Green Onion's first open mic is an instant smash

By Frances Ruth Harris
CHESTER — Hillary Lindsay brought down the house with songs from the Broadway hit "Hamilton."
She owns and operates The Green Onion, the agro-community center in Chester's Black Dirt area, which held its first open mic on Feb. 24.
"The purpose is to unite producers and consumers while celebrating the culture of the Hudson Valley," Lindsay said.
The open mic, to be offered on the last Friday of every month, was an instant success. The parking lot was jammed with cars. Performers from all over the Hudson Valley came to take their turn at the mic while others came to listen, toasting one another with Rushing Duck beer and devouring sizzling cheese steaks from the food truck grill.
Nikki Cavanaugh's Rushing Duck Brewery is right next door to The Green Onion, so there was no danger of running out of her special brew. She said the brewery's name is a tribute to her beloved late grandfather, George Wilken, who used to rush to the brewery to fill a pail he called "The Duck."
The United Cheese Steaks of America food truck came from Warwick. Sarah Colley and Adam Powers served up their steaks with piles of deep-fried accompaniments.
A cultural experienceThe high-energy performances included Michael Holmes from Florida, formerly part of the Groovy Tuesday group, who played guitar and sang accompanied by Lindsay's Uncle Bill Lindsay on the drums. (Holmes' CDs are available on iTunes and Amazon.) Jim Coleman played the flute and guitar and sang. His son, Jaime, joined him for the evening. Guitarist John Hick sang with Martha Assdante.
Dave and Carol Pry from West Milford, N.J., came to listen to their daughter Rebecca play the ukulele. Jen Powers played the guitar.
There were plenty of laughs too. Roy Otte, who travels up and down the Hudson Valley to perform comic routines, to take his turn at the mike. Evlyn Suazo and Jacob and Adriann Otte, all from Middletown, came to cheer their friend and dad. Ryan Denisco and Shira Mizzel both presented comic routines.
The enthusiastic listeners came from around the area, including Dan Willis, Alice Jiang, Devin and Mary Stephens from Middletown; Heather Candella from Chestnut Ridge in Rockland County; Tony Deblasi from Monroe; and Toni Leone, Jim Hayes, and Maria Osundele from Chester.
The work of local artists, featured on the walls and bar tops of The Green Onion event space, made for a very well-rounded cultural experience.
The Green Onion, located at 8 Greycourt Avenue, markets a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.