Excerpt from The Times Herald Record -New Paltz Edition ,
Thursday, August 31st, 1995, P1

Back on the Map

Visitors flooded Main Street last weekend for the 1995 edition of the Rosendale street festival - an annual town party launched in the late seventies but abandoned in 1980 due to residents' complaints. On Monday, exhausted festers indulged in some well-deserved back-patting. "I'm really, really happy," enthused Scott Cranin, one of the three main fest directors. "Everybody had such a good time."

The weekend's crowds stayed mellow under sunny skies. The festival's theme of diversity was reflected in the range of music and merchandise as well as the people attending. Town folk and visitors milled around a multitude of vending booths and grooved with a myriad of musicians on four stages.

"Hopefully this helped to change the perception about the town and village center," said Brian Cafferty, another director.

Organizers hoped the fest would spark interest in Rosendale as place to visit and shop.

Cafferty would like to see more businesses open in downtown Rosendale. Until the recent advent of Main Street businesses like the Rosendale Cafe and Cranin's Alternative Video Shop, the downtown area had remained frozen in the economic downturn which resulted after the local cement industry dried up decades ago. Fest advocates cited a need to bring commercial attention to Rosendale for short and long term economic gain.

"The long term economic effect can be measured by seeing people come in to buy or rent buildings," said Cafferty.

"A woman from Kingston said to me, ' I never knew Rosendale was such a nice little town,"' said fest committee member Dietrich Werner. Apparently she passed through Rosendale on Route 32 every day en -~he way to work, but never realized there was more to it than the mini-marts and gas stations,, he explained.

Fest vendor take varied. Low- to mid-price range merchandise, such as Alan Fox's silver jewelry, generally did better than more expensive goods. Hurley kite and banner company Wood 'n Kites provided a festive touch for the stages, with giant multi-colored nylon banners and whirligigs, but unfortunately business at their booth was slow.

Food, on the other hand, went like hotcakes. Purveyors of hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, watermelon, fried dough, soda and beer were kept busy by constant demand.

"Some people said they didn't do that well, but they had such a nice time anyway," said Cranin.

Several non-profit groups were also represented along the fairway. Planned Parenthood gave out free copies of The New Our Bodies, Ourselves and coupons for a free pap smear. An anti-death penalty group collected signatures in support of Mumia Abu Jamal, a black journalist and activist on death row in Philadelphia.

At the Rosendale-based Lesbian Visibility Project booth, local activist Gale McGovern spoke with two Kingston teens, Josh Eppard and Ian Dunn of the band 3.

"I have tons of gay friends," said Eppard.

"My feminine side is a lesbian," said Dunn.

"I think there are a lot of people walking by who never saw an 'out' lesbian," said McGovern. "

"'Brian, we have more problems on Friday night at some of the local bars than we did this weekend,'" Cafferty recalled Sargent James Rowe saying.

"I have never worked so hard in my life," said Cafferty. "It was all worth it. A countless number of people thanked me from the bottom of their hearts. It's really gratifying."