March 21, 2025 Tara(T) by Maria (M)
M: Our first question is, what do you love about Rosendale?
T: Well, I love a lot of things about Rosendale. I love that it’s very diverse and it’s a kind of a refuge for people who love nature and people with different belief systems, sexual orientations and that it’s a peaceful town. That there doesn’t seem to be any kind of conflict as far as belief systems. Everyone’s living together in their own way peacefully. And I love that it’s a haven for artists and that there’s a movie theater and a library. In the olden days, the whole Main Street was filled with a long line of bars. Now it’s not.
I love that the rail trail goes through it and there’s a body of water and a bridge for pedestrians. When I was a little girl growing up in Ulster County, Rosendale was an active place creatively. Lewis Sclafani had his glass blowing. But also there was a kind of activism that I remember. There was the Rosendale Street Festival. And I love that it’s been a creative place for creative minds to come together.
M: Why is that so important to you?
T: Well, I think our culture has really commodified our identities and living in general. And it seems people feel isolated. I think our capitalistic culture separates people and folks stay in their houses and watch TV. When, for thousands of years, people have cooked, worked, danced and mourned, they really lived together.
M: Concerns for Rosendale? What do you see that maybe you see that’s threatened, needs to be preserved, safeguarded?
T: Well, I am very concerned about the environment, the climate crisis. I went to a town board meeting and heard that Williams Lake is going to put all of their treated water into the Rondout. And I am concerned about those uncertain effects. It seems very sure that the climate crisis is going to get worse, as we’re not making the needed changes as we go forward. I think that we should put a well with an old hand pump in the park behind the movie theater. So if we lose electricity for a week or more pretty much everyone in Rosendale could walk and fill up their water jugs.
M: There’s the Well of Souls on Swehla. That’s right over the hill from me. It’s a spring.
T: Oh, I don’t know about that.
M: Oh, it’s good to know about. It’s called the Well of Souls because it’s at the bottom of a little hill, and at the very top of that little hill is a graveyard. So the water’s going down through the graves. [It’s on Google Map]
T: I want to know where that is. But I think there should be a good old stainless steel hand pump. Everyone could easily access. And it should have a water fountain so people can fill up their water bottles. This simple improvement could reduce waste a thousand fold. Anybody on their bike can go and they can fill up their water bottle. Any citizen or tourist.
M: Any other concerns that you’d like to mention?
T: Yeah, there’s a lot of roadside plastic and trash all over the county and I worry about it getting missed and not picked up and polluting the soil and waters. The Rail Trail Cafe adopted the corner of Springtown and River Road.
M: Oh, nice.
T: And we got 17 bags of waste in the first session. So I worry that the town highway department’s not doing enough to make sure that the cleanup is really happening thoroughly.
M: Now the last question is one of the funnest. What are your ideas for Rosendale?
T: Well, I think there should be an old fashioned hand pump, a well and a hand pump. That’s the most important thing, like having a town well where people can fill up their water bottles. That’s the most prominent thing. Or the most pressing thing I think is important as we go through uncertain times. I don’t think anybody should have to buy water. And that there should be a water fountain that’s free for people. Good for people and the environment.
M: Since we have an extra couple minutes, I want to pick your brain. Can you share with us any special hints or secrets about growing community? You’ve been so successful at that at the Rail Trail Cafe.
T: Food!
M: Yeah, right!
T: Yeah, I think the farmers market is profoundly important. That’s a wonderful, wonderful, important way of helping to create community and I would maybe add a Rosendale “residents only” annual picnic. Where everyone can come together in the park, and introduce themselves to each other and have a good old fashioned picnic. Like our grandparents did. There’s a beautiful painting by Renoir called Picnic. People spent more time outside then and perhaps were more connected to nature. That’s what I would do. I would create an annual Rosendale citizen picnic. And so everybody could meet each other. And there could be square dancing or folk dancing, like in the olden days.
M: Last year we did a Joppenbergh Jam, which was an evening of music and picnicking. We’re doing three of them this summer.
T: Oh, really?
M: Yes, so your wish is granted, kinda.
T: Cool! Kind of vaguely heard about it, but that sounds wonderful. Is it at the top of Joppenbergh?
M: No, no, it’s in Willow Kiln Park.
T: Excellent.
M: It’s music and picnicking. But I like the idea of adding other things to it. We’ve been keeping it pretty simple because we’re just piloting it.
T:Simple is good!
