Arak from Nazareth, Tortoise in the trees, and a long good day

It’s Upstate Art Weekend!

Everyone and their mother has a guide but very little guidance. I hope I’m not insulting your intelligence or your taste when I say UAW isn’t engineered for the people who live here — and neither are most of the lists going around. Credit to Chronogram for a pretty good spread, though.

Do you want some whimsy? Do you want parking? Do you want to avoid having your toes crushed by someone in platform Dr Martens in a wet field?

I did. Which is why I asked my dear friend Cait McCormack — a Philadelphia-based fiber artist best known for their anatomically accurate crocheted animal skeletons and other unhinged things — what they think I should see before my husband drags me off to Follow the Arrow on Saturday night:

Where the Wild Things Are at ART06870 Upstate, Wallkill

Rip It Up and Start Again at Army of Frogs Studio, High Falls

Everything is Everything at N/A Project Space, New Paltz

Stay Frosty at ArtPort, Kingston

There’s so much to do this week, art and otherwise. Go have some fun.

WILD ARC FARMS’ ARAK NASARA

Last Saturday afternoon the skies were a stunning summer blue and I found myself in a picturesque local winery with a pink drink in one hand and a bocce ball in the other. The winery: Wild Arc in Pine Bush. The drink: Arak mixed with last year's homegrown watermelon juice.

My mom, who went to high school in Pine Bush in the 70's, would not have recognized a single thing in this scene except the sky. (In fact, she still doesn't, not being one for liquor or lawn games.)

It was Wild Arc's 10th anniversary, and Todd Cavallo was making use of a bottle that (shamefully) has been untouched on my bar for a long time: Arak Nasara, his take on the anise spirit of the Levant. He distills it from the farm's own grape marc, redistills that with anise seed and botanicals grown right there in the ground, then lets it rest in terra cotta and glass demijohns for six months.

A spirit carried out of an immigrant’s history, distilled from grapes grown down the road and cut with watermelon from someone's backyard. The most homegrown thing in my glass started as somebody else's exile — which is, more or less, how anything around here ends up “local.”

Pick up a bottle while they last.

Thursday, June 25

Good Neighbors Comedy Show at The DRAW in Kingston — Good Neighbor's Dream Come True series brings a comedy show to The DRAW in Kingston Midtown — hosted by Caroline Contillo with performances by Andy Monk, Anwar George (Andy from BKFD), AJ Jordan, Leah Worrell, and Jams Bond.

Queer Witch Club: Pride Edition at The Bridge in Kingston — A Pride-edition gathering and the only meeting of the summer. BYO Tarot.

Breaking The Algorithm IRL: Mikaela Davis + World Cup at Avalon Lounge in Catskill — Chosen Family's monthly hang — DJ set from Andy of Ravens Sings the Blues, live interview with Catskill harpist Mikaela Davis (she's got a great new LP), then USA vs. Türkiye on the big screen at 10pm.

Friday, June 26

Love, Velma 5th Anniversary in Ellenville — The sexiest, smokiest, swinging-est place in Ellenville celebrates 5 years of not getting shut down. Say Hi to Laverne for me.

Shorties Turning One Anniversary Party in New Paltz — Shorties throws down for their first birthday with a full day of it. All-vinyl spinning from @freakout.spot, flash tattoos from Guts & Glory popping up right at the bar, a moonshine spritz cart from Northern Rose Selections, and pinball running free all day and night.

We Stand With Pride Trivia at Mill & Main in Kerhonkson — Mill & Main celebrates Pride with a full night of trivia, Pride cocktails, loaded burgers, dogs and Bowls. Bring your team and your best trivia game. Reserve a table.

Upstate Art Weekend Dance Party for Abortion Access at Assembly Kingston in Kingston — The official UAW dance party and abortion access fundraiser. Laura Lynn (Disco Chalet) and Andy Pry (Tiki Disco) on the decks. 100% of net proceeds to NY Abortion Access Fund, Independent Clinics, and Noise for Now.

Saturday, June 27

Garden Disco Circus at The Ellis in Newburgh — Flared Bass closes out Pride Month at The Ellis. A night of disco, house, indie dance, and feel-good grooves with aerial performers, circus surprises, and the DJ known for joyful, welcoming dance floors. Doors 9pm.

Wild Hudson Valley Night Walk in Cairo — A guided twilight walk through the fields and forests of Wild Hudson Valley's Cairo farm. Fields, forests, fireflies, glowworms, flying squirrels, screech owls and other nocturnal creatures, with campfire to start. Family-friendly (flattest trails, no artificial light).\

Art Bar: Spirited Women at Ten Mile Table in Wassaic — Ten Mile Table hosts a book signing, cocktail tasting, and porch sketching session for Spirited Women, the new book celebrating female leaders and trailblazers in beverage and hospitality. Part of Wassaic's Art Bar weekend.

Shenanigans Cookout: Ambos Outdoor Pop Up at Pocketbook Hudson in Hudson — Ambos chef Norberto Piattoni takes the Argentine-inspired cookout outdoors into the Pocketbook courtyard. Choripan, chicken skewers, grilled mushrooms, and fish sandwiches off the grill, no reservation needed, with an Art Omi afterparty to follow.

Into the Dark Film Screening and Firefly Walk at Mountain Top Arboretum in Tannersville — Pete Mauney spends his nights deep in remote landscapes photographing fireflies and airplanes. Fiona Otway's short doc about him screens at Mountain Top Arboretum, followed by a Q&A and a Pete-led firefly walk through the grounds.

Of Frame and Fallow at Site Seen | Esopus NY Project Space in Esopus — Site Seen takes over a vacant former Dollar General in Esopus for one night only. 50+ Hudson Valley and NYC artists across 9,000 square feet of sculpture, installation, video, and site-specific work. Live for three hours, that's it.

Saratoga Jazz Festival 2026 at SPAC in Saratoga Springs — 49th annual, two days, two stages, 22 artists. You will never see people picnic like the old folks who set up here. One year we actually saw a couch.

Troy Tambay: Filipino Food Pop-Up at Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen lot in Troy — Chef Champ Peralta (Chee-bog) brings six home cooks and chefs to Sunhee's Ferry Street lot in Troy for a chill afternoon of Filipino food and music.

Foreland Open Studios at Foreland Catskill in Catskill — Second annual. 30+ artist studios across Foreland's waterfront campus open for the day. Includes a Lauren and Isabella Pedrosa piece that turns plant bioelectricity into sound and image, and the Gaa Gallery grand opening. Free, part of UAW.

Sunday, June 28

Braids & Brews at The Common Good in Ellenville — A beginner-friendly workshop with @alis_beauty_bar teaching dads the basics of hair care — nighttime routines, detangling, simple ponytails, and basic braiding techniques — while enjoying a beer and good company. Father's Day prep, Ellenville edition.

Steelbow Farm: Evening U-Pick Party in Ancram — Steelbow Farm's first-ever farm party celebrates strawberry season and the full moon. Food and drinks from Westerly Canteen served field-side from the airstream, evening u-pick, and live music from Andrea Maddox and the Hey Y'alls. $15 tickets, kids in free. 4–8pm.

Gender Free Haircut Club at Chroma in New Paltz — A day of free gender affirming cuts for queer and trans folks in need at Chroma salon in New Paltz. Email [email protected] to book, walk-ins accepted when possible, masks required inside. Hosted by @chromahairnp and @thedresscodeproject.

The Aura of Upstate: Screening with Stephanita Eats — An intimate screening of The Aura of Upstate, the animated short film celebrating upstate New York. Catch the film in a more personal setting and meet the makers behind the project.

Paint Ur Partner Summer Sunday Brunch with Crust + Magic at Shorties in New Paltz — Crust + Magic takes over Shorties for the freakiest brunch on the calendar. Paint your partner (or pal, or yourself) while tiki drinks flow and an actual brunch happens around you. $30/person, all materials included, all skill levels welcome.

Catalina Wine Mixer at Magnanini Winery & Restaurant in Wallkill — Prestige Worldwide presents the classiest chaos of the summer. A brunchy day party at Magnanini Winery with DJs Matkis and Meetchka. Free entry, wine and food available. Bring your inner Step Brother.

Tea & Steam: An Herbal Sauna Micro Retreat at Wintersun Sauna at Taliaferro Farm in New Paltz — Wintersun teams up with Wild Beyond Botanicals for a five-to-eight micro retreat. Guided plant walk, herbal bouquet making, farm-fresh picnic, therapeutic teas, sauna, cold plunge, sound bath.

Monday, June 29

Woolpunk: Stay Frosty Exhibit at Woolpunk Studio in Kingston — Woolpunk's wild felted art lives loud at 80 Smith Ave. Pop in for the exhibit and drop off gently-worn t-shirts for Family of Woodstock as part of their week-long donation drive. All ages welcome.

Wednesday, July 1

Savor & Sound: Summer Menu Release at Restaurant Kinsley in Kingston — Chef Spencer Coplan's new summer menu drops with DJ Dookz, passed apps, and tastings from Cider Mafia, Pinhook Bourbon, Return Brewing, and Dirt Dance Farm. Free, open to the community. Get there.

K.I.S.S. Lounge Pop-Up at 27 Cafe in Catskill — Chef Gabi Gulielmetti's first pop-up dinner service at 27 Cafe in Catskill. Two nights, July 1 and 2, 5 to 10pm. Pin the calendar.

Man, I cannot stress how excited I am about Follow The Arrow this weekend. We told you about this back in April so I sure hope you bought your tickets before it sold out!! One of the things I have found super interesting is that every middle aged white man that I talk to is very excited to talk about Tortoise but won't commit to going? Did I miss some kind of formative experience in a college dorm that my contemporaries had? I didn't really smoke weed in college, (You answered your own question. -Ed. )maybe they were vibing out to Monica or something?

The rest of the lineup is stacked. Funk Soul Psych vanguards including a retro throwback act from Indonesia. Lots of horns. Lots of energy. And then there's Tortoise. They are the avant-garde uncle who shows up to the cookout and starts explaining vibraphone tunings. I love them. I cannot for the life of me explain why they're on this lineup. I suspect that's the point? Benevento is a genre-blurring weirdo himself and this feels like a curveball he threw on purpose, just to watch a load of people stand very still for forty-five minutes and then go “huh” and then go back to dancing.

It's presented by a cannabis farm, so the standing-very-still part is covered. Go for the soul, stay for the band that doesn't make sense, leave confused and happy. That's a good day.

Pour something you don't usually drink for someone who doesn't usually drink it. Make them tell you what it reminds them of.