Palaia Winery gets ‘jazzy' on June 14

Highland Mills - “Jazz in the Vineyard” comes to Woodbury’s popular music venue on Sunday, June 14, when Palaia Winery opens its doors to some of the best talent in the Hudson Valley. Beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing into the early evening, a number of jazz bands and ensembles will be performing on the Winery’s Main Stage. Among them will be “The Usual Suspects,” “Serious Monks,” “Nth Degree,” and “Those Guys.” Proceeds from the event will benefit the Woodbury Historical Society’s Gatehouse Historic Site and Learning Center. The requested donation will be $10 per person. Wine, soft drinks and food will be available for purchase. Those attending will be surrounded by great music in a remarkable and beautiful setting. To sit on the lawn of Palaia Winery enjoying the music, the wine, the food and the scenery is also to take a step back in time. Once the site of one of the most successful dairy farms in the area, Sweet Clover Farm was started by Jacob Seaman in the late 1700s. Nestled in “The Clove” in the shadow of Schunnemunk Mountain, visitors are surrounded by the 1850’s “Shaker Bank Barn,” the Homestead, the 1870’s train station building, and the expansive fields once filled with grazing cows. Fast forward to the 21 century and the current owners, the Palaggi family, have kept the history alive by creating a modern ambiance for all to enjoy. The fields are now filled with vineyards producing an abundant yield of wine grapes. The barn, beautifully restored, is the winery and tasting room. The Homestead continues as a private residence after 200 years, and the train station serves as an office. Most striking is the unique outdoor stage and enormous tent for visitors so performances like “Jazz in the Vineyard” can be held rain or shine. The surroundings are an invitation to one and all to bring a lawn chair and enjoy the entertainment. Today’s sights and sounds of talented musicians, many of them from our local area, bring an experience completely unknown to the Seaman Quakers who once lived and worked here. Reviewing Quaker records going back to the 1740’s, it is readily apparent that the Seamans were a family always open to change and adaptation. Today perhaps they would consider the winery as just another change that brings enjoyment and contentment to The Clove. More to come on June 14. Fred Lindlaw, a member of the Woodbury Historical Society, provided this story. If you go Palaia Vineyards and Winery is located at 20 Sweet Clover Road at Route 32 in Highland Mills (about five miles north of Woodbury Commons). For more information, call 845-928-5384 or go to www.palaiavineyards.com.