CORNWALL — Foote Field was transformed into a Colonial-era dance hall on July 25, as residents gathered for a picnic and an afternoon of dancing as part of the town’s America 250 celebration.
Rachel Gall, known as the Falls Village Fiddler, led the group through several dances set to period music. People of all ages joined in on the fun, with some members of the band even donning Revolutionary-era garb.
Gall said First Selectman Gordon Ridgway suggested the idea for the dance. She drew on her experience as a fiddler, caller and contra dancer to bring the event to life.
Contra dancing is a type of traditional American folk dance in which a caller, in this case Gall, leads participants through a series of moves known as figures. These sorts of dances have a long history, Gall said, but experienced a strong revival in the 1960s. That’s when her collaborator, Tom Scott, became involved with a dancing group in nearby Sheffield, Massachusetts, which he said has been dancing “right on through from colonial times.”
Rachel Gall, known as the Falls Village Fiddler, led Cornwall residents through contra dancing, a type of traditional American folk dance, at Foote Field July 25.Allison Gollenberg
Scott said there was a contra group that met in Cornwall for about 15 years up until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gall and Scott said they’d love to bring the activity back to the area.
“We’re having a problem getting new dancers,” Scott said. “The older ones are getting older, dropping out. And the new generation coming up doesn’t seem to be as excited about going out and dancing. Which is too bad. It’s a lot of fun.”
Scott added that he met his wife at a contra dancing event. Gall said connection is the whole point of the activity.
“It’s a very social dance,” she said. “I always say that all of you grandparents and ancestors did this and that’s why you’re here – because somebody went up to dance with somebody else.”
This fish took a Wooly Bugger in basic black, with rubber legs. Always get the rubber legs.
Then I hit on a succession of inflatable pontoon and belly boats, powered by oars and/or swim fins, and there I have remained.
Did I forget to mention that no motors are allowed on this lake? Well, no motors are allowed, and it’s no good arguing that a small electric trolling motor couldn’t possibly hurt anything. Ask me how I know this.
It’s a quiet, rejuvenating few weeks. The phone gets enough signal on one end of the deck to receive messages and maybe make a call if the wind is right. If something comes up, it’s only 15 minutes to so-called civilization.
When not fishing, I read, visit assorted cousins, listen to baseball on the AM radio and/or stare blankly into the middle distance.
Bassing with a fly rod in still water is a different game than chasing trout in streams.
A medium-fast-action rod, 8 to 10 feet, in line weight 7 or 8 is the starting point. The flies are big, and the wind is constant, so the angler needs some power, tempered with a bit of finesse.
I usually bring two rods. One is rigged with a floating line with a heavy front taper for turning over surface flies such as poppers.
The other has either a sink-tip or intermediate line. The lake is not all that deep, and the Woolly Buggers, Clousers and other streamers are heavy. The idea is to stay out of the vegetation while getting close to where the lunkers are hunkered down.
I use short nylon leaders, 7.5 feet with 1X tippet out of the package, and modify them constantly with additional sections of fluorocarbon tippet, snaps and droppers.
Surface action is usually minimal during the day unless it’s overcast. The lake runs east-west, so the angler can track the midmorning and late-afternoon shadows and work those areas.
Or the angler can wait until about 6:30 p.m., when things start to pick up.
Or get out there at the crack of dawn, which is best if surface action is the goal.
For subsurface fishing, some experimentation is required to find the right combination of flies, leader and sink rate. The angler also has to decide whether to troll.
There are a few places where a dry-dropper rig is appropriate, the dry being an extremely buoyant popper with a piece of stout fluorocarbon tippet tied to the bend of the hook and something heavy and wiggly at the end, like a stonefly nymph with rubber legs. (Always get the rubber legs.)
If this sounds like a bobber, it’s because it is. Don’t tell anyone. The purists don’t like it.
A net with a long handle is necessary. There is no leverage when sitting in what amounts to a floating chair.
I do not bring my phone for fish pictures. I will drop it into the depths. Ask me how I know this.
Instead I bring a small point-and-shoot camera. These get lost too, but perversely I have better luck keeping the cheap gear safe than the expensive items.
Sunscreen is applied liberally and frequently. After 50-odd years of being outside, I now have to visit the dermatologist every so often to have my face edited, and I don’t enjoy it.
A baseball cap does nothing for the ears and neck. I have a hat with a wide brim and a vented top, so it doesn’t get too hot. It looks stupid, but this is an acceptable risk.
Finally, a word about the quarry. Largemouth bass are not picky eaters. When engaged they usually dive and tug. Once in a while they leap. They are easily discouraged, however, and after a minute or two come meekly to the net.
Smallmouth, not so much. These aren’t especially big, but every smallie I’ve ever met thought it was much bigger than it actually was. Expect acrobatics.
Perch usually grab my fly when I don’t want them to.
Perch are in the August mix, usually when I don’t want them to be.Patrick L. Sullivan
Panfish are everywhere. They are extremely cooperative. Chasing sunnies is a good way to get a newcomer started.
And then there are the pickerel. These are nasty fish. Very antisocial. I keep a pair of long-handled pliers handy to get the fly out of their mouths safely while admiring the large number of very sharp teeth. They will bite the pliers. Do not use your fingers. Again, ask me how I know this.
Upon release, it’s not unusual to observe the pickerel hanging around a few yards away, glaring and plotting hideous revenge.
So this is the August routine, occasionally leavened with a scramble into a brook trout stream if conditions allow.
It’s peaceful. Kind of boring, in a good way.
And then in the fall the game shifts back to rivers and streams for trout.
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The pavilion-style theater at Hudson Valley Shakespeare.
During a recent performance of “King Lear” on a spectacular July evening, actors materialized from and faded into the stunning backdrop as if it were no longer the Hudson Highlands, but the wild hills and dales of Celtic Britain.
The company opened its satisfyingly direct rendition of Shakespeare’s dark and expansive meditation on love, family and human nature on June 12, and will run the show through Sept 17.
A much lighter Shakespeare classic, “As You Like It,” is also running through Sept. 18, as is the non-Shakespearean late-20th-century classic “Les Misérables,” which runs until Sept. 28.
In “King Lear,” the audience was not so much transported as localized by the performance, which takes place on the floor-level stage and expansive lawn behind it, both of which boast one of the best views lower New York State has to offer.
Alec Linden
The pavilion-style theater, with naturalistic curves and a low profile, mirrors the topography of the prominent hill it sits atop. The landscape that frames it all, centered on the dramatic passage of the Hudson River as it meanders between peaks of Storm King Mountain and Breakneck Ridge, serves not just as a background, but as a living, breathing part of the action as Lear and his kingdom descend into madness. When darkness fell across the ridges in the distance, the body count rose.
It’s not all doom and gloom at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, though. Just hours before the murders and betrayals, the same lawn hosted dozens of happy picnickers enjoying the evening in true high-summer fashion, complete with live music. As is tradition at the theater, which was previously hosted at nearby Boscobel House and Gardens for 34 years under a tent, guests are invited to arrive early and enjoy the grounds with a meal.
For those who’d rather not pack their own food, pre-made picnic sets are available for advance order. Alternatively, theatergoers can dine at the expansive, regionally-sourced buffet offered at the venue’s restaurant, aptly named Folio ($35 for adults, $25 for children 5-12 and free for children under five).
For schedules, tickets and more information, visit hvshakespeare.org.
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