Why did Ben Stiller remove a road sign on Route 9W?

Travelers along Route 9W may have been a bit confused last week after a sign was removed in order to transform the area into a completely different small New York town.

Ben Stiller is filming scenes in the area for the upcoming Showtime miniseries "Escape from Dannemora." According to Entertainment Weekly, Stiller is directing the series which stars Benicio Del Toro, Paul Dano and Patricia Arquette. The eight-hour show tells the story of David Sweat and Richard Matt, the two prisoners who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, causing a nation wide manhunt.

The Cornwall On Hudson town board announced that Showtime would be using local roads at several locations for the filming. Oars Mills and Jackson Ave were just a few of the places being used for the production.

A crew of 30 people have been working in our area, including Ben Stiller who's been seen around town and at local restaurants including Billy Joe's in Newburgh. Stiller isn't new to the Hudson Valley, he previously spent time working on a film in Suffern with Adam Sandler and Dustin Hoffman.

The Cornwall town sign near the 9W entrance was temporarily removed for filming. The town says it will be back up shortly after production is done.

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