Hoosick Falls NY is Famous for Grandma Moses and Unihog
I took off on an adventure last Saturday night, and it turned out to be a memorable one. For one thing, I was headed west to Hoosick Falls, New York, a direction I don’t follow enough, and one that’s rife with possibilities.
I had made a plan, bought a ticket online using Eventbrite, and was ready to go. This would be the first time I’ve ever seen this band, although I’ve come close many times.
It never was the right venue or timing, but now, I was off–committed to seeing them live, in a cool venue I’d never heard of.
Our destination was Hoosick Falls and we were heading for Unihog, a sprawling former mannequin factory with an outdoor stage, fire pits, and a funky inside marked by giant Railroad Crossing signs and a big old dog. My reason for driving the 1.5 hours through the woods of Vermont that night was to see the band Yarn, who were playing a gig at a place called Unihog.
The village in eastern New York of around 4000 is not famous, but painter Grandma Moses once lived here and her painting was hung in a local drug store. She was discovered and became the famous painter we know today.
Unihog fascinated me, it’s so funky and so cool with the big bar and fun outdoor seating areas in front of the stage which is in front of a big brick wall. “The guy who lives on the other side loves the music,” the man at the door told me.
The drive over to the club was about 90 minutes, and I was glad that I was riding in the back with Lawna and Dave, big fans of Yarn, who are intrepid club-goers who drive hither and yon to see shows.
I never ever do this and this little jaunt made me realize how fun it is, when you get the right combination of venue, driver and band.
An interesting sidelight was the town itself. It is famous for a giant settlement made between Saint Gobain and other manufacturers who had a factory right next to the water treatment plant.
The companies were forced to pay the locals $25 million and take care of their health care for decades after the water was polluted.