A selection of meetings and events in and around the City of Hudson by Ellen Thurston.  All phone numbers are in area code 518 unless otherwise indicated.  All addresses are in Hudson unless otherwise indicated.

MEETINGS

Wednesday, March 16

Columbia County Human Services Committee Meeting – 5 pm – 401 State Street
Hudson Zoning Board of Appeals Public Hearing, followed by regular ZBA Meeting – 6 pm – City Hall

Thursday, March 17

Columbia County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee Meeting – 5 pm – 401 State Street
Hudson Common Council Economic Development Committee Meeting – 6 pm – City Hall

Next Tuesday, March 22

Hudson Development Corporation Board Meeting – 12 noon – 1 North Front Street

Next Wednesday, March 23

Hudson Common Council Public Works Committee Meeting – 5:30 pm – City Hall
Hudson Common Council Legal Committee Meeting – 6:15 pm – City Hall

ELLEN’S PICKS

Thursday, March 17

St. Patrick’s Day

Aaron Neville  – Grammy award winner Aaron Neville is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists of the rock era.  Neville has had four platinum-certified albums and four Top 10 hits, including three that went to #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.  Part of a New Orleans musical dynasty, Neville is also the lead voice of the Neville Brothers, featuring his brothers Art, Charles, and Cyril, and he is the father of singer/keyboards player Ivan Neville.  He has moved seamlessly back and forth between solo work and his role with the Neville Brothers.  His first hit single was the landmark “Tell It Like It Is,” which held the number one spot on the R&B charts for five weeks in 1967.  He went on to win Grammy Awards for his triple platinum 1989 collaboration with Linda Ronstadt.  – Information and tickets at 828-4800 or helsinkihudson.com – Standing Room Only!– 8 pm – Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street

Thursday-Sunday, March 17-20

Films at TSL:

Chimes at Midnight – Henry IV, played by John Gielgud, usurps the English throne, sets in motion the factious War of the Roses, and now faces a rebellion led by Northumberland scion Hotspur.  Henry’s heir, Prince Hal, is a ne’er-do-well carouser who drinks and causes mischief with his low-class friends, especially his rotund father figure, John Falstaff, played by Orson Welles.  Also directed by Orson Welles – “It’s more than an overlooked item ripe for rediscovery—it’s an essential, and the movie against which all other Shakespeare adaptations should be measured.”—Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, A.V. Club

Cemetery of Splendor – A lonely housewife volunteers at a makeshift hospital for soldiers suffering from a mysterious bout of narcolepsy.  When one of her bedridden charges captures her attention, she enlists a medium to commune with his sleeping spirit.  In a hallucinatory bond between the two women, the pain of times gone by combines with the reality of the present – Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul – In Thai with English subtitles

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul – German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder pays homage to his cinematic hero Douglas Sirk with this update of that filmmaker’s 1955 All That Heaven Allows.  A lonely widow meets a much younger Arab worker in a bar during a rainstorm.  They fall in love, to their own surprise—and to the outright shock of their families, colleagues, and drinking buddies.

The Last Man on the Moon – When Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan stepped off the moon in December 1972 he left his footprints and his daughter’s initials in the lunar dust.  Only now is he ready to share his epic but deeply personal story of fulfillment, love, and loss.

Embrace of the Serpent – Set in the Colombian Amazon, the film has been called visually “mesmerizing” and “stunning,” as it tells the story of two Western explorers who search for rare botanical species in this most remote and lush of South American jungles.  Based on the diaries of two white men who traveled in the region, one in 1909, and the other 30 years later.  An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. – In Spanish and Amazonian tribal languages with English subtitles.

The Club – A film by Pablo Larrain – In a secluded house in a small seaside town live four unrelated men…All former priests, they have been sent to this quiet exile to purge the sins of their pasts…They keep to a strict daily schedule devoid of all temptation and spontaneity, each moment a deliberate effort to atone for their wrongdoings.  Their fragile stability is disrupted by the arrival of an emissary from the Vatican who seeks to understand the effects of their isolation, and a newly-disgraced housemate.  Both bring with them the outside world from which the men have long been removed, and the secrets they thought were deeply buried – In Spanish with English subtitles

Information and schedule at www.timeandspace.org or 822-8448 – Time & Space Limited, 434 Columbia Street

Friday, March 18

HWM Friday Tasting – Austrian Varietals – Wine Monger, a top importer of Austrian wines, is welcomed back with new Rieslings and Gruners for spring – “If you have enjoyed Umathum Rose or Rosi Schuster Blaufrankish, this is for you.” – Complimentary cheese and small bites – Information at hudsonwinemerchants.com or 828-6411 – 5 to 8 pm – Hudson Wine Merchants, 341 ½ Warren Street.

Artist & Friends Community Potluck Dinner – To celebrate the artist community through monthly potluck dinners by sharing artwork and exploring creativity as a spiritual practice – Visual artists, writers, dancers, filmmakers and their friends are all welcome – Please bring a dish or a non-alcoholic beverage to share – Artists presenting this month are: Sara Bouchert, who will be talking about Camphill; architect Lee Armstrong, sharing the process of building a yurt; Tony Gravett, speaking about internet and web presence for artists; and Ellen Lynch, who will be sharing her landscape photography – In addition, a film interview with artist Philip Guston will be shown, and Tony Gravett will be raffling off a re-cycled mac. – If you would like to show your work at a future dinner, send examples to [email protected] along with contact information – The potluck dinner is held the third Friday of each month – 6 to 9 pm – First Presbyterian Church, corner of Fourth & Warren Streets (Use the side entrance on Fourth Street).

Lady Moon & The Eclipse – With roots right here in Hudson, jazzy soul-funk outfit Lady Moon & The Eclipse is a multicultural seven-piece band now based in Brooklyn, NY.  Through soaring vocal textures and R&B and Afrobeat-influenced rhythms, their music sheds light on social issues.  With a marked emphasis on inclusivity and spiritual unity, the group explores relevant topics through the unique tapestry of cultural perspectives of its African, Asian, and European band members.  Led by lead singer, Ngonda Badila–whose name means “moon” in Congolese—aka Lady Moon, the band includes her two sisters, Ntangou and Nkoula.  These three grew up in a creative, artistic, and very musical family in Hudson, NY, where they were well-known and beloved by the community.  Lady Moon’s brother, Young Paris, directed the first video for the upcoming EP, “Believe.”   Visit ladymoonandtheeclipse.com  – Information at 828-4800 or helsinkihudson.com – 9 pm – Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street

Awesome Tapes From Africa – Information at 828-1562 or The Half Moon facebook page – Visit www.awesometapes.com/  — 9 pm – The Half Moon, 48 South Front Street

Friday-Sunday, March 18-20

The Ghent Playhouse presents Boeing, Boeing, a French farce written by French playwright Marc Camoletti and translated by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans – Set in the swinging 60s, Boeing, Boeing is a fast-paced comedy about an American architect living in Paris and engaged to three gorgeous international airline hostesses, none of whom knows about the others – Directed by Cathy Lee-Visscher  – Weekends through April 3  (Note:  No performance on Easter Sunday, March 27) – Information and reservations at 1-800-838-3006 or ghentplayhouse.org

Fri/Sat at 8 pm; Sun at 2 pm – Ghent Playhouse, Town Hall Place, Ghent

Saturday, March 19

Annual Pancake Breakfast to celebrate Columbia Land Conservancy’s 30^th Anniversary and to thank all CLC members, donors, volunteers, and their families for their support of land protection in Columbia County – Enjoy pancakes with local maple syrup, live music, and fun activities for children – 8:30 am to 11 am – Phoenix Center, Triform Camphill Community, 20 Tri Form Road (off Water Street, just south of Livingston, but enter “Hudson” in your GPS)

Hudson Winter Farmers’ Market – The winter market is open and continues each Saturday through the month of April – Spring microgreens are available . You’ll also find flowers, bread, cookies, pies, prepared foods, cheese, gluten-free foods, fair trade coffee and nuts, meats and poultry, eggs, and more – 10 am to 1 pm – Parish Hall, Christ Church Episcopal, Union & East Court Streets

Princesses and Protectors – Part of the Super Saturdays series – Join local female firefighters for a princess tea party – Children will have the opportunity to enjoy “tea and crumpets” with the firefighters, while learning how these brave ladies became protectors of their communities.  They will also make princess party wear, such as a tiara, and go through the Jr. Firefighter Challenge with these fierce and feminine females.  Please note:  princes are welcome to join in the fun as well.  Reservations are required.  Fair warning: This event filled up very quickly last year, so do not hesitate! – Information and reservations at 822-1875, ext. 10. – Free for residents of Columbia County – Party time: 10:30 am – FASNY Museum of Firefighting, 117 Harry Howard Avenue

Exhibition Opening & Artist’s Talk – Susanne Kuhn: Paintings – Four large-scale works by the contemporary German artist Susanne Kuhn – “The compositions of Susanne Kuhn’s paintings are tight, compartmentalized and typically feature a solitary female figure that exists in a surreal tangle of architecture and landscape.  The women in her paintings are clad in contemporary garb, often avoiding the viewers’ gaze.  These introspective subjects are seemingly lost in contemplative thought or action, perhaps searching for something out of view from the observer.” – On view through May 15 – 2 pm – Newmark Gallery, The Benenson Visitors Center, Omi International Arts Center, 1405 Route 22, Ghent

The Trout & the Double Bass – Concerts at Camphill Ghent presents a chamber music program including the joyful Trout Quintet, Schubert’s only quintet for double bass, cello, viola, and piano.  Dvorak’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B Flat Major, and a duetto for viola and double bass by Dittersdorf round out the program.  Musicians include Peter Weitzner, double bass; Roberta Cooper, cello; Ah-Ling Neu, viola; Michael Roth, violin; and Gili Melamed-Lev, piano. –  A reception follows the concert – Reservations and information at www.camphillghent.org or 392-2760 – 3 pm – Culture Hall, Camphill Ghent, 2542 Route 66, Ghent

Exhibition Opening – Betzie Bendis: Works on Paper – A collection of this local artist’s paintings, drawings, and collages, demonstrating her passion for vintage imagery and design, particularly 1940s commercial art and textiles – Open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm through April 10 – Information at 329-0848 or e-mail to [email protected] – 3 to 6 pm – The Art Annex, adjacent to 2666 Route 23, Hillsdale

The Hudson Children’s Book Festival Literacy Fund 4^th Annual Cocktail Party – Hosted by Colin & Katrina Stair – Your tax-deductible admission fee gives a student the opportunity to attend the Hudson Children’s Book Festival and purchase a book directly from an author of his or her choice.  Proceeds will also provide scholarships to graduating seniors for college books, and book certificates for students moving up from the 2^nd, 6^th or 8^th grade – Food at the party is provided by “some of Hudson’s most illustrious establishments.” – RSVP and information at [email protected] – 5 to 7 pm – Stair Galleries, 549 Warren Street

Exhibition Opening – Vilma Mare: Queen of Serpents – The installation includes ten foot tall felt tapestries, flags, and wearable art that depict a mythological transformation of heroes into trees.  The show is inspired by a peaceful Baltic myth about Egle, Queen of Serpents – Trying to fit all her sewn work under one description, Vilma Mare calls herself a sartorial artist.  She is mainly known locally for her textural women’s fashion pieces designed and sold at local clothing stores in Hudson and Great Barrington.  She also creates monumental tapestries and banners from boiled wool and other fabrics.  Originally from Lithuania, she now makes her home in Copake – On view through April 19 – Information at 325-4101 or www.roejanlibrary.org – 5:30 pm to 7 pm – Roeliff Jansen Community Library, 9091 Route 22, Hillsdale (1 mile south of the Route 22/23 intersection)

Brushes ‘n’ Lushes – An Evening of Social Painting to benefit the Claverack Library – The Friends of the Claverack Library invite artists of all skill levels to an evening of “social painting” at Brushes ‘n’ Lushes, a Paint and Sip Studio.  All painting materials will be supplied, along with protective aprons – Artists receive step-by-step instruction and return home with a painting – Free snacks and a cash bar (for those over 21) – Information and reservations at 851-7120 or by e-mail to [email protected] or sign up in person at the library – 7 to 9 pm – Brushes ‘n’ Lushes, 757 Columbia Street

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabin Fever Cabaret – “…an intimately-scaled but grandly imagined variety spectacle…” A new lineup of circus and variety arts stars presented at Helsinki each month during the winter – Experience contortion, acrobatic balance, sword swallowing, juggling, physical comedy, dare-devils, clowns, and sideshow thrillers at close range, as aerialists swoop and twirl over head in a rare and close-up glimpse at human flight.  All this plus live music and Mr. Pennygraff and Ringmistress Philomena  acting as your genial host and hostess –This performance is for adults only – A family performance for all ages will be performed on Sunday March 20 (See below) – Audience members attending in circus costume will receive a discounted admission – Information at 828-4800 or helsinkihudson.com – 9 pm – Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street

Sunday, March 20

First Day of Spring

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Family Matinee, featuring a variety of circus, theatre, comedy and musical entertainers in a show geared to the entire family. – The new lineup includes trapeze, contortion, acrobatic balance, juggling. physical comedy, and oddball novelty turns – Suitable for all ages – Information at 828-4800 or helsinkihudson.com – 3 pm – Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street

The Hope College Chapel Choir performs in concert as part of the celebration of the Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack’s Tercentennial Year (1716-2016).  The 42-voice ensemble is comprised of student musicians from a variety of disciplines and is dedicated to performing both sacred and secular choral music.  This concert features the premier of “I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes,” a work by Robert Schafer, Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder, and a selection of other sacred and secular pieces.  The Hope Chapel Choir was founded in 1938 at Hope College in Holland, Michigan – Information at www.claverackreformedchurch.org or 851-3811 – 7 pm – Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack, 88 Route 9-H , Claverack

Next Tuesday, March 22

The Spotty Dog Trivia Night – Spotty has been holding this bi-weekly all-nerd throwdown since 2007.  This is how it works.  Teams of up to four people compete against each other over four rounds of 15 questions, a worksheet of (usually) 20 questions, and four bonus questions.  The winning team gets its name on the Winner’s Board and its bar tab on the house.  Anyone can play! – Information at 671-6006 or www.thespottydog.com – 6:30 pm – Spotty Dog Books & Ale, 440 Warren Street

Helsinki Open Mic – Try out new material on the big Helsinki stage – Hosted by Cameron Melville and Ryder Cooley – Information at 828-4800 or helsinkihudson.com – Sign-up begins at 6:30 pm – Performance from 7 to 10 pm – Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street

Next Wednesday, March 23

Columbia County Chamber of Commerce Annual Agricultural Brunch – Make connections with Columbia County agriculture while enjoying a great brunch buffet – Sponsored by Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation, Columbia Economic Development Corporation, Columbia Land Conservancy, Cornell Cooperative Extension Of Columbia & Greene Counties, Farm Credit East, Fix Brothers, Inc., Hawthorne Valley Association, and Hudson Valley Fresh – Reservations at 828-4417 – 11 am to 12:30 pm – Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street

For more information on Columbia County events, visit www.columbiacountytourism.org

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