The Towne Crier Cafe has been a mainstay of New York’s Hudson Valley entertainment industry since 1972. From its beginnings in an old stagecoach stop in the hamlet of Beekmanville, to relocation in the town of Pawling and its current site in the blossoming arts hub of Beacon, the Towne Crier has featured world-class talent in an intimate setting. The venue offers what The New York Times called “Down-home access to world-class performers.”

Some of the artists who have graced the Towne Crier stage include folk icons such as Pete Seeger, Tom Chapin and Judy Collins; top-tier singer-songwriters like Richard Thompson and Jimmy Webb; stellar instrumentalists like Bela Fleck, McCoy Tyner, Pat Metheny and Leo Kottke; in addition to a variety of Americana, Celtic, jazz, rock, Cajun, zydeco and R&B artists – as well as many who defy categories. The Crier has also featured dance, cabaret, vaudeville, film, spoken word/poetry and theater.

As the Crier celebrates its 50^th anniversary, it’s worth taking a journey back to the beginning.

Phil Ciganer was a young trader on the American Stock Exchange in the late 1960s. After work, he’d head down to Greenwich Village and check out music that opened up new vistas.

“That became my thing, staying in these clubs until late at night,” says Ciganer. “I realized I’d much rather be in that world than the world I was in.”

Ciganer had a vision of opening a music venue, but was turned off by the drug scene in NYC. He embarked on a journey to find a community where he could nurture that dream.

“My thought was, the most progressive community I came across was Austin, Texas,” he says.

As he made plans to head south, however, fate intervened.

In 1972, while delivering art to a friend who lived in the bucolic Dutchess County town of Beekman, about 75 miles north of NYC, he came across a charming building that had once been a stagecoach stop. The place captured Ciganer’s imagination.

“I decided to try it for three months, and if it didn’t work out, I’d head back to Austin,” he says.

Finding a lot of forgotten dry goods in the attic and basement, he decorated the place like a general store/stagecoach stop of bygone days.

The Towne Crier Cafe became a fixture in Beekman, gaining a reputation for presenting some of the finest folk acts such as Pete Seeger, Richie Havens and Odetta.

After about 15 years the club moved eastward, to Pawling. Here, the décor had a Southwestern theme, and the previous coffeehouse fare expanded to include full dining options. Hundreds more artists played on that stage.

After spending more than two decades in Pawling, Ciganer grew restless and began looking for a new home for the Crier. His search ended in Beacon, a hip little place on the eastern banks of the Hudson River. The city, which has been enjoying a cultural renaissance, was the good fit; and in 2013 the community welcomed one of the most renowned listening clubs in the nation to its vibrant Main Street.

The city is also closely associated with the late, legendary folksinger and activist Pete Seeger, a longtime friend of Ciganer’s; it was another reason he chose to drop anchor in Beacon.

Nearly ten years later, the Towne Crier Cafe is a Beacon institution, a home base for some of the finest local talent as well as a showcase for a wide variety of national and international talent. The recipient of several awards throughout its history, the Towne Crier’s recent honors include the 2018 Dutchess County Executive’s Award for Arts Business; Hudson Valley Magazine’s “Open Mic Night Editors Pick 2016” award, as well as its award for “Best Thing to Happen to the Local Music Scene 2014.”

It’s been a storied journey from Wall Street to Main Street; and as the Crier celebrates its 50^th anniversary, history continues to be made weekly.

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Pawling’s Towne Crier Café celebrates 35 years as a matchless musical showcase

Opening night, November 21, 1972. Just three years after Woodstock. A new music venue called Towne Crier Café, equal parts coffeehouse and hippie hangout, opens its doors in a former general store and stagecoach stop in Beekman. The first act: the Wretched Refuse String Band.

Not exactly Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

But a few weeks later, when an obscure English folksinger’s car broke down on the way to the gig, the club hosted the first of many more-celebrated performers. “This singer was friends with Pete Seeger,” owner Phil Ciganer remembers. “He hooked us up with Pete. So, by accident, in walks Mr. Folksinger himself. No one complained.”

And there have been few complaints in the 35 years since. In an industry where clubs come and go with the latest musical fad, the Towne Crier has a history that’s hard to match anywhere in the country.

The club was a hit early on. “People came out because it was the only venue of its type in the Valley,” Ciganer says. “They were curious.” And they were treated to some fine music. Ciganer, a former Wall Street trader, would seek out talent himself. “I designed the place in 1972 to be a place I wanted to go to. I ask myself, would I pay to see this person? If the answer is only maybe, I pass.”

Over the years, his taste has proved impeccable. Such performers as Leon Redbone, Suzanne Vega, and Shawn Colvin served as opening acts before they became household names. A teenage Béla Fleck ventured up from New York City to hone his banjo chops. These days, Ciganer loves playing musical matchmaker. “Pat Metheny and John Scofield came to me and asked to play together,” he says. “David Byrne and Richard Thompson collaborated. Just last week, John Sebastian was here, and Paul Shaffer jumped up on stage to do some old Lovin’ Spoonful. Then Will Lee from David Letterman’s band hopped up. That’s just what happens here all the time.”

Making a living in the music business is tough, Ciganer admits. He moved the club to its current, more spacious location near Pawling 19 years ago. The coffeehouse fare evolved to fine dining. European-trained Chef Erich Panhofer and Pastry Chef Mary Ciganer offer cuisine that’s a far cry from the herbal tea and brownies of the ’70s.

“The key to survival is that the club has adjusted with the times,” Ciganer says. And even though he has “broken 60,” he has adjusted as well. “Sometimes I ask myself how I could be doing it this long,” he admits, “but when people come out of the club walking on air, looking at me with joy in their eyes, I know why I am doing it.”

— David Levine

Who’s played at the Towne Crier since you opened in ’72?