Max and Maria own and operate MX Morningstar Farm, in the heart of Claverack on route 9H.  Their farm store sells produce from theirs and other local farms, as well as food products from all over the world for those who want a one-stop store for dinner prep.  If you're a Claverackian, you know the place.

We talk about how Max and Maria came to Claverack, why they're staying, the ins and outs (and economics) of modern 'mid-scale' farming.  And we talk about why they love it here and what they hope the town can become.

Vince Pomilio is an artist who was part of the vanguard of NYC-based artists who began moving to the Hudson area in the 1970s.   He has a flawless memory for names and events, and tells stories from 1978 to the present about the fascinating characters who have been in and out of the area's transition from sleepy backwater to "destination".  I pretty much turned the mics on and let Vince go.  This one is a little longer than some other shows, but worth it if you're interested in origin stories!

Anya is leading a project called SCAPE, Stewarding Claverack and Philmont's Environment.  This means the built environment (town, farms, history, etc) as well as the natural environment.  SCAPE (projectscape.org) ties in nicely with the efforts by our town governments to redraft their comprehensive plan, capturing residents voices and views on what matters most to them.  Lots of local residents have been interviewed, but if you check the website or attend one of the two local events in February, your voice can be heard too.

SCAPE plans a chili supper 5-8 pm on February 5 at the Churchtown Firehouse, and a brunch at 10:30-12 on the morning of February 21 at the Claverack Free Library.  Free! Meet your neighbors, talk about what matters, and add your voice to the SCAPE project!

Brian and Peggy bought a house here in Claverack 15 years ago, coming up from Queens to the beauty of the countryside.  Both having backgrounds in performing arts, they decided more or less on a whim to create an outdoor movie experience for their neighborhood, and the idea took off.  Stickles Cinema has grown, but it's still a word-of-mouth neighbor-to-neighbor discovery.  The danger of listening to this podcast is that you too will be drawn into this intentional/unintentional community.  And our world needs more communities like this...

It's only me this week, folks, your host Jeff Kiplinger.  I promised to 'unpack' data from the November 4 town and county election to see if we could learn anything about the winners, the losers, and the residents (that's us, and I hope we end up winners).  I uncovered, I think, some interesting things that the major parties may not have noticed.  By the way, if numbers and analysis make your head spin, you might want to skip ahead to about 8 minutes from the end for a summary.

Katy is a long time Claverackian, with a background and a track record of getting stuff done in both local and national government.  We talk about what brought her family to the area, to the farm where she still lives, and about her journey into government.  She's one of an increasingly rare breed who believe that government's job is to help, rather than to turn everything into a partisan fight.  Katy spent 12 years serving Claverack on our Town Board, and we talk about her accomplishments.  We also dig into the complexity of the job - it's harder than I thought - and talk a little about where the money to run a town comes from.  This is a great conversation.

Gary Davis retired from the corporate world several years ago, but by then he and his husband had already bought and renovated an historic house in the Claverack hamlet.  Like many of us they fell in love with the area, and what was planned as a weekend getaway soon became their permanent home.  Gary quickly integrated with the community, contributing time and experience to help with food insecurity, with town government, and ultimately helped 'resurrect' the Claverack Historical Society.  We talk about his story, and what the history of Claverack means for its future.  

Robert is a candidate for Town Board in this fall's election, so I thought it important to post this interview before we go to the polls.  Robert is an interesting guy - part activist, part lawyer, and part actor and theater founder.  A lifelong follower of his own head and heart.  I had a wide-ranging and fun interview with Robert, and no matter what happens on November 4 I think we'll be seeing a lot of him in Claverack.

Thea is the Director of the Claverack Library, and thanks to her leadership and to the contributions of many in the town our library has become an essential part of Claverack.  And I do mean essential - part senior center, children and family space, and community center, the Claverack Library serves so many functions that the town doesn't have as stand-alone services.  We'll talk about what brought Thea to the library, how the library has changed over two hundred years, and what the future looks like.  Don't forget that library funding is on the ballot this fall - vote November 4.

I talk with Peter Hoffman, a Claverackian who left NYC after running two successaful restaurants for 20 years.  Famous as the chef-owner of Savoy in Soho, one of the first "farm to table" restaurants in the city, Peter moved to Claverack to be closer to what he loves - the food, the farmers, the outdoors, the countryside.  And as he's become more and more involved with the community, he's taking his ideas to a new arena by running for Claverack Town Board.