The mornings are dark now but the days are stretching longer. More light. Spring has sprung early this year, with temperatures going all wobbly. This coming week will see them range from the 70s down to the 40s and 50s. But then who cares, as we all lean toward the bursting spring flowering. The vernal equinox, or loosely “equal spring night”, happens Tuesday, when the Sun crosses directly over the Earth’s equator and day and night are the same length of time.
As Sloatsburg’s wellspring of cultural heritage and celebration, Harmony Hall will celebrate the occasion, kicking off its season Sunday afternoon with A Celebration of Spring: The Approach of the Vernal Equinox, an adventure in the exploration of sounds and senses.
Harmony Hall Curator Geoff Welch has planned another eclectic afternoon at the historical Jacob Sloat House, featuring his own sharp-eyed multimedia presentation of nature photography accompanied by his original musical compositions. Welch is quite the walker and has covered the Torne Valley watershed and beyond, in search of inspiration. The live musical performance will be followed by a series of lectures and a nature walk as the Friends of Harmony Hall welcome award-winning “word map” poet Howard Horowitz, renowned archeologist Ed Lenik, Rockland forager Paul Tappenden and rattlesnake wrangler Randy Stechert.
The event is open to the public and the historical mansion’s doors open at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 18, beginning a sixth year of educational and cultural programming at the Jacob Sloat House. This year Harmony Hall hopes to finalize its effort to obtain a permanent charter from the New York State Board of Regents. The season also marks the beginning of a long schedule of restoration activities that includes a new roof and cupola, and restoration of the mansion’s front verandah, entry doors and transom.
Harmony Hall is the original name for the Jacob Sloat House, designed and built by the man himself back in 1848. The mansion is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and is a wealth of cultural and community activity. The Friends of Harmony Hall is the member organization that works behind the scenes to promote Harmony Hall, the history of Sloatsburg, and its place as part of New York’s Ramapo River Pass and Highlands environments.
A Celebration of Spring: The Approach of the Vernal Equinox, an adventure in the exploration of sounds and senses, takes place Sunday, March 18 at Harmony Hall. Free to the public, doors open at 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 845-712-5220.
Source: Susan Daycock and Harmony Hall
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