The volunteers behind the Klinkhart Hall Arts Center really thought they’d be hosting events in their own space by now.
But no matter; a full slate of music, theater, dance, and of course, poetry at spots throughout the Village of Sharon Springs is underway.
The long-awaited start of rehabilitation efforts at historic Klinkhart Hall is on pause after a $150,000 fundraising shortfall in 2021; with $820,000 in state and corporate grants, a shovel-ready design, and a ready line of credit, KHAC directors are working to restart that piece ASAP.
But they’re nothing if not resilient.
A fundraising auction July 9 in Chalybeate Park featured 80 lots–everything from artwork to theater memorabilia to saddles to a NYC boat cruise—and raised more than $7,000.
With $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for the 6th annual Sharon Springs Poetry Festival and $49,500 from the New York Council on the Arts, music and more are already underway.
For the first time, KHAC has taken on the free Wednesday Summer Concert Series–something that’s been a Sharon Springs institution for decades.
“It was something we really missed and we saw that the community missed it as well,” said KHAC Vice President Denise Kelly.
“Kids playing, people in their lawn chairs. It’s been a fabric of our community for so long.”
The Upper Catskill String Quartet kicked off the series, followed by Annie and the Hedonists and the Terry Gordon Quartet.
Upcoming:
Wednesday, July 27–Turnover Mule.
Wednesday, August 3–Ryan Leddick.
It won’t be “just” music though.
August 5-7 the Vainglory Theater will return for Shakespeare in the Park.
And August 12-13, a Dance Festival featuring Bridgeman/Packer Dance and the David Grenke Dance Company will offer workshops, lectures, demonstrations, and performances in both Sharon Springs and Canajoharie.
Then, on August 27-28, a two-person play, “Love Letters,” by AR Guerney, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama, will take the stage for three performances at the Roseboro.
In between, an August 11 Oscar Wilde lecture–Wilde visited Sharon Springs while on his American Lecture Tour on August 11, 1882–and a Muldoon’s Picnic on September 10 will kick off the October 13-15 Poetry Festival.
This year’s poets include Joyce Carol Oates, Jennifer Grotz, and Terrance Hayes, with workshops, readings, and other events, including Dinner With the Poets, at venues throughout the village.
Muldoon’s Picnic?
Well, it’s not quite a picnic, but a “gathering of poetry, prose, and music…named after a popular New York vaudeville act and an Irish-American knockabout farce from the 1800s” created by, of course, Sharon Springs’ Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, the inspiration behind the Poetry Festival.
If you’ve driven by the Beekman Farm lately, you’ve probably seen the giant goats created by California artist John Cerney for a KHAC fundraiser held there in May; a wine-tasting event September 24 at the home of Klinkhart supporter and fine wine enthusiast Bob Gasperini with music by pianist Garth Roberts will also help with KHAC efforts.
“It’s a lot and we’re very proud of everything we can offer,” said Ms. Kelly.
“This has been our mission from the start. We keep moving forward.”