Land is the plan. Space is the place.

My original list of events to share this week weighed in at 37 items. We are at the height of Hudson Valley summer and the event organizers among us are getting in on it.

Are you?

Last week I ran into two friends at Eliza. They are young, sexy, witchy lesbians and therefore much fucking cooler than me. In less than five minutes of catching up, they were expressing frustration at not knowing what to do or where to meet people. They also admitted that they are exhausted all the time and finding either takes work.

The previous night, a friend and I drove through nearly impassable roads and very foreboding “NO VEHICLES DO NOT ENTER” signs to an abandoned farm so deep in Kingston you couldn’t see or hear a single neighbor. We’d been invited to a Land in Black Hands barbecue by chef Younique Palmer, who I met once before at my Pairings event last month. They put me to work chopping vegetables and teaching kids how to salt cucumbers while my friend cleaned dried chamomile with Tamara Dumay, who described her work reintroducing Black agricultural knowledge.

This is not some kumbaya BS story where diverse people did honest work with their hands and bonded around a campfire. Though ok, that did happen.

Having that experience took work. Working my schedule around it, negotiating the anxiety of feeling weird or bored or out of place, and then Younique put me to work with kids, which is very much not my thing. None of this was a legit hardship, but most people won’t commit to a free happy hour. This was a lot in comparison.

It was also the best event I’ve been to all summer. I thought I was showing up to get some good food, read: receive. Intentional or not, everyone showed up with something to give - labor, knowledge, direction, etc. It felt really good.

It was the bang-on definition of Pleasure Activism: the work felt too good not to do it. The emotional reward was so great as to overcome the barriers to it, like discomfort and inconvenience. And dammit, I would do it again!

The experience reoriented my thinking about planning events for Makers & Lovers. Everyone can race to the bottom, and try to create the lowest friction, easiest to attend event. The harder, better pursuit is creating experiences that feel too good to miss.

A reader is looking for fellow board game lovers.

Golden Hour Books in Newburgh is reading The Shampoo Effect for their August book club. They also host the HV Queer Book Club, which is reading Forest Euphoria.

Early bird tickets for the next Hudson Valley Rent Party are live! Get three entries to win $1k.

Hudson Valley Majong is at Quinn’s in Beacon on the second Wednesday of every month.

aNAK is accepting applications for their October retreat for artists and creatives.

Thursday, August 13

Land in Black Hands Stewardship Party in Kingston - If you want a little bit of the goodness described above, here you go. No experience or gear necessary, just go hang out and get your hands dirty. It’s good for your soul.

LOBOKO at Tubby's in Kingston — A Congolese dance band Cory says yes to on sight every time. He was out of town when they last played and is not making that mistake twice.

Indigo & Cacao: A Summer Gathering at i.wander.through in Woodstock — An intimate evening in the garden, capped at six guests, to slow down over cacao and dye something in a living indigo vat. $88, Woodstock.

1st Annual Beamoc TU BBQ at Roscoe Motel in Roscoe — Roscoe Motel throws a backyard BBQ to recruit new members for the local Trout Unlimited chapter. Burgers from Little Store in Roscoe and beers from Roscoe Beer Company. I aspire to be someone who can fly fish on a Thursday afternoon.

Friday, August 14

Wet Hot American Summer: 25th Anniversary Screening at Community Theater in Catskill — Community Theater marks 25 years of Wet Hot American Summer with a preshow party featuring a DJ set from actor H. Jon Benjamin, bug juice served counselor-style, the movie, and a postshow Q&A with actor Gideon Jacobs. Let’s not think about where we were when we saw it the first time.

Got a Light? at Avalon Lounge in Catskill — DJ Harlan lights up Avalon Lounge for 'Got a Light?' — the same all-vinyl energy that's made his Catskill nights a regular draw.

Pearl + D-Cline + Bog Imp at Tubby's in Kingston — Baltimore basement jams from Pearl, about ten minutes of head-removal from Kingston's D-Cline, and Jersey fuzz rock from Bog Imp. Friday night punk show, hell yeah.

Perseid Meteor Shower Star Party at Lake Taghkanic State Park in Ancram — The Perseids peak overnight on the 12th-13th, but the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association's public star party at Lake Taghkanic's West Beach lot on the 14th is the shared version — bring a blanket, RSVP required.

Saturday, August 15

Wild Acres Beer Festival at Drowned Lands Brewery in Warwick — Forty-plus breweries and 80 brewers pouring unlimited tastings across 700 acres of Warwick farmland, with Oyster Party shucking and running lobster rolls.

Catskill Wine Party at 27 Cafe in Catskill — Left Bank Ciders and Ensemble Wine pour their Catskill-grown ferments while Sira-Ulo keeps the Filipino food coming — a wine party built around the flavors of home and neighbors. Seminar and wine-party-only tickets available.

Corvelli's Cutlets + DJ Set at Brunette Wine Bar in Kingston — Slim Corvelli makes cutlets so thin you can read a newspaper through them, and he's rolling up with his cutlet-only spatula (not a joke) and a crate of records. Nota Di takes over the room while Brunette's on vacation — the 15th, then again the 20th through 23rd.

Material (Index) 2 Year Anniversary Party in Roscoe — Material (Index) turns two with 'Time Heals All Things Except Wounds' — limited coffees from Touchy Coffee and Loveless Coffees, natural wines from the Mosel and Beaujolais, cheeseburgers from regular Evan Cifor, and free jazz spinning in a former gas station parking lot in Roscoe.

Ferragosto: A Gathering for the Grain Mother at a private residence in Highland — Mary Beth Bonfiglio borrowed the Italian holiday as an excuse to feed people — Alyssa Kingman cooking, a collective altar to the land, and an instruction to bring your drums. Sliding scale $25-40, RSVP for the address.

First Encounters Vol. 003: Birds of Prey at Routine Pleasure in Woodstock — Ravensbeard, who rescued the famous Rocky from the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, brings live rescued owls into a shop that normally sells fishing and hiking gear. I love owls. Mr. Gunks is more mixed.

Night in the Forest Walk at Wild Hudson Valley Eco Camp in Cairo — Anna and Justin walk you through the farm after dark, which is when the interesting things are awake. Part of a Forests & Foraging weekend — book a campsite and stay through Sunday's foraging workshop.

Get Down for Down Payments Dance Party at Kestrel Tavern in Kingston — TapRoot Community Land Trust throws a salsa-to-reggaeton dance party at Kestrel — live Latin fusion from ¡Ande Ale!, a beginner dance lesson, and a DJ Domo set, all benefiting affordable housing. $25 advance, $30 at the door.

Sunday, August 16

Jazz in the Valley at Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie — 26 years running, Jazz in the Valley turns the Poughkeepsie waterfront into a stage for veteran and emerging musicians — Lisa Fischer, Javon Jackson, Camille Thurman. If you want more insight on the lineup, email Mr. Gunks.

Kingston Artists Downhill Derby at The Rondout in Kingston — 30 years as the Soapbox Derby, new name, same chaos: artists and tinkerers send improbable human-powered kinetic sculptures rolling down Lower Broadway in the Rondout. Truly the most delightful afternoon you’ll have.

Salt Box Summer Camp - Beer pong, flip cup, Fat Tire cooler deals, food collabs and the threat/promise that you’ll get a little wet.

Paws + Pours at Twin Star Orchards in New Paltz — Ulster County SPCA brings adoptable dogs to the orchard, plus a mini-market. Market and activities are free, and a cut of the day's earnings goes back to UCSPCA. Adopt, don’t shop! Puppies are not gifts!

Bracelets & Brunch at Industrial Arts Brewing Company – Beacon in Beacon — Julie's Girls Club sets up a bracelet-making bar on Industrial Arts Brewing's mountain-view deck — ten bucks cash covers your materials, Downstate Newburgh handles the food, and the whole afternoon is built to be easy for introverts too.

Deep Growl / bog holler at The Re Institute in Millerton — A growling workshop with Christy Gast and friends in a hayloft gallery, closing out 'Red Flags for Everyone' with the artists from the show performing. I don’t have a GD clue what this is but I hope you go.

Hot Pot Sunday: August at Lone Wolf Kingston in Kingston — Lone Wolf's monthly Yahon hot pot is back — shared pots of broth, sticky rice, and a skull-shaped mug doing double duty as a cocktail glass, all built for gathering your crew around the table.

Four Corners Pop-Up Dinner at Dassai Blue in Hyde Park — Chef David Israelow of Four Corners — the American restaurant landing in Chatham in 2027 — brings a four-course, height-of-summer dinner to Dassai Blue's sake brewery, pairing Japanese and French-inspired courses with the brewery's Junmai Daiginjo pours.

WILT: A Land Dinner in Ulster Park — WILT hosts a hyperlocal four-course land dinner inside its Ulster Park art installation, with fermented beverage pairings — natural wine and non-alcoholic both on the table — served family style among the show's sculpture and photography.

Monday, August 17

TRoPiCaLeO en Hudson at Culture Cream in Hudson — Paxx, Darich, and Tara co-create a six-course Boricua pop-up inside Culture Cream — Caribbean flavors, natural wine and ferment pairings, and handmade plant-dyed pañuelos for sale, capped at 50 people across two seatings.

Tuesday, August 18

ConnectHV Poughkeepsie Meetup at Scenic Hudson Northside Hub in Poughkeepsie — ConnectHV's monthly gathering for Hudson Valley creatives and small business folks lands at the Northside Hub, 6pm. Makers & Lovers is sponsoring this one, so come find me!

Wednesday, August 19

Queer Bingo (and Speed-Friending) at Happy Valley Arcade Bar in Beacon — Julie's Girls Club adds bingo to the speed-friending formula. $10, RSVP required, and you can scope out who else is going before you commit.

Have you looked up this week? Perhaps the rain stopped long enough for you to see the Perseids peak. Maybe you caught a little bit of the eclipse. Maybe you woke up early and caught the planetary parade. All this celestial commotion appears to have pried open a portal to Saturn, and I am pleased to inform you that we should expect impact this weekend.

The Sun Ra Arkestra plays Storm King Art Center on Saturday.  You know the field — five hundred acres of enormous steel objects arranged across the Hudson Highlands.  What better place to take an interplanetary journey?  

We are very lucky to get fairly regular visits from the Arkestra in progressively more fantastical settings, and every time I feel like the fomo keeps getting ratcheted up.  Bandleader Marshall Allen is now 102.  I started getting worried when he hit 94, but he keeps going.  He also just released a new album with Jamaladeen Tacuma (who OG readers of this column will remember we recommended back in April.)   It is absolutely fantastic.  That man shows no sign of slowing down.  And yet.....

So: Storm King, Saturday, doors at five. A hundred-and-two-year-old man in glitter, a big band chanting about space being the place, Venus lighting up over the sculptures, and the last of the Perseids finishing what they started. The portal's already open.

The best way to see shooting stars is to make sure your eyes are fully adjusted to the dark. That means no looking at your phone. Enjoy it.