The monthly Arts Upstairs gallery opening on Main Street in Phoenicia took on a special glow last night, with people from the Magnetic Laboritorium wrapping the Phoenicia Hotel (which was irreparably burned in a fire last summer) in tarps, and then projecting video imagery onto the remains of the building. Despite intermittent rain, a couple of hundred people crowded the gallery and the sidewalks as the words and phrases "Don't Let Them Close Our School," "Vote May 20" and "Keep Local Businesses Thriving" were sent spinning across the street in bright blue lights. Just one more example in a seemingly endless display of anger towards the current School Board and support for the challenging candidates. Thanks go out to everybody involved in last night's effort: Arts Upstairs, Marisela and all at Magnetic Laboritorium, and to Declan Feehan, the new owner of the Phoenicia Hotel, which we hope will rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
