Hudson Valley Gospel Festival thrives in year five

The Hudson Valley Gospel Festival featured groups from across the region, including the Ulster County Mass Choir directed by Reverend Dennis Washington.

Provided

Hudson Valley Gospel Festival thrives in year five

Arts Mid-Hudson presented the 5th annual Hudson Valley Gospel Festival Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, 269 Mill Street in Poughkeepsie.

The First Congregational United Church of Christ was founded in 1837 as an anti-slavery church. It is a compassionate community with vibrant worship, and a deep-rooted commitment to social justice.

Audiences were treated to all varieties of gospel music. There was a procession into the church, a praise dance team who will lead the audience in a participatory dance, and an opportunity for the audience to sing along.

The evening featured the Hudson Valley Gospel Festival Choir directed by Dinesa Hansen and the Hudson Lily of the Valley Praise Dance Team led by Linda Molina. The mistress of ceremonies for the evening was Reverend Evelyn Clarke of New Progressive Baptist Church in Kingston.

Also performing wasthe Southern Dutchess Coalition Mass Choir, which was established in 1990 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Reverend Barbara Baker, of Springfield Baptist Church in Beacon, New York. Sharlene Stout is the choir director.

In addition, The Ulster County Mass Choir, a 25-member community choir, directed by Reverend Dennis Washington specializing in Gospel music, performed. Established in 1999, the choir started as the MLK Community Outreach Choir to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dennis Washington, who has directed the choir for 15 years, and shares these duties with Elder Albert Cook.

Folk Arts Program Manager Elinor Levy explained the festival’s origins.

“The Hudson Valley Gospel Festival began in 2020 as a joint project of the community, Dutchess Tourism and Arts Mid-Hudson. For the last four years, it has been a community project and Arts Mid-Hudson project. For many years in the 1980’s to the early 2000’s there was an annual gospel concert in December,” Levy stated. “The festival is produced by a committee of community members and myself with support of the Arts Mid-Hudson management and staff. Ray Watkins heads up the committee.”

Arts Mid-Hudson is a nonprofit arts service organization serving the Mid-Hudson region. Since 1964 their initiatives have engaged and promoted the arts benefiting artists, arts organizations, and communities. It also provides vision and leadership to support diverse arts in the Mid-Hudson region.

In addition, Arts Mid-Hudson researches the arts and traditions of the region’s rich cultural, ethnic, religious, and occupational heritages. Through educational and public programs like Kakizome and La Guelaguetza, the Folk Arts Program works with communities to share traditions. The program is open to ideas and suggestions about how to assist in celebrating the heritage of different communities residing in the Hudson Valley.

For more information about Arts Mid-Hudson, find Arts Mid-Hudson on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or sign up for the weekly E-newsletter at www.artsmidhudson.org, or call (845) 454-3222.

Latest News

Luigina A. Dzenutis

CANTON — Luigina A. Dzenutis, 91, of Canton, died peacefully on Jan. 16, 2025, in her home. She was the wife of the late Peter A. Dzenutis Sr.

Luigina was born in Bronx, New York, on May 17, 1933, the daughter of the late Jack and Medie (Tonelli) Grecco.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia approves pool at Troutbeck estate hotel

Troutbeck's sign at the intersection of Leedsville Road and Route 343 in Amenia.

Archive photo

AMENIA — Public hearings continued from the previous meeting concluded at the regular meeting of the Amenia Planning Board on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Having considered public comment, the board approved applications from Troutbeck for an indoor pool and from DaVinci Windows for a sign installation.

No public comment was heard in connection with the Troutbeck proposal to construct an outdoor pool as briefly described by project engineer Rich Rennia of Rennia Engineering of Dover Plains. The application is part of Phase 8 of Troutbeck’s adaptive reuse application, revised recently to reduce the environmental impact.

Keep ReadingShow less
Final grant of $675,000 awarded for Eddie Collins Memorial Park pool project
Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton will the the site of a new community pool, with construction expected to begin by Spring 2025.
Archive photo

MILLERTON — Calling the ongoing revitalization of Eddie Collins Memorial Park “the largest project the village has taken on,” Mayor Jenn Najdek has disclosed additional funding has come through in support of its upgrade.

This past December, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation awarded the village a matching grant of up to $675,000 in support of the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Swimming Pool Project. With these monies, funding for Phase II of the project, which stems largely from a NY SWIMS capital grant, is now at $7.56 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pine Plains median home prices stay relatively steady at year's end

This 3 bedroom/2 bath renovated raised ranch at 7760 Main St. in Pine Plains sold for $590,000.

Photo by Christine Bates

PINE PLAINS — From August through November there were 14 sales in Pine Plains with only one on Lake Road selling for over a million dollars and two homes for over $500,000 — a midcentury modern in town closing for $590,000 and a historic house on 8.5 acres for $660,000.

Since September 2021 the median price for publicly listed properties in Pine Plains has hovered at around $350,000. Properties listed in mid-January include seven residences ranging in price from $150,000 to $8.95 million, six pieces of land and Harvest Homestead Farm on 343 acres with a fully functioning distillery formerly associated with 1930’s mobster Dutch Schultz.

Keep ReadingShow less