WHAT: CEN20IAL Celebration
WHEN: Saturday, May 20, 2017, DAYTIME HOURS7:00-10:00pm
WHERE: Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street, Katonah, NY 10536
HOW: $65 donation ($75 at the door); order under “donate” at katonahvis.com
It has been 120 years since an edict set in motion the Big Move that would create New Katonah. The year 1897 marks the hoisting of entire buildings onto flatbeds, making way for the reservoir that still feeds NYC. For hamlet residents and neighbors circa 2017, that is reason to celebrate. Serendipitously, the 20th of May provides a fitting target date for the 120-year “CEN20IAL” Celebration—a day+night affair that offers fun for all ages.
Events in the afternoon, centered at Katonah Village Library but radiating through town, include: a Family Treasure Hunt, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce; historic tours of downtown; a cappella music by the Notables; two historic films; and two live performances that highlight the Big Move of 1897—excerpts from Cassie’s Village and a staged reading of the epic poem “A Diverted Village.”
After a day of history-fueled activities in downtown, the Katonah Cen20ial Celebration crosses the railroad tracks to the Katonah Museum of Art of an evening of “Wine. Food. Jazz. Art.” The event effectively reprises the popular annual KVIS Spring Wine Tasting, serving up a variety of (post-1897) vintages along with hometown food, jazz and of course the current KMA exhibit, Picturing Love: Photography’s Pursuit of Intimacy.
The photographs in the exhibition examine how love is captured by the act of taking a picture, exploring this subject from photography’s early days to the present. Literally: an interactive wall is updated daily with snapshots submitted by museum visitors and via the Internet. That evening, the interactive wall will showcase highlights of the afternoon festivities and local residents’ love for their hometown. Plus, guests can add their own fresh pics from an on-site photo booth.
Rounding out the local flavor, the Hip Replacements quartet will play jazzy favorites that promise to come just short of inspiring people to get up and move their houses by horse and flatbed.
Tickets are $65 in advance, $75 at the door; order at katonahvis.com. Proceeds will be earmarked for the Katonah Beautification project.
Wine-wise, the selection will offer both classics and novelties. The classics—New World Chardonnay; high-end Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa and Sonoma; and Provence Rosé—will be complemented by “miscellaneous exotica” from the likes of Austria, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Spain, South Africa and Italy. “It’s the good stuff and then some,” promises Bill Tisherman, who curated the wines. “In the afternoon they’ll be cutting a CEN20IAL birthday cake, and at night we get to raise a glass. All things considered, 1897 was a great year.”
The idea is to drink global but eat local—with an ample nibbles from local restaurants including antipasti and mixed tartine from Blue Dolphin; sushi from Tengda; mini Cuban sandwiches from the Reading Room; mini lobster rolls from King Cone; crudités and dips from Willy Nick’s; and garlic knots from Pizza Station.
And finally, as a sweet finale, there will be a Katonah-style Viennese table of home-baked treats provided by members of the Katonah Village Improvement Societ
