Friday, June 5, 2009

News That Matters - Friday, June 5, 2009 - Things To Do Edition


News That Matters
Brought to you (Almost Daily) by PlanPutnam.Org
Good Friday Morning,

The weather today is going to suck but tomorrow and Sunday look nicer. As is usual, get outside anyway, even today for a day outside is better than one stuck in. And yeah, turn off the television.

Media artist Yann Arthus-Bertrand has spent the last three years crafting a full-length film about our planet and the woes it faces due to, well, us. The film, "Home", which is being released globally today, runs to an hour and 33 minutes, was shot in 54 countries and is complied of almost 500 hours of video. To ensure widespread viewing, the film is being released in several languages and is provided free-of-charge via theatrical release, television and downloadable formats. You can view the film here.

The Connecticut Film Festival is running this entire week and through this weekend in Danbury. What was once a small, unnoticeable event just a few years ago, the CT Film Fest has grown into a regional event drawing thousands of participants involved in film, music and a new interactive component. Learn more about the Festival here. This event includes a "24 hour" film making competition open to all.

Farmer's Markets are springing up all over the place. Here's a brief list of those operating and when. If you run a market, please let me know for inclusion on this list which is maintained at the blogsite.
Brewster Farmer’s Market at Peaceable Road and Route 6 from 9AM - 2PM each Wednesday and Saturday. WIC & SNP welcome. Sponsors: the Coalition for a Better Brewster and  the Village of Brewster.

Cascade Farm is in Patterson on Harmony Road just north of Route 292 and just west of the traffic light at Route 311. Their farm stand is open on Saturdays from 9 until noon. Call 845.878.3258 for information. Pictures of the farm are here

Ryder Farm is in Southeast on Starr Ridge Road just about 2 miles below the Route 6 traffic light (Citgo Station). The Ryder farm stand is open from Tuesday through Friday in the afternoons until about 6 and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 until 4.

Cold Spring Farmer’s Market is open on Saturdays, May through October, from 8:30 AM until 1:30PM at 44 Chestnut Street in Cold Spring.

Putnam Valley Farmer’s Market is now open from 2PM until 6PM on Wednesdays at the Grange Hall at Adams Corners. Mill Street and Peekskill Hollow Road.

Tonight:

Vaclav Havel’s "Audience"

8PM - Repeats Saturday, June 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 at 3 p.m. Arts on the Lake.

The Liberty (NY) Free Theatre’s Production of Audience by Vaclav Havel (playwright, prisoner, president of the Czech Republic) With Paul Austin and John Neails. Preceded by Ralph Reads Mrozek (Sławomir Mrożek - Polish Dramatist) With James Shearwood All Seats: $12.  ($2 discount to AotL members)

“Audience” takes place in a Czechoslovak brewery where Ferdinand Vanek has found work after having been banned from writing by the Communist regime. He has been called in for a “talk” by the foreman. What follows is a funny, ironic and disturbing look at the human cost of living in a totalitarian culture. The play features John Neails as Vanek and Paul Austin as the Foreman. Sets, lighting and stage management by Paul Austin, Ed Durkee, Lora Lee Ecobelli and Jeff Green.

Actor Paul Austin currently lives in Sullivan County and has appeared in numerous television shows and movies. He's appeared in the award wining film, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, with Alan Arkin, John Tuturro and Amy Irving and has appeared in sex episodes of Law & Order among many other critical film and TV performances. He is the director of the Liberty Free Theater in Liberty, NY.

John Neails of Monticello, NY has appeared in local and regional theater including Mr. Astin's Liberty Free Theater. He has performed in a highly acclaimed production of "The Exonerated" play describing, first hand, the lives of innocent prisoners on death row.

Saturday:

Bird Walk at Muscoot Farm

7AM - 9 AM with Naturalist Jeanne Waful, Route 100, Somers. Sponsored by Friends of Muscoot Farm. Many of the birds are in their breeding season now and Jeanne will talk about their different breeding behaviors including their songs. Suitable for experts and beginners alike. Please bring  binoculars. Degree of Difficulty: Easy. Information and registration (914) 864-7282.

Trip to Old Field Preserve

8AM - 10 AM North Salem With Tait Johansson. Meet at the Preserve entrance on Mead Street (½ mile from Route 35  on the right). Park at the end of the drive next to the kiosk. Please join us for a walk at this lovely nature preserve. We should encounter woodland and shrubland birds and an array of wildflowers. Degree of Difficulty: Easy, with some rough wet areas. Register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or by telephone at (914)   232-4806.

Celebrate & Explore a New Trail at Wonder Lake State Park

10 AM - Join the NY/NJ Trail Conference and the Kent CAC in celebrating the official opening of the first leg of the Highlands Trail east of the Hudson River. Crews of volunteers have been hard at work building this new trail at one of New York's newest state parks. The trail leads to and around Wonder Lake and follows a combination of newly constructed hiking trails and previously existing woods roads. Mountain laurel may be in bloom.

Ribbon-cutting will take place at 10am at the parking lot on Ludingtonville Road in Putnam County, between exits 17 and 18 on I-84.  Hikes will start immediately afterwards. Bring water, snacks, and wear appropriate footwear.

*Directions: Exit 17 off of I-84 (Ludingtonville Road). Head East on Ludingtonville Road (also called County Rte 43). The road will twist and turn. After approximately 1.5 miles, you will see the parking lot for Wonder Lake on your left.

More information about Wonder Lake State Park can be found at PlanPutnam's Outdoor Recreation pages.

Who Was George Pope Morris?

5PM - The Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School Museum, with our curator, Dr. Trudie A. Grace. Join Honorary Trustees Charlotte Eaton and Minette Gunther to learn more about the remarkable Cold Spring resident for whom Morris Avenue was named. A pioneering 19th-century journalist and publisher, Morris was a prominent taste-maker in New York and throughout the country. 63 Chestnut Street in Cold Spring. Admission is free for members and donors, and $5 for the general public. Space is limited; reservations are strongly suggested. Please call 845-265-4010 or email.

Sunday:

Birds of Prey Day

11 AM - 4PM at Green Chimney's School, Doansburg Road, Patterson. Birds of Prey Day will feature a stage show, free flying raptor demonstrations, wildlife workshops, environmental information and the release of a rehabilitated bird.  There will also be a stage show featuring animal experts, pony rides, a climbing tower, hayrides, demonstrations, vendors a BBQ and more. This year's experts include: Brian Bradley of Skyhunters, "Wildman" Steve Brill, James Eyring of Pace Environmental Center, renowned naturalist Jim Fowler, Maggie Howell and "Atka" from the Wolf Conservation Center, environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Annemarie Lucas of Animal Precinct, Bruce Lowder of Animal Encounters, Bill Robinson of Wildlife Lectures, Tractor Mac author Billy Steers, Jonathan Wood of the Raptor Project and more! Tickets are $12 for adults and children 12 and older; $8 for seniors, $5 for children 3-11, and $35 for a family pass.  The event is free for children 2 and under and scouts in uniform. 

Hudson River Fest

Location:  Lyndhurst, Tarrytown. Live music, an outdoor market featuring locally grown produce, Hudson Valley wineries and cheese makers, and more than 40 interactive displays and exhibits by environmental groups and arts organizations will headline the event. The program, which highlights the natural, cultural and historical significance of the Hudson River, is sponsored by Westchester County government and Lyndhurst, with assistance from the County’s Parks Department and Office for Tourism and the New York State Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission.  The signature event -- the Hudson River “Quest” -- will help young adventurers learn more about the Hudson River while having fun.  Other feature events and speakers include:  Tarrytown photographer Rob Yasinsac, author of Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape, will talk about documenting historic and distinctive architecture in the Hudson Valley; author and conservationist Frances Dunwell will draw on the material in her recently-published book The Hudson: America's River; Kathleen Johnson, author of The Hudson-Fulton Celebration, will talk about New York’s River Festival of 1909 that was held over a two-week period to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Hudson’s discovery;  Dr. Eric Sanderson, founder and director of the Mannahatta Project at the Wildlife Conservation Society, will provide a unique presentation about the original ecology of Manhattan which he uncovered after nearly a decade of research; and Native American/Celtic author Evan Pritchard will reconstruct the events surrounding the Half Moon's journey of 1609, and share with his insights into the probable significance of Henry Hudson’s Algonquin hosts.  Live music by Solar Punch and other artists, tours, nature walks, live animal exhibits, and much more.  For more information, call (914) 631-4481 ext. 43222 or (914) 666-4258, or visit westchestergov.com/hudsonriverfest.

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