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RTPI’s Art After 5 Draws Local Interest

Food from Elegant Edibles Catering that can be enjoyed while listening to music and drinking wine at Art After 5. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Sitting around listening to music, eating selections from charcuterie boards and sipping some wine while outdoors for many would be an ideal way to spend a Wednesday evening.

Now picture doing that while nestled within a 28-acre nature preserve.

That is what people experience by attending Art After 5 at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Each Wednesday from 5-7 p.m., people can enjoy art, music, food and drinks.

On Wednesday, Merle Szydlo of Jamestown went to Art After 5 at RTPI, which wasn’t her first time attending the event. When asked by The Post-Journal why she attended the event again, she replied, “Is it wrong to say the wine?”

Szydlo said she discovered the Art After 5 event by being on RTPI’s email list, which is the same way Catherine Seebald of Dewittville found out about the occasion. She said it was her first time being at Art After 5, but she’s been to the institute before.

Razz & Company playing at Art After 5 at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

“I like it here. I like to support this place,” she said.

Catherine Seebald’s husband, Joe, said it was also his first time at Art After 5 and he was happy to accompany his wife, especially after sampling an excellent cabernet sauvignon wine.

Bonnie Wagner also said it was her first time attending Art After 5, but wasn’t her first time to RTPI. As a fan of art and wildlife, she visited the institute for the Art of the Osprey exhibit a couple of weeks ago. The exhibit tells the story of the near extinction and ongoing recovery of the raptors, which are featured via photos taken by Roger Tory Peterson and Chautauqua resident Jeanne Wiebenga.

See ART, Page A6

Taken 50 years apart, the photos bookend a story of near extinction and recovery of the osprey. Peterson was among the first to identify DDT as the cause of the collapse in osprey populations.

From left, Bonnie Wagner, Don Wagner, Catherine Seebald and Joe Seebald enjoy food, wine and Razz & Company while at Art After 5 at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Today, the osprey population continues to rebound. The osprey pair featured in Wiebenga’s photos have taken up residence on a nesting platform at Loomis Goose Creek Preserve, owned and managed by the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy. RTPI and CWC teamed up to install a nest cam, providing close-up images also featured as part of the exhibition. The exhibit has been extended through Aug. 7 at the institute.

“It’s great that there is a place to see art and wildlife,” Bonnie Wagner said.

Don Wagner, Bonnie’s husband, said he appreciates tht there is a place like the institute where you can go and enjoy the art inside and then go to the back patio to listen to musicians like Razz & Company, enjoy food from Elegant Edibles Catering and drink wine from Johnson Estate Winery.

“There is nothing wrong with inviting people over for wine and cheese in the backyard, right,” Don Wagner said about the Art After 5 experience.

Tom Andalora, who was attending for the first time, said he heard about the event through a friend. He agreed that the whole experience is enjoyable.

“It’s great to meet some nice people and have a nice glass of wine,” he said.

According to RTPI’s website, the Art After 5 event will continue through Sept. 29. For more information, visit rtpi.org.

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