Public Invited to Join in Open Mic This Saturday July 21
Do you have a song you’d like to sing? Always wanted to have an audience to do a reading from one of Shakespeare’s plays? Do you fancy yourself funny enough to stand up in front of a microphone and get people laughing?
Putnam County residents who would like to express and share their talents will have an opportunity to do so at 2 p.m. this Saturday, July 21 at an open mic sponsored by the Putnam Valley Arts Commission.
In the spirit of the season, the open mic will be held outside at Niese’s Maple Farm located at 136 Wiccopee Road in Putnam Valley.
The Niese family is the oldest of family maple syrup producers in southern New York, going back seven generations.
The farm offers weekend pancake breakfasts and lunch from March to November.
“With the summer here, we thought it would be nice to do an outdoor venue,” said Bob Cinque, who is a member of the arts commission. “Niese’s is the perfect place for us to bring the open mic. It’s a family-friendly environment.”
The open mic is just one of the efforts to foster the artistic endeavors of town residents and local cultural events. Other efforts include arranging to have artists’ works hang in local establishments and the annual Harvest Fest held every fall.
“We put on events that showcase our local artists in all mediums – the visual arts, the performing arts,” Cinque said. “The real mission of the Putnam Valley Arts Commission is to have an environment for local people of all artistic levels participate; you don’t have to be a would-be rock star or a would-be Picasso.”
The first open mic was held in 2004 and has continued since then.
“This season, which started in March, we decided to do a lot more of them,” he said, noting that people of all ages participate. “It gives us a better chance to connect with the community.”
Usually held at the Putnam Valley Free Library, the March event was followed by another in May.
Cinque said he hoped residents from all over Putnam County would participate in the open mic and that past events have drawn performers from across the Hudson River, lower Westchester County and southern Dutchess County.
“As people join us, so much the better,” Cinque said.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
