Summer – Page 10 – Columbia County Current

2018 Autumn in Austerlitz Festival, Oct 7

The Old Austerlitz Historical Society’s 22nd Annual Autumn in Austerlitz Festival is scheduled for Sunday, October 7.

The Old Austerlitz Historical Society‘s 22nd Annual Autumn in Austerlitz Festival is scheduled for Sunday, October 7.

The event features a wide array of live demonstrations from sheep shearing to butter making, antiques, live music, entertainment for children, unique vendors, silent auction, quilt raffle and a variety of hot and cold foods to satisfy your hunger including the community soup station featuring over 6 home made soups.

Check out www.oldausterlitz.org to see the list of vendors, exhibitors, and entertainers.

DATE/TIME:
Sunday October 7th, 2018: 11am – 4pm. Rain or Shine.

LOCATION:
Old Austerlitz Village
11550 State Route 22
Austerlitz, NY 12017

ADMISSION:
$7 for adults. Children under 12 are free.

MORE:
www.oldausterlitz.org
facebook.com/aushistorical

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A Brief History of Labor Day

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country.

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend and it is considered the unofficial end of summer in the United States. It is recognized as a federal holiday.

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. “Labor Day” was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the United States officially celebrated Labor Day.

According to one early history of Labor Day, the event originated in connection with a General Assembly of the Knights of Labor convened in New York City in September 1882. In connection with this clandestine Knights assembly, a public parade of various labor organizations was held on September 5 under the auspices of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Secretary of the CLU Matthew Maguire is credited for first proposing that a national Labor Day holiday subsequently be held on the first Monday of each September in the aftermath of this successful public demonstration.

An alternative thesis is maintained that the idea of Labor Day was the brainchild of Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor, who put forward the initial proposal in the spring of 1882. According to McGuire, on May 8, 1882, he made a proposition to the fledgling Central Labor Union in New York City that a day be set aside for a “general holiday for the laboring classes”. According to McGuire he further recommended that the event should begin with a street parade as a public demonstration of organized labor’s solidarity and strength, with the march followed by a picnic, to which participating local unions could sell tickets as a fundraiser. According to McGuire he suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for such a public celebration, owing to optimum weather and the date’s place on the calendar, sitting midway between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving public holidays

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Pictures from the Columbia County Fair

The Columbia County Fair is in full swing.

The Columbia County Fair is in full swing. Sue Sperl-Knights stopped by the fair on Friday, and sent in these great pictures.

If you have some Fair photos that you’d like to share, email them to jeff@columbiacountycurrent.com

Columbia County Fair 2018 Info:

DATES/TIMES:
August 29 through Labor Day, September 3, 2018: 10am-11pm

ADMISSION:
Single Admission (excluding Sunday) $10.00
Sunday Admission $15.00
Senior Citizens 62 & over (Thursday 10am to 4pm) $5.00
Active Military Individual Personnel, with ID or uniform FREE (not a family discount)

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

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

For more local happenings, news, and events, follow ColumbiaCountyCurrent on Facebook, and twitter @CoCoCurrent.

Spencertown Academy Festival of Books, Labor Day Weekend 2018

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, a children’s program, and the Cookbook Café, serving fruit snacks, home-baked goodies, and our famous no-alarm vegetarian chili.

New this year, Spencertown Academy members will have first crack at the books during the Member’s Preview on Friday.

At the heart of the Festival is the annual book sale, one of the biggest in the region, offering more than 10,000 gently used books, including fiction and non-fiction, hard and soft cover —all at very affordable prices. Special sections included the Kid’s Corner for young readers; a media rack full of CDs, DVDs and audio books; art books; and a first-floor gallery featuring a handpicked selection of specialty books, limited editions, out-of-print books, and new books donated by leading national publishers.

DATES/TIMES/ADMISSION:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31

1:00-8:00 pm: MEMBERS PREVIEW BOOK SALE
Free admission for members, $10 for member’s guest.
New this year, extended early buying to get first choice of 10,000+ gently used books. Preview shoppers enjoy wine and cheese from 6:00-8:00 pm Members and their guests ONLY. Memberships may be purchased at the door.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

9:30-11:15 am: CHILDREN’S PROGRAM – Free admission
Visit with Biscuit the Puppy, the beloved storybook character with a mind of his own. Pose for photos with the silly pup and take home a related art project. Sit and listen at the Storybook Corner, then browse in the Kid’s Book Room.

10:00 am-5:00 pm: BOOK SALE – Free admission
More than 10,000 affordably priced hard- and soft-cover books, fiction and non-fiction, as well as CDs, DVDs and LPs. All skillfully sorted and displayed for easy browsing. A Specialty Book Room tempts collectors with limited editions, signed copies, etc. New this year, teachers with ID receive 20% discount on purchases (except in Special Books Room).

YOUNG WRITERS PRESENTATIONS
In the Tent, 11:30 am-12:15 pm – Free admission
Presentation of award-winning stories and essays from the Young Writers Contest held earlier in the spring, hosted by Kelly Kynion, contest organizer.

AUTHOR PRESENTATIONS
In the Tent, 12:30-5:00 pm

12:30 pm: Two Formidables – Readings and discussion
Linda Dahl and Donna Kaz are determined women who confronted sexism and discrimination head on. Dahl’s memoir, Tooth and Nail: The Making of a Female Fight Doctor, recounts the years she spent as an ENT surgeon by day and ringside physician by night. Kaz’s book, UN/MASKED: Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl on Tour, describes her journey pre #metoo movement from survivor of domestic violence to artist/activist.

2:00 pm: Americans, Bridges, and the Duna – Reading and conversation
Jessica Keener will discuss her literary thriller, Strangers in Budapest, in which an American couple and their adopted child find international intrigue within the 1990s ex-pat community in the Hungarian capital. Author Daphne Kalotay (Russian Winter; Sight Reading) will join Jessica in discussing the inherent mystery of a foreign setting, and how place can serve as a catalyst and character in the story’s unfolding.

3:30pm: Back to School – A Charming Tutorial! – Reading and discussion
Jamie Cat Callan will share delightful stories about her travels throughout France from her latest book, Parisian Charm School, along with secrets to hosting a great dinner party, tips on the art of flirtation, and how to live with joie de vivre.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

10:00 am-4:00 pm: BOOK SALE– Free admission

AUTHOR PRESENTATIONS
In the Tent, Noon-4:00 pm

Noon: Schizophrenia and Mental Health in America – reading and discussion
Nonfiction writer Sandy Allen will discuss their first book, A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story about Schizophrenia. Part memoir (as written by the author’s uncle Bob, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and interpreted and presented by Allen), part investigative report on mental healthcare in America, this tragic and touching story looks closely at constructs of normalcy, including psychiatric disability, and the important role of the family in mental health care.

1:30 pm: Poets in Conversation – readings and discussion
What is it like to be a poet in today’s world? Carol Durant (Whole Phat and Gluten Free Poetry) and Karen Schoemer (her poems have appeared in Up the River, Chronogram, and the Pine Hills Review; some have also been set to music by her group Jaded Azurites) will share their poetry, and discuss the state of their art.

3:00 pm:Ghosts, Photography, and Southern Gothic – reading and discussion
Jon Michael Varese will discuss his first novel, The Spirit Photographer, an intense tale of death and betrayal that shows us how determinedly the ghosts of the past remain with us, and how resolutely they refuse to be quieted. The book conjures the Reconstruction-era South, replete with fugitive hunters, voodoo healers, and other dangers lurking in the swamp.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

10:00 am-2:00 pm: BOOK SALE CLEARANCE – Free admission
All remaining books are just $1.00 and special books are half off already low prices. Closing hour surprise specials.

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

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

For more local happenings, news, and events, follow ColumbiaCountyCurrent on Facebook, and twitter @CoCoCurrent.

Columbia County Fair 2018 Starts Wednesday, Aug 29

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 with all your fair favorites as well as new entertainment that will fill the stages, exhibit buildings, barns, midway and grandstand. Headlining the Fair this year is Country Band Parmalee, known for their hit singles, “Carolina,” “Close Your Eyes,” and “Already Callin’ You Mine.”

Two nights of Demolition Derby.

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

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.

Monster Tractors will once again pull their heavy loads past the grandstand crowd, testing fairgoers eardrums while earning points towards the circuit championship.

DATES/TIMES:
August 29 through Labor Day, September 3, 2018
Wednesday NOON to 11pm
Thursday-Monday 10am-11pm

ADMISSION:
Single Admission (excluding Sunday) $10.00
Sunday Admission $15.00
Senior Citizens 62 & over (Thursday 10am to 4pm) $5.00
Youth Day 18 & under (Thursday 10am to 4pm) FREE
Active Military Individual Personnel, with ID or uniform FREE (not a family discount)

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

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

For more local happenings, news, and events, follow ColumbiaCountyCurrent on Facebook, and twitter @CoCoCurrent.