Arlo Guthrie @ The Guthrie Center


Arlo Guthrie is performing tonight and tomorrow night at The Guthrie Center at the Old Trinity Church in Great Barrington, MA.

Guthrie’s performances are part of the Semi-Annual Spring Church Revival, which is raising funds to help support the upcoming Summer season at The Church. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit Kashi Ashram in preparation for the celebration of Ma’s Mahasamadhi/Birthday.

The performances are billed as Guthrie solos, however, Guthrie’s friends have been known to join him at past events.

Tickets are $65 for members, and $80 for non-members. Seating is very limited and reservations are required. Call for reservations – 413-528-1955 There’s only one phone so please be patient but persistent if you’d like to be assured admission.

WHEN: Friday & Saturday (May 11 & 12, 2012)
TIME: 8 PM
WHERE: The Guthrie Center at the Old Trinity Church
2 Van Deusenville Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
MORE: Visit GuthrieCenter.org

For more happenings in and around Columbia County, follow @CoCoCurrent on Twitter.

Children’s Book Week At Oblong Books

This Saturday (May 12, 2012), Oblong Books in Millertown celebrates Children’s Book Week with a reading by children’s book author, Jenny Offill. Offill will be at the store for a special storytime to read her two picture books – 11 Experiments That Failed and 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore.

Here is some info from OblongBooks.com:

“Is it possible to eat snowballs doused in ketchup—and nothing else—all winter? Can a washing machine wash dishes? By reading the step-by-step instructions, kids can discover the answers to such all-important questions along with the book’s curious narrator. Here are 12 “hypotheses,” as well as lists of “what you need,” “what to do,” and “what happened” that are sure to make young readers laugh out loud as they learn how to conduct science experiments (really!).”

This event is recommended for kids ages 2-6.

WHEN: Saturday (May 12, 2012)
TIME: 11:00 AM
WHERE: Oblong Books & Music, 26 Main Street, Millerton, NY.
MORE INFO: Visit OblongBooks.com

Big Changes for Chatham Village

There are three exciting projects on the horizon for the village of Chatham. Let’s start at the top of Main Street and work our way down.

That big brick building sitting at the top of Main Street (between River and Austerlitz Streets) has been going through some renovations over the past few years and the building’s future is now coming into focus. MetzWood Harder Insurance, which currently has an office on the circle, will be moving into the main floor of the building with the remaining space being converted into apartments. The current addition to the building will be removed to make way for parking and green space. If the planning board approves, construction should begin this summer.

Heading down Main street, our favorite movie theatre, The Crandell Theatre, is hoping to make some cosmetic adjustments to the theatre’s facade. Chatham Film Club President, Sandi Knakal, recently went before the village Planning Board to discuss some upgrades planned for the theatre. The Planning Board asked her to come back with paint color for approval. Personally, I’d love to see the 1960’s-looking facade restored to its original 1920’s look.

Finally, at the southern end of the village, the Planning Board announced that the planned addition to the Chatham Plaza would have little or no negative impact on the local environment. This decision clears the way for the next step in the review of the proposed project to expand the existing Price Chopper supermarket. That plan calls for an addition to the existing structure that will increase the size of the supermarket from 23,000-square-feet to 40,000 square feet and eliminate one of the retail spaces. The largest vacant space is currently the old video-rental store at the north end of the plaza so it sounds as if the plan is to build onto the back of the plaza to create a Price Chopper that envelopes the other stores. Sounds good to me because we could really use a larger supermarket. I will keep an eye on this story and continue to update you with new info.

For more news, follow us on twitter @CoCoCurrent!

Photo by S. Davis

Annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival

Tomorrow (May 5, 2012) is the fourth annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival. More than 80 authors and illustrators will be at the Hudson Junior and Senior High School  for the festival and they will be joined by the national ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Walter Dean Myers.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include hundreds of books to browse, authors and illustrators to talk to, live performances, arts & crafts workshops, food and giveaways.

The live performances will take place throughout the day and include:

Johnette Downing performs Reading Rocks. Downing is an award-winning author and musician for preschoolers through third graders who is known as the “Musical Ambassador to Children.”

Aaron Nigel Smith’s Call to Action. Smith founded FUNdamentals of Music and Movement, an arts program favored by early educational centers. Call to Action should have kids up and dancing.

John Farrell with the John L. Edwards School’s second-grade students. Farrell and the students will perform a song they wrote together then Farrell will perform several of his interactive songs and stories. Farrell is a local performing artist and songwriter.

WHEN: Saturday (May 5, 2012)
TIME: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m
WHERE: Hudson Junior and Senior High School
FEE: Admission is free
MORE INFO: Visit http://hudsonchildrensbookfestival.com/