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 COVID-19. But it told a different story.
Category: Economic Development
Growth that sustains both the cultural values of a small rural town as well as its environment.
When A Family Business is a Community Affair
It’s sad to see any business close, but in a small rural town the only hardware store is a vital necessity.
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
It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Shop Class!
Because it is not your grandfather’s world anymore. It’s theirs! To thrive in their world, they need new skills to cope with changing technology. The challenge is not only learning new technology — anything they learn now will be different in a few short years — it is learning how to change. A challenge for students…Continue reading It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Shop Class!
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
Riding High in Copake! The Antique Bicycle Auction
A whole world converged on Copake, NY, — the world of antique bicycle collectors! Why neighboring Copake which, unlike Pine Plains, does not even have ONE traffic light? Because of the 26th annual Antique Bicycle Auction at Copake Auction. They came from all over the country and Canada and parts of Europe just to buy,…Continue reading Riding High in Copake! The Antique Bicycle Auction
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:
It Takes a Community to Run a Railroad
Actually, this is not a railroad story. It is about, a grass-roots community organization that runs a railroad. A real one, as you can see for yourself in this film about one of their seasonal theme ride, The Polar Express. Enjoy! You could always Google “Catskill Mountain Railroad”, but here is a shortcut to their…Continue reading It Takes a Community to Run a Railroad
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
Pine Plains on Parade: The Parade of Lights, 2015
I thought I would do something different this year for the Parade of Lights. Instead of filming the parade itself, I would film Pine Plains FROM the parade.
A Live South African Braai Right in Pine Plains!
For the second year, Will Carter, of Pine Plains Fine Wines and Spirits, hosted a tasting of South African wines and food to raise money for the Pine Plains Food Pantry. We hope it becomes an annual tradition! Braai, rhymes with “fry” means grill in Afrikaans. Check out this New York Times article about the…Continue reading A Live South African Braai Right in Pine Plains!
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
The Night They Lit Up The Lantern in Wassaic!
Our own Job Yacubian, from The Farmer’s Wife, changed roles and served up some music the other night at The Lantern in Wassaic and sat in with some of his pals from Martha’s Vineyard, The Rattleslacks, consisting of Shawn Barber, lead, and Josh Campbell and William Thomas Lawrence. Job can usually be found in the…Continue reading The Night They Lit Up The Lantern in Wassaic!
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.
A Touch of Country: The Fall Fair
Every year the Stissing Mountain High School chapter of the Future Farmers of America runs an ag fair. I’ve filmed different parts of it before, but this year I’ve pretty much stuck to the tractor pulls and the barn where kids show cows. Related stories are at a previous Fall Festival Fair coverage and a…Continue reading A Touch of Country: The Fall Fair
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.
What IS Community, Anyway?
It was a large red barn right by the side of the road. It was so well-known it was a landmark for directions. Then, on a Tuesday morning, if you were driving down the road you saw this: By the end of the day only rubble remained. By the end of the week what could…Continue reading What IS Community, Anyway?
On the Steps of the County Court House…
They said it would be sold on the court house steps. They were not exaggerating. Just not the front steps, the back ones. Wherever. I just had to see it with my own eyes and that means share it with you. Soooo, if you ever wanted to see what a foreclosure auction of a community…Continue reading On the Steps of the County Court House…