SummerFests
by Lynn Behrendt

Some things really do improve with age: good wine, women, and some annual summer events in the Hudson Valley. Along with the more famed cultural happenings like the Bard Music Festival and the Aston Magna series, or the wonderful summer festivals and parties at the Hudson River mansions, there are some very fun, town-centered events that you won't want to miss.

Art and Books in June

The Starr Library in Rhinebeck will hold its twenty-sixth annual Art Show and Book Sale this year. The Art Show party will run from 7-9pm on Friday, June 6th. It's a free wine and cheese event, and usually two or three hundred people attend to look at and/or buy paintings, sculpture, painted furniture, pottery, antique needlework, and folk art by outstanding Hudson Valley artists. Around eighty pieces of art priced anywhere from $30--$1,200 will be available this year. Works will include paintings by Betsy Jacaruso, Joy Gross, Jean Wendover, Aldo and Rita Sussi. Sculptures and paintings of angels by Suzanne Borrelli will also be available, as well as landscapes by Sally Lyon, and works by Marj Wheeler and Ralph Haskins.

The next morning the Book Sale kicks off at the library. If you are an avid collector, you can pay $10 for early bird admission from 8--9am on June 7th. The sale usually includes some first editions, as well as collectible early 18th century books. There will be new books as well, including biographies, local histories, vinyl records, videotapes, and kids' books. The sale will run from Saturday, June 7th through Sunday, June 15th. Hours are Sundays Noon--5pm; Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 10am-5pm; and Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10am-7pm.

Treasure Hunting In July

Anybody who enjoys treasure hunting and has discovered the joys of yard-sale-ing has likely heard about the Tivoli townwide yard sale, now in its 15th year. The sale will be on Saturday, July 26th. It is an amazing collection of antique treasures and plain old good junk in a friendly village where you just need to park the car and then walk from yard to yard, sale to sale. You can pick up a yard-sale map in the middle of town at the Four Corners, park in one of the municipal parking lots, and spend several delightful hours sifting through stuff, stuff, and more stuff. Coffee will be for sale at the Firehouse in the morning, and hotdogs and hamburgers will be sold for lunch. Or you might want to eat a late lunch at the Santa Fe Restaurant, or Milagros Cafe, or one of the several other great restaurants in Tivoli. Or you could even pack a picnic and walk down to the Hudson River or take a five minute drive down Woods Road to the beautiful grounds at Clermont Historic Site before returning to fill the rest of your pick-up truck or van with stuff, stuff, and more stuff!

Thousands of people usually come from all over to the townwide yard sale. The event is known enough that dealers arrive at 6am to scout treasures, so if you're a serious hunter or collector, you might want to show up early. The sale traditionally gets going around 9am, and is held rain or shine. If you are interested in having a booth, you don't have to be a Tivoli resident, because spaces outside the Firehouse will be available to rent for $10. Call Carrie at the village office for information: (845) 757-2021.

August Food and Fun in Clermont and Clinton

If you enjoy town festivals and all-you-can-eat barbecues, then mark Saturday, August 9th on your calendar to go to the Clermont Community Day Barbecue. The event takes place on the Clermont Village Green, on Rte 9. There are lots of fun things for kids to do, including rides and a reptile show with Dean Davis, as well as face painting, a magician, and a dunking booth. Grounds will open at 2pm, and barbecue servings are at 4:30 and 6pm. All-you-can-eat tickets are $13/$5/under five free. Only a limited number of tickets will be sold the day of the event, so you may want to buy yours ahead of time at Thunderoc Nursery, or at the Clermont Town Hall. The barbecue will include beef, chicken, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, tossed salad, tomato salad, iced tea, watermelon, and more. Be sure to bring your appetite.

At the end of the month on August 30th, the town of Clinton will hold its 85th annual Community Day. Clinton is a charming, unique town, and this event is a great opportunity for a day of family fun. There will be exhibits, food, pony and carriage rides, and a William Boxer photography show hung in the historic Creek Meeting House. A parade begins at 3pm. You may want to have your child decorate his or her bike or create a crazy hat ahead of time, to enter in the decorate-a-bike and hat contests; and practice up on your hoola-hooping to enter that competition. Nine Partners' Lions Club will have an auction at 1pm.

Outside the Creek Meeting House, a hay wagon platform will serve as stage for music and announcements. Also outside the Meeting House will be a Promise Tree, where you can purchase a promise from somebody in Clinton to, for example, bake a cake, rake your yard, make you a tasty lasagna or fresh fruit pie, knit a personalized baby blanket, sweater, or Christmas stockings. Gift certificates to local restaurants and other items such as books and other treasures can be purchased off the Promise Tree too. The proceeds will benefit the Clinton Historical Society, so you can enjoy your promised pie or cake and at the same time feel good about supporting a worthy cause.

Several thousand people usually attend Clinton Community Day. To reach the event, take the Taconic State Parkway to the Salt Point Turnpike exit, go left for a half mile to the big stone building on the left. Free parking is available at the Evangelical Friends Church.

The warm months are finally here, and it's a great time to live in the Hudson Valley, so plan ahead for some fun at one or more of these great events, and have a wonderful summer!