Columbia County Current

Spencertown Academy Festival of Books, Labor Day Weekend 2019

Festival of Books, the annual extravaganza of all things literary, takes place over Labor Day weekend. The event features a giant used book sale, two days of readings and book signings by nationally known and local authors

The annual Festival of Books at Spencertown Academy Arts Center is a celebration of books and reading for the whole community. For three days in early September we welcome outstanding writers and poets and nearly 2,000 readers and book-lovers to our 1847 schoolhouse in rural Columbia County. This year’s festival will feature a visit from Froggy on Saturday morning for the kids.

The festival opens Friday with Members’ Only Preview Day, giving members and their guests early access to the book rooms. Admission is free for members, $10 for each member guest. Membership has its privileges! Join now to ensure early access, or purchase a membership at the door on Friday. Members also receive one or more free book(s), and may celebrate their purchases at an evening wine and cheese reception.

All other programming on Saturday, Sunday and Monday — book sales, children’s program and author presentations – is free to all.

DATES/TIMES:
Friday, August 30 – Monday, September 2, 2019

LOCATION:
Spencertown Academy Arts Center
790 NY-203
Spencertown, NY 12165

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

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The Theater Barn Presents: ‘Lucky Stiff’

The Theater Barn, in New Lebanon, presents “Lucky Stiff”, this Thursday through September 1.

Based on the novel, The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth, Lucky Stiff is an offbeat, hilarious murder mystery farce, complete with mistaken identities, six million bucks in diamonds and a corpse in a wheelchair. Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit the fortune before the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn or to his uncle’s gun-toting ex-mistress.

Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty

DATES/TIMES:
Thursday, August 29 through Sunday, September 1, 2019:
Thursday and Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 4pm and 8pm
Sunday at 2pm

TICKET PRICES:
$29.00 for the evening and Saturday performances
$27.00 for the Sunday matinee
$2 convenience fee per ticket
Group rate available upon request

LOCATION:
654 Columbia Pike
New Lebanon, NY 12125

MORE:
TheTheaterBarn.org
facebook.com/thetheaterbarn
Box Office – 518-794-8989

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It’s Time for the 179th Columbia County Fair! Aug 28 – Sep 2, 2019

The Columbia County Fair is six days of fun with all your fair favorites as well as new entertainment that will fill the stages, exhibit buildings, barns, midway and grandstand.

The Columbia County Fair is six days of fun in Chatham, New York with all your fair favorites as well as new entertainment that will fill the stages, exhibit buildings, barns, midway and grandstand.

Motorheads will get their dose of metal-smashing mayhem with two nights of Demolition Derby. On Wednesday night, catch 4 cylinders, mini vans, mini pick-ups and mini SUVs heats plus 6 and 8 cylinders and full-size pick-ups and vans on Thursday night.

Friday night the New York Truck Pulling circuit rolls into our Grandstand for one exciting night of diesel, 4WD modified and enhanced gas competitors, produced by Shootout Productions.

The excitement of bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding thrills fairgoers on Labor Day with professional cowboys throughout the country competing for cash prizes and a chance at the year-end trophy buckle at the Painted Pony Rodeo. Team roping, calf roping, steer wrestling and ladies barrel racing contest fill out the event.

On Saturday, the raging Monster Tractors will once again pull their heavy loads past the grandstand crowd, testing fairgoers eardrums while earning points towards the circuit championship. Our annual Firefighters Parade steps off at 11 am with Columbia County Fire and EMS companies marching along with the Ghent Band.

Get ready to rock with Latham-native and NBC’s The Voice powerhouse singer Moriah Formica Sunday on the Grandstand stage at 3 pm. Fresh off of American Idol 2019, you will not want to miss this up-and-coming rockstar. The day ramps up when country-rock sensation Frankie Ballard takes the stage to sing his hits “Helluva Life”, “Sunshine & Whiskey”, “Young & Crazy” and many more at 7 pm.

Back again for 2019 are all of our favorite competitions of livestock, talent, beverage making, domestic arts & crafts, antique tractors, quilts, produce, sunflowers, scarecrows, school work, photography, school girl queen, flowers, scouting, wool, watermelon & ice cream eating, 4-H and Grange.

And the beat goes on throughout the Fair with musical performances in the Upper Entertainment Garden, NorthGate Stage and Pavillion. Plus thrilling midway rides, games of chance, fabulous food concessions and product and services vendors galore.

DATES/TIMES:
Wednesday, August 28 through Labor Day, September 2, 2019
Wednesday NOON to 11pm
Thursday – Monday 10am – 11pm

ADMISSION:
Children age 12 and under always get in free!

LOCATION:
Columbia County Fair Grounds
182 Hudson Avenue
Chatham, NY 12037

MORE:
www.columbiafair.com
facebook.com/Columbia-County-Fair

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The Hudson Eye, 10-Day Program Focused on Arts & Nightlife

Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation is launching The Hudson Eye between August 23 – September 2, 2019 in partnership with Artists, Venues, Collectors, Communities, Volunteers, Small Businesses – and underground Hudson Nightlife.

In dialogue with local Artists and Partners, this artist-driven program which will be mounted in Hudson to build and strengthen our communities through contemporary performance & art celebrating artists that, like Jonah, have a longstanding commitment to the City of Hudson while also recognizing the next generation of artists who have chosen to call Hudson their home.

The Hudson Eye will be an annual 10-day public program and urban showcase, artist-driven, with a focus on Dance, Music, Performance, Film, Visual Art, Dining Out, and Nightlife during the final week of August, running through Labor Day weekend, as a celebratory close to Hudson’s peak tourism weekend of the summer.

“For nearly 200 years during and since the founding of the Hudson River School, our city and region have been a source of inspiration for artists to live, work, commune, meditate, create, find shelter, renew themselves – and seek a sustainable creative sanctuary. As we go further in depth during our planning phase of The Hudson Eye we remain mindful of this history, and steadfast in our support of the Hudson community: we have plans to expand our commitment to with many artists. Our program features a number of artists both within the Hudson region and abroad, to be curatorially framed in a multi-venue exhibition program, while also featuring a daily 1pm Panel Salon and “Dine Around” in town each evening”.

DATES/TIMES: Friday, August 23 – Monday, September 2, 2019

LOCATION: City of Hudson, Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

MORE:
thehudsoneye.com
facebook.com/thehudsoneye
instagram.com/the.hudson.eye

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Route 66 Bridge to Re-Opens Today!

State and Local Officials to Reopen Route 66 Bridge in Time for Columbia County Fair.

State and Local Officials to Reopen Route 66 Bridge in Time for Columbia County Fair.

State and local officials are scheduled to cut the ribbon to commemorate the official reopening of the Route 66 Bridge over Kline Kill Creek in Ghent, today. Completion of the project was accomplished ahead of schedule to ensure the bridge was ready for the start of the Columbia County Fair, which attracts thousands of visitors each year and runs from August 28 through Labor Day.

Scheduled to attend the ceremony are Assemblymember Didi Barrett, Ghent Town Supervisor Michael Benvenuto, Chatham Deputy Mayor Peter Minahan, Columbia County Fair Manager Angelo Nero, Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez, and Department of Agriculture and Markets Deputy Commissioner David Valesky.

DATE/TIME: Friday, August 23, 2019 / 10:30am

LOCATION:
Route 66 Bridge over Kline Kill Creek
Ghent, NY

Parking for Ribbon Cutting: 2361 Route 66, Ghent, NY

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