suns along the Mohawk

– The Van Dyck, 237 Union St. Schenectady Stockade –

– a great place to celebrate Father’s Day or the Summer Solstice today –

Although they’re still awningless [but see the June 22 update below], the MacDonalds are unveiling their new and improved version of The Van Dyck Restaurant & Lounge today, with a “preview concert” of the Pan Jazz Festival, at 4 PM and 7:30 PM.  (See Daily Gazette, “Van Dyck ready to make its debut“, June 19, 2009) Here’s the blurb about the preview concert from their website’s Entertainment Page (where you can go to purchase tickets for all shows):

Enjoy the jazz sounds of  Caribbean steel pan drums. The Pan Jazz Festival performers are appearing at the Van Dyck following their Lincoln Center performance. Featuring:Othello Molineaux – Steel DrumManolo Badrena – Percussion Andrew Atkinson – Drums Nicky Orta – Bass Rich Lamanna – Synthophone $25

Because I’m often at 246 Union Street, the headquarters of Family & Child Service of Schenectady as a volunteer, I’ve been watching all the reconstruction activity directly across the street at The Van Dyck the past couple of months.  The entire staff of FCSS is anxiously awaiting the rebirth of The Van Dyck and welcomes manager Jeff MacDonald and his family and staff to our end of the block on Union Street.

. . . . . . . . 

When I stopped by around 9 AM this morning (Sunday, June 21) to see what might be going on as the Van Dyck’s preview day begins, I snapped this shot of the Van Dyck’s front door, and inadvertently caught the reflection of Family and Child Service across the street. [This reflection could, of course, have never been captured if the new awning were already installed.]

Van Dyck front Door, early on preview day, reflecting FCSS across the street

. . . .

The two Stockade institutions have been facing each other across Union Street and serving our community — in important but very different ways — since the 1940s.

. . . I also found two early bird staffers unloading a van-full of framed artwork into The Van Dyck, and expect they will be well hung long before concert time this afternoon:

On June 29, The Van Dyck will officially re-open for lunch and dinner, with entertainment Thursday through Saturday. It’s great to have The Van Dyck back and I hope it will be thriving and jiving, and making our community an even more diverse and enjoyable place to live and visit, for many decades to come.

p.s. For more about the “new” Van Dyck, see Beverly Elander’s article on page 2 of the May 2009 edition of The Stockade Spy.

update (June 22, 2009): The Van Dyck’s classy new black awning with gold script was installed this morning.   Here’s the face that the “new” Van Dyck will show visitors and passers-by:

. . . and a closer look at the new awning:

..   ..