It is the social event of the season. Or perhaps it is the ultimate ploy to preserve privacy. But either way for Rhinebeck, the apparent decision by Chelsea Clinton to get married in the Hudson Valley riverfront town is creating an international publicity bonanza whose benefits will likely be reaped for seasons to come.
“It”™s huge; it”™s huge,” said Bruce J. Troy, president of the Rhinebeck Area Chamber of Commerce, speaking July 20, 11 days before the presumed Clinton nuptials with Marc Mezvinsky. The wedding has been widely reported (but not confirmed) as occurring July 31 at Astor Court, a 13,000-square-foot Beaux Arts mansion circa 1900 sitting on 50 acres with vistas of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains beyond.
“I just left the Chamber office and it”™s buzzing,” said Troy. “We are putting together a number of press packages, both nationally and internationally. It”™s the ripple effect. She picked Rhinebeck over Martha”™s Vineyard as the place to hold her wedding. Although Rhinebeck has been doing well, this can only help.”
It is uncertain how much local merchants may benefit from having 400 guests and the international media come to town on a hot summer weekend. Some are expressing concern that gridlock will ensue, and rumors are rife about Oprah, Steven Spielberg and even President Obama attending the wedding. But if any merchants have been selected to supply anything form flowers to liquor to food, they are under strict no-comment orders.
That hasn”™t stopped the questions and some (unconfirmed) information from getting out. There have been published reports, for example, that the local Clinton Corner Vineyard has been selected to provide some of the wine. But a call to the vineyard got a no-comment from the woman who answered the phone. There are also reports that the county fairgrounds in Rhinebeck has been sounded out as a helicopter landing site, using the Medevac helipad on the grounds. A call to AAG, a local helicopter leasing service offering luxury helicopter tours and “taxi” rides to and from New York City was not returned.
James Chapman, proprietor of the Rhinecliff Hotel, a historic structure in a riverside hamlet just south of Astor Court said he knows nothing but what he reads in the paper, but noted that lots of people are hearing the rumor, saying he had calls from friends in London who were curious about Rhinebeck. Chapman said his hotel is already sold out for the July 31 weekend, but warned against reading anything into that fact, since he said it normally sells out on weekends.
“It”™s not just great for Rhinebeck, it”™s great for the whole Hudson Valley,” said Nancy Amy, executive director of the Rhinebeck Area Chamber of Commerce, who is fielding calls from around the country and around the world and said all seek similar information. “They want to get an idea what Rhinebeck is like, where it is, what kind of shops we have here, what kind of destination it is. And I am happy to oblige them.”
But perhaps nothing is as fickle as fame, and Troy said that the publicity must be followed up with commitment to live up to the new star billing. “It”™s a great thing for the community but the question really is how we manage it from here,” said Troy. “How do we build momentum off this?”
