“Libraries are rooms of requirement.”

— Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Executive Director, Mid-Hudson Library System

This week on Cidiot®, we’re talking libraries — not just the quiet, book-filled havens you remember, but vibrant community hubs evolving with the times. I’m joined by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS), which spans 66 libraries across 70 locations in five Hudson Valley counties.

We cover everything from the history and future of libraries to banned books, digital access, and how libraries are stepping up as civic centers. Plus, we dive into one of the coolest things happening right now: the Mid-Hudson Library Road Trip. It’s a self-paced adventure through October where you can visit as many libraries as you like — no library card required. Just pick up a map, hit the road, and explore some of the region’s most charming buildings. Perfect for a sunny Saturday or a rainy day wander.

And if you love libraries like I do, we talk about how you can support — whether that’s downloading Libby to read more or signing up to be a library advocate through the New York Library Association.

Links mentioned in the episode:

LOCAL BOOKS & AUTHORS

• Perfectly Broken*, Robert Burke Warren
• History of the Hudson River Valley, Vernon Benjamin
• The Forest Euphoria*, Patricia Kasian

( *Available in the Cidiot bookstore on Bookshop.org)

PLACES

• Innisfree Garden (Millbrook)
• Find your local library⁠

ACTIVITIES 

• MHLS Road Trip (web); @midhudsonlibsys (Insta)
• Tag your photos with #MHLibraryRoadTrip

• Sign up to be a Library Advocate
• Unite Against Book Bans

Photos: Courtesy of the Mid-Hudson Library System

“This area attracts talented creative people seeking opportunities to play out, all seeking opportunities to play with each other.” — MK Scully

Join MK Scully, afternoon host and promotions director at WKZE in Red Hook, as Cidiot® digs deeper into the local music scene. Who are the local bands? Where would you go to see them? We talk about both as well as about songs about the area. Genre wise, it’s everything. Singer-songwriter-folk to rock and roll to metal to funk bands to (great) cover bands.

Link to resources mentioned on the episode:

• MK on Instagram: @mk.ultramatic
• WKZE 98.1 FM
• Radio Woodstock
• Radio Kingston
• Mat’s audiobook produced at WKZE (via Amazon and Audible)
• Home from Here with John Burton Show
• DIY Kingston - @diykingston
• Utopia Studios (Bearsville Studios), Woodstock
• Reddit/Hudson Valley: https://www.reddit.com/r/hudsonvalley

Local bands you should know:

• The Felice Brothers
• The Band
• The Big Takeover
• What?
• Schmave
• Seymour
• Western Skies
• Schwizz
• Bluestone Quarry
• Matt Duncan
• Miles Taylour
• Leo Lovechild

Local venues with music:

• Unicorn Bar, Kingston
• Snug Harbor, New Paltz
• The Lemon Squeeze, New Paltz
• The Park Theatre, Hudson
• Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock
• Tubbys, Kingston
• Avalon Lounge, Catskill

Songs about the area:

• “The Catskills Stole My Heart,” Burnell Pines

• “County Road 14,” Dante De Felice
• “Story of Fred Short,” Marco Benevento
• “My Enemies”, James Felice (2025)

Thank you for listening to Cidiot® , the award-winning podcast about living the Hudson Valley. Sign up for the newsletter and review/rate the shot at Cidiot.com.

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark

In Episode 117 of Cidiot®, host Mat Zucker sits down with Christy Counts, the president and founder of Neverstill Wines, a New York State-based winery with a tasting room right in Hudson, NY. Christy shares her journey from wine enthusiast to entrepreneur, detailing how she built Neverstill Wines with a focus on sustainability, community, and a deep love for the Hudson Valley.

Christy discusses her philosophy behind the Neverstill label, including her commitment to minimal intervention winemaking and supporting local farmers. She also talks about the inspiration behind the name "Neverstill"—a nod to the ever-changing nature of wine, the landscape, and life itself. The episode delves into the distinct character of Hudson as a destination for wine enthusiasts, artists, and urban transplants, and how Neverstill Wines is designed to be a gathering spot for locals and visitors. Christy and Mat discuss the importance of fostering community through wine and the growing New York State wine economy. 

Terms to know for this episode:

• Minimal intervention: A winemaking approach that limits additives and manipulation, letting the grapes and terroir shine.
• Tasting room: A dedicated space where visitors can sample and purchase wines directly from the producer.
• Flight: Curated selection of wines, usually 3 to 6, often presented for tasting comparison and exploration

Links from the episode:

• Visit Neverstill Wines, 739 Warren St., Hudson, NY
• Follow Neverstill on Instagram for updates on new releases and events: @neverstillwines

• Feast & Floret 13 South 3rd St., Hudson (Restaurant - dinner or weekend brunch pick)
• The Quiet Botanist, 426 Warren St., Hudson (Shop)
• Talbott & Arding, 202 Allen Street, Hudson (Cheese & Provisions Market)
• Quinnies, 834 Route 66, Hudson (Restaurant - lunch pick)

Other Regional Wine & Bev Links:

• Dutchess County Wine Trail (Dutchess County Tourism)
• "Hudson Valley Wineries" (recent feature in HV Magazine)
• "Artisanal Beverage Makers in Columbia County" map (Columbia County Tourism)
• Shawangunk Wine Trail (13 wineries across the region)

Thank you for listening to Cidiot®, the award-winning podcast about living the Hudson Valley. Tune in and raise a glass with us!

Special promotion from Neverstill: Drop by Neverstill Tasting Room on Warren Street and mention "Cidiot," and you’ll get a complimentary wine tasting. Certain restrictions apply. For a limited time.  Thanks, Christy!

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

This episode was inspired by a spontaneous poetry commission on the street in Hudson, NY. A poet named Jacqueline crafts “Cidiot, Come Hither,” and Mat takes stock of escaping bubbles and breaking routines.

Thanks so much for listening. Please rate and review Cidiot® and sign up for the show’s newsletter at Cidiot.com.

Links to places and resources mentioned in the episode:

• Moto Coffee, Hudson, NY (https://www.motocoffeemachine.com/)
• Walkway Over the Hudson, Poughkeepsie, NY (https://walkway.org/)
• Innisfree Garden, Millerton, NY (https://www.innisfreegarden.org/)
• Hudson Food Festival, June 7, 12-6 pm, Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, Hudson, NY
• The Workshop Experience, May 10 and 11, Hillsdale, NY area (https://www.theworkshopexperience.org/)
• Hudson Valley Food Truck Festival, June 21, Barton Orchards in Poughquag, NY
• Upstate Art Weekend, July 17-21 https://www.upstateartweekend.org/about
• Destination Dutchess Calendar https://destinationdutchess.com/calendar
• Trixie’s List (Hudson, NY) https://www.trixieslist.com/

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

Meet Madeline Hung of Castle, a finance app that helps homeowners save time and money managing their homes. Madeline says she’s a San Francisco cidiot trying to recreate her Bay Area lifestyle here in the Hudson Volley. She and her husband Hugo have created a service that does two things: One is to understand the money you’re saving, and the second part is to help you optimize and save. Their average customer, as you’ll hear, is saving $10,000.00. That’s real money.  “It seems like it all should be knowable,” says Madeline.

Terms you should know for this episode:

• DIY - Do it yourself
• SEDI - Someone else does it

Links:

• Head over to www.getcastle.com to sign up for your two-week free trial of the Castle mobile app today. 
• Vote for Cidiot® for Regional Podcast in the Chronogram Readers Choice Awards through May 15, 2025.

Thanks for tuning in this season. Please send in feedback and rate and review the show at Cidiot.com. Most of all, come visit. 

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

Ready for something different? On this episode of Cidiot®, you’ll hear from John Burton, host of the popular podcast “Home From Here.” 

Hear John’s history from Rhinebeck to New York City to Westchester—and his plans to get back up here to the HV. As John explains, he wants to get back to his people. The people of the Hudson Valley are “Sophisticated and simple at the same time, smart and funny at the same time.” 

John puts it all out there. We talk about his wife’s incredible cancer journey, his own challenges with mental health, music in the Hudson Valley, and the Lifted Project - coming up Sunday, April 6, at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck. It’s a unique one-day musical experience bringing together a huge group of musicians to perform original music to support and provide visibility for four amazing nonprofits. Tickets are just $25. 

Towards the end, we also discussed our idea for a ‘Cidiot Immersion Class,’ which I really want to do, and we even started to program its curriculum. Let me know if you’re game to help. 

Meanwhile, act quickly for tickets for Sunday, April 6:

• The Lifted Project: https://liftedproject.org/

Venues mentioned:

• Paula’s Runway Cafe Airport (Beacon)
• The Rhine Cellar (Rhinebeck)
• Barton Orchards (Pougquague)
• Joseph’s Italian Steakhouse, Hyde Park
• Hudson Valley Musicians Facebook Group

Also:

• Mat on Home from Here show - episode 217 (MixCloud) or More Links (the show's website)
• Valley Girls Podcast (thank you for introducing us)

Thanks for listening to Cidiot, the award-winning podcast about moving from the city to the Hudson Valley.  Come visit.

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark. 

What can we learn from the nature—and animals—around us? Meet Jessica Morgenthal, host of the new, already award-winning “Resilience Gone Wild” podcast. Mat’s been a guest, and now Jessica is one on Cidiot®.

Tons of talk about donkeys, goats, chickens, sea turtles, beehives, and more. Nature can be loving, nature can be harsh. The answers we’re looking for are sometimes right in front of us. And at the end, bonus: you’ll hear the real difference between turtles and tortoises. 

Links:

• "Resilience Gone Wild" podcast links to listen

• Mat on Episode 20 of "Resilience Gone Wild"

• The Biggest Little Farm (film)

• What the Chicken Knows by Sy Montgomery (book)

Thanks for tuning in. Come visit.

Cidiot® 2025. All Rights Reserved

“We're trying to create the best version of a night out” — Mike Burdge of Story Screen Cinema

The arts are huge in the Hudson Valley, including film and cinema. In this episode, Mat talks to Mike Burdge of Story Screen Cinema about independent film and theatres in the Hudson Valley. Hear Mike and his partner Diana DiMuro’s story, from working in hospitality and hosting after-hours movie pop-ups to owning their own unique cinemas—first in Beacon now in Hudson.

Mike also shares how they decide what to show for so many different audiences on just three screens and gives a candid explanation of ticket prices, concessions and permission to sneak stuff in. Mat loves this cinema—there’s a table at your seat plus a bar and movie-themed food and drinks. Better yet, Mike may have agreed to help Mat achieve one of his major bucket list items to do an ensemble sing-along of a movie musical. 

Mike and Diana also helped Cidiot create a big list of movies and TV shot in the Hudson Valley that you might want to watch. See the list on the Cidiot blog. Maybe we’ll create a Cidiot film festival!

Links for mentions in the episode:

• Story Screen (Hudson)
• Upstate Films (Rhinebeck, Saugerties, Woodstock)
• The Movie House (Millerton)
• Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory

• Mike writing about film in Chronogram

Thanks for tuning in. Come visit.

Cidiot® 2025. All Rights Reserved

Welcome to Season 8 of Cidiot®!

Mat kicks off by re-grounding us in what partly makes the Hudson Valley so special—the space. Inspired by local young writer Will Forge and his new book “Hudson Valley Reveries,” Mat helps us lose ourselves among an iconic Shawongunk tree. Will writes, “Patricia herself was a peculiar sort….. preferred the company of trees to people…”

Will’s advice for cidiots is also Mat's for this season opener. Let’s appreciate where we’re at, think about where we’re at, understand the history—and appreciate the story of it. 

Excited to have you tune in to the show—so much more coming this season. 

“I want more people to come to the area and appreciate where they are coming to.” — Will Forge

Links:

Cidiot® 2024. All Rights Reserved

This little light of mine…. 

For the Season 7 finale of Cidiot, and just in time for Winter Solstice, Mat explores the idea and need for light in the darkness. There are three themes of light: the light that guides you; the light that cheers you; and the light that helps you believe.

Thank you to everyone who participated this season. Special shout-outs to editor Isaac Rostan and my husband Brian Fuhr. Join the Cidiot newsletter at Cidiot.com to be ready for next season. 

Quote:

 “Lighthouses don’t go looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” Anne Lamott 

Links:

Cidiot® is the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley, produced and hosted by Mat Zucker. Please rate & review the show at Cidiot.com, join the mailing list, and get in touch about what you like—and what you’d like to hear about. And come visit.

Cidiot® 2024. All Rights Reserved.