Deep in the rhythmic heart of American dance history lies a story so improbable, so electrifying, that it could only belong to Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates. Born in 1907 in the small town of Fountain Inn, South Carolina, Bates defied the odds after losing his left leg in a cotton gin accident at just 12 years old. Where others saw limitation, Bates saw rhythm—transforming adversity into artistry with a wooden peg leg that became an instrument of its own.

Martin Luther King Jr., a towering figure in the American civil rights movement, is often associated with his work in the South. Yet, his message of justice, equality, and nonviolent resistance resonated across the United States, including in the Hudson Valley.