Hi Friends,
Earlier this week I hit the Hudson Valley subreddit to get feedback on a potentially prickly question:
Are folks looking for more kid-free, or adult-oriented events?
The answer: No, not so much. Finding events isn’t the hard part.
People are looking for kid-free community.
One Redditor put it perfectly:
I welcome friends of all kinds including parents and their children, but being able to talk with people who are walking a similar path in life as you is something that is completely appropriate to enjoy.
It’s not just appropriate, it’s necessary to feeling seen and satisfied.
Whether you’re a parent, a non-parent, a step parent, a cat parent, sober, a whiskey lover or marathon runner - or any combination of these and a million more identities - we all want to be called in to a community. We want to meet people who say, “I’m headed this way. Want to join me for a bit?”
There can be weird tension between people who do and don’t have kids, and it doesn’t need to be part of this conversation. I firmly believe that there’s enough room in the world for all of these communities to exist harmoniously, and enough space within ourselves to exist in many of them simultaneously. This Reddit conversation indicated to me that there’s a potential community that’s waiting to be called together. I wonder who’s going to do it?
Before anyone freaks out or unsubscribes, I’m not changing anything about how I select events for the newsletter. We’re still leaning towards adventurous food, adult beverages and late night live music. Those are the things that call this community together. It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from.
If you have thoughts you can always reply directly to me, or be part of the larger conversation here.
Sponsored by our friends at Boutique Wines, Spirits and Ciders
CATCH AND RELEASE WINES
Hudson Valley anglers and fish dip enthusiasts know that it’s trout season, baby! You can get in on the action at the Livingston Manor Trout Parade, tie some flies for the Charmed Circle Fly Classic or just enjoy a Streamside stream side. If you’re seeking something thematic but a little more leisurely, check out Catch and Release wines. Vinted in Sonoma Country, sourced from organic and biodynamic vineyards in Sonoma, Mendocino, and Santa Cru; Catch & Release actually has roots back in NY.
Owner/winemaker Monica Stewart grew up in the Hudson Valley and she met her husband and now fellow winemaker Beno, while doing advertising in NYC. They opened Catch and Release together in 2019 and started making wines outside of the transitional California flavor profile. Instead, they tend to exercise their creativity and make unique blends and styles of wine with minimal intervention, no fining or filtering, no unlisted additives, and minimal sulfur at bottling.
Meet ‘Middle Sister’ a blend of Riesling, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc rested on the skins, fermented with native yeast, then aged in a mixture of stainless steel and neutral oak for 10 months. The result? Apricot and stone fruit with notes of tangerine and peach blossom dance across the palate with crisp bright acidity.
Next, enter the ‘Block Party’! Pinot Gris & Gewurtraminer were fermented on the skins for 15 days and were fermented in neutral French oak. Then Riesling came in a few weeks later and was fermented in a combination of stainless and neutral French oak, before they were blended together.
Here you’ll get heavy aromatics, with tons of floral notes, a fruity, berry forward start to the palate with slight crunchy tannins on the back. Described by the winemakers as “the Swiss Army Knife of skin contact wines”.
If you want to try Catch and Release without getting fishy hands, they are open for tasting this Friday June 5th, along with 40 other summer time things, at Boutique Wines Spirits & Ciders in Fishkill NY. For more information and to grab free tickets check out this link.
Thursday, June 4
Babes Ride Out (BRO, lol) starting in Narrowsburg - Four-day women's motorcycle campout along the Delaware River — group rides through the lower Catskills, Harley demos, a bike show, workshops, vendors, food trucks, and floating the river. Solo riders welcome if your sidecar fell off.
Alan Opts Out Book Talk at Brunette in Kingston - Author C.B. Maum comes to Brunette to discuss Alan Opts Out with Halimah Marcus and Rough Draft NY — wine flowing, the conversation will be good. Arrive early.
Friday, June 5
Mountaintop Pride Weekend at Scribner's Lodge — Scribner's hosts a full Pride weekend in the Catskills open to locals and guests alike — vendor pop-up with local makers, DJ Lemonade in the garden, flash tattoos by Hummingbird Catskills, a pool party open to the public, and bar takeover by The Exley. Use code SCLPRIDE for 10% off rooms.
Night Market at Rot & Fallow in Kingston - Rot & Fallow and Blue Easter Bakery launch Kingston Midtown's first-ever Night Market on June 5, coinciding with the inaugural Summer Fridays on Broadway. Local makers, food, and the kind of vendor mix that doesn't feel like every other market.
Kickoff to Summer Tasting at Boutique Wines, Spirits & Cider in Fishkill - Our buddies at the award-winning bottle shop in Fishkill pour 40+ selections in try-and-buy format — this time featuring Bottlerocket Spritz, Catch and Release Wines and alongside their usual standout cider and natural wine lineup. Low-key, educational, and a good excuse to stock up.
Morgan Brill + DJ Slim Corvelli at Brunette in Kingston - Chef Morgan Brill is cooking something extra special while DJ Slim Corvelli goes hard on vinyl — à la carte menu starts at 5pm, no reservations, just come.
Shattered Wine Georgian Wine Pop-Up at Olsen & Co. in Saugerties - Shattered Wine pops up at Olsen & Co. in Saugerties for a Georgian wine tasting with small bites à la carte — a great excuse to get into natural wine from a part of the world people are sleeping on.
TRINKETFEST and more at the Art Society of Kingston - Support living, working local artists under 30 years old selling art under $30. ASK is also hosting the opening of “Living Queer” and a Pride Stroll through the Rondout. Click the link for all the tea.
Midtown Scene – Summer Fridays in Kingston - The Midtown Business Alliance of Kingston launches Summer Fridays — a free, block-party-style afternoon encouraging you to explore midtown's businesses. Show up, interact with local spots, and earn raffle entries for a gift basket stuffed with products and gift cards from neighborhood businesses.
Saturday, June 6
Kingston Pride: Hudson Valley Pride March + Festival — It’s the big one!! The annual Hudson Valley Pride March kicks off at 1pm from the Community Center and ends at Academy Green for the Kingston Pride Festival — a full afternoon of community, music, and celebration.
AME ARCANA's Breaking The Binary at Industrial Arts in Beacon — live band burlesque, drag, and DJ PREPHAB closing out the night. Doors at 7, show at 8, DJ at 10. Tickets from $25 in advance. 18+.
Official Kingston Pride Week After Party at Unicorn Bar in Kingston. Sweat, sunburns, songs, and other chaos that will have you picking out glitter until August.
Sunday, June 7
Samiduon: The Steadfast Women of Palestine Screening — Screening of the documentary Samiduon at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston. A powerful film about the steadfast women of Palestine — open to all, refreshments served, donations appreciated.
HOT POT SUNDAY: Cambodian Yahon Hot Pot at Lone Wolf in Kingston - Lone Wolf has been low-key dishing out phenomenal Cambodian food for a while. They’re doubling down with a Khmer hot pot experience — prepaid Resy tickets only, seats fill fast. Yahon broth, high-quality proteins, and the cocktail bar doing what it does best.
Tuesday, June
Turntable Tuesday at Reason and Ruckus in Poughkeepsie - Scully spins punk, HC, and thrash vinyl from his collection every Tuesday night. $8 cover, $4 shots, $5 wells, $2 Gansett. Cheap drinks and loud records.
Wednesday, June 10
Glynwood Farm Dinner Honoring Taij Kumarie Moteelall in Cold Spring— A once in a lifetime opportunity to break bread with an internationally regarded storyteller, land steward, and strategist at the intersection of regenerative economies, healing, and justice. An evening of locally sourced food and meaningful conversation at the farm table, with overnight rooms available on-site. BYO!
Glenn Jones at Suarez Family Brewing & Marisa Anderson at Tubby’s
Another week, another niche subgenre that I have somehow accumulated knowledge about. We’re gonna do a little primer on American Primitive today since two of the genre’s heavyweights are playing up here this weekend.
American primitive music is a misleadingly humble name for a rich, idiosyncratic strain of solo guitar music: part blues, part folk, part old-time, part avant-garde. It's not jazz but it has a lot in common with Jazz. Think steel-string fingerpicking, open tunings, droning bass notes, odd little melodic turns, and a sense that the guitar is telling a story without needing a singer. It's a transportive, introspective kind of music that is really hard to explain. Hit me up if you would like a playlist.
Glenn Jones is one of the form’s great modern standard-bearers, carrying forward the core fundamentals of the genre with warmth, patience, and deep musical storytelling. Marisa Anderson is the restless explorer of the pair, folding folk, blues, gospel, country, Latin, drone, and global traditions into music that feels cinematic and quietly radical. Anderson is at Tubby's on Friday. Jones is at Suarez Family Brewing on Sunday. I'm more excited about the Jones gig tbh but mostly because it gives me a reason to go to Fortune's and get some ice cream along the way.
MAKE LOVE THIS WEEK
Schedule your swimming hole hooky day and put a “doctor’s appointment” on your calendar now.
Cheers,
Amy
A Maker and Lover