The big chill

Posted 8/21/12

I’ve run out of adjectives and my list of synonyms has frozen up. Words like arctic, frigid, icy, polar, raw, frosty and nippy just aren’t cutting it anymore, and our refrigerated landscape has …

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The big chill

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I’ve run out of adjectives and my list of synonyms has frozen up. Words like arctic, frigid, icy, polar, raw, frosty and nippy just aren’t cutting it anymore, and our refrigerated landscape has been making the national news with wind chills dipping to minus 35 here in the Upper Delaware River region. Lately, I’ve taken to flipping through photos of spring, summer and fall to remind myself of why we do it, save for the brave few who adore shivering on the slopes or braving the glacial temps to sit on a barrel and fish through a hole they have painstakingly bored into the lake.

I had planned on getting to the 30th annual King of the Ice fishing contest (www.SullivanCountyConservationClub.org) last Sunday, but my numb feet were unwilling to keep up. Rumor has it that more than 100 brave souls showed up, which makes me feel even more like a sissy than usual. I’ve been before and it’s always a frost-bitten good time, but I stayed in bed, electric blanket going full tilt, wishing for warmth and feeling sorry for myself. What else is new? Every time the pup asked to go out, I whimpered back at her before donning scarf, coat, hat, gloves and boots, trudging through the snow and ice, snapping pics along the way in order to capture the frozen beauty that lay just beneath my layer of thinly veiled hostility.

Determined to get out and get over myself, Dharma and I made our way to Jeffersonville, NY and the kick-off party celebrating 25 years of Radio Catskill (www.wjffradio.org) with über-fan Gayle Zier, who has the station playing 24/7 in every room of her Smallwood home. Although she can recite the programming schedule by heart, she had never toured the station, so taking her along seemed like a no-brainer. Slip slidin’ away on the (insert colorful adjective here) ice, we pulled into the lot just as general manager Adam Weinreich was gingerly making his way to the door, three-tiered cake in hand. Silently wishing for a pratfall, I took a series of photos, but (cursing me under his breath) Adam managed to escape a tumble and we joined a throng of well-wishers who all braved the crystallized air in order to party. Between the thawed-out cake, the on-air tributes and Dharma making the rounds, I grabbed an opportunity to chat with many, including program director Jason Dole who was (as usual) far too jovial for my taste.

Are you going to the screening of “HITS?” Dole inquired, referring to the one-night-only presentation of writer/director David Cross’ independent film described briefly as being about “A small town in upstate New York, playing host to its inhabitants’ delusions of grandeur” (www.imdb.com). That small town happens to be Liberty, NY, where Cross spent a good deal of time filming, and the screening was to take place down by the river (www.callicoontheater.com).

Mocking me mercilessly for complaining about the weather, Jason agreed to give me his feedback after seeing the film. “It did not disappoint,” Dole told me later that evening. “Well rounded with plenty of laughs, it worked on multiple levels [in his humble opinion] and had heart and compassion for its characters, while simultaneously satirizing them.”

“Hmm,” I thought, “he’s way to good at this; better not ask him to fill in for me again.” At the core, “HITS” is about addiction to fame in a world where reality television now runs rampant, and attempting to get “hits” on YouTube and social media platforms can be all-consuming for many. “The fact that it was shot here made it even more fun,” Jason continued, “and there were lots of local references that had elicited enthusiastic response from the audience. There was a shot with [Liberty Town Supervisor] Charlie Barbutti along with scads of residents who served as ‘extras,’ and plenty of locations that we all recognized, since we live here. The kids were all taking snapshots of their names on the big screen with their cell phones, which underscored the theme of the film.”

As a final thought, Jason informed me that the biggest reaction of the night was when the main character (played by actor Matt Walsh) recites a list of offices that he has reached out to for assistance, rounding it out with having “contacted The River Reporter,” which drew hoots, hollers and a huge round of applause. “Well done, Dole,” I responded to his review “but don’t get used to it. I’ll be back on my beat next week, come hell or high (I mean frozen) water. Have an ice day!”

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