Serving Rhinebeck and Neighboring Towns
Issue 68 | June 23, 2023
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The Depths of our Humanity
For better or for worse, each week is a news cycle and, without question, what dominated our news cycle this particular week had everything to do with five men lost at sea. I am speaking of the saga which played out from Sunday through much of Thursday involving the Titan submersible disappearing into the depths of the North Atlantic alongside what is likely the most famous shipwreck, the RMS Titanic.
This story of four billionaires and the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, which owned and operated the lost submersible, each paying $250K to get up close and personal with the watery grave of early 19th century magnates like the Guggenheims and the Astors, had all those key human interest ingredients that make up a truly addictive story: suspense, hubris, claustrophobia, an international effort, an uncertain outcome, and adventure tourism of the rich and powerful. However, as with many human interest stories, they more often than not have very little to do with who or what is deserving of our significant attention.
Hear me out; I am not minimizing the horror that has befallen these individuals and those who care for them. I, too, was sucked into the narrative and the claustrophobic discomfort of imagining their last moments. I regret that anyone, no matter how foolhardy their intentions, has to suffer. However, two days deep into this saga, it occurred to me that, just a week earlier, there was another nautical disaster that fatefully affected hundreds of individuals and their families. But that disaster received a negligible amount of attention in comparison with the focus we were directing at the Titan.
An estimated 700 migrants from multiple nations drowned in the Mediterranean Sea last week, with about 100 survivors in total. Greek authorities were widely criticized for not helping to rescue the people on the ship; many individuals are still unaccounted for. Compare this with the virtual armada deployed in the course of hours this week from numerous nations and private interests, in the form of sonar devices, drones, planes, boats and submarines to find five missing wealthy individuals at the bottom of the sea. It feels like a disproportionate effort tied up in all manner of misplaced importance.
Perhaps there’s a collective lesson from all of this; certainly our collective attention ought to be drawn to events according to their actual importance and scale, rather than to the spectacle they offer.
Here in our relatively safe home, and in this issue, we train our eye on a subject of some daily importance in our quotidian lives: parking, particularly in the hamlet of Rhinecliff. In addition, we visit one of our newest village food outposts, Café con Leche, and get a taste of how they bring Puerto Rican flair to their menu.
Thank you to everyone who sticks with us, sends letters, and continues to support this endeavor. We cannot say enough about how much your attention and support means to us.
Eric Steinman
Executive Editor
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Parking Validation? Rhinecliff Weighs its Parking Options
On Wednesday night, about two dozen community members gathered at Morton Library to talk about parking. The group was brought together by Town Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia, Town Highway Superintendent Robert Wyant and Rhinecliff resident (and current Town Board candidate) Chad Kleitsch to speak candidly and productively (in “conversation”) about how to solve the various parking issues in the hamlet of Rhinecliff, in particular the issues created by the shortage of parking related to the proposed renovations at the Rhinecliff Amtrak station. Kleitsch told the Pilot, “The primary focus of the meeting was to present parking concepts, concerns and solutions.”
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¡Ay bendito! Puerto Rican Cuisine Arrives in Rhinebeck
Rhinebeck’s bustling culinary scene has a new kid on the block. Café Con Leche, which serves authentic Puerto Rican food, represents an exciting new addition to the United Nations of cuisines already represented in the village, including French, Indian, Irish, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, and Thai. Judging from the reception it has received since it opened in April, and the word-of-mouth it is generating, Café Con Leche is not only fitting right in, but finding a crowd hungry for something that hasn’t existed in Rhinebeck before. Here’s an overheard customer quote: “The only thing better is being in Old San Juan.”
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The HV Pilot needs writers to cover local news, local business, local real estate issues, and all things local and interesting to our thriving community.
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Catskills Transgender History // The Catskills are known for many things. They were home to Dutch settlers in the 1600s and the Hudson River School painters in the 1800s and a home away from home to vacationing Jews and the “Borscht Belt” in the 1900s. And a documentary set to premiere on PBS this month titled “Casa Susanna” explores another – little known – aspect of Catskills history: a network of transgender women and cross-dressing men who found refuge some sixty years ago at a 150-acre retreat called “Casa Susanna,” in the town of Jewett.
According to an article in the Catskill-based independent news source Porcupine Soup, the bed and breakfast resort was owned by Chilean immigrant Susanna Valenti—whose public-facing name was Tito Arriagada—and wife Marie Tonell, who also ran a wig boutique on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. In the 1950s, Tonell bought a country home in Jewett that they later dubbed Chevalier d’Eon, after the 18th-century trans French spy. This was where weekenders could openly live a girl’s life―if only for a few days. The documentary premieres next Tuesday on PBS.
Poughkeepsie Has a Lead Problem // Earlier this week the Albany Times Union published a report from a group called Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY) outlining the longstanding issue Poughkeepsie has had with lead contamination in its municipal water system.
The eight-page report listed several concerns about the prevalence of lead water pipes throughout the city, local government’s efforts to remove them, the inflated cost Poughkeepsie is paying to replace lead pipes and the risks residents may be exposed to. Approximately 1 in 10 children in Poughkeepsie have elevated levels of lead in their blood. EANY said New York has one of the highest number of lead pipes in the country, given the age of the state’s communities.
Coincidentally, the Village of Rhinebeck is currently conducting a service line material inventory, as is routinely required by the New York State Department of Health. Village Water Department employees are being dispatched to individual residences to determine whether intake lines are updated and if there is little or no risk of lead contamination. They are calling residents this week to set up appointments.
Spot On/ Spot Off // Some questions have been floating around local social media recently about the status of what was once designated a “reserved spot” in the Rhinebeck Bank parking lot for one lucky Rhinebeck Science Foundation auction winner. A few years back, during one of the RSF’s Gala events, they auctioned off a primo parking spot on the east side of the Rhinebeck Bank lot. That spot was intended to be a VIP parking spot for the generous winner and only that winner, at least until it was auctioned off again the following year. No one was permitted to park there unless they held that special designation, which is quite an advantage considering that parking is often at a premium in the village. Well, that perk is gone. Kyla Hart, co-founder of the RSF, told the Pilot this week that such a promotion was finished for the foreseeable future. Hart said RSF and the bank couldn’t reach mutually satisfactory terms.
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LOCAL EVENTS!
The HV Pilot continues to grow and serve the community. Check out our new events page with local happenings updated continuously.
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"The Back Room"
Andy Ostroy sits down with CNN television journalist Jake Tapper to talk about his career in politics and broadcast journalism, as well as the 2024 presidential election.
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Thank You for Signing Up
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Local news for local good.
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This Week
Eight African Grandmothers Cooking for You
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Friday, June 23rd, 7:00PM -9:00PM
Friday, June 23, 7PM - 9PM – Round the Bend Theatre presents “One Good Tree,” staged reading of new play by Robert Barnett; directed by Beth Ryan Troxell. Free. At Morton Library, Rhinecliff.
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Saturday June 24th, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
Stissing Mountain Boys AKA Delta Blues & Beyond, presented by Music on Market, a project of the Rhinebeck Chamber of Commerce. Free. At Rhinebeck Bank Plaza, Market St., Rhinebeck.
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Saturday June 24th, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
Teen Tech Support: in-house, tech-savvy teens provide one-on-one technical instruction. Bring your personal devices. First come, first served. At Starr Library, Rhinebeck.
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Saturday June 24th, 4:00PM - 7:00PM
“Mid-Century Modern in the Landscape,” annual benefit, including Innisfree Garden tour at 4PM followed by lecture by honoree Lynden B. Miller, public garden designer and esteemed horticulturist. Details at innisfree.org. At the garden, 362 Tyrrel Rd., Millbrook.
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Saturday June 24th, 6:30PM
Author talk by Lorrie Moore about her new novel, “I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home. Free, but registration is required. At Morton Library, Rhinecliff.
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Saturday June 24th, 8:00PM
Concert by Trio Seoul, presented by the Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle. Including Shostakovich, Uzong, Chaminade. Tickets $40; students $5. At Olin Hall, Bard College.
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Sunday, June 25th, 2:00PM
Mikhail Baryshnikov at 75: A Day of Music and Celebration. Featuring Laurie Anderson, Diana Krall, Regina Spektor, Kaoru Watanabe, and Mark Morris, among others, including Baryshnikov himself. Go to kaatsbaan.org for tickets and more information. At Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Tivoli.
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Monday, June 26th, 7:00PM
Food Lit and Cookbook Book Club discusses “In Bibi’s Kitchen,” a James Beard Award winner by Hawa Hassan. Grandmothers from eight African countries welcome you into their kitchens. At the Staatsburg Library, 70 Old Post Rd., Staatsburg.
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Tuesday, June 27th, 7:00PM
Starr Library Book Club. All welcome. This month, Richard Powers’ “The Echomaker.” At the library, 68 West Market St., Rhinebeck.
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Saturday, July 1st, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
Chill with Classical Guitar as you explore the library’s resources. At Starr Library, Rhinebeck.
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Monday July 4th
America Celebrates the Ratification of the Declaration of Independence from England
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Friday, July 7th, and Saturday, July 8th
Friends of Starr Library Book Sale. See starrlibrary.org for hours. At Starr, Rhinebeck.
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Saturday, July 8th, 5:00PM
Summer House Party to benefit Wilderstein Historic Site. With food, libations, silent auction, house tours, and music. Tickets $150, $250, $500. At Wilderstein, 330 Morton Rd., Rhinebeck.
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Now through June 25 - “Fiddler on the Roof.” Tickets $27. See centerforperformingarts.org for dates and times. At the Center for Performing Arts, 661 Rte. 308, Rhinebeck.
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Now through June 25 – Exhibition of works of Rhinebeck artist Audrey Francis, featuring her bird-centric paintings and drawings. At LabSpace Art, 2642 Rte. 23, Hillsdale, NY (45 minutes from Rhinebeck). You can also see an ever-changing selection of Francis’ smaller works at the Little Gallery box she has placed on the front lawn of her house on Chestnut St. between Beech and Parsonage in Rhinebeck.
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Now through August 20 – “Apocalypse Sky,” works by artists whose lives were transformed by the HIV/AIDS crisis during the 1980s and 1990s, including Keith Haring, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe, and others. Vassar.edu/theloeb. At Vassar’s Lehman Loeb Gallery, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie.
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Town of Clinton Food Drive, to restock the food pantry at Pleasant Plains Presbyterian Church. Drop off canned goods and non-perishables at the Town of Clinton Clerk’s office, 1215 Centre Rd., Rhinebeck, Mondays-Thursdays, 9AM - 4PM, or at the Church, 2 Fiddlers Bridge Rd., Staatsburg. | |
Call for submissions: artworks inspired by the Rhinecliff Train Station, to be exhibited at Morton Library, Rhinecliff, later in 2023. Contact Chadkleitsch@gmail.com to submit a piece.
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Need support with substance abuse? Alcoholics Anonymous of Northeast New York sponsors several regular face-to-face and virtual meetings in our area – including in Rhinebeck and Red Hook – at various times of the day. For more information https://nenyaa.org/meetings.
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Tuesday, June 27th
Rhinebeck Village Board Public Hearing
Village Hall
6:00PM
Rhinebeck Village Board Public Hearing on proposed amendments to the Historic District Overlay. See Village website. At Village Hall, 76 East Market St., Rhinebeck.
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Tuesday, June 27th
Rhinebeck Central School District
Rhinebeck High School Library
7:00PM
Rhinebeck Central School District Board of Education. Agenda not yet available. See RCSD website. At 45 North Park Rd., Rhinebeck.
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Wednesday, June 28th
Rhinecliff Street Parking: A Conversation
Morton Library
6:00PM
A followup to June 21 conversation about parking on residential streets in Rhinecliff. This is a workshop about codifying parking considerations. At Morton Library, Rhinecliff.
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Wednesday, June 28th
Rhinebeck Republican Committee
American Legion Post 429
7:00PM
Rhinebeck Republican Committee Caucus, to nominate candidates for the November 7, 2023, Rhinebeck Town election for the following offices: Town Supervisor, Town Councilmember, Town Highway Superintendent and Town Justice. The public is invited to attend but only enrolled Republicans who reside in the Town of Rhinebeck may vote. At American Legion Post 429, 6331 Mill St. (Rte. 9), Rhinebeck.
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A new web page has been added to the Rhinebeck Village website, providing ongoing information about the development project at 6 Mulberry St., also known as the Brogan Center.
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"Peanut & Sheba"
Peanut and her cat friend Sheba have ambitious co-napping plans for the summer.
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