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Date: 8/8/2023
MONTGOMERY — After a year and a half of performances in the dining room of the Montgomery Marketplace at 46 Main Rd., Music in Montgomery has moved to a new venue. The Thursday afternoon 3 p.m. concerts will now take place every week in the historical Town Hall at 161 Main Rd., Montgomery.
Also moving is the Gray Catbird Gift Shop and Pottery Studio. Dale Rogers owner of the Gray Catbird and organizer of Music in Montgomery, said she has outgrown her space in the Montgomery Marketplace, and will be moving to a newly renovated store at 22 E. Main St., Huntington, which she says has ample space for the studio and the shop. She expects to open in Huntington by Sept. 12.
Speaking at the first Town Hall concert on Aug. 3, filled with people enjoying the sounds of the Hilltown Grillbillies — Jerry and Kara Noble, Scott and Mary Darling and Dan Damkauskas — Rogers said she is excited about both moves.
The music series was started in honor of renowned jazz clarinetist Bob Sparkman, who initially played monthly with Jerry and Kara Noble as a trio until he died in March at the age of 94. The series is now booked with musical acts through December. The concerts are free, with a tip jar for the musicians, and a donation box for the refreshments, cookies and beverages, all of which are donated by volunteers. Money for the refreshments goes to the Montgomery Library and the town’s volunteer fire department.
Town Librarian Paula Stipek-Long addressed the crowd on Aug. 3 and thanked them for the support. She said donations from Music in Montgomery paid for the summer reading program at the library this year.
Rogers said the donations to the Fire Department have been used to upgrade oxygen tanks, firefighter apparel and EMT equipment, as well as helping to fund their scholarship program in memory of Chief Steven Frye, who died while on duty in December 2017.
Rogers also thanked Montgomery Grille owner Scott Ford, who hosted the weekly music event for 16 months.
“We have outgrown the Grille dining room space, but are grateful for Scott’s long support,” she said.
Upcoming shows for the month of August at Montgomery Town Hall, all at 3 p.m., are Aug. 10, Ravenwood — Barry Searle & Company, jazz; Aug. 17, Kara and Jerry Noble, songs and stories; Aug. 24, The Uncles: Rob Adams, Dennis Avery and John Clark’s three-part harmonies on folk, rock and jazz; and Aug. 31, Ed Bentley and friends, folk and rock.
The Gray Catbird Gift Shop features the work of 65 area artists and artisans. Rogers, who is a potter and painter herself, opened the Gray Catbird art space in January 2021, shortly after retiring from 20 years as a teacher and career counselor at White Oak School in Westfield.
The next year, Rogers started pottery classes, and the sessions are always full, often with a waiting list. She said the new space on East Main Street in Huntington, formerly a breakfast and lunch spot, has plenty of room for both the shop and the classroom studio.