Category: Economic Development

Growth that sustains both the cultural values of a small rural town as well as its environment.

A Global Pandemic, A Small Town, and A Pharmacist

Pine Plains, NY, with a population of about 1,500 located 100 miles due north of New York City could have been easily overlooked in the data and statistics about COVID-19. But it told its own story.

Burger Night at the Farm

Chaseholm Farm held its last “Burger Night” event of the 2015 season. Oh, how I wish there were more! It a great combination of “scrumptious” burgers, the cows, the people and the music by Jim “Cowboy” Wright and his bluegrass band, The Hayrollers, just up the road in Ancramdale by way of Virginia. Well, see for yourself! Pine…Continue reading Burger Night at the Farm

Last Night at the Wild Hive

After a four-year run, the Wild Hive Farm, Store & Café Bakery closed. A few miles away, in Clinton Corners, not Pine Plains, but it could have been and I wish it had been.  I made this film on its last night to preserve how its customers celebrated its contribution to the community. I could…Continue reading Last Night at the Wild Hive

Nanjing on the Hudson

Once the world was flat then it became round. Now it is flat again… The high school cafeteria was filled with the sounds and sights of Chinese in a welcome to the delegation from High School #29 in Nanjing (China).

Skating on Nice Thick Ice!

Good News! The rink is coming back for the 2020 – 2021 season. Enjoy! What do you do when it’s cold outside?  Stay indoors?  No way — get outside and go ice skating!  Another attraction to Pine Pains was added this year, a public ice rink.  Here’s the story. And here is the result:

Spinning Squash at the Ag Fair

It’s a yearly tradition that I’ve been going to for years: the 2015 Ag Fair hosted by the Future Farmers of America at the high school in Pine Plains.   This year I was hoping to find something a little different to film.  But the parade started out as it does every year, with the school band, tractors, politicians, tractors, kids…Continue reading Spinning Squash at the Ag Fair

Where Every Car Has a Story

Wheels of Time, the shop of dreams and fond memories. Whether you prefer stories about people over cars or cars over people, you can’t go wrong here! See for yourself! A Pine Plains treasure.

The Parade of Lights 2012

It’s the tradition. Every year, at 3PM the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Pine Plains decorates itself with Christmas Lights. And then, at 5, just when it is dark, Pine Plains becomes the Center of the Universe…. well, at least the Northeastern Dutchess County part of the universe. Neighboring fire companies, ambulance corps, farms, businesses, organizations, they…Continue reading The Parade of Lights 2012

Love Where You Live: The Story of Hammertown

Because it sets itself apart from the ordinary by striving to do things better and living up to its motto: Love Where You Live, it was able to invite its customers in the community to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

So, Let’s Make a Knife!

A working conversation with Master Bladesmith Joseph Szilaski I heard that there was this guy who lived somewhere in Pine Plains and made knives — great ones — although no one had ever actually seen one. His name seemed too difficult to remember.  Not much to go on.  As small a town as Pine Plains is, I assumed that I would run into…Continue reading So, Let’s Make a Knife!

The Porsches Have Landed!

Right here in Pine Plains! A fleet (what do you call a flock of Porsches, anyway?) of all vintages of Porsches as the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Porsche Club of America landed on our own John Corson’s lawn to visit his garage.

Roll Your Own — Chinese Dumplings!

For those of us in Pine Plains who crave good Chinese food it means hitting the road. But we are fortunate that just up the road is a chef and caterer who will not only bring the food but can show us how to make it. This is an entertaining series about making Chinese dumplings. Another thing you can do in Pine Plains!

It Takes a Community to Run a Race

The first triathalon of Pine Plains. The race itself was the shortest part of the story. It took months of planning, organizing, recruiting and training local residents to be part of something they had never even seen before.

“Those Gangsters Were No Dummies”

If this looks as if a man is trying to disappear into that hole in the brush, well, that was the whole idea. It leads to where a huge moonshine operation had been hidden since The Prohibition in a warren of underground rooms and tunnels. I’ve heard about this for years and was finally able to take a tour. Come on along.