Summer in the City/The Lovin' Spoonful

It’s June 21 today, which means that it’s officially summer in the city, and everywhere else for that matter.

Everything about Zal Yanovsky, who played lead guitar in the Lovin’ Spoonful, was big: big girth, big voice, big beard, big life. Zal moved to Kingston with his wife Rose after leaving the music business, and they opened one of Kingston’s most famous restaurants, Chez Piggy. Not ones to settle for lesser imitations, they imported $200 bottles of balsamic vinegar, and an oven from France to make baguette. Once I was dining at Chez Piggy and a friend pointed out a homeless man walking around the restaurant talking loudly to people. It was Zal, whose exuberant beard--which partially functioned as a bib--was often scattered with crumbs. Zal and Rose lived on a hobby farm outside the city, and when you drove by their place you could hear the eerie cries of peacocks. They were big supporters of the Humane Society and the Children’s Breakfast Program in local schools. Zal died of a heart attack one night. He was 58. His wife Rose died of cancer a couple of years later. Kingston just isn’t the same without them.