Taking a page out of Kingston Wire columnist Will Nixon’s book, I spent the weekend walking. If any of you have read one of Will’s sprawling columns, you will immediately get the sense that his perspectives come from a man who has spent many, many hours of his life walking. For leisure, for enjoyment, to supplement and proliferate meditation. I imagine Will’s philosophy behind walking is similar to my own with running, except the exertion isn’t nearly as severe.

As a still-new resident of Kingston, I’ve been creeping my way to longer and longer walks, testing my limits and seeing where these side roads take me. It is undeniable that the act of walking suits a writer or poet – it allows you to slow down and really observe the world around you. Running, you see most things in a flash, your mind preoccupied with the endorphins and mental stimuli of the full body experience.

On Saturday, me and my boyfriend decided to spend the day walking. First, we ran to Lake Sophia, about 4.5 miles, strapped with a change of clothes and two protein bars on our back, and took a restorative dip in the lake before continuing our journey, now exclusively walking, back into the city, which we traversed from Delaware Ave to Broadway to Uptown and back to the Rondout again. By 11 p.m. we returned, buzzing from our journey and a few drinks along the way. In total, we walked/ran about 12.5 miles.

One stop we made once we reached the Stockade was the opening of dirty joke, a gallery show I am remiss to have left out of my column last week. The show was curated by Matt Moment and located at Utopia, a relatively new gallery at the location of the former Half Moon bookstore. It was my first time in the space since the renovation, and once it clicked that in another life it housed stacks upon stacks of used books, the carpet straight out of a 70s home décor magazine and with the various sculptural installments and visceral photographs, it transported me into a Lynchian world I wasn’t fully prepared for. But I soon got used to it. If anything, the space had the perfect amount of uncanniness that any good alternative art space should.

Because next week’s Friday List is already slated to be unbelievably dense, I want to do justice to a missed inclusion and mention a short film series starring the artists whose work was featured in dirty joke, that Matt has planned for next Friday, September 18.

As any good film screening should, there will be pizza and beer available at the pre-screening gathering, which will begin at 6 p.m. The screening is set to begin around 7 p.m., at sundown, with a 45-minute run time. It’ll be located at frog alley, yet another new venue (at least new to me), which the invitation post indicates is a short walk from Utopia, across the street from Deising’s. In case of rain the screening will take place at Utopia.

The screening is free, and all are welcome to attend. No RSVP necessary. Utopia is located at 35 North Front Street, and you can learn more about them @utopiaupstate.

Taking it back a few days, next Tuesday, September 15, the city is having the opening for an exhibition at City Hall called Nuestros Sueños, Nuestro Legado – Our Dreams, Our Legacy, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

The city, under the assistance of Mayor Noble and the Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs, has teamed up with Latin Outreach, Unity and Development (L.O.U.D.) for this exhibit, which will be available to view until the end of the year, 2027.

The multidisciplinary show includes artists Gülnar Babayeva, Ramiro Davaro-Comas, Laura Congote, Angelica Farfan, Christopher Garcia, Maria Del Carmen Garcia, David Gonzalez, Steven Gonzalez, Sam Kirk, Barbara Tepper Levy, Rosa Núñez, Jacqueline Oster, Franc Palaia, Elisa Pritzker, Jose Isaac Ruiz, David Salvatierra, Pablo Shine, and Glenn Werner, many of whom are familiar faces in the local art scene.

At the opening, Mayor Noble and County Executive Jen Metzger will make statements, which will be followed by live music by Andalucia Project, a photo booth by Kristopher Johnson, and food by Ana Leyva of Mi Taqueria Mi Pubelito. Leyva will be sharing the cultural significance of her food, whose storefront is located just down the street from City Hall.

The reception will take place from 5 – 7 p.m. at City Hall, 420 Broadway. More information can be seen here.

Finally, take your car across the Wurts Street Bridge into Port Ewen for the latest installment of The Ball & Claw Flea Market, at 213 Broadway in Port Ewen.

The event, which I just found out about, takes place the second Saturday of every month from May through October.

The market is the brain and passion child of Maria Philippis, who some of you may recognize as the former owner of both Boitson’s and KOVO, both staples in the Kingston restaurant scene for many years while they were around. Maria also founded antique shop Cakewalk in Rosendale in the early 2000s, and in 2024 her passion for antiques, vintage and unique and rare finds culminated into Ball & Claw Antiques, a storefront in downtown Port Ewen.

Now, Ball & Claw hosts their monthly flea market series which has been a raging success and promotes other local creators and dealers across the Valley. The market also comes equipped with food trucks, music, and, of course, plenty of fun.

The market takes place from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and more information about Ball & Claw can be found here.