Scott Baldinger and Fiona Breslin report from Hudson and Pittsfield.Despite the imminent arrival of Hurricane Sandy, it wasn’t quite the quiet weekend before the storm in the RI region. After all, it was Halloween. And what is the holiday weekend for the over twenty-one crowd if not a time for humor, horror, and hedonism? Costume prizes, bouts of pouring alcohol, and dirty dancing were rampant Saturday, October 27. From Helsinki Hudson’s provocative Kook-Spook, a rock-and-roll themed bash, where drag artists, zombie brides, pirates, even a beared-lady went hard on the dance-floor, lured forward by sounds from DJ Gio and Hudson local legend Musty Chiffon. Across county lines, Pittsfield's Spice Dragon teamed up with Berkshire Young Professionals and Berkshire Shenanigans for Noche de Los Muertos. Guests (including party-goer Shani London-Kane, Spice Dragon owner Thang Huynh, and event organizer Paul Dodds, above) donned calavera make-up and danced to music by DJ BFG. Also in attendance was Lance Armstrong on dope (perhaps a bit too soon?), princess Cleopatra, Mitt Romney’s ‘binder full of women’, and not one, two, or three, but five, Where’s Waldos, spotted hanging out among the free-flowing crowd.
At Club Helsinki: Orlando Castillo of Hudson's Colonia Antiques; anonymous pirate.
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Daisy the Majorette (aka David Osborn); Hudson's Five and Diamond owner Lisa Durfee kissed by Patrick Knull.
Attendees waiting to get in to the club; zombie bride Ursula Depew.
At Spice Dragon: Michael Duffy as Lance Armstrong; there's Waldo!; Danielle Gonzalez, Megan Konieczny, Christine Hoyt, Christina Barrett, and Chris Leone.
Van Gogh (aka artist Michael Boroniec) and Rachel Pazrick; Cleopatra (aka Tomarra Elliott) with Natalie Trif and 20 Railroad Street's Anna Huynh.
Women in power!
Bunny Shauna Lange and rooster Colin Toomey; Berkshire Pure Movement's Rachael Plaine.
Awards were handed out for best costumes, including most risque look of the night; reporter Jenn Smith with Heather Franckling and Dan Wallace.
Joe Scoco and Michelle Denyes were awarded first place for their party themed Noche de Los Muertos looks; David Desrosiers and 'Binders Full of Women', Kathie Penna.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
