Long weekend means it's time to dance

The Clubhouse party is back at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock tonight at 9.

Those who arrive before 10 p.m. are rewarded with $5 admission. After 10, the price rises to 10 bucks.

Guest DJ Adam Warped, in a rare East Coast appearance, spins his signature smooth blend of obscure "forward thinking grooves."

The Bearsville Theater is located at 291 Tinker St.

Go dance.

Beacon store appeals to crafty gals

Feel Design, a young women-owned store in Beacon, features clothes and home decor made by other young, crafty women from the mid-Hudson Valley and the rest of the country.

Those looking for an unusual wedding or baby shower gift that isn't mass-produced in China might want to stop by.

I recently bought this vase (left) for a friend's bridal shower.






Wouldn't these pillows (right) make a cute addition to a nursery?

We hear ...

... that Upstate Films in Rhinebeck will host late-night screenings of cult/classic films on Friday and Saturday nights in September.

The screenings are part of the independent moviehouse's effort to draw in younger audiences, particularly college students.

More to come ...

(Poughkeepsie Journal photo by Karl Rabe)

Beacon's Homespun hosts movie night

The lovely and tasty Homespun Foods in Beacon is hosting dinner and a movie tonight at 7:30 in the back garden.

The featured movie, "Like Water for Chocolate," will be complemented by Mexican food.

Cost is $20 and includes a short video of animated shadow puppets.

Homespun is currently BYOW. A beer and wine license is coming.

Join me for Sunday's Slavic Soul Party

Look for me Sunday at the free closing night party of the Spiegeltent at Bard College. Slavic Soul Party will play the tent at 8:30 p.m.

These New York City-based musicians mix brass band music from diverse immigrant backgrounds with American jazz and soul.

As a Slavic who thinks she's got soul, I can't resist.

Don't miss 'Stardust'

I went to see this witty delight of a fantasy film last weekend. I left feeling the same way I did when I first saw "The Princess Bride" at the Rosendale Theatre in 1987.

And I predict "Stardust" is going to suffer the same fate: tanking at the box office and later becoming a cult hit.

Don't wait for Netflix. See it on the big screen.

"Stardust" is playing this weekend at Destinta 12 in New Windsor, Regal Cinemas Fishkill 10, Regal Cinemas Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston and Showtime Cinemas in Newburgh.

Jazz-infused opera probes secrets, mystery

Carl Hancock Rux uncovers the story of Angelo Soliman, an African in 18th-century Vienna and friend of Mozart, in "The Blackamoor Angel" opera. The jazz-infused work is being performed in the Spiegeltent at Bard College.

Final performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Rux, who participated in a post-show talk last week, probes Soliman's involvement in Mozart's final operas, his mysterious death and the reason for the heinous postmortem display of his body in the imperial Naturalienkabinett.

(Poughkeepsie Journal photos by Lee Ferris)

To purchase $25 tickets, call 845-758-7900 or the box office Web site.

Woodstock welcomes graffiti art pioneers

On Sunday I checked out a really cool exhibition at Varga Gallery in Woodstock.

The show features works on canvas and paper by graffiti artists LSD-Om, KR.One, Flint..., TEAM (art pictured), Zephyr, Whisper and Revolt.

Most of these guys were writing on New York City subway trains in the 1970s and '80s.

The gallery is located at 130 Tinker St., next to Tinker Street Cinema.

Read my interview with KR.One in the upcoming issue of Enjoy!

(Photo of TEAM's "Plaster Joint" artwork contributed by Christina Varga)

Ulster County art lovers get free day at Dia

Residents of Ulster County get free admission to Dia:Beacon this Saturday, part of the contemporary art museum's Community Free Days. That's a $10 savings!

Bring a driver's license or other government-issued ID for free entry.

Afterward, head up Main Street for Windows on Main and other Second Saturday art openings.

See you out in Beacon Saturday!

Where do you sushi?

My weekends are spent gathering ingredients at the farmers' market and Fleisher's meats for elaborate home-cooked dinners. I enjoy cooking ... when I have lots of time.

But during the week I'm all about the joys of take-out.

Every Tuesday as I'm leaving the Poughkeepsie Journal offices, I make a call to my neighborhood sushi joint, Kyoto. My usual: spicy tuna rolls.

I also have had memorable meals at Hokkaido in New Paltz (super fresh, but expect to wait a while), Edo Sushi in Hyde Park and Osaka in Rhinebeck.

So where do you go when you need your sushi fix? Any places you steer clear away from?

How very civilized

The lovely Village TeaRoom in New Paltz is offering tea leaf readings by Tara O'Sullivan.

The readings, which begin Aug. 18, take place every first and third Saturday of the month from 3 to 6 p.m.

A portion of the proceeds from the readings, which cost $15, benefit a home for displaced boys in New Paltz.

For more information, call 845-255-3434.

(Poughkeepsie Journal photo by Darryl Bautista)

DIY comedy comes to Kingston

Punk rock comic Justin "JT" Habersaat returns to Kingston tonight for an underground comedy show at the Muddy Cup.

Habersaat has performed at Stand Up NYC, Laughing Wolf, Truly Twisted Comedy Festival and helped found the improv group, 5 Drunken Immortals. He also appeared on Comedy Central's "Upright Citizens Brigade" as well as Troma Film's "Toxic Avenger 4" opposite porn legend Ron Jeremy.

The former host of Indie Flux on WDST (100.1 FM), Habersaat in 2005 moved from the Hudson Valley to Austin, where he publishes the punk zine, Altercation.

Tonight's special guests include Chris Cubas and Jess Cohen.

Admission to the 8 p.m. show is 5 bucks.

(Photo courtesy Justin Habersaat)

Shout out to DJ Gaza

So my baby sister got married this weekend. The reception was at the new Grandview in Poughkeepsie. I was a little wary of it being a factory-style wedding, but I have to say it was absolutely flawless. Food was great, service was impeccable and all my sister's guests had a really great time.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was DJ Gaza, a turntablist from Brooklyn who made the wedding feel more like a dance club than a cheesy affair. He stayed away from too much MCing, letting the bride and groom be in the spotlight.

DJ Gaza, aka Gary Hoffmann, spun Blondie, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, A-ha (a request from the ring bearer), Outkast and Deee Lite, to name a few.

He even played some polkas, a nod to all the partying Polish-Americans in attendance.

Most of all he was really kind, checking in with my sister and her husband to make sure they were happy and keeping them informed.

Book him.

(Photo of Michael and Michelle Brenes by family friend Lou Miressi)

Art in the office

Artist/curator Christopher Albert of Beacon has injected contemporary artwork into a general accounting, auditing and tax consulting practice in Poughkeepsie.

The public is invited to view his efforts tonight at Bailey Browne CPA & Associates, 80 Washington St. in Poughkeepsie.

The reception takes place between 5 and 7 p.m.

In the photo above, Peter Acheson's work was placed among the plaques and awards Deborah Bailey Browne has hanging above her desk.

Other participating artists include Simon Draper, Alexis Elton, Marnie Hillsley and Matthew S. Kinney

Chris e-mailed me the following: "I'm interested in seeing how the visitors will respond to the artwork, as it is predominantly a very non art audience. Each time I've done this with Deborah Bailey Browne, I've tried to demonstrate the variety of work being done in contemporary art, and with each installation, I've wanted to (take) a step further into the real(m) of the unexpected in terms of the office environment.

Here, I've placed some work in a traditional manner, but I've also used the work in a spare, non-frontal way in some instances."

(Photo by artist Chris Albert)

McMansions as kaleidoscope

"Earthscapes," which opens Saturday at the Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts, is an exhibition of landscape photography made through the open door of a Cessna 206.

Artist Paul Joffe captures the strangely beautiful patterns of tract houses and cul-de-sacs. He also documents cloud formations.

KMOCA, 103 Abeel St. in Kingston, is open Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment.

The reception is this Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.