POUGHKEEPSIE – The owner of a well-known bar in Poughkeepsie passed away unexpectedly this weekend, leaving the community in shock.
Sixty-three-year-old Michael Reed, known by many as “Reeder”, owned Noah’s Ark on Mill Street in Poughkeepsie. He passed away sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Reed is survived by his wife and two young children.
The iconic bar on Mill Street has been known for decades as “The late-night place to be” and Reed advertised it that way. He would often tell people that bars needed to be consistent. Former Noah’s Ark employee and current Mid-Hudson News reporter Todd Bender explained Reed’s logic. “He stressed the need for bars to have consistent hours to be successful and chastised places that would close at 11:oo p.m. one night and stay open until 2:00 a.m. the next day.” He required that his beloved bar remain open until 4:00 a.m. every day and the customers knew that, according to another patron.
Reed was one of the founding members of the Poughkeepsie River District Association along with Lou Strippoli who owned the neighboring Caffe Aurora until he retired. Along with other member businesses, Reed was instrumental in organizing the annual “Festival of Lights” each December. The parade began uptown and culminated with a festive tree-lighting at Dongan Park directly across from Noah’s Ark. The well-known Reed watched the event grow exponentially over the years. In 2019 Reed told Mid-Hudson News that “Our members have gone through the ups and downs like the rest of the city businesses. This is our way of thanking the customers that stuck it out while helping to draw new customers to the area.”
Reed was also known for helping community-based organizations in their fundraising efforts. When food pantries like Dutchess Outreach needed help, he would host a canned-food drive. Foodstock, an annual concert serving as a food drive for local pantries was also a beneficiary of Reed’s generosity. Historically he promoted the event and provided financial support.
On Sunday evening, the bar was in darkness, with a sign that read “Closed until further notice”. Customers of the bar and friends of Reed slowly began arriving at the Mill Street bar to place flowers on the steps and reminisce about their memories of “Reeder”.
