With the Spring weather here in full force – and the rosebuds popping out all over – we here at Big Gay Hudson Valley wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that now is a great time of year to show your Pride! Yes, we know that June is Pride Month, but with porch season upon us, please take this as a great opportunity to show the Hudson Valley for diverse we really are by hanging a Pride flag at your home. Whether it be a rainbow, a pink triangle, or an big gay equality sign, nothing helps to build community like hanging a flag on your front porch… and talk about a conversation starter!
The photo on this edition of BGHV weekend is from the front porch of BGHV’s new world headquarters on Hooker Avenue in Poughkeepsie. Since hanging it, we’ve had countless neighbors ask us the meaning of the flag. Its been a great opportunity to not only get to meet our neighbors – and tell them its the HRC Equality Flag – while also telling them that HRC is the nation’s leading LGBTQ Advocacy Organization. It’s also a great way to remind them that NY still has a long way to go until all its residents have true equality.
Looking to pick up a Big Gay flag of your own? Here’s a few online resources to consider.
Now, on with the listings;
Weekly Happenings
Wednesday Night @ Babycakes, Poughkeepsie @ 9p
Babycakes Cafe opens it bar (and pastry case!) to the beats of Prephab, so celebrate being halfway to the weekend over a signature drink with your galpals.
Men’s Group Meeting @ The Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center, Kingston @ 7p
The Center’s highly active Men’s Group meets every Thursday – 1st, 2nd & 4th Thursdays are discussion; 3rd & 5th are social & special events.
LOFT Bowling @ White Plains Bowl, White Plains @ 7p
Grab your shoes and throw a strike with the Lo-Hud gays of The LOFT. Join a team or get in as a spare bowler – either way you’re in for a good night.
Thursday, April 8th
Gay Professionals Mixer, Selah Salon, White Plains @ 6p
Once again, The LOFT teams up with Out Professionals for an LGBT business and professional’s mixer in White Plains. Join them in the chic “salon by day, lounge by night” Selah in White Plains. Meet fellow LOFT business members and members of Out Professionals, mix with friends, swap business cards and make great social and business contacts.
Women’s Discussion Group, LGBTQ Center, Kingston @ 6:30p
The Women’s Discussion Group meets the second Thursday of each month in the 2nd Floor Conference Room. This month’s discussion topic: Lesbian Relationships, Communication, Talking with Your Partner. Come join us for a lively, thought-provoking exchange. For more information, contact Noel at HOOPSJOHN1@aol.com.
Men’s Discussion Group, LGBTQ Center, Kingston @ 7pm
The Men’s Group meets every Thursday at 7 PM on the first floor of the Center. 1st, 2nd, and 4th Thursdays are group discussions. Topics are determined by participants. The 3rd and 5th Thursdays are films/socials/special events.
Friday, April 9th
Andy Warhol: Private and Public, SUNY New Paltz, Samuel Dorsky Museum @ 5p
Come join the Samuel Dorsky Museum in authentic Andy style by wearing your favorite wig to the opening of the ANDY WARHOL: PRIVATE AND PUBLIC IN 151 PHOTOGRAPHS exhibition on April 9 from 5 – 7 pm at the Samuel Dorsky Museum on the SUNY New Paltz campus. This exhibition explores the interconnections between the private and public in the work of Andy Warhol as seen in a group of Polaroid and black-and-white photographs donated to the Dorsky Museum by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
David Sedaris, UPAC in Kingston @ 8pm
With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today – and he’s a big ‘ol homo.
Belly Dancing, Cafe Bocca, Poughkeepsie @ 8pm
Bellydancer Shivati returns to perform with Willow, and with music by Rick B. $8 Admission Come early, as this event will fill-up early.
Saturday, April 10th
Book Donation Drive, Adriance Memorial Library, Poughkeepsie @ 10am
Got extra books? Beginning April 1, donations of books to the Friends of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District may once again be made at Adriance Memorial Library on the first and third Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. If you’re not in the closet, why keep your unwanted books there?
Senior Open House, The LOFT, White Plains @ 11:30am
The Senior Outreach Program provides social, recreational, and cultural activities for LGBT seniors 55 years and older. Monthly Open House sessions are held on the last Tuesday and second Sunday of the month and feature workshops and presentations.
How Do Our Gardens Grow? Adriance Memorial Library, Poughkeepsie @ 1:30p
Come join the Poughkeepsie Farm Project to share your experiences and discuss springtime topics such as starting your own organic garden, garden ecology, or how to harness the bounty of the new season. Learn about Poughkeepsie’s very own Certified Naturally Grown farm and pariticipate in a group seed swap by bringing your own to share. Everyone to come – gardeners, food enthusiasts, or those who would just like to celebrate the coming of spring!
Tasting & Booksigning, bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy, Rhinebeck @ 3p
John Barricelli, a regular on The Martha Stewart Show and co-host of Everyday Food on PBS, and Frances Palmer a Weston, Connecticut based potter who’s passion is to create irreverently shaped white and color tableware and bakeware, will host a book signing and tasting at the bluecashew on Montgomery Street in Rhinebeck. Barricelli will be signing copies of his new book; The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook.
Night of 1,000 Gaga’s, Primetime, Highland @ 10p
Join Isis Vermouth for her Lady Gaga look-a-like contest and be eligible to win $50 in prizes for best costume.
Coming Down The Pike…
April 16th – Bardavon Film Series Presents “Signing In The Rain” on the Big Screen at Poughkeepsie’s historic Opera House @7:30p. Tickets just $5
April 16th – 18th – Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck @ 8p or Sunday Matinee at 3p
Featuring a stunning variety of handsome lads and lasses – and many Hudson Valley homos – Macbeth takes Rhinebeck by storm.
Apri 17th – Daffodil Tea, Wilderstein Mansion, Rhinebeck @ 1p
Springtime event featuring a variety of tea sandwiches, other sweets, and tour of the Wilderstein Mansion. Admission $25 per adult and $10 per child. Reservations are necessary. Please call 845.876.4818 for more information
Friday May 28th: BGHV’s Pride Preview Party at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie
Sunday June 6th: The LGBTQ Center’s 6th Annual Hudson Valley Pride March & Festival in New Paltz
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