Each winter, thousands of birds migrate "south" in search of warmer climates and in particular, warmer and unfrozen waters. These waters become a sanctuary for birds to congregate and use for hunting during the winter months. In the past, bald eagles were unseen in our area. Now these giant birds of prey are making a triumphant return (over 100 are seen at Croton Point Park each year).

How can you catch a glimpse? Teatown Lake Reservation is hosting its 6th Eagle Fest at Croton Point Park to celebrate not just bald eagles, but all raptors that make their way back "home" for the winter. EagleFest-ivities take flight at 8am on Saturday at Van Cortlandt Manor with a FREE bird walk and tour of the Croton River by the Hudson Valley Audubon's Michael Botonick. After your tour of the grounds, meet in Van Cortlandt Manor's visitor center for hot beverages, light snacks, and a number of hands-on craft activities. Then migrate over to Croton Point Park for the Birds of Prey show, storytelling, heated tents for eagle viewing, and much more. Don't forget your binoculars!

Click here for a complete listing of EagleFest-ivities

When can you enjoy tours and cultural activities at four of Westchester's historic sites, all for free?  For just one day, doors at Historic Hudson Valley will open with FREE admission to select sites with special activities to boot. Free Arts Day is this Sunday, December 6^, and will take place at Washington Irving's Sunnyside, Philipsburg Manor, Union Church, and Van Cortlandt Manor (full listings below), as well as other cultural attractions throughout Westchester.

Now in its eighth year, Free Arts Day, organized by Arts Westchester, has been become a community-must for the holiday season.

"Free Arts Day gives new residents an extra incentive to discover, for the first time, cultural sites and organizations that are in their backyard," said ArtsWestchester Executive Director Janet T. Langsam. "It also encourages people to re-discover cultural venues that they have appreciated in the past, but haven't visited lately....and see what's new."

Visit www.artswestchester.org and take advantage of all that this Sunday has to offer.

Historic Hudson Valley Listings

Phillipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow (hours: 10am-4pm)
2:30pm Sankofa African Drum & Dance Ensemble, led by Maxwell Kofi Donkor

Sunnyside, Tarrytown (hours: 10am-4pm)
12& 1:30pm Living Theatre Museum Company performing Gift of the Magi

Union Church @ Pocantico Hills (hours: 2-4pm)
3pm Bas Duo performs Piazzolla

Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson (hours: 10am-4pm)
2pm Jim Keyes will perform holiday and classical favorites

 

As promised, here is part two of our interview with Brian Jay Jones, author of An American Original, an Irving biography. Brian is coming to Sunnyside on Saturday as part of Historic Hudson Valley's Legend Daytime program. He'll be speaking at 11:30 and 2.

HVBlogger: how did your interest in Washington Irving begin?

Brian Jay Jones: I got into Washington Irving because I'm a Christmas junkie. About ten years ago, I was reading Stephen Nissenbaum's The Battle for Christmas, a terrific book all about the origins of American Christmas traditions.

HVBlogger: I love that book!

Brian Jay Jones: Yes yes yes! Well, as you know, in that book, Nissenbaum says that many of the things we assume are old Christmas traditions-Yule logs, sleigh rides, wassail bowls-were actually never old traditions; we just think they are because Washington Irving made them up and told us they were. Well...I had never heard that before, so I found Irving's Christmas stories-which are buried in plain sight right in the middle of The Sketch Book-and read them. I loved them-and what really surprised me was how modern Irving's voice was, and how funny he could be. I read the rest of The Sketch Book-which I will blushingly admit to having never read-and loved it as well. I wanted to find out more about Irving . . . and immediately hit a dead end. Not only were no biographies in print, but the last one had been written in 1935-and that particular bio was written by a Yale professor who clearly didn't like Irving very much.

HVBlogger: We call that the Biography of Which We Do Not Speak

Brian Jay Jones: So, at that point, I began reading everything I could about, and by, Irving, with the intent of writing a modern biography-more of a character study, of sorts, and one that truly appreciated all that he accomplished. He really was an extraordinary guy.

HVBlogger: So why does Irving matter to 21st-century Americans?

Brian Jay Jones: He matters because he made our literature matter. Before Irving, no one took Americans very seriously as writers. Similar to the debate Jefferson was having with Europeans who claimed that our wildlife was smaller, and therefore inferior, to their European counterparts, so too did Europeans regard our literature as smaller and inferior. Irving proved to them not only that Americans could write, but that we could make our own literature, thank you very much. Irving also led the way in determining how American writers could secure and protect their copyrights, as well as how to promote and market a book. So, he's not only the Father of American Letters, he's pretty much the Father of the Modern Book Industry.

HVBlogger: Not to mention that whole inventing Christmas traditions thing...

Brian Jay Jones: Absolutely. If you love holidays like Halloween or Christmas, you can thank Irving for that, too. Irving all but invented the trappings of good autumn ghost stories, and he almost single-handedly rescued Christmas from oblivion.

HVBlogger: What will you be talking about at Sunnyside on the 17th?

Brian Jay Jones: I want to have a bit of fun and talk about Irving and Sunnyside as a kind of 19^th century Elvis and Graceland. One of the things that makes Irving really cool is that he was really famous-with lots of famous friends-and Sunnyside was considered one of the great places in the United States. I mean, it was on postcards and sheet music, one of the most recognized buildings around. So, I want to talk about Irving's life as a celebrity. You'll hear all sorts of famous names. It'll be fun. Trust me.

HVBlogger: Color me convinced! Are you a Halloween fan in general

We are big fans of Brian Jay Jones, Washington Irving, and gripping biographies. Thus, we are what you would call a superfan of An American Original, a gripping biography of Irving written by Brian Jay Jones.

Brian is coming to Sunnyside on Saturday as part of Historic Hudson Valley's Legend Daytime program and we're pretty thrilled. He'll be speaking at 11:30 and 2. We caught up with him this week in advance of his talk. The conversation went so well that this will be a two-part post. To be continued tomorrow...

HVBlogger: Greetings Mr. Jones. Long time no chat. Tell our readers a little bit about An American Original.

Brian Jay Jones: My pleasure! Washington Irving: An American Original is both a biography and a celebration of America's first genuine literary celebrity. We all know Irving as a great writer, but I also really wanted people to appreciate his incredible life and his enormous personal charm. While we like to think of our old writers as these stoic looking, very proper busts on the mantelpiece, Irving was actually more like Elvis or Sinatra-he was not just a famous writer, he was a superstar. Politicians wanted to be seen with him. Fellow writers wanted his endorsement. Fans wanted pieces of his blotting paper. Anyone who was anyone paid a trip to Irving at Sunnyside.

HVBlogger: It's funny you mention the stoic bust on the mantelpiece, because there's a rather stoic bust of Irving at Sunnyside, outside though, not on the mantle. We even use it as a Twitter icon!

Brian Jay Jones: He would have loved the Twitter icon, I'm sure. He dodged the paparazzi, created viral marketing campaigns, and cultivated an attractive public persona. And, of course, anything he wrote sold enormously well. In the same way today's readers eagerly anticipate the latest Stephen King or Dan Brown or John Grisham novel, 19^th-century readers couldn't wait to get their hands on the latest book from Irving. He was a groundbreaker in so many ways, and I wanted today's readers to appreciate him as more than just the guy who wrote "Rip Van Winkle."

HVBlogger: He wrote Rip Van Winkle? Haha. Just KIDDING. Of course we knew that. Now, tell us a little bit about Brian Jay Jones.

Brian Jay Jones: I'm a writer, political hack, Beatlemaniac, and pop culture junkie. I spent ten years working in the U.S. Senate, where I served as a policy advisor, speech writer, and ghost writer, and have since worked at the state and local levels as well, giving me the political hat trick of working for elected officials at all three levels of government.

HVBlogger: Oh you poor baby.

Brian Jay Jones: Ha! But I love it! I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, earned a degree in English from the University of New Mexico, and have since spent most of my adult years in the Washington, D.C., area. I currently live in Damascus, Maryland, with my wife, daughter, and a very large dog.

HVBlogger: Very nice, very nice. Do you spend all of your free time in libraries and bookstores and playing Beatles Rock Band?

Brian Jay Jones: Not entirely. While I take words, books, and the Beatles seriously, I also unapologetically love movies, television, and comics. I think Amadeus and Plan 9 From Outer Space are both great movies, that The Brady Bunch is one of the best TV shows ever, that old timey music rocks, and that Batman could beat Spider-Man in a fight.

HVBlogger: Uh, there is NO question on that last point. OK, we will continue with Brian's interview tomorrow!

See Brian Jay Jones on Saturday at Sunnyside as part of the Legend Daytime program. Tickets available at the door or in advance online.

On this Fourth, you  can celebrate our country's independence by actually becoming a part of it. Whether you're a history buff, a sports fan, nature lover, or family of nine you will find something to fit your tastes at either of this years July 4th events at Historic Hudson Valley. 

First decide whether you'd like to travel 150 or 200 years into the past to experience a more traditional celebration of America's independence. (Don't worry, you can do both!)

Independence Day 1809 is at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. Packed like a cannon with traditional celebrations including a reading of the Declaration of Independence, historic reenactments, and hands-on activities that will have you experiencing your very own military camp. You might forget you are in the year 2009.  If that's not enough, there's a parade that marches the entire property in all its glory.

At Independence Day 1859 at Washington Irving's Sunnyside in Tarrytown, visitors will be welcomed with period style music and dancing and can play "Town Ball," a traditional version of baseball from the 19^th century. If the sun becomes too much, dip into Irving's cottage for a tour or help churn ice cream the old fashioned way. 

If you visit today, let us know and send us some pics!