Happenings: This Weekend

FRIDAY, December 7, 2007

Comfort and Joy: Paintings by Cathy Nichols and Marisa Haedike
Opening reception 5-9pm.
East Village Collective, 8 Old Forge Road
Woodstock, NY 12494
845-679-2174
eastvillagecollective.com

Art Exhibit: Hudson in Black & White
Photographs of Hudson by regional artists;
Time & Space Limited, 434 Columbia Street,
Hudson, NY
822-8448
Time & Space

Out of the Shadows: Exhibition of photographs by Agi Clark
Photographs explore shadows that break loose from their source becoming abstract entities
Gallery Hours: Mon-Sun 12-5pm
Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street
Hudson, NY
822-1438
Hudson Opera House

2007 Winter Celebration at Lindenwald
The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will celebrate the season with music, drama and special tours of President Van Buren’s mansion decorated and lighted for the season. The home and farm of eighth President will be aglow with the warm light and holiday greens that evening. On the inside, guests will be treated to the talents of the Kinderhook Garden Club whose members beautifully decorate the President’s home.
Admission to the house is free, but reservations for house tours are a must which are scheduled from 4:30pm – 8:30pm .
Reservations MUST be made by phone at 518-758-9689
Route 9H, Kinderhook, New York
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

SATURDAY, December 8, 2007

A Mexican Holiday
Holiday house tours discuss the holiday traditions Church would have witnessed on his annual winter trips and emphasizing paintings of and objects from Mexico.
Olana State Historic Site
Route 9G, south of Hudson;
10am-4pm; 828-0135
Olana.org

“Cyrano”
Copake Theatre Company presents Walking the dog Theater’s acclaimed production of the classic “Cyrano de Bergerac,” weekends from November 30 to December 9, at the Copake Grange
Empire Road, Copake, NY.
Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 & 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m.
Admission: adults $15 on Friday, $18 on Saturday and Sunday
seniors, $12 on Friday, $15 on Saturday and Sunday
Students, group (20 or more) and children’s rate, $12 all shows
Call 518-325-1234 for tickets or purchase them at Dad’s Copake Diner.
Copake Theatre Company

Christmas at Clermont
Clermont State Historic Site
off Route 9G, Clermont
11am-4pm
537-4240
Friends Of Clermont

Robert Selkowitz Studio Open House
11am -5pm
3024 Route 28, Ashokan, NY
(845)657-6982,
artfolks.com

SUNDAY, December 9, 2007

Christmas dinner-dance
Live music provided by the Mountain Tops. Delicious grand buffet dinner available for $20 or $6 for only live music and dancing. Children’s price $6.
2-7 PM
The German-American Club of Albany
32 Cherry Street, Albany, NY 12205
(518) 482-5845.
Times Union

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Happy Birthday Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), eighth president of the United States, was was born in the village of Kinderhook, NY, in what is now part of Columbia County. He was the third of five children and the first president born in the United States, as all previous ones were born before the American Revolution.

Van Buren was educated at the common schools and at Kinderhook Academy. In 1796, he began the study of law, completing his preparation in 1802 in New York City, where he studied under William Peter van Ness. In 1803, he was admitted to the bar and continued an active and successful practice for 26 years.

Nicknamed Old Kinderhook, Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. Before his presidency he served as the eighth Vice President (1833-1837) and the 10th Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson. He was a key organizer of the Democratic Party, a dominant figure in the Second Party System, and the first president who was not of English, Irish, Welsh, or Scottish descent. Van Buren was the first President who did not experience the American Revolution firsthand. He is also the only president not to have spoken English as a first language, having grown up speaking Dutch.

Members of the Friends of Lindenwald, representatives of the Martin Van Buren Historic Site and of the resident of the United States, the town of Kinderhook, the military and the villages of Kinderhook and Valatie will take place in a ceremony today at 12:45 pm to honor Van Buren’s 225th birthday.

The ceremony will be held in the Kinderhook Cemetery on Albany Avenue.

Kef Wireless Speakers

I’m constantly rearranging the rooms of my home. Usually that just means moving furniture and the stuff hanging on my walls, which is fun. Unfortunately, whenever I move the TV, I also have to rewire the surround sound speaker system, which is tedious, frustrating and usually limiting as I have to find a layout that cleverly conceals the wires.

With one of these new Kef Wireless Speaker Kits (KIT 120 and KIT 140), I could move my TV and speakers without ever having to worry about whether or not the new layout will leave wires running all over the room.


Offered in a matt silver or high gloss black paint the entire package includes two main loudspeakers, a subwoofer with an incorporated high performance amplifier and an identical DVD/CD player. Unfortunately with a starting price of $2480, I won’t be adding these to my home theater set-up any time soon. But don’t let that stop you – click here for more info.

Happenings: Colonial Theatre


There is a great variety of events taking place at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA, this month.

Friday, Dec 7th 2007
Warren Miller’s PLAYGROUND
6:30pm & 9:30pm $18.50

“Warren Miller’s PLAYGROUND, the largest action sports film on the planet, will kickoff the winter sports season. Presented in stunning high definition, PLAYGROUND chronicles extraordinary action and breathtaking cinematography from Sweden, Japan, Dubai, Alaska and more. Warren Miller premiers are an experience, a party and a phenomenon not to be missed.”

Saturday, Dec 8th 2007
Oldies but Goodies: Are We There Yet?
7:30PM A: $22 B:$15

“Guest Presentation to benefit United Cerebral Palsy.”

Sunday, Dec 9th 2007
The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley
2:00 pm and 4:00 pm $8-$12

Children are encouraged to bring their own Flat Stanley figures to the performance. Several will be chosen to have adventures with Colonial Theatre performers before being mailed home to their original artists. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Thursday, Dec 13th 2007
Celtic Yuletide
8:00 pm $22-$45

Michael Londra, the Irish Tenor best known as the vocalist of Riverdance, presents an evening of “Christmas from Ireland,” told in song, dance and the classic stories of his youth.

Saturday, Dec 15th 2007
Albany Symphony Orchestra: Memories of the Old Country
7:30pm $27, 3 Concert Series $77

The centerpiece of the December concert is a Klezmer Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra, written by Williamstown composer Stephen Dankner for the brilliant Israeli-American virtuoso, Matt Haimovitz. Matt gained particular attention for his multi-year solo recital tour in unconventional venues, bringing concert music to new listeners (in roadhouses, bars, pizza parlors, etc…). For this work, Dankner imagines the orchestra as a giant Klezmer Band, and pays homage to his own and Haimovitz’s Jewish ancestry. Also on the program, Haimovitz performs Shostakovich’s achingly beautiful Cello Concerto No. 1, and the orchestra performs Bartok’s Rumanian Folk Dances and the Schubert “Unfinished” Symphony.

Friday, Dec 21st 2007
Albany Berkshire Ballet Presents: The Nutcracker
12/21 at 4:30PM & 7:30PM
12/22 at 1:00PM & 4:30PM
$19-$32

The Colonial Theatre is located at 111 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201.
For more information, call 413-448-8084 or click on thecolonialtheatre.org