Tag Archives: New York

Caroling at the Cathedral

07 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Christmas, Holidays, New Jersey, New York, Travel, Winter Solstice

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HandelsMessiah-TileMy Christmas ‘Things to Do’ list has been updated and I’m plotting.  One consistent woven throughout the next month and a half are the holiday concerts and community caroling events hosted by the churches and cathedrals sprinkled throughout the NJ/NY area.  While I’m sure most every church in most every town has a performance of sorts, I do have a ‘must go to’ list that I try to attend (try being the operative word; I’ve only caroled at the Basilica in Newark, which is a fantastic experience).  The events that made there way onto my ‘Things to Do’ list are below. It’s not an exhaustive list and is only focused on my local area; however I would love to hear about concerts in your area worth checking out.

Thursday, December 6th (8 pm): St Luke’s in the Field (Hudson Street, NYC) A Baroque Christmas in Rome

Saturday, December 8th (7 pm): St John the Divine (Amsterdam Ave @112th St NYC) Christmas Concert

Sunday, December 9th (2 pm): St. John the Baptist (Hillsdale, NJ) Fa La La Sing-a-long

Thursday, December 13th (5:30 pm): St. Thomas Church (NYC 53rd & 5th) A Ceremony of Carols

December 12th and 13th (8 pm): Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Newark, NJ) Christmas Singalong

December 15th (7:30 pm), 16th (2 pm), 23rd (2 pm), and 25th (2 and 5 pm), – St John the Divine Early Music New York:  Colonial Christmas

December 20th (7:30 pm), 21st (7:30 pm), and 22nd (2 pm and 7:30 pm),  – St. John the Divine Winter Solstice Concert (OK, not Christmas, but ’tis the season)

December 22nd (7:30 pm) and 23rd (3 pm) – Trinity Church Wall Street (Broadway at Wall St NYC) Community Carol Sing

Trinity Church does a yearly performance of Handel’s Messiah (as does St. Thomas and the Basilica in Newark) which I’ve always wanted to go to. The church presented one of the first performances of the work in North America in 1770 and, last year, the New York Times described Trinity’s performance as “perhaps the essential New York ‘Messiah.’” I’ve yet to go, however, did listen to it last year on WQXR, disappointingly arriving at the conclusion that I just don’t have the inner fortitude to sit through it (holy noise with one or two fabulous pieces spritzed throughout).

I’ll be baking for Thanksgiving over the weekend, making a pumpkin roll, #yummy, and apple pie, and ordering our food for the week in Massachusetts.  Yes, we vacillate between Amazon Fresh (a service I’m growing to love as it’s uber convenient) and the ‘old fashioned’ grocery store.

Until my next musings, I wish you and your loved one’s happy trails and bon appetite…

For a Stinking Good Time

22 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by in Connecticut, Festivals, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Travel, Vermont, Weekend

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As I reflect upon last weekend’s jaunt to the rolling hills of the Battenkill Valley region of upstate New York, I can’t help but smile at the number of farmers’ markets and road side stalls, with trust boxes, selling everything from zucchinis and tomatoes to bulbs of pungently aromatic garlic. And while some find the end of summer to be bittersweet, I look forward to the warm afternoons and crisp evenings of fall. But,

Purchased at the Cambridge, NY Farmers’ Market

before the apple and harvest festivals kick in, the lag time between mid/end of summer and early October is garlic festival season and here in the northeast there are plenty to choose from. The Garlic Seed Foundation has a complete list; however, for those traversing the countryside of the northeast, a condensed list follows:

September 1 – 2
The Pocono Garlic & Harvest Festival (Shawnee, PA) – celebrating its 24th year, Shawnee Mountain Inn hosts food and craft vendors that offer everything from garlic vinegar and garlic ice cream to garlic-themed pottery and paintings.

The Garlic & Herb Festival (Bennington, VT) – Celebrating it’s 23rd year, this festival has been featured in Yankee Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and Reuters. Garlic lovers flock to this picturesque town to sample garlic and herb inspired food and crafts from hundreds of vendors.

September 15 – 16
Long Island Garlic Festival (Riverhead, NY) – Long Island’s only garlic festival, featuring the wonders of ‘Garliciana’ with vendors showcasing a wide variety of garlic inspired foods, crafts and music. The festival will feature a garlic eating contest as well as a Junior Iron Chef competition for the kids.

The Garlic Festival at Olde Mistick Village (Mystic, CT) – In its 11th year, this award-winning festival will showcase all things garlic with local restaurants, merchants, artisans, authors and artists as well as village merchants who will offer garlic-related activities and products at their stores. Note, this is one of the few festivals that is free.

September 22
Susquehanna Valley Garlic Festival (Milford, NY) – With garlic varieties from around the world, all grown locally, the Susquehanna Garlic Festival features braiding demonstrations, growing tips and other educational sessions, and live entertainment for young and old alike.

September 29 – 30
Hudson Valley Garlic Festival (Saugerties, NY) – A local tradition, this festival hosts tens of thousands of visitors each year.  The event is a “fun celebration of the harvest of what garlic aficionados lovingly refer to as the ‘stinking rose’.”

The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival (Orange, MA) – “The Festival that Stinks” is celebrating 20 years of ‘Peace, love and garlic’ and is held on a beautiful historic farm amidst the rolling Massachusetts countryside.

October 6 – 7
Easton Garlic Fest (Easton, PA) – Festivities include the Gastric Garlic People’s Choice Contest, Dangerous Dessert Contest, Farm to Table Iron Chef Cook-Off, over the top 3 Mayors Cook-Off and the exciting First Responders Cook-Off.

Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival (Bethlehem, CT) – In its 14th year, the Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival will showcase cooking demonstrations and lectures, and will have a variety of garlic and fall provisions available for purchase.

Our friends at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival include a fantastic listing of the varieties of garlic on their webite as well as what to look for when shopping for garlic, check it out.

The festivals listed above feature educational lectures and demonstrations, vendors selling garlic and a selection of arts, crafts and games for the little ones. Most have an admission fee that, in the grand scheme of fees, appear to be reasonable.

So, with the summertime waning, I encourage you to hit the road and check out a not-so-typical festival for those who love the stink, and the taste, of garlic!

Syrupy Sweet

08 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Epicurean, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Pie, Travel, Vermont

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While this year’s been an anomaly, typically when March rolls around people are pretty antsy; it’s not quite spring and winter seems to be dragging on. It’s usually at this point that parents are looking for something to do, anything really, with their kids. And, inevitably, growing up, we would find ourselves piling in the station wagon taking a little excursion to the Maple Sugar Farm in South Natick (however, I believe, it’s really named the Natick Community Farm).

And, that’s the flashback I had, which, by the by, made me chuckle, as I opened an email at work touting the NY Maple Weekend. May seem like an odd email to get at work, but being in the travel industry I do receive all kinds of newsletters with little tid bits about where to go, what to do, etc.

Maple syrup is one of the original ‘farm to table’ products out there; and as an ode to my youth and for those looking for something to do with or without little ones (I plan to go to an event or two), following are some Nor’east Maple Sugar Festivals to check out:

  • 17th Annual NY Maple Weekend (March 17, 18, 24, and 25): Producing approximately 565,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2011, the highest production rate in 64 years, the New York State Maple Producers Association’s Maple Weekend is chuck full of demonstrations – from boiling sap over an open fire or running it through highly scientific equipment — and family-friendly events.
  • 11th Annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend (March 24 – 25, 2012): The largest producer of maple syrup in the US, producing 890,000 gallons of syrup in 2010, the Vermont Maple Open House Weekend is held at sugarhouses throughout the state. The weekend is the public celebration of the state’s maple season and a chance for folks to visit sugarhouses throughout the state to learn about Vermont’s first agricultural crop of the year. Activities during this free event will be different at each sugarhouse but will include the opportunity to watch maple syrup being made (weather permitting) and to often sample syrup and other maple products.
  • 46th Annual Vermont Maple Festival (April 27 – 29, 2012): Held in downtown St. Albans, this celebration is a nod to the end of the maple season in Vermont. Attractions include an Exhibit Hall, a Fiddlers’ Variety Show, Sugar House Tours, Pancake Breakfasts, a Sap Run Road Race, Cooking Demonstrations & Contests, a Giant Parade, Maple Creemees, Maple Sugar-on-Snow, and Maple Cotton Candy.
  • New Hampshire Maple Weekend (March 24 – 25, 2012): An annual open house held by the approximately 100 sugarhouses throughout New Hampshire, the weekend showcases the maple syrup producers’ amber-colored liquid jewel and the products made from it. Various houses will be offering samples of syrup, maple products and refreshments, some complete with petting farms, pancake breakfasts and other family friendly activities.
  • 65th Annual Pennsylvania Maple Festival (March 24 – April 1, 2012): Held in Meyersdale, the first festival was held more than 60 years ago. Events include Pancake breakfasts and dinners, a quilt show, the crowning of the Maple Queen and, even, tea with the Queen for the little ones.

While we didn’t see any tapping into Maple trees, last weekend was spent in Pennsylvania. As we entered our friend’s house, I envisioned a scene from the ‘hot air club.’ Greetings were made and there was a sudden flurry of activity as everyone shifted spots to make way for the perpetually late Tony and Paula (the big man takes all the heat for that one, as I, being German, personally am just too uptight to continually show up places late – the Stifter clan can stop laughing now). While there, we had a wonderful dinner which was topped off with an amazing selection of desserts, one of which was an absolutely delectable pecan pie, bought at a local shop, The Village Farmer & Bakery. If you’re ever in the Delaware Water Gap area, it’s definitely worth the stop.

If you check out any of the Maple Syrup festivities, let me know, I’d love to share your findings with others. In the interim, the Vermont Maple Syrup organization has a great site with lots of Maple Syrup recipes, above and beyond pancake syrup, you can try at home.