Hill Country Observer

Book, exhibit trace Hudson's history through photos

Byrne Fone and his partner were among the first wave of antiques dealers who opened stores along the main street of Hudson, N.Y., in the 1980s. Now Fone has compiled a book a photos that trace the city's architectural history. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY

From SoHo to Schuylerville: A photographer creates his own niche

The main drag of Schuylerville is a far cry from the fast-paced chicness of SoHo, Manhattan’s trendiest neighborhood and the place Lawrence White called home for three decades.

And that’s fine with him.

For 30 years, he ran a photography studio and covered enviable celebrity assignments for Rolling Stone and Time. But he says he was troubled by the changing ethics of the celebrity press, which he saw as increasingly invasive and mean-spirited.CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY

Opera house may come alive again in Vermont town

David Nelson has big plans for downtown Fair Haven, Vermont  — plans that involve no less than spotlights, curtain calls and plenty of action. Nelson, who works as an accountant in Rutland and lives in Fair Haven, wants to restore the former Wilson and Grace Opera Hall, a third-floor auditorium that in decades past hosted a variety of performances as well as basketball games.  The hall, which Nelson proposes to reopen as the Fair Haven Opera House, has been silent for 60 years inside a Main Street building that now hosts a coin-operated laundry on its ground floor. Nelson owns the building and two adjoining ones. He envisions the Fair Haven Opera House as a new center for the community.  READ FULL STORY.