MILLERTON — On Oct. 12, American Legion Post 178 held its second Town Hall meeting to introduce the candidates running for the position of Dutchess County executive.During the Town Hall meeting, New York Assemblyman Marcus Molinaro spoke to a crowd of roughly two dozen people to explain his stance on several issues that are important to local residents.Molinaro’s opponent is Dan French, who participated in a Town Hall event at the Legion on Oct. 3. French and Molinaro will face off in the election on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The position of Dutchess County executive is currently held by William Steinhaus, who has held the role for 19 years.Molinaro began by giving the audience an overview of his political career, which he began at the age of 18. A year later, he became mayor of Tivoli, earning the title of the youngest mayor ever elected in the United States.He was elected as a New York State Assemblyman in 2006. He currently has 17 years of experience as an elected official.While serving as assemblyman, Molinaro co-sponsored the “Government Consolidation and Citizen Empowerment Act,” which pledges to do just as its name implies: consolidate government offices to improve efficiency and effectiveness and empower citizens to take part in their government.“I believe public service is a dignified duty,” he said while describing the piece of legislation. “We have an obligation to give back.”The themes of that piece of legislation infiltrated the responses he gave for questions asked by the audience.He said that if he becomes the county executive, he would work with the local governments to create a medium for dialogue so that the county and the municipalities can work together as partners to consolidate their efforts and services.He said that he will personally visit town hall meetings to better understand how and why the municipalities make their decisions.He believes that it is the perfect time to realign the government and ask the public what they expect from each level of government. Then it will be possible to evaluate what each part of the government does well and what it does not do well so that plans can be put in place to increase government efficiency and effectiveness while cutting out unnecessary practices.He said the government and the public need to engage in thoughtful dialogue about how things can be done better, even if the answer is walking away from some projects.“Elected officials have the responsibility to create the community that people want,” he said.Molinaro said the government isn’t always the answer for some services. He said that in some cases, charities and nonprofit organizations are better able to provide necessities that government programs like Medicaid, which he believes traps people within its rigid and ineffective system.Since Medicaid is over-burdening the government, Molinaro wants to create a system that let nonprofits pool their resources and contacts to save money and create a more efficient method to get services to those who need them.The other burden on taxpayers that Molinaro discussed was the MTA Payroll Tax, which he described as “a fiscal hostage-taking.”Molinaro stated that he believes it was wrong for the payroll tax to be instated in the first place, but acknowledged that it will be hard to walk away from that income.He said there are several ways to approach the MTA taxes. One way involves renegotiating with Connecticut to make the burden more equal. The other is phasing out the tax over five years.He also stated that an audit and restructuring of the entire MTA system are necessary.On the topic of local job creation, Molinaro said it is important to attract the big companies while also supporting the small and mid-sized companies.“Growing jobs is one thing, but sustaining those jobs over a number of years is completely different,” he said.He wants to find where growth can be sustained, then make the changes to the zoning to allow for it.To help this plan, he wants to use the Chamber of Commerce to help with economic development and ensure that people are ready to enter the workforce once the jobs are created.One of the current hot topics in Dutchess County is the outsourcing of prisoners to other counties who have more room available in their prisons.Molinaro explained that although Dutchess County is the leader in the state for Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) programs, if the well-behaved criminals are shipped out of the county, those programs are not reaching as many people as they could and are therefore not as effective as they could be.Molinaro said that retrofitting existing facilities is an option for solving the space issue, but the retrofitting will still cost a lot of money.He said that negotiating regional overflow with other counties is also a possibility, but will be very difficult to attain since the negotiations will reduce the revenue that is taken in by other counties.The audience did not ask Molinaro any questions about his stance on the Resource Recovery Agency or disposing of garbage through burning, which are hot political topics.Molinaro briefly addressed why he has chosen to move from the position of assemblyman on the state level to the position of executive on the county level instead of moving on to the senate. He said that while he enjoys being a legislator, that role is not as satisfying because it is more difficult to see the fruits of the labor. He believes that serving as county executive will give him the opportunity to put into practice all that he has learned throughout his political career.
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The organic runway at HVSFW puts sustainable style among the apple trees at Stone Ridge Orchard.
Jay Ballesteros
That’s the question behind Hudson Valley Sustainable Fashion Week[end], a two-day celebration of sustainable style, local makers and the possibilities of keeping clothing in circulation. The weekend lands at Stone Ridge Orchard, a 200-year-old working farm, on Sept. 25 and 26, pairing an evening fashion show with a new all-ages Slow Fashion Fair.
“To me, slow fashion means intentional fashion. Careful, thoughtful, human,” said Joanne Louis-Paul, the event’s communications director. “Slow fashion is the speed at which one person can sew an intricately detailed dress. It’s taking the time to go to a thrift store or clothing swap and sifting through an unknown bounty of possibilities. It’s extending the life of a piece of clothing for as long as possible.”
In everyday terms, she said, “It’s stopping to think before purchasing anything or giving anything away.”
Friday’s fourth annual Organic Runway brings Hudson Valley designers to the farm for a sunset showcase of garments made from repurposed textiles and produced locally. Designers include Clare Bare, ennui, Kacy Coyle, KNUD, la vie après l’amour, Last Night on Earth, So Vicki and Touch Threads. The evening runs from 4 to 8 p.m., giving attendees time to pick apples and sip local cider before settling in for the runway.
“We’re all about the whimsy here at HVSFW,” Louis-Paul said. “The runway is so incredibly dreamy. Being outside makes for an unpredictable, one-of-a-kind backdrop every year, and there’s just nothing like that sunset glow.”
Models walk the organic runway at HVSFW. Ilan Harel
The unlikely pairing of fashion and farming is also part of the point.
“Once you’re sitting amongst the apple trees, you realize how much sense it makes to mend the relationship between fashion and nature,” she said.
Saturday introduces the inaugural Slow Fashion Fair, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with workshops, mending, fiber art, vendors, music, eco-friendly kids’ crafts and a clothing swap. There will even be sheep.
“We wanted to have a fair so we could invite more people in the eco-friendly ecosystem into the fold,” Louis-Paul said. “We get to highlight not only designers, but makers and artisans of all kinds.”
The organizers hope the fair appeals not only to people already thinking about climate and sustainability but also to those encountering the ideas for the first time. With mending, a clothing swap and hands-on workshops, the emphasis is on showing visitors things they can actually do.
“There are so many things anyone can start doing today,” Louis-Paul said. “From something as simple as sewing a patch onto a stain or tear to hosting a mini clothing swap at your house with friends and family, there are tons of ways to engage with your wardrobe more thoughtfully.”
She speaks from experience. Before becoming involved with the event, she said, secondhand shopping held little appeal.
“As someone who never liked the idea of thrifting, I am now completely sold on circular fashion,” she said. “I recently sewed a broken strap on a dress I got at a clothing swap, and I felt so accomplished! Being in this world has shown me that conscious consumption is attainable and fun.”
But behind the fun is a serious concern about what happens to clothing once consumers decide they no longer want it.
“Just because you throw it away doesn’t mean it goes away,” she said, pointing to discarded clothing accumulating in other parts of the world and the microplastics shed by synthetic fabrics. “The planet and people are suffering because of this throwaway culture we’ve adopted. If an outfit is new but super cheap, believe there’s a high cost to someone else.”
For more information and tickets, visit hvsfw.org
Susan Schneider, owner of Shandell’s in Ashley Falls, in her studio.
Susan Schneider, owner of Shandell’s in Ashley Falls, in her studio.
She has been creating lampshades for 25 years and has settled in Ashley Falls, where she is renovating a barn behind her house for a larger studio. Her mission: “Changing the view on plain white lampshades, one at a time!”
Besides using marbled paper, she uses papyrus, silk and hand-painted papers for the shades.
Shandell’s on Main Street, offers a large selection of marbled decorative home items on its website — trays, coasters and bookends, to name a few — as well as scarves and belts. Schneider will also customize items and creates custom wallpaper, gifts and favors for weddings and special events. She offers consultations by appointment.
Schneider explained how she began making lampshades.
“I was in business as an antiques and textile dealer, needing lampshades at the time (the early 1990s). I had a dealer who used to make lampshades. She was moving and sold me everything she had in her barn for making them. Arcs, templates for lampshades, and tools.”
Schneider used the marbled paper from the endpapers of old books to make small lampshades.
“I collected those voraciously.”
The papers were too small for the larger lampshades she wanted to make. To get paper in the size she needed, she decided to learn how to marble.
That was 10 years ago. She now has 20 tanks for marbling, including one 10-foot tank that allows her to make 3 yards of fabric at a time.
As she demonstrated the marbling process, making covers for journals, it was easy to see why she “got hooked.”
Susan Schneider, owner of Shandell’s, creates a variety of products with marbleized surfaces in her Ashley Falls studio.L. Tomaino
She explained that marbling takes a couple of days of preparation. She prepares water mixed with carrageenan the night before so that it thickens and becomes a viscous liquid onto which the acrylic paints can be dropped. Paper or fabric must also be prepared with alum, which “makes the paint stick,” she said, a day or two ahead of time.
When she was ready to start, Schneider first used a level to make sure the tank was even. Then she pulled a squeegee across the surface of the carrageenan mixture to break the surface tension, followed by strips of newsprint for the same purpose. She also dipped small pieces of newsprint into the mixture.
“The hardest thing to teach people is to break the surface tension first,” she noted.
Next, she used droppers to place rows of paint onto the mixture.
“It’s a joyful process,” she said as she chose more colors. “It’s totally the pleasure of the colors.”
She explained, “The colors are stopped from spreading by the surface tension.”
Then she added newsprint around the edges of the tank to break the tension again and added another layer of color. Next, she used a marbling comb, slowly dragging it back and forth across the width of the tank to create a feather-like design.
Combs come in many sizes, with teeth spaced at different intervals and in different patterns. She chose another comb to drag through the length of the tank, making the design more intricate before laying two pieces of paper on the surface. After a second or two, she lifted them, perfectly capturing the pattern, and carried them to the sink for a rinse with water.
Once she squeegeed away the paint left in the tank, she was ready to begin the process again.
Next, she created a different type of design, dripping colors in a less ordered array, then twirling them into curving lines and circles with a thin rod.
When the surface was ready, she laid a journal cover on top, then lifted it out, covered in a vibrant pattern of swirling colors.
For observers, the process can seem magical.
Schneider loves to share the delight of marbling by teaching classes at Dewey Hall in Sheffield. Upcoming classes will be held Nov. 20, 21 and 22. Beginning in November, she will also offer private classes in her home studio. Schneider had never pictured herself having a business like Shandell’s, but she discovered a passion for creating, as she says, “things that make you smile.”
For more information about her work and upcoming classes or to contact her for a consultation, visit shandells.com.
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Muriel Stockdale, left, and judge Roger McKee during the awards announcement at the juried art show at Trinity Episcopal Church. Stockdale\u2019s \u201cKevin\u201d was the second place winner.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Organizer Theresa Kenny said the show attracted some 66 artists, 10 of whom were new to the show.
Judge Roger McKee, who recently retired as an art teacher at Salisbury School, said of the winning work, “The technical mastery here is overwhelming.”
Roger McKee naming the winners with the first place entry over his left shoulder. Patrick L. Sullivan
Hwang was unable to attend the reception, but the second- and third-place finishers were on hand.
Second place went to Muriel Stockdale’s “Kevin.” McKee said the piece “has just enough to be compelling without getting too caught up in the details.”
Muriel Stockdale’s “Kevin” took second place in the juried art show at Trinity Episcopal Church.Patrick L. Sullivan
Joan Macfarlane’s “Branching Out” was the third-place winner. McKee described the piece as “a compelling balance of realism and interpretation.”
McKee and Emily Cox served as judges. Cox could not attend the reception, but McKee said they began their work by looking at the entire show, then went through it a second time, taking photos with their phones of the standout pieces before comparing notes.
“There was a lot of overlap,” he said. “We argued a little bit and then came to an agreement.”
The show is open for viewing Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27, from noon to 4 p.m.
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