Workin’ It Out in Woodstock This Weekend

  |  December 11, 2014
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Greetings Upstater Friends and Fans! Another wonderful pre-holiday weekend in the Hudson Valley planned. Here’s what’s on my agenda — with all this rushing around, I’m staying put in Woodstock this weekend. Good thing there is so much to do!

You know that scene in Goodfellas where one mobster says about another, regarding how much time the guy spends in a certain restaurant, “Are you kidding? If he was in there any longer, he’d be a stool.” Well, I’m a stool. I am positively and deliciously stuck at Shindig, the new fabulous comfort-food-with-a-twist café that opened here in early December. Shindig is located at 1 Tinker Street right on The Village Green and comes our way via Woodstockers Lari Lang and Ryan Giuliani and NYC restaurateur extraordinaire Jenny Potenza, she of Penelope Café fame. Here’s the story: Lari has deep deep roots in Woodstock (the daughter of Woodstock 69 Festival organizer Michael Lang) and Ryan co-founded the wildly successful celeb catering company Mary Giuliani Catering & Events before turning his sights on the Hudson Valley (he’s also one of the owners behind the adorable and chic Woodstock Way cabins that caught the attention of Vogue last month!).

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With a series of successful establishments under her belt via The Penelope Group, Jenny was thrilled at the opportunity to put down stakes in Woodstock, bringing in Lukus Hasenstab and Allison Garskof, both of whom have serious NYC restaurant chops, and as a result, Shindig is a mouthwatering Mecca for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s so great to have a new place in town — and I should tell you that the grilled cheese with sautéed arugula and fig preserves, served a “side sip” of homemade, earthy tomato soup, is a showstopper! And yes, they serve beer, wine and specialty cocktails. This is really Shindig’s first week in full service so stop by and say helloooooooo!

Don’t miss the first-ever Women Empowering Women holiday fair while you’re in Woodstock, on Sunday, December 14, from noon to 4 p.m. at The Barn at Cucina, at 109 Mill Hill Road. I know what you’re thinking — crafty items that are more cutesy than chic — but think again; this is going to be a sophisticated array of great products (and services) all locally sourced. The WEW group grew out of an extended conversation between Wonder Women Debbie Dougan (she of Glo Aesthetics — best facial in town) and yoga goddess Patricia Laufrer. Like many small town residents, Debbie and Patricia were hearing from friends and colleagues that likeminded ladies should get together and promote themselves and their businesses and Women Empowering Women was born with a furious roar. The holiday craft fair will showcase 28 local women vendors, along with a few OUTRAGEOUSLY juicy raffle items. Here’s the Facebook page but really, if you are in Woodstock this Sunday, this is one holiday fair you don’t want to miss — with raffle proceeds benefitting the Parsons Child & Family Center.

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Do not miss JoJo Ans new store, Shop Little House, at 47 Tinker Street. JoJo carries a blend of new and vintage homewares. The vibe is retro Americana and I really covet everything in her sweet shop. She tells me she’s just back from a buying trip so I am salivating to see what sorts of goodies she’s going to unveil this weekend!

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And if you act quickly, you may be able to snag one of the few remaining seats at Bearsville Theater for the Saturday, December 13 Winter Solstice concert, benefitting the historic Byrdcliffe Guild. Showtime is 8 p.m. and this always sells out, so get your tix now! Performers include: Happy Traum, John Sebastian, Paul Rishell, Annie Raines, Mike + Ruthy, Amy Helm, Ben Vita and Byron Isaacs.

Next week we’ll get outta town ourselves and give you the heads’ up on the best cocktails in the valley, to say nothing of the finest and freshest sushi, but this weekend, it’s all peace, love and Woodstock, baby!

About Abbe Aronson

Abbe Aronson is the grande dame of PR, marketing, media, event planning and “artful schmoozing” here in the Hudson Valley. AbbeDoesIt.com for more of her hijinks!

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