I just can’t believe that we are coming to the end of summer already, oh what a shame. Yes, this weekend is Labor Day and as you know, that points to the end of summer. So we can now put away our buckets and shovels for another year, no I am not happy with it.
This weekend it is Labor Day weekend and it is also a good time to honor some great Irish men who stood up to the injustice that was happening back in the 50s, 60s and 70s in the workforce all over the country and one man sticks out and that is Michael Quill, R.I.P., who was born in Gortloughera, near Kilgarvan, County Kerry.
I was in Canada for a few days in Montreal and I can only say it is a beautiful city and so clean and the subways, wow, spotlessly clean and every three minutes – not like you know where… you can guess. To drive there it would be about six hours or to fly there it’s only one hour and twenty five minutes and that’s what I did.
Now here is something else that might interest you and that is that I recommend a nice weekend for you at Bethel Woods Center (200 Hurd Road, Bethel, NY; (866) 781-2922) from August 31 to September 1 so check it out.
Join leaders in health, sustainability and mindfulness for a day of classes and activations exploring how wellness boosts clarity, resourcefulness, and creativity. Mind: Body: Earth, held over Labor Day weekend, kicks off with a massive yoga class on the grounds where large-scale yoga was performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival. Attendees will engage with speakers, premier vendors in sustainable lifestyle and self-care on the stunning Bethel Woods campus. This festival includes workshops on Ayurveda, a system of holistic wellness, led by their programmatic partner YO1 Wellness Resort and Spa, Catskills sustainability activations with Zero Waste expert Bea Johnson, meditation sessions with the creator of Heal Yourself Yoga Bee Bosnak, yoga sessions lead by Danielle Radulski, and conversations on the legacy of the 1960s in yoga with Integral Yoga Institute Pilates with founder of Bodies and Plants, Andrea Lanzetti
On Sunday, continue your wellness journey and join them for the Harvest Festival, a free, family-friendly event featuring a farmer’s market, craft and artisan goods, live music, a creative learning tent, a free family yoga class for all led by Amy Reed and another massive yoga class on the Woodstock field lead by YO1.
I want to let you know when I am out and about that there is always something for everybody now it might not be for me, but I know that this will interest a lot of you folks and it’s also a nice weekend getaway.
Now here is another great event is happening next weekend and if I did not mention this event a certain gentleman named Jeff Cleary would not be happy with me and I would like to tell him I am going, so how about that?
It’s the Tugboat Roundup being held from September 6th to the 8th. The Tugboat Roundup is a gathering of tugboats and other vessels and a celebration of New York’s maritime industry. Starting Friday on Friday with a Tug parade, live music, vendors, followed on Saturday with Tug tours, tug talks, vendors, boat rides, live music, children’s activities and fireworks and concluding Sunday with Tug tours, tug talks, Tug Chug 5K, vendors, boat rides, live music, children’s activities and their closing ceremonies.
“The first thing visitors will see is literally a dazzle, painted on the palette of a retired fireboat,” says Tom Beardsley, Marine Event Coordinator of the Waterford Tugboat Roundup. “Our Tug of the Year is the retired fireboat John J Harvey, up from New York City. Not only is the boat’s new paint job dazzling, so is its history. For that matter, you could say the Roundup itself is all about history that dazzles.”
An estimated 30 boats are expected to attend the event, now celebrating 19 years on the Waterford canal wall. The boats range from historic to modern tugs, workboats, fireboats, crew boats, tenders and more.
The “Dazzle” of the Roundup will be the new paint job of the Harvey. This historic fireboat became itself a palette for Tauba Auerbach, an artist commissioned by the Public Art Fund and 14-18 Now Exhibition. The rendering of the Harvey shows contradictory directions of whites and reds, emulating the ‘dazzle designs’ applied to ships during World War I to confuse U-boats in firing torpedoes. The U-boat captain determined the timing of the torpedo based on lining up a split screen in his periscope. The ‘dazzle’ camouflage design made lining up the split screen nearly impossible. A similar paint scheme exists on the USS Slater, a destroyer escort permanently docked on the Hudson River in downtown Albany.
The Tugboat Roundup will be featuring everything festival-goers have come to expect. Music throughout weekend with kids’ activities, walk-throughs of many of the boats, tour boat rides on the Caldwell Belle and more. An award-winning fireworks show is scheduled for Saturday night, weather permitting.
I wish you all a happy Labor Day weekend and I will see you all again next week when I am Out&About again.