Tag Archive for "Keene Valley" - The Adirondack Almanack

1 Comment

Keene Valley, NY – On Tuesday, October 24, Keene Valley Congregational Church will screen the Regional Emmy award-winning documentary Return to Auschwitz: The Survival of Vladimir Munk at 7 p.m. at the Keene Valley Public Library.

The PBS documentary was filmed in 2020 when Czech Holocaust survivor Vladimir Munk returned to Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camps in Poland where he was imprisoned during World War II. Accompanied by filmmakers/producers Julie Canepa, Paul Frederick and Bruce Carlin, 95-year-old Munk made the journey to honor thirty of his close relatives, including his parents, who perished there.

Monday, September 18, 2023

APIPP to host Invasive Species in a Changing Climate webinar, Sept. 20

Keene Valley, NY- The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) is hosting a free webinar on how climate change could make the Adirondacks more hospitable to invasive species. “Invasive Species in a Changing Climate” is scheduled for 10-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20. The webinar will begin with an overview of what makes a species invasive before diving into how longer summers and shorter, milder winters in the Adirondacks are likely to make the region more favorable to invasive species. The impact of climate change on managing invasive species and an overview of which invasive species tend to benefit the most from climate change will also be discussed.

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program announces free summer education series

Keene Valley – The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) is gearing up for a summer of diverse educational programs on the importance of reporting, managing and preventing the spread of invasive species by offering a free summer education series. On June 9, APIPP will celebrate New York’s Invasive Species Awareness Week with two programs, one field trip and one webinar.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Tales of the Adirondacks, Past & Present: Who Was That? by Paul Martin

by Guest Contributor

4 Comments

Our next OurStoryBridge story share is titled, Who Was That? by Paul Martin. In this story that he recounted for Adirondack Community, Martin shares a fascinating tale about how a young man who worked as a caddy at the Ausable Club located in Keene Valley once met a celebrity. To listen to this story in its entirety, please visit this link: https://app.memria.org/stories/public-story-view/593def99a0204b74a12e293672d4d906/

Monday, March 27, 2023

Tales of the Adirondacks, Past & Present: Remembering Ruth Kuhfahl

1 Comment

Ruth Kuhfahl died at age 99 on March 22, 2023 and her indomitable spirit will be greatly missed. Her story is the perfect example of the importance of capturing the stories of our elders, according to Jery Huntley, OurStoryBridge, Inc. President.

“We in the Town of Keene mourn a life well lived and a spirit that can guide us all into our elder years,” said Huntley.

Listen to “Almost 98 and Still Kickin” by Ruth Kuhfahl, an interview with Jery Huntley on July 9, 2021 at this link: https://app.memria.org/stories/public-story-view/29fa4c3cb94345a1bd795c7755bb43a5/

(Story #2 of our sharing series shared with permission from Adirondack Community, courtesy of OurStoryBridge, Inc.)

The Adirondack Almanack will share stories written by those who live, work, and play in the ADK, courtesy of OurStoryBridge/Freedom Story Project. These stories, which will be a combination of current and past events, people, outdoor activities and more, will be published on a weekly basis. The stories will focus on various locations situated in the Adirondack region, including the High Peaks, the town of Keene, and many other areas around the Park. Stories are compartmentalized into the following categories, arts & culture, catastrophes, work, people, outdoor activities, daily life, community, and natural & man-made environments.

Sunday, March 26, 2023

A tribute to dear Adirondack friend, Ruth Kuhfahl

by Lorraine Duvall

4 Comments

By Lorraine Duvall

March 25, 2023 – A dear Adirondack friend, Ruth Kuhfahl, died March 22, 2023 at the Adirondack Health hospital in Saranac Lake after experiencing a stroke at the age of 99. She was known for her many contributions to multiple organizations in the Adirondacks. Ruth began hiking and paddling in the High Peaks region in the 1970s with her friends from the Buffalo chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club. They hosted a reunion for her 95th birthday with a hike to John’s Brook Lodge in 2015.

Friend, Karen Boldis, told me that they hummed Pomp & Circumstance as they approached the lodge. Karen said, “I loved seeing Ruth hike with a set of pearls! Every person who passed us on the trail either coming or going in seemed to know Ruth.”

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Little Women: The Broadway Musical

KEENE VALLEY, NY- The Book & Blanket Players, sponsored by East Branch Friends of the Arts (EBFA), has been producing youth musicals-in-a-week summer theatre for 12 years in Keene Valley, usually at Keene Central School. This year the theatrical adventure continues with both performances at the Keene Valley Country Club (KVCC) in Keene Valley.

For the past two years, due to pandemic constraints, the Book & Blanket Players sought outdoor and alternative performance venues.

One of last year’s performances was at the KVCC, “a wonderfully ambient setting,” according to producer/co-director Kathleen Recchia.

“The KVCC was such a welcoming and gracious host that the Players are happy to be holding both performances at this intimate venue for the Summer 2022 youth theatre program,” Recchia said.

“Little Women: The Broadway Musical” is based on the novel by Louisa May Alcottis, and is written by Allan Knee with music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. It was first on Broadway in 2005 with Sutton Foster playing Jo March and Maureen McGovern as Marmie. It has since been produced in England and that production is currently streaming on Broadway HD.

This cast and crew are eager to bring their vision of this classic to life on Saturday, July 16 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, July 17 at 3 p.m. at The Keene Valley Country Club. The cast consists of fourteen students ranging in age from 8 to 18 years old. They will spend the week prior to the performances rehearsing at Keene Central School.

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Keene Arts begins June Concert Series with Trillium Chamber Players

Join Adirondack favorites the Trillium Chamber Players Sunday, June 5^th at Keene Arts at 4:00 PM for a delightful afternoon of classical music for voice, viola and piano. Violist Patricia McCarty, pianist Timothy Mount and soprano Amy Nelson will perform works ranging from Bach to Gershwin, including Brahms’ much beloved songs Longing at Rest and Cradle Song of the Virgin, Ferenc Farkas’ lively Rumanian Dances, and the lush, exotic songs of early 20th century American composer Charles Martin Loeffler, set to poems by Verlaine and Baudelaire.

Monday, May 16, 2022

‘The Bakery’ concert series: Four performances in Keene Valley this Spring

‘The Bakery’ concert series ‘Music for Contemplation’ will present four performances this Spring featuring musicians from Keene Valley, New York City, Rochester, and Chazy. Each performance will
center on music composed post 1900 including original works and improvisation. The series will be presented in collaboration with Old Mountain Coffee in Keene Valley and will be curated to present music which is meditative, relaxing, and experimental.

Each ‘Bakery’ concert is carefully curated to focus on sharing music and musicians from a wide variety of backgrounds including classical, pop, avante-garde, jazz, and improvisation. ‘The Bakery’ indicates the involvement of Gene and Esther BAKER, but also the idea of a place one can peruse a variety of musical treats and find something new to experience. Past performances have included music by Maurice Ravel, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, and Steve Reich, together with graphic scores, microtones, kitchen matches (yes, you read correctly!), improvisation with text, electronic music, cello duos and more.

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Pride and Prejudice performance set for April 30, May 1 in Keene Valley

It’s not every day that Keene Valley hosts Actors Equity Association (AEA) actors, but thanks to East Branch Friends of the Arts (EBFA), three members of the union for professional stage artists will take center stage at the Keene Valley Congregational Church on Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m and Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m.

For Sam Balzac it is a return to his roots: he began his school days at Keene Central School (KCS) as a kindergartener and graduated from the high school in 2013. In addition to the many school productions he performed in, as a child he also performed in several shows in the church where this program will be held.

This production is one that Balzac took a hand in creating with his mother, Kathleen Recchia, more than a decade ago–a musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel “Pride and Prejudice.” The second workshopped production was presented by the Book & Blanket Players youth theatre program last summer. The vocal tracks had been recorded for the students by Balzac and Hannah Eakin, a NYC-based actor who is also a member of AEA.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

OurStoryBridge Celebrates One Year Anniversary

September 29, 2021 marked the one-year anniversary of OurStoryBridge, the free online resource and tool kit for producing crowdsourced, web-based community story projects. And with this anniversary comes the launch of several oral history projects OurStoryBridge has inspired across the United States, with even more to follow.

The tool kit, posted on www.ourstorybridge.org, has received national interest from librarians, historical societies, teachers, and other organizations beyond the original expectations of its creators.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Pride & Prejudice Musical Outdoors in Keene Valley July 17-18

The Book & Blanket Players, sponsored by East Branch Friends of the Arts (EBFA), has been producing youth musicals-in-a-week summer theatre for 11 years in Keene Valley, usually at Keene Central School.

This year the theatrical adventure continues with an emphasis on flexibility and outdoor rehearsals and performance. The Keene Valley Library will serve as the hub and the performance will be on the lawn at the Neighborhood House on July 17 at 1 PM and outdoors at the Holt House at Marcy Field in Keene Valley at 3 PM on July 18. The production is a new and improved original musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice” with lyrics by Kathleen Recchia, music by Kathleen Recchia and Sam Balzac and arrangements by Sam Balzac. The original musical is written in the style of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Loewe.