Snow in October?

Snow in October?  I pooh-poohed the reports to myself and those around me.  I even promised Leah Emery, Neuberger Museum Acting Director, that it would never happen.  She seemed momentarily relieved since the museum’s big gala with the Performing Arts Center was much anticipated for that Saturday evening.  Then the unthinkable happened.  Yes.  Snow in October came hurdling down, taking with it trees, electric power lines and my plans for the weekend.

October is a great month for the arts and I had planned to hit the ground running, buoyed by a round of kid’s karaoke at the Pleasantville Pop Shop on Friday night. Joan Diamant was showing her artwork at a gallery in Yorktown Heights, NY. I could swing by there early and still make it to the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck for a 1:30 performance of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble with the grandkids.  I would have to miss the Lovin’ Spoonful that evening at the Emelin so I could get to the Neuberger for dinner and then the Audra McDonald concert at the Performing Arts Center.  What was I even thinking?  Snow began to fall and for some unfathomable reason, the failure of my electric power is always the harbinger of a full blast Westchester outage.  Just call me and I’ll let you know as my power is always the first to go.  It’s what comes of living in the most scenic, tree-ladened part of the county.  At 3 p.m., as the roads became impassable, the call came in that the gala would be postponed.  Then again, so was the performance of Verdi’s Nabucco at SUNY Purchase.  We will all have a chance to see that one on December 3rd when the Taconic Opera has planned the reprise.  Sitting in the cold by the fireside, it occurred to me to try and catch the late night screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Tarrytown Music Hall, but alas that too was cancelled.

On Sunday, I envisioned dressing up Molly (my white Puli) in her costume for the annual Halloween Pet Parade in Yonkers, but just in time, I received an email from Steve Sansone that it would be too cold for the pets.  Finally, the Chinese Harvest Moon concert to be presented by Copland House at Merestead was cancelled and all reports as of this writing from Executive Director Michael Boriskin is that Merestead is still without power.  And by the way, so am I.

But looking ahead optimistically, heat or no heat,  I am thinking about warming up this weekend at the Hudson River Museum for an exhibition of the paintings of Elihu Vedder: Voyage On the Nile and an evening  at the Emelin Theater for a performance of Gent Treadly with Garth Hudson of The Band.  Planning ahead is easy on www.artswestchester.org/calendar, where everything cultural is listed by date, by venue and by city.  PS.  I hope the Joan Diamant exhibition is extended.

Photo by Frank Becerra Jr., as seen on LoHud.com