Local News
Jeanne Bogino Publishes Debut Novel
A hot, hard driving story set in an intoxicating world of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, Rock Angel is the first novel by author Jeanne Bogino. Shan is young, beautiful, talented and addicted to heroin in Rock Angel, a novel that follows her meteoric rise to guitar goddess stardom in the 90s. She is discovered in New York by a handsome, arrogant musical genius named Quinn, and sparks fly between them when he hires her as lead guitarist of his band. Although Quinn is accustomed to bedding a different groupie every night, he can’t ignore his deepening feelings for his new band mate.
From gritty Greenwich Village clubs to L.A.’s Troubadour, gigging and touring the country to the cover of Rolling Stone, Rock Angel is infused with the passionate music and intense sexual chemistry of Shan and Quinn. Shan must work out her personal demons and learn to trust Quinn enough to love him but still remain true to the music that has always been her salvation.
As an author of short horror, fantasy, romance, memoir and gay fiction, Jeanne has found her calling as an up and comer in the new adult market.
Blurbs
Set in the intoxicating world of 1990s rock ‘n’ roll, Jeanne Bogino’s debut adult novel, Rock Angel, is “true music fiction, a soulful ballad that will interest readers of rock nonfiction titles… or drug-fueled fiction.” – Library Journal.
“Bogino portrays an authentic landscape of what it’s like to be in a rock band in the early 90s. Shan and Quinn both read as fully realized, flawed characters.” – Kirkus Reviews
“In a show business tale filled with ego clashes, sexual tension, drug addiction, dreams of success and nightmares of stardom, the rarefied world of ambitious musicians is rendered with a relentlessly keen eye and ear.” – Music Connection Magazine
Local author Jeanne Bogino is available for interviews. She will also be doing a few local events to which the public is invited:
• a launch party at the New Lebanon Library on September 13;
• a book signing at Barnes & Noble, Pittsfield, MA, on September 16, and
• a book signing at Water Street Books, Williamstown, MA, on September 21.
And The Band Played On (in Hoosick Falls)
Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon Yankees Raffle
Your chance of winning front row seats at Yankee Stadium has never been greater than it is right now! On September 4, at 7:05 pm Derek Jeter will play one of his last games ever as a Yankee in his 20th and final season. You can be there. Enter the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon’s 2014 raffle to win a prize package valued at nearly $2,000!
Each raffle ticket is only $25. The prize drawing will be at 12 noon on August 28. Enter now before it’s too late! Purchasing a raffle ticket is a great way to help us and yourself at the same time.
Tickets can be purchased via our online store by going to http://squareup.com/market/shaker-museum—mount-lebanon/yankees-red-sox-raffle-ticket.
Marriage of Figaro Is Superb
a review by Alex Brooks
The Hubbard Hall Opera has opened a new production of The Marriage of Figaro (and also Gianni Schicchi, not reviewed here), which is the most enjoyable opera production I’ve ever seen. The company has been able to recruit a dozen or so rising young opera stars from all over the country and bring them to Cambridge for a few weeks to put on these two productions. Local people put them up in their houses while they are here.
The result is a show bursting with youthful vitality that is also carried off with astonishing skill and professionalism. There are perhaps a dozen gorgeous young voices assembled here, and just about all of them have the rare combination of vocal ability and dramatic ability. The star of the show is the incredibly expressive Marielle Murphy as Susanna, the Countess’ maid who is Figaro’s fiancee and also the object of the Count’s (unwanted) amorous attention. She is ably supported with wonderful performances by Geoffrey Penar as the Count and Luke Scott as Figaro. But some of the less central parts also sparkle, most notably Blake Friedman as Don Basilio the music master, who delivers some beautiful vocal passages, and Shane Tapley as Don Curzio the lawyer. Tapley does a hilarious turn as a nervous lawyer (borrowed from Austin Pendleton’s classic performance in the movie “My Cousin Vinny”).
The Marriage of Figaro is one of the finest comic operas ever written. It is based on the second of Beaumarchais’ trilogy of plays about Figaro, with music by Mozart and a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, who collaborated with Mozart on several operas. It is the sequel to The Barber of Seville, which Hubbard Hall Opera did last year.
The plot revolves around a series of schemes and intrigues. The Count, while fiercely jealous of his countess Rosina, is also chasing her maid Susanna, and since she is about to marry Figaro, the Count engages in a (losing) battle of wits with the clever Figaro to try to win her. He tries to force Figaro to marry a woman old enough to be his mother, and then it turns out she is his mother, to the consternation of the Count and the lawyer Don Curzio.
But while the hilarious hi-jinks of the Beaumarchais play are retained, and the show is often laugh-out-loud funny, Mozart’s magnificent music manages to deepen our experience of the characters. Rosina’s pain trying to win back her wayward husband, and the genuine love between Figaro and Susanna make the opera emotionally engaging and very moving.
Remaining performances of Figaro are at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday, August. 23 and 24. The remaining performance of Gianni Schicchi is Friday evening, August 22, at 8 pm. Details can be found at www.hubbardhall.org.
GLSP To Hold Dance In The Park
Grafton Lakes State Park, the Dance Flurry Organization, Capitol USA Dance and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host Dance in the Park on Saturday, August 30. Dance in the Park is open to dancers at all levels of experience with or without a partner. The event will take place at the Deerfield Pavilion from 5 to 10 pm, starting with a lesson and a swing dance following. All proceeds from the night will benefit the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park.
The lesson will be taught by Jason Fenton and will cover the basics of East Coast Swing. The main swing dance will feature a live band, the Dylan Perrillo Orchestra, and Fenton will DJ during the break between sets. There will also be food from Brunswick Barbeque and Brew and a raffle with prizes including a gift certificate from Saratoga Savoy, a gift basket from Capitol USA Dance and CDs from Ms. Patti Melita, a local musician.
Registration costs $15 per person for the dance only and $25 per person for dinner and the dance. Both fees cover the dance lesson and a night of live music. Pre-registration for those who want dinner is required by Wednesday, August 27, but drop-ins for the swing dance are also more than welcome.
For more information about Dance in the Park, please call the Park Office at 518-279-1155.
Remaining Summer Programs At The Dyken Pond Center
• Full Moon Paddle – September 9, 7 to 9 pm. Join us for the full “Harvest” moon paddle on Dyken Pond. This event is limited to 15 people. Kayaks or canoes can be rented for $10 per boat. Pre-registration is required; call 518-658-2055 or email dykenpond@fairpoint.net to register or find out more information.
• Hike Across the Rensselaer Plateau – Sept. 13 and 14. This two day, 32 mile hike will take serious hikers from end to end across the Rensselaer Plateau. The event is co-sponsored by the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance. Pre-registration is required. Please call us at 518-658-2055 for more details.
Jr. Naturalist Program
• Lake Ecology – August 27, 1 to 3 pm. Our final Jr. Naturalist program of the summer will give students some experience in one of their favorite places – the water. We will be exploring the animals and plants that inhabit Dyken Pond by hiking the shoreline. We will discuss water quality and give students a chance to test the water conditions in the lake. A $1 donation is suggested.
Behind The Scenes
This summer the Forest Conservation Corps took place the last two weeks of July. Twenty-one teenagers from Rensselaer County volunteered time out of their summer to do trail work and maintenance at the Center. The teens worked on over six miles of hiking trails and paved the way for a brand new trail at the Center. The Forest Corps teens also helped prevent shoreline erosion on Dyken Pond by piling up rocks along the shoreline. The staff at Dyken Pond is very proud of these teens and would like to say thanks again for all of their hard work.
Winners Of The Mt. Chapel Fishing Derby
Rev. Ivan F. Gossoo
Petersburgh – The Rev. Ivan F. Gossoo, 94, a resident of Petersburgh, NY, died on July 22, 2014. Mr. Gossoo was pre-deceased by his wife, Dorothea (Mathena), in 1994, following fifty years of marriage. He is survived by a son, Burton Gossoo of Hampton Bays, NY, a daughter, Lynnea Jones of Wolcott, CT, two grandchildren, Erin Jones and Shannon Jones, both of Bristol, CT, two great-granddaughters, Nina Andelin and Abigail Jones, and relatives throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Leo M. Surdam Jr.
Hoosick – Leo M. “Coke” Surdam Jr., 86, passed away Saturday, August 16, 2014, at his residence on Bovie Hill Road in Hoosick, NY. He was surrounded by his family. He was the husband of the former Carolyn M. “Khaki” Surdam.
Born on October 7,1927, in Potter Hill in Hoosick, Leo was the son of the late Leo M. and Lucy (Cornell) Surdam. He was educated in schools in Hoosick Falls, NY. Leo worked at Oak Materials Group in Hoosick Falls for many years. He enjoyed bowling and watching sports, especially the New York Giants and New York Mets. Leo was a former member of the Hoosick Lions Club. He enjoyed his winters spent in Venetian Parks Estates in Sarasota, FL.
Leo is survived by his daughter, Shirley White and husband Billy of Bartlett, IL, two sons, Leo Surdam III and his wife Deborah of Hoosick and Gerry Surdam of Bennington, VT, a sister, Hazel Springer of Eagle Bridge, NY, his seven grandchildren, Matthew Steichen, Lauren Soto, Steve Surdam, Tanya Brock, Leslie Rousseau, Alyssa Surdam and Tara DeCicco, and seven great-grandchildren. He is pre-deceased by two brothers, Clifford and Arthur Surdam, and two sisters, Dorothy Ryan and Betty Hayes.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, August 20, at 11 am from the Hoosick Baptist Church on South Street in Hoosick. Burial followed the service at Maple Grove Cemetery in Hoosick Falls. Relatives and friends called at the Church on Tuesday from 4 to 8 pm.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Karen McGovern Fund through the Mahar Funeral Home, 43 Main Street in Hoosick Falls, NY, 12090.