BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR at the Kingston Night Market.

August 22nd, 2012

On Friday August 24th,Kingston’s first Night Market will kick off the evening with live music, food, wine, shopping and various art events, including the inaugural  pop-up art show “Behind the Green Door” featuring the intuitive imagery of photographer, Art Institute of Chicago graduate and Marist College professor  Dan McCormack.

McCormack has photographed the nude for over forty years, working in the studio, various indoor settings, and out in the landscape of upstateNew York.    His latest technique uses the extreme wide angle distortions of a round oatmeal box pinhole camera and the digital colorizations of B&W negatives to create a series of visceral images that probe the unconscious, stepping away from the literal reality and choosing instead to seek expressionism. Through successive pulling of curves, B&W values are replaced with color in separate channels that ultimately create the dreamlike state in the finished piece.   Industrial sites, homes, architecture, landscape or props are juxtaposed with the model in the camera.  With its solarization-like tone reversals and silkscreen-like color layering, these images are a hybrid of “sixteenth-century optics juxtaposed with twenty-first century digital print technology.”   The photographic show will be available for viewing,  to mature audiences aged 18 or older.

Also on the same block, the Storefront Gallery in collaboration with The Center for ezerdian Studies, is serving as the way station for the remaining fifty displaced interstellar robots in search of new friends and places to call home.  In an adjunct show, Erik Richards will present a group of local landscape photographs in a selection of archival digital prints ranging in size from 5×7″ to 20×20″.  A few doors away, an outdoor crafts fair featuring local HudsonValley artisans will include original photography by Andy Milford, mosaics by Jenny Strohm, and notecards & tees by Karmabee.

And further up the same street at the Agustsson Gallery, sculptor Magnus Agustsson will be exhibiting his talent for fashion design and presentation of the feminine figure in his original ceramic art sculpture series “Fashion Street.”

Come meet the Artists!. Peek in Behind the Green Door. Shop Early & Local  for the holidays!

The Night Market will run from 6 PM to 10PM, on Lower Broadway between Spring & West Union Streets.  Rain Date August 31.

 

For more info, contact Nancy Donskoj at  845-338-8473

 

The Dig Kids Celebrate 2012 Season with BBQ

August 15th, 2012

The Dig Kids, an Urban Farming Program created by the Kingston Land Trust, host a BBQ in Midtown to celebrate their garden successes in 2012 on Thursday, August 23rd.

Citizens are invited to meet at the Everett Hodge Center at 4:30pm for a garden walk to the Van Buren Street Playground where they can enjoy the new garden with hamburgers, hot dogs, homemade pesto pasta and programming by the 2012 Dig Kids.

The Dig Kids, an Urban Farming Program created by the Kingston Land Trust in partnership with Kingston Cares (a program of Family of Woodstock), The South Pine Street City Farm and with support from the Kingston Parks and Recreation Department, City of Kingston and sponsored by Croswell Enterprises, inc. invites all to celebrate their garden successes in 2012.

Since May, eight Kingston youth between the ages of 14 – 19 have been provided an educational stipend to work weekly and grow vegetables under the stewardship of Farmer Jesica Clark, a first generation organic farmer and Valerie Linet both formerly from Phillies Bridge Farm. Through the Dig Kids program, the teenagers have transformed the front of the community center at the Everett Hodge Center with a vegetable garden – and new to the program this year, the Van Buren Street Playground garden, a city of Kingston Park, while learning valuable farming skills that include garden visioning, soil construction, companion planting, harvesting and preparing or donating their vegetables.

Kingston citizens are invited to meet the Dig Kids at the Everett Hodge Center 15-21 Franklin Street on Thursday, August 23td at 4:30pm for a garden walk to the Van Buren Street Playground on Van Buren Street for hamburgers and hot dogs and other festivities.

Donations for ‘The Dig Kids’ program for 2013 are currently being accepted. Please contact Rebecca Martin at the Kingston Land Trust at 845/750-7295 for more information on the event, or how you might be a future donor or sponsor.

About “The Dig Kids: An Urban Farming Program” for Youth   Created by the Kingston Land Trust in 2011 with a grant from the Columbia Foundation and a donation by Family of Woodstock, ‘The Dig Kids” is charged in working with Kingston youth to grow food, learn farming practices, encourage entrepreneurship, beautification, pride and good health through hands on farming experiences.

About the South Pine Street City Farm   The South Pine Street City Farm is an urban farm located in the Hudson Valley’s Kingston, NY.  On a 1/4 acre lot, the farm grows produce destined for the city’s various tables. Striving to provide absolutely delicious vegetables and fruits grown minutes from their destination, the SPSCF uses responsible and regenerative growing practices.  In support of the The Queens Galley, some of the proceeds help fund the organization’s mission to provide awareness, education, relief and prevention of food insecurity in America.  With our Partners The Kingston Land Trust and Binnewater Ice Co. we are building a community that values open, green and productive spaces.

About Kingston Cares   Kingston Cares is a community collaborative sponsored by Family of Woodstock, Inc. and funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration through a Drug Free Communities grant. For more information, visit: LINK

About Croswell Enterprises, Inc.  Croswell Enterprises, LTD’s philosophy is simple: provide high quality bulk landscaping materials with old fashioned service. While their website provides a wealth of information, they welcome your calls to discuss and make recommendations for your individual project. Their products include: Dynagro Garden Soil, Dynagro Topsoil, Dynamulch, Landscape Mulch, Dynagro Super Rich Compost, Gravel and Round River Stone. Dynagro Garden Soil and Dynamulch are their most popular products. Dynagro Garden Soil is a custom blended soil,ready to plant!  Rich in organic material with a light texture and balanced ph, this soil is perfect for flower and vegetable growing. Dynamulch TM is a compost enriched mulch which can be used as a mulch or as a soil conditioner. For more information, feel free to contact their office at (845) 331-4232, visit them atcroswellenterprises.com or friend them on FACEBOOK

About the City of Kingston Parks and Recreation Department   Led by Director Kevin Gilfeather, the Kingston Parks and Recreation Department oversees Kingston’s park system and organizes many programs for residents and tourists that include boating, kayaking, youth, adult and senior programs, environmental education, adult sports and more.  www.kingston-ny.gov

 

 

City of Kingston Unveils New Park Signs

August 14th, 2012

The City of Kingston Parks and Recreation Department has developed new park signage for all thirteen parks as well as for the Community Centers, the Van Buren Street playground and the Andretta pool.  The signs were produced by the City of Kingston’s Department of Public Works.

These signs were created with the intent of making it easier for people to locate the parks and take advantage of their many amenities.  The signs are one of the many ways the City of Kingston Parks and Recreation are promoting the parks through Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work & Play project. This project is fighting obesity and type 2 diabetes through environment, system and policy change.

The City of Kingston Parks and Recreation Department are one of CCEUC’s many partners working to make it easier for the people of Ulster County to eat healthier foods and become more physically active.  In addition to the new signage, the City of Kingston Parks and Recreation have cleared two trails, one at Hasbrouck Park, and one at the Rotary Park at Kingston Point.  Trail markers, a trail registry and educational programs incorporating the trails will be put into place this Fall.  They have also created new park brochures, and new website, www.kingstonparksandrec.org, which will allow users to register for park programs and facilities online.  Through the Creating Healthy Places project the Forsyth Nature Center is also offering a Naturalist’s Passport to the Parks program for families, with twenty-two outdoor activities held at various city parks.  The program began in May and runs through September. It is held every Tuesday at 3:30pm. Children who complete six programs will receive a free gift and a certificate from the Nature Center. 

Visit www.kingstonparksandrec.org to learn more about parks and rec programs, and www.creatinghealthyplacesulster.org  to learn more about Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s Creating Healthy Places project.

For more information about Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s community programs and events call 845-340-3990 or visit us online at www.cceulster.org. Follow us on www.facebook.com

Essential and Stylish: Kingston’s Factories Transformed– an FHK Industrial Tour

July 30th, 2012

Tour on October 6th Uncovers Secrets of Kingston’s Industrial Past

Midtown Neighborhood Being Transformed by Lofts and Arts-Related Businesses

 

One of Kingston, New York’s historic neighborhoods, where thousands of the city’s residents earned a living, is being rediscovered. The city’s industrial district, located in Midtown, is now the home of stylish residential lofts, professional offices, and workshops making art supplies and design items coveted by artists, architects and decorators across the country. The Friends of Historic Kingston is offering a glimpse inside these spaces during a special guided tour of the industrial district on Saturday, October 6, from 1:00-5:30 p.m. Participants will traverse Midtown on Kingston Trolleys, on special loan for the event courtesy of Mayor Shane Gallo. The tour, which the Friends are calling Essential and Stylish: Kingston’s Factories Transformed, will conclude with a reception in a beautiful residential loft onRailroad Avenue. The reception will feature refreshments, live jazz and historic photos of Kingston’s industrial past.

Ticket price for Essential and Stylish: Kingston’s Factories Transformed is $50.00 per person for the tour and the reception or $25.00 per person for each event.  The proceeds will benefit the Friends and its work in preserving Kingston’s architecture and history. Tickets go on sale on August 6, 2012. For reservations and information, please contact the Friends of Historic Kingston at FHKINDUSTRIALTOUR@yahoo.com.

Among the stops on the Essential and Stylish tour will be:

  • a strikingly beautiful architectural office in a former cigar factory;
  • an airy residential loft in a former wholesale food distribution company;
  • a firm that does custom millwork and cabinetry in a former shirt factory;
  • a company specializing in limited edition sculptural objects, furniture and kitchen items operating out of an old brush factory;
  • one of the country’s leading manufacturers of handmade paints, which also exhibits important contemporary art;
  • the future site of 55 live/work artist studios in a massive former lace curtain factory.

 

Kingston’s economy was initially fueled by shipping, mining, brick-making and shipbuilding. It was in 1883, with the completion of the West Shore Railroad, that large factory buildings were constructed close to the railroad tracks in Midtown Kingston. These factories provided jobs for thousands of local residents, many of whom were from immigrant families who had recently arrived in the city. Some manufacturing businesses remained open until a generation or two ago, while others continue operations today.

The Essential and Stylish tour will allow participants to discover why Midtown Kingston is being touted as one ofKingston’s coolest places to live and work.

The Friends of Historic Kingston (www.fohk.org) supports and protects the architectural, historical and cultural heritage of the City of Kingston through programs of advocacy, education and preservation. FHK has taken the lead in advocating for the city’s involvement in historic preservation and the designation of four local and National Register districts and individual listings. It sponsors regular walking tours of historic districts and education programs for schools and adults. The Friends is located on the corner of Wall and Main Streets in the 1658 Stockade National Historic District. Its 1812 Fred J. Johnston House is maintained as a historic house museum and the adjacent Friends of Historic Kingston Museum provides gallery space for changing exhibitions. The current exhibition is “Save the Best to Last: The Fred J. Johnston Story.”  The Friends’ museums are open to the public from May-October, Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment.

 

Kingston Farmers’ Market Expands to Midtown Kingston

July 24th, 2012

Seeking Healthy Ethnic Food vendors for Kingston Satellite Farmers Market in Midtown Kingston starting August 21, 2012

The Kingston Farmers’Market in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County and the City of Kingston is pleased to introduce a new Midtown Satellite Farmers’ Market which opens on August 21 and runs weekly, every Tuesday from   3:00pm to 7:00 pm through October 30, 2012 at 615 Broadway, on the former Kings Inn Site in the City of Kingston. Opening day will feature live music and entertainment, face painting, and games.

 This new market, located a few doors over from the Ulster Performing Arts Center, will promote healthy local ethnic food vendors as well as fresh produce for consumers to prepare a wide range of ethnic food.

 The new satellite market is made possible through a Fresh Connect grant from the NYS Agriculture and Markets Department.  The Kingston Farmers’ Market partnered with Healthy Kingston for Kids, a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to secure the Fresh Connect grant.  Healthy Kingston for Kids aims to reverse childhood obesity in the City of Kingston.

 The mission of the Kingston Farmers’ Market is to provide an environment within the local civic community where individuals will increasingly gain an awareness of, appreciation for and participation in:

•           Supporting the community, socially, physically and economically

•           A balance of fresh produce and related products from the Mid-Hudson region

•           The maintenance of regional family farms by providing a farm market outlet

•           Provision of educational opportunities for people that visit and share in our market endeavor

•           Providing access to fresh produce to the community at large

         Interested healthy ethnic food vendors, local farmers, and musicians or performers should contact Lori Hylton of the Kingston Farmers’ Market at lori@kingstonfarmersmarket.org  or call 845-535-3185.

For more information about Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s community programs and events call 845-340-3990 or visit us online at www.cceulster.org. Follow us on www.facebook.com

Hudson River Day

July 16th, 2012

Clearwater and HRMM Partner for “Hudson River Day” on July 21, 2012


Hudson River Day” is a special day designated to collectively celebrate the Hudson River and its tributaries along with the vibrant and diverse communities of the Hudson Valley region.
Come down to the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston for our own “Hudson River Day” event, Saturday, July 21, from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Lighthouse tours:
Both the Rondout and the Esopus-Meadows Lighthouses will be offering guided tours.
Rondout will be at 10:00 and 11:30 am; Esopus-Meadows will be at 1:00 pm. Fees and reservations apply for each.
12:30 Official Groundbreaking:
The highlight of Saturday’s celebration will be the official groundbreaking ceremony at 12:30 pm for the much anticipated “Kingston Home Port and Education Center” which will serve as the winter home for the sloop Clearwater. It is built in partnership with the museum on the grounds of the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

Discounted admission:
The museum is offering “discounted admission” to tour the exhibits. Free admission is offered to the museum’s courtyard, informational booths, musical performances, deck tours, and children’s art show and activities unless otherwise noted. Charges for other activities, such as tours of the Rondout and Esopus-Meadows lighthouses; photo booth; model boat building; and food vendors, will be posted.

Clearwater Public Sail: Clearwater Sunset Sail and Music Jam:
6:00 – 8:00 pm – Passengers are invited to bring musical instruments and join in a pick up jam aboard Clearwater. For registration and tickets, contact Catherine Stankowski, 845.265.8080, ext. 7107, Sched@Clearwater.org or to register online click here.
Related activities continue on Sunday, July 22

Tour “The Face of Work TODAY in the Hudson Valley” exhibit, sponsored by Ulster Savings Bank, with the co-curators, Russell and Allynne Lange at 3:30 pm; then from5:00 – 7:00 pm, take a public sail on the Clearwater and listen to a lively onboard presentation by Lisa Berger, Ulster County Tourism, about the impact of cultural tourism in Ulster County and New York State. For registration and tickets, contact Catherine Stankowski, 845.265.8080, ext. 7107, Sched@Clearwater.org or to register online click here.
Clam & Jam! Fundraiser on the Pennsy 399 Barge
Join with the Pennsy Barge Collective for their 2nd “Clam & Jam” Fundraiser from 5:00 – 8:00 pm featuring “clams and beer for your belly and music for your soul”. The Ivory Brothers Band will provide the rhythm. Keegan Ales beer will sell for $5; $10 will get you clams, corn and potatoes. For more info about the historic covered railroad barge and its restoration efforts, visit www.pennsy399.org.
For more information about “Hudson River Day”, please visit www.hrmm.org and click on “Upcoming Events”.

Free Music in the Parks

July 13th, 2012

The City of Kingston is pleased to present the Free Music in the Parks Program. The series schedule is as follows:

The Daydreamers

Wednesday, July 18th, Academy Green Park -The Daydreamers,
followed by the AOH Pipe & Drum Band

Wednesday, July 25th, T.R. Gallo Park – POOK (Percussion Orchestra of Kingston) & Energy Dance

Wednesday, August 8th, Academy Green Park – Ben Rounds Band

Wednesday, August 15th, T.R. Gallo Park – Peter Wexler

All shows begin at 6:00 p.m. For further information please contact the City Clerk’s office at: (845) 334-3915. The City will provide a free shuttle bus, beginning at 5:20 p.m. and making the following stops:

*      Colonial Gardens/Stuyvesant Charter
*        Wiltwyck Gardens
*        Governor Clinton
*        Kingston Plaza (both Hannaford and the MAC Gym)
*        Stuyvesant Hotel
*        Cornell St. parking lot
*        Yosman Towers
*        Rondout Gardens
*        Garraghan Drive – Springbrook Village

Food Canning & Pickling Workshop Series in Kingston

July 13th, 2012

Learn to preserve the season’s bounty by canning your own produce! This fun and informative workshop series will teach all the basics as well as the full range of products that can be safely preserved using boiling water bath and pressure canning methods. Detailed instruction, resources for safe and reliable recipes along with hands-on involvement is provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County (CCEUC) Nutrition Program Educator, Janie Greenwald.

This series of workshops will be held at CCEUC’s Education Center located at 232 Plaza Road in Kingston, NY. The fee is $10 per person/per workshop. A limited amount of Scholarships are available for those who qualify. Participants may bring their pressure gauge in for testing for a nominal fee of $2. Call Janie Greenwald at 845-340-3990 or email jhg238@cornell.edu for details or to pre-register for a workshop. Seating is very limited for these workshops.   Pre-registration is encouraged. Click here for a printable registration form.

Canning Workshop Schedule

Pressure Canning

Saturday, July 28 from 10:00am -12:00pm

Pressure Canning

Thursday, August 16 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Pickled Vegetables

Thursday, September 20 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Pressure Canning

Thursday, October 25 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Saturday, October 27 from 10:00am – 12:00pm

Chutney and Fruit Butter

Thursday, November 15from 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Saturday, November 1710:00am -12:00pm

 

This series is hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s Nutrition Education Program. For more information about Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s community programs and events call 845-340-3990 or visit us online at www.cceulster.org. Follow us on www.facebook.com. Please call 845-340-3990 if you have any special needs.

 

 

Movies Under the Stars – Coming to a Park Near You!

June 19th, 2012

The Friends of Kingston Parks and Recreation, in partnership with Kingston Cares and the Kingston Land Trust, is pleased to announce a fabulous program of free summer entertainment. Between June 29-August 17, Kingston Parks Movies Under the Stars will project fun, family-oriented movies outdoors in the various Kingston parks in an effort to connect folks with their neighbors, parks and neighborhoods in a wholesome family venue without draining the piggy bank.  There will even be free popcorn every movie night (provided by Queens Galley/Cooking Matters) and ice cold water, compliments of Binnewater Spring Water.

The movie lineup includes: Ghostbusters, the Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Up, Superman (1979), the Goonies, Grease, ET, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971).  Come early for pre-movie entertainment that will include everything from “Zumba in the Park,” to get your heart pumping, Center for Creative Education’s Percussion Orchestra of Kingston (POOK), to the uplifting songs of the AME Zion Church Youth Chorus.  Bring the lawn chair or blanket and we will provide the fun!  Movies go on rain or shine – All rain dates moved to the Andy Murphy Midtown Recreation Center, 467 Broadway.

Kingston Parks Movies Under the Stars successfully fundraised over $17,000 for the professional-grade sound and projection system and a 20 ft. portable screen.  Karina Pacheco of Miller Middle School won the logo design contest with the logo seen on our press release and website. This project not only raised the funds needed to present Kingston Parks Movies Under the Stars, but effectively brought together Kingston by coordinating area business leaders, area youth, advocacy/non-profit organizations, and individual families across the city, laying the groundwork for genuine community ownership and commitment to the goals of this project.

Many, many thanks to all who helped bring this project together.  For more information, including a full listing of our generous program sponsors, volunteer committee, and schedule/locations, visit Kingstonparksmovies.com or call Jen Fuentes at 845.332.6600.    

GHOSTBUSTERS

Gallo Park, June 29, Movie @ 8:30pm

“Soul Line Dancing” with Drew/CCE @ 7:00pm; Kingston Cares Mayoral Service Awards @ 8:00pm

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Academy Green Park, July 6, Movie @ 8:30pm

Kingston Land Trust Presents, “Yoga in the Park” @ 7:30pm

ET THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (RESTORED)

Kingston Point Beach, July 14, Movie @ 8:30pm

Keith Bennett’s Karate Academy Interactive Program @ 7:30pm

THE GOONIES

Cornell Park, July 20, 8:30pm

CCE Presents Percussion Orchestra of Kingston – POOK @ 7:30pm

GREASE

Forsyth Park, July 27, 8:30

AME Zion Youth Choral Performance @ 7:30pm

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Loughran Park, Aug. 3, 8:30pm

Ulster Moves – Zumba in the Park w/ Drew-CCE @ 7:30pm

DISNEY’S UP

Hasbrouck Park, Aug. 10, 8:30pm

Keith Bennett’s Karate Interactive Program @ 7:30pm

SUPERMAN (1978)

Kings Inn Site on Broadway, Aug. 17, 8:30pm

Ending Celebration with Music, Food Vendors, and Family Fun @ 6:30pm

JULY 4TH LIGHTS UP KINGSTON WATERFRONT

June 19th, 2012

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The 4th of July celebration in Kingston will take place on the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston on Wednesday, July 4th from 6PM-10PM, with fireworks sponsored by Mainetti, Mainetti & O’Connor, P.C. taking place at 9:30PM. Visitors and residents alike are encouraged to bring family, friends, lawn chairs and flags and enjoy all that the Rondout waterfront has to offer.

Dining, shopping and reveling in a patriot celebration are at the forefront of this year’s festivities.

Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo encourages people to “spend the day enjoying all the historic Rondout district has to offer. You can take a stroll on our waterfront promenade, explore the Trolley and Maritime Museums or simply shop and dine while you wait for the fantastic fireworks display to start.”

The impressive fireworks display is sponsored by Mainetti, Mainetti and O’Connor, P.C., a law firm in Kingston.

“The City of Kingston and the surrounding community has given a lot to us,” said attorney Joseph O’Connor.  “We feel fortunate to be in a position to give something back and we feel that sponsoring the fireworks is something that everyone can enjoy and we’re happy to do it.”

With so much to see and do in this historic waterfront section of New York State’s first capital city, visitors will want to arrive early to stroll along the waterfront promenade and through the shops, art galleries, antique stores and two museums that line the streets.

Bring the family and enjoy outdoor dining at Dermot Mahoney’s Irish Pub, Mariner’s, Ship to Shore or Savona’s Trattoria while 92.9 WBMP and the classic rock band, Hot Rod, play music from the ’50s through the ’90s in TR Gallo Park.

Before the dazzling display in the summer sky a patriotic address will be given by Kingston Historian Ed Ford, United States Serviceman Daniel McShea will lead the crowd in the Pledge of Alliance and Terri Dwyer will perform a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

Samir Hrichi, Chef/Owner of Ship To Shore Restaurant and one of the organizers of this year’s family oriented, all-American celebration, said, “I’m excited to be a part of this year’s Independence Day celebration, especially since we are celebrating it on the actual Fourth. This will be my 14th year on the waterfront and I don’t think there is a better place to celebrate than in the first capital of New York State.  I’ll even be creating a classic All-American menu for the occasion available all day and night!”

Further down the Strand, revelers will want to arrive early for creek-side dining and boat watching from the spacious back decks at the Steel House and Rosita’s.

In honor of the holiday the Hudson River Maritime Museum will enjoy extended hours and discounted admission. Public Relations Director Lana Chassman said: “Bring your friends, family and picnic blankets and join us at the best seat on the creek for the fireworks at 9:30.”

Make New York’s first capital your homeport for fun this Fourth of July. Celebrate in a city that remembers what the day is all about: A salute to our founding fathers and all those who continue to fight for and protect our freedoms. Bring your family and your flag for a day on Kingston’s waterfront.

For more information, visit www.UlsterCountyAlive.com