Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumper, by Steve Mossberg, is the toughest Stumper since March 25. That Stumper too was by Steve Mossberg. I doubted I would be able to complete this one, but I did. Forty-eight minutes’ worth of solving.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

1-A, nine letters, “Creation for a trade show.” And so it begins. I was thinking of a display or demo of some sort.

2-D, four letters, “Indian name at Woodstock.” I know only Sri Swami Satchidananda. But it’s easy to guess the answer, and it’s a reminder of how many musicians are missing from the movie and the triple-album.

8-D, four letters, “Watches for money.” My first though was the perhaps over-Stumpery SWAP.

14-A, nine letters, “What a wedding band might do.” Have I mentioned this puzzle’s difficulty?

17-A, ten letters, “Enters a new phase.” Do you see what I mean about this puzzle?

20-A, seven letters, “You’d expect it to catch a mouse.” Pretty misdirective.

26-A, six letters, “Musical ‘one more time.’” I knew it right away, but the weirdness of 27-D had me thinking that I must have been misspelling it.

27-D, ten letters, “Veil-wearing activity.” Did I mention the weirdness of 27-D?

28-D, ten letters, “Word in the news expected today (5/6/23).” Who cares? Not me.

36-D, eight letters, "Half of a dance duo." Hoo boy.

41-D, four letters, “Cosmo or Tiki beverage.” My tastes are simpler.

48-A, four letters, “One way to get your things together.” I wanted PAIR.

53-D, four letters, “Digital editing.” More than slightly strained.

54-D, letters, “Stayed.” More than more than slightly strained.

55-A, four letters, “Whom Emerson met in Yosemite.” Easy to guess, but surprising to learn.

61-A, four letters, “What Asian bread isn’t.” I think this clue is a tad bonkers.

My favorite in this puzzle: 56-D, three letters, "Shortened studies." A lot of wit to expend on a three-letter answer.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.