What caught our eye - 4/6/19

April 6, 2019

Yes, those are daffodils in Upstate New York! Check out these shows.  (Skip Dickstein)

PEAKS YOUR CURIOSITY: The Conde Nast Traveler, that Wikipedia of wanderlust, muses this week that there’s a park in the lower 48 that’s bigger than the largest national park, Death Valley, and bigger than the second largest national park, Yellowstone, and bigger than the Great Smoky Mountains and bigger than all three put together – and, of all places, it’s three hours north of Manhattan.  You guessed it.  http://bit.ly/AdkSuperlative

VENUE’S FUTURE IS IN THE BANK: Supporters of the arts and lovers of fine architecture received some good news this week with the announcement that KeyBank had donated the ground floor of the Troy Savings Bank Building in downtown Troy to the organization that produces the programming for the historic and treasured Troy Savings Bank Music Hall upstairs. http://bit.ly/TheKeyToMusic

REFLECTS WELL ON THEM: Road salt is killing another Adirondack treasure. But the people who love Mirror Lake are organizing to save it. http://bit.ly/SavingMirrorLake

WALK THIS WAY: Would you walk a mile to put a smile on the face of a child? Of course, you’d walk … or run, ramble, amble and gambol. Here’s your chance: The Kelly’s Angels annual walk and run to raise money for Capital Region children and families whose lives have been forever changed by cancer or other life-threatening illness. It’s Mother’s Day, it’s fun, and it’s only three miles. You can do it! Watch the new public service announcement here. http://bit.ly/KellyAngelsML5K

MEDIA

MORE THOR -- Between the usual state budget news and the weather, CBS6 Morning Anchor Julia Dunn hit the pop culture headlines this week when she proclaimed Avengers star Chris Hemsworth not just handsome but hotttt. Saint Rose alum Jimmy Fallon caught the moment and brought it to national late-night audiences.  http://bit.ly/HeatOfThor

WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE OF: The City debuted this week, a non-profit online newspaper elbowing its way into the media capital of the world. It’s staffed by talented refugees from The New York Times, Daily News, New York Post, AP, Politico, Gothamist and Gotham Gazette and helmed by some big names including BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith, Luis Miranda Jr. (Lin-Manuel’s dad) and Richard Ravitch. http://bit.ly/TheCityReincarnatedNews

YOUR BIG BREAK: HBO’s “Succession” tracks the lives of a fractious family that controls a media empire (read the Murdochs). This spring, they’ll be filming in Lake Placid, Lake George and Queensbury and need extras to play “upscale business types and amusement park-goer types.” http://bit.ly/YourCastingCall

Jacob Houston (American, b. 1992), New York 1950, 2018,
Acrylic, 29.25 x 41.5 in., ©Jacob Houston.
 

LOUIS ARMSTRONG, WITH A BRUSH: Jacob Houston envisions a beautiful world full of light, joy and wonder. When he takes brush in hand, he brings to life magical land- and cityscapes that instill hope and delight our better angels. His work has been shown throughout the Northeast. Now, The Hyde Collection, local home of Picasso, Rembrandt, Rubens and van Gogh, welcomes this young Washington County artist. http://bit.ly/MagicalBrush

LATEST DISH ON COLLAR CITY: Food and wine marketplaces are popping up in every cool city – think Todd English’s Food Hall and Eataly, both in New York — and soon Downtown Troy will have its own. The Times Union’s Steve Barnes has the news about the River Street Market Food Hall opening May 1. http://bit.ly/RiverStMarket

UNCLE SAM ATE HERE: At 105, Manory’s is Troy’s oldest restaurant. But don’t confuse old school and old. Not when you can sip Albany-roasted Black Pearl espresso or a Fruity Pebbles milkshake with your waffles and gravy. http://bit.ly/ATimelessFavorite

CIBO ECCELLENTE: Chefs Danny Petrosino and Armondo Ciocckea have teamed up to open a new chef-owned, chef-operated restaurant next to Proctors Theater in Downtown Schenectady. Danny, of the wildly popular Osteria Danny in Saratoga Springs, and Ciocckea, who runs Villa Tuscan Grill in Rotterdam, are opening Grano where Aperitivo Bistro operated until early March. http://bit.ly/GranoGrandOpening

GOOD REASON TO EAT OUT: As if there weren’t enough to keep you up at night, now comes research showing that cooking at home releases chemicals that can make the air dirtier than that of the world’s most polluted city. http://bit.ly/KitchenPollution

ALL FOR PAUL: Paul Parker, who worked beside his mother Sophie in the family’s legendary Chez Sophie restaurant and who more recently ran the Rare Earth Wine Bar in Glens Falls, is suffering from cancer. His many friends are helping to raise money.  His mother Sophie and his artist father Joseph opened Chez Sophie in Hadley in 1969. When Sophie died in 2001, The New York Times said: “Tourists who stumbled across Chez Sophie left a little bewildered. Was it really possible that out in fast-food territory they had just eaten a first-class French meal? In Manhattan, Chez Sophie would qualify as a top-quality neighborhood bistro. In Saratoga County, it seemed like a mirage.” http://bit.ly/AllForPaul

WHAT BROWN’S DONE FOR YOU LATELY: A storied paper mill closes after 128 years. But wait. It’s re-opening? How? China and Amazon. http://bit.ly/CarboardComeback

THANK YOU, TOKYO: On March 27, 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City gave Washington, D.C., a gift that celebrates springtime renewal: Cherry blossoms to commemorate the friendship between the United States and Japan. http://bit.ly/SignOfEternalFriendship

AT LONG LAST: In fields long dominated by men, women are making major strides. Three examples: Privacy research at a major U.S. university, the kitchens of Maine and the high seas.

ANYTHING TO DECLARE?: A Canadian family was briefly detained at a border crossing in New York State because they had a dead body in the car. The reason is actually pretty practical, and very illustrative. http://bit.ly/AnybodyToDeclare

A STEEP PRICE FOR SERVICE: A 2018 report revealed that nearly two-thirds of military families “experienced stress due to their current financial situation” and “37 percent feel insecure about their financial future,” largely because the family’s nonmilitary partner had struggled with unemployment or underemployment. http://bit.ly/SteepPriceForService

THE MAGIC FORMULA: In the Latino community, Vicks VapoRub inspires a curious, nostalgic devotion — for its many nicknames and uses far more creative than relief for the common cold and muscle pain. http://bit.ly/TheScentofCaring

TAKING IT LYING DOWN: Researchers in Germany are paying women 16,500 euros, or about $18,522, to stay in bed for 60 days to help them study how weightlessness affects the human body.  http://bit.ly/DontGetUp

GOOD COP/MORE GOOD COPS: Thieves in Santa Ana, Calif., stole a pickup truck containing all of the equipment Adrian Salgado needs to do his job as a gardener. The local police did more than nab the suspects. http://bit.ly/CopsCaring

LAW AND DISORDER: What’s a marathon without a competitor using a bike or spectators stealing the bottled water, bananas, even the race tables and chairs? http://bit.ly/BadRunner

THE SIGNOFF

FULL RIDE: For those foregoing sweets for Lent, this may make sense. He stole a truck full of Little Debbies. What happened next? http://bit.ly/NotASweetRide

PLEASE SHARE: Feel free to pass this along to your friends and colleagues.

THANK YOU to our content contributors Colleen Potter, Lisa Fenwick, Bill Callen, Bill Richmond and John Brodt.

FACING OUT: FACING OUT is what we do. We help companies, organizations and individuals work effectively with their most important external audiences – their customers, their shareholders, their communities, the government and the news media.www.behancommunications.com

Facing Out features news and other nuggets that caught our eye, and that we thought might be of value to you, our friends and business associates. Some items are good news about our clients and friends, others are stories that we hope will leave you a bit more informed or entertained than you were five minutes ago. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback. 

 Let’s make it a conversation: mark.behan@behancom.com