In the Dutchess County Spotlight

More than 320 years after they landed on the shores of Poughkeepsie at Upper Landing, the Dutch are returning in a special exhibit with a telescopic look of the influence of the Netherlands on Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Valley region. The exhibit, Our Dutch Heritage: Setting the Course for the New York Ship of State is on view August 6- 31 at the Mid Hudson Heritage Center, 317 Main Street, in the City of Poughkeepsie.

"For years, many residents have stored artifacts and history of our early Dutch Heritage in their closets and attics," Nancy Cozean, President of the Upper Landing Committee said. "This show provides the opportunity to view rarely seen early historic pieces of our past, and to reconnect with the modern Netherlands in a very changing Europe." The Heritage Center will be open from 11am to 3pm weekdays. A special lecture series is set for Friday evening.

As part of the exhibit, artifacts and ephemera from early Indian treaties, as well as early Dutch ledgers, correspondence, pictures, religious antiquities and an early Dutch Bible are on display throughout the month. There are also samples of Hudson Valley Dutch furniture and paintings, as well as modern items of Holland in America.

Special lectures and discussion are also be part of the exhibit each Friday, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Heritage Center.

On Friday, August 31, The Upper Landing Committee presents the last lecture series on the proposed green sustainable bridge project for the City of Poughkeepsie, "The Living Legacy of the Quadricentennial." The Upper Landing Committee was created as part of the Hudson, Fulton ,Champlain Quadricentennial to promote historic, natural and sustainable resources within the Hudson Valley region. Donations are being sought for the city project.

The exhibit, Our Dutch Heritage: Setting the Course for the New York Ship of State and all lectures are free and open to everyone. The exhibit is open from 11am to 3pm weekdays at the Mid Hudson Heritage Center, and the Friday Lecture is 5:30-7:30pm at the Center. For information call 845 213-1113  or visit www.midhudsonheritage.org.