work, and rewards, have just begun. This presentation will look at post-planting efforts to sustain the garden and reap the rewards through the growing season. Topics covered include: summer maintenance, pest and disease management strategies, tips on harvesting, planning for a late season harvest, and cover cropping.

Ron & Jennifer Kujawski are a father-daughter gardening team who tend a 10,000 square foot garden in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Jennifer is a horticulturist and a writer and editor who works for a variety of organizations. Ron served as an Extension Educator in the Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program at the University of Massachusetts. Now retired, he spends time as a horticultural writer and lecturer. His weekly columns appear in the Berkshire Eagle and The Berkshire Edge. He and his daughter co-authored the book: Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardeners Handbook. Their weekly gardening tips can be found on Instagram at @weekbyweekvegetablegardeners.

DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 19, 2021 / 4 pm – 5 pm

ADMISSION: Tickets are $10
To register, visit www.spencertownacademy.org. 

MORE:
SpencertownAcademy.org
facebook.com/SpencertownAcademy
Phone: (518) 392-3693

For more local happenings, news, and events, follow ColumbiaCountyCurrent
on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter