Sheep get rid of their winter coats at Philipsburg Manor

It's spring. We are shedding our winter coats, and so are the animals.

The annual shearing of the sheep takes place this weekend, April 18-19, at Philipsburg Manor's Sheep-to-Shawl festival. And it will be done the old fashioned way -- by hand -- the way the 18th century residents of his historic working farm would have done it.

There are 19 newborn lambs to see, as well, including a rare set of triplets born on the farm this spring. They are beyond cute, and the kids will love watching them play like happy puppies. This is a record number of newborns for Philipsburg Manor and its proud poppa, the ram named, “Lucky,” who is truly living up to his name.

Other new additions to the farm this year include Maebell the milk cow’s new heifer calf, Marigold. The site’s four-year-old working oxen, Josh and Jake, will also be part of the day’s events.

“Spring at Philipsburg Manor is a really special time, and this event really gives visitors the full flavor of what we do here,” said Thom Thacker, site director of Philipsburg Manor. Tours and programs reflect the daily lives of the 23 enslaved individuals known to have lived and labored there, including slaves. Philipsburg Manor is the country’s only fully staffed living history museum to focus on the history of northern slavery. The farm includes a working water-powered gristmill and a 'new world' Dutch barn.

Philipsburg Manor’s farmers will be shearing the sheep in the barnyard by hand while costumed interpreters continuously demonstrate wool dyeing, spinning, and weaving, and lead special hands-on activities for children. You can watch the entire process of making woolen cloth and participate several of the steps in the process after the sheep are sheared. That includes picking and carding the wool, spinning and dyeing the yarn, and weaving it into cloth.

Interpreters, wearing costume of the 18th century, also demonstrate the labor-intensive process of making linen from the flax plant. And, popular storyteller Jonathan Kruk will be on hand to share his tales.

The Sheep-to-Shawl is held rain or shine. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for children ages 5-17. Members of Historic Hudson Valley and children under 5 attend for free. Tickets can be purchased online. Philipsburg Manor is at 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., two miles north of the Tappan Zee Bridge.

This is a great year to learn about what life was like for the original Dutch settlers of the Hudson Valley. After all, this is the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of a particular river and river valley. You know the name. Hudson River, Hudson Valley.

More about the Quadracentennial events -- that's the dictionary word for 400th anniversary -- in upcoming postings.

photo courtesy Historic Hudson Valley

Celebrate Nelson Rockefeller's 100th Birthday

This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20-21, Historic Hudson Valley and the Rockefeller Archive Center are hosting a special Nelson A. Rockefeller Centennial Weekend. It focuses on the four-time New York State governor and U. S. vice president Nelson Rockefeller, and his legacy in the arts, education, and the environment.

The event is being held both at Kykuit, the art-filled Rockefeller Estate in Pocantico Hills, where four generations of the famous family have lived, and at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, which was founded by Nelson's mother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. The Rockefeller's NYC home was across the street from what would become MOMA.

Kykuit, by the way, is pictured at the right -- it is the image on the cover of my book, Great Destinations: The Hudson Valley.

Here is the schedule of events:

On Saturday, Sept. 20, events are in NYC, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. with presentations at MOMA by experts including --

• an introduction by Mark F. Rockefeller will begin the program.


• The Keynote Speaker is author, historian, and political commentator Richard Norton Smith, a nationally recognized authority on the American presidency and a familiar face to viewers of C-SPAN, as well as The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,


• Other speakers include Cynthia B. Altman, Kykuit Curator;


• Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, Chair, New York State Council on the Arts;


• Dr. Clifton Wharton, Jr., noted economist, presidential appointee, and former Chancellor, State University of New York;


• Robert R. Douglass, former legal counsel and Secretary for Governor Rockefeller.

The program moves to the Hudson Valley on Sunday, with special tours of Governor Rockefeller's art collection and the work of the Archive Center.

Tickets for this special Nelson A. Rockefeller Centennial Weekend are $125 per person, or $100 per person for members of Historic Hudson Valley or the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Contact Historic Hudson Valley.

Special Wine Dinner at Le Chambord

This 1863 Georgian mansion is on everybody's list of favorites for special occasion dining, for its elegant and romantic decor that includes crystal chandeliers and opulent gilded picture frames, plus gourmet food, and an expansive wine cellar. It makes Le Chambord in Hopewell Junction, a popular and picturesque destination for weddings, of course.

Once again, this tasty reason to visit the Hudson Valley is hosting its special and spectacular Wine Dinners, featuring special pairings of food and wine. The first dinner, on Saturday, August 23 is a five-course extravaganza based on Spanish and Portuguese themes of both food and wine.

The food is under the direction of award-winning chef Lenny Mott, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in nearby Hyde Park. The wine is under the direction of noted wine educator Ron Ross. And everything at Le Chambord is supervised by owner Roy Benich, who seems to be everywhere, all the time, making sure every detail is perfect.

The dinner is $99 per person, plus tax and gratuities. To make it a truly special event, stay overnight in this historic bed and breakfast -- and dinner. The overnight package for you and your significant other is $369, and includes cocktails, the wine dinner, room and breakfast. There's a $10 per person discount coupon on the Le Chambord website.

United Airlines Features Hudson Valley Restaurants

Hemispheres Magazine, the United Airlines magazine, has discovered the most delicious reason to visit the Hudson Valley -- our wonderful restaurants, many housed in historic buildings dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Each month, the magazine's Global Gourmet feature tempts in-flight passengers with the good taste of a particular city or region. The June issue is a taste of the Hudson Valley. I wrote it.

The Hudson Valley has a bounty of talented chefs who use fresh ingredients from nearby farms, most of which are family-owned, not huge corporate conglomerates. Actually, so are these fine dining establishments -- in many cases the chef is also the owner and lives upstairs or across the road.

There's also a slideshow of Hudson Valley restaurants and destinations on the web version of my "Scrumptious Hudson" article, with images of the chefs and the dishes they create.

So, thank you, UAL Hemispheres, for allowing me to showcase the Hudson Valley for your passengers and on-line magazine subscribers.

Sheep Get Shorn, Baby Lambs Get Shown

Sheep will lose their winter coats at Phillipsburg Manor, the historic Hudson Valley farm and farmhouse in Tarrytown. The animals will be shorn by hand, the same way sheep shearing was done in the 18th century.

This year's annual Sheep-to-Shawl Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Visitors to living history museum Phillipsburg Manor can participate in the process of making woolen cloth, from picking and carding the wool, spinning and dyeing the yarn, to weaving it into cloth. Interpreters in 18th century clothing also demonstrate the labor-intensive process of making linen from the flax plant.

A special attraction for children are nearly a dozen newborn baby lambs born this spring on site, frolicking about the grounds.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit this working farm -- which recreates what farm life was like in Colonial times. It wasn't an easy life. Especially for the slaves known to have lived and worked here.

Philipsburg Manor is the country’s only fully staffed living history museum to focus on the history of northern slavery, especially slavery in New York State.