Boo! It’s Halloween week here in the Hudson Valley, so check out the tasty treats in our events roundup. And please VOTE—by mail or early in person or on November 3!
Lucinda Williams Presents Tom Petty Tribute | October 29
Award-winning singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams recently announced the launch of “Lu’s Jukebox,” a live-in-the-studio concert series to benefit independent music venues as they struggle with COVID-19 closures. Each livestreamed episode will focus on the selected cover songs of one of Williams’s favorite artists. The series kicks off on October 29 at 8pm with “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” a tribute to Tom Petty and will be viewable via the websites of area venues the Bardavon (Poughkeepsie), UPAC (Kingston), the Egg (Albany), and the Mahawie Performing Arts Center (Great Barrington, Massachusetts). See venue websites for ticket prices.
Bridge Street Theater Hosts “Plague Tales” | October 30-November 1
The Bridge Street Theater in Catskill is getting into the spooky spirit by hosting “Plague Tales,” a newly created performance revue by the Phantasmagoria theatrical troupe. Recommended for children 8 and up, the show features storytelling, dance, explosive stage combat, puppetry, projections, fire dancing, aerial arts, and more, and incorporates literary tales of terror from Edgar Allan Poe to Robert Louis Stevenson, horrific folk stories, legends, and myths. A portion of the proceeds from the Bridge Street Theatre Streaming Virtual Online Theatre Event will be donated to Twin County Recovery Services in Greene and Columbia counties.
Outdoor Sculpture Event, Screening in Boiceville | October 31-November 1
From October 31 through November 1, Brunel Sculpture Garden in Boiceville will host a showcase of new work created by artist in residence Brian Paccione. Titled “Jordan’s Cross,” the exhibit encompasses Paccione’s figural wooden carvings alongside Emile Brunel’s permanently installed works; two short films written and directed by Paccione, Endless and David and the Kingdom, will be screened as well. A $10 donation is suggested, and guests (limited to 50 at a time, as per current state health guidelines) are encouraged to bring chairs or picnic blankets for the screenings, which take place at 6pm both nights (the park is open from 10am to 6pm).
WYDLE Market in Hudson | October 31-November 1
Hudson Shared Streets’ WYLDE Market, which runs on October 31 from 11am to 6pm and November 1 from 11am to 5pm, was devised to assist in continuing the economic development of the City of Hudson and support merchants who have suffered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The carefully curated collection of makers, artists, and local businesses featuring furniture, home goods, clothing, accessories, specialty food, and more is the perfect excuse to start your holiday shopping early while supporting the community. The market will take place on private lots and selected parking spaces on Warren Street. A portion of proceeds will benefit Hudson Hall.
Ashokan Center Halloween Has Happy Haunting for Families | October 31
Since trick-or-treating is an uncertain proposition this year, the Ashokan Center’s “Halloween at Ashokan” event on October 31 from 10am to 2pm, is a great family option. The event includes self-guided nature walks on miles of beautiful trails, a costume parade with prizes for all ages; live music by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason; and yummy food including vegan and gluten-free options. Admission includes all activities and lunch and is $15 for adults 18 and over; $7.50 for kids 5-17; and free for kids under 5. Attendees must practice social distancing and wear face coverings when near others, and are encouraged to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs and dress for the weather.
The Bardavon Hosts Grateful Dead Album Tribute | November 1
While Poughkeepsie’s grand Bardavon 1869 Opera House remains shuttered during the pandemic, the theater is keeping its presence up by continuing its recently created YouTube streaming “Albums Revisited” series, which features specially selected guests artists performing songs from classic albums. On November 1 at 8pm, the free YouTube series returns with an all-star celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s 1970 album American Beauty. Performers include Nicki Bluhm and Amy Helm, Animal Liberation Orchestra, Mihali, Jorma Kaukonen with John Hurlbut, Yonder Mountain String Band, Marco Benevento, the Harmonellas, Railroad Earth, Donna the Buffalo, and others. A portion of all donations will benefit People’s Place in Kingston and Dutchess Outreach in Poughkeepsie.
“Man and Machine” at Carrie Haddad Gallery | through November 29
Online through November 29, the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson is presenting “Man and Machine,” an exhibit that observes nostalgic and idealistic themes about the role of mechanical strength in the human experience. British art critic Jasia Reichardt offers that “Artists have contributed significantly to the current image and meaning of the machine and have even anticipated some of its developments. Their approaches to the subject have ranged from reactionary distaste, to empathetic ingenuity, to romantic and celebratory bravado.” The selection of work from gallery artists parallels symbols of human strength with modern industrial might.
“Bochner Boetti Fontana” at Maggazino Gallery in Cold Spring | through January 11
Mel Bochner, one of the leading figures in the development of conceptual art in New York in the 1960s and 1970s, curates an exhibition examining the formal, conceptual, and procedural affinities between his work and that of Alighiero Boetti and Lucio Fontana of the Arte Povera movement. Through Bochner’s perspective, the exhibition at Maggazino Italian Art gallery in Cold Spring offers a number of resonances between his work and that of the Italian and Italian-Argentine artists: an exploration of systems, language, and materials; and a sense of irony and humor. The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, and installations, including works from Bochner’s personal archive, as well as major international loans. It hangs through January 11.
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This article appears in October 2020.
