Is This the Person Making Countless Noise Complaints in New Paltz?

Outdoor live music has ground to a halt in New Paltz, NY. Warmer weather is synonymous with Main Street returning to form with sidewalks packed with locals, tourists, and students all enjoying everything that one of the Hudson Valley's quirkiest towns has to offer. That used to include live music outside the Groovy Blueberry.

The lawn in front of the legendary New Paltz store, nicknamed "Blueberry Field", was a home for local bands, craft fairs, and even group yoga. As it stands now, however, the steps in front of the Groovy Blueberry won't see a single amplifier or drum set this year, and it's all because of one person... and I think I know who they are.

Live Music at the Groovy Blueberry in New Paltz, NY

Blueberry Field may be silent this year in part to myriad noise complaints that have accumulated over the seasons. "We've reached an impasse", reads part of a petition on Change.org, "over the years, we've racked up a number of noise complaints. Should these noise complaints continue, we'd be at risk of taking on some serious legal penalties." But what curmudgeon would complain about live music in New Paltz?

Who's Making Noise Complaints in New Paltz, NY?

I'm not a professional police profiler, but I have some ideas. First, they're almost guaranteed to be the same person who decides to "clean" the South Putt Corners Road sign when it's altered to "Butts" (below). They're also likely to be any of the people who helped ban nudity at Split Rock on Mohonk Preserve.

Fun-Haters in New Paltz, NY

Who else is suspected of being the New Paltz noise scrooge?  The same person who complained about people filling local trailhead parking lots to capacity on the first beautiful day of the year, for one. Not all potential perps are local, however. My eye is also on any Range Rover owner with out-of-state plates that owns a secret mansion in the surrounding mountains.

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The petition, titled "Save Blueberry Field!", is still live on Change.org. Its mission is to collect enough signatures to be able to confidently present a case to the New Paltz Village Board that live music, however loud it may get, is a crucial ingredient to what makes Main Street so special. Speaking of being outdoors, check out New Paltz's best outdoor eating options below.