Peekskill's Trophy Point Entourage - 100 Reasons I Love Peekskill - Post 88

Peekskill's West Point Entourage - 100 Reasons I Love Peekskill - Post 88. I've been away a lot this summer and have had to miss some of my favorite Peekskill summertime events, including Open Studios and the Jazz & Blues Festival. So I was very happy to be able to say yes to Lana Yu & Brad Bolam's invitation to join a whole gang of Peekskillians for a pre-concert potluck picnic at West Point's Trophy Point. It was Billy Joel Tribute Night with the Army Jazz Knights, featuring our very own Peekskill Artist, vocalist Alexis Cole.

I carpooled with Peekskill artists Maureen Winzig (who was kind enough to drive) and Cindy Booth. It was a balmy summer evening, and the setting at Trophy Point is magical - Hudson River meets mountains and sky. Brad and Lana spread out three giant blankets, which I thought at first was overkill, but eventually a dozen people arrived, all bearing delicious contributions to the picnic.

The concert began, and as darkness fell, we were treated to a fabulous free concert of Billy Joel classics, arranged especially for the Jazz Knights. Alexis soloed in four songs - Just The Way You Are, Sadness or Euphoria, New York State of Mind, and Piano Man - as laughing children cavorted and adults sang along. Alexis, as always, sang so beautifully. I estimated that there were about a thousand people there, dotting the hillside overlooking the bandstand.

Afterwards, Alexis came to greet us, and she was accosted by another gang of Peekskillians who'd come via Stella the Trolley! I hadn't realized that Stella was making excursions to Trophy Point concerts for just $25, complete with a complimentary glass of wine.

The concert was over way too soon. As Maureen, Cindy and I walked back to the car, we crossed a playing field with grass that was like a soft carpet. We kicked off our sandals and under the starlit sky experience heaven both above and below us.

As we drove through Highland Falls, we passed an ice cream parlor, and Cindy exclaimed, "Who wants ice cream? I'm buying!" Screech of brakes. Fast U-turn. My ice cream cone was sinfully wonderful.

When I think of summer, I think of wonderful nights like this. I doesn't get any better.