Carol St.Sauveur Ferris, Karen Richman, Rona Mann Chandler Stevens, Lawrence White, Susan Brink, Crystal Cobert Giddens, Chef Armand Vanderstigchel, Alan B. Richer, Kirsten Ferguson
to the November issue! This month is 518 Profiles 7th
Anni versary. Now that is something to celebrate! As we approach the en d of the year, I’m filled with gratitude for my talented writers. Every iss ue they take each reader on an incredible journey. Everyone at 518 Profiles w o uld like to thank our dedicated readers and a very special thank you to our wonderful and supportive advertisers.
As always, our goal at 518 PROFILES, is always to focus on the good, the beautiful and the positive by publishing stories with heart and soul. We strive each month to deliver authentic and unique content about cre ative people and interesting destinations. Enjoy!
Stephanie Sittnick Founder / Publisher
His Life is Like a Symphony pg. 16
Art to Pique Curiosity, Make You Think, & Often Smile Wenda Habenicht, Sculptor/Photographer pg. 6 What Happens When the Ballet Shoes Come Off This is NACRE Dance Group pg. 34 The Master Luthier of Greenfield: Miklos Frirsz pg. 24
Thanksgiving that was “Turkey in the Straw”
The Laffer Gallery
518.695.3181 | 96 Broad Street Schuylerville, NY
Upstate Invitational
October 25 - November 23
Discover The Laffer Gallery — a leading fine art destination in Upstate New York featuring rotating exhibitions of contemporary paintings, sculpture, and photography. The gallery offers fine art sales, art consulting, and custom framing, along with exclusive trade perks for designers.
Art to Pique Curiosity, Make You Think, & Often Smile Wenda Habenicht, Sculptor/Photographer
By Carol St.Sauveur Ferris
When speaking to artists, you quickly learn that most travel a road that includes unexpected or necessary detours before they become working artists. Their stories are fascinating and demonstrate that the creative spirit resides within and fuels their eventual connection to both art and soul. Sculptor/photographer Wenda Habenicht is no different.
She was born in Elkhart, Indiana, and then moved to Boulder, Colorado, with her family, where she lived until college. Wenda came from an impressive line of family artists. Her parents earned their BFA’s at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and she also had a great-aunt, Miriam Frink, who founded the Layton School of Art with her life partner, Charlotte Partridge. Considered a very progressive school, it integrated art with architecture and industrial design.
Unfortunately, as is often the case, many artists have to take other jobs to support their families, and so did her father. He worked at a printing company where he was known for his eye for
color. He also rented studio space in town where he made art in his free time and where both parents taught children’s art classes on
Saturdays. Creativity was inescapable in their household with art supplies and paper in abundance, which Wenda put to good use. But surprisingly, despite all the creative influences in her young life, she had an entirely different interest, and that was … horses.
Whether riding them or working them, horses were her passion. She rode both Western and Hunt Seat and competed in horse shows beginning in 4th grade. Eventually, Wenda fo cused on English and show jumping, but when she wasn’t riding, she still made art, in cluding macrame and weaving. She even sold her macrame wall hangings and woven belts in clothing and gift shops to help cover the high costs of owning a horse.
When it came time for college, Wenda went to Beloit College in Wisconsin. In 1978 she earned her BA, and in 1979, her MAT as an Art Specialist. But it was sculpture that spoke to her and she attributes that passion to her professor, Jarrett Strawn.
“The first day of class he showed us slides of an outdoor sculpture exhi bition and I was fascinated. Previously, I had thought that sculpture was just about objects sitting on pedestals not structures that one could walk around and through, existing in and as part of the environment. I think the slides reminded me of horse jumps in hunt fields to be navigated over and over. I started building sculpture in that class and later committed to being a sculptor.”
Because of Professor Strawn, Wenda attended two summer sessions at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. She also attended Columbia to study under William Tucker, a prominent British Sculptor, who encouraged her to pursue her MFA, which she did.
During her 2nd year at Columbia, Wenda worked as an assistant for Alice Aycock, another prominent sculptor and teacher through a work-study program sponsored by Urban Corp. She graduated in 1981 with an MFA but continued to work for Aycock for the next seven years. Her job was
largely correspondence, bookkeeping, and routine office work. Though challenging, she still created her own sculptures during that time, show ing in solo and group exhibitions from 1982 to 1991 across the con tinental United States and Hawaii.
Her sculptures were no small feat. They were human scale or larger and strong enough to weather the elements and the people who climbed and walked through them. When experiencing these playful installations, it’s hard to
Wenda at National Western Stock Show Age 16
Installation view of Midway Folly at 4 Elements, Utica NY
wrap your head around how involved it was to see the creative idea come to actual fruition. Often, a proposal was required that included a detailed statement, slides of previous work, a good resume, working architectural drawings, and at times, an actual model of the proposed sculpture.
Wenda loved the process and embraced the challenges. Early on, she was awarded a number of commissions, successfully designing and installing quite a few large sculptures across the country. They included:
Gathering Deck (10’6” x 39’ x 39’), a playful wood and paint structure for the Socrates Sculpture Garden, located in Long Island, New York, in 1987, based on her childhood experiences in the Midwest.
Dream Retreat (14’H x 6’L x 6’D), consisting of seven tilting towers that create an equally disorienting and mysterious hamlet of fun to ex plore in 1989, for the Toronto Sculpture Garden located in Toronto, Canada.
There were more, but in 1990, she stopped making sculpture and focused on her other job, the business of ac counting and bookkeeping. For 39 years, Wenda was a very successful, self-employed bookkeeper and tax preparer, and during that time moved upstate, where she spent considerable time riding again and working with horses.
In 2020, she made the decision to close the books on the accounting and bookkeeping business to focus on art. By then, her creative pursuits now included photography, mixed media, and of course, sculpture. Wenda had been experimenting with photography for quite a while. That experimentation led her to create intriguing digital diptychs while also making sculpture.
Exhibition view at More Art Space, Oneonta, NY
“Throne For The King And The Queen Of The Hill”
“Dream Retreat” City of Tilted Towers, Toronto, Canada
Diptychs typically consist of two separate but related panels of art, mounted with a space in between, that create a single composition. Wenda’s diptychs are unique in that no visible separation exists between the two digital im ages. In fact, after taking and reviewing images, she selects two that speak to her and aligns them in the same photograph without separation. Their juxtaposition is intriguing and thought-provoking while begging the question, why? The why may be their shared connection to a color, theme, geometric shape, or something more that the observer will
ulti mately discover for themselves. She often has her diptychs printed on etching paper so they aren’t shiny, giving them a richer quality, and then frames them without glass. Others are printed on canvas. Examples of Wenda’s diptychs include:
Diptych #29 (2014) which presents the architectural elements of two sets of stairs, side by side, causing the observer to pause and decide where one begins and the other ends.
Diptych #100 (2024) juxtaposes different houses with the same color palette but applied differently. One image is also turned on its side, bringing an entirely different perspective to their shared palette.
These days, she can be found working in mixed media as well, creating a series of drawings titled Works on Paper. According to Wenda, she will take a piece of charcoal or
whatever she’s drawn to at that moment and put down a gesture. A gesture is a line, shape, or smudge on paper that will lead to more. The “more” will be discovered as she allows herself to stay in the moment and let the process be her guide. The results are dramatic mixed media drawings, typically 24” x 18”, done in a combination of charcoal, oil stick, ink, pastels, metallic markers, water color, acrylics, and colored pencils. They, too, ask the observer to study the composition and enjoy what it is they see.
Diptych # 100 (From the Little Green House Series)
Diptych # 98
Diptych
In addition to working on her diptychs and drawings on paper, Wenda also continues to create sculpture. While in the early days she used to design and install large, outdoor sculptures on site, she is now focused on smaller-scale works that can be built and installed in doors. She also creates maquettes, which are smaller representations of future sculptures or can be finished sculptures in their own right. They measure approxi mately 12” overall and are made of brightly painted wood and colored plexiglass. Whimsical and fun, they invite you to enjoy the piece just as you see it.
Her larger, indoor sculptures are equally fun and whimsical. Examples of these include:
Gridlock (95”x 124”x 124”) which is a clever, interactive sculpture made of wood, plastic, rubber, artificial grass, and particle board. The colors are bright, and each cart and ladder can be manually moved along their tracks.
Balance Beam – Twice Revisited (103”x 40” x 105”) is a whimsical sculpture made of wood, velvet, hardware cloth, plastic screen, sawhorse brackets, and an umbrella.
While painted black and yellow, the black umbrella sitting tall lends a humorous Charlie Chaplin-like quality to it.
Ultimately, written descriptions do not adequately convey the thought behind each work of art Wenda creates. One must see them in person to fully engage with her intentions and points of view, whether sculpture, works on paper, or digital photographic diptychs. Guaranteed, some will make you smile while others will ask you to think and reflect.
And as luck would have it, Wenda’s photographic diptychs will be part of a three-person show called Upstate Invitational, at the Laffer Gallery in Schuylerville, New York, from October 25, 2025, through November 23, 2025. The artists will be present at the opening reception on Saturday, October 25, 2025 from 5-8 pm. Attend if you can. It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet Wenda and learn more about her art in person.
To view all of Wenda’s fascinating work, visit her website at www.wendahabenicht.com or on Instagram @wendahabenicht.
“Balance Beam - Twice Revisted”
Maquette # 8
His Life is Like a Symphony
by Rona Mann
“A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.”
Gustav
Mahler, Classical composer
Barry Richman, lover of classical music. Barry Richman, lover of opera. Barry Richman, child percussionist.
And then there’s the Barry Richman, who loves food and wants to share it, so he cooks, experiments, and shares this love with his customers.
Customers? Yes, this is the same Barry Richman who has successfully maintained a much-loved Capital District business that began as a card store in 1959,was bought by his family in 1975, and still flourishes today as Pearl Grant Richmans under the ownership of Barry Richman. Here is a man who never gets tired of meeting, greeting, and feeding those who enter as customers but leave as friends. He is both a lively raconteur telling stories and anecdotes to his everyday audience and serves in many ways as a conductor of his own orchestra. Either way, he knows what he’s doing. He’s lived his experiences, loved them, learned from them, and now they continue to serve as the drumbeat to which he marches through life.
As a child,there was always music playing in the Richman house. His grandfather had an old Philco Cathedral Top Radio, circa the early 1930s, and never missed listening to the Saturday afternoon Texaco
Metropolitan Opera broadcasts with announcer Milton Cross, who served in that position for a staggering 43 years. If it weren’t for opera playing in the house, it was symphonic music, and as a child, Barry Richman developed a love for it that has only deepened in appreciation and remains to this day.
In high school, Richman joined both the band and the orchestra, taking up the drums. “Cymbals, kettles, snares, bass drums... I love everything about percussion,” Barry enthused. It wasn’t just an extra-curricular, after-school activity, not at all. The young man was serious! Following graduation, Richman went on to the New England Conservatory of Music and studied percussion under the famous Everett “Vic” Firth, who was principal timpanist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 44 years.
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
While music was all-important and a first love, Barry was practical and chose to join the family business, Pearl Grant Richmans; however, he never left music, and music never left him. He joined the Albany Symphony Orchestra, where he played for several years, and in 1979, he founded the Empire State Youth Orchestra, an ensemble of classical music groups with a strong emphasis on bringing together classical music and young mu sicians. Richman is still on the boards of the ASO and the ESYO and serves as Top Development Officer for both organizations.
You don’t need to know Barry Richman for very long before you realize that he doesn’t sit around
for long; he makes things happen. If he develops an interest and wants to go after something, and that “something” is not readily available, he makes it happen by either going after it down the path at full warp speed or simply creating his own path. He did it with the Youth Orchestra, and later in life, when he developed his love of food and cooking, he made it happen again by enrolling in courses at the renowned Culinary Institute of America (known as the CIA) in Poughkeepsie. By doing so, he found himself studying with top chefs and using their equipment as he eagerly pursued a track in French cooking.
Beef Brisket
Now “Chef Barry” was found holding court at Pearl Grant Richmans, eagerly showing off the products that were for sale while coupling them with his newfound talent. The redolent aromas waft throughout the store, drawing delighted customers to wherever Barry happens to be wielding his knife skills or creating a delicious hors d’oeuvre for the holidays. But don’t ask him for a calendar or schedule or what he’s concocting and when! Like all good chefs, he creates what he creates when the moment presents itself, and happily, for the Pearl Grant Richman clientele, that is often the case. One of his favorites is the Beef Brisket, a simple and delicious main dish that “cooks itself” in a slow cooker, com plemented by Stonewall Kitchens’ Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce. (see Barry’s recipe at the end of this story).
Another favorite is Cold, Poached Salmon with Lemon Dill Aioli, which he calls “One of the easiest and most popular dishes to create.” Unlike chefs who don’t like to reveal their secrets, Barry Richman is a gregarious open book, talking to customers, showing them simple recipes, and giving them little shortcuts to make them a success at their next gathering. And while the brisket is still in the slow cooker and the cold salmon has yet to be plated, you can delight your guests with Captain Rodney’s Cheese Bake, a simple appetizer that’s ready in a matter of minutes and will pair well with beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks, and good people enjoy ing good conversation.
Pearl Grant Richmans has most everything in stock, but even Chef Barry makes the occasional trip to Costco or BJ's Wholesale to pick up packages of frozen profiteroles. After they’re defrosted, he tops them with one of the famous, delicious hot fudge sauces in the store, and it’s dessert tasting time!
Cold, Poached Salmon with Lemon Dill Aiol
Roast turkey sandwiches on croissants with cranberry horseradish sauce, and mayo
Certified International Melamine - Winter Forest pattern
Sincerely Sticks, Lazy Susans
Dr. Pete’s Praline Mustard Sauce
Lynn & Liana Designs "Let it Snow" Winter Resin Board
Other popular noshes include roast turkey sandwiches on croissants with cranberry horseradish sauce, and mayo...and the turkey is roasted right in the store!
“Simplicity is the key, “Barry echoes many times, pointing to the #1 seller in the store: Dr. Pete’s Praline Mustard Sauce, which can be used to heighten the flavor of almost any dish and makes for a great glaze on your holiday ham. “There are 144 jars on a pallet when it comes in, and we go through several pallets; that’s how popular it is.”
Imported pastas, a vast selection of teas, flavored popcorns, gourmet honey, and over 20 brands of chocolate all contribute to those many tastings. Barry adds, “By doing tastings, I am teaching people to understand the many cultures around the world because every culture has its own special food. To me, food is love.”
Barry Richman is a man with a perfect last name when you break it down: RICH MAN.
No, he’s no millionaire, but he is a man who never wasted a moment dreaming of what could be or never was. Every dream he dreamed from the first time as a teenager, when he picked up sticks,
deter mined to play drums in both orchestra and band and be the best at it, he realized. The dream of training at the New England Conservatory of Music; the dream of joining the fam ily business and keeping the success and popularity of Pearl Grant Richmans alive and well; the dream of learning to cook like a French chef; and the dream of passing on all he had done and was continuing to do to family, friends, and customers he cherished... all had come to fruition.
It is why he likens his life to his love of music, and why the famous quote from Gustav Mahler, who believed a symphony was a journey of ideas be tween the traditional and the m odern, a reflection of human experiences and emotions, fits Barry Richman like a glove:
“It must contain everything.”
You may contact Barry at: (518) 438-8409 or email him: blrpgr@yahoo.com
INGREDIENTS
3-4 lb Beef Brisket
2 sweet onions
Salt & Pepper
Stonewall Kitchen Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce
Season brisket well with salt & pepper
Sear brisket in a pan (on all sides)
Place brisket on top of sliced onions in a crock pot
Add 2 Tbsp water
Cover liberally with Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce
Cover crock pot and simmer for 4-5 hours or until tender when pierced with a fork
Remove brisket and let it rest
Skim all fat from sauce
Slice brisket, pour onions and sauce over
Add extra Vidalia Onion Fig sauce
Beef Brisket with STONEWALL KITCHEN Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce
Gourmet Chocolates
The story of Master Luthier, Miklos Frirsz, is the story of America. It is fascinating to learn that his family was forced to flee tyranny in Europe with virtually nothing, yet Miklos went on to become recognized as the most talented luthier of his time.
Miklos is the fifth generation of luthiers from the Frirsz family. In the culture of stringed in struments, the Frirsz name is synonymous with quality, detail, heritage, and honor. Miklos’ client list reads like the program from every major orchestra on the planet.
I meet with Miklos in his spacious, high-ceiling studio in Greenfield. The large windows and glass doors bathe the space in soft, even light that provides a warm glow onto the stunning variety of stringed instruments near his very active workbench and in custom-made wooden cabinets around the room. It is a glorious working environment, but it has been very challenging for Miklos to arrive at this level in his career and his life.
I ask Miklos about his family history, and he re counts, “I was named after my uncle, who was a wonderful, inventive man. He introduced me to a love of antique planes, and I still have a pilot’s license and enjoy flying today. It is an honor to share his name.”
Miklos continues, “My family is from Hungary. We had been creating stringed instruments in Budapest for generations, starting with great-
The Master Luthier of Greenfield: Miklos Frirsz
By Lawrence White
“Maybe trees do have souls, which makes wood a kind of flesh. And perhaps instruments of wooden construction sound so pleasing to our ears for this reason: the choral shimmer of a guitar; the heartbeat thump of drums; the mournful wail of violins—we love them because they sound like us.” Michael Christie, Author
grandfather, Lajos, grandfather, Miksa, and finally my father Maximilian Frirsz. My fa ther lived through two world wars, then in 1956, the Soviet Army moved tanks into Bu dapest. My father told the family to grab whatever we could because it was time to go.”
“So, my father, my brother, who was 10 at the time, and my mother, who was pregnant with me, carried whatever they could and left the country in a hay wagon, then on foot to try to get passage into America. However, instead of New York City, my family ended up in Canada, where I was born.”
Miklos continues his dramatic story, “We were stuck in Quebec with no money, and we did not know anyone. My father found work in an alu minum factory for which he had no skill. The workers in the factory quickly figured out that he was a master violin maker, and they created a company pool. That money gave us
enough to take a bus to Montreal. After about 3 years, we were finally granted admission to the United States.”
“We went to New York City, where a friend of my father had an apartment on the Upper West Side with his wife and son. In total there were seven of us living in that one-bedroom railroad flat, but somehow, we made it work.”
“My father took a closet door off its hinge, cre ated wooden sawhorse legs, and used it as his first violin bench in America. My mother went to the Salvation Army and bought a used Underwood typewriter that she used with onion skin paper, carbon paper, and her broken English to create a paragraph stating that her husband is a skilled violin maker from Hungary and we are here, so if you need any work on your violins, here is our phone number and address.”
Miklos Generations - Father, Grandfather and Uncle
Young Miklos Frirsz
Viola
Viola Scroll
“She went to Carnegie Hall’s stage door and waited for the orchestra to come out to hand them her notices as they left. That is how it all started. First, my father opened a shop on 85th Street before leasing a suite three doors from Carnegie Hall, where we remained for decades.”
Miklos recalls his first interest in violin mak ing. “I was always hanging around my fa ther’s workbench, playing in the shavings and dust. It is part of my DNA and a natural inspiration. I am still using my father’s original workbench today.”
Miklos gained worldwide notoriety when he became the youngest luthier to win the gold medal in the international luthier competition at the age of 17. In 2004, on his 50th anniversary as a luthier, Miklos was honored with the
Life time Achievement award from the Hun garian Guild of Violin Makers.
Miklos carried on the family luthier tradition out of the 57th Street, New York City location until 1990. ”The prices on the lease rose to the
Viola Spool 1976
point that it was impossible to maintain a profit, so I chose to relocate to this area.”
It must be noted that Miklos is also an inventor /fabricator of important features and im provements for stringed instruments. He patented the Frirsz alloy tailpiece for stringed instruments. A great majority of players who have tested alloy vs. wood prefer the performance of the Frirsz alloy tailpiece for effectively reducing stress on the instrument and improving the tone.
Miklos also designed a unique asymmetric viola. The design maximizes the air space in the body for full, deep tone. The result is not only aesthetically pleasing, but is also a joy to play.
Miklos exhibited a whimsical design flair by creating a guitar with a 35mm movie reel for the instrument’s body. He calls it the “Fil mocaster.” He also turned a crushed stand-up bass into a washtub bass, with an electric pickup to amplify the sound. Both are entertaining to see, but they create serious sounds when heard live.
Frirsz Tail Piece
Wash Tub Base
Max Frirsz, Viola 1963
Miklos also became an excellent multi-genre guitarist. He performs regularly with the Saratoga All Stars and the Stone Soup Band. Miklos also composes and records music with me, Lawrence White, under the name of The Beat Generation. The video of Miklos’s composition, “Ballad of the Moondog,” won Best Contemporary Rock Video in the 2024 XMA Awards.
Saratoga All Stars
Owner of appropriately named Sixth Generation Strings in Saratoga Springs, Thomas Dunn, was an ap prentice for Miklos, but as he tells me, it was not easy. Thomas had to make his case to Miklos. Thomas recounts, “He was not looking for that sort of arrangement, so I had to meet a challenge. I was handed a blade, and he told me to carve a handle for it. When I finished and returned some days later, he approved. I still use that blade in making instruments, and I con tinue to treasure the deep connection I made with one of the great master luthiers of all time.”
I ask Miklos to choose a meaningful violin to pose with as I capture his portrait. He reaches into a far corner in the back of the custom-built wooden cabinet in his studio and ever so gently pulls out an elegant violin with beautifully aged woods for the body and neck that are carved with unique, intricate artwork, inlays, and topped with a magnificently engraved scroll.
As Miklos cradles the violin, he thoughtfully reflects, “At the onset of World War II, my family escaped Hungary, and they carried very little. My father gave all his stored old wood to neighbors and relatives to hold for him. Then he dismantled this beloved instrument, piece by piece, and carried it in a duffel bag on the long journey to America. Amazingly, through the years, he was able to retrieve all of the old wood and use it in our work in America. Miklos pauses and gazes at the historic instrument. Then, with a smile, he says, “I guess you could say it represents a form of victory for us.”
The truth is, Miklos’s story is a victory for us all.
Frirsz Music Website: https://frirszmusic.com/pages/the-frirsz-music-story
Miklos partner Ann Womack - photo by Lawrence White
James Tedisco, Miklos Frirsz and Tommy Dunn
What Happens When the Ballet Shoes Come Off
This is NACRE Dance Group
by Rona Mann
“The dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing.”
...Doris
Humphrey, American Modern Dance pioneer
Above all, this is a love story.
Love of dance, love of a very special man, love not only of teaching the art but of mak ing sure students know the history that is the art. It is a love of feeling free, of going barefoot, of moving at one with the wind.
It begins with a little girl growing up in New Jersey, the daughter of a professional opera singer, who, like many little girls, was enrolled in a local dance studio to get a taste of ballet, tap, and jazz.
“I had my first recital when I was five,” Beth Fecteau recalls, then she follows it with a laugh. “I was a butterfly, and I told all the other little butterflies in that recital what they were doing wrong.”
Beth’s mother, being a performing artist her self, could easily identify passion and knew her little girl had that special something, so while some might have labeled her a five-year-old “smart aleck,” it was apparent she knew something, and it was that “something” that powered her straight into the New Jersey Ballet at age 12. “I had the best training I could have because now I was studying under Edward Villella, considered by many to be the greatest American male ballet dancer/choreographer of all time.”
“I loved learning. I loved dancing, but the family business was floor coverings, so every summer I had to work in the floor covering store.” One day, when business was slow, Beth was reading through a dance magazine and saw an ad for the Walnut Hill Boarding School in Massachusetts, a private arts high
school where dance classes were mixed in with required high school curricula like sci ence, math, and English. She didn’t know what a boarding school was, so she asked her mother, and the answer clicked with the am bitious agenda the teenager was carving out for herself.
“I became a “Walnut,’ then followed it up with the Philadelphia School for the Performing Arts to finish out my high school career. Next, a full scholarship to Towson State College (now University) got me dancing in Maryland, but I actually earned my degree in Vi sual and Performing Arts from Russell Sage in Troy.”
The aspiring professional dancer then met the love of her life, married him in the beautiful paradise of Bora Bora and Tahiti in a very private, romantic ceremony; and along with her two children from a former marriage, settled into life in the Capital Region. But Beth Fecteau was never without dance in her world for very long, and dance was never without Beth’s passion, enthusiasm, and resilience.
Once situated in the Capital Region, Beth sought out many dance op portunities and associations, not the least of which included co- founding a school of the dance in Clifton Park, which she and an other dancer, Barbara Spaulding, successfully maintained for 17 years. But modern dance was her passion, so eventually she opened Nacre Dance Group. “Not a dancing school but a performance group
of students and pre-professionals seriously involved in modern dance.” A bit of backstory here. Beth named her group Nacre (pro nounced “knock-ray”), which is another name for the beautiful mother-of-pearl stone so prevalent in Tahiti. “It’s known for its strength, resilience, and luster, the same qualities we give to dancers,” Fecteau adds. When it fits, it fits.
Because education is so very important to Beth and something she constantly instills in her students, it is equally important to fill in some of the blanks for those who may be unfamiliar with this art. Modern dance focuses on the body’s natural alignment and empha sizes the connection between breath, weight, and gravity. Although there are elements of ballet to which the genre is sometimes compared, modern dance allows for more freedom and experimentation in its choreography. It is always performed in bare feet with dancers creating a symbiotic relationship with the music that often has elements of jazz, traditional ballet technique, and street dance. Beth says, “It’s a free way to express emotions, the landscape blending with ballet.” However, Fecteau also emphasizes, “You have to grow with the times, so it is ever-changing, morphing into multidisciplinary choreography.”
Like any performing artist, the goal is precisely that: to perform. Al ways seeking new and fun ways to present this art form to the community, three months ago Nacre Dance Group wowed an
audience at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs with an inventive program entitled, “Sip, Savor, Swirl,” wherein a unique sensory modern dance experience was paired with wines from around the world complemented by an assortment of delicious, curated local cheese. It was a hit, and will no doubt, be repeated.
Upcoming Next Month and Not to Be Missed!
DECEMBER 14th: Two performances ONLY!
Modern dance pioneer and choreographer, Charles Weidman’s Christmas Oratorio (cantatas composed in 1733-1734 by J.S. Bach). 19 sections of magnificent compositions by one of the masters performed in concert with the elegant and fluid modern dancers of
Nacre Dance Group, accompanied by both orchestra and choir under the direction of Noah Palmer, Artistic Director of Saratoga Voices and re-staged by Beth Fecteau. Beth will also give a short history and talk about the performance the audience is about to see during a very special holiday tea prior to the show.
First Show: 12 Noon Tea, 1 PM Performance Second Show: 3 PM Tea, 4 PM Performance
What can be more thrilling than the worldfamous Christmas music of Bach made more special by a live orchestra, chorus, and the beautiful, expressive, interpretative bodies from Nacre? Upcoming for Valentine’s Day will be Isadora Duncan’s “Love Dances,” fol lowed in the Spring with a very special performance honoring a modern dance pio neer, Doris Humphrey, to be performed by the Empire State Youth Dance Ensemble, a program of Nacre Dance Group.
Modern dance. It is one of the most beautiful forms of dance choreography, and yet, one of the most misunderstood. Beth concludes, “I don’t want to just teach modern dance. I want to offer students a solid foundation and the opportunity to give audiences some of the beautiful history behind this very special art. I want people to fall in love like I did.”
See? We told you right from the beginning; this is a love story.
“I did not want to be a tree, a flower, or a wave. In a dancer’s body, we as audience must see ourselves, not the imitated behavior of everyday actions, not the phenomenon of nature, not exotic creatures from another planet, but something of the miracle that is a human being.”
...Martha Graham, Modern dancer who re shaped dance with her technique
***For more information, and to purchase tickets to The Christmas Oratorio at Universal Preservation Hall, 25 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs www.nacredance.org
by Karen Richman
The Thanksgiving that was “Turkey in the Straw”
“Funniest thing I ever saw, It’s a little tune called Turkey in the Straw.”
When I was little, I had an Uncle Cleat who played the harmonica.
He always kept a harmonica in his shirt pocket, which also had his package of chewing tobacco. I hated the smell of that stuff, so when he would pull me close to give me a hug, I’d wrinkle up my nose and make a face, and Uncle Cleat would laugh his signature deep belly laugh.
His name actually was Clinton or Clint for short, but because he always favored boots with cleats on the bottom and sounded like a walking tap dance routine, we all called him Cleat. When he would visit for Thanksgiving dinner, I always asked him to tap dance because I loved hearing the sound of those cleats on the bare floors. He’d grab my hand and say, “Lemme show you a buck and wing, and we’ll do it together!”Buck and wing was more of an Irish clog dance with a whole lot of leg flinging, but Uncle Cleat incorporated it into his attempt at tap dance, so of course, I did too.
The night before Thanksgiving, I always spent hours at my mother’s elbow, helping to chop vegetables for the stuff ing, watching her crease the pie crusts, and peeling endless potatoes that tomorrow would be my favorite dish, creamy, mashed, and swimming in gravy. Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday, even though there were no presents like Christmas. But, I still loved the food preparation, the meal itself, and Uncle Cleat’s legendary clack-clack of his boots as he walked up the walk to our front door.
with fever, aches all over my body, and the worst sore throat ever. The doctor called it the “grippe,” which was an old-fashioned word for the “flu.” Regardless of what anyone called it, it flattened me. I was too sick to help Mom in the kitchen the night before Thanksgiving. My hands ached too much to chop vegetables or peel potatoes, plus Mom said I was contagious and couldn’t be around the food the others would be eating. I would have to stay in my room in bed! I cried. I cried because it wasn’t fair, and I cried because everything hurt so much. My throat was so sore I wouldn’t even be able to swallow the turkey, the stuffing, and the pie. Phooey!
Thanksgiving came, and I could hear the happy voices of the relatives as they came in, asking where Karen was. When they found out about my being sick, one by one they hollered up the stairs, “Get well soon, Karen. We miss you.” That didn’t help one bit. So I hugged my favorite Pooh bear, snuggled under the covers, and cried some more.
One year, he played Turkey in the Straw on his harmonica, and I loved it so much, he taught me the lyrics. There are a ton of verses and a number of different versions, but the chorus is the same, and that’s what I learned:
Turkey in the straw
Turkey in the hay Turkey in the straw Turkey in the hay. Roll ‘em up and twist ‘em up
A high tuckahaw
Funniest thing I ever saw It’s a little tune called Turkey in the Straw.
Now those lyrics didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but the rhythm was just perfect for the harmonica accompaniment, and as he played and the two of us sang, he’d tap his feet on the pavement, those cleats making a perfect addition. What a happy little girl I was when Uncle Cleat would come for Thanksgiving.
But then there was the year that something else came at Thanksgiving, and it did not make me a happy little girl. It made me a sick little girl
Then I heard the unmistakable sound of clacking, clopping, and tapping as cleats started their noisy journey up the stairs. There was a tap on my door, and in a very hoarse voice I whispered excitedly, “Come in, Uncle Cleat.”
I brightened when I saw him. He was carrying something, but it was covered by a giant cloth napkin, like the ones Mom would be using when everyone sat down for the feast...minus me. “Guess what I’ve got?” Cleat asked, his eyes dancing mischievously. I had no idea what it could be and told him so.
“I’ll give you a hint,” Cleat teased as his feet started tapping, and he sang the line:
“Funniest thing I ever saw…”
I blinked and half-sung in a questioning whisper, “Turkey in the straw?”
“Yup,” Cleat said now breaking into a broad smile as he whisked the napkin away revealing a plate of Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes in gravy, even some pie, all of it cut into minuscule pieces and mashed up. Then, from his pocket, he produced the biggest straw I had ever seen with the bottom cut into an overly wide opening. He leaned over and put the entire concoction on the little tray next to my bed and gestured, “Try it out.”
I leaned over, placed the straw over the tiniest bite of turkey, sucked it up, and swallowed with only a minimum of ache. Then Cleat pulled the harmonica from his shirt pocket, watched me inhale some mashed po tatoes and pie, and sang:
“Funniest thing I ever saw…”
I whispered back, stuffing dribbling down my face:
“Turkey in the straw!”
A Season for Sharing (and a really good pumpkin bread recipe)
By Crystal Cobert Giddens, LE
There’s something about this time of year that softens us.
The mornings arrive a little slower now. Misty, quiet, and just chilly enough to make you reach for a sweater before you even get to the coffee pot. The leaves are changing. The wind rustles through the trees with that dry, papery sound only fall can make. And somewhere, someone is lighting their first fire of the season.
You can smell it in the air. You can feel it in your bones.
Autumn in upstate New York doesn't whisper. It moves in fully. The porch gets a new stack of firewood. Flip-flops disappear, replaced by warm socks and cozy slippers. We trade iced coffees for mugs of tea, and suddenly a long bath and an early bedtime feel like self-care.
This is the season of soft light and slow evenings. Of soup simmering on the stove. Of candles lit just because. The pace shifts. The noise quiets. And something in us begins to settle.
The Comfort of Familiar Things
I always find myself reaching for cozy comfort this time of year. That worn robe I’ve had forever. My grandmother’s huge mixing bowl. A playlist filled with Ella Fitzgerald, James Taylor and Luther Vandross that somehow makes the kitchen feel warmer, cozier and like home.
And always, my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. It’s simple. One bowl. No mixer. Just enough spice to make the whole house feel like someone planned to stay awhile. But this fall, I’ve been thinking not just about the comfort we create, but the comfort we offer.
The Table Is Bigger Than You Think
Autumn naturally brings people together. There’s something about food in this season that feels more intentional. Casseroles. Apple crisps. Roasted vegetables and hearty stews. Thanksgiving turkey with mashed potatoes, stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce. But the most mean ingful part of any meal is what happens around the table.
The laughter. The stories. The blurred generations. The way friends feel like family and family feels like home.
This year, what if we made a little more room? Set an extra plate and pulled up an extra chair?
Room for the elderly neighbor who always waves when you pass. Room for the teacher who stays late, every single day.
Room for your stylist who remembers your dog’s name and your birthday.
Room for the friend who hasn’t said they’re struggling but you can see it behind the smile.
You don’t need matching napkins or a formal invite. Just a little warmth and a little intention. A loaf of pumpkin bread wr apped in parchment. A handwritten note that says, “I’m thinking of you.”
Small gestures leave lasting imprints. Especially now.
The Gift of Being Present
This season is busy, but the good kind of busy. The kind that fills your kitchen with spice and your weekends with gatherings. Still, it's easy to get caught in the calendar chaos. Blink fast and you’ll miss out on feeling connected.
Most of us aren’t craving more to do. We’re craving connection. We want to feel remembered. Welcomed. Thought of.
That kind of care doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from presence. From noticing:
Who’s been quiet.
Who lights up when you call to say hi. Who might need a warm slice of something homemade and a few minutes of real, face to face conversation.
That’s what fills a season. That’s what lingers long after the dishes are done.
A Little Something to Share
So here it is. My go-to pumpkin bread. It’s warm, comforting, and smells like fall while it bakes. It’s easy to make and even easier to give. Wrap it up in a tea towel or a brown paper bag. Drop it off with a note. Send it with your kid to school for their favorite teacher.
Make one for yourself. Make one for someone else. Keep one in the freezer for when someone needs a little extra love.
It’s just a loaf of pumpkin bread.
But sometimes, it’s also a gesture. A reminder. A way back to each other.
And sometimes that’s exactly what we need.
With love, Crystal
P.S. If you’re baking pumpkin bread while playing “A House Is Not a Home” by Luther in the background… you win autumn.
THE
Ingredients:
• 1 ¾ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups sugar (or ¾ cup sugar + ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce)
• ½ cup avocado oil (or your favorite neutral oil)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional Add-ins:
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• Sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top before baking for a sweet crust
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In one bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
3. In another bowl, combine sugar (and/or applesauce), oil, eggs, pumpkin, water, and vanilla.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. Fold in any extras.
5. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 55–65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or toasted with butter.
COZIEST PUMPKIN BREAD
CULINARY DESTINATIONS: The Berkshires, MA
By Chef Armand Vanderstigchel
In 2002 I had the great pleasure of visiting the Berkshire region. I had just signed a publishing contract with Berkshire House Publishers of Lee, MA who also pub lished the Adirondack Guide book by Adirondack Life magazine editor Elizabeth Folwell and “the New Red Lion Inn Cookbook,” the latter, a Berkshire institution which we will feature in this article. Based on the success of the Adirondack Guide book they, contracted me to publish “Adirondack Cuisine.”
I found myself now regularly visiting the “the land of Norman Rockwell” to attend author soirees, publishing meetings and retrieving cases of books to peddle in the Saratoga/Adirondack regions in stores on Broadway such as Impressions, Soave Faire and beyond. To complete the circle of life, award winning Vermont photographer Blake Gardner (Untamed Vermont/ National Geography), was commissioned to photograph the recipes of Adirondack Cuisine after a successful stint photographing The Red Lion Inn cookbook.
Geologically, the Berkshires are the southern extension of the Green Mountains of Vermont. As a popular travel destination, The Berkshires have numerous shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, and the Appalachian Trail with attractions such as the Norman Rockwell Museum and Berkshire Botanical Gardens.
As a center for the visual and performing arts, many institutions are here such as Hancock Shaker Village, which is the oldest continuously working farm in the Berkshires, a landmark destination of 750 acres and over 22,000 Shaker artifacts on the National Historic Register. The Tanglewood Music Center is a very popular regional performance center attracting music lovers from all over.
My return trip to Berkshires started in Lenox, recognized for a charming small downtown of walkable attractions such as art galleries, clothing boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and Edith Wharton’s historic home. Upon arrival there was an on-going local artist market featuring beautiful paint ing and hand-carved items utilizing local wood. The park across the street featured complimentary live music- a great combination for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
In search of a great lunch place, upon local recommendation we visited Patisserie Lenox, an establishment preserving “the Art of French Pastry” with owner/ pastry chef Jean Yves offering luxurious Pastries along-side flaky Croissants and Brioches, baked daily
Chocolate Swans
Jean Yves
Bûche De Noël
ac companied by gourmet Coffees, Teas, and seasonal drinks, as well as small batch IceCream. They serve classic French breakfast and lunch made with organic ingredients which was a strong motivator to partake in.
We ordered a classic Croque Monsieur sandwich which consists of layers of Gruyere cheese, Smoked French Ham, Bechamel on Brioche bread- grilled and baked to perfection served with the traditional greens with Vinaigrette. For the ever-yearning sweet-tooth, a creamy Éclair was decided upon to accompany a pleasing Latte. The town has many culinary options in a short-wingspan. Across the street is “the Berkshire Cone” pop-up serving local Ice-cream. A highly recommended restaurant to visit is “Cello” located next door featuring seasonally inspired cuisine. It was unfortunately closed the day of our visit- better luck next time since the grilled Peach Salad on the menu sounds delicious! For a good cup of Java, visit Lenox coffee, a go-to-place for locally roasted coffee, Latte, or tea.
Beautiful French wine can be purchased at ‘Dare Bottle-shop & Provisions Established
in 2021, it is a family-owned business located at 11 Housatonic Street and operating as a fine wine shop championing small wine estates from around the world, crafting small-production low-intervention wines. They carry selection of craft beers and artisanal Ciders made by brewers and farmers in the Northeast region of the US, to be paired with snacks designed to pair at gathering! This is a store we really loved to browse in and purchase some beautiful French wines representing a true Artisanal commitment.
For dinner it was time to visit “The Red Lion Inn” in Stockbridge. The Red Lion Inn is one of the Historic Hotels of America of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The main building of the Inn offers 82 guest rooms. In terms of history and operating for over 100 years, it has entertained many famous guests including presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin Delano.
The Inn was included in Norman Rockwell’s 1967 painting, Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas (Home for Christmas). There are many dining options at the Inn- we chose the Widow Bingham Tavern, a cozy, yet timeless setting adorned with historic signs, old posters, wicker baskets, memorabilia, and a civil-war era wooden floor.
The food here is classic Americana comfort food encompassing Chicken Pot Pie, New England Clam Chowder, Roast Turkey Dinner, Prime Rib and a good old fashioned Apple-Pie. We enjoyed some of these classics which met the goal-post of expectations, especially the silky Clam Chowder brimming with Clams
and Potatoes. Before heading back home, we explored the Inn with stunning meeting rooms adorned with historic furniture and paintings. A final highlight of the evening was sitting on the huge porch decked with rocking chairs to watch tour buses arrive with excited visitors looking to dine and take in the beautiful his tory of the Inn, a place you can check in any time you like, nonetheless in your heart never leave!
RLI chicken pot pie
Croque Monsieur sandwich
Clam Chowder
November 1 - 9 Schenectady
NOVEMBER
Visage: Portraits as Portals. Featuring the portrait work of 6 women artists. October 1 - November 9, 2025. Bear and Bird Boutique + Gallery, 160 Jay Street M • Schenectady, New York 12305
NOVEMBER EVENTS
November 1 - 23 Schuylerville Upstate Invitational. The Laffer Gallery proudly presents Upstate Invitational, fea turing the work of Paul Mauren, Wenda Habenicht, and Laura Cannamela—last year’s “Best in Show” recipients from the 11th Annual Upstate Artists Juried Group Show, ju ried by Rob O’Neil. October 25 – November 23. The Laffer Gallery, 96 Broad Street, Schuylerville, NY www.thelaffergallery.com
November 1 - 2 Rotterdam Autumn Glow Festival. The Autumn Glow Festival returns to the historic Mabee Farm in Rotterdam Junction, bringing back a dazzling world of handcrafted Chinese lanterns through November 2.
November 1 - 24 Loudonville
Cynthia Romano/ Karen J. F. Cooper Art Exhibition. Paintings inspired by our deep appreciation for life and the world we live in. William K. Sanford. Reception Sunday, November 9, 2025 24 pm. Public Welcome! Library ( Colonie Library) 629 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville , N. Y. 12211
The event also features interactive light swings, see-saws, tun nels, and a variety of food and beverage options. Thursdays–Sundays, Oc tober 2–Nov. 2, 2025. Time: 6:30–10 p.m. (last entry 9 p.m.) Tickets: Starting at $14.99; free for children under 3. Mabee Farm Historic Site, 1100 Main St Rotterdam Junction, NY 12150
November 1 - 5 Glens Falls LAR AC Annual Juried Show. Jo in LARAC and our region’s artists for the opening of our annual Juried Exhibition, Good Feelings. Juror: Anne Nelson. This show will be on display in LARAC’s Lapham Gallery from Octo ber 3rd – November 5th. Opening Reception – Friday, October 3rd at 5pm. Lapham Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10am – 3pm with extended hours until 6pm on Thursdays.
November 6 Saratoga Springs Becoming and Belonging: Students Perform Excerpts from As You Like It. Join us Thursday, November 6, at 7:30 pm, for Becoming and Belonging: Students Perform Excerpts from As You Like It. Students cast in Skidmore Theater’s Mainstage production of As You Like It, by William Shakespeare, directed by Dennis Schebetta, will perform in the exhibition All These Growing Things.Following the performances will be a brief dia logue and Q&A with Rye Gentleman, dramaturg for As You Like It, and Jack Pryor, author of Time Slips: Queer Temporalities, Contemporary Performance, and the Hole of History.This event is free and open to the public. November 6, 2025. The Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery. Skidmore College, 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
November 6 & 13 Glens Falls Art History Class: Women Artists of the Early Modern Period with Dr. Bryn Schockmel. Join Hyde curator Bryn Schockmel for a threepart class celebrating the rich contribution of women artists. Join Hyde curator Bryn Schockmel for a threepart class celebrating the rich contribution of women artists during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Each week participants will explore some of the greatest women artists, in cluding Sofonisba Anguissola, Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Leyster, Angelica Kauffman, and Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun. This class will focus particularly on works of art on display in the exhibition A Feast of Fruit and Flowers: Women Still Life Painters of the Seventeenth Century and Beyond, by artists such as Fede Galizia, Clara Peeters, Josefa de Óbidos, Maria Sibylla Merian, and Rachel Ruysch. This is a three part series: Oct 30, Nov 6 & 13. Thursday, Nov 13, 2025. 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM The Hyde Col lection, 161 Warren Street Glens Falls, NY 12801
November 7 - December 31
Saratoga Springs
Annual Small Works Show. Back by popular demand - and starting earlier than ever - Spa Fine Art’s Annual Small Works Show returns this November with a fresh and festive collection of original artwork, all 11x14 inches or smaller. Opening November 7, well ahead of Black Friday, this year’s show gives art lovers and holiday shoppers even more time to ex plore and collect. The exhibition will feature hundreds of small-scale works, each priced at $500 or less, created by a dynamic mix of estab lished and emerging artists. Expect a wide variety of styles, medi ums, and subjects — all beautifully framed and ready to hang. Whether you’re shopping for a thoughtful gift, starting your collection, or just looking for something special, this show is filled with meaningful pieces in perfectly giftable sizes. Friday, November 7, 202510:00 AM Wednesday, December 31, 20255:30 PM. Spa Fine Art Gallery, 376 Broad way, Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866
NOVEMBER EVENTS
November 8 Saratoga Springs DAN NAVARRO with opener JESSE LYNN MADERA. With a career spanning decades, Dan Navarro is perhaps best known as songwriter for artists as diverse as Jackson Browne, Keb’ Mo’ and Pat Benatar (Grammy-nominated classic “We Belong”). A multi-talented per former, Dan is a singer, a songwriter and a voice actor in major motion pictures, TV, & commercials...including last year's hit Disney Film EN CANTO. Dan’s songs are rich with insight and life experience, deliv ered straight-up, with honesty, grace and heart, in his moving and expressive baritone voice. Having released a dozen albums (solo & as Lowen & Navarro,) Dan released his first solo album “Shed My Skin” in 2019. Horizon Line, his most recent album, was produced by multiple Grammy®-winner Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco, Dixie Chicks, as well as the first five Lowen & Navarro albums.) Saturday, November 8. TIME 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Doors Open: 7:30 pm. Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
November 8 Glens Falls Explorations Program - Impressions of Printmaking. Grow your art skills in an encouraging and engaging environment! In each 4 week series, students will tap into their imagination and found imagery to create unique pieces of art. Dive into the tactile world of printmaking. Explore the exciting in terplay of lines, textures, and colors as you bring your designs to life through print. You will be experimenting with a variety of tools and tech niques to include monoprinting, printing plates, and block printing. *Note – students will be using block cutting tools.Thursday, Nov 6, 2025. 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM. Art in Mind Creative Wellness Studio, 123 Saratoga Road, Socha Plaza Glenville, NY 12302 (518) 477-3798
November 8 Glens Falls Tray Wellington Band. International Bluegrass Music Association Award Winner. Banjo player Tray Wellington’s approach to the quin tessential American instrument is all about looking forward. An International Bluegrass Music Association Award winner, Wellington is critically acclaimed not only for his technical prowess, but also for leveraging his unique point of view to craft a one-of-akind voice on the instrument. It’s a feat that’s all too rare in these roots genres that seem to value emulation and regurgitation over all else. Instead, Wellington has time and time again reasserted that his playing style, and all of the many var ied and disparate parts that combine within it, is wholly his own –and it’s unconcerned with tradition. Sat Nov 8. Minimum age:18 and over Show time:8:00 PM. Doors open:7:00 PM. The Park Theater, 14 Park Street, Glens Falls, NY
November 14 Saratoga Springs HAYLEY REARDON WITH OPENER EMILY BARNES. Hayley Reardon is a critically acclaimed folk-pop singersongwriter and a storyteller in the truest sense. Her music feels like a collection of postcards-snapshots from a life lived bravely on the road less traveled. Launching her career at just 15, Reardon has spent more than a decade writing, recording, and performing across the globe. With 4 studio al bums, 7 EPs, a live album, and over 85 original songs, her body of work has earned millions of streams and critical praise for its lyrical depth and soulful delivery. Friday, November 14. TIME 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Doors Open: 7:30 pm. Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
November 15 Glens Falls DAMN THE TORPEDOES. Tom Petty Concert Experience. Mesmerizing audiences since 2007, DAMN THE TORPEDOES offer a complete Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert experience. Whether performing note-for-note renditions of the stu dio recordings or engaging the audience with actual live versions of TPATH's performances, patrons and venues can be assured that DTT delivers the "AWE" factor every time. Sat Nov 15. 18 and over. Show time:8:00 PM Doors open: 7:00 PM. The Park Theater, 14 Park Street, Glens Falls, NY
November 15 Glens Falls Comedy After Dark - Christian Finnegan. On the Final Friday of each month, The Park Presents: Comedy After Dark - showcasing a Headliner along with a feature act, a host, and a guest co median to make up nearly 2 hours of entertainment. Christian Finnegan is perhaps best known as one of the original panelists on VH1’s “Best Week Ever” and as Chad, the only white roommate in “Chappelle’s Show’s” infamous “Mad Real World” sketch. . Most recently, Christian was the creator and co-host of A&E’s “Black & White”, which examined current events and social trends through the lens of Race. Fri Nov 28. Minimum age: 18 and over. Show time:8:00 PM. Doors open: 7:00 PM. The Park Theater, 14 Park Street, Glens Falls, NY
November 19 - January Clifton Park
The Blooming Artist Gallery & Ins truction is pleased to present ou r annual holiday show, Holiday Sa lon. This exhibit premieres on W ednesday, November 19th and will remain through January, 2026. All are welcome to experience this diverse collection and celebrate this exhibition and our artists whose work comprises it on Friday, December 05th from 6-8pm. The Blooming Artist, 675 Grooms Rd Suite 101, Clifton Park, NY 12065 Phone: (518) 280-4928
