Upcoming Events
Sunday, July 22 - 9:00 am
Roe Jan Library Golf Tournament
Golfers can enjoy a round of golf, win prizes and feast on tasty barbecue at the annual Roeliff Jansen Community Library Golf Tournament on Sunday, July 22 at Undermountain Golf Course in Copake. Two-person teams will compete in a dual shotgun,18-hole scramble.
Prizes will be given for men’s, women’s and mixed teams.
The entry fee of $75 per person ($60 for Undermountain members), includes 18 holes of golf, homemade breakfast goodies, lunch, snacks and a BBQ chicken dinner with homemade desserts. Golf carts are available for a fee of $10 per person. Non-golfers may attend the dinner for $20. A portion of every entry fee will be donated to the Roe Jan Community Library.
“This is a popular event and many golfers return each year,” said Pat Placona, President of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “Playing at Undermountain is fun because the course is suitable for both experienced and less experienced players.”
Tournament entry forms are available at the Roe Jan Library, at the Undermountain Golf Course, and can be printed out from the Library website (www.roejanlibrary.org). Golfers should indicate their preference for a morning tee time at 8:30 am (registration 8am) or an afternoon tee time at 1:00 pm (registration 12:30 pm). Entry forms and checks must be received at Undermountain Golf Course by July 18.
For more information contact Undermountain Golf Course at (518) 329-4444.
Thursday, July 26 - 6:00 pm
Our 10th Annual Meeting and Barbecue Supper
Friends of Taconic State Park’s 10th Annual Meeting and Barbecue Supper on Saturday, July 28th at 6 pm at the Copake Iron Works – a National Heritage Area Site at 33 Valley View Road, Copake Falls,
Renowned historian and local author Joshua Freemanwill be our featured speaker at our 10th annual meeting. Josh has written extensively about the history of industry, labor, modern America, and New York City. His most recent book, Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World has been called “rich and ambitious” by the New York Times.
Josh has appeared in a number of television documentaries, including Ric Burns’ New York. He will surely be a familiar face to the American history lovers among us.
Local pitmaster Ken Preusser will be on hand to prepare a delicious barbecue supper. Ticket are $15 – available at www.FriendsBBQ2018.eventbrite.com
Friday, July 27 - 7:00 pm
Paint and Sip Fundraiser for Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Please join the Paint and Sip Fundraiser for the Harlem Valley Rail Trail on Friday, July 27 at 7 pm at the Mount Washington House in Hillsdale. Cocktails, appetizers, materials and instruction are included for $40. HVRT will also be running a raffle.
Advance registration is required and seating is limited.
Saturday, July 28 - 4:00 pm
Berkshire Opera Festival’s Artistic Director Leads Discussion at Library
The Berkshire Opera Festival’s Artistic Director, Brian Garman, will lead a discussion about the Festival and this summer’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Roe Jan Library on Saturday, July 28 at 4 pm.
Each summer the Berkshire Opera Festival presents a fully-staged opera in addition to recitals and other related musical events. The Festival’s central mission is to present performances that are accessible and affordable to residents of the Berkshires and surrounding communities. The discussion will provide a backstage view of the festival and this summer’s production.
All who attend the Roe Jan Library event will be entered into a raffle for two tickets to a performance of BIF’s Rigoletto at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.
Saturday, July 28 - 7:30 pm
Moth Night
Join us for our fifth annual Moth Night, part of the citizen-science project called National Moth Week, and organized by Margaret Roach’s A Way to Garden and the Friends of Taconic State Park. BYO picnic supper if you please — we’ll provide dessert treats — to enjoy while you learn some Moth 101 from top experts, then experience nature after dark with them and just have fun.
Suitable for all ages, and families welcome. Wait till you see what we discover together at moth-attracting blacklight “stations” set up on park trails!
Note: This is a free event, but if you wish to donate to the Friends of Taconic State Park to help us offer honoraria to more experts to lead more nature programs like this one, there is an extra button for that! Thanks.
Also: Note new location within the Park from past years for this event.
Brigette Zacharczenko, a PhD UConn-Storrs entomologist, and Dylan Cipkowski, who has been surveying the moths of Columbia County, NY, as part of his field work with nearby Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program, will be our guides.
This year’s Moth Night starts at 7:30 at the Park’s nature center, accessed through the main headquarters gate at 253 State Route 344, Copake Falls; the attendant will direct you to the parking lot farther on.
We’ll get started with a quick Moth 101, and have live specimens to examine from overnight light “traps” set the evening before to examine before dark.
At nightfall we head into the woods along a trail, where we will have set up special blacklight stations to lure and then view the night’s visitors. For those not wishing to walk the trail, there will be light stations set up by the meeting area as well, very easily accessible. Come for an hour, or stay the whole evening.
NOTE: Picnic tables will be set up, so BYO supper if you like and come a bit earlier. Delicious dessert-like treats baked by David Wurth of CrossRoads Food Shop in Hillsdale will be provided, courtesy of Margaret at A Way to Garden.
Sunday, July 29 - 9:00 am
19th Annual Blueberry Festival
Sunday, July 29th 9 am – 4 pm
Adults $7 – under 12 FREE
This ever-popular event features early 19th Century craft demonstrations and wares, antiques and silent auction, live music and entertainment, magic act, activities for children, animals, birds of prey, sheep-shearing, plus many unique and highly talented craft vendors. There will be blueberries galore and a blueberry pancake breakfast, in addition to a wide selection of tasty food items and baked goods. (Please note that there is an additional charge for both adults and children for the pancake breakfast.)
No pets, please!
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(518) 392-0062
Old Austerlitz, 11550 State Route 22, Austerlitz, NY 12017
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Sunday, July 30th 9:00am – 4:00pm
18th Annual BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL (Rain or Shine)
Adults $7 – under 12 FREE
Thursday, August 9 - 5:00 pm
The Columbia County Plein Air Artists Opens
Breathtaking Views of Columbia County and Beyond
The Columbia County Plein Air Artists will be exhibiting their works at Columbia Greene Community College’s Blue Hill Gallery from July 30, 2018 to September 29, 2018. Artists’ Reception will take place on Thursday, August 9, 2018 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The community is cordially invited to partake in refreshments and meet the artists while taking in the breathtaking landscape views of our beautiful Columbia County and surrounding areas.
Exhibition includes works by: Arlene Boehm, Susanna Grannis, Eden Hart, Joan Blazis Levitt, Myra Lobel, Edith Marcik, Kathie Mock, Noel Phillips, Lori Rothstein, Susan Sabino, Debbie Shaw, Valerie White and Audrey Wyman. Columbia Greene Community College is located at 4400 Route 23, Hudson NY 12534. Gallery Hours: Mon.-Thu. 8am-7 pm; Fri. 8am -5 pm: Sat. 9am-5pm, Closed Sundays. Please note that Blue Hill Gallery is closed on Fridays Aug. 3 and Aug 10, 2018. More information available at www.sunycgcc.edu or 518-828-4181.
The Columbia County Plein Air Artists was formed in 2013, following in the tradition of famed Hudson River School artists such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. Members engage with the region’s storied artistic heritage while interpreting the landscape for 21st century audiences. The group welcomes artists of all levels, free of charge, to join in capturing the beauty of our surrounding landscapes. Join us on August 9th to find out more about plein air painters and painting in Columbia County!
Saturday, August 11 - 10:00 am
Hillsdale ArtsWalk
On August 11, the Hillsdale ArtsWalk celebrates the vibrant art community in our area. Enjoy art in many forms: fine art, heirloom furniture, pottery, handcrafted jewelry, professional photography, mixed media compositions, sculpture, watercolor, stained glass, metalwork, woodcraft. Artists will be set up under tents in the Hamlet as well as hosted indoors by several businesses on Main Street. Run by local volunteers and not for profit, the event is designed to give artists a venue to share their work. Email email hidden; JavaScript is required for more information.
More information about the artists, artisans, musicians and food vendors at Hillsdale NY ArtsWalk can be found at www.fb.com/hillsdaleNYartswalk.
Thursday, August 23 - 5:00 pm
Drawing As Mindfulness Practice at Library
Deb Koffman Offers “Drawing As Mindfulness Practice (because the world needs (y)our undivided, kind attention)” at Roe Jan Library
Deb Koffman will conduct workshops for adults, “Drawing As Mindfulness Practice,” at Roeliff Jansen Community Library, on two dates, Thursday, July 26, and Thursday, August 23, 5:00-7:00 pm. The workshop is free, and participants can sign up for one or both. Light snacks and water will be provided.
To Register: Visit, or call Roe Jan Library at (518) 325-4101. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants, but further workshops may be added if there is demand.
Workshop Description: “The workshop provides an opportunity for participants to watch their minds, stay connected to their hearts, follow their authentic impulses, make mistakes without consequences, tap into their natural, ordinary, unique creativity, and find the essential beauty in anything.
“No drawing experience is necessary. This is a silent practice that allows participants to ‘do what they do’: draw, write, meditate, photograph, move their bodies.”
Materials: Some (non-messy) materials will be provided, and participants can bring their own—watercolor, pencil, crayon, craypas, colored pencils,
Deb Koffman is an artist, illustrator, writer and teacher. She offers a weekly class in her studio in drawing/writing as a mindfulness practice, and hosts an open mic on the first Tuesday of every month for community members to share their poems, songs and stories. For more information about events and her work visit debkoffman.com
Saturday, August 25 - 6:00 pm
GRILLSDALE 2018
Back for its third year as one of the most tantalizing evenings of the summer, GRILLSDALE proudly spotlights the bounty of Columbia County, Dutchess County, and the Berkshires—featuring some of the best grilled small plates from top restaurants, chefs, and purveyors from the area.
Set against the hills at Roeliff Jansen Park, watch the sunset while sampling your way through an all-inclusive food and drink menu. For live music, this year we are thrilled to have Chops n’ Saurekraut Trio (with surprise guests) from Hudson all performing on the big Herrington’s truck-stage. If last year is to be any indication, GRILLSDALE will sell out fast, so get your tickets now!
The evening will be capped with the naming of two awards, one for “People’s Choice” to be decided by the attendees. Last year SHIRE 935 Productions donated a substantial portion of our net profit to the HARLEM VALLEY RAIL TRAIL and we pledge to do so again via a raffle of a chic new trail-worthy bicycle and a few other fab recreational items.
HGS Home Chef and Hillsdale General Store are proud sponsors of our regions most exciting food event – Grillsdale, the annual sold out summer party that features grilled foods from our area’s most adventurous and admired chefs, plus a handful of inventive and talented purveyors.
Get your Early Bird tickets starting TODAY with no on-line fees for Grillsdale 2018 ($65) exclusively at HGS Home Chef in Hillsdale, NY. This limited number of tickets for the August 25th event must be purchased in person at our kitchen store and cooking school – 2635 State Route 23 in Hillsdale NY. Cash or check only please.
For additional images of Grillsdale please follow us on Instagram! @grillsdaleny
Thursday, September 6 - 12:00 pm
Old Tone Roots Music Festival
Oldtone Roots Music Festival gets underway at Cool Whisper Farm in North Hillsdale, NY, on September 6 and features traditional mountain fiddling, bluegrass, hot swing, classic country, brass, cajun and contra music. A family-friendly full camping festival with kids activities, dancing, hands-on instrument workshops led by world-class musicians, instrument and band contests, Hudson Valley farm-to-table food, libations, and exceptional national & regional acts on our main, dance, & workshop stages.
More at their website.