IN THIS ISSUE
SUMMER FUN IN ULSTER COUNTY’S WATER & SUN
SULLIVAN CATSKILLS SUMMER: IT’S TIME TO GO!
SUMMER AT BELLEAYRE MOUNTAIN
RAIL EXPLORERS OFFERS EXCITING
RAIL BIKE TOURS IN NEW YORK
MAVERICK CONCERTS 2024 SEASON
22ND ANNUAL SAUGERTIES
ARTISTS STUDIO TOUR
MUSIC AND ART CENTER OF GREENE COUNTY by Maria Shust & Natalia Khoma
HUNTER REGIONAL TRAILS by Michelle Yost
COLOR ME TANNERSVILLE by Greg Madden
WELCOME TO THE VILLAGES OF HUNTER AND TANNERSVILLE
WHY TANNERSVILLE IS AMAZING! by Tim Patrick
HIKES ALONG THE MOUNTAIN CLOVES SCENIC BYWAY by Jeff Senterman and Moe Lemire
JESSIE’S HARVEST HOUSE & LODGE by Michael Koegel
SUMMER IN THE CATSKILLS
STARS OF BALLET by Sarah Beling
BLOOD BEGETS BLOOD: Catskill Mountain Shakespeare Celebrates Its Fifth Season with the Tragedy Julius Caesar
EXPLORATION DAY TO BRING DAIRY TO THE FOREFRONT
CATSKILLS PAST: Splash! by T.M. Bradshaw
THE POLLINATOR GARDEN AT BEATTIE-POWERS PLACE by Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson
HORTON FOOTE: THE ROAD TO HOME
“NYC NEEDS MORE WATER”: Gilboa Historical Society Recreates Silent Newsreel
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
DONATE TO THE CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION
INDEX OF
VOLUME 39, NUMBER 7 July 2024
PUBLISHERS
Peter Finn, Chairman, Catskill Mountain Foundation
Sarah Finn, President, Catskill Mountain Foundation
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION
Sarah Taft
ADVERTISING SALES
Barbara Cobb
Hillary Morse
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Sarah Beling, Belleayre Mountain, T.M. Bradshaw, Catskill Mountain Shakespeare, Deb Dolan/Catskills Dream Team at Keller Williams Upstate, Gilboa Historical Society, GNH Lumber, Hanford Mills Museum, Olexa Hewryk, Horton By The Stream, Hunter Foundation, Natalia Khoma, Michael Koegel, Hanya Krill-Pyziur, Moe Lemire, Greg Madden, Maverick Concerts, Andy Mossey, Erick Munari, Tim Patrick, Rail Explorers, Saugerties Artists Studio Tour, Paul Schwartz, Jeff Senterman, Alex Sherwood, Maria Shust, Ralph Stark, Sullivan County Tourism, Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson, Ulster County Tourism, Windham Arts Alliance, and Michelle Yost.
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE
Candy McKee
Tyleane Benjamin, Hillary Morse & Ashley Olney
PRINTING
Catskill Mountain Printing Services
DISTRIBUTION
Catskill Mountain Foundation
EDITORIAL DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: July 5
The Catskill Mountain Region Guide is published 12 times a year by the Catskill Mountain Foundation, Inc., Main Street, PO Box 924, Hunter, NY 12442. If you have events or programs that you would like to have covered, please send them by e-mail to tafts@catskillmtn.org. Please be sure to furnish a contact name and include your telephone number and e-mail address. To receive submission guidelines send a request to tafts@catskillmtn.org.
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Summer Fun in Ulster County’s Water & Sun
As the sun shines brightly and the days grow longer, Ulster County, New York, transforms into a summer paradise, perfect for fun on the water and outdoor adventures. Nestled in the heart of the Catskills, Ulster County offers a variety of experiences to make the most of your summer. From thrilling water sports to relaxing on the beach, from climbing mountains to a day with the kids, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in this idyllic summer retreat.
Splish Splash into Water Adventures
Kayaking, Canoeing and Paddleboarding
Ulster County’s waterways provide the perfect playground for kayaking and canoeing enthusiasts. Enjoy the serene waters of the lower Esopus Creek on a sunset paddle to Cantine Falls before heading out into the Hudson River to the historic Saugerties Lighthouse with I Paddle New York. Or grab the family and rent a canoe from A Day Away Kayak Rentals and explore the lush greenery of Kingston in a unique way.
Swimming
Summer is only complete with a day spent swimming. Belleayre Beach at Pine Hill Lake offers a picturesque setting for such activities. The sandy shores are perfect for building sandcastles,
while the clear, cool waters provide a refreshing escape from the summer heat. With picnic areas and designated swimming zones, it’s an ideal spot for families and friends to gather and enjoy a day of fun in the sun and memories to last a lifetime.
Lakes and Waterfalls: Nature’s Summer Playground
Minnewaska State Park Preserve Minnewaska State Park Preserve is a jewel in Ulster County’s crown. The park is home to several stunning lakes, including Lake Minnewaska and Lake Awosting, where visitors can swim, kayak, or simply relax by the water’s edge. The park’s numerous trails offer varying levels of difficulty, making it accessible for both casual hikers and seasoned adventurers. The views from the cliffs and overlooks are spectacular, providing ample opportunities for breathtaking photos or just a place to take a deep breath.
Awosting Falls
A visit to Minnewaska isn’t complete without a stop at Awosting Falls. This majestic waterfall, with its cascading waters plunging into a serene pool below, is easily accessible via a short hike from the main parking area. The sound of the falling water combined with the lush surrounding forest creates a peaceful and enchant-
The Via Ferrata along the PInnacle Ledge trail, east of Lake Mohonk.
Photo by Alex Sherwood, courtesy of Ulster County Tourism
ing atmosphere. It’s a perfect spot for cooling off after a hike and soaking in the natural beauty of Ulster County. And if you are wise enough to bring a picnic, you might win summer.
Ulster County Is For All Ages
Mohonk Preserve
The Mohonk Preserve is a fantastic destination for family adventures. With over 100 miles of trails, the preserve offers endless opportunities for hiking, biking, and exploring. The diverse landscape, from dense forests to open meadows, ensures that every family member will find something to enjoy. Kids will love spotting wildlife, discovering hidden streams, learning about the local flora and fauna, and just space to be a kid.
Rail Explorers
For a unique and exciting family activity, hop on a Rail Explorers tour. Pedal-powered rail cars take you along historic railroad tracks, providing a novel way to experience the scenic beauty of Ulster County. The tour is suitable for all ages and fitness levels, making it a fun and accessible adventure for the whole family. The combination of fresh air, gentle exercise, and stunning views makes for a memorable outing.
Rocking Horse Ranch
If you’re looking for an all-inclusive family getaway, Rocking Horse Ranch is the place to be. This award-winning resort offers a wide range of activities and entertainment options for every member of the family. From horseback riding and water parks to live shows and themed events, there’s never a dull moment. The resort’s all-inclusive packages mean you can relax and enjoy your vacation without worrying about additional costs.
Savoring Summer’s Flavors
Farm-to-Table Dining
Ulster County’s culinary scene is a treat for the senses, especially in the summer months when local produce hits its stride. Farmto-table dining prevails here. Two of favorites are Peekamoose
Restaurant and Tap Room in Big Indian and Dandelion Restaurant and Bar at Eastwind Olivera.
Named by Lonely Planet “One of the finest restaurants in the Catskills,” Peekamoose has been promoting local farm-to-table dining for more than a decade.” Dandelion’s “forage to fork” ethos provides an ever-changing menu dependent upon what is in season.
Relaxing Retreats
After a day of adventures, treat yourself to some relaxation at one of Ulster County’s luxurious spas. Emerson Resort & Spa offers a range of treatments designed to rejuvenate the body and mind, set against the tranquil backdrop of the Catskills. Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa combines stunning natural surroundings with world-class spa services, making it an ideal spot for unwinding and recharging. For a cozy retreat, consider staying at Hutton Brickyards, where charming cabins nestled in nature provide the perfect setting for relaxation and reflection.
Plan Your Summer Escape to Ulster County
Ulster County is calling you to dive into a summer full of adventure, relaxation, and natural beauty. Whether you’re seeking water thrills, family fun, or culinary delights, this charming region has it all.
Make Your Perfect Summer Day in Ulster County
Morning: Breakfast and a Hike
Start the day at Maeve’s Place in Phoenicia, a welcoming café celebrating and employing people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Next, be one mountain down on the 2024 Catskill’s Fire Tower Challenge with a hike to any of the five nearby fire towers.
Midday: Belleayre Beach
Refresh at Belleayre Beach at Pine Hill Lake for some swimming and sunbathing. Pack a picnic and enjoy lunch by the water, then spend the afternoon building sandcastles and cooling off in the lake.
Evening: Farm-to-Table Dining
Head into Woodstock for a delicious farm-to-table dinner. Savor the flavors of summer with dishes made from fresh, local ingredients, and enjoy a relaxing evening with good food and great company at places like Silvia, The Red Onion or Garden Café at Woodstock.
Night: Sit outside and look at the stars
Make the most of your summer and plan your visit to Ulster County today at visitulstercountyny.com. Embrace the warmth, the water, and the wonders of summer in Ulster County, where every moment is filled with joy and excitement.
Awosting Falls. Photo courtesy of Ulster County Tourism
Sullivan Catskills Summer: It’s Time to Go!
Experience the Sullivan Catskills, a destination that seamlessly blends small-town charm with big adventures. This summer, immerse yourself in its breathtaking landscapes and vibrant local culture, and discover a world of unique and unforgettable experiences.
Let’s start with where to stay. Sullivan Catskills offers diverse accommodations to suit every traveler’s taste. If you prefer fullservice, the Resorts World Catskills, Villa Roma, and the Kartrite Resort and Indoor Waterpark are perfect for you. If you’re seeking a new experience focused on rejuvenation and relaxation, the recently opened Hemlock Neversink, spanning 230 acres, is worth considering. For those more inclined towards small, intimate country-side accommodations, you’ll find that too in places like North Branch Inn, The Bradstan at the Eldred Preserve, The DeBruce, The Boarding House at Seminary Hill Orchard and Cidery and Callicoon Hills. Feeling a little more adventurous? Try sleeping in a vintage RV trailer, a glamping tent, a dome, or a Conestoga wagon. You’ll find them all at Boheme Retreats, The Domes at Catskills, and Catskill Conestoga Wagon Outpost. Explore the area’s small towns. The downtowns of Callicoon, Jeffersonville, Livingston Manor, Mountaindale, Narrowsburg, and Roscoe, to name a few, are framed by historic buildings that once housed hotels, mercantile, apothecaries, taverns, and
firehouses. Today, they are art galleries, acclaimed restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, antique and jewelry stores, breweries, distilleries, and exercise studios. Stroll through these towns and embrace a chic, relaxed vibe. Make a point to visit the exhibits at Delaware Valley Arts Alliance and Catskill Art Space in Narrowsburg and Livingston Manor, respectively. Visitors and residents alike bring fun to a fever pitch every summer with Tractor Parades, Soap Box Derbys, Trout Parades, The Honeybee Fest, and River Fest. Upcoming events include Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville at the Forestburgh Playhouse from July 2-14 (fbplayhouse.org); The Outlaw Music Festival featuring Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and Celisse at Bethel Woods on July 6 (bethelwoodscenter.org); and the Hurleyville Music Festival on July 20 (hpacny.org).
While wandering around Sullivan County, note the 70+ dove sculptures perched throughout the towns, village centers, and local businesses. All were hand-painted by local professional artists on the Sullivan Catskills Dove Trail, a tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Festival that was held in Bethel (not Woodstock).
For outdoor enthusiasts, the Sullivan Catskills is a mecca for water sports. The banks of the Delaware River are full of liveries where you can rent rafts, tubes, canoes, and kayaks. Fishing is a
Bethel Woods Center. Photo courtesy of Sullivan Catskills
popular pastime here. There are, after all, 164 lakes here, many of which are perfect for bait fishing. American dry-fly fishing was born in the Beaverkill and Neversink rivers and the Willowemoc Creek. You can learn to cast and learn the history of the sport at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum in Livingston Manor (cffcm.com). Be a trailblazer if you like to combine exercise and the great outdoors. Over two dozen trails range from easy to difficult— on two feet or two wheels (and bike rentals are available at Fortress Bikes and Cinder Track Bicycles). One of the trials on the O&W Rail trail is ADA-compliant.
Let’s talk big attractions. Want to conquer a monster? They’ve brought back a legend—The Monster Golf Course at Resorts World Catskills (rwcatskills.com/monster-golf-club/). All 18 holes have been reimagined by Rees Jones. It’s a true challenge. You won’t want to miss the courses at Villa Roma Resort and Country Club or Roscoe Mountain Club either. Looking for big song and dance? You’re in the right place. New York’s oldest continuously operating summer theater, the Forestburgh Playhouse (fbplayhouse.org) has a summer season that includes The Prom, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Hand to God, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, and Rock of Ages. Over at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (at the site of the legendary 1969 Woodstock
festival, bethelwoodscenter.org), the stars will be out this summer at the 18,000-seat outdoor pavilion stage: Alanis Morissette, Luke Bryan, Hozier, Hank Williams, Jr., Phish, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Deep Purple, and many other popular acts. This year, you can enhance your concert experience and camp less than a half mile from the Pavilion. Options include RV camping, glamping, tent-only, and car camping.
The food and drink scene here will delight simple and discerning palettes. From burgers to immersive multi-course tasting menus, try Tavern on Main, The DeBruce (a 2024 James Beard nominee for outstanding restaurant), The Junction, The Dale, Pasta D’Oro, and dozens more. The Good Taste Craft Beverage Trail is a collection of breweries, wineries, distilleries, and cideries featuring hand-crafted (and award-winning) beverages.
When you’re ready for relaxation and recreation—small and friendly, big on fun and entertainment, a weekend escape, or an extended stay, you’re sure to leave refreshed in no small way. And that’s a big deal.
Plan your trip to Sullivan Catskills today at sullivancatskills.com.
The Monster Golf Course at Resorts World Catskills. Photo courtesy of Sullivan Catskills
SUMMER AT BELLEAYRE MOUNTAIN
The days of dormancy for ski areas in the summertime are long gone, as Belleayre has become a year-round hub of adventure, fun, and relaxation in the center of the Catskills! Whether you’re an adventurous spirit looking to immerse yourself in the quiet shaded forests, take a dip in the fresh mountain water, or simply looking for a family friendly activity that will be good for the little ones, adventures of all kinds can be based out of the highest ski area in the Catskills.
Views are aplenty at 3,429 feet, and there is more than one way to get to them! The most convenient, soar above the trees and mountaintops on a Scenic Gondola Ride. Using the Catskill Thunder Gondola, get whisked over 1,400 vertical feet to the summit. From there, take in the views from the summit of Belleayre, and fill your lungs with the fresh mountain air as you watch hawks and eagles coast through the space beneath you, and time passing by in the hamlets below in the valleys.
If a more walking-speed approach fits your style more, a variety of foot-powered adventures await! You can pick your own mix of routes through both the wooded singletrack that winds through the cross-country area on the lower mountain, or push your way up to the summit on the alpine trails such as Discovery
Way, Roaring Brook, and Deer Run. For the most adventurous types who come with the proper preparedness and knowledge, Belleayre’s hiking trails can be linked with the entire hiking trail network throughout the Catskill Park by venturing into the neighboring Shandaken Wild Forest and Big Indian Wilderness areas. But if a more laid-back, family-friendly stroll is what’s on the agenda, the whimsical, wooded trails on the lower mountain have interpretive signage throughout for parents and kids alike to learn about the local flora and fauna that call Belleayre home. Get the young ones involved with a hiking-themed bingo or scavenger hunt sheet that can be printed off the Belleayre website!
Soaking in the summer heat and sun all day is certainly a day well spent, but inevitably the time will come to cool down. Just down the road from the Discovery Lodge in the charming hamlet of Pine Hill lies Belleayre Beach, the epicenter of all of your water-themed activities! Make a splash in the swimming area, or find fun ways to cruise on the water whether it’s pedal boats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, or even get a little whacky with a giant water tricycle! Between relaxing sessions both on and in the water, a little bit of friendly competition can be found between the volleyball courts and horseshoe pits.
All photos courtesy of Belleayre Mountain
This summer, more than just the sounds of nature will be heard on the mountain! After meeting critical acclaim in 2023, the free Music on the Belle concert series will be making a return this summer. Every Friday evening in July and August, the Discovery Lodge becomes a gathering hotspot of both locals and visitors alike kicking off a jam-packed weekend with live music that continues well after the sun sets, evening Scenic Gondola Rides, and an entire food truck village will be on hand to satisfy those cravings that come after a long week! The series covers an entire sonic landscape that sees an even mix of returning acts such as local favorites 90 Proof Band and die Schlauberger, as well as newcomers Third Rail, and Black Dirt Bandits.
The ski area in Highmount, NY will be buzzing even during this “offseason”! Almost every weekend will see a plethora of events happening both on the mountain, and at the Belleayre Beach. Whether you’re looking to get the heart rate up during the Climb It for Climate Trail Race or just plan a wholesome family night out with Barbie and Wonka Movie Nights at the Beach, there is something for all. New for this summer, positive energy will be channeled on top of the mountain every Sunday Morning with a one-hour mountain top yoga class hosted by instructors from Peace, Love, and Yoga. To capstone all the family friendly fun at the Belleayre Beach, Mondays during July and August are to let the kids’ creativity out with their Arts & Crafts series.
Both on top and down low on the mountain, the birds won’t be the only things flying between the trees! Exactly what it sounds like, Belleayre’s 18-hole disc golf course opens up for the season along with the Scenic Gondola Rides. From technical, tightly wooded holes, to downhill bombers straight down the ski slopes, disc golfers get equal variety in both views and shot shapes with the course split between the Lower 9 which circle around the Gondola above the Discovery Lodge, and work across the summit ridge on the Upper 9, making your way towards the Sunset Lodge… just don’t let the view cost you a bogey! After several
summers of feedback, Belleayre’s disc golf course will be getting a new layout for the 2024 season.
On the topic of things that are new, every summer is an opportunity for the mountain to prepare and improve the skier and rider experience when the snow begins flying again! Crews are busy across the mountain as yet another round of major improvements have been underway. As soon as the lifts stopped turning for the winter season, construction began on Phase 2 of the renovation and expansion of the Discovery Lodge, which is home base for the large majority of guests who come to visit the mountain. With the latest round of construction, the lodge will be getting an additional 28,600 square feet of space added to better accommodate the influx of increased skier visits over the years. Along with it will be a brand new rental center that is now going to become a permanent structure inside the building—a big upgrade from the previous iteration of a temporary soft-walled tent adjacent from the lodge! The experience goes well beyond the walls of the lodge, and the overhaul and modernization of Belleayre’s snowmaking system continues. Last winter, snow sliding enthusiasts got a preview when the mountain installed 5 SMI Super Pole Cat Automated Fan Guns right above the Discovery Lodge—in one good, cold night of snowmaking, snowmakers were able to transform a wide open space of bare ground and bury it under feet of white, crystalline flakes. Next winter, they will be turning it up even further, with 20 more of those same snow guns getting installed on the Dot Nebel trail, creating even better coverage especially in the early season to complement the low energy snow guns currently on the trail.
More than just the hummingbirds and insects will be buzzing in the Catskills this summer, as the premier destination for wintertime fun in New York also is geared up for an equally jampacked warm season with plenty of sunny skies, and good times! Don’t forget to pick up a 2024/25 Season Pass before the August price deadline. Find out more at belleayre.com.
Rail Explorers Offers Exciting Rail Bike Tours in New York
Rail Explorers in the Catskills and Cooperstown offer unique, exciting railbike experiences for riders of all ages and abilities. Each year, over 50,000 riders enjoy riding Rail Explorers rail bike tours in Phoenicia and Milford, New York.
At Rail Explorers Catskills, located in Phoenicia, New York, your tour on the historic Ulster & Delaware Railroad will follow the Esopus Creek through the beautiful woods of the Catskill Mountains. Tour options at Rail Explorers Catskills feature “The River Run” which travels through the Catskills woodlands alongside the Esopus Creek. Riders are encouraged to bring a snack and drink to enjoy at our creek-side turnaround. Total time for “The River Run Tour” is 2.5 hours. Other Rail Explorers Catskills tours include “The Mount Tremper Express” which is a 4-mile round trip scheduled in the evenings. Other seasonal, and evening, tours are available in the Catskills.
Rail Explorers Cooperstown features round trip tours that journey through the farmlands and forests alongside the Susquehanna River. In Cooperstown, “The Home Run” tour is a 12-mile round trip that journeys along magnificent woodlands and rumble across historic trestle bridges. The “Southpaw Slider” is an 8-mile round trip that meanders alongside the Susquehanna River and features the majestic 200-foot long Portlandvillle Trestle. This tour includes a brief stop at the Forest Glen turnaround. Other seasonal tours are available in Cooperstown.
Couples young and old, groups of friends, and families can enjoy the Rail Explorer experience. Both tours offer electric pedal
assist—Rail Explorers has developed the ‘REX Propulsion System,’ a custom-built electric assist motor that makes the experience truly effortless, even when climbing the steepest of inclines.
Rail Explorers is one of the very few activities where multigenerational groups can participate, and everyone, from the oldest great-grandparent to the youngest great-grandchild can enjoy the ride (even teenagers have been caught smiling!) Many riders bring light refreshments to enjoy at the 20-minute break at the turnaround picnic areas.
The Rail Explorers Quad seats 4 people. With 4 seats and 4 sets of pedals, this is ideal for families or groups of friends. At 10 feet long, and weighing in at over 750 lbs, when the quad gets going it doesn’t want to stop. Not everyone has to pedal—in fact it is possible for 2 people to enjoy a ride on the Quad Explorer or for 2 to pedal and 2 others get a free ride!
The Tandem Explorer has seating for 2 . At 6 feet long and weighing 570 pounds it is fast, slim and gobbles up the miles.
Parking and check in for all Catskills tours is at: 70 Lower High Street, Phoenicia, New York 12464
Parking and check in for all Cooperstown tours at 136 East Main Street, Milford, New York 13807
Rail Explorers also operates divisions in Boone, Iowa, Rhode Island, Versailles, Kentucky and Amador County, California.
Seats are limited and reservations are strongly recommended. Bookings can be made at railexplorers.net or by calling 877 833 8588. These seasonal attractions are open from April to November.
Photo courtesy of Rail Explorers
MAVERICK CONCERTS 2024 SEASON
A Unique and Extraordinary Summer of Music in the Woods
Maverick Concerts, the oldest continuous summer chamber music festival in America, is nestled in the serene woods just outside Woodstock, NY. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the uniquely charming rustic hall has superb acoustics and is the ideal venue for an intimate encounter with chamber music. Maverick presents concerts by internationally renowned classical, jazz, and contemporary music ensembles and soloists from late June through mid-September. Maverick Concerts sustains the vision of its founder, Hervey White, who built the historic concert hall in 1916 and opened his land and hospitality to artists, musicians, and the community. Concerts are on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Maverick Family Saturdays, short interactive events designed for kids of all ages are free and open to everyone 11 am to noon on Saturdays.
The centerpiece of the summer is the Maverick Chamber Music Festival. Thanks to a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a focus of the classical season will be “Transformations: Celebrating East Asian American Creators and the Music of France,” described by Maverick’s Music Director, Alexander Platt, as “an overdue recognition of the tremendous contributions of two generations of American composers and performers of East Asian descent, interwoven with music celebrating the centennial of the death of perhaps the most beloved of French
chamber-music composers, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924).” This summer’s featured contemporary composer will be the brilliant and provocative Viet Cuong, assistant professor of music at the University of Nevada Las Vegas
The Maverick Chamber Music Festival for 2024 gets off to a lavish start on Sunday afternoon June 30, with a return of the Manhattan Chamber Players with David Fung, piano, in a program that starts with the String Quartet of Maurice Ravel and culminates in a rare performance of the lush and provocative 1922 piano quintet of the French composer and naval officer, Jean Cras. On July 7, the Maverick welcomes the return of the Escher String Quartet, one of the very finest young American quartets, in music of Haydn, Beethoven, and Janáček.
Bastille Day weekend at the Maverick will bring a triple-play of fabulous performances. Viet Cuong will co-host Maverick Family Saturdays with the amazing young woodwind quintet WindSync at 11am on Saturday July 13. On Sunday, July 14, Cuong will join Alexander Platt in a pre-concert talk preceding WindSync as they make their Maverick debut with the new-music specialist pianist, Blair McMillen. In between, on Saturday, July 13, Andrew Appel and his internationally known Baroque music group, the Four Nations Ensemble, will perform “From Salon to Scaffold: Paris in the 18th Century.”
Viet Cuong is this summer’s featured contemporary music composer at Maverick Concerts.
Photo by David Franco Photo
Sunday, July 21 brings the always-anticipated Miró Quartet. Saturday evening, July 27 will mark the debut of one of the world’s finest pianists, Angela Hewitt, in a program celebrating her renowned interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach. Sunday, July 28 will see the return to Maverick Concerts of the Pacifica String Quartet, in music of Beethoven, Shostakovich, and George Walker.
On Sunday, August 4 the celebration of the piano and chamber music of Gabriel Fauré, kicks into high gear with the Woodstock debut of the Chinese American virtuoso singer and pianist Chelsea Guo. Chelsea will both sing and play in an extraordinary program of Schumann, Liszt, and Chopin, as well as Fauré’s most famous work for solo piano, the tender Ballade of 1881. On Sunday, August 11, the Ariel String Quartet will perform a unique and fascinating program. Following the performance at 6:30 pm, trailblazing American pianist Anthony de Mare will perform a Postlude Concert.
Sunday, August 18, marks the Maverick debut of the Isidore String Quartet, one of the finest young American string quartets to appear on the classical scene in years, and winners of both the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition and the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. The weekend of August 24-25 will be another blockbuster of both traditional and contemporary classical music: Saturday, August 24 sees the return of the phenomenal toy-piano specialist Margaret Leng Tan, in her new program Where No Birds Sing: A Requiem for the Earth, featuring music of her mentor, the legendary John Cage, whose epochal 4’33” was given its world premiere at the Maverick in 1952. Sunday, August 25 will see the debut of the talented young American pianist Reed Tetzloff, who makes his home in both Paris and New York. Reed will present a monumental virtuoso program, featuring Robert Schumann’s beloved Carnaval, the 1996 piano sonata The White Owls of the American composer Philip Lasser, and a rare, complete performance of the Six Impromptus of Gabriel Fauré.
Classical music at the Maverick for 2024 culminates with two outstanding performances: on Sunday, September 1, a return visit by the Borromeo String Quartet, who will be joined by the brilliant young American pianist Henry Kramer, in a concert featuring Fauré’s Second Piano Quintet as well as music of the contemporary IndianAmerican jazz virtuoso Vijay Iyer, Beethoven and Bizet; and finally, the Maverick debut of the veteran New York ensemble Music from Copland House, combining the music of 2024’s featured composer Viet Cuong with the haunting and rarely-heard Aaron Copland Piano Quartet of 1950, and the delicious first Piano Quartet of Gabriel Fauré (whose music Copland did much to champion), bringing classical music at the Maverick to a fitting close on Sunday, September 8.
From Jazz at the Maverick to Americana, world, contemporary, and classical, renowned talents, and emerging artists share their gifts to celebrate the diversity of musical expression on Maverick Saturday Nights. Jazz at the Maverick shines a spotlight on the elite of the jazz scene with its ever-popular Saturday evening concerts. The series begins with the return of the Fred Hersch Trio on June 29, featuring the lyrical and innovative piano talent of Fred Hersch with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson. On Saturday, August 31 the Bill Charlap Trio with guest bassist, David Wong, and drummer, Kenny Washington; recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz, known for their sophisticated interpretations of American standards. The Miguel Zenón Quartet has their Maverick debut on September 7. Zenón, winner of the 2024 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album, is widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation.
In addition to jazz, Maverick Saturday Nights honors its Woodstock roots with a diverse array of folk, contemporary and world music. Tracy Bonham, blending alternative rock with classical sensibilities, performs on July 6. Bonham is a classically trained violinist and pianist turned alternative singer-songwriter with a twice GRAMMY™ nominated album. The Simon Shaheen Trio graces the stage on August 3, showcasing a
mastery of both classical Arabic music and jazz, bringing a rich cultural heritage and innovative approach to its performances and skillful fusion of Eastern and Western musical styles. On August 10, the Caroga Arts Collective will perform After Spring Sunset: A Tribute to Peter Schickele featuring Peter Schickele’s Fifth String Quartet, A Year in the Country (commissioned by Maverick Concerts in 1998), followed by an all-star lineup of Woodstock musicians in an eclectic musical evening in celebration of the creative life of multi-Grammy-award-winning composer Peter Schickele (1935-2024). Steve Gorn, revered for his mastery of Indian Ragas on the bansuri bamboo flute, presents the soulful sounds of Indian classical music on August 17. The season concludes with Woodstock legend Happy Traum alongside Cindy Cashdollar and other Americana masters on September 14 celebrating folk traditions with superb musicianship and a rich musical heritage.
Maverick Family Saturdays is a delightful tradition that brings families and friends together for an experience like no other. Saturday mornings, from 11 am to noon, these short, interactive events are thoughtfully designed for children in grades K-6, but adults are equally enchanted. Best of all, admission is free for kids and grown-ups! On Saturday, July 6, the world-renowned pianist Frederic Chiu and storyteller David Gonzalez present their delightful take on the famed double-bill of The Carnival of the Animals and Peter and the Wolf. On July 13, composer Viet Cuong joins the wind quintet WindSync. Tracy Bonham’s Melodeon returns to the Maverick on July 20. On July 27, in collaboration
with Woodstock’s independent bookstore, The Golden Notebook, author Nicholas Day and illustrator Chris Raschka will read from their new children’s book, Nothing: John Cage and 4’33—an offbeat history of Cage’s 4’33” which premiered at the Maverick on August 29, 1952. On August 10, as part of Maverick’s tribute, Elizabeth Mitchell will present a special performance of family songs by Woodstock’s very own Peter Schickele (1935-2024). Best known for his work as creator of P.D.Q. Bach, Schickele also composed heartfelt and often humorous, folk-inspired songs for and about his family. On August 17 Ravensbeard Wildlife Center will return to Maverick. Through up-close interaction with live birds, the audience will learn the importance of raptors in our ecosystem and how the birds at Ravensbeard came to be with them. On Saturday, August 31, Jenny Lin brings her wonderful program for kids, Melody’s Mostly Musical Day, to the Maverick on Labor Day weekend.
For tickets and additional information on the Maverick Concerts 2024 season, visit maverickconcerts.org. The Maverick Concert Hall is located at 120 Maverick Road, West Hurley, NY. Reserved seating and general admission tickets for all concerts are available online at: maverickconcerts.org. Maverick Family Saturdays are free and the traditional “Rock Bottom” section under the trees is by donation at the box office. The Phoenicia Diner @the Maverick will have food and beverages, including beer and wine, available to purchase an hour before showtime.
22nd Annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour
The Saugerties Artists Studio Tour is celebrating its 22nd anniversary, and participating painters, sculptors, collagists, ceramists, print makers, videographers and multimedia artists are eager to embrace the opportunity to once again open their studios for art lovers who want to experience the place where art is made. This year, many new-to-the-area artists have joined ranks with this ever-growing Saugerties artists’ community. All of the artists have been plying their skills to create new work, tinker with new techniques and mediums, and review past endeavors, finding new meaning in earlier explorations.
The 2024 open studios tour features 45 studios—the largest tour since its inception in 2002—that are preparing for visitors, who will see completed work and works in progress in a wide array of media and styles. Whatever your interest, the tour has something for you—painters working in oils, acrylics, watercolor and inks; artists working with digital tools; collage makers, printmakers, and artists who choose drawing as their medium; photographers and video artists; sculptors working in polished steel or industrial debris, or creating earth art, such as stone cairn creations; ceramic artists whose work ranges from figurative to functional; wearable art, and original designs in jewelry. Any and all materials can be transformed into artfully created pieces, including handcrafted furniture and home furnishings made of fine wood or vintage barn wood, as well as weaving and spinning featuring one-of-a-kind designs. The creativity doesn’t stop there: the tour will also give you the opportunity to meet artists who specialize in Installation Art. These mixed media constructions are often large scale and designed for a specific place and time.
On the tour’s website, short videos introduce visitors to some of the artists in an up-close and personal way, telling their stories in their own words and offering demonstrations of how they do what they do best. Learn more about all of the artists by clicking on an artist’s name in the menu—from there you will be taken to their own personal page where you will find images of their work and artist statements.
This is the tour’s 22nd year of shining a light on local talent. It all kicks off with an opening reception on Friday, July 12, at the Dutch Barn Art & Heritage Gallery, 119 Main Street, Saugerties, from 5 to 7 pm, where you can pick up a map for this free selfguided tour. Gallery hours are July 13 through July 28, Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm and Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm.
Open studio days are Saturday and Sunday, August 10-11, from 10 am to 6 pm. Please check the website at saugertiesarttour. org for more information about the Tour and the 2024 artists. There is no charge to attend the opening reception and the open studio tour is a free, self-guided event, registration is not required. To request that a free tour map be mailed directly to you, send your surface mail address to bbravo@hvc.rr.com.
This year’s tour is made possible in part with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
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Music and Art Center of Greene County
By Maria Shust, Director Emeritus of The Ukrainian Museum, New York and Natalia Khoma, President of the Board of the Music and Art Center of Greene County
The Catskill Region has a rich cultural history that encompasses a full range of artistic expressions, from the Hudson River School to annual festivals and live performances that have inspired numerous visitors and patrons of the arts for generations. This region also has a wonderful legacy of enrichment through various cultural stories and traditions, presented by such vibrant Greene County Mountaintop art centers as the Orpheum Performing Arts Center, the Doctorow Center for Arts, and Mountain Cinema, the latter three under the leadership of the Catskill Mountain Foundation, as well as numerous other art, music, and theater groups that have hosted groundbreaking performances and events from around the world. Among them is the Music and Art Center of Greene County in Jewett.
The Music and Art Center of Greene County (MACGC) was established in 1983 by Dr. Ihor Sonevytsky, a Ukrainianborn composer and musicologist. As the longest running classical music summer concert series in the Greene County, it offers an extraordinarily rich classical music program of works by international and Ukrainian composers, performed by award-winning and distinguished musicians, most of Ukrainian descent from both the United States and Europe. In the past it has featured such eminent artists as Metropolitan Opera bass Paul Plishka, pianist Alexander Slobodyanik, composer Myroslav Skoryk, and American violinist Eugene Fodor.
The Center’s music series is presented on Saturday evenings every summer in July and August in the hall of the Grazhda, which is part of one of the most architecturally unique building complexes in the Catskills, situated on a hill along scenic Route 23A in Jewett. It includes the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, its Belfry, the Grazhda (the parish hall), and the Pastor’s House. The Grazhda serves both as an auditorium for concerts and as a gallery where exhibitions of works by Ukrainian artists are on display during the summer months. It also houses a gift shop.
The church and its complex were built by Ukrainian immigrants who came to the United States after the horrors of World War II and formed a community in the Hunter Mountain and Jewett area, purchasing permanent or summer homes in the Catskills because the area reminded them of the beautiful Carpathian Mountains in their homeland. The church was dedicated to those who had committed their lives to the struggle for freedom. The project came to fruition in 1961-1964 under the leadership of Dr. Iwan Makarewycz. The tripartite church building was designed by Titus Hewryk in the manner of 17th century Ukrainian wooden churches and the construction documents were developed by architect Ivan Zhukovskyj. The church complex was built by George Kostiv, who in his youth in Ukraine had built such churches of timber blockwork, constructed fully with-
The St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church Complex in Jewett, NY on Route 23A. Including the church, the belfry, the Grazhda (parish hall) and the pastor’s residence. Photo Courtesy Olexa Hewryk.
out nails. The church’s beautiful wooden iconostasis (alter screen) and chandelier were designed and carved by sculptor Mykhailo Czereszniowsky; the iconostasis includes stunning icons painted by the artist Petro Cholodny, Jr.
The wood interior and high ceilings of the Grazhda are particularly conducive to creating a wonderful environment with great acoustics for concerts.
The Summer 2024 Season
With the arrival of the 2024 summer season, the Music and Art Center of Greene County welcomes its audience to the “Music at the Grazhda” Festival and is thrilled to announce its 42nd season, brimming with an array of concerts and workshops.
The festival will begin with a concert on July 6 featuring the “beautiful and powerful” Ukrainian American soprano Stefania Dovhan and virtuoso pianist and Artistic Director of the festival, Volodymyr Vynnytsky. Dovhan’s illustrious career includes performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, and numerous other venues. Volodymyr Vynnytsky has been lauded for his “incredible technique and deep musical understanding” by critics worldwide. Together, they will mesmerize audiences with works by Rossini, Bellini, Schubert, Schumann, Sonevytsky, and Stepovy.
On July 20 and July 27, audiences will have the opportunity to hear members of the Grazhda Chamber Music Society, all acclaimed musicians and winners of multiple international competitions, perform works by Bach, Haydn, and Brahms, alongside works by Ukrainian composers Barvinsky, Skoryk, and Sonevytsky. Among the performers are violinists Vasyl Zatsikha, whose leadership as principal second violinist at the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland, has garnered him international acclaim, and Nazar Pylatyuk, Distinguished Artist of Ukraine, professor, soloist-instrumentalist of the National House of Organ and Chamber
Music in Kyiv; local Lexington resident, Richard Young, esteemed violist of the legendary Vermeer String Quartet, who will add depth to the ensemble; cellists Natalia Khoma, the sole Ukrainian cellist laureate of the Tchaikovsky International Competition, and Marta Bagratuni, a versatile Ukrainian-Armenian-American musician known for her performances at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, as well as for her multifaceted talents as a singer, filmmaker, writer, actor, editor, and producer; and pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky, who also holds the title of honorary professor at the Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa Music Academies and who will complete the ensemble.
The concert on July 27 will hold special significance as it is dedicated to honoring Natalia Sonevytsky, President Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Music and Art Center of Greene County. The event will also be an opportunity to celebrate her 90th birthday. Her late husband, Ihor Sonevytsky, was the visionary behind the founding of the Center. Natalia Sonevytsky stood alongside him, contributing to the shaping and development of this summer series. She is a shining example of wisdom and strength, who has touched so many lives with her kindness and generosity. She is an inspiration to us all. The evening will be a heartfelt tribute to her enduring legacy.
On August 3, Serhiy Salov, internationally acclaimed pianist and first prize winner of the prestigious 2004 Montreal International Piano Competition, will give a solo piano recital. Mr. Salov has performed with such outstanding musicians as Leonard Slatkin, Kent Nagano, Christopher Warren-Green, Lawrence Foster, Jacques Lacombe, and Yannik Nezet-Seguin, and has graced the stage alongside major orchestras including the
Montreal, Salt Lake City, Hallé, Tokyo, and Berlin Symphonies, l’Orchestre National de Radio France, the Philharmonia and the Philadelphia Orchestras, the City of London Sinfonia, and the Royal Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras. The concert will showcase masterpieces by Beethoven, Ravel, Chopin, and Capustin.
On August 10, the Grazhda will echo with the enchanting sounds of children’s voices as they perform Ukrainian children’s folk songs.
On August 17, the dynamic violin and piano duo of Filip Pogady and Pavlo Gintov will perform works by Beethoven, Brahms, Ysaye, and Waxman. Pogady, a Slovakian American classical violinist, has graced prestigious stages such as the Slovak Philharmonic and appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. His numerous accolades include multiple victories at the Prima La Musica competition. Joining him will be Pavlo Gintov, a distinguished pianist whose virtuosity has earned him first prize at esteemed competitions such as the Takamatsu International Piano Competition. Together, they promise an evening of musical brilliance during which they will captivate audiences with their remarkable synergy and artistry.
The August 24 concert will celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day. Ukraine will commemorate the 33rd anniversary of its renewed independence in the midst of the brutal full-scale war that Russia launched two and a half years ago, causing death and destruction across all of Ukraine. The concert will be both a commemoration and a tribute to those who have fallen, to those who are so valiantly defending Ukraine’s freedom, and to the resiliency of the Ukrainian nation and its people.
Music and Art Center of Greene County Concert at Grazhda. Photo Courtesy Hanya Krill-Pyziur
The Center will commemorate the date with a concert entitled “Bandura’s Journey,” featuring Julian Kytasty and Teryn Kuzma. They will perform epic and folk songs accompanied by an ancient Ukrainian national musical string instrument called a bandura. The instrument has 4 to 8 bass strings and 30 or more treble strings. It produces a sound that resembles a harpsichord, but with a wider range. Both Kytasty and Kuzma are members of a family that for several generations has performed epic and folk songs accompanied by the bandura, and has promoted this musical tradition.
The Music and Art Center of Greene County also offers several workshops and courses in folk art during the summer. They include:
July 29–August 10: A two-week Folk Singing for Children course of Ukrainian folk songs tailored for children aged 4-10, led by instructors Anna Bachynska and Melanie Serbay.
July 29–31: A Gerdan (bead-stringing) Course designed for adults and children aged 11+, taught by Oriana Makar.
August 1–2: The art of Ukrainian Pysanka (traditional Easter egg) Decorating, suitable for children aged 11+ as well as adults. Instructor to be announced.
August 5–8: Ukrainian Embroidery, with classes tailored for both beginners and advanced learners, including children aged 11+ and adults. Instructor: Lubow Wolynetz.
Registration is required for the workshops. Register by July 15 by calling 518 263 4670 or emailing Melanieserbay@yahoo.com.
The Music and Art Center of Greene County is located on Route 23A in Jewett. Tickets for the concerts will be available at the door. For more information, please visit GrazhdaMusicandArt.org
Hunter Regional Trails
Connecting Communities through Public and Private Partnerships
By Michelle Yost
Over the years, many Hunter residents envisioned turning former railroads into flat, easily-accessible trails that add to the diversity of the state trail system. After a mountaintop-wide recreation planning strategy concluded in 2009, a committee formed to revisit opening the former Ulster and Delaware line from the Mountain Top Historical Society to the top of Kaaterskill Falls—what has become the Kaaterskill Rail Trail (KRT). Following the successful opening of the KRT, local organizations and municipalities teamed up with state and regional agencies to expand on this vision by integrating trail planning initiatives to connect Kaaterskill Falls with the Village of Hunter. Thus the Hunter Regional Trails (HRT) system was born!
The HRT is coordinated by the Hunter Regional Trail Coalition (HATC), a working group that comprises the Town of Hunter, the Villages of Tannersville and Hunter, the Hunter Foundation, Mountain Top Historical Society, Platte Clove Community, Catskill Camp, Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway, Inc., NYSDEC, NYCDEP, Catskill Center, and Greene County Soil & Water Watershed Assistance Program.
The main stem of the HRT is an 11-mile trail corridor from Kaaterskill Falls to Dolan’s Lake in the Village of Hunter. Building off the Huckleberry Trail in Tannersville, the HRT network entails five phases. Three of those phases are completed: the KRT in Haines Falls (phase 1), the Kaaterskill Wild Forest Recreation Enhancements around Kaaterskill Falls (phase 2), and the Hunter Branch Rail Trail (phase 5). Phase 3 entails connecting
the MTHS KRT trailhead to the Huckleberry Trail at Clum Hill Road, and phase 4 is connecting the Huckleberry Trail at Bloomer Rd to the Hunter Branch Rail Trail (HBRT) at Clove Road.
The trail network spans public and private properties. The HATC secures trail easements from willing property owners and land use permits for NYCDEP-owned properties. “Piece by piece we are knitting the trail corridor together,” said Dave Kukle, Hunter town councilman and original member of HATC. “We have been very fortunate working with private landowners and the NYCDEP. They see the value of the HRT to the mountaintop communities and how integral their property is to making the vision a reality.”
Future enhancements to the system include resurfacing the KRT in areas where drainage is lacking, constructing the HBRT to be an ADA accessible trail complementing the historic efforts of Camp Jened, coordinating with NYSDOT and the MCSB, Inc on trail signage for pedestrians and cyclists using Routes 23A and 214 (on road connector), finalizing phases 3 and 4 with property owner participation, and working with NYSDEC and NYCDEP on the Stony Clove branch through the Route 214 Notch.
The HRT system adds diversity to the county’s outdoor recreation, connects people with the town and village centers, and offers alternatives to the busier hiking trails. Much has come together in the last ten years and with continued patience and perseverance, the HATC is optimistic the full vision will come to fruition. See you on the trails!
Top Left: Hunter Regional Trail Coalition (HATC); Top Right: Joan Kutcher and Ryan Penny walking phase 3 on DEP property Bottom: The Hunter Branch Rail Trail. Map courtesy of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Color me Tannersville
By Greg Madden
For decades, Tannersville, NY has been an extremely “colorful” place to live and visit. Over the years, that word has evolved and been used to describe a flannel-collared, industrious tanning community that featuring rugged local folk and hard-living visitors who combined to carve this region out of the Catskill Mountains, to one that expresses the more popular and recent definition that exhibits a “colorful” presence these days.
Colorful, occasionally spelled colourful, is mostly associated with the first two definitions of the Webster’s dictionary word, but there is a third definition which many associated with the township before the millennials “new and improved” Tannersville burst out on the scene, with all its “vibrant” splendor.
“Colorful,” you see, is most often described as (1) beautiful scenery, or (2) to accentuate something full of variety or interest, and lastly, (3) is the exclamation point to one’s colorful, and often salty use of language or behavior in moments of emotional outbursts or release.
In these parts, an array of “colorful” characters who regularly enjoyed visiting us, or yes living here, had regularly used this form of “colorful” expressions during aprés ski or summer social weekend and/or vacation merriment. This also featured colorful displays of horse-play and shenanigans and usually in the wee hours.
Thankfully for most of us, those days are now occasional fodder for local historical societies’ gatherings, including shared
stories while journeying down memory lane. Praise be!!
While we broached the topic of horse-play, some visitors had often referred to coming to our homey mountain village, way back in the day, as traveling through a one-horse town, or the proverbial hamlet featuring the one-light (traffic) in the middle of Main Street, once cars replaced horses, that is.
The foliage on display during the autumn season is annually transformed into a visual effervescent drawing-card for thousands of leaf peeping visitors, all before the snow flies. It is also a source of pride for our locals … but that is not the meaning of colorful we have described above, but read on as the times they were a changin’.
Today, traveling through Tannersville is like floating through the center of a well-lit kaleidoscope. It is all the better these days for us to bear witness to this illuminated tunnel of multi-pasteled brightness as our vigilant and attentive local/regional constabulary are ever ready to remind, and assist, us in carefully observing the posted miles per hour zones.
The rambunctious and very colorful beginnings of Tannersville stated above may have had its day as a “Paint it Red” town of the past, but now in recent decades our hamlet—located within the Hunter, NY town limits—has morphed into an even brighter and eye-inviting oasis.
As color splashed and created Tannersville’s picture, all who have ever ridden, or driven (horse, car or both), through our
Photo courtesy of the Hunter Foundation
“blink or you’ll miss it” business district, have understandably become stunned and amazed at the dramatic and artistic modifications of our welcoming and inviting environment, open yearround to serve locals and those from afar.
With its new look, a fresh coat of paint if you will, the immediate installation of civic pride began bubbling on the mountain top in the ebullient “Painted Village in the Sky.”
This vibrant metamorphosis is the result of a unique community-driven initiative, characterized by murals, large and small, that draw you into our village, and in so doing revitalize its spirit by attracting legends of tourists, from hither and yon, creating business for the locals, who grew up here or have since landed here.
Elena Patterson, a South African native, was the driving force behind Tannersville’s colorful makeover. Known as a colorful, traveled, local artist and community leader with endless enthusiasm, it was Elena’s vision for the village that lit the spark that ignited this inviting transformation. She, and those who joined her, made everything brighter wherever she went, and her life path was inspired and driven by the opportunity to bring art, and therefore life back into our community.
Patterson, along with being artistically talented and gifted, has shared civic responsibilities within this hamlet with sights on brightening the mood of all who share this remarkable happening in upstate New York.
She saw the town’s blank canyon walls and aging facades as canvases just waiting to be brought back to life, with a new energy and vigor. Her passion for art and community engagement led her to conceive and create a vibrant, open-air gallery. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy this optical cornucopia of visual delights? Please come and see for yourself.
Her initiative began with a simple, yet profound goal. She wished only to revitalize the village’s economy and spirit through the power of artistic expression. She believed that by introducing bold, colorful murals, Tannersville could attract tourists, foster local pride, and create a sense of identity and cohesion among residents: all things that have happened with just one person’s idea. One person can make a difference.
Patterson’s enthusiasm was infectious, and soon, she garnered support from local businesses, artists, and community members who shared her inventiveness.
Others joined Patterson in sharing their artistic gifts: people like Daniel Dunbar, known for his intricate and stunning mural work, and Karen Green, whose whimsical designs brought a touch of magical expression to the village. Sometimes, all you need is a spark of divine energy to captivate a region.
These folks were among the first, of many, to join Patterson in her quest. Together, they embarked on a series of workshops and planning sessions aimed at designing murals that would exhibit the village’s history, culture, and reflect its natural beauty.
The first mural, unveiled in 2008, depicted a panoramic view of the Catskill Mountains, capturing the essence of Tannersville’s
picturesque surroundings. This mural set the tone for the subsequent artworks, each telling a unique story about the village’s heritage and future aspirations.
Themes ranged from historical events, such as the influence of the Catskill Mountain House, to representations of local flora and fauna, blending tradition with contemporary artistic expression.
Dedication and community involvement was crucial to the project’s success as even local residents participated in painting days, contributing their own brushstrokes to the murals. This collaborative effort not only fostered a sense of ownership and pride here but also strengthened the community’s passion for exciting times ahead. Local businesses played a vital role, offering financial support and resources to ensure the project’s sustainability and completion.
Socially, the murals have become a source of identity for the residents. The once-quiet village now buzzes with activity year-round, especially during the summer and winter seasons. The murals serve as a constant reminder of what can be achieved when a community joins together with a shared “vision.”
There are always some folks who drop comments under their breath and one thought that repeats often with consensus from the old timers. This thought shared by mountain top chiseled veterans who bare witnesses now but are not named, but quoted here, “they spent all this money, time and energy painting this town with all these neon colors, and for what reason, the good lord gave us the best scenery on earth to see everyday and it’s free, go figure.”
Hard to disagree, right? However, having said that, something that everyone can agree with is that having both is the best of all worlds.
So, are there other painted locales about the earth? Yes, there are several—but none are as unique as our “Painted Village in the Sky,” at least according to an avid vocal fan of our hamlet, Milo Claude Moseman, who as the one time owner of the Catskill Mountain House wrote during the early to mid 1900’s:
“Tannersville is where
The skies are bluer, the air is purer, And sometimes said Men’s hearts are truer. Progress-the watchword.”
Greg Madden is a proud resident of Tannersville and the Development Manager at Wellness Rx, Pharmacy for the Public Good. He also practices ancient healing modalities like Tui-Na Medical Massage and BioPhoton Light Therapy. Learn more at IlluminatingWellness.care.
WellnessRx, Pharmacy for the Public Good is America’s first nonprofit Community Pharmacy located in Phoenicia, NY (PharmacyforthePublicGood.org), on Main Street.
To the Villages of Hunter & Tannersville Welcome
Tannersville Works
6041 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
tannersvilleworks.com 518 589 4017
SAVE THE DATE: Upcoming Artist
Reception for Hudson Valley Artist, Hans Petrich, Saturday, August 10. Tannersville Works is the leading art destination in the Northern Catskills. Immerse yourself in a unique and inspiring creative experience at our stunning gallery, dedicated to bringing contemporary art to our Catskills community. Our gift shop also features a thoughtful collection of new and vintage items including, fine art, beautiful housewares, apparel, hand-crafted candles, jewelry, bespoke gifts, and so much more! Ask about our coworking services.
Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Piano Performance Museum
7971 Main Street
Hunter, NY 12442
catskillmtn.org
518 263 2063
The Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Piano Performance Museum is the home of the Steven E. Greenstein Piano Collection, a one-of-a-kind collection of historic pianos and musical artifacts. A destination unlike any other in the United States, the Piano Performance Museum offers a unique glimpse into the development of pianos in Europe and America over the past four centuries. Open on Fridays and Saturdays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm by appointment. Email ppm@catskillmtn.org or call 518 263 2063 before your visit, to ensure that the museum will be open.
Photo by Jeff Langford
BANK
Bank of Greene County
6176 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
Additional locations throughout Greene County tbogc.com
518 943 2600
For 135 years, the Bank of Greene County has served its neighbors in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region. Voted Times Union’s 2023 Best Bank in the Hudson Valley, we live, work, play, and give back to the communities we serve. Our personal service, local decision-making, and participation in community activities is important to us. Stop by one of our conveniently located branch locations, explore our website or call us to learn more about the advantages of banking with us.
CAR DEALERSHIP
Thorpe’s GMC
5964 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
thorpesgmcinc.com
518 589 7142
Thorpe’s unmatched service and diverse GMC inventory have set them apart as the preferred dealer in Tannersville. With a full-service team of sales and service professionals, visit them today to discover why they have the best reputa-
tion in the area. They offer one of the largest GMC inventories in New York, and their trained sales staff will help you every step of the way.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
Phoenix Web Collective
7947 Main Street
Hunter, NY 12442
phoenixwebcollective.com
518 628 5101
Mutual aid resource on the mountain!
Local artist shop, makers’ space, and our free mart, where you can get gently used and vintage clothing, home goods, food, toys, books, music, movies, jewelry, electronics, and more for free or pay-what-youcan. We also host small events and workshops. All are welcome!
Photo courteesy of Hunter Mountain
LIVE PERFORMANCES
catskillmtn.org
Catskill Mountain Foundation
2024 Performing Arts Season
Doctorow Center for the Arts
7971 Main St., Hunter, NY 12442
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
6050 Main St.
Tannersville, NY 12485
Ticket line: 518 263 2063
Our 2024 Performing Arts season is filled with music, dance, theater and much more! On July 5 and 6 MATH has the golden ticket for Broadway’s latest version of the timeless classic, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Led by the directing talents of Liz Piccoli, the assembled cast and creatives are turning the Orpheum stage into a Candyland for your 4th of July weekend entertainment. On Friday, July 12 at 5:30 pm, celebrate the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s 26th year of bringing art to the mountains at the Annual Benefit Dinner. Dinner at the Big Red Barn will be followed by a private premiere of Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s summer production, Julius Caesar, outdoors and in the tent behind the Big Red Barn. Julius Caesar will run from July 13 to July 28. The weekend of Benefit performances continues on Sunday, July 14 at 3:00 pm at the Orpheum. Following last year’s sold-out Jacques d’Amboise tribute, Adrian Danchig-Waring returns with a star studded cast, including dancers from New York City Ballet, in a program of classics and contemporary favorites. On Saturday, July 20 at 7:00
pm, the two-week mountaintop residency of the National Dance Institute culminates in a performance onstage at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center featuring the dancers and live music set against a backdrop of colorful banners created over the many years of the collaboration between NDI and the Catskill Mountain Foundation. The acclaimed company Horton by the Stream caps off July events with three performances of Texas Town, by Horton Foote at the Doctorow Center for the Arts. Performances are Sunday, July 21 at 2:00 pm and Saturday & Sunday, July 27 and 28 at 2:00 pm. This year not only will the company present this early rarely done play, but it will also present a 30th Anniversary Benefit screening of Horton Foote: The Road to Home, a documentary film about the life and work of Horton Foote.
LODGING
Creekside Suites
6022 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
Find Us on airbnb.com or expedia.com
CreeksideSuites@outlook.com 518 589 4027
Conveniently located in downtown Tannersville, where you are a short distance to multiple restaurants, shops, hiking trails, and Hunter Mountain. Make yourself at home in one of the two individually decorated guestrooms, featuring kitchenettes with refrigerators, ovens and coffee/tea makers; 55-inch Smart TVs with digital programming; and rainfall showerheads. Free WiFi and self parking. Each stay
Photo: Works & Process/ Erick Munari
comes with a 20% discount to Pantry on Main, where you can grab breakfast, coffee, dinner items, snacks, beer and wine.
The Fairlawn Inn
7872 Main Street (Route 23A)
Hunter, NY 12442
fairlawninn.com
518 263 5025
Discover Hunter Mountain’s bestkept lodging secret! The Fairlawn Inn is set in the shadow of Hunter Mountain, surrounded by Catskill State Park, and decorated in high Victorian style. This historic Inn has been restored with modern amenities while keeping the charm and character of the original property. We pride ourselves on individualized service and accommodations to make your stay in Hunter, NY as special as possible. The Fairlawn Inn was awarded the #1 Inn of Distinction Award by NYSHTA (2018, 2010) and is recognized as a Green Key Global “Eco-Green” lodging facility with a 4 Green Key Rating. We are also a Gold Eco-Rated Lodging and 2015 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence winner.
Platte Clove
Hotel Mountain Brook
57 Route 23C (Hill Street)
Tannersville, NY 12485
hotelmountainbrook.com
518 589 6740
Hotel Mountain Brook is a firstclass Adirondack style Lodge, featuring comfortable upscale accommodations with spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains and delicious, complimentary breakfasts. Whether you’re serenaded by the sounds of songbirds on our terrace, enjoying a fireside game in our cozy den, or indulging in delicious s’mores by the fire, you’ll find your perfect retreat here.
MOVIE THEATER
Catskill Mountain Foundation’s
Mountain Cinema
7971 Main Street
Hunter, NY 12442
catskillmtn.org
518 263 4702
Hollywood, foreign & independent films just a mile west of Hunter Mountain and a short drive from Windham. Open four days during July and August, with shows running Friday through Monday. Also available for rental.
Catskill Mountain Foundation
7971 Main Street
Hunter, NY 12442
catskillmtn.org
518 263 2000
Now in its 26th year,, the Catskill Mountain Foundation is the premier presenting arts organization on the mountaintop. It operates two performing arts spaces: the Doctorow Center for the Arts in Hunter and the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville. More than 75 performances are presented yearly, everything from classical music to dance to family performances. to pop and rock. The Doctorow Center for the Arts is also home to the Mountain Cinema, a three-screen movie house that shows Hollywood, Foreign and Independent films year-round, as well as the Piano Performance Museum, a one-of-a-kind collection of historic pianos and musical artifacts tracing the history of the piano in Europe and America over the past four centuries. On Friday, July 12 at 5:30 pm, celebrate the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s 26th year of bringing art to the mountains at the Annual Benefit Dinner. Dinner at the Big Red Barn will be followed by a private premiere of Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s summer production, Julius Caesar, outdoors and in the tent behind the Big Red Barn.
Hunter Foundation
5994 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
hunterfoundation.org
518 589 5050
The Hunter Foundation is a not for profit 501C3 organization located in the Village of Tannersville, within the Town of Hunter, NY. We have played a key role in rehabilitating over 100 homes and 35 businesses, not just in Tannersville and Hunter but in surrounding, Ashland, Jewett, Lexington, Prattsville and Windham. The Hunter Foundation is responsible for over 20 million dollars invested into the community to promote economic development and tourism in our region. Jobs have been provided, local contractors used and we have helped to create thriving businesses. Join us for our 2024 annual fundraiser on Sunday, August 11 at the Colonial Golf Course. The event will feature top local chefs, silent and live auctions, local artists, outdoor games, and the first ever Mountain Top Derby! VIP hour starts at 3:00 pm, General admission welcome at 4:00 pm. Don’t miss the final post time at 6:45 pm! Contact logan@hunterfoundation.org for ticket information.
PRINTING SERVICES
Catskill Mountain Printing Services
7971 Main Street
Hunter, NY 12442
518 263 2001
Your one-stop shop for fast, personal service for all of your printing needs. Graphic design services are available, and we can print green!
REAL ESTATE
Gordon Hunter Mountain Realty
6528 Route 23A
Hunter, NY 12442
gordonrealty.com
518 589 9000
Gordon Hunter Mountain Realty is dedicated to serving you when you’re looking for property in Upstate New York and Northern Catskill Mountains. Our professional staff specializes in properties near Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain ski resorts, including Hunter, Tannersville, Jewett, Lexington, Prattsville, Windham, and Ashland. We know the Catskill Mountains and look forward to showing you all that is available to see, do and live in our wonderful world.
RESTAURANTS
The Boathouse
On Lake Rip Van Winkle
27 Lake Road
Tannersville, NY 12485
tannersboathouse.com 518 589 1186
Fresh Seafood, Burgers & More, including Lobster Rolls, Smash Burgers, Crispy Calamari, New England Clam Chowder—we use fresh seafood and seasonal ingredients, therefore our menu may change slightly due to current vendor offerings. The Boathouse is also the perfect place for a drink, featuring rotating local craft beers, wines and a full spirit selection. We also offer canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, inner tube and bike rentals.
Brave the Flames
6080 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
bravetheflames.com
518 718 4095
Times have changed. Restaurants need to change with them. By bringing back proper technique in food preparation. By pricing freshly made food appropriately. Brave the Flames accomplishes this through counter service of comfort food made from scratch and priced comfortably for locals ad visitors. Open Wednesday - Sunday for dine-in, take-out, and online orders from 10:30am to 9pm, with Fish Fry Friday for $13.99. Tuesdays from 4pm to 9pm we offer our Twisted Taco menu only, which changes weekly.
Jessie’s Harvest House
5819 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
jessiesharvesthouse.com
518 589 5445
Jessie’s Harvest House Restaurant and Lodge is a welcoming & cozy place to gather, featuring a delicious menu of American-style cuisine and elevated comfort foods, with locally-sourced ingredients, a friendly tavern, and rustic country lodging. Family-owned & family-run, we love to share all the freshest foods our area has to offer! Catering is available. Indoor & outdoor dining.
Mama’s Boy Burgers
6067 Main Street
(at the traffic light)
Tannersville, NY 12485
Mamasboyburgers.com
518 589 6667
Established in 2015, Mama’s Boy Burgers was voted the “Best Burger Shack” in the Hudson Valley by Hudson Valley Magazine. We are all about fresh and local ingredients. Our burgers are made from local, black Angus beef from a farm 6 miles away. Our seasonal produce comes from Story Farms, our ice cream is made in the Hudson Valley. We also offer vegetarian and vegan options. Eat In, Take Out or Order Online.
Pancho Villa’s Mexican Restaurant
6037 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
panchovillamex.com
518 589 5134
The Best Mexican Food this side of the Border! Pancho Villa’s is owned and operated by the Oscar and Patricia Azcue family. They have been proudly serving authentic Mexican food on Main Street in Tannersville since 1992. Rooted in tradition, their passion is sharing great food and good company. All of the traditional Mexican favorites are served here, from enchiladas and burritos to chimichangas and flautas...plus great margaritas and daiquiris! Open every day except Tuesday.
Pantry on Main
6022 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
pantryonmain.com
518 589 4027
Pantry on Main is a family-owned and operated specialty food business, a one-stop-shop for all your culinary needs. Whether it be your forever or vacation home, we have what you need to create a delicious meal. Open for breakfast and lunch with a menu that changes daily, The Pantry also offers a rotating menu of prepared foods to go as well as catering for all of your needs, whether it be a 250 person wedding or intimate dinner party we have got you covered!
RETAIL
Camp Catskill
6006 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
campcatskill.co 518 303 6050
Your destination for sustainable gear & gifts in the Great Northern Catskills, including clothing, footwear, backpacks, and hiking gear. Our mission is to help you feel good about what you buy, what you wear, and the gear you use (and reuse) in the wild. It’s our belief that having the right gear lets you spend more time outside in nature, which in turn connects you directly to the importance of preserving the nat-
ural wonders of our world. That’s why we work with brands that care about their impact on the planet and its people, and why we’ve committed to donate 1% of our revenue to environmental nonprofits here in the Catskills.
Catskills Candle Studio
5977 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
catskillscandlestudio.com
518 203 3181
Catskills Candle Studio is proudly located in New York’s beautiful Great Northern Catskill Mountains. We are inspired by the natural beauty and fresh air of the Catskills that surrounds us, along with a simple and clean design aesthetic to create unexpected modern and fresh scents that will stimulate your palate. We proudly opened our new studio on Main Street in Tannersville in September 2022 and are offering candle pouring classes that are open to the public and private events. Open studio hours FridaySaturday 12-5 pm.
Catskill Mountain Foundation Gift Shop
6042 Main Street
Tannersville, NY 12485
518 589 7500
Operated by the Catskill Mountain Foundation and located next door to the Orpheum Performing Arts Center, our shop features a curated selection of home decor items and gifts
from around the Region and around the world. Open Friday through Sunday and holiday Mondays from 11 am to 6 pm.
TROLLEY
Kaaterskill Trolley
kaaterskilltrolley.com
The best way to access hikes, swimming holes and more along the Byway, this open-air trolley runs through Tannersville to Palenville along a 6.9-mile loop, stopping at eleven key spots along the way. The Trolley runs seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm with a variety of passes for visitors and locals alike.
Photo courtesy of the Hunter Foundation
Why Tannersville is Amazing!
By Tim Patrick
Tannersville, located in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, is a charming village that offers a unique blend of outdoor activities, cultural experiences, and a strong sense of community. The picturesque Main Street is lined with quaint shops, cozy cafes, and art galleries, each with its own distinct character and charm.
Tannersville is a welcoming and inclusive destination for all people, including a vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Its friendly atmosphere makes it the perfect place to connect with others, celebrate local culture, and relax and recharge. Whether you’re looking to explore the stunning natural landscapes, enjoy the bustling arts and theater scene, or roast marshmallows by the fire, Tannersville has something for everyone.
For art lovers, Tannersville is home to Tannersville Works— Tannersville’s finest gallery and bespoke gift shop—which showcases work by regional artist including Matthew Izzo, Hans Patrick, Karl Anshanslin, and many more. The gallery features a diverse range of artistic styles and mediums, providing a platform contemporary artists to share their creations with the community. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or simply appreciate the beauty of art, Tannersville Works is a must-visit destination for art enthusiasts.
One of the highlights of living in Tannersville is the vibrant theater scene. The Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Orpheum Performing Arts Center showcases a variety of performances, from dance performances to live music to local theater productions. In addition to the arts, Tannersville is a haven for food lovers. The village is home to a diverse range of dining options, from farmto-table restaurants serving locally sourced ingredients to international cuisine that reflects New York State’s rich culinary legacy.
Whether you’re in the mood for a gourmet meal or a casual bite to eat, you’ll find something to satisfy your cravings in Tannersville.
For those who enjoy the great outdoors, Tannersville is a paradise. One of the natural wonders near Tannersville is Kaaterskill Falls, a two-stage waterfall that is one of the highest in New York State. The falls are a popular destination for hikers and nature enthusiasts, offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape. Additionally, the Mountain Top Arboretum is located just a short drive from Tannersville, featuring over 150 acres of gardens and woodlands that showcase the rich diversity of plant life in the Catskills.
And for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, Tannersville is just a 2-hour drive from New York City. The easy accessibility from the city makes Tannersville an ideal weekend getaway or a charming place to call home for those seeking a quieter, more relaxed pace of life.
But perhaps the most cherished aspect of life in Tannersville is the strong sense of community that pervades the village. Residents here pride themselves on their tight-knit relationships, where neighbors look out for one another and come together to celebrate the unique spirit of the Catskills.
Tannersville offers a unique blend of natural beauty, cultural experiences, and a strong sense of community that make it a truly special place. Whether you’re exploring the wonders of Kaaterskill Falls, experiencing the vibrant arts scene at Tannersville Works, or simply enjoying the natural beauty of the Catskills, Tannersville has something for everyone to enjoy. Come discover the magic of Tannersville and create unforgettable memories in this charming village in the heart of the Catskill Mountains.
Hikes Along the Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway
By Jeff Senterman and Moe Lemire
The Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway might be one of most scenic drives in New York State, but there is so much more to explore and see on the trails that traverse the Catskill Mountains surrounding the Byway. There are dozens of hikes possible from the trailheads along the Byway, but here are some of the very best for all types of hikers and explorers!
As you head out on your adventures, don’t forget the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace. These principles can help everyone ensure that the places they visit stay clean, pristine, and remain enjoyable for all to visit.
• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Travel on Durable Surfaces (like a trail)
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Leave What You Find
• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• Respect Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Others
As part of planning and preparing, there are some basics for everyone to ensure that they have the best outdoor adventure possible. You should always wear good hiking footwear and clothing appropriate for the weather and carry a backpack that has plenty of food and water in it (always pack extra), a map (we recommend the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference’s Catskill Trails map set), a basic first aid kit, a headlamp, and a multi-tool. We also suggest suntan lotion and bug spray depending on the conditions and time of year.
Family Friendly Hikes
Hunter Branch Rail Trail: The Hunter Branch Rail Trail (HBRT) is a recently completed segment of the Hunter Regional Trail (HRT), a network of rail-trails that run along a former railroad corridor. From Stony Clove Road off Route 214, this easy 1.5 mile in and out trailruns northwest for about a mile along a segment of the Hunter Branch of the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad, which was discontinued in 1939. The trail continues on Ski Bowl Road (Country Road 83) for about half-amile to Dolan’s Lake in the Village of Hunter.
Kaaterskill Falls via the Kaaterskill Rail Trail: The 3.5 miles out and back on the Kaaterskill Rail Trail to Kaaterskill Falls offers visitors an easy, almost flat walk from the campus of the Mountain Top Historical Society to the viewing platform at the top of Kaaterskill Falls. On weekends, the Mountain Top Historical Society’s visitor center is open to learn more about the history of the area, including the restored Haines Falls Train Station for the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad, which the rail trail follows.
Huckleberry Rail Trail: The Huckleberry Rail Trail runs for 2.7 miles between Clum Hill Road in the east and Bloomer Road in the west. The trail also follows the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad and offers an almost level walk for visitors of all abilities. The trail passes by Lake Rip Van Winkle and follows Gooseberry Creek.
View from the Viewing Platform at Kaaterskill Falls
Plattekill Falls and the Platte Clove Nature Trail: Located at the top of the rugged and scenic Platte Clove, Plattekill Falls and the Platte Clove Nature Trail offers a little over a mile and a half Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve, with parking available at the trailhead parking lot located on Steenberg Road, about 100 yards east of the Preserve. From the trailhead by the kiosk, there are two options, the one-mile-long Nature Trail, and the 0.6-mile-long Waterfall Trail. The Nature Trail descends to the right, crossing Plattekill Creek on a replica kingpost bridge and then heads straight while the Overlook Trail turns sharp right. From there it loops through the forest at the head of Platte Clove. The Waterfall Trail turns to the left at the trailhead and descends quickly over a third of a mile to the base of Plattekill Falls. More information available at catskillcenter.org/platteclove-preserve.
Moderate Hikes
Dibble’s Quarry: Dibble’s Quarry is located on the Pecoy Notch Trail, which begins from the trailhead on Roaring Kill Road. The 1.5 mile long, in and out hike is along uneven terrain that can be muddy during wet times of the year. Hikers are rewarded with a scenic view of the surrounding mountains and rock thrones that have been made from the quarry rocks.
Escarpment Trail to Inspiration Point from Scutt Road: The Escarpment Trail is one of the most scenic trails of the Catskills and this smaller section of the larger, 24-mile long trail, offers a taste of the amazing views and adventures you’ll find all along this trail. From the trailhead on Scutt Road, you’ll hike 1.2 miles to Layman’s Monument to your first view of Kaaterskill Clove. From there you’ll reach the stunning Sunset Rock at 1.6 miles and at 1.8 miles you’ll come to Inspiration Point, which doesn’t exaggerate in its naming. From there you can head back the way you came or hike another 0.8 miles along the Escarpment Trail to the intersection with the Sleepy Hollow Horse Trail and follow that back 1 mile to the Escarpment Trail and follow the Escarpment Trail back to the trailhead for a total of 4.7 miles. Note that a map is key in this area as there are many trails and many trail intersections and without a map, it can be very easy to get turned around and disoriented.
Huckleberry Point: This moderate, 4.8 mile hike takes you to the aptly named Huckleberry Point high above Platte Clove and offers an expansive and panoramic view of the edge of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson Valley beyond. The trail begins at the trailhead and parking area on Steenberg Road. Follow the Long Path for 1 mile to the intersection with the Huckleberry Point Trail and turn left on the Huckleberry Point Trail. The 1.4 miles to Huckleberry Point climb and descend moderately and there are a few muddy areas during wet conditions along the way. The trail ends at Huckleberry Point. Return the way that you came.
Difficult and Strenuous Hikes
Orchard Point: Located high on Plateau Mountain, Orchard Point offers a stunning view southward down the Stony Clove Creek valley and the surround mountain peaks. The trail ascends very steeply 1.3 miles from the trailhead and parking area located on Route 214 in Stony Clove Notch (day use fee required in the summer). Hikers making the difficult climb up are rewarded with panoramic views from the large, open rock ledge that makes up Orchard Point. Return to your vehicle the same way you ascended for a 2.6-mile roundtrip hike.
Hunter Mountain: At 4,020 feet in elevation, Hunter Mountain is the second highest peak in the Catskills. There are several different ways to climb Hunter, but the most direct is via the Becker Hollow Trail that begins at the Becker Hollow trailhead and parking area on Route 214. The trail ascends gently at first, but then quickly becomes very steep as it approaches the summit of Hunter Mountain. At the summit of Hunter Mountain, you can climb the Fire Tower and enjoy its 360-degree views. In the summer months, volunteers from the Catskill Center’s Catskill Fire Tower Project staff the tower and the cabin on the ground –meeting and greeting visitors, answering questions, and offering information. Return the way that you came for a total of 5 miles. Note that Hunter Mountain is a location where a map is key, as there are many trails and many trail intersections and without a map, it can be very easy to get turned around and disoriented.
Indian Head Mountain: One of the best loop hikes in the entire Catskills, this difficult 6-mile loop hike offers multiple vistas as you climb and then descend one of the high peaks of the Catskills. The trail begins at the trailhead and parking area on Prediger Road. From there follow the Devil’s Path to the east, across the base of Indian Head Mountain. The trail then climbs steeply up Indian Head Mountain to the first of several vistas. Along the way the trail passes more vistas and climbs through narrow rock chutes to reach the summit. You then descend steeply to Jimmy Dolan Notch and continue down the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail back to the trailhead where you started.
Jeff Senterman is the Executive Director of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development in Arkville, NY and a member of the Board of Directors for the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. Moe Lemire is the owner and lead guide of Hike On Guides and is the Leave No Trace Foundation’s New York State Volunteer Advocate. Together Moe and Jeff are the Hiker Trash Husbands and they work together to provide positive LGBTQ+ representation in the hiking world. They love showcasing their own hiking adventures, along with other queer outdoors folks. You can learn more at hikertrashhusbands.com.
By Michael Koegel
When I arrived at Jessie’s Harvest House to chat with Phil DiFalco and Sarah Slutzky, the husband and wife team and co-owners of the restaurant, I ran into Phil in the parking lot. He was just returning from Fromer’s Market Gardens, just down the street. He held up a see-through bag of greens in each arm, both about 2 feet tall, “Just picked,” he said and smiled. Inside the restaurant I was greeted by Capri, Phil and Sarah’s eldest daughter (who was about the same height as the bags of greens). Capri was twisting and jumping along with a group of dancers who were busting a move on a tiny screen which was leaning up against the wall of the front room.
“See! Their feet light up!”
Indeed, they did.
Sarah joined Phil and I at a large picnic table on their patio in the bright sunshine of a beautiful spring day, Sarah kept one eye on her daughter, who had moved her act to the front patio as we chatted.
“Stay in the shade, sweetie!”
To say that Jessie’s has a family-run vibe would be an understatement. “We want your experience to be as if you were dining at your own home with the fresh food that your parents just picked up at the market” says Phil. But in Phil’s case that “market” would be local farms and farmer’s markets including Story Farms, Highland Hollow Farm, and Fromer Market Gardens from where he had just returned. “We‘re their biggest account,” said Phil, of Fromer’s.
Phil and Sarah named the restaurant after Phil’s grandmother, Jessie, who passed away right before they bought the building. Jessie was the matriarch of Phil’s large Italian family and was a major influence on Phil’s decision to enter into the culinary world, “My job was to roll meatballs,” he says with a smile. And
while Jessie’s doesn’t specialize in Italian food, Phil says “Our Italian night is one of our most popular nights.”
Phil turned his passion for cooking into a career, graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in 2013. He also did a one year stint at Blue Hill at Stone Barn under Dan Barber, who is known for his exacting standards. Barber has taken the whole farm-to-table movement and put a razor sharp point on it, and by doing so has earned two Michelin Stars; the waitlist to get a table is months long. It’s a notoriously arduous job for kitchen staffers, the hours are grueling, the atmosphere can get extremely tense, the pay is, well, not stellar—yet people line up to work there for the experience. It’s culinary bootcamp.
“I learned a tremendous amount from Dan,” says Phil, “we really got along.” But Phil admits that it started out rough. “One day,” he chuckles, “I was keeping my head down, doing my thing and Chef approached me very agitated.” Barber had been calling Phil’s name “for thirty seconds!” and Phil hadn’t responded, and no one ignores Dan Barber. Phil responded respectfully and said he hadn’t heard his name being called. Barber shot back.
“Listen Vinnie, no one in this kitchen…”
Phil interrupted him, “But my name’s not Vinnie.”
“It is now!”
And that’s how Phil became Vinnie from Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The name has stuck with his friends and colleagues from that era.
Given his credentials and the rigorous standards that Phil has trained under on his way to becoming an Executive Chef, I asked if they considered Jessie’s to be a “Fine Dining Restaurant.”
“We never use that term,” explained Sarah, “we are way more casual than that, we like to say “Elevated Comfort Food.” There are no white tablecloths here, but you will find purposely
mismatched chairs and table settings, just like dinner at Phil’s grandmother’s.
And while the term farm-to-table has become overused, Phil fully operates within that philosophy. Not only does he change the menu seasonally, but it changes as new items become available. He describes his culinary style as Mediterranean/Asian Fusion, which is evident as soon as you pick up the menu: a flatbread with burrata, figs, and grilled pear; General Tao’s shrimp with black garlic fried rice, and charred Spanish octopus.
Sarah went on to explain, “Phil likes to combine flavors in ways that you wouldn’t normally. For instance we had a pistachio crusted duck liver cannoli on the menu, who would think to do that? But it was sooooo good!”
The restaurant and bar seat 85 people and there are an additional 35 seats available outdoors on their patio. Keeping that amount of food fresh and at the ready daily takes a logistical mastermind. Nothing is frozen; Phil has only one small freezer which he uses mainly for ice cream, and there isn’t a microwave on the premises. That means buying daily. He is also a trained butcher and he breaks down all of his meat and fish on the premises. When he has the time he helps out the butchers at Highland Hollow Farms. Oh yeah, and they cater. Weddings. And they operate an AirBnB on the second level of the restaurant. And they have two small daughters. I assume they must consult a spreadsheet at the beginning of every day.
To be fair, they do have a little help. Phil and Sarah have cultivated a very loyal staff and they want them to receive the credit they deserve. Two team members Kerry Rene, Jessie’s Manager, and Carlos Rodriguez, who runs Front of House, have been there since Jessie’s opened in December of 2017. Even their seasonal servers come back year after year. “We’re like a family,” says Sarah, “and we really never have a hard time staffing the restaurant.” Which as everyone who owns a business on the mountaintop knows is just short of a miracle.
On the most recent night that I dined there with my husband Andrew, we sat at a high top table in the bar. It was lively for a week night; Jessie’s has become a hangout with locals. Two television sets were silently playing sports which added to the general energy of the scene. I watched a handful of people from the area head into one of the smaller dining areas towards the back. I mention this to point out the obvious, everyone knows that you want to eat where the locals do, and they eat at Jessie’s.
Highlights from our dinner included the charred octopus which was perfectly grilled; tender with a slightly crispy outside, the char had a great smokey flavor. It tasted as if it had been just pulled off of an outdoor grill on a Greek island. As a bonus it was served on a warm risotto-like bed of pine nuts, olive oil, and a lemon vinaigrette, amongst other ingredients. It was really terrific.
The fried artichoke salad was a perfectly refreshing mix of greens with frisée, fresh figs, and shaved asiago cheese. Topping it were two lightly battered and fried artichoke hearts which gave the dish some heft. Steak tartare came with a raw egg on top and
served over arugula; I especially liked that many of our dishes were served on wooden cutting boards, which gave the meal a rustic vibe that feels very appropriate for a mountaintop restaurant.
We each ordered specials for our entrees, so I can’t promise they’ll be there when you visit, but both were excellent. The grilled branzino—Mediterranean sea bass—is a white mild fish that is served whole, with a deliciously crispy skin and a sweet maple infused sauce. Again, it was served atop an amazing bed of grains, savory and smoky. The porchetta special, a cut of pork that most resembles a ham steak, was served with the most delicious sauce I’ve ever had on a piece of pork, containing cumin and oregano and other spices that were too sophisticated for my palette to discern.
One other note about our dining experience, Andrew and I both noticed how frequently Phil came out of the kitchen to greet his guests. He “touched” every table at least twice, including the folks at the bar, he had conversations with everyone and occasionally took their orders and brought out their food. That’s not to say that his staff was anything but charming and attentive. Still, Phil made it a point to make everyone feel welcome, as if they were part of the family and sitting at his Grandma Jessie’s dining room table. That is, when he wasn’t in the kitchen rolling meatballs.
Jessie’s Harvest House is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5:00 to 9:00 pm and is located at 5819 Main Street in Tannersville. Reservations are available at jessiesharvesthouse.com or by calling 518 589 5445.
Make sure you say “Hey” to Vinnie when you see him.
Michael Koegel is a writer, director and producer. He owns Mama’s Boy Burgers in Tannersville.
Chef Phil DiFalco
Summer in the Catskills
ART GALLERY
Windham Fine Arts
5380 Main Street
Windham, NY 12496
windhamfinearts.com
518 734 6850
Windham Fine Arts (WFA) is a contemporary art gallery located in the heart of the Catskills at the base of Windham Mountain Resort. Now in its 22nd year, WFA represents more than 60 local and internationally acclaimed artists showcasing a diverse collection of original paintings, photography, and sculpture. Mixed media, oils, watercolors, encaustic and other mediums are portrayed in inspiring landscapes, abstracts, figuratives, Hudson River School styles, and more. With over 3,000 square feet of curated artwork, the gallery stands out as a unique gem of artistic inspiration.
ART WORKSHOPS
Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts
34 Big Hollow Road
Maplecrest, NY 12454
sugarmaples.org
A program of the Catskill Mountain Foundation, Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts offers short term adult workshop programming in ceramics, painting, drawing, fiber arts and weekly classes in ceramics and fiber arts during the summer season. All classes are led by artists who are renowned and celebrated in their field. The summer Art Explorers program provides opportunities for local youth to explore their creativity through art exploration. Registration for 2024 summer courses for adults and Art Explorers for youth is now open. This summer, Sugar Maples Center For Creative Arts redefines the art and craft experience. In addition to traditional offerings in ceramics, painting, and fiber arts, we will now be hosting workshops in writing on art, craft and memoir, written alphabet design, fly tying, and perfumery.
A Day Away Kayak Tours. Photo courtesy Ulster County Tourism
ARTISTS STUDIO TOUR
Saugerties Artists Studio Tour
August 10-11, 2024 saugertiesarttour.org
Celebrating 22 years of promoting the arts in Saugerties, we invite you to Take the Tour! This year’s open studio tour features 45 artists working in a wide variety of media and art forms. See the work of painters, potters, sculptors, photographers, videographers, furniture makers, mixed media artists, print makers and collagists, and so much more. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 12, at the Dutch Barn Art & Heritage Gallery, 119 Main Street, Saugerties, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, where you can pick up a map for this free, self-guided tour. Gallery hours are July 13-July 28, Saturdays, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sundays, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The open studio tour hours on August 1011 are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm both days. Drop in at locations listed on the tour’s website to pick-up your free map, or send your request and surface mail address to bbravo@hvc.rr.com to receive a map in the mail.
Belleayre Beach. Photo courtesy of Belleayre Mountain
ATTRACTIONS
Catskill Mountain Railroad 55 Kingston Plaza Road Kingston, NY 12401
CatskillMountainRailroad.com 845 332 4854
Catskill Mountain Railroad’s Catskill Flyer runs every Saturday, and the Ice Cream Sundays Train runs every Sunday. On Saturdays take a ride on the Catskill Flyer and enjoy on the trip in our coaches or on our open air flat cars. On Sundays, passengers enjoy the same great ride and get an Ice Cream to enjoy on the trip. Open Saturdays and Sundays from May 25 through September 15, 2024.
Catskill Water Discovery Center
669 County Highway 38 Arkville, NY 12406
waterdiscoverycenter.org
Open by appointment: call 845 586 6622
The Making of a Nature Preserve: The Catskill Water Discovery Center will soon complete a “living classroom” on its 33-acre East Branch Nature Preserve, bordering the river in Arkville. Six interpretive stations along the half-mile trail loop and in a “classroom” clearing will tell the story of this microcosm of the Catskills that was once forest, then farm, and is now returning to nature with native and in-
vasive species. An accompanying website waterdiscoverycenter.org links learners of all ages to online resources.
Gilboa Museum
122 Stryker Road
Gilboa, NY 12076
gilboafossils.org
607 588 6894
Gilboa Museum promotes natural and cultural histories. Gilboa village of 1915 was a hamlet with large residential, business and industrial sections nestled in nearly 4 square miles of rich Schoharie valley farmland. Within a decade, this cultural center had been documented, photographed, and archived before being razed and the valley filled with water destined for New York City. The Nicholas J. Juried History Center provides insight into turn-of-the-century life in rural America. Visit Saturday and Sundays from 12 to 4, Memorial Day to Columbus Day, or arrange a tour by calling 607 588 6894.
Hanford Mills Museum
51 County Highway 12
East Meredith, NY 13757
hanfordmills.org
607 278 5744
Come to Hanford Mills Museum on July 20 for our Dairy Exploration Day. Enjoy free samples of vanilla ice cream churned at the mill (while supplies last) as you experience a story of ingenuity first-hand and learn about the history of the dairy industry in Delaware County. This Exploration Day comes just in time for National Ice Cream Month. Find out more about this and other upcoming Exploration Days at hanfordmills.org or by visiting our social media channels.
Railexplorers.net
1 877 833 8588
Rail Explorers
In Cooperstown:
136 E Main Street
Milford, NY 13807
Catskills Division:
70 Lower High Street
Phoenicia, NY 12464
Rail Explorers in the Catskills and Cooperstown offer unique, exciting experiences for riders of all ages and abilities. These operations feature commercial grade explorers which are the ‘Rolls Royce’ of railbikes, and are the global leader in safety, design, performance, and ease of operation. Couples young and old, groups of friends, and families can enjoy the Rail Explorer experience. Both tours offer electric pedal assist—Rail Explorers has developed a custom built electric assist motor that makes the experience truly effortless, even when climbing the steepest of inclines.
BOAT CHARTERS AND RENTALS
Catskill Charters
Boarding from Hop-O-Nose Marina & Creekside Restaurant & Bar
160 West Main Street
Catskill, NY 12414
catskillcharters.com
518 965 1933
Catskill Charters is more than just boat rentals and charters. We specialize in providing the ultimate experience on the water in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. You and your guests can spend time enjoying all the Hudson River has to offer. Historic light houses, swimming or fishing at local
nearby islands, beautiful sunsets, and waterfront restaurants are just a few of the experiences our guests enjoy on our boats. Private yacht charters, pontoon boat and kayak rental, boat parties, overnight yacht stays.
BOOKSTORE
Briars & Brambles Books
Route 296 & South Street
Windham, NY 12496
briarsandbramblesbooks.com
518 750 8599
Briars and Brambles Books is your go-to Indie Bookstore in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. Briars & Brambles Books is a dream come true for owner & part-time Windham resident, Jen Schwartz. Jen has combined her love of books with her experience as a long-time library volunteer and past library board president to create an inviting, knowledgeable and professional atmosphere. The Briars & Brambles team understands that being a bookseller involves so much more than simply “selling books” and is committed to providing unparalleled personal attention.
BOWLING & BBQ
The Ark Bowl & BBQ
42366 State Hwy. 28
Arkville, NY 12406
thearkbowl.com
845 586 2695
The perfect spot for a casual aprésski, the Ark Bowl & BBQ is an eclectic 120-seat restored 1960’s era vintage
8-lane bowling alley, BBQ joint, saloon and music/entertainment venue in the western Catskill Mountains, just a short drive from Belleayre Mountain. We feature a slow smoked, grilled and Americana BBQ menu, pub style food, and a full bar, and are open for brunch, lunch, supper and late night. Live music, featuring national and local acts, appear regularly–check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for the most up-to-date schedule. The Ark Bowl & BBQ is available for all types of social events, including weddings, birthday parties, work gatherings, family reunions, motorcycle touring groups and more. Catering also available.
COMMUNITY CENTER
Main Street Community Center
5494 NY-23 Windham, NY 12496
mainstreetcenter.org 518 734 4168
The Main Street Community Center strives to build a caring, welcoming and inclusive environment to benefit all of the communities on the Mountain Top. Centrally located in Windham, the building contains multiple rooms, including two bathrooms (one is handicap accessible), a large sitting area, a conference room, individual workspaces with computer monitors and a large screen TV, free WIFI, access to printers, and a studio for creative activities. The Artist’s Hideaway provides individual lockers for artists to safely store their supplies. There is plenty of on site parking. The Center has an ever increasing offering of classes, programs, and events for people of all ages.
EMBRACE SUMMERTIME LIVING WITH GNH
As the days get longer and weather gets warmer, it’s time to tackle outdoor projects and transform your home into the go-to gathering spot. Here’s just a few projects you may want to consider this summer.
Decks and Patios
If a new deck is on your list, you’ll want to start with the basics—setting a budget and selecting materials for your deck and railing. Consider adding built-in lighting or benches, perhaps a pergola for shade.
Wood decks need to be refinished every few years. Available in solid or semi-transparent, stains are a great option if you enjoy the natural look of wood. If you decide to go with paint, be sure to get exterior deck/patio paint, formulated for outdoor weather and foot traffic.
Lawn and Garden
Summer heat can wreak havoc on our lawns. To repair bare spots on your lawn, start by raking the area to remove any debris. Next, apply a patching product like Scotts EZ Seed Patch & Repair. Thoroughly water the area and continue to water daily for 2 weeks or until the seedlings are 2 inches tall. To help your gardens stay lush, water first thing in the morning or later in the evening so the water will penetrate the soil instead of evaporating. Mulch will help retain moisture around your plants.
Stop by your local GNH in Windham or Greenville, we are here to help you make your home look its best this summer with product recommendations, design services and practical advice.
Dutchess
County Fair
August 20-25
Dutchess County Fairgrounds
6636 Route 9
Rhinebeck, NY 12572 dutchessfair.com
The Dutchess County Fair is held annually in Rhinebeck, usually during the last full week in August. Currently, the fair hosts approximately half a million people per year, and is the second largest county Fair in New York State. Rides, vendors, food, entertainment, agriculture, horticulture, turn-of-the-century treasures, a working blacksmith shop and gas powered engine show, and so much more! Daily fair hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm. Main carnival area opens and rides run daily starting at 11 am.
Catskill Mountain Foundation’s
Natural Agriculture Farm
At Sugar Maples
34 Big Hollow Road
Maplecrest, NY 12454
The CMF operates a 4.5-acre farm following the Natural Agriculture method taught by the Japanese organization Shumei, the principle of which is to grow vegetables the
way they would grow in Nature. This means that no agricultural chemicals of any sort are used, and no manure or other soil additives used in organic farming are permitted. The farm includes a beautiful new Visitors Center, along with two 3,000-square-foot greenhouses. During growing season, visitors can purchase vegetables grown at the farm at a farmstand that operates every Saturday.
FARMS & FARM PRODUCTS
Pure Catskills purecatskills.com
A regional, buy local campaign developed by the Watershed Agricultural Council to improve the economic viability of the local community, sustain the working landscapes of the Catskills and preserve water quality in the NYC Watershed Region. Pure Catskills works to promote hundreds of farm, forest and local businesses throughout Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster Counties. Search their website for local products, or pick up a copy of the Guide to Pure Catskills Products!
Shawn’s
Fresh Fish
5150 Route 28
Mount Tremper, NY 12457
On Instagram: @ShawnsFreshFish 845 702 2120
Located at the Migliorelli Farm Stand. We started our business in 2016. We carry a large selection of fresh fish and seafood. Also, try our fresh made soups, salads and locally smoked fish. Requests welcomed.
GARDEN & NURSERY
Augustine Nursery
9W & Van Kleecks Lane
Kingston, NY 12401
AugustineNursery.com 845 338 4936
We’ve been creating landscapes of distinction throughout the Hudson Valley since 1974. Today, Augustine Nursery has grown to become one of the leading residential and commercial landscape design firms and the “nursery of choice” among high-end landscape architects, independent contractors and discerning homeowners. We offer a stunning selection of larger scale, estate-grade trees, shrubs and plants. There are hundreds of varieties, ranging from the most popular to the new and emerging. We also offer a full menu of nursery services, from planning and design to installation and dress finish for greenscapes and hardscapes.
Gardens by Trista
176 Polen Hill Road
Gilboa, NY 12076
gardensbytrista.com
607 588 6762
Gardens by Trista is a full service landscape company focused on providing each client with the individualized landscape or garden of their dreams. We know each property and client holds their own unique essence which we use to transform the land and its elements into their personalized landscape. We strive to fulfill the needs of each and every customer, whether it be a complete design/build for new construction or help with an existing garden that needs a rejuvenation. We also have an extensive garden maintenance division to help keep your landscape and garden in pristine condition. We also offer tree and bush pruning, orchard planning and renovation, and natural sheet mulch and organic fertilization services.
GNH Lumber
5477 Route 23
Windham, NY 12496
518 734 3760
11513 NY-32
Greenville, NY 12083
518 966 5333
Online at GNHlumber.com
Renovating your home or building new? Ask our Team of Experts for inspiration, help, and on-site delivery. We offer: Lumber & Building Materials • Plumbing & Electrical Supplies • Cabinets, Countertops & Design Services • Tools, Paints,
Stains & More! Discover why GNH has a reputation for highquality products and friendly customer service since 1937. We’ll see you soon!
ICE CREAM
The Ice Cream Station
76 Main Street
Phoenicia, NY 12464
845 688 3333
Amidst the restaurants and shops crowded along Main Street in Phoenicia, a dessert oasis awaits you inside the Ice Cream Station. The name of the place says it all: a bounty of traditional and unique ice-cream flavors is ready to be scooped into a dish, cone, milkshake, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Open from May through late October, The Ice Cream Station offers hard and soft ice cream, shakes, cones, sundaes, malts, candy, and homemade fudge. The Ice Cream Station is owned by the Kirk Family, who also operate The Nest Egg just up the road.
LIVE MUSIC
Maverick Concerts
120 Maverick Road
Woodstock, NY 12498
maverickconcerts.org
Maverick Concerts, Inc. is the oldest, continuous summer chamber music festival in America, celebrating over a century of world class music in the woods. The mainstay of the festival, which runs from June to September, is to be found in the Sunday cham-
HARDWARE & LUMBER
ber music concerts performed by renowned soloists and ensembles. Jazz and Contemporary Music presentations have been given more prominence in recent seasons. Our popular Maverick Family Saturdays, are designed for enjoyment by children in grades K-6. The festival is a winner of the Award for Adventurous Programming, accorded jointly by Chamber Music America and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP.)
Music and Art Center of Greene County Rt. 23A
Jewett, NY 12442 grazhdamusicandart.org
845 514 2960 or 517 980 1295 (June-September)
The Music and Art Center of Greene County, the first and oldest classical music summer concert series in Greene County, offers an opportunity to hear outstanding musicians perform in the architecturally unique Grazhda Hall. An architectural landmark in the region, built in a traditional style typical of the Carpathian region in Ukraine, the complex is a focal point for a well-established Ukrainian summer community and draws tourists from near and far. Established in 1983 by composer and musicologist Dr. Ihor Sonevytsky, the Music and Art Center has become an established presence in the region and on the Ukrainian cultural scene. Eminent artists who have performed at the Grazhda in the past include Metropolitan Opera bass Paul Plishka, pianist Alexander Slobodyanik, composer Myroslav Skoryk, Kyiv Opera tenor Anatoliy Solovyanenko and 0the Leontovych String Quartet.
LODGING
Greenville Arms
11135 State Route 32
Greenville, NY 12083
greenvillearms.com 518 966 5219
Originally built in 1889, our historically registered Inn is situated on six acres of gardens, lawns, and woodlands. The Queen Anne Revival-style main house, renovated Carriage House, and recently constructed Cottage building are host to 16 guest rooms open year-round to guests. Every guest room is uniquely decorated with a blend of antiques and modern amenities. A hot, cooked-to-order breakfast is included with each room.
Hampton Inn
1307 Ulster Avenue Kingston, NY 12401 Kingston.hamptoninn.com 845 382 2600
Additional location in New Paltz: 4 S. Putt Corners Road New Paltz, NY 12561 Newpaltz.hamptoninn.com 845 255 4200
Our hotel is near I-87, with several restaurants within walking distance. Historic Downtown Waterfront and Uptown Kingston are both just four miles away with many local shops and dining options. Spend some family time at the Dutchess
County Fairgrounds, seven miles away. An hour drive or less from many outdoor recreation opportunities. Unwind in our indoor saltwater pool. Enjoy complimentary hot breakfast and free WiFi.
Windham Manor
1161 Co Rd 10
Windham, NY 12496
windhammanor.com
518 944 1448
Our serene 45-acre property features a beautiful 12-bedroom Victorian mansion, a luxury reception barn, and breathtaking mountain views. The Main House, which can accommodate up to 24 overnight guests, offers 12 private bedrooms, an on-site gym, a full spa, a large kitchen, ADA accommodations, and sprawling communal areas. It’s the perfect space for any small reception and is also ideal for a weekend getaway with friends or family; a wellness retreat; or a corporate off-site event. Just a few steps west of The Main House, The Barn at Windham Manor can hold up to 300 guests for dinner and dancing. With tall ceilings, tons of natural light, and no detail spared, the space offers the perfect mix of classic mountain charm and unique modern luxury. We also offer various outdoor wedding ceremony locations throughout the property—one more beautiful than the next!
MASSAGE & WELLNESS
Illuminating Wellness/
Mountain Top Massage
illuminatingwellness.care
518 718 4228
Transformative therapeutic massage practice combines elements of many of the healing arts such as Acupressure, Reflexology, Reiki, Chiropractic adjustment and many forms of Asian and Thai massage. BioPhoton Light Therapy – Biontology is a European healing process that detoxes, neutralizes and resets the body and healing begins immediately. This practice finds the root-cause of any symptomproducing malady and quickly neutralizes it and thus assists you in raising the body’s immune system, the key to your health. (biontology.com).
Rail Explorers
NATURAL FOODS & GROCERY
Sunflower Market
75 Mill Hill Road
Woodstock, NY 12498
24 Garden Street
Rhinebeck, NY, 12572
sunflowernatural.com
845 679 5361 (Woodstock) • 845 876 2555 (Rhinebeck)
Sunflower is dedicated to providing products you can feel good about sharing with people you love. Prioritizing working with local farms, families, and business, we know where our food comes from. Sunflower is devoted to providing clean and sustainably sourced food, 100% organic produce and a selection of carefully curated items that fit all dietary needs.
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
Windham Foundation
windhamfoundation.com
info@windhamfoundation.com
518 734 9636
Our mission is to preserve and enrich Windham and the people who live, work, and visit here. We are a 501c3 grants-based organization, funding programs in education, recreation, the arts, and community initiatives. Established in 2004, the Windham Foundation is run by an all-volunteer Board. Donations are tax deductible.
OUTDOOR RECREATION
Belleayre Mountain
181 Galli Curci Road
Highmount, NY 12441
belleayre.com
845 254 5600
The days of dormancy for ski areas in the summertime are long gone, as Belleayre has become a year-round hub of adventure, fun, and relaxation in the center of the Catskills! Whether you’re an adventurous spirit looking to immerse yourself in the quiet shaded forests, take a dip in the fresh mountain water, or simply looking for a family friendly activity that will be good for the little ones, adventures of all kinds can be based out of the highest ski area in the Catskills.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Images of the Northern Catskills by Francis X. Driscoll
Work available for purchase at: Tannersville Antiques & Artisans: 518 589 5600
Rustic Mountain Antiques: 518 589 1202
Smitty’s Nursery: 518 734 3489 francisxdriscoll.com • 518 821 1339
A frequent contributor to the Guide magazine, Francis X. Driscoll is an award-winning nature photographer whose
work involves total immersion in a setting so that he might capture that rare glimpse. His primary subject is the Catskill Forest Preserve. He shares his craft with others by leading hikes, conducting workshops and giving private instruction.
RADIO STATIONS
WIOX 91.3FM
MTC Cable Channel 20
WIOXRADIO.ORG on computers and smartphones
WIOX Community Radio—where public access meets public service to build public trust. WIOX programming is wildly diverse, live and local, and non-commercial, broadcasting from the Catskill Mountains region of upstate New York in the heart of the New York City Watershed. WIOX talk and music programs range from farming to brewing to cooking, forestry to healthcare, Rock to Pop, Bach and Goth, Blues, Folk, Country, Americana, Jazz and Salsa. WIOX: produced and supported—by you!
WRIP 97.9FM
wripfm.com
Streaming at rip979.com
RIP 97.9 is the radio voice of the Mountaintop and Valley. Broadcasting 24/7 with the equivalent of 6,000 Watts of power, we are the only radio station covering the entire region between the Hudson Valley and Oneonta. WRIP is independently owned and operated. WRIP is heard on these FM frequencies: 97.9 in Windham and Hunter, 97.5 in Durham and Greenville, 103.7 in Catskill
and Hudson, 104.5 in Stamford and Delaware County, and streaming worldwide at rip979.com.
REAL ESTATE
Brainard Ridge Realty
237 South Street
Windham, NY 12496
brainardridge.com 518 734 5333
Specializing in Windham Mountain and the surrounding area for over 35 years. Visit our web site at brainardridge.com for a variety of listings both on and off the mountain: Homes, Townhomes, Rentals and Land. Whatever your needs we are here for you. Call us today!
CATSKILLS
HOME TEAM at Keller Williams Upstate Pamela “Jean” Orr Deb Dolan
42415 NY-28 • Margaretville, NY 12455
845 684 2121
With more than 35 years specializing in Catskills real estate, our focus is on building relationships. Our clients are more than transactions; they’re our present and future neighbors. We are dedicated to going the extra mile to provide top-notch, professional, and informed service. Our commitment is to build trust and ensure that our clients feel fully supported throughout their journey, with their best interests always at the forefront of everything we do.
Coldwell Banker—
Prime Properties
Sharon A. Middleton, Associate Broker
SharonMiddleton.com
YourMountainLifeRealtor.com
518 755 3232 (cell)
518 966 4900 (office)
Call Sharon Middleton, Associate Broker, licensed in multiple states, with over 40 years of experience assisting sellers and buyers in the real estate market on the mountaintop. Communication is key in any real estate transaction, let me guide you in your journey to sell or buy!
Coldwell Banker— Timberland Properties
TimberlandProperties.com
CatskillPremier.com
Margaretville: 845 586 3321
Boiceville/Mt. Tremper: 845 657 4177
Delhi: 607 746 7400
Stamford: 607 652 2220
Sidney: 607 604 4394
Roscoe: 607 290 4130
Start your real estate career today! Unrivaled agent support & the best training in the region. Call or email to learn more: Debra G. Danner, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker/ Branch Manager: 518 937 0924 or Debra.Danner@Timberlandproperties.net.
Carol Shaw, Broker/Owner— Shaw Country Realty
5359 State Route 23
Windham, NY 12496
518 734 3500
I have been a real estate broker in the mountain top area for nearly four decades. Representing buyers and sellers, as well as dealing with various types of properties such as homes, land, and country homes, rentals, indicates a broad expertise in the local real estate market. With our many years in the industry, Shaw Country Realty has built a strong network, deep understanding of the market trends, and a keen ability to match buyers with suitable properties and help sellers navigate successful transactions. If you have any specific questions about real estate feel free to ask!
Win Morrison Realty
Locations in Kingston, Catskill, Phoenicia, Saugerties, Windham & Woodstock winmorrisonrealty.com
At Win Morrison Realty we listen to your wants and needs while assisting you to make them a reality. We pride ourselves on being the largest and most respected real estate company in the Hudson Valley. Whether it is a weekend retreat, mansion, land, commercial property or business, our experienced agents will assist you every step of the way. We have seven offices located throughout the Hudson Val-
ley and a team of over 100 real estate professionals. We are members of numerous MLS (Multiple Listing Services) to serve you, from New York City to the Adirondacks. Please stop in or call any of our offices.
REGIONAL INFORMATION
Catskill Visitor’s Center
5096 State Route 28
Mt. Tremper, NY 12457
catskillsvisitorscenter.org
845 688 3369
Your gateway to Catskills, where you can learn about the vast outdoor recreational opportunities in the area as well as discover the cultural and natural history of the Region. The center features educational exhibits along with maps, books, gear, and gifts, as well a friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce
Margaretville, NY 12455
centralcatskills.com • sceniccatskills.com
845 586 3300
The Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce works to advance the economic and community vitality of the many hamlets, villages and towns in our region and promote and foster events, programs and initiatives that will support its members. Collaboration and innovation will inspire community enhancement and quality of life opportunities for all who live, work and visit our communities.
Sullivan County Tourism
SullivanCatskills.com
1 800 882 CATS Go! Sing
Sing with the band at the site of the ’69 Woodstock concert. Our creative spirit is alive all over our charming small towns, which are bursting with food, drink, and outdoor fun all summer long. PLAN AHEAD: July 2-14: Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville at Forestburgh Playhouse; July 6: The Outlaw Music Festival at Bethel Woods; July 20: Hurleyville Music Festival; July 24: Train & REO Speedwagon at Bethel Woods; July 28: Riverfest in Narrowsburg.
Ulster County Tourism
VisitUlsterCountyNY.com
Seek for Yourself & Make This Summer Magic Ulster County might be the perfect summer vacation spot with no end to things to do. Hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, lounging, tastings, viewings, and anything you can imagine. Plan your summer escape to Ulster County today at visitulstercountyny.com.
RESTAURANTS
A Slice of Italy
1316 Ulster Avenue Kingston, NY 12401 asliceofitaly7115.com 845 336 7115
The finest Italian dishes, pizza, hot and cold subs, salads and more made with the freshest ingredients and served with five star customer service. Full bar featuring a range of red and white wines, bottled beers, beers on tap and liquor. We also cater, and pride ourselves on being able to deliver our quality restaurant dishes right to your door. Whatever the event, no matter how many or how few, we are there for you. Open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm, closed on Sundays.
Angela’s Pizza
1923 Ulster Avenue Lake Katrine, NY 12401 angelaspizzarestaurant.com 845 382 2211
Angela’s is more than just pizza! Soups, salads, pastas, subs, wraps, Italian dinners, desserts & more. … But, yeah, our pizza is dang awesome, too! Try our specialty pies or build your own! Open every day 11:00 am to 10:00 pm. Eat in or take out, and delivery is available. Catering is also available: let us bring our delicious food to your next event! Angela’s mobile app— available on both Android and iOS devices—is designed just for you. Get instant access to online ordering, Angela’s Loyalty Program, coupons, dining & catering menus, wing flavors and much more! Download the app today!
Bethel Woods
BUYING IN THE CATSKILLS IN 2024
By Deb Dolan, Catskills Home Team at Keller Williams Upstate
With the Pandemic in the rearview mirror, 2024 presents new opportunities for real estate buyers in the Catskills. Partnering with a knowledgeable local real estate agent is essential to navigating the landscape effectively. They offer invaluable insights into specific inventory dynamics which means you can make informed decisions in this competitive market.
We’re witnessing that the most coveted properties continue to draw significant and often aggressive interest, primarily from Metro New York buyers, spanning all price ranges. Desirability typically stems from a blend of exceptional style, architecture, and favorable location or amenities. However, for properties considered more middle-of-the-road or those with perceived flaws such as poor location, unconventional layouts, or outdated kitchens/bathrooms, their pricing levels are not maintaining the momentum seen in recent years. This segment of the market reflects a fragmented landscape, evidenced by a rise in “Price Improvement” alerts.
The good news this year is that a notable shift is observed where some buyers find themselves as the sole offer on the table and/or able to negotiate a contract for below the asking price. Furthermore, inspection issues, previously accepted without question, now prompt renegotiation. This shift underscores the increased leverage buyers currently wield in the market.
For Catskills buyers, it’s important to note that while national media often paints a pessimistic picture of the housing market, the Catskills region may not necessarily follow the same trajectory. While some properties draw multiple offers, others struggle to attract interest, presenting opportunities for buyers seeking reasonable price ranges or wishing to avoid bidding wars. As the market evolves, buyers must remain informed and ready to capitalize on the right opportunities as they arise. With the help of a trusted Catskills-based real estate agent, you can gain a competitive edge and increase your chances of securing your dream home.
Bear Cantina
In the Bearsville Center:
295A Tinker St.
Woodstock, NY 12498
thebearcantinawoodstock.org
845 684 7223
Contemporary Mexican made fresh! All of your favorites are here: burritos, tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, chimichangas and more, with several meat, fish, chicken and vegan options, and a kids menu. Enjoy streamside dining with both indoor & outdoor seating. View our full menu and place your order on the Clover app. Open Monday-Thursday 3-9 pm; Friday-Saturday 12-10 pm; Sunday 12-9 pm.
Brandywine
11157 State Route 23
Windham, NY 12496
brandywinewindham.com
518 734 3838
For the past 35 years, this fullservice Italian restaurant has offered great food and impeccable service. Share wonderful memories with your loved ones as we fill your table with delicious Italian cuisine. Born and raised in Southern Italy, owner Louis Caracciolo mastered the art of Italian cookery,
and passed it on to his son Joseph, who has continued that art and tradition as chef in the restaurant. We guarantee that we know the formula to capture the rich flavor of your favorite Italian dishes.
Cafe Mornings and Market
43270 Route 28
Arkville, NY 12406
cafemornings.com
hello@cafemornings.com
845 869 5138
A new family-run Korean café and market offering breakfast, lunch and dinner Korean-style meals made from family recipes. Try our Ceremonial Grade Matcha and always fresh Espresso at our coffee and matcha bar right on Route 28 in Arkville. Now offering natural organic wine, Asian beer and cocktails during brunch! Find something unexpected in our market from curated gourmet pantry products to unique gifts & home and kitchen goods. Open Thursday-Monday 7:00 am-2:00 pm.
Chef Deanna
1645 County Highway 6
Bovina Center, NY 13740
chefdeanna.com
Weddings and special event catering, with delivery available for larger events! Chef Deanna is on the cutting edge of the sustainable food. Surrounded by farmers and local food makers, Chef Deanna creates beautiful dishes using her Sicilian heritage and her love of everything sweet and savory.
Gracie’s Luncheonette
969 Main Street
Leeds, NY 12451
graciestruckny.com
518 943 9363
Our diner-style burgers, fried chicken sandwich, loaded fries and donuts are our signature menu items. All of our breads, pastries and desserts are made fresh in house every day. We make all of our own condiments and even our own cheese. We buy whole beef from Josef Meiller’s farm in Pine Plains, NY and we grind our own special blend for our burgers as well as cut our own steaks. We also cure and smoke our own bacon, pastrami and other meats. All eggs, dairy, produce and other meats are all sourced as locally as possible. the potatoes for our French fries are even grown right in Catskill at Story’s Farm and hand-cut daily!
Peekamoose
Restaurant & Tap Room
8373 State Route 28
Big Indian, NY 12410
peekamooserestaurant.com
845 254 6500
Devin and Marybeth Mills hail from some of New York City’s finest restaurants, including the famed Gramercy Tavern. Seeking to move closer to the farms supplying their menu, they have beautifully restored this country farmhouse set among the Catskill Mountains. The restaurant supports local growers by changing the menu daily, using the freshest ingredients available.
RETAIL
Moose Crossing
1 Reservoir Rd.
Shokan, NY 12481
rustic-cabin.com
845 657 9792
Casual, rustic and country Adirondack-style furniture, home furnishings, home decor, accessories, gifts and collectibles. Hand-crafted, Made-In-America sold wood furniture and furnishings for your home, lodge or cabin. Jewelry, blankets, pillows, rugs and clothing in Native American, Western and country motifs and styles. The best selection of nature-inspired items hand crafted from artisanal craftsmen located locally and from around the country.
The Nest Egg
84 Main Street
Phoenicia, NY 12464
thenesteggcountrystore.com
nesteggshop.com
845 688 5851
An old-fashioned country store in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. You’ll find lots of specialty and artisan crafted foods here, from local maple syrup, honey, preserves, to nostalgic candies and gourmet chocolate, to gourmet peanut butter, and more! Your source for mountain clothing and souvenirs, including Minnetonka Moccasins, tshirts & sweatshirts, local area books and hiking maps, candles, soaps, incense, jewelry, toys, puzzles, games and more. Our home-made delicious fudge is worth the trip! Owner Robin Kirk’s family has owned The Nest Egg since 1968.
SERVICES
Catskill Center for Conservation & Development
43355 Route 28
Arkville, NY 12406
catskillcenter.org
845 586 2611
Since 1969, the Catskill Center has led the effort to protect the more than 700,000 acres of the Catskill Park and Catskill Forest Preserve. Their mission is to protect and foster the environmental, cultural,and economic well-being of the Catskill Region.
Photo courtesy Ulster County Tourism
Greene County Economic Development Corporation
411 Main Street
Catskill, NY 12414
greenecountyedc.com
518 719 3290
Your gateway to establishing your business in Greene County. Their team connects entrepreneurs, developers, and corporate leadership with resources, municipalities, and investment incentives for job-creating businesses.
SPA
MENLA | Dewa Spa
375 Pantherkill Road
Phoenicia, NY 12464
menla.org
Menla is a hidden oasis in the heart of the Catskill mountains. Featuring wellness and spiritual retreats as well as exclusive getaways, and the world-class Dewa Spa. Immerse yourself in the magic of pristine mountain forests. Explore hiking trails, encounter wildlife, and discover a rich tapestry of wellness experiences and activities. Dewa Spa’s unique architecture and Tibetan accents evoke peace and tranquillity. Eastern and Western treatments, such as Tibetan KuNye massage, herbal baths, Shirodhara, sounds baths, energy readings, and customized facials are a few of the lavish therapies found at our spa.
TREE CARE
518 378 0664
Powell’s Tree Care
Earlton, NY
PowellsTreeCare @gmail.com
PowellsTree.com
Powell’s Tree Care is your source for the best tree care in Greene County. We offer pruning, removals, viewscaping, woodscaping, storm and emergency clean-up, cabling, fertilization and stump grinding. Remember to always leave this type of work to professional arborists or tree experts. Ian Powell has two decades of experience, is on site at every job and takes pride in leaving the work site clean and mess free. We excel at tree care and tree care only.
WINE & SPIRITS
Olivia’s Wine & Spirits
128 South Street
Windham, NY 12496
oliviaswineandspirits.com
518 750 8026
Wine connoisseurs Olivia and Robert Giordano have traveled the world learning about wine, and are now bringing their vast knowledge and passion for wines from all over the world to Windham. Olivia’s offers a diverse selection of wines at a variety of competitive price points, as well as a variety of bourbons, whiskeys, and other liquors. Open every day.
Town & Country Liquors
330 Route 12
Saugerties, NY 12477
townandcountryliquorstore.com
845 246 8931
Our selection of wines and spirits is among the best in the Hudson Valley. Our friendly helpful staff is here to assist you in finding the right beverage: we have a huge selection of wines and spirits from all over the world.
Hanford Mills Museum
The Catskill Mountain Foundation, in partnership with Works & Process, presents
SStars of Ballet
By Sarah Beling
erious star power comes back to the Catskills with the return of some of the New York City Ballet’s brightest lights, performing in Stars of Ballet with New York City Ballet Principal Adrian Danchig-Waring July 14 at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center.
A collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process program—a creative incubator from the Upper East Side museum designed to support new pieces in development as well as bring world-class performance to new audiences—Stars of Ballet features a wide-ranging array of works, including excerpts from George Balanchine’s Emeralds & Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alexei Ratmansky’s Valse Triste, Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit, Christropher Wheeldon’s After the Rain, Pam Tanowitz’s Law of Mosaics and Kyle Abraham’s The Runaway. Danchig-Waring, a principal with the NYCB since 2013, is joined by fellow company members Chun Wai Chan, Taylor Stanley, Mira Nadon (recently heralded by The New York Times as a “once-in-a-generation” dancer), Unity Phelan, Indiana Woodward, Davide Riccardo, and more as-yet-to-be announced performers.
The Works & Process program follows last summer’s tribute to longtime NYCB principal and former Catskill Mountain Foundation board member Jacques d’Amboise, who also founded
CMF’s beloved National Dance Institute summer residency. For Works & Process Executive Director Duke Dang, the organization’s involvement with CMF began after his own encounters with the late d’Amboise. “I first met Jacques shortly after buying my home in Greene County and at the first Catskill Mountain Foundation performance I attended (Carlota Santana at the Doctorow, the Orpheum was still being built). As we all are, I was starstruck, but was so happy to see a dance legend actively involved in the community who was championing dance on the mountain top with the annual National Dance Institute programs,” said Dang. “When the Catskill Mountain Foundation approached me about dance events after the pandemic, I immediately thought we had to celebrate Jacques and create a tribute.” Involving Danchig-Waring “immediately came to mind,” said Dang, as the dancer maintains a residence in nearby Rensselaerville and had become friends with Jacques during his time at the School of American Ballet and NYCB, added Dang. Putting together an evening to celebrate d’Amboise was a fulfilling experience, said Dang, noting that “the community was so happy and full of memories and reminiscing after last year’s performance.”
For Danchig-Waring, “it was a joy” to take part in last summer’s d’Amboise tribute. “He was such an important figure in my life, having coached me in some of his iconic roles (includ-
photos: Adrian Danchig-Waring and Anthony Roth Costanzo performing “Desire” by Lar Lubovitch (World Premiere), December 5, 2023. Photo: Works & Process
/Erick Munari
ing Apollo, which I performed last year),” he said. “He choreographed a few original works on me and my generation of NYCB dancers through his NDI ‘Arts Nest’ series and we spent intimate time together—sharing stories, collaborating, and enjoying a decade-long friendship,” added Danchig-Waring. “He shaped me in meaningful ways.” Danchig-Waring was “honored” to help conceive this summer’s program, he said, and to “share it with the Catskills community that Jacques loved so much.”
While this year’s presentation isn’t directly a tribute to d’Amboise, it’s still an homage to the legacy he left in Greene County, said Dang. “We don’t think we will ever be able to top our Jacques tribute, he was such a beloved member of the community, but we are trying to organize a program that, like Jacques, has a connection to the community,” said Dang. “We know how well received the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine was by the community and we feel so fortunate to be able to feature Ukrainian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s Valse Triste as part of this year’s program.” Ratmansky, formerly the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet and described by The New York Times as “arguably the most important ballet choreographer working today,” has recently drawn on the experience of witnessing the devastating destruction of his native Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion as inspiration for many of his latest works. The program also pays tribute to the NYCB’s 75th anniversary with features by several of its other notable choreographers, including its late founder George Balanchine and more contemporary works by Pam Tanowitz, known for her “abstract treatment of classical and contemporary movement ideas,” as well as excerpts from Kyle Abraham’s contemporary ballet The Runaway, a piece that premiered at NYCB in 2018 featuring music by Nico Muhly, James Blake, Jay-Z and Kanye West. The Works & Process program also features several NYCB artists with Broadway credits, including longtime choreographer Christopher Wheeldon—known for both his vast portfolio of NYCB dances as well as for Tony Awardwinning work on An American in Paris and MJ: The Musical—and Justin Peck, whose contemporary dance musical Illinoise, set to the music of the seminal 2005 Sufjan Stevens concept album, premiered on the Main Stem this season.
Dang believes the manifold array of works will appeal to audiences both new and returning to the Orpheum, and to the Catskills region at large. “Personally, I call Greene County home, and I’m thrilled to have world class dance and dancers right in my own backyard,” said Dang, who adds that the ethos of Works & Process is a natural fit for CMF’s mission and programming. “Works & Process is a performing arts organization that champions artists and their creative process each step from studio to stage—and that is what makes the Catskill Mountain Foundation so special,” said Dang. “It is an organization that supports both creative residencies and also performances, and the foundation has built the infrastructure to do this with the Orpheum, Doctorow, Red Barn, and accompanying housing.” The late d’Amboise’s artistic legacy at CMF—now extended by NYCB’s latest bound-
ary-breaking and innovative choreographers — is also in line with the organization’s dedication to maintaining the Catskill Region’s reputation as a trailblazing hotbed of creative process, he added. “It was here that Thomas Cole created America’s first art movement and that history of the region inspiring artists continues to this day,” said Dang. “The community celebrates this heritage and we can really feel it.”
Danchig-Waring agrees. “Last year’s audience was so warm and receptive to the program we presented—so many folks stuck around after the show and we all got to connect and chat in the lobby,” he said. “I loved hearing people’s stories—not only about Jacques, but also about how important dance—as an art form and a means of personal expression—is in their lives,” he added. Being able to share art with the Catskills region is “tremendously fulfilling,” says Danchig-Waring, noting that as a nearby homeowner he feels “increasingly attached to contributing to the local cultural landscape.” He hopes that July’s program “allows Catskills audiences to experience many facets of our work at NYCB and see us not just as world-class artists sharing a stage, but as a group of friends who delight in our craft and are eager to expand our community.”
This performance will be on Sunday, July 14 at 3:00 pm. The Orpheum Performing Arts Center is located at 6050 Main Street, Tannersville, NY 12485. Tickets purchased ahead are $25 adults; $20 seniors; $7 students. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit catskillmtn.org or call 518 263 2063.
Blood Begets Blood Catskill Mountain Shakespeare Celebrates Its
5th Season with the Tragedy Julius Caesar
In an enthralling blend of art, history, and drama, Catskill Mountain Shakespeare is set to stage Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece, Julius Caesar, as part of its 5th Season in July. The production, presented in association with The Catskill Mountain Foundation, will open on July 13, 2024, and promises to be a mesmerizing blend of contemporary dance, visual art, and fashion, all woven into the dynamic storytelling of Shakespeare’s timeless tale.
A Director of International Renown
Leading this ambitious production is Michael Alvarez, an acclaimed international theater director. Alvarez has created work in New York, London, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Eastern Europe, and at such institutions as Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End, Arcola Theatre, London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, National Theatre of Slovenia, and New York Theatre Workshop. He is a Drama League Directing Fellow and an Assistant Professor of Directing at UNC School of the Arts. His unique vision is set to transform Julius Caesar into a visceral theatrical experience, bringing a fresh perspective and an innovative interpretation to Shakespeare’s classic.
An Outdoor Theatrical Experience
The production will be staged outdoors, among the scenic beauty of the Catskill Mountains, under a tent at The Red Barn on Main Street in Hunter. This picturesque setting will host 12 performances over three weekends, from July 13 to July 28, 2024. The natural backdrop not only enhances the immersive quality of the play but also aligns with Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s mission to integrate the beauty of nature with the power of live theater.
Expanding Outreach and Accessibility
In addition to the main stage performances, Catskill Mountain Shakespeare is expanding its outreach program to ensure theater remains accessible and inclusive. Highlights of this year’s program include:
• Low Cost/No Cost Tickets: Ensuring everyone has the chance to experience live theater.
• Community Book Club (Various Dates): Engaging the community in literary discussions related to the play.
Maria Lotz (they/them) as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2022
• Pay What You Can Performances (July 17 & 24): Making performances financially accessible to all.
• 3rd Annual LGBTQ+ Midsummer Social (July 19): Celebrating diversity and inclusion within the arts.
• Free Theatrical Workshops for Kids and Teens (July 20): Offering educational opportunities led by artistic professionals.
• Post-Show Talkback (July 26): Providing insights and discussions with the creative team.
• Arts and Crafts at Local Farmers’ Markets (Various Dates): Bringing art to the heart of the community.
• Inaugural CMS Youth Company (August 5-10): Launching a weeklong theatrical intensive for local youth in grades 6-12.
A Milestone Celebration
“Catskill Mountain Shakespeare is thrilled to celebrate five years of performances in the Catskills,” says Artistic Director Sarah Reny. “This season, we’re diving into exciting new territory by producing our first tragedy, Julius Caesar. But that’s not all—we’re continuing our expansive Outreach Program and launching our inaugural CMS Youth Company (aka YoCo) in August! YoCo is a new adventure for us and an amazing opportunity for local youth to receive theater training from actors who’ve appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and more.”
Inspired by Nature, Driven by Community
Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s mission is to create professional, immersive theatrical experiences that foster diversity, inclusion, and equity. The company believes that outdoor summer theater offers a unique collective space for the local community, weekenders, and mountaintop visitors to enjoy live art together. Their commitment to site-specific performances and minimal environmental impact underscores their dedication to both art and nature.
Don’t Miss Out
The 2024 season promises to be a landmark in the history of Catskill Mountain Shakespeare. With Julius Caesar’s powerful narrative brought to life through innovative artistic expression, this is a theatrical experience not to be missed. Performances will be held at The Red Barn, 7970 Main Street, Hunter, NY, from July 13-28, 2024. CMS YOCO runs August 5-10 at The Main Street Community Center in Windham.
Please note that the Julius Caesar contains instances of intimacy, violence, and mature subject matter, making it recommended for audiences aged 12 and up.
For tickets and additional information on outreach programming, visit catskillmountainshakespeare.com.
Exploration Day to Bring Dairy to the Forefront
Join Hanford Mills Museum on July 20 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm for our dairy Exploration Day. Come to Hanford Mills with the whole family to enjoy vanilla ice cream churned at our mill (while supplies last) and learn about the history of Delaware County’s dairy industry. This event is at a great time to celebrate National Ice Cream month in July.
Many vendors and exhibitors will be on-site for the festivities. Intelligent Green Solutions will be at Exploration Day to discuss solar power for homes and businesses. The Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie & Otsego Counties will be on-site as well. Representatives from Hartwick’s Baking Innovation Lab will highlight their efforts to support regional biodiversity of foodquality grain.
Dragon Wagon Book Bus will be on-site with their mobile bookstore. The Delaware County Dairy Ambassadors will also join us.
Helen’s Little Kitchen Food Truck and The Farmer’s Wife will both be vending lunch and snacks. Union Grove Distillery will be offering tastings of their products that will also be for sale. You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks. Feel
free to enjoy all ice cream and food at our picnic tables or as you explore. This Exploration Day is a fun and dynamic way for all ages to learn about the dairy industry!
Check our website at hanfordmills.org or our social media channels for updates.
About Hanford Mills Museum
Experience a story of innovation, ingenuity and entrepreneurship at a historic working mill site. Sheltered in a valley in the northwestern Catskills of New York, Hanford Mills Museum offers insights into the past and lessons about the relationships between people, the things they make, and the places they live. As one of only a handful of operating water-powered mills, Hanford Mills Museum has earned a place on both the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places.
Hanford Mills is located at 51 County Highway 12 in East Meredith, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 & 12, just 10 miles from Oneonta, and 15 miles from Delhi. For more information, visit hanfordmills.org or call 607 278 5744.
Catskills Past
SPLASH!
By T.M. Bradshaw
TTime for everybody to jump into the pool! In the 1920s, the pool associated with Stamford’s Rexmere Hotel, called the Rexmere Swimming Casino, offered more than just a way to cool off, it was the site for regular shows of swimming and diving exhibitions by international stars, fire diving, aquaplaning, the Miss Catskills pageant, and human fishing, meaning fishing for humans. More about that later.
The June 20, 1923 Stamford Mirror-Recorder described the beginnings of this wildly popular feature of Stamford summers. H. H. Mase was running the Rexmere Hotel and Churchill Hall at the time. Mr. Mase’s original plan had been to deepen the lakes around the Rexmere and create a bathing beach. When that didn’t work out, he hired Alexander Ott to suggest improvements to an existing pool and to put on entertainments there. Mr. Ott, a member of the 1912 U.S. Olympic team, a former ocean lifeguard with hundreds of rescues to his credit, and a stunt swimmer
and diver, had been managing pools around Miami, Florida and had a reputation for drawing crowds to those pools. He arrived in Stamford with his wife, Grace, and their son, four-year-old Jackie Ott, whose professional reputation was beginning to eclipse his father’s.
Little Jackie, who was said to have swum before he walked, performed many of the same stunts his father did. He had been declared the “perfect child” and also had the start of a movie career, but that was cut short by a car accident that sent him through the windshield.
The July 4 Mirror-Recorder that year announced that the refurbished pool would open on July 21 with a program that would include two greasy pole events—one, walking the pole, which was positioned over the water, to capture flags at its far end, the other a battle on the pole; fancy diving, high diving, and canoe tilting. Alexander Ott would walk along the bottom of the pool carry-
Johnny Weissmuller with Little Jackie Ott, known as the “Aqua-Tot.”
Photo Courtesy of the Raul E. Valdes-Fauli Coral Gables Archives
ing 100 pounds of sand and Jackie would demonstrate his skill at aquaplaning, essentially waterskiing on a surfboard, usually done in open water behind a motorboat. Some undescribed “contrivance,” perhaps a motorized winch replacing the boat, made the feat possible in the pool.
The Otts were back year after year, alternating summers in Stamford with winters in Coral Gables, FL, where Alexander Ott managed the pool and the water shows at the Biltmore Hotel.
In July 1925 the Mirror-Recorder reported that two cameramen with the International News Motion Picture Company were at Churchill Hall to film Jackie Ott performing rope climbing stunts before moving to the Rexmere pool to film him diving.
The August 5, 1925 issue of the Mirror-Recorder noted the pool appearance of Anne Booker, Oneonta’s entry in the Miss Catskills competition. Alternating acts with Jackie Ott, Booker performed stunt dives, “waltzing in the pool,” and served as the fish for a round of human fishing. Booker, who was described in the article as “little” proved to be too big a fish for the fisherman, a water sports promoter from Windham, to land.
Jackie’s performances that day included aquaplaning while dressed in formal attire, complete with silk top hat, a “Houdini” dive, with his hands and feet tied, and a series of expert and comedy dives.
On July 7, 1926 the story the Mirror-Recorder printed announcing a special show of comedy dives by “Stubby” Kruger detailed the story of how Kruger, who was from Honolulu, came to know the Otts. Kruger had been performing throughout the South and became friends with little Jackie, teaching him how to ride a surfboard. The day after the performance Kruger and the Otts went to Windham, where Kruger gave an exhibition at Cole’s Glen Lake.
Several weeks later the MirrorRecorder announced the arrival of other world champion swimmers who would perform at what was now called the Rexmere–Churchill Hall Swimming Casino in a special 3-day event, August 9 through 11. Kruger, national backstroke champion who finished fifth in the 1920 games, was back. Another of the champions, Johnny Weissmuller, who was declared by the Associated Press to be the “greatest swimmer of the first half of the Twentieth Century,” held at the time of his initial Rexmere appearance three Olympic golds and a bronze medal from the 1924 games; he earned two more Olympic golds in 1928. His final record included 52 US championships and 28 world records. Ott had also lined up Ethel Lackie, holder of two Olympic golds from the 1924 Paris games. It was at this special event that Alexander Ott performed his fire dive for the first time in Stamford.
August 1927 saw two different fire acts at the Rexmere pool. In what the Mirror-Recorder called “perhaps the most thrilling event of the program,” little Jackie Ott, now 6 years old, sped across the pool on his surfboard, aquaplaning while ablaze, fire streaming behind him, before tumbling into the pool at the opposite end. His father concluded the show that day with his fire dive. After the surface of the water was covered in gasoline and lit, Alexander Ott dove from the 45-foot tower. The Mirror-Recorder declared it beautiful as well as difficult and dangerous because it was performed in the dark.
That same year, 1927, saw the first appearance of Jack Coppinger, the 16-year-old “Alligator Boy.” Jack grew up in the Everglades, where his father processed alligator hides for market. Jack had acquired the skill of subduing the animals by learning the methods used by the Seminoles. One report of his act described him diving into the pool, retrieving a 7-foot alligator, placing it on a raft, and lulling it to sleep. He brought several alligators with him from Florida, the animals being in short supply in the Catskills.
A regular feature of the pool season was the “Baby Parade.” Costumed young children—hundreds of them—received prizes donated by local businesses. Every participant received something. Visitors staying at the local hotels served as judges. The MirrorRecorder of August 24, 1927 described the various outfits worn
by the participants, noting in particular “The third prize of $2.50 was awarded to tiny Mary Jane Warren who as a fairy entirely charmed away the hearts of the audience.” Little Miss Warren was herself what was known at the time as an “Aquatot,” a very young accomplished swimmer. A few weeks earlier it was reported that she had “delighted the onlookers with her exhibition of swimming.”
Besides being able to just swim there for fun, local people regularly became part of the entertainment. The various “greasy pole” events were competitions for cash prizes. In an “Illuminated Porpoise” act, Halsey Sheffield, whose family had a summer home in Hobart and whose father, William Sheffield, owned the Sheffield Creameries, gave a demonstration of swimming porpoise style with multi-colored lights affixed to his back. Besides being beautiful, the lights served to define the twists and rolls of porpoise swimming, although it’s difficult to imagine what kind of lights were available in the 1920s that could be worn while swimming.
Members of the public also gave dance demonstrations, sang, and performed in comedy routines.
All of this was accompanied by music, some from the live ensembles that played at the various hotels and some from a special radio and tuner—a Filtroplex from the Couch Radio Corporation— that Ott had installed in 1925.
The Miss Catskills pageants were open to any married or single woman between the ages of 16 and 25, living or summer-
ing in the Catskills. The September 17, 1932 Mirror-Recorder ran the headline “Miss Catskills at Atlantic City, Miss Robison Represents Mountains at Beauty Pageant.” Frances Robinson, a summer visitor, had been “chosen from contestants from seven counties in the Catskill Mountains: Delaware, Schoharie, Greene, Ulster, Albany, Otsego, and Sullivan, in a water pageant held by the Rexmere-Churchill Hall association of Stamford, of which H. H. Mase is managing director.”
In case you’re interested in trying out human fishing, no bait is necessary. An article in the August 1987 issue of The Historical Association of Southern Florida Update explained the process of Ott’s human fishing. The “fish” wears a leather shoulder harness, with the fishing line attached to the back of the harness and a white rag tied to the fishing line seven feet from the fish. The fish jumps in the pool and is given a 40-foot head start. The contests lasted about 5 minutes and the fish was considered landed when the rag touched the tip of the pole. Sometimes the contest was a draw, sometimes the fish won, pulling the fisherman into the pool.
Thanks to Harpersfield Historical for making so many years of the Mirror available online and to the Hobart Historical Society for posting the reminiscences of Mary Peters Betz.
T. M. Bradshaw shares other thoughts on history at tmbradshawbooks.com.
Piano Performance Museum
The Pollinator Garden at Beattie-Powers Place
By Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson
When Catskill resident Matthew Strother passed away in 2023 in his mid-thirties, his many friends wanted to create a living memorial for him at Catskill’s historic Beattie-Powers Place. The park, owned by the Village of Catskill and managed by the nonprofit organization Friends of Beattie-Powers Place, consists of an 1837 Greek Revival house and 6.5 acres sweeping down to the Hudson River. Bob Hoven, president of the Friends board, and board member Alyson Garvey, had long discussed creating a pollinator garden near the house. They proposed the project to Strother’s friends, who loved the idea and raised the money needed to plant the garden.
Volunteers established a garden bed by covering an area with cardboard to eliminate the grass and amending the soil with “Sweet Peat,” an organic compost. Garden designer Robert Clyde Anderson, whose lectures at Beattie-Powers have been popular with Catskill residents, helped guide the initial stages. Hoven and Garvey studied other gardens and garden catalogs for planting ideas, ultimately selecting twenty-six native species of value to pollinators and purchasing 430 planting plugs from specialty native plant nursery Prairie Moon. A group of volunteers each took an instruction sheet and a section of garden, and lovingly settled the plants designated for that area into the soil.
A year later, the wildflowers are blooming and attracting pollinators. Despite some concern, after the fact, that the amended soil might prove too rich for native plants, the garden is thriving. Several large stones, placed by the Village’s Department of Public
Works, attractively define the front boundary of the garden while protecting it from stray vehicles.
The plants were chosen so some would always be in bloom, spring through fall, to feed the bees and butterflies. Many are also host plants for native butterfly and moth caterpillars. Spring bloomers include hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), which hosts checkerspot butterflies, and Bradbury bergamot (Monarda bradburiana), which hosts a variety of native moths. Summer bloomers include lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), whose bright yellow flowers attract pollinators and produce seeds enjoyed by birds, and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), one of the milkweeds that are essential for the endangered monarch butterfly’s survival. Fall bloomers include purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea), a host plant for the the southern dogface butterfly, and aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), which flowers as late as October and November and sustains numerous native bee species.
A 60” wide sign identifies the plants, so visitors inspired to create pollinator gardens of their own can learn what they might like to include. The grounds of Beattie-Powers Place, just off Prospect Avenue in Catskill at 10 Powers Place, are open to the public free of charge from dawn to dusk daily. Learn more at beattiepowers.org.
Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson enjoys gardening in Catskill. She writes a weekly Substack series, The Generous Garden, online at mtomlinson.substack.com.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
The Fourth Annual Summer Production of the Orpheum Dance Program, in collaboration with Aquila Theatre and Joffrey Ballet School New York
The Catskill Mountain Foundation’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream returns to the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville from August 3 & 4, 2024. Now in its fourth year, this beloved production of the Orpheum Dance Program is expanding upon last year’s major upgrades, continuing the collaborations with the acclaimed Aquila Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet School of New York. Students from the Orpheum Dance Program’s Community Dance Class, alongside other local children who auditioned for the production, will be given the opportunity to appear on stage with professional actors and dancers in a fresh, new program filled with new scenes and updated choreography in a production that will enchant audiences young and old.
Based on Shakespeare’s iconic play with a gorgeous score by Mendelssohn, this production, created by Victoria Rinaldi, is a seamless blend of spoken word and dance. From the complexity of the story to the wild costume changes, the production has come a long way over the years, but still maintains the attention to detail and excellence that has become a hallmark of all of Victoria’s productions for the Orpheum Dance Program. That attention to detail comes from Victoria’s many years of experience as a dancer at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, where every aspect of a production was not left to chance and was curated carefully. “Every single person on stage matters,” she said. “No one is standing around taking up space. It’s stagecraft. You’ve done it all: lights, orchestra, singers, conductor to costumes.”
The production will also have a fresh, new look, thanks in part to recent extensive renovations to the interior of the Orpheum Performing Arts Center. “There’s so much more we can do now with lighting, especially,” said Victoria. “Costumes will sparkle more, we can add more color—the overall effect will be really magical.”
A Renewed Collaboration with Aquila Theatre
Last year’s production saw a major upgrade with a new collaboration with the renowned Aquila Theatre, one of the foremost producers of classical theater in the United States. Victoria worked closely with Desiree Sanchez, Artistic Director of Aquila Theatre, to rewrite the script, better integrating children and dancers into the spoken word scenes and changing some of the segues from scene to scene. “Aquila Theatre is a fantastic theatre company, and the actors are very physical, which is perfect for this production,” said Victoria. Desiree continued, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream is beautiful. It really speaks to the world we live in right now.”
The Dance and Spoken Word Roles
Providing local children the opportunity to appear on stage alongside professional dancers is one of the missions of the Orpheum Dance Program. “Our kids have the opportunity to appear on stage at 10 official performances a year,” said Victoria. “No other
Photo by Paul Schwartz
large program offers the same stage time for their students as ours does. Participation in our Community Class is up this year, so there will be more small fairies on stage during this production.”
Professional dancers relish the opportunity to appear in Orpheum Dance Program productions as well. The major dance roles will be filled by students from Joffrey Ballet School New York. “The quality of dance instruction there is excellent,” said Victoria, “and their students are very talented.” Roles have yet to be cast, but are chosen personally by Victoria along with Era Jouravlev, the Ballet Trainee Program Director of the Joffrey Ballet School. “I have traveled down to the city to watch dancers I’ve selected from Joffrey’s end-of-year program,” said Victoria. “Everybody I meet with wants to come and participate, the challenge is finding the best of the best since I can’t accommodate everyone.”
Dawn Gierling Milatin and Erez Milatin will once again travel from their home in Israel to reprise their roles as Titania and Oberon, Queen and King of the Fairies. “They have both remarked that dancing in this production of Midsummer was one of the best experiences they’ve had,” said Victoria, “and they are thrilled to return.” Their pas de deux, an innovative and breathtaking piece that is one of the highlights of the production, will once again be choreographed by Tony-nominated Margo Sappington, who teaches contemporary dance at the Joffrey Ballet School New York. Their pas de deux isn’t the only highlight of the production, however. The wedding divertissement at each performance will be slightly different: “the Sunday matinee will be a gala event,” said Victoria, “with two grand pas de deux.” One will feature dancer Sydney Henson, along with her partner Levian Mondville. Now a dancer with the Cleveland Ballet, Sydney has appeared in several productions of the Orpheum Dance Program. Four of Victoria’s students from the Orpheum Dance Program will appear on stage for this second pas de deux, an incredible opportunity for these young dancers. Nathan Smith, another young dancer in the
Orpheum Dance Program who may be familiar to audiences from his roles in previous productions, will also dance on stage in a major role.
While other spoken word roles have yet to be cast, actor Connor Keef, who delighted audiences last year with his performance as Bottom, will reprise the role this year.
About the Orpheum Dance Program
The beginnings of the Orpheum Dance Program lay with a production of The Nutcracker in 2015. This first production was Victoria’s way of giving thanks to the Catskill Mountain Foundation, who had been generously supplying her with practice and training space for her advanced dance students. That first production cast her students alongside local children, who eventually expressed an interest in learning to dance like the principals they saw on stage. Victoria said, “if it’s our production of The Nutcracker, I wanted to be the one to teach them.” There has been a production of The Nutcracker every year since 2015, including a virtual presentation in 2020 and one with masks in 2021. A second production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was added in 2019.
Local children are so important to every production that Victoria does, and her talent lies in training local talent to be precise, but not to lose those child-like qualities that make them especially charming in roles like the mischievous fairies and elves that populate the forest in Midsummer
About Aquila Theatre Company
Aquila Theatre Company was founded by Peter Meineck in 1991 with a production of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon at the Bridge Lane Theatre in London before touring in the United States to a few universities. The company, along with its founder, moved to the United States in 1994, and in 1998, Aquila Theatre became a U.S.-based non-profit theatre company. It went on to build up an
Dawn Gierling Milatin as Titania and Connor Keef as Bottom in the 2023 Orpheum Dance Program’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo by Paul Schwartz
extensive international touring circuit while becoming an established part of the New York City theater scene with its productions of Iliad: Book One at the Clark Studio at Lincoln Center, followed by long-running Off-Broadway productions of Comedy of Errors and Much Ado About Nothing. Aquila has also had the pleasure of working with the acclaimed Olympia Dukakis and Louis Zorich in its 2004 production of Agamemnon.
Aquila is now one of the foremost producers of classical theater in the United States, visiting 50 - 60 American cities per year with innovative classical productions, workshops, and educational programming, and is under the Artistic Directorship of Desiree Sanchez since 2012. The company has been awarded numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities, from which it received a Chairman’s Special Award, the New York State Councils for the Arts and Humanities, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Aquila has performed at the White House under the Bush and Obama administrations and has performed for the U.S Supreme Court and for the National Council on the Arts.
For more information, visit aquilatheatre.com.
About Joffrey Ballet School New York
The mission of the Joffrey Ballet School New York is to transform passionate dance students into strong, versatile, open-minded professional artists able to work inclusively, collaborate positively and evolve fluidly in a fast-changing diverse society.
Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino founded the Joffrey Ballet School in 1953. In more than sixty years of existence, the Joffrey Ballet School has remained on the forefront of American dance education. Graduates of the School have gone on to dance for major ballet companies, as well as for numerous modern and contemporary companies, both in the United States and abroad. The Joffrey Ballet School programming includes intensive pre-professional training, after-school programs, summer intensives in a variety of genres and open classes for enthusiast and professionals.
The Joffrey Ballet School’s renowned Trainee program offers a well-rounded pre-professional curriculum consisting of two tracks (Ballet and Jazz & Contemporary Dance) for dancers ages 13 to 25. Depending on the track, genres of study include classical and
contemporary ballet, contemporary dance, modern, character, choreography, dance history, music, hip-hop Pilates, street jazz, contact improv and more. Special workshops are taught by guest faculty to augment the curriculum and performance opportunities abound throughout the year.
For more information, visit joffreyballetschool.com
About the Play
The evening begins in an enchanted forest with the awakening of fairies, when their domain is invaded by a group of unruly tradesmen—known as the rude mechanicals of the play—preparing a play to honor Theseus, the duke of Athens, on his wedding day. The fairies and one of the tradesmen are joined by two sets of lovers who fall victim to a magic spell gone awry. The evening ends with a triple wedding and a festive celebration.
In this version of Midsummer, Victoria has worked to make sure that the spoken word scenes and the ballet scenes work together seamlessly, as well as making sure that participating children have as large a role as the script can accommodate. “The rude mechanicals are always given short shrift,” she said. “Yet their scenes are so funny and charming. In all of my productions for the Orpheum Dance Program, one of my first priorities is to make sure that the children are seen, so we try to have as much interaction between the dancers and the actors as we can, so there’s not such a hard line between the two.”
With expanded collaborations, fresh choreography, and experienced and new talent, this year’s production on A Midsummer Night’s Dream promises to be an enchanting evening of spoken word and dance, a reminder that while the true course of love may never run smooth, in the end all’s well that ends well.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Village of Tannersville on Saturday, August 3 at 2:00 & 7:00 pm and Sunday, August 4 at 2:00 pm. For tickets, visit catskillmtn.org, email boxoffice@ catskillmtn.org or call 518 263 2063. Tickets purchased ahead: $25 adults/$20 seniors/$7 students. At the door: $30 adults/$25 seniors/$7 students.
Dawn Gierling Milatin and Erez Milatin as Titania and Oberon, along with members of the Orpheum Dance Program as sleeping fairies, in the 2023 Orpheum Dance Program’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo by Paul Schwartz
ANNUAL BENEFIT 2024
FEATURING A Performance of Julius Caesar by Catskill Mountain Shakespeare
HELP US CELEBRATE OUR 26TH YEAR OF BRINGING THE ARTS TO THE MOUNTAINTOP!
FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2024, 5:30 PM
BENEFIT RAFFLE!
2ND PRIZE HUNTER MOUNTAIN SKI & RETAIL PACKAGE (VALUE: $2,500)
5TH PRIZE DINE AROUND THE MOUNTAIN PACKAGE (VALUE: $500)
1ST PRIZE
TWO-NIGHT STAY AT THE OCEAN HOUSE HOTEL IN WATCH HILL, RHODE ISLAND (VALUE: $3,000)
Perched high on the bluffs of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, Ocean House is an iconic New England seaside resort, and the first and only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star hotel in the state. Ocean House’s Ocean & Harvest Spa and COAST fine dining restaurant are also Forbes Five-Star rated, making Ocean House one of only fourteen Five-Star resorts in the world to hold this honor.
3RD PRIZE
2 TICKETS TO THE CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION’S 2025 SEASON OF PERFORMANCES (VALUE: $1,500)
6TH PRIZE
WILLY WONKA THEMED CHOCOLATE BASKET, DINNER FOR 2 AT THE DEER MOUNTAIN INN & 4 FLEX PASS TICKETS TO PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS (VALUE: $500)
4TH PRIZE
4 TICKETS TO A BROOKLYN NETS GAME (VALUE: $800)
7TH PRIZE
NEIL GAIMAN SIGNED ANTHOLOGY BOOK (VALUE: $175) WITH $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO GOLDEN NOTEBOOK GIFT STORE (TOTAL VALUE: $275)
$20 FOR 1 TICKET OR 3 TICKETS FOR $50
SCAN THE QR CODE TO PURCHASE!
THE GREAT OUTDOORS IN THE CATSKILLS
By Jeff Senterman
July is a time when I really get to enjoy the great outdoors of the Catskills. The mountains are a deep green, temperatures are warm and those annoying black flies have mostly disappeared! Not only that, it is just a great time to be outside in the Catskills, whether you are grilling with some friends in your backyard, attending an outdoor concert, or taking in an amazing mountaintop vista on a trail you’ve been hiking all day.
July is also a good time to take stock of how lucky we are to be able to live in or visit a place like the Catskills. We have hundreds of thousands of acres of protected Forever Wild lands in the Catskill Park and beyond, that preserve and protect the natural beauty and wildness of the region. Within and around those protected lands, are our Catskill communities, offering visitors and residents alike a beautiful, yet sustainable place for us to enjoy for generations to come. It is through the hard work of all of us who love the Catskills, that we have our Catskills of today and that we can protect them for future generations to come.
Catskill Center’s Catskill Stewards Program Working Across the Region
For the 2024 summer season in the Catskill Park, the Catskill Center is putting its paid, seasonal Catskill Stewards in high-use areas, along with a ridge runner on our local trails.
The ridge runner will be hiking on and near the Devil’s Path trail in Greene County, one of the Catskill’s more challenging hikes, and cover other trails as needed Another steward will work
part-time at the Platte Cove Preserve, with others divided between Peekamoose Blue Hole, Kaaterskill Clove, and the Fire Towers throughout the Catskills.
“In light of the increasing number of visitors, the Catskill Center is proud to be able to place stewards in areas across the Catskill Park. With seven-day a week coverage at both the Peekamoose Blue Hole and Kaaterskill Falls, the roving Ridge Runner position who will greet visitors on the trails of the Park, and coverage at the Fire Towers during the week, our stewards will be greeting thousands, if not tens of thousands of visitors a week,” says Jeff Senterman, Executive Director of the Catskill Center. “The Catskill Center’s stewards are key to welcoming visitors to the Catskill Park, introducing them to the resources of the Catskills Visitor Center, and offering them advice on how to recreate responsibly in the Park to ensure protection of our natural resources.”
The stewards are a vital link between these locations and visitors. The Catskill Stewards Program operates in partnership with the NYSDEC at the Peekamoose Blue Hole, Kaaterskill Falls, the Devil’s Path, and the Fire Towers. In Platte Clove, the program runs on the Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve. Since its inception in 2018, the Catskill Stewards Program has educated and welcomed more than 300,000 visitors to the Catskill Forest Preserve.
Stewards explain and demonstrate why responsible recreation is important – from the importance of not littering to staying
on the trails. While each location has its specific needs, the common thread is natural resource protection, public awareness, and education. Without the stewards, the Catskills’ forever wild spaces are constantly in danger of being trampled or otherwise damaged because of the increasing number of visitors. Stewards help interpret the Catskill Park, provide information on alternative areas to visit, and offer directions to local businesses, which, in turn, helps the local economy.
Stewards are seasonal employees of the Catskill Center, who are trained specifically to work with the public at high use areas across the Park utilizing principles from Leave No Trace, Recreate Responsibly, and other outdoor programs.
To learn more about the Catskill Center’s Catskill Stewards Program, go to catskillcenter.org/catskillstewardsprogram. And to check in on the stewards’ work, follow us on our social media platforms.
Regularly Updated Catskill Park Trail Conditions
Local recreational opportunities are always changing in the Catskill Park, and by visiting the Catskills Visitor Center’s Trail Conditions blog, you can stay on top of those changes. Staff at the Visitor Center are regularly posting updates related to the Catskill Park, Catskill trails, Catskill campgrounds and camping, Catskill boating, and more at catskillsvisitorcenter.org/trail.
Visit the Catskill Park’s Visitor Center
Located at 5096 Route 28 in Mount Tremper, the Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center (CVC) is the official visitor center for the Catskill Park. The CVC is open every day from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. Visitors can get their Catskill questions answered in person, receive tourism literature, and make purchases at the CVC’s shop that includes hiking maps, regional books, and much more. CVC staff are also available to answer questions about the Catskills and the Catskill Park via email at info@catskillcenter.org or phone at 845 688 3369.
#RecreateResponsibly in the Catskills
Time in nature, and outdoor recreation has proven to be essential for all.
Especially during uncertain times, all of us, from seasoned outdoor enthusiasts, to families heading out to their local park for the first time, can turn to community and simple reminders about how to safely & responsibly recreate outdoors while caring for one another.
The Recreate Responsibly guidelines came together to offer a starting point for getting outside to keep yourself and others safe while working to maintain access to our beloved natural spaces.
Read on to learn the primary tips on how to responsibly recreate outdoors. Each edition of the guidelines have been developed by bringing together topline issues and experts to distill key concepts that when implemented, build a community of care in the outdoors.
Learn more at recreateresponsibly.org
Know Before you Go
Check the status of the place you want to visit for closures, fire restrictions, and weather.
Plan and Prepare
Reservations and permits may be required. Make sure you have the gear you need and a back-up plan
Build an Inclusive Outdoors
Be an active part of making the outdoors safe and welcoming for all identities and abilities.
Respect Others
There is space for everyone and countless outdoor activities. Be kind to all who use the outdoors and nature differently.
Leave No Trace
Respect the land, water, wildlife, and Native communities. Follow the seven Leave No Trace principles. Learn more at LeaveNoTrace.org
Make It Better
We all have a responsibility to sustain the places we love. Volunteer, donate, and advocate for the outdoors.
In addition, there are 1.5 miles of trails on the CVC’s grounds, including the 0.5 mile ADA accessible Interpretive Loop Trail, which are open to the public daily. The 80-foot tall Upper Esopus Fire Tower is also open daily to visitors, offering unrivaled views of the surrounding mountains and Esopus Creek valley. Picnic tables and a covered pavilion are available on site for those who wish to enjoy a picnic lunch.
Visitors can explore the ever expanding resources available online for the CVC on the web at catskillsvisitorcenter.org, the CVC’s Facebook page at facebook.com/catskillsvisitorcenter, and the CVC on Instagram at @catskills.visitor.center.
Catskill Park Advisory Committee
The Catskill Park Advisory Committee (CPAC) was established to facilitate communication within the Park and consists of representatives from local governments and organizations chaired by the Catskill Center. Meetings are held quarterly and are open to the public. If you’d like to learn more, join the mailing list or attend the next meeting, please email the Catskill Center at at cccd@catskillcenter.org with CPAC in the subject asking to be added to the mailing list.
Catskills Hiking Guides with the Hiker
Trash Husbands
on YouTube and the Web
Looking to explore the trails of the Catskills (and beyond) before you hit the trail? My husband and I have a YouTube channel about our hiking and snowshoeing adventures all over! You can find The Hiker Trash Husbands on YouTube at youtube.com/ thehikertrashhusbands. If you’re in the Catskills and have cable provided by MTC, you can catch our videos on CatskillsAir, MTC Channel 1.
For the two of us, The Hiker Trash Husbands is not only a way to show friends and family our hiking adventures, but an effort to provide positive LGBTQ+ representation in the hiking world. We love to showcase our own hiking adventures, along with other queer outdoors folks. You can learn more about it by visiting our website at hikertrashhusbands.com.
Give Back to the Catskills
The natural beauty, the majesty of the mountains, the protection of the Catskill Forest Preserve, the region’s natural and cultural resources, all need your help! By supporting the work of the Catskill Center, you support: stewardship of our Catskill Park and its vast natural resources; the Center’s collaborative spirit as we convene, create partnerships and facilitate discussions that benefit the region; and the Center’s work to support education, arts and culture throughout the Catskills.
To support the work of the Catskill Center, become a member online through their website at catskillcenter.org/donate or donate by mail: Checks made out to the “Catskill Center” can be mailed to Catskill Center, PO Box 504, Arkville, NY 12406.
Jeff Senterman is the Executive Director of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development in Arkville, NY, a member of the Board of Directors for the Catskill Watershed Corporation, and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. Jeff graduated with a degree in Environmental Science from Lyndon State College and worked for many years as an Environmental Planner in New England before coming back to New York and the Catskills working in the nonprofit sector. To learn more about the work of the Catskill Center in the Catskills, visit www.catskillcenter.org.
Peekamoose Blue Hole. Photo by Andy Mossey
The Eyes Have It
What do you see when you really look? Think about the things that you search for, discover, or inspire when you finally see them. What things do you look through, look closely at, or are magnified? Artists from the Windham Arts Alliance have been grappling with these questions while producing artwork for the Eyes Have It show at the Main Street Community Center.
Elizabeth MacFarland describes her painting process when she says, “The act of painting what I see on my property has literally opened my eyes wider to the wonders all around me.” She describes her painting of a bee hive when she writes, “The more I really looked at this hive, the more I saw its intricate construction, and was amazed. The light appeared to play across the surface in myriad colors.” How many of us take the time to really look at the things around us like Elizabeth?
Many of us enjoy hiking in the mountains in the beautiful Catskills. We stop at the views and are dazzled by the panoramas. How does this make us feel and what do we really see? Karen Rhodes says, “After a steep climb this old forest opens up to reveal a distant view of the mountains. It is a good spot for the hiker to sit and rest and take in this wide vista.” Athena Billias is also driven to paint by the things she discovers on the trails she loves to hike. She closely observes the rock formations, the views, and the change of seasons and the light. She reminds us that these views were made famous by the Hudson River School Artists. She says, “They came to the Catskills to observe our fabulous landscapes and made many of those views and locations famous.” Do we look
closely at the flowers, the bark of the trees, the rocks or just take in the mood of the moment as Karen and Athena suggest?
Both Karen Landrigan and Sheila Trautman have looked closely at flowers. Karen looks closely and sees a raindrop resting on the flower. She says, “Discover simply, the gentle beauty of raindrops resting on a flower’s petals after their long journey. Her photograph makes us reflect on the interconnectedness and magic of the world around us. When Sheila looked closely at the poppy in her watercolor painting she said that she “saw it as an abstraction with the center almost becoming an eye looking out at the world around it. Although the flower lasts for just a few days it brings an enchanting spark of color and life to its surroundings.”
We never know where we will find beauty if we just stop and look for a while. Sharon Wack finds motivation and studies the play of light in a chicken coop. She says, “Inside the open door of the flooded chicken coop we are drawn into the dark interior by the play of sunlight shining through the side window onto the back wall.” The light and reflections in her beautiful pastel picture are a perfect example of what we see when we look closely at the world around us.
Windham Arts Alliance is very excited about this show and each artists interpretation of The Eyes Have It. Please join us at the Main Street Community Center to see what these artists have seen. The show runs through September 6 at the Main Street Community Center, 5494 Main Street, Windham. For more information, visit mainstreetcenter.org.
Left: “The Eye of a Poppy,” by Sheila Trautman; Right: “Flooded Chicken Coop,” by Sharon Wack
HORTON FOOTE: THE ROAD TO HOME WITH
SPECIAL GUEST DIRECTOR ANNE RAPP
Screening
to Commemorate 30th Anniversary Gala for Horton by the Stream
Anne Rapp, Director of Horton Foote: The Road to Home, a documentary about award-winning playwright Horton Foote, will be the Guest of Honor at Horton by the Stream’s 30th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at the Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Main Street, Hunter, NY at 5:30 pm.
Horton by the Stream, a unique Summer Theater project originating out of NYC and Elka Park, NY, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary season this year. Celebrating will happen in grand style with the Season’s presentation of an early career Horton Foote play—Texas Town—and an exciting Benefit Gala celebrating the documentary film about the work of Horton Foote.
Horton Foote, Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer for stage and screen, has had many accolades in his storied career. Anne Rapp has truly captured the heart of his work, themes of family and the search for belonging and home in the small moments that weave the fabric of our lives. She has interwoven pieces of his legendary films, like Tender Mercies and The Trip to Bountiful, with interviews with Hallie Foote and other luminaries who knew and worked with him intimately. She has interviewed Horton himself, following him around his haunts in Wharton, Texas, where his family home still resides, tracing his roots and the roots of his plays as he leads her through the streets and neighborhoods his work inhabits.
Wine and cheese and a moderated discussion by Peter Odabashian, a renowned filmmaker in his own right, will follow the screening. Finger food by The Pantry on Main Street in Tannersville and some live hillbilly music will round out the celebration. Tickets are only $50.
Horton by the Stream has been producing plays by Horton Foote (and occasionally other classic American playwrights) on
the mountaintop for 30 years. This year’s season will be dedicated to the founder, Frank Girardeau, a NYC-based actor who died in July of 2023.
Frank founded the theater on a whim, finding pressure treated wood at a yard sale and building a stage in the yard of the former Forest Inn in Elka Park, property he had just bought. Thirty years later the theater has moved inside to the Doctorow Center for the Arts. Many alumni are still “on our boards,” so to speak, and will appear in Texas Town, including Greg Grove, Charlotte Booker, Steve Bradbury (both of Honey I’m Home fame), Bill Solley, Ward Nixon, Ken Cavett, Annie O’Sullivan, Sean Patterson and Cora Cadman.
Starting as a FREE outdoor summer theater, serving free lemonade and brownies, and providing the surrounding area with honest, palpable comic dramas that are universally relatable, the writing of Horton Foote is as good as it gets. From winning the Academy Award for the screenplay of To Kill A Mockingbird with Gregory Peck to being nominated for a Tony Award for The Young Man from Atlanta in his eighties, Horton Foote’s writing transports us to our deepest human losses and triumphs.
With any luck , this thirtieth Anniversary season will bring back many friendly faces from past years including some of the Foote family !! Don’t miss it! Texas Town by Horton Foote Sunday July 21, Saturday July 27, and Sunday July 28, all at 2:00 pm. The 30th Anniversary Gala will be on Saturday July 27 @ 5:30 pm.
All events take place at The Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Main Street, Hunter, NY 12442. Suggested donation is $20 for Texas Town, Benefit Tickets are $50.
For more information, visit hortonbythestream.org
Horton
Foote
“NYC NEEDS MORE WATER”
GILBOA HISTORICAL SOCIETY RECREATES SILENT NEWSREEL
RARE FOOTAGE OF GILBOA DAM & VILLAGE FEATURED
The story of the Gilboa Village lost to the Schoharie Reservoir has been awash with fact, fiction and folklore since its flooding in 1925. Now, moving images of the rural village and the construction of the Giboa Dam can be seen for the first time in nearly a century.
How did this happen? And where did this rare footage come from?
It started with a chance email to the Gilboa Historical Society alerting them to a posting of outtake footage from an early 1925 silent Fox Newsreel. The email came from an out-of-state history buff who ran across the featured footage while browsing the website at the University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research Collection.
Recognizing the unique nature of the material, Society Board member Lee Hudson contacted the USC Newsfilm Archive to secure a license to use the footage for an exhibit, “NYC Needs More Water: Upstate Village Sacrificed,” in the Gilboa Museum and Nicholas J. Juried History Center. At the same time, Hudson reviewed the Archives’ vast inventory of holdings to hopefully locate additional footage. Another 11 minutes in four other clips were discovered, including a short clip of one of the Gilboa Devonian tree fossils discovered during the reservoir construction.
With the frustration of not having the original final newsreel that Fox Films Corp. distributed around the world, but substantial outtake footage to work with, Hudson contacted premier producer Brett Barry of Silver Hollow Audio to help build another one. Most of the Fox film library was lost in a New Jersey fire in 1937.
Barry was intrigued with the challenge, “I saw an opportunity to take this raw footage and make an old-style silent newsreel within a new digital medium. Our goal was to authentically recreate an early newsreel that would have been familiar to a 1920s moviegoing audience.”
Prior to news programming on radio and the introduction of television, those newsreels were the only way to get the news other than in newspapers. Hudson then contacted philanthropist and former Gilboa resident, Nick Juried, who enthusiastically provided funding for the project.
With no surviving silent Fox Newsreels, Hudson and Barry used silent newsreels from other producers for stylistic cues. And then came the musical accompaniment, an important part of early silent production.
Barry contacted musician and composer Tony Coretto to score the final cut. For the silent era musical accompaniment, mood and timing become everything. The final product is six and a half minutes in length, as were many original newsreels shown prior to the screening of feature films.
To prepare a viewer unfamiliar with the silent newsreel medium, a brief introduction was added. The new exhibit with a viewing kiosk can be seen now at the Gilboa Museum and Nicholas J. Juried History Center.
A special showing of the newsreel followed by a Panel Discussion: “Making History” is scheduled for Saturday, July 27 at 1:00 pm at the Museum. The panel participants are: Brett Barry, Producer, Silver Hollow Audio; Tony Coretto, Musician/Composer; Diane Galusha, President, Middletown Historical Society and author of Liquid Assets: A History of NYC’s Water System; Lee Hudson, Researcher/Script, Gilboa Historical Society.
The exhibit is open on weekends through Columbus Day/ Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 14 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Admission is free.
The Gilboa Museum, Nicholas J. Juried History Center, is located at 122 Stryker Road, Gilboa NY 12076. For more information or to tour by appointment, call 607 588 6894.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This is just a sampling of all of the events in the Catskills this July.
To request that your event be included in future calendars, please email tafts@catskillmtn.org
Please call ahead or visit the website for each event to confirm details, including any admission costs.
ONGOING
Birdsong Farmers Market
Birdsong Farmers Market is located on one of the most beautiful properties in Delaware County. Shop from farmers, herbalists, craftspeople, and producers and then wander the stunning property. The art gallery will be open if there is an exhibition on display.
Location: 38480 Highway 10, Delhi Hours: Every Saturday, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Bovina Farmers Market
Livestock Foundation is proud to host the Bovina Farmers’ Market. They feature the best local agricultural and craft products from the community’s artisans and farmers. Fresh food, live music, and children’s activities make it an engaging weekly community event for all ages. Rain or shine.
Location: 50 Creamery Road, Bovina Hours: Every Friday to Labor Day, 4:00-7:00 pm
Delhi Farmers Market
An amazing line up of dedicated farmers, bakers, producers, herbalists, craftspeople and more. You will find a variety of your kitchen staples—fresh bread, farm fresh cheeses, vegetables, jams, poultry and more.
Location: Courthouse square, Delhi
Hours: Every Wednesday, 9:00 am-2:00 pm
Woodstock Farm Festival
Woodstock’s other festival, celebrating local food, live music, and our rockin’ community
Location: Mountainview Lot, Rock City Road, Woodstock
Hours: Every Wednesday, 3:00-7:00 pm
Greater Hancock Farmers Market
The Greater Hancock Farmers’ Market & Craft Fair has an array of local vendors. There is often live music and a variety of attractions ranging from Chicken BBQ to car shows and more.
Location: Hancock Town Square, 20 E Main St, Hancock
Hours: Every Saturday through October 12, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
More Info: facebook.com/ HancockFarmersMarketNY
Kingston Farmers Market
The Kingston Farmers Market fosters a sense of community, where people come together to shop, talk and learn. A wide variety of produce, baked goods, alcohol, goodies and gift items.
Location: County Courthouse parking lot, 285 Wall St, Kingston
Hours: Every Saturday through November 23, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
More Info: kingstonfarmersmarket.org
Pakatakan Farmers Market
The Pakatakan Farmers’ Market is a great destination for breakfast or lunch, while getting your weekly shopping done! The array of food vendors, farmers, producers, herbalists, and craftspeople, make it the perfect place to shop for weekly groceries, enjoy a nice Saturday brunch, and also shop gifts for special occasions.
Location: 46676 NY-30, Halcottsville
Hours: Every Saturday through November, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
More Info: roundbarnmarket.org
Saugerties Farmers Market
All the best of local produce, including fruits and vegetables, pasture-raised meats, artisanal cheeses, eggs, maple syrup, honey, wines and spirits, baked goods, jams and jellies, prepared foods, and more.
Location: Cahill School Parking Lot 115 Main St., Saugerties
Hours: Every Saturday, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
More Info: saugertiesfarmersmarket
Phoenicia Farmers Market
Phoenicia Farmers Market is a volunteer-led movement to increase access to locally-grown foods in the Town of Shandaken. We bring together local farms, artisanal makers, full-time residents, and seasonal visitors to a weekly market to shop, learn, gather, and compost. EBT/SNAP Benefits are accepted.
Location: Main Street, Phoenicia
Hours: Every Sunday through October 27, noon4:00 pm
More Info: phoeniciafarmersmarket.org
Stamford Farmers Market
Vendors sell local meat, produce, honey, pickles, jams, and much more.
Location: 87 Fisher Road, Stamford
Hours: Every Sunday through September 1, 1:00-4:00 pm
Online Meditation with Bushel
Bushel is hosting online meditation sessions that include guided meditation, group interac-
tion, and support. New sitters and seasoned sitters are welcome. Meditation sessions are free and open to all, but donations are welcome to support this program.
Location: Join via Zoom
Hours: Monday-Friday, 6:30-7:00 am
More Info & Zoom Link: bushelcollective.org/meditation-calendar/
Magic On Main—
An Intimate Parlor Experience
Join Magician Sean Doolan for a magic show in his private library located in a historic building on Main Street in Windham. Sean will weave his personal story of transitioning from a trial lawyer to a magician in interactive magical routines. In this parlor show, By reservation only, no walkins. Dates and times subject to change without notice, see website for updated calendar.
Location: 5428 NY Route 23 (Main Street), Windham
Dates & Times: Check website for most up-todate schedule
Tickets: $20/person
More Info: MagicOnMainWindham.com
THROUGH JULY 6
Showcase Exhibition
Students of instructors at the Woodstock School of Art will be on display.
Location: Robert H. Angeoch Gallery, Woodstock School of Art, 2470 Route 212, Woodstock More Info: woodstockschoolofart.org
Flower Targets: Works by Laura Sue King
The Roxbury Arts Group is extremely pleased to present Flower Targets, a solo exhibition of new work by local artist Laura Sue King. Flower Targets includes acrylic paintings on canvas and wood, and watercolor paintings on paper. As King writes, “my paintings are first about color. Knowledge of scientific and theoretical systems help me to feel a little more in control of what I’m doing in the studio, but this information doesn’t make good paintings. While choosing color is my focus as I begin each painting, it is surely the experience of color rather than the actual color that motivates me.”
Location: Roxbury Arts Center, 5025 Vega Mountain Rd, Roxbury More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org
THROUGH JULY 7
My Fair Lady
Rhinebeck Theatre Society is pleased to present Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, arguably the crown jewel of America’s Golden Age of musical theater. Based on George Bernard
CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION
TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH THE ARTS
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS & SUPPORTERS!
Catskill Mountain Foundation is supported in part by New York State Council on the Arts, the Greene County Cultural Fund administered by the Greene County Legislature, The Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation, The Royce Family Foundation, The Samuel and Esther Doctorow Fund, The Orville and Ethel Slutzky Family Foundation, Platte Clove Bruderhof Community, Bank of Greene County Charitable Foundation, The Greene County Youth Bureau, Marshall & Sterling Insurance, All Souls’ Church, Stewarts Shops, Windham Foundation, and by private donations.
7971 Main Street, Village of Hunter 518 263 2001 • www.catskillmtn.org
Shaw’s play Pygmalion, the musical centers around Eliza Doolittle, a lower-class Cockney flower girl living in early 20th-century London. While selling violets to upper class Opera patrons, Eliza discovers that her words are being written down in a mysterious hand by an elocutionist named Henry Higgins, who boasts that he can pass her off as a sophisticated duchess in only six months with little more than improvements to her speech and diction.
Location: The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, 661 Route 308, Rhinebeck
Day & Time: Friday & Saturday @ 8:00 pm; Sunday @ 3:00 pm
More Info: CenterforPerformingArts.org
THROUGH JULY 13
Between the Mountains and the Mayor: Paintings by Robert Schneider Influenced by the painters of the Hudson River School, The American Tonalists and the Impressionists, Stamford Village Mayor Robert Schneider has been working on interpreting classical landscapes in his own distinct style for over 40 years. His work has been collected and displayed internationally and now comes home to Main St. Mayor Schneider studied at The Art Student’s League in the 1970’s and spent summers in Stowe Vermont, studying with Frank Mason. His landscape work focuses on atmosphere and light instead of dwelling on a specific location.
Location: Headwaters Arts Center 66 Main Street, Stamford
More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org
THROUGH JULY 14
Seen Scenes: Member Show 2024
From contemplative landscapes conceived in poignant realism to throbbing flashes of deep abstraction rendered with rich textures and dynamism, CREATE Gallery’s new exhibit is a veritable buffet of sensations. “Seen Scenes” brings together the collected works of fifty-two of its member artists from Greene, Columbia and Schoharie counties, as well as from from neighboring towns of the Hudson Valley and Capital Region. CREATE’s call for art invited its membership to widely interpret the theme, whether literally (ie. still life, plein air painting, a tableau photograph) or metaphorically with a depiction of a memory or dream. These annual member exhibits generate an enthusiastic response and this 2024 installment is no exception. “Seen Scenes” resulted in two floors of gallery space devoted to visual arts of nearly every medium.
Location: CREATE Gallery, 398 Main Street, Catskill
More Info: createcouncil.org
THROUGH OCTOBER
9
Yoga for Gardening with Pamela Martin
Join us for outdoor yoga classes led by Pamela Martin and other local yoga teachers. Learn tips and tricks to avoid injury, and to help support the body during gardening and yard work. A stretch and strength class appropriate for multiple levels. Please bring a mat, water, sunscreen and bugspray. Wear comfortable clothing you can move in. In case of inclement weather, sessions will take place indoors in the Education Center. This program starts just after our garden volunteering ends. Please feel free to join us for volunteer gardening.
Location: Mountain Top Arboretum, 4 Maude Adams Road, Tannersville Day & Time: Every Wednesday, 3:15-4:15 pm More Info: mtarboretum.org
THROUGH OCTOBER 27
Native Prospects: Indigeneity and Landscape
Native Prospects: Indigeneity and Landscape juxtaposes an Indigenous approach to the articulation of land with the American landscape paintings of Thomas Cole. The exhibition presents 19th-century paintings by Thomas Cole featuring Native figures, in context with Indigenous works of historic and cultural value, and artworks by contemporary Indigenous artists: Teresa Baker (Mandan/Hidatsa), Brandon Lazore (Onondaga, Snipe Clan), Truman T. Lowe (Ho-Chunk), Alan Michelson (Mohawk member of the Six Nations of the Grand River) and Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee).
Location: Thomas Cole National Historic Site, 218 Spring Street, Catskill
Days: Saturdays & Sundays
More Info: thomascole.org
Still Standing
The 2024 exhibit, STILL STANDING, showcases 12 structures preserved by past and present members of the Friends of Historic Kingston. We invite you to come celebrate our predecessors’ foresight in restoring these iconic structures and to reflect on your own essential role in protecting our city’s architectural heritage.
Location: Friends of Historic Kingston Gallery, 63 Main Street, Kingston
Dates & Times: Friday & Saturday, 11:00 am4:00 pm
More Info: fohk.org
THROUGH NOVEMBER 30
Outside the Box
Iroquois Museum’s Outside the Box presents the work of 10 Iroquois/Haudenosaunee individuals whose creative paths diverge from the unexpected to break molds and make inroads into areas of expression where Indigenous representation is rare.
Location: Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave
More Info: iroquoismuseum.org or 518 296 8949
THROUGH DECEMBER 28
Iyengar Yoga with Carolyn Christie
Join Carolyn to reconnect your mind and body through yoga asana practice. The Iyengar method of learning and practicing asanas
“Summer Afternoon on Lake Otego,” by Robert Schneider
engages the mind as well as body. With breath as conditioner, the mind as the seeker, Iyengar yoga practice gives strength mobility to the body, stability to the mind. Open to all; class is for all levels, from no experience with yoga to many years $20 per 90-minute class, payable to the instructor
Location: Bushel Collective, 106 Main St, Delhi
Time: Saturdays, 10:00-11:30 am
More Info: bushelcollective.org
JULY
1-31
Summer Bliss: The Catskills Windham Fine Arts presents new works by Colorado artist Gina Blickenstaff. Gina is a still life artist whose paintings express energy and happiness. Influenced by artistic parents, Gina has always been passionate about art. Her paintings showcase her love for nature and her deep reverence for all forms of life. Her profound love of color transcends each painting and nurtures our emotional connection to art. Visit Windham Fine Arts and experience it firsthand.
Location: Windham Fine Arts, 5380 Main Street, Windham
More Info: director@windhamfinearts.com, 518 734 6850, or windhamfinearts.com
JULY 2-6
Margaretville Field Days
Each year, the Margaretville Fire Department hosts a multi-day fair for families to celebrate the Fourth of July. Visitors can enjoy a variety of thrilling rides, live music, delicious bites and refreshing drinks. Fireworks will take place on July 4th and 6th.
Location: Margaretville Village Park, Margaretville
More Info: margaretvillefiredept.org
JULY 2-14
Jimmy Buffet’s Escape To Margaritaville
Don’t miss the beach party of the summer! Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville is a musical comedy featuring the most-loved Jimmy Buffet classics, including “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Margaritaville,” “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere” and many more. Kick off the summer season at the Playhouse. You’ll be singing along to these iconic tunes and slinging back a few margaritas—what could be better than that!
Location: Forestburgh Playhouse, 39 Forestburgh Rd, Forestburgh More Info: fbplayhouse.org
JULY 3-5
Deer Tick
Emotional Contracts, the latest full-length album from Deer Tick, instills each song with the irresistibly reckless spirit that’s defined the band for nearly two decades. Before heading into the studio, the Providence-bred four-piece spent months working on demos in a perpetually flooded warehouse space in their hometown, as they carved out the album’s 10 raggedly eloquent tracks. Emotional Contracts fully echoes the unruly energy of its creation, ultimately making for a heavy-hearted yet wildly life-affirming portrait of growing older without losing heart.
Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: levonhelm.com
JULY 4-25
High Noon Tunes
Local musicians perform from mid-June to midSeptember. Free Admission—bring a lawn chair or blanket in the park to enjoy the music. In the event of rain, the concerts are moved indoors to The Function at Catskills Junction, 28 Railroad Avenue, Stamford
Location: Veterans Memorial Park, Main Street, Stamford Time: Every Thursday, 12:00-1:00 pm
More Info: stamfordnymusic.com
JULY 5
First Fridays at the Athens Cultural Center
Embrace the arts and join us at the Athens Cultural Center, where we open our doors to celebrate the rich tapestry of culture and creativity that defines our community.
Location: Athens Cultural Center, 24 Second Street, Athens Time: 5:00-7:00 pm
More Info: friendsofathens.org
First Fridays Catskill
Stroll Main Street, Catskill on the 1st Friday of every month. Local shops are open late, most until 8 pm, offering specials like sips & snacks, pop-ups, music, discounts, and FUN!
Location: Main Street & Bridge Street, Catskill
More Info: firstfridayscatskill.com
Walton First Fridays
Local shops in Walton stay open late with deals and events for the community to enjoy!
Location: Walton
More Info: instagram.com/waltonfirstfridays
Alanis Morissette with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Morgan Wade
Since 1995, Alanis Morissette has been one of the most influential singer-songwriter-musicians in contemporary music. Her expressive music and performances have earned vast critical praise and seven Grammy awards. Morissette’s 1995 debut, Jagged Little Pill, was followed by nine more eclectic and acclaimed albums.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
420 Funk Mob (featuring Clip Payne of Parliament-Funkadelic)
What began as a side trip for Parliament-Funkadelic’s Michael “Clip” Payne has evolved into one of the most versatile jam bands around, a Family Stone-meets-The-Dead vehicle that frees your mind. The 420 Funk Mob melds that sound with some Sixties psychedelia, a bit of Sun Ra “arkestration,” and even a little soft rock, performed by a revolving cast of former P-Funk members and masterful musician friends. Jam after jam, style after style, they sync up. One collective under a frequently hypnotic groove.
Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: colonywoodstock.com
JULY 5-6
Chosen Family Presents: Sun Ra Arkestra
Under the direction of Marshall Allen (at the age of 100!), the Arkestra will bring cosmic tones for mental therapy, impressive jazz, space chants, and some of the most beautiful universal music imaginable.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 5:30 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
This summer MATH has the golden ticket for Broadway’s latest version of the timeless classic, Ronald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Led by the directing talents of Liz Piccoli, the assembles cast and creatives are turning the Orpheum stage into a Candyland for your 4th of July weekend entertainment. Get your tickets early, and tell all your friends!
Location: Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville
Time: Friday @ 6:00 pm; Saturday @ 1:00 & 6:00 pm
More Info: catskillmtn.org
JULY 5-21
Trouble in Mind
Alice Childress’s illuminating, moving, and surprisingly funny play set during rehearsals for a Broadway-bound play where harsh truths that spill out into the rehearsal room may cost the actors the work they so desperately need.
Location: Franklin Stage Company, 25 Institute Street, Franklin
Time: Thursday-Saturday @ 7:30 pm, Saturday matinee @ 3:00 pm, Sunday @ 5:00 pm
More Info: franklinstagecompany.org
“Summer Seeds,” by Gina Blickenstaff
Sun Ra Arkestra. Photo by Ben Houdijk
Woodstock Playhouse Summer Theatre Festival presents Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
This “Magical and Delightful Stage Musical” spread its wings for the first time in 2002 at the London Palladium in the UK’s West End. Running for years, the stage musical adapted from the original 1967 film became know for delighting the entire family, charming parents and children alike. An eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts sets about restoring an old race car from a scrap heap with the help of his children, Jeremy and Jemima. They soon discover the car has magical properties, including the ability to float and take flight. When the devious Baron Bomburst desires the magic car for himself, the family is off on fantastical adventures to far off lands. The family joins forces with the engaging Truly Scrumptious and amusing Grandpa Potts to outwit the dastardly Baron and Baroness.
Location: Woodstock Playhouse, 103 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock
Time: Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm
More Info: woodstockplayhouse.org
JULY
5-AUGUST 25
The Endless Summer
ArtUp Gallery presents “The Endless Summer,” an exhibit that will grow throughout the summer months with the addition of new artists each week. ArtUp will open with work by Jerry Gallo, Barbara Herzfeld, Patrice Lorenz and Gary Mayer. Follow us @artupmargaretville for information about special events.
Location: ArtUp Gallery, 746 Main St , Binnekill Square, Margaretville, NY
Days & Time: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12:00-4:00 pm
Opening Reception: Friday, July 5, 4:00-7:00 pm More Info: @artupmargaretville
JULY 6
Music of Bob Marley + More for Kids ft. The Brooklyners
The Family Concert Series is back and ready to rock with our youngest audience members! Presented in collaboration with the Rock and Roll Playhouse, we will host an inclusive family friendly concert on our Horizon Stage the first Saturday of the month. Featuring the music of some of the most iconic musicians in Rock History with creative activations that celbrate Bethel Woods unique history and vision for a world made better through music and art.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel Time: 11:00 am
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Kidstock!
Join us for a fun afternoon when we present KIDSTOCK! This children’s event features live music with Hopalong Andrew, square dancing, face painting, Mike the Juggler, a hay castle and many more fun activities throughout the day! Food and drinks will be for sale at the concession stand. Suggested donation is $25 per family. KIDSTOCK! will be held rain or shine.
Location: West Kortright Center, 49 W Kortright Church Rd., East Meredith
Time: 11:00 am-3:00 pm
More Info: westkc.org
Maverick Family Saturdays
Frederic Chiu and David Gonzalez
Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
Serge Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
A dazzling performance of the piano transcription by Frederic Chiu, with funky familyfriendly poetry by David Gonzalez that gives The Carnival of the Animals a new twist. The Tortoise, The Swan, Wild Horses and the rest of the marvelous musical menagerie are reborn with the Chiu/Gonzalez performance. Using the music as a source of inspiration David Gonzalez shapes a uniquely delightful path into the lyricism of Carnival of the Animals where each poem is embodied with a direct sense of Saint Saëns’ music.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock Time: 11:00 am
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Leslie Sharpe: Animal Adaptations
Catskill wildlife-butterflies and lightning bugs, bluebirds and bats, and black bears. Leslie discusses the extraordinary adaptations these critters have developed to survive. Bring your critter stories to share. Leslie is a naturalist and author of The Quarry Fox and Other Critters of the Wild Catskills. This title won an Independent Book Publishers award for excellence. She has taught at Columbia, NYU, and City College. She also was chosen as a “Steward of the Catskills.”
Location: Woodchuck Lodge, 1633 Burroughs Memorial Rd, Roxbury Time: 1:00 pm
More Info: jbwoodchucklodge.org
Outlaw Music Festival
Willie Nelson, Mark Rothbaum, Keith Wortman, Blackbird Presents, Live Nation, and the Outlaw Music Festival Tour are thrilled to be back on the road again. Willie will be live and in concert with his family and friends at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on Saturday, July 6th with
Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and Celisse.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 5:30 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Film: Make Me Famous w/ dir. Brian Vincent and prod. Heather Spore via Zoom
The telling of the 1980’s art world through the eyes of an unknown artist, is as much a wild ride through New York City as it is an examination of what it was like to hustle for recognition among the heavyweights of Basquiat, Kieth Haring, Madonna, Eric Bogosian, and Patti Astor. The movie takes us through parties, galleries, and the spirit of the era on the artist Edward Brezinski’s quest for fame. (dir. Brian Vincent,U.S., 2021, 93m)
Location: Orpheum Theatre, 156 Main Street, Saugerties
Time: 7:00 pm
More information: upstatefilms.org
Paper Sun Plays the Music of Traffic
An all-star ensemble of seasoned, awardwinning musicians who have performed with the Allman Brothers, The Band, James Taylor, Delbert McClinton, Little Feat, Todd Rundgren, Stevie Wonder, among many others.
Location: Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
Tracy Bonham
Tracy Bonham is a classically trained violinist and pianist turned alternative singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 1996 with her twice GRAMMY™ nominated album, The Burdens of Being Upright (Island Records). This debut album cast Bonham into the global spotlight with MTV fame and major radio airplay with her #1 alternative chart-topping song “Mother Mother,” an anthem for disgruntled teenagers of all ages. Bonham’s album achieved Gold Record status in the U.S., Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Music at the Grazhda Fundraising Concert
Stefania Dovhan, soprano, and Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano, will perform works by Rossini, Bellini, Schubert, Schumann, Sonevytsky and Stepovy. Light reception.
Location: Grazhda Concert Hall, Route 23A, Jewett
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: GrazhdaMusicandArt.org
Jerry Gallo, “Within, and then Some
Stefania Dovhan
JULY 6-7
Stagecoach Run Art Festival
The Stagecoach Run Art Festival is a free, self-guided open studio and gallery tour for the area’s best artists, performers and makers. This year, the artists range from delicate pottery by Rhonda Harrow-Engel and unique sculptures by Joseph Kurhajec to nature-inspired oil paintings by Gail Robinson and intricate stone lithography by Amy Silberkleit, and more.
Location: Treadwell, NY
More Info: stagecoachrun.com
JULY 6 & 20
Bird Walks with Larry Federman Spring and summer provide prime opportunities for birdwatching, with native species having completed their migrations or currently passing through. Led by our expert guide Larry Federman, who brings over 20 years of experience from the Audubon Society in the Catskills region, this outing promises a fascinating exploration. Larry will share insights on identifying bird calls, optimal locations for birdwatching, and effective techniques for attracting and supporting local bird populations. This exclusive experience is seasonal and tends to sell out quickly. Location: Piaule, 333 Mossy Hill Road, Catskill
Time: 8:00 am
More Info: piaule.com
JULY 7
Afternoon Concert: Mac $ Cheeze Balkan Trio Mac $ Cheeze Balkan Power Trio is an acoustic group specializing in traditional and modern village and urban folk music from the southern Balkans. Their repertoire features music from Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greek, and Turkey and is strongly influenced by Roma and Ottoman cultures and traditions. This music is typically performed for social-cultural occasions such as weddings, holidays and annual village festivals celebrating the seasons.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 1:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Escher String Quartet
A concert featuring works by Haydn, Janacek, and Beethoven. The Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty. A former BBC New Generation Artist and recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the quartet has performed at the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall and is a regular guest at Wigmore Hall. In its home town of New
York, the ensemble serves as season artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock
Time: 4:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
JULY 8-12
Through the Wild Lens: a Journey into Nature for Teens with the Center for Photography at Woodstock
Embark on a summer adventure and go wild— fusing creativity with nature! Join photographers Carla Rhodes and Charles Purvis for a photographic exploration within the strikingly varied habitats of The Mountain Top Arboretum. Collaborating together we’ll develop key awareness skills, touch upon basic environmental photography techniques, set up camera traps to create “wildlife selfies” while exploring animal track and sign, make cyanotype photograms, and create our own books for sketches, journaling, plant pressing, and more! We welcome teens and young adults from ages 14-20 to join us on this unforgettable adventure! Registration is required and space is extremely limited.
Location: Mountain Top Arboretum, 4 Maude Adams Road, Tannersville
More Info: mtarboretum.org
JULY 11
Portia Munson & Jared Handelsman
Portia Munson will be showing her “Functional Women” drawings and a series of functional women planters. Jared Handelsman show black and white framed images of his rock sculptures and places his bound rocks and windchimes from found objects on our main trails.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 5:30 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Luke Bryan
During his career, Luke has amassed a total of 21.2 billion global streams, 11.5 million global album sales and 55.3 million track sales worldwide. He is the most digital single RIAA certified country artist of all time with 84 million digital single units and 15.5 million album certified units for a total of 99.5 million. He has placed 30 singles at #1 and has accumulated 56 total weeks spent at #1 in his career. He was recently presented with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his standing as one of the most streamed artists in SoundExchange’s 20-year history.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Back 2 Mac: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
Back 2 Mac’s 40+ song list spans all the hits of the chart-topping Buckingham/Nicks/McVie era and also features early classics like Peter Green’s “Black Magic Woman” and Bob Welsh’s “Sentimental Lady”. Lush vocal harmonies and an easy-going playfulness with the audience distinguishes Back 2 Mac performances from
those of other tributes. In late 2022/early 2023 the band completed a 12-city run of shows that incorporated guest singers in each city joining the band to perform songs from McVie’s extraordinary musical life, from her early London days in Chicken Shack and Christine Perfect to her last recorded song with Fleetwood Mac.
Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: colonywoodstock.com
JULY 11-28
The Wizard of Oz
When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz. They follow the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, and en route they meet a Scarecrow that needs a brain, a Tin Man missing a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. The wizard asks the group to bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West to earn his help. Directed By Ovi Vargas.
Location: Phoenicia Playhouse, 10 Church Street, Phoenicia
Time: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays @ 7:00 pm, Sundays @ 2:00 pm
More Info: phoeniciaplayhouse.com
JULY 12
Hello Inclusion: A Festival of Possibilities
In celebration of Disability Pride Month, Daniel’s Music Foundation and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will be hosting a one-day, all-encompassing music festival on the historic grounds of Woodstock 1969. Hello Inclusion: A Festival of Possibilities will showcase musicians with disabilities and offer a wide range of activities throughout the day including dance parties, drum circles, and songwriting workshops, to name a few. Tickets will also include access to the Jason Mraz Concert after the Festival, starting at 7:30 pm. We invite you to explore everything Hello Inclusion has to offer and hope you can join us!
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 3:00-7:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Stars of Ballet with New York City Ballet
Principal Adrian Danchig-Waring
Help us celebrate our 26th year of bringing arts to the mountaintop at our Annual Benefit. Join us for a cocktail reception, dinner, dessert and presentation, followed by a private premiere of Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s summer production, Julius Caesar
Location: The Red Barn, 7970 Main Street, Hunter
Time: 5:30 pm
More Info: catskillmtn.org
Headwaters Hangouts
Join us for our new monthly series of social arts experiments, Headwaters Hangouts. From exquisite corpse drawings to performative workshops, Headwaters Hangouts will offer creators of all disciplines the opportunity to work on expression in new and different ways in a social
Rhonda Harrow-Engel
setting. A workout for your creative muscles and an opportunity to meet and network with other local creators, Headwaters Hangouts programming is free and open to everyone.
Location: Headwaters Arts Center, 66 Main St, Stamford
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org
Music on the Belle: 90 Proof
Kick off your weekends in style this summer at Belleayre Mountain, where you’re invited to join in on the free Music on the Belle concert series.
Location: Belleayre Mountain, 181 Galli Curci Rd., Highmount
Time: 6:00-9:00 pm
More Info: belleayre.com
Jason Mraz & The Superband with special guest Ripe
On Jason Mraz’s 8th studio album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride, the musician has found himself returning to a familiar junction in space. The new songs, which are unabashedly pop, see Mraz reuniting with numerous collaborators, including L.A. band Raining Jane and producer Martin Terefe, who helmed the 2008 breakout album.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 7:30 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
JULY 12-13
Richard Thompson
This influential singer-songwriter and virtuosic guitarist has been on a singular musical journey for over a half century, from his days in the ‘60s as a pioneer of British folk rock with Fairport Convention, to his seminal ‘70s duo work with Linda Thompson, to the exploratory, deeply emotional music of the solo career that has been his primary concern ever since. Along the way he has been touted as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone, covered by everyone from Robert Plant, R.E.M. and David Byrne to Sleater-Kinney, Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris, bestowed with the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, and even appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: levonhelm.com
JULY 13
Saturday Tours: Hudson-Athens Lighthouse
Come experience what living on the lighthouse was like first hand during one of our Saturday Tours. Tours are guided with experienced and knowledgeable docents. There are interactive exhibits with videos on the history of the lighthouse and its inhabitants to enjoy. The tours are one and a half hours from shore to shore, with approximately one hour on the lighthouse for the tour.
Location: Athens Riverfront, Athens
Hours: 10:00 am-12:00 pm
More information: halps.org
Athens Street Festival
Enjoy great food, crafts, local vendors, live music and the best fireworks around!
Location: Main Street, Athens
More information: townofathensny.com
Second Saturday Trunk Sale
Shopping for a Cause! Presented by Cultivate Catskill: Come for the selling, shopping, and socializing!
Location: Greene County Water Street Parking Lot, situated behind the Greene County office building
Time: 9:00 am-1:00 pm
More information: cultivatecatskill.org
10th Annual Celebration of the Arts
Celebration of the Arts EXPO (COA EXPO) is a FREE, community-wide event designed to introduce the public to local, working artists and engage them with hands-on opportunities to explore various art forms.
Location: The Kingston Center of SUNY Ulster, 94 Mary’s Avenue, Kingston
Time: 10:00 am-4:00 pm
More information: madkingston.org
Maverick Family Saturdays
WindSync featuring Viet Cuong, Composer WindSync’s signature concert program for children and families celebrates storytelling through music. Young people meet the wind instruments as the quintet introduces itself through a good old-fashioned Texas hoedown, and they warm up their imaginations with a musical trip to the moon. Star composer Viet Cuong will lead listeners through his brand new piece Flora, a musical portrait of different desert plants written specifically for WindSync. The audience performs, too, with some brave volunteers joining WindSync for “The Moose Song,” before everyone claps rhythm patterns in a rousing finale!
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock Time: 11:00 am
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Vintage Base Ball: Edward B. Chace
“Bass-Ball” Classic featuring Bovina Dairymen, Delhi Polecats, Fleischmanns
M.A.C. & Elizabeth Resolutes
Vintage base ball is an ode to the way base ball was played in the 1800s, when rules were changing yearly and only the catcher wore a
mitt. The game is competitive and fun, focused on bringing the community together for an exciting afternoon! Feel free to pack a picnic, grab your friends, sip something refreshing and cheer on your favorite team. Mark your calendar and start planning your adventure to participate in this vibrant tradition!
Location: Crawford Field, Hamden, NY
Time: 12:00 pm
More Info: delcovintagebaseball.org
Artist Talk with Neo-Burlesque dancer Lauren Ashley Jiles/Lou Lou la Duchesse de Riere
Lauren (Mohawk) began her career in Montreal in 2005 with Blue LIght Burlesque. Much more than just elegant and sexy, her choreographed creations are rooted in Indigenous issues and de-colonization. Jiles is one of 10 featured artists in the Museum’s 2024 exhibit “Outside the Box.”
Location: Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave Time: 2:00 pm
More Info: iroquoismuseum.org or 518 296 8949
Ulysses Quartet
The Ulysses Quartet has been praised for their “textural versatility,” “grave beauty” and “the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve” (The Strad). Founded in the summer of 2015, the group has won several prizes and medals in international chamber music competitions and have performed around the world at presigious concert halls and festivals. Ulysses recently released their debut album, Shades of Romani Folklore, on the Navona label. The quartet also has two new collaborative albums: Sea Change Quartets by Grammy-nominated composer Joseph Summer, and A Giant Beside You with guitarist Benjamin Verdery.
Location: Honest Brook Music Festival, 1885
Honest Brook Road, Delhi
Time: 4:00 pm
More Info: hbmf.org
Reggae on The Rock:
Sundub & Upstate Reggae Posse
SunDub is a testament to the power of inclusion, diversity and unity; their music and community rallies around the concept that we are strongest when people of different backgrounds can work together to create positive change.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 5:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Photo by Ron Sleznak
Carsie Blanton in Concert: Creative Revolution
An intimate Summer House Concert featuring acclaimed singer/songwriter & activist Carsie Blanton, celebrating the birth of The Kirkside Virtual Food Hub. Tickets: $55 for light local eats and concert. Cash Bar featuring local beers & spirits. Happily accepting donations for the Kirkside Virtual Food Hub
Location: Spillian, 50 Fleischmanns Heights Rd, Fleischmanns
Time: Light eats @ 5:00 pm, concert @ 7:00 pm
More Info: spillian.com
Northern Week BBQ & Dance 2024
Dine, dance, or just enjoy a great evening of New England music and dancing under Ashokan’s outdoor pavilion! Learn dance basics and then join in the contras & squares with live music by Jay Ungar & Molly Mason and the Northern Week staff.
Location: The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge
Time: Dinner @ 6:00 pm, Dance Lesson @ 7:30 pm, New England Contra and Square Dance, 8:00 pm
More Info: ashokancenter.org
Four Nations Ensemble: From Salon to Scaffold: Paris in the 18th Century
Founded in 1986, The Four Nations Ensemble brings together soloists, frontrunners from several generations, who are leading exponents of period instrument and vocal performance. With a core ensemble of soprano, harpsichord or fortepiano, two violins, flute, and cello, Four Nations’ repertory runs from the Renaissance through Viennese Classical masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock Time: 6:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Lost Bayou Ramblers
The “musical jambalaya” of the celebrated and Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers will make you want to dance with their progressive and energetic stylings. Steeped in a rich Cajun culture, this band blends traditional rhythmic material from African, Caribbean, Acadian (Canadian) and Native American traditions and whips them into a vigorous contemporary jam of accordion, fiddle, electric guitar, bass and drums.
Location: Roxbury Arts Center 5025 Vega Mountain Road, Roxbury Time: 7:30 pm
More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org
Gimme Gimme Disco
Calling all Dancing Queens! Here we go again! If you can’t get enough ABBA then do we have
the dance party for you. We are a DJ-based dance party playing all your favorite ABBA hits, plus plenty of other disco hits from the 70s & 80’s like The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, & Cher (DISCO ATTIRE ENCOURAGED). So honey honey, take-a-chance and you’ll be dancing all night long. Grab tickets, bring your friends, and have the best night of your life!
Location: Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
Upstate Comedy Club presents Greg Stone NYC comedian Greg Stone (America’s Got Talent, Gotham Comedy Live, Sirius XM’s “The Rad Dudecast”) comes to the Mark stage at the Orpheum, with feature acts by Dan DiMarino, Juan Pantaleon, and Pete Vino.
Location: Orpheum Theatre, 156 Main Street, Saugerties Time: 8:00 pm
More information: upstatefilms.org
JULY 13 & 20
Woodstock Playhouse Theatre for Children Company presents The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf
The Wolf: villain or victim? The Three Pigs: innocent or at fault? The Jurors (Miss Muffet, Cinderella and Humpty-Dumpty, to name a few): solid citizens or characters with a past? And what about Judge Wise O. Al? Is justice on his side—or does he have a secret to hide? Then there’s the media—a reporter, newscaster and town crier. Have they come to accurately report the proceedings—or to turn the courtroom into a media circus? And who is that surprise witness at the end? The answers to these profound questions and even more are revealed once and for all in this rollicking, fun-filled, actionpacked trial-of-the-century.
Location: Woodstock Playhouse, 103 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock Time: 2:00 pm
More Info: woodstockplayhouse.org
JULY 13-14
Saturday Creature Features: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Klaatu (Michael Rennie) and an imposing robot companion (“Gort”) arrive on Earth with a message for all of humanity. What is the message? What does the alien truly want? Are they here to take over? Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe and Sam Jaffe star in one of the most outstanding sci-fi films produced in the 1950s— or in any other decade! Directed by Robert Wise. Music by Bernard Herrmann. Come see
this all-time sci-fi classic on the big screen with full theatre sound!
Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale
Time: Saturday @ 9:30 pm; Sunday @ 4:00 pm
More Info: rosendaletheatre.org
JULY 13-28
Catskill Mountain Shakespeare presents Julius Caesar
As Julius Caesar’s appetite for power grows ravenous, a group of rebel politicians join forces to save Rome the only way they see how. Their daring bloodshed is just the beginning of this saga of bloodlust, treachery, and brutality, all in the name of a better world. Contemporary dance, visual art and fashion combine with dynamic storytelling to create a visceral theatrical experience. Julius Caesar offers a meditation on power in our contemporary world and immerses us, the audience, into its heart.
Location: Outdoors & Under the Tent at The Red Barn, 7970 Main Street, Hunter
More Info: catskillmountainshakespeare.com
JULY 14
Afternoon Concert: Blueberry
Gwen Snyder (aka Blueberry) lives on her own planet – the planet Blueberry. It’s a place where lush folds of velvet vapor rise like street steam after a summer rain; where soft, sexy keyboard swells rub up against hip-swaying, sole-sliding bass lines; where Erykah Badu, Prince, and Donovan make sweet love to the sounds of Stevie wonder’s Innervisions and Roxy Music’s Avalon. Ready to visit this enchanted world? Good news: It’s closer than you think.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 1:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Kidz Bop Kids
KIDZ BOP is the #1 music brand for kids, featuring today’s biggest global pop hits, “sung by kids for kids.” Since its launch, the family-friendly music brand has sold more than 23.5 million albums and generated over 9 billion streams.
KIDZ BOP connects with kids and families through its best-selling albums, music videos, consumer products and live tours.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 4:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Stars of Ballet with New York City Ballet
Principal Adrian Danchig-Waring
Following last year’s sold-out Jacques d’Amboise tribute, Adrian Danchig-Waring returns with a star studded cast, including dancers from New York City Ballet, in a program of classics and contemporary favorites. Presented in partnership with Works & Process.
Location: Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville
Time: 3:00 pm
More Info: catskillmtn.org
Photo by Eloy Cortinez
Windsync with Blair McMillen, piano pre-talk by Viet Cuong
“Composer Portrait: Viet Cuong and Friends” Versatile and vibrant, the musicians of WindSync “play many idioms authoritatively, elegantly, with adroit technique, and with great fun” (All About the Arts). In the span of one performance, the quintet can cover vast musical ground from revitalized standard repertoire to freshly inked works to folk and American Songbook. WindSync frequently eliminates the “fourth wall” between musicians and audience by performing from memory, creating an extraordinary connection. This personal performance style, combined with the ensemble’s three-pronged mission of artistry, education, and community-building, lends WindSync its reputation as ”a group of virtuosos who are also wonderful people, too” (Alison Young, Classical MPR).
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock
Time: 6:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel
By the time Duane Betts began working on Wild & Precious Life—his triumphant debut solo album—he’d already spent the better part of two decades creating his own version of guitar-slinging, story-driven American rock & roll. Duane had spent 10 years playing guitar alongside his father, legendary Allman Brother Dickey Betts.
Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: levonhelm.com
JULY 14-20
Northern Week 2024
Jay Ungar & Molly Mason host a fun and friendly full-week of traditional music & dance from New England, Québec, England, Sweden, and France. Beginners welcome!
Location: The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge
More Info: ashokancenter.org
Catskills Irish Arts Week
Engage with renowned traditional Irish artists in a vibrant celebration! Immerse yourself in workshops, lectures, ceilithes, and sessions. Experience the transformation of East Durham into a bustling Irish village, alive with continuous traditional music, dance, art, and more.
Location: Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre, 2267 Route 145, East Durham
More Info: catskillsirishartsweek.com
JULY
15
Desperately Seeking Susan/Desperately Seeking Something: Screening & Book
Signing with Director & Author
Susan Seidelman
Join us for a journey back to the quirky, stylish ’80s with a screening of the comedy-drama Desperately Seeking Susan followed by a book signing with its director and author, Susan Seidelman. In collaboration with Golden Notebook, copies of Seidelman’s brand new book Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls will be available for purchase.
Location: Orpheum Theatre, 156 Main Street, Saugerties
Time: 6:30 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
JULY 16
Food Truck Fiesta: Steel Band & Bike Night
Live music, food trucks, beer, wine, and water sold by Bloomington Fire Department! The rain date is following Tuesday.
Location: Bloomington Fire Department, 14 Taylor Street, Bloomington Time: 5:00-9:00 pm
More Info: 845 338 2794
Ben Howard
Ben Howard’s new album Is It, is a lush, sonically splintered album that captures Howard working through moments of a seismic shift due to unexplained health crises. The songs range from the peaceful quotidian “Days of Lantana,” to cut up samples and driven beats of “Walking Backwards,” the formers’ pitched and warped Linda Thompson chorus reminiscent of Malcolm McLaren’s “Madame Butterfly.” “Moonraker,” a song about climbing in the Guadarrama mountains touches on the meditational, while in the cyclical Richmond Avenue Howard talks of shared childhood moments with his father.
Location: Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
JULY 16-28
The Prom
Following a hit Broadway run and feature film, this hysterical and joyous new musical follows four Brassy Broadway Stars on a mission to change the world and the love they discover that unites them all. They join forces with a courageous girl and the town’s citizens to build a Prom for everyone! Starring our wildly talented NYC professional actors and Resident Company, The Prom will also feature The Promsem-
ble—a group of our best rising teen stars from the Sullivan Catskills and surrounding counties. With side splitting comedy, big-time-dancing, and a whole lot of heart, you’ll have to get your ticket to come to The Prom!
Location: Forestburgh Playhouse, 39 Forestburgh Rd, Forestburgh
More Info: fbplayhouse.org
JULY 17
Wednesday Evening Concert Series Presents Off The Record
Local musicians perform from mid-June to midSeptember. Free Admission—bring a lawn chair or blanket in the park to enjoy the music. In the event of rain, the concerts are moved indoors to The Function at Catskills Junction, 28 Railroad Avenue, Stamford
Location: Veterans Memorial Park, Main Street, Stamford
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm
More Info: stamfordnymusic.com
Justin Hayward with Mike Dawes
Having chalked up over fifty years at the peak of the music and entertainment industry, Justin Hayward’s voice has been heard the world over. Known principally as the vocalist, lead guitarist and composer for the Moody Blues, his is an enduring talent that has helped to define the times in which he worked. Over the last fortyfive years the band has sold fifty five million albums and received numerous awards. Commercial success has gone hand in hand with critical acclaim, The Moody Blues are renowned the world over as innovators and trail blazers who have influenced any number of fellow artists. In 2018, along with the other members of The Moody Blues, Justin was inducted into the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
JULY 17-21
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival 2024
An annual 4-day ‘Who’s Who’ of bluegrass, newgrass, and roots music! 40 Bands on six stages with workshops, family fun, camping, dancing, jamming, foods, crafts, and thousands of fans from around the globe.
Location: Walsh Farm, 1 Poultney Road, Oak Hill
More Info: greyfoxbluegrass.com
JULY 18
Artist Talk: Maria Bauman
An artist talk with Brooklyn, NY-based BessieAward winning dance artist and community organizer Maria Bauman. For part of the talk, she will be joined in discussion by Elena Mosley who stewards Operation Unite New York and who is a committed community advocate, organizer and artist in Hudson, NY. Maria will lead a bit of low-stakes and accessible practice responding to specific sites and environments to create movement. Among other topics, Maria will discuss her newest artwork, These are the bodies that have not borne. The work is a multi-faceted outdoor ritual performance
Photo by Philip Greenberg
directed by Maria Bauman and enacted by nine Black, majority queer and transgender creatives to reimagine, heal and celebrate our wombs and the places where our wombs might be. Informed by land art, choreography, movement scores and ritual, the piece is a reckoning and a healing portal, a monument to those of us who are unresolved around not having children through our bodies. These are the bodies... will premiere in Summer 2025, at Feathertail Farm, in Hudson, NY.
Location: Athens Cultural Center, 24 Second Street, Athens
Time: 5:30-7:00 pm
More Info: athensculturalcenter.org
Santana with Counting Crows
Santana is one of the best-selling groups of all time with over 47 million certified albums sold in the U.S., and an estimated 100 million sold worldwide. Counting Crows is an American rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Counting Crows gained popularity following the release of its first album, August and Everything After (1993). With the breakthrough hit single “Mr. Jones,” (1993) the album sold more than 7 million copies in the United States. The band received two Grammy Awards nominations in 1994. The follow-up album, Recovering the Satellites, reached number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart and reached number one in several other countries.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Langhorne Slim
Born Sean Scolnick in 1980, Slim took part of his artistic moniker from his hometown of Langhorne, PA, a place he’s still very much connected to despite making his home in Nashville. Since the advent of Covid-19, he has been traveling back to PA once a month to see his mother and grandmother, and, like many Americans, finding strength in his origins and family bonds. The title of his new album, Strawberry Mansion, refers to the neighborhood in Philadelphia where both of his grandfathers grew up, a place he calls “dirty but sweet, tough but full of love, where giants roamed the earth and had names like Whistle and Curly.” Strawberry Mansion is not so much about nostalgia for the past as it is about the possibility of better days ahead in this world.
Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: levonhelm.com
JULY 19
Music on the Belle: 3rd Rail
Kick off your weekends in style this summer at Belleayre Mountain, where you’re invited to join in on the free Music on the Belle concert series.
Location: Belleayre Mountain, 181 Galli Curci Rd., Highmount
Time: 6:00-9:00 pm
More Info: belleayre.com
Khari Joyner
Khari Joyner, celebrated cellist, presents Musician as Composer as Musician, an evening of solo cello music exploring the relationships between composer and musician—and the long and rich history of these rolls being embodied in the same individual. Joyner will share several original compositions and feature several centuries of works for solo cello by composers who have a great affinity for the instrument.
Location: Old School Baptist Church Intersection of Route 36 & Cartwright Road, Denver Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org
Billy Bragg: The Roaring Forty USA Tour 2024 “The frustration of seeing nothing that spoke to me on Top Of The Pops in the early 80’s made me realise if I wanted to hear music that had something to say about the state of the world and real life, I’d have to make it myself. 18 months later I recorded my first LP. To mark the 40th anniversary of Life’s A Riot with Spy vs Spy, I’ve compiled a number of commemorative releases that trace the arc of my career since those fateful Thursday nights.”
Location: Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
Impractical Jokers
Brian Quinn (Q), James Murray (Murr) and Sal Vulcano are the Creators, Executive Producers, and Stars of truTV’s hit series, Impractical Jokers. Now in its 10th season, Impractical Jokers is a hidden camera comedy show that follows Q, Murr and Sal as they compete to embarrass each other amongst the general public with a series of hilarious and outrageous dares. When Murr, Sal and Q challenge each other to say or do something, they have to do it … if they refuse, they lose! At the end of every episode—with the help of a celebrity guest—the episode’s loser must endure a punishment of epic proportions.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Harvest & Rust: A Neil Young Experience Harvest & Rust returns to the Colony with a completely different setlist … playing from Harvest Moon to Live Rust. It’s hard to represent the wide array of Neil Young’s influential material in one show, but that’s exactly what the band Harvest & Rust does. Based in Western Massachusetts, the core four members of Harvest & Rust
often augment their show with other well-known local musicians to reproduce every era of Neil Young’s music. Be it the chart-topping Harvest material (including “Old Man,” “Heart of Gold,” etc.) to the electric explorations of Rust Never Sleeps (“Hey Hey My My,” etc.), as well as songs from Neil’s time in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Buffalo Springfield, you’re in for a night of “complete Neil.” And Harvest & Rust never plays the same set list twice, which is exactly how Mr. Young does it.
Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: colonywoodstock.com
JULY 19-21
Deposit Lumberjack Festival
The Deposit Lumberjack Festival honors the history of logging in Deposit by hosting an annual festival each year. The festival displays the Game of Logging competition; the Jack and Jill logging competition; many other events, including rides, vendors, a craft beer tent, 5K walk and run, fireworks, Lumberjack parade, and the Rafts Races down the Delaware. Lumber and the river have always been an integral part of life in Deposit and the Lumberjack Festival celebrates that.
Location: Deposit, NY
Day & Time: 10:00 am-5:00 pm
More Info: facebook.com/DLF42/
JULY 19-AUGUST 11
Guys and Dolls
Lauded by Time Magazine as “The greatest of all American Musicals!” and hailed by The New York Times as “the show that defines Broadway dazzle,” this Tony-award winning show gambles with luck and love under the bright lights of bustling Broadway. Set in the colorful world of Damon Runyon’s mythical 1950s New York City with its underground dice-slinging rogues, glitzy “showgirls,” and high-stakes romances, Guys and Dolls is a sparkling romantic comedy. We are transported from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, and down into the sewers of New York. The story centers on career gambler Sky Masterson who makes the bet of a lifetime to win the heart of “Save-A-Soul” missionary Sarah Brown and long-suffering nightclub star, Adelaide, laments foot-dragging beau Nathan Detroit’s 14-year failure to tie the knot. Location: The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, 661 Route 308, Rhinebeck Day & Time: Friday & Saturday @ 8:00 pm; Sunday @ 3:00 pm More Info: CenterforPerformingArts.org
JULY 20
Dairy at the Mill Exploration Day
Explore the history of Delaware County’s dairy industry and celebrate National Ice Cream Month with Hanford Mills Museum! Visitors can enjoy free samples (while supplies last) of vanilla ice cream churned at the mill.
Location: Hanford Mills Museum, 51 County Highway 12, East Meredith More Info: hanfordmills.org
Headwaters Music & Arts Festival
The Headwaters Music + Arts Festival is a free celebration of music, art and community, welcoming musicians to perform on front stoops and festival goers to indulge in art activities along Stamford New York’s Main Street. Hosted by the Roxbury Arts Group, participation in The Headwaters Music + Arts Festival is free to attend.
Location: Headwaters Arts Center, 66 Main St, Stamford
More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org
Bovina Day
A number of community events take place on Bovina Day, including a town wide yard sale, a community art show, a library book sale, water activities at the Firehall, and more! Organized/ hosted by various organizations, including the Bovina Historical Society, the Bovina Collaborative for Community, the Bovina Library, and the Bovina Fire Department. FREE!
Location: Throughout Bovina
Time: 10:00 am-5:00 pm
More Info: bovinahistoricalsociety.org
Maverick Family Saturdays
Tracy Bonham’s Melodeon
Two time GRAMMY® nominee Tracy Bonham celebrates the joy of learning and shares her passion for music theory and harmony through her original music, stories, and movement. Melodeon’s songs are not only educational they encourage empathy and self-awareness. Bonham believes an education in music is an essential tool for children to connect to themselves and to the world around them.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock Time: 11:00 am
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
MyKingstonKids 2nd Annual Children’s Summer Gala
A day of fun and excitement you won’t want to miss! This FREE event requires registration, so secure your spot now at MyKingstonKids.com. Let’s make unforgettable summer memories together!
Location: Energy Square, 16 Cedar St., Kingston Time: 5:00-8:00 pm
More Info: MyKingstonKids.com
Summer Music Series: The Slambovian Circus of Dreams
Voted “Best Band” in 2022 by Chronogram Magazine for their rootsy, rockin’ psychedelia, the Slambovians’ deep connection with audiences and exciting live shows are legendary. This Woodstock-tinged Americana has a hint of southern rock, British folk combined with solid songwriting—a slice of Americana pie that is irresistible! Dylan, Bowie, Syd Barrett, Tom Petty, and The Waterboys can be heard, yet the Slambovians’ musicianship and critically acclaimed songwriting stand on their own.
Location: Athens Riverfront Park,4 North Water Street, Athens Time: 5:30-7:00 pm
More Info: athensculturalcenter.org
Loudon Wainwright III
Born in Chapel Hill, NC, Loudon Wainwright III came to fame when “Dead Skunk” became a Top 20 hit in 1972. He had studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon University, but dropped out to partake in the Summer of Love in San Francisco, and wrote his first song in 1968 (“Edgar,” about a lobsterman in Rhode Island). He was soon signed to Atlantic Records by Nesuhi Ertegun, and after that was lured by Clive Davis to Columbia Records, which released “Dead Skunk.” His songs have since been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, his son Rufus Wainwright, and Mose Allison, among others. Wainwright has recorded 27 albums, including his 2009 Grammy Awardwinning High Wide & Handsome
Location: Beer Garden @ The Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock
Time: 6:00 pm
More Info: colonywoodstock.com
Daryl Hall + Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton
Daryl Hall is a modern-day renaissance man, an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the star of his very own award-winning web series, Live from Daryl’s House, as well as a successful venue owner with “Daryl’s House,” a restored venue and live music space in Pawling, NY. The Philadelphia soul man is still achieving career milestones more than four decades later, continuing to perform with his band to sold out venues everywhere. Elvis Costello is the composer or lyricist of over six hundred published titles, including 15 songs co-written with Paul McCartney and renowned collaborations with Allen Toussaint, the Brodsky Quartet and T Bone Burnett. He has received a range of awards over his 45 years old career. Costello currently performs with The Imposters and their special guest, Texas guitarist, Charlie Sexton.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
National Dance Institute Mountaintop Summer Residency Performance
National Dance Institute (NDI), founded by Jacques d’Amboise, brings its award-winning dance program to the Catskill Mountain Region, with a two-week residency for children in Grades 3 – 8. Under the Artistic Direction of NDI choreographer Dufftin Garcia, the children will participate in high energy dance classes and choreography workshops accompanied by live music. The program culminates in a performance onstage at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center featuring the dancers and live music set against a backdrop of colorful banners created over the many years of the collaboration between NDI and the Catskill Mountain Foundation. This is a high-energy event that draws large crowds every year!
Location: Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: catskillmtn.org
Sun Ra Arkestra
Space is the Place! Sun Ra Arkestra is a pioneer of Afrofutrism. The legendary jazz group was formed in the mid 1950s and led by Sun Ra until his death in 1993. As of 2002 the band has been under the direction of the now 100-year old saxophonist Marshall Allen. Join us for an evening under the stars with cosmic celebration, space tunes, jazz and experimental exploratory music!
Location: West Kortright Center, 49 W Kortright Church Rd., East Meredith
Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: westkc.org
Join us for a lively, illustrated introduction to the diversity, ecology and conservation of regional fireflies and bats, including tips on how to study them in the field. This will be followed by a chance to put those tips into action with a sunset outing to nearby parts of the Arboretum, where we will use flash patterns, firefly netting, bat call recording, and perhaps even a little spotlighting to tap into the natural history of these two groups.
Location: Mountain Top Arboretum, 4 Maude Adams Road, Tannersville Time: 7:30 pm
More Info: mtarboretum.org
Music at the Grazhda Chamber Music Concert
Vasyl Zatsikha, Nazar Pylatyuk, violins; Richard Young, viola; Natalia Khoma, cello; and Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano, will present chamber music works by Bach, Haydn, Brahms, and Skoryk.
Location: Grazhda Concert Hall, Route 23A, Jewett
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: GrazhdaMusicandArt.org
Chaparelle
In a harmonious union, singer-songwriters Zella Day and Jesse Woods come together to reveal their highly anticipated collaboration, “Chaparelle”. Esteemed for their exceptional vocal prowess and celebrated contributions to their distinct genres, Zella and Jesse craft a musical tapestry that harkens back to legendary duets of icons like George and Tammy or Gram and Emmylou. This partnership channels the enduring allure of Country music’s golden age, weaving a melodic narrative that resonates with themes of love and the indomitable Texan essence.
Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: levonhelm.com
An Introduction to Fireflies and Bats with Conrad Vispo and Kyle Bradford
Simon’s Dream, The Music of Penguin Café Orchestra
Simon’s Dream’ represents a rare chance to hear the eclectic and uplifting music of the seminal British instrumental group Penguin Cafe Orchestra, played live by a band which includes members of the original ensemble. Jennifer Maidman and Annie Whitehead were both long standing members of the original group and collaborated extensively with its late founder Simon Jeffes. Simon started the band after a series of unusual dreams and visions about a possible dystopian future and it’s antidote, a magical cafe where a special kind of music would be played which would open hearts, connect souls, and lift spirits. Joining Jennifer and Annie on stage will be some of the Hudson Valley’s finest musicians : Scott Petito, Jerry Marotta, Liam Singer and Jonathan Talbot.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Belleayre Beach Movie Night: Barbie
Bring a blanket or rent a chair for a Belleayre Beach movie night featuring Barbie! Snacks will be available at the Snack Shack! Purchase tickets online at belleayre.com!
Location: Belleayre Beach, 33 Friendship Manor Road, Pine Hill
Time: 8:45 pm
More Info: belleayre.com
JULY 20-21
Metalsmithing & Steel Sculpture Workshop with Mohawk artist Margaret Jacobs Margaret will demonstrate various components of her creative process including patterning and cutting with a plasma cutter and using an oxy-acetylene torch to shape and form the steel as well as share her training, practice, and inspiration.
Location: Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave
Time: 10:00 am-4:30 pm Saturday, 12:00-4:30 pm Sunday
More Info: iroquoismuseum.org or 518 296 8949
JULY 21
Mushroom Walk with Chris Baker, The Chicory Naturalist
Participants will earn important skills for mushroom identification, sustainable foraging practices, and appreciation for the many roles fungi play in our ecosystem. Please bring a basket for picking and sensible shoes for heading off trail.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 11:00 am
More Info: opus40.org
Afternoon Concert: Biryani Boys
The Biryani Boys are Mustafa Bhagat and David Freeman, a sitar and tabla music making duo, whose web series promises to delight anyone interested in the fascinating world of Indian Classical Music. Think Ravi Shankar meets Wayne’s World and there you have it.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 1:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Juilliard Jazz Ensemble
Manhattan’s Juilliard School is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading music schools. Juilliard Jazz, under the leadership of director Wynton Marsalis, offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as artist diplomas. The department’s programming reflects the jazz continuum and its American vernacular roots, as well as the social and cultural vitality of the music. Juilliard Jazz ensembles play more than 50 on- and off-campus performances annually, including international tours, as well as performances at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Blue Note in New York City.
Location: First Presbyterian Church & Stamford United Methodist Church, 96 Main St, Stamford Time: 3:00 pm
More Info: friendsmusic.org
Miró Quartet
Works by Debussy, Ginastera, and Beethoven. The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, having been noted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity.” For over 25 years the Quartet has performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, the Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock Time: 4:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
In a pop culture world defined by its perpetual changes, the partnership of singer songwriter Pat Benatar and producer-musician Neil Giraldo has been a potent, steadfast union that has soared to the top of the charts and into fans’ hearts on their own terms. Her staggering vocals and take-no-prisoners attitude, along with
his trailblazing artistry as a guitarist, producer and songwriter, forged the undeniable chemistry and unique sound that created eternal rock hits including “We Belong,” “Invincible,” “Love Is A Battlefield,” “Promises In The Dark,” “We Live For Love,” “Heartbreaker” and “Hell Is For Children.”
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Sylvia Bullett Album Release and Upstate Reggae Posse
Sylvia’s fifth studio album All Knowledge There Transcending features Fred Smith and Scott Petito on bass, Dan Hickey, Eric Parker, and David Van Tieghem on drums, Otto Kentroll on bari sax, Cindy Cashdollar on steel guitar, David Rothenberg on clarinet and supplying his humpback whale library, Bill Cochran on French Horn, Wayne Lopes, Van Manakas and Sal Cataldi on guitar, Sylvia on Steinway, keyboards, vocals, flute, composing,arranging and producing. The album is available in all major digital stores through Tunecore.
Location: The Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: colonywoodstock.com
JULY 21, 27-28
Horton By the Stream presents Texas Town Texas Town, filled with pathos, hints at some of life’s biggest questions. The play explores life in the small fictional town of Harrison, Texas after the peak of the cotton industry and just before oil had hit the state in a big way.
Location: Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971
Main Street, Hunter Time: 2:00 pm
More Info: hortonbythestream.org
JULY 22-26
Acoustic Guitar Camp 2024
Ashokan Acoustic Guitar Camp offers guitarists of all levels an opportunity for real immersion and growth in a friendly environment. Come sing, jam, and incorporate new styles and techniques into your playing!
Location: The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge
More Info: ashokancenter.org
JULY 24
Train & REO Speedwagon
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco which was formed in 1993. Since 2021, the band consists of Pat Monahan, Taylor Locke, Hector Maldonado, Jerry Becker, Matt Musty, Sakai Smith, and Nikita Houston. REO Speedwagon, or simply REO, is an American rock band from Champaign, IL formed in 1967, with significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The band current lineup consists of Kevin Cronin, Dave Amato and Bryan Hitt.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel Time: 6:25 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Guitar Summit 2024
We invite our community to enjoy a wonderful evening of acoustic guitar players. Don’t miss this incredible lineup!
Location: The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge
Time: 7:30 pm
More Info: ashokancenter.org
JULY 25
Design and Comedy: Laughter as Critique and Therapy Presented by Susan Yelavich Mistakenly underrated, as comedy usually is, the work of design’s tricksters is overdue for consideration. This talk looks at design that uses the tactics of humor—incongruity, absurdity, and exaggeration—as a means of therapy and critique. Design that operates on comedy can work as a sudden shock or a slow burn that tells us that something’s amiss. It also pays respect to the anonymous pranksters who make us think while we’re laughing.
Location: Bovina Public Library, 33 Maple Ave, Bovina Center
Time: 5:30 pm
More Info: bovinalibrary.org
Chosen Family presents: Arooj Aftab Arooj Aftab is a Grammy-award winning music composer, vocalist and producer who works mainly in the minimalist, jazz, and neo-Sufi idioms.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 6:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Hank Williams Jr.
Hank Williams Jr.’s extremely impressive resume has spawned 70 million albums sold worldwide, six RIAA-certified Platinum albums, 20 RIAA Gold-certified, 13 No. 1 albums and 10 No. 1 singles. Marking 52 years since his first album in 1964, Williams Jr. released It’s About Time (Nash Icon Records) in 2016. In addition to the history-making “Are You Ready for the Country,” the project included tunes such as “Dress Like an Icon,” “Just Call Me Hank,” “It’s About Time” and “The Party’s On” as well as re-recorded versions of classics “Mental Revenge” and “Born to Boogie” with Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore and Brad Paisley on guitar.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 7:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
JULY 25 & 27
Classic Film Series:
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) explode on the screen in their only full length feature film: Batman: The Movie (1966)! The Joker (Cesar Romero), the Penguin (Burgess Meredith), the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) have teamed up to hold the world for ransom and the Dynamic Duo must use their intellect, gadgets, and sheer determination to thwart their arch villains’ evil plans and save the day! A MUST SEE nostalgic gem for any fan of the Batman TV series! Come by for the fun with FULL BAT SOUND on the BIG BAT SCREEN!
Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale
Time: Thursday @ 7:00 pm; Saturday @ 4:00 pm
More Info: rosendaletheatre.org
JULY 25-28
Greene County Youth Fair
Held each year in July, the Greene County Youth Fair is one of very few fairs around the country that offers free admission and entertainment for all ages. The fair is a celebration of the talents of Greene County’s youth, enabling them to strive for higher goals and receive encouragement for their efforts. The fair is family oriented and offers kids of all ages exciting music, displays and entertainment, along with hands-on agricultural education!
Location: Mountain Avenue, Cairo
More Info: thegreenecountyyouthfair.com
JULY 26
Putt Fore Paws
It’s our 11th annual 2024 Putt Fore Paws event! Join us for this fun-draising golfing event at Apple Greens Golf Course in Highland! Sign up as an individual player, two-some or four-some, with green fees and golf carts included. The day includes themed holes, raffle, hole-in-one contest, and trophies for first-placed team, closest to the pin, and longest drive! Enjoy a grab & go lunch, roaming beverage cart, mulligans, lottery board, and awards banquet served from The Restaurant At Apple Greens. All proceeds for this day of fun on the course go towards the care of the abused, neglected and homeless animals of Ulster County.
Location: Apple Greens Golf Course, 161 South Street, Highland
Time: 10:00 am-1:00 pm
More Info: ucspca.org
Music on the Belle: Soul Purpose
Kick off your weekends in style this summer at Belleayre Mountain, where you’re invited to join in on the free Music on the Belle concert series.
Location: Belleayre Mountain, 181 Galli Curci Rd., Highmount
Time: 6:00-9:00 pm
More Info: belleayre.com
Escaping Corporate Capture:
Nonprofit Survival in a For-Profit World
How can we protect the commons in our increasingly stressed and stressful nonprofit
sector? Join us for a riveting discussion with four experts. Panel Discussion and Q & A with Jule Hall, Alissa Quart, Rithika Ramamurthy & Amarah Sedreddine. Co-Sponsored by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, Opus 40 & Ultra Advising.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 6:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal/rap metal/ rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Their lineup consists of Fred Durst, Sam Rivers, John Otto, DJ Lethal, and Wes Borland. Their music is marked by Durst’s angry vocal delivery and Borland’s sonic experimentation. The band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, have sold 40 million records worldwide and won several other awards.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 6:30 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
The Big Takeover
Traditionalists or progressives? Fronted by the charismatic Jamaican-born singer and songwriter Nee Nee Rushie, the seven-piece New York band The Big Takeover plays original music that is rooted in and reverent toward the genres and rhythms of Jamaican pop: reggae, rocksteady, ska. They are devotees of Desmond Dekker and the way the old school did it. At the same time, The Big Takeover crosses lines and blends traditions like global pop fusionists. Their deceptively complex arrangements and big hooks connect with the spirit of Motown and the uptown sophistication of the 21st century retro soul and R&B revival scene.
Location: Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
JULY
26-27
Welding & Steel Sculpture Workshop with Mohawk artist Margaret Jacobs
3-hour immersive hands-on sessions in plasma cutting, torch work and MIG welding. Ages 16 to elders. Components created by the participants will be incorporated into a finished sculpture by the artist to be revealed at a later date. Limit 6 per session. No charge for class but pre-registration is necessary.
Location: Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave
More Info: iroquoismuseum.org or 518 296 8949
JULY 26-28
AMR Open Studios Tour
Annual Open Studios Tour is an opportunity for visitors to explore the personal spaces and processes of established and emerging artists over the course of three days. This self-guided driving tour of over 60 art studios takes place in the scenic Catskill Mountains of Delaware County, NY. The tour will span these Delaware County towns: Arkville, Andes, Bovina, Denver, Halcottsville, Fleischmanns, Margaretville, and Roxbury.
Time: 11:00 am-5:00 pm each day
More Info: amropenstudios.org
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company has rediscovered and affirmed the power of storytelling through the universal language of dance and music. Calpulli tells narrative-based stories portrayed through movement, sound, and elaborate and colorful costuming, with the passion of performance. Their repertoire is a carnival of folkloric traditions mixed with original creations. Calpulli performances are a celebration of the cultural legacy of past and present with stories that combine the vocabulary of dance and music with the Mexican-American spirit, expressing the company’s universal messages of love and hope.
Location: Franklin Stage Company, 25 Institute Street, Franklin
Time: Friday & Saturday @ 7:30 pm, Sunday @ 5:00 pm
More Info: franklinstagecompany.org
Woodstock Playhouse Summer Theatre Festival presents Ken Ludwig’s Stage Adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express
Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer—in case he or she decides to strike again.
Location: Woodstock Playhouse, 103 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock
Time: Friday & Saturday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 2:00 pm
More Info: woodstockplayhouse.org
JULY
27
Catskill Mountain Yoga Festival
A diverse array of 50 classes and workshops, led by esteemed global instructors and beloved
local teachers, our lineup spans from vinyasa, kundalini, aerial and hatha yoga to meditation, breathwork, hiking, foraging, kids yoga, and beyond. Join amazing workshops and classes, learn new things, take a few sky rides for the scenic views, check out the vendor village, eat delicious food or just enjoy the good company! We will also have some amazing practitioners onsite for energy healing, sound healing, Tarot card readings, Henna, massage, Ayurveda specialists, and more. Rain date: July 28.
Location: Plattekill Mountain, 469 Plattekill Rd, Roxbury
Time: 8:00 am-5:00 pm
More Info: catskillmountainyogafestival.com
Maverick Family Saturdays
Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”
Author Nicholas Day and illustrator Chris Raschka will read from their new children’s book, Nothing, about John Cage’s infamous piece, 4’33”.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock
Time: 11:00 am
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Newsreel and Panel Discussion: Making History
The story of the Gilboa Village lost to the Schoharie Reservoir has been awash with fact, fiction and folklore since its flooding in 1925. Now, moving images of the rural village and the construction of the Giboa Dam can be seen for the first time in nearly a century. Join us for a special showing of a newly completed newsreel along with a panel discussion featuring the creative team behind the project.
Location: Gilboa Museum, Nicholas J. Juried History Center, 122 Stryker Road, Gilboa
Time: 1:00 pm
More Info: gilboafossils.org
Euphonia! Mini-Brass Fest
The Hudson Valley’s favorite mini-brass festival, an offshoot of the beloved Brassroots festival, returns this summer!
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 3:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Gala Benefit Screening:
Horton Foote: The Road to Home
Horton by the Stream celebrates its 30th summer season this year. The winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Academy Award, Horton Foote is America’s storyteller. Dubbed “the most prolific playwright nobody knows”, Horton Foote seems at times to be an insider secret in the theater world. This year not only will the company present this early rarely done play, but it will also present a 30th Anniversary Benefit screening of Horton Foote: The Road to Home, a documentary film about the life and work of Horton Foote. A reception will feature special guests, wine, and cheese.
Location: Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971
Main Street, Hunter
Time: 5:30 pm
More Info: hortonbythestream.org
Angela Hewitt, piano
Winner of the City of Leipzig Bach Medal, the Wigmore Hall Gold Medal and a Companion of the Order of Canada, the British-Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is one of the foremost J.S. Bach interpreters of our time. Here in her Maverick Concerts debut, Angela Hewitt performs a scintillating all-Bach program on what promises to be a memorable Saturday evening recital, recalling her series of recordings of all the composer’s major piano works for the Hyperion label termed “one of the record glories of our age” (The London Sunday Times).
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock
Time: 6:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
Hozier
Hozier is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. His music primarily draws from folk, soul, and blues, often using religious and literary themes and a political or social justice stance. His debut single, “Take Me to Church” (2013) became a rock radio hit in the U.S., peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been certified multi-platinum in several countries.
Location: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bethelwoodscenter.org
Music at the Grazhda Chamber Music Concert Concert in honor of Natalie Sonevytsky, retiring President of MACGC. Vasyl Zatsikha, Nazar Pylatuk, violins; Richard Young, viola; Natalia Khoma, Marta Bagratuni, cellos; and Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano, will perform chamber music works by Schubert, Barvinsky, and Sonevytsky. Light reception.
Location: Grazhda Concert Hall, Route 23A, Jewett
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: GrazhdaMusicandArt.org
The Mountain Goats with Field Medic
For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was singer-songwriter John Darnielle, despite the plural moniker. Although he remains the core member of the band, he has worked with a variety of collaborators over time. In 2023, the band released their 22nd album Jenny from Thebes, a rock opera about a woman named Jenny. The character “Jenny” has appeared in several previous songs by the band, notably in several from All Hail West Texas
Location: Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
The Lemon Twigs
Following the release of Everything Harmony, which garnered acclaim from Questlove, Iggy Pop, and countless others, The Lemon Twigs—the New York City rock band fronted by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario—have once again captured the attention of the music listening public. Set for release less than a year after their last album, A Dream Is All We Know is a joyous affair. As the title suggests, it’s less of a sober look at the darker side of life, and more a hopeful sojourn into the realm of dreams. The brothers combine elements of the Merseybeat sound, the California Beach Boy harmony sound, and Bubblegum to create a unique collection of pop nuggets.
Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock
Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: levonhelm.com
JULY
27-28
Spinning My Wheels: A one man show written and performed by Michael Garfield Levine
This brutally honest, often harrowing, and sometimes funny roller coaster of a ride takes us from the 1970’s streets and stages of New York to the hills of Vermont, into the depths of Michael’s psyche as he battles mental illness and addiction. Clawing his way back to sanity through bicycle racing and a life-long career in acting, he encounters an Olympian, a Zen Master, a Holocaust survivor, and a meditation teacher who becomes his wife.
Location: Byrdcliffe Theater, 380 Upper Byrdcliffe, Woodstock
Time: Saturday @ 7:00 pm; Sunday @ 2:00 pm
More Info: woodstockguild.org
Saturday Creature Features:
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
The second highest grossing Japanese film in history upon its release! King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) would be the third film in both the Godzilla and King Kong franchises, as well as the first Toho-produced film featuring King Kong. It is also the first time that each character appeared on film in color and widescreen. Godzilla is reawakened by an American submarine while a pharmaceutical company captures King Kong
for promotional use culminating in a colossal monster battle. Come by for the fun with FULL THEATRE SOUND on THE BIG SCREEN!! NOTE: Japanese version. English subtitles.
Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale
Time: Saturday @ 9:30 pm; Sunday @ 5:00 pm
More Info: rosendaletheatre.org
JULY 28
Summer Seasonal Walk
The forests, meadows and wetlands of Greene County are a cycling kaleidoscope of seasonal change. By midsummer, most bird species have finished nesting, the landscape is buzzing with insect life, and a number of native shrub species bear large harvests of edible fruit. Join ethnobiologist, Justin Wexler to learn about the local environment and and how native people lived with the land here five centuries ago.
Location: The Willows at Brandow Point, 480 Route 385, Athens
Time: 1:00 pm
More Info: greenelandtrust.org
Afternoon Concert: Larry Locust
Larry Locust is the solo, song-writing project of Kenny Hauptman. It’s dark and dreamy indie folk from the Hudson Valley.
Location: Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties
Time: 1:00 pm
More Info: opus40.org
Yolanda Bush Jazz Band
Yolanda has been singing and drumming for over four decades. She is versatile in numerous styles, which include Blues, Jazz, Rock, and R&B as a vocalist and tight, deep pocket drummer with impeccable meter.
Location: Veterans Memorial Park, Main Street, Stamford
Time: 3:00-4:30 pm
More Info: stamfordnymusic.com
Quartet
Works by George Walker, Shostakovich, and Beethoven. With a career spanning nearly three decades, the multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. The Quartet is known for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices. Having served as quartet-in-residence at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music for the past decade, the Quartet also leads the Center for Advanced Quartet Studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and was previously the quartet-inresidence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 2021, the Pacifica Quartet received a second Grammy Award for Contemporary Voices, an exploration of music by three Pulitzer Prize-winning composers: Shulamit Ran, Jennifer Higdon, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
Location: Maverick Concerts 120 Maverick Road, Woodstock
Time: 4:00 pm
More Info: maverickconcerts.org
JULY 29-AUGUST 2
Bluegrass Camp 2024
Kimber Ludiker hosts a week of bluegrass instruction and jamming for guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bass, vocals and songwriting. Jam with and learn from inspirational teachers hand-picked to cultivate a magical musical environment.
Location: The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge
More Info: ashokancenter.org
JULY 30-AUGUST 11
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
From the chart topping hits she wrote for the biggest acts in music, to her own life-changing, trailblazing success with Tapestry, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical takes you back to where it all began—and takes you on the ride of a lifetime. Featuring such classics as “You’ve Got a Friend,” “One Fine Day,” “Up on the Roof,” Natural Woman”, and more, this Tony and Grammy Award-Winning musical is filled with the songs you remember and a story, you’ll never forget.
Location: Forestburgh Playhouse, 39 Forestburgh Rd, Forestburgh
More Info: fbplayhouse.org
JULY 31
The Steel Wheels
The Steel Wheels are an Americana Roots Folk Rock band based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. They have received six nominations from the Independent Music Awards. Their song “Nothing You Can’t Lose” (from the album Red Wing) received the award of Best Country Song in the 10th Annual IMA Awards and in the Vox Pop Awards. Red Wing earned very high marks from critics and charted for 13 weeks on the Americana Music Association Top 40 radio charts. It was ranked number two across all independent releases charted by the Americana Music Association, and number 70 on the top 100 Americana albums of 2010.
Location: Bearsville Theater 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm
More Info: bearsvilletheater.com
Pacifica
Photo by Stephanie Pia
2024 PERFORMING ARTS SEASON
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 6 AT 7:30PM LAYERHYTHM
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Kick off the New Year with a play-based jam session of freestyle live music, dance, and audience interaction that will get you off your feet.
Presented in partnership with Works & Process at the Guggenheim. LayeRhythm will go straight from Catskill Mountain Foundation to the Works & Process Underground Uptown Dance Festival at Lincoln Center.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 AT 7:30PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 AT 4:00PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 AT 7:30PM THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Maude Adams Theater Hub Catskill Mountain Foundation
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told? Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, live on stage, returns to the Orpheum for two nights only. Great night for a date night! Costumes Encouraged!
FEBRUARY 14-18 V-SEASON
Maude Adams Theater Hub
Catskill Mountain Foundation
Doctorow Center for the Arts
FEBRUARY 14 & 16 AT 7:00PM
The Women by Clare Boothe Luce
FEBRUARY 15 & 17 AT 7:00PM
God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza
FEBRUARY 17 & 18 AT 2:00PM
The Gin Game by Donald L. Coburn
V Season is Back! An amazing weekend of three plays that amuse, inspire, and maybe even move you to tears. Grab a friend and join MATH for this annual series of staged readings.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 AT 2:00PM
INTERNATIONAL FORTEPIANO SALON
“Dancing the Minuet to the Fortepiano”
Yi-heng Yang, Maria Rose & Patricia García-Gil Hosts
Streaming LIVE on Facebook and YouTube
The Baroque minuet contained all of the musical attributes that maintain its status as the most popular dance form—whether to be danced or not—throughout the 18th century: a pleasing character, a simple texture, and regular, clearly delineated phrases. When playing minuets on the fortepiano, how do you make them dance? By asking a choreographer of course! Join choreographer Julia Bengtsson and fortepianist Patricia Garcia Gil in an exploration of the inherent connection between dance and music.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 AT 3:00PM ERTH’S DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Get ready for the ultimate playdate— 65 million years in the making—as Erth’s DINOSAUR ZOO
LIVE guides your family on a breathtaking tour that begins in pre-historic Australia. You’ll observe, meet and interact with an eye-popping collection of amazingly life-like dinosaurs and other creatures presented in a theatrical performance that will thrill and entertain kids while stimulating their imaginations in ways that will forever connect them to their world.
SATURDAY, MARCH 2 AT 7:00PM
DANÚ: “TRADITIONAL MUSIC FROM IRELAND”
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Hailing from historic County Waterford, Danú is one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of today. Their standing room only concerts throughout Ireland are true events featuring high-energy performances and a glorious mix of ancient Irish music and new repertoire.
LayeRhythm January 6
Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo February 24
Ladies of Hip Hop March 30 SOLD OUT!
SATURDAY, MARCH 9 AT 7:00PM 360 ALLSTARS
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
A phenomenal physical performance exploring all forms of rotation and boasting a stellar international cast of World Champion and World Record-holding athletes and artists, 360 ALLSTARS is a spectacular fusion of the extraordinary artistry that emerges from street culture.
“BMX, basketball, breakdancing, beatboxing, acrobatics, drumming and more! The most thrilling stage show ever.”
—Weekend Notes ★★★★★
SUNDAY, MARCH 24 AT 2:00PM INTERNATIONAL FORTEPIANO SALON
Yi-heng Yang, Maria Rose & Patricia García-Gil Hosts
Hilda Huang Guest
Streaming LIVE on Facebook and YouTube
Hilda Huang is a modern performer of historical music who brings together traditions of performance on piano and harpsichord. Her work has earned international acclaim with the distinction of first prize at the Leipzig International Bach competition and appearances at the Leipzig and Montréal Bach Festivals.
SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 7:00PM LADIES OF HIP HOP: THE BLACK DANCING BODIES–SPEAKMYMIND
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Part of an ongoing performance and documentary effort focused on Black women in street and club dance culture, in this session of Black Dancing Bodies each member of the collective responds to the question, “If I could speak my mind, what would I say?” In this world premiere, experience new writings, music, and movement spanning dance styles from African, to waacking, vogue, Hip-hop, and house; all curated under the direction of Michele Byrd-McPhee.
SpeakMyMind was commissioned by Works & Process, developed in Works & Process LaunchPAD residencies at Bethany Arts Community (2022, 2023, and 2024) and Catskill Mountain Foundation (2022), and Office Hours Residency at The Kennedy Center (2023) with performances at the Guggenheim Museum, Jacob’s Pillow, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the National Gallery of Art, SummerStage, Dancers Responding to AIDS Hudson Valley Dance Festival, and New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
SpeakMyMind is a 2023 New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project grantee, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and Mellon Foundation.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5 AT 7:00PM
SATURDAY, APRIL 6 AT 7:00PM
STUPID F*ING BIRD
By Aaron Posner
Directed by Caitlin McColl
Maude Adams Theater Hub
Catskill Mountain Foundation
Doctorow Center for the Arts
In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, Aaron Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. STUPID F*ING BIRD will tickle, tantalize, and incite you to consider how art, love, and revolution fuel your own pursuit of happiness.
SATURDAY, APRIL 13 AT 2:00PM APRIL IN PARIS
Joanne Polk piano
Jeffrey Langford lecture
Doctorow Center for the Arts
Come join husband and wife team musicologist Dr. Jeffrey Langford and pianist Dr. Joanne Polk as they take a romantic conversation and musical stroll through Paris. Enjoy performances of songs with the word “Paris” in the title, including “I Love Paris” by Cole Porter and “April in Paris” by Vernon Duke. These songs were transcribed for Dr. Polk by composer David Shenton, who will attend the concert and will be part of the Q&A after the concert. Other composers featured will include Claude Debussy and Cécile Chaminade.
SATURDAY, APRIL 27 AT 7:30PM THE TEMPEST
Doctorow Center for the Arts
The Tempest will use physicality, clowning, and cinematic theatricality to create magic, spectacle, and community dialogue. Join Catskill Mountain Shakespeare at the Catskill Mountain Foundation on April 27 to experience it yourself!
This touring production is presented thanks to the generous support from Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. From April 8-28, 2024, Catskill Mountain Shakespeare will tour to local middle schools, high schools, libraries and other community venues throughout the greater Catskill region.
SATURDAY, MAY 4 AT 7:00PM
TRAILBLAZING WOMEN OF COUNTRY: FROM PATSY TO LORETTA TO DOLLY
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
With their chart-topping hits and record-breaking sales, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton wove threads of contemporary womanhood throughout the tapestry of country music, resulting in unprecedented commercial success and earning each a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Trailblazing Women of Country will feature soloists Miko Marks, one of CMT’s 2022 Next Women of Country; and Nashville based singer Kristina Train, supported by a 5-member all-female band.
360 ALLSTARS March 9
Photo: Darren Thomas
SATURDAY, MAY 11 AT 7:00PM
CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS: I AM
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Camille A. Brown is a three time Tony Award nominated director and choreographer whose work taps into both ancestral and contemporary stories to capture deeply personal experiences and cultural narratives of African American identity. Through the medium of dance, she has been successful in stage, TV, and film. She was the first black director in the history of the Metropolitan Opera MainStage, and has directed and choreographed numerous productions. TV & Film work includes the Academy Award nominated Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the Emmy award winning Jesus Christ Superstar
SATURDAY, MAY 18 AT 2:00PM ORPHEUM DANCE PROGRAM COMMUNITY BALLET CLASS ANNUAL RECITAL
Victoria Rinaldi
Orpheum Dance Program Director
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
The Orpheum Dance Program Community Ballet Class is a year-round program of ballet instruction for children of all ages which includes an annual student dance recital and participation in two fully-staged ballets each year. The recital showcases the work of all students and can also include alumni who have joined acclaimed ballet companies or who are studying dance at major universities.
SATURDAY, MAY 18 AT 8:00PM JOSH FROMER COMEDY NIGHT
Maude Adams Theater Hub
Catskill Mountain Foundation
Doctorow Center for the Arts
Comedy Night is back, and it’s cleaner than ever! Josh Fromer brings opener Amanda Gail and headliner Greg Stone to the Catskills for an evening of hilarious stories and keenly-crafted jokes.
SATURDAY, JUNE 22 AT 1:00PM WOVEN CURRENTS
Yi-heng Yang piano
Judd Weisberg Woven Currents projected prints and live drawing on stage
Doctorow Center for the Arts, Cinema I
A multi-media collaboration between artist Judd Weisberg and pianist Yi-heng Yang. Weisberg has created a series of prints capturing the magical junctions where two streams merge, and Yi-heng Yang has composed music drawn from the musical pitches of the currents as they meet. This performance includes projected images from the Woven Currents print series and live drawing by Weisberg projected on the movie screen accompanied by Yi-heng Yang performing composed and improvised works on piano.
ACADEMY OF FORTEPIANO PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL
Doctorow Center for the Arts academyfortepiano.org/academy2024
Academy of Fortepiano Performance students will participate in master classes and workshops supported by plentiful access to pianos from the 18th & 19th century or their modern replicas.
MAY 25 – JUNE 2
ACADEMY OF FORTEPIANO PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP FOR SOLO FORTEPIANO
Guest artists: Elizaveta Miller and Jiayan Sun
SATURDAY, MAY 25 AT 7:00 PM
FACULTY AND GUEST ARTIST CONCERT: WHEN THE PIANO WAS YOUNG
Audrey Axinn, Maria Rose, Andrew Willis and guest artist Elizaveta Miller
SUNDAY, MAY 26 AT 2:00 PM MASTERCLASS With Elizaveta Miller
TUESDAY, MAY 28 AT 2:00 PM
LECTURE/CONCERT: “TOCCATAS AND FANTASIES” With Julian Jenson
THURSDAY, MAY 30 AT 2:00 PM
LECTURE/CONCERT: “HISTORICAL IMPROVISATION” With Nicola Canzano
FRIDAY, MAY 31 AT 2:00 PM RECITAL AND MASTERCLASS With Jiayan Sun
SATURDAY, JUNE 1 AT 7:00 PM STUDENT CONCERT
Featuring students from the Academy of Fortepiano Performance
JUNE 2 – JUNE 8
CHAMBER MUSIC WORKSHOP FOR FORTEPIANO AND STRINGS
Guest faculty: Cynthia Roberts
FRIDAY, JUNE 7 AT 7:00 PM STUDENT CONCERT
Featuring students from the Chamber Music Workshop
FRIDAY, JULY 5 AT 6:00PM
SATURDAY, JULY 6 AT 1:00 & 6:00PM
CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Maude Adams Theater Hub Catskill Mountain Foundation
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
This summer MATH has the golden ticket for Broadway’s latest version of the timeless classic, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Led by the directing talents of Liz Piccoli, the assembled cast and creatives are turning the Orpheum stage into a Candyland for your 4th of July weekend entertainment. Get your tickets early, and tell all your friends!
FRIDAY, JULY 12 AT 5:30 PM
CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION BENEFIT DINNER
The Big Red Barn
Help us celebrate our 26th year of bringing arts to the mountaintop at our Annual Benefit. Join us for a cocktail reception, dinner, dessert and presentation, followed by a private premiere of Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s summer production, Julius Caesar
RUNNING JULY 13-JULY 28
JULIUS CAESAR
Outdoors & in the tent behind the Big Red Barn
catskillmountainshakespeare.com
As Julius Caesar’s appetite for power grows ravenous, a group of rebel politicians join forces to save Rome the only way they see how. Their daring bloodshed is just the beginning of this saga of bloodlust, treachery, and brutality, all in the name of a better world. Contemporary dance, visual art and fashion combine with dynamic storytelling to create a visceral theatrical experience. Julius Caesar offers a meditation on power in our contemporary world and immerses us, the audience, into its heart.*
*NOTE: This performance contains instances of intimacy, violence, and mature content matter. The recommended age for audiences is 12 and up.
SUNDAY, JULY 14 AT 3:00PM
STARS OF BALLET
with New York City Ballet Principal Adrian Danchig-Waring
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Following last year’s sold-out Jacques d’Amboise tribute, Adrian Danchig-Waring returns with a star studded cast, including dancers from New York City Ballet, in a program of classics and contemporary favorites.
SATURDAY, JULY 20 AT 7:00PM
NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE MOUNTAINTOP SUMMER RESIDENCY PERFORMANCE
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
National Dance Institute (NDI), founded by Jacques d’Amboise, brings its award-winning dance program to the Catskill Mountain Region, with a two-week residency for children in Grades 3 – 8. Under the Artistic Direction of NDI choreographer Dufftin Garcia, the children will participate in high energy dance classes and choreography workshops accompanied by live music. The program culminates in a performance onstage at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center featuring the dancers and live music set against a backdrop of colorful banners created over the many years of the collaboration between NDI and the Catskill Mountain Foundation. This is a high-energy event that draws large crowds every year!
SUNDAY, JULY 21 AT 2:00 PM
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 27 & 28 AT 2:00 PM
GALA BENEFIT FILM SCREENING: SATURDAY, JULY 27 AT 5:30 PM
TEXAS TOWN
By Horton Foote Doctorow Center for the Arts hortonbythestream.org
Texas Town, filled with pathos, hints at some of life’s biggest questions. The play explores life in the small fictional town of Harrison, Texas after the peak of the cotton industry and just before oil had hit the state in a big way.
Horton by the Stream celebrates its 30th summer season this year. The winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Academy Award, Horton Foote is America’s storyteller. Dubbed “the most prolific playwright nobody knows”, Horton Foote seems at times to be an insider secret in the theater world.
This year not only will the company present this early rarely done play, but it will also present a 30th Anniversary Benefit screening of Horton Foote: The Road to Home, a documentary film about the life and work of Horton Foote. A reception will feature special guests, wine, and cheese.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 AT 2:00 & 7:00PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 4 AT 2:00PM
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
The magic continues this summer with CMF’s spectacular production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
This unique production, conceived by former Metropolitan Opera ballerina Victoria Rinaldi, transports the audience to an enchanted wood to witness what hilarity unfolds, when fairies meddle with the love lives of mortals. All ends well with a triple wedding and gala ballet. Now in its fifth year, this beloved production of the Orpheum Dance Program is continuing last year’s successful collaborations with Aquila Theatre and Joffrey Ballet School New York. Students from the Orpheum Dance Program’s Community Dance Class, alongside other local children, will be given the opportunity to appear on stage with professional actors and dancers in a fresh, new program filled with new scenes and updated choreography in a production that will enchant audiences young and old.
Adrian Danchig-Waring and Anthony Roth Costanzo performing “Desire” by Lar Lubovitch (World Premiere), December 5, 2023.
Photo: Works & Process /Erick Munari
AUGUST 1-10, 2024
HUNTER INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
Doctorow Center for the Arts
huntermusicfestival.com
Offering a beautiful escape into the mountains and an intensive summer music program all in one package, Hunter International Music Festival is a unique, ten-day music festival experience focusing on both solo and chamber music training.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4 AT 7:00 PM MUSIC SALON AT HIMF Red Barn
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 & 7 AT 7:00 PM YOUNG ARTISTS CONCERT SERIES
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8 AT 7:00 PM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9 AT 4:00 PM STUDENT CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCES
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9 AT 7:00 PM FACULTY CONCERT: AROUND THE WORLD, AN EVENING OF MUSICAL INTEGRATION
The program will include: Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor; Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15; and Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 AT 7:00 PM GUEST ARTIST CONCERT: THE LYSANDER TRIO
The Lysander Piano Trio has been praised by The Strad for its “incredible ensemble, passionate playing, articulate and imaginative ideas and wide palette of colors.” The group has developed a reputation for exciting programming, finding creative ways to connect well-known masterworks with pieces by lesser-known and underrepresented composers, discovering common threads across cultures and times.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 AT 6:00PM
OMNY TAIKO
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Second Performance!
SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 AT 2:00PM
Windham Civic & Performing Arts Centre
5379 Route 23, Windham
OMNY Taiko Drummers returns to the mountaintop to again present their eagerly anticipated performance at the Orpheum. OMNY Taiko’s mission is to foster a culture of community and support through the art of Japanese taiko drumming to impact and connect our global society. The sound of the taiko drum has the power to connect ourselves with those around us and with the universe at large.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17 AT 7:00PM
PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 6:45PM WINDHAM FESTIVAL CHAMBER
ORCHESTRA
Music of Tchaikovsky, Scott Joplin & Robert Manno
Robert Manno, conductor
Melissa Wimbish, soprano
Andrew Garland, baritone
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra welcomes Melissa Wimbish, soprano and Andrew Garland, baritone for a program that will include:
Manno: Portrait of Millay for Soprano & String Orchestra on Five Sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay (Premiere)
Manno: Fern Hill (Dylan Thomas) for Baritone & Chamber Orchestra (Premiere of Orchestra Version)
Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence for String Orchestra
Scott Joplin: Three Rags for Chamber Orchestra (arr. Skoryk/Manno)
Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra was formed in 2000 by conductor Robert Manno. The orchestra is comprised of the finest musicians from the New York area and includes current and former members of some of the world’s most esteemed orchestras and ensembles.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 AT 7:00PM THE MOSS ENSEMBLE
Darcy Dunn, mezzo-soprano Marshall Coid, countertenor & violin
Mary Wooten, piano
Doctorow Center for the Arts
The Moss Ensemble returns to the CMF for an evening of beautiful music that stirs our hearts and, we hope, yours. Featuring works by Beethoven, Monteverdi, Ravel, Faure, Vitali, Debussy and Griffiths, as well as pieces by our own Marshall Coid and Mary Wooten. Please join us!
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 AT 2:00PM
STEVEN E. GREENSTEIN
MEMORIAL CONCERT
Doctorow Center for the Arts
Steven E. Greenstein was the collector and curator of the vintage piano collection on public display at the Doctorow Center for the Arts. The collection lives on in his name with the gratitude of the Catskill Mountain Foundation for his visionary collecting, expertise in piano restoration and maintenance and dedication to the goals of the museum. This memorial concert will feature performances by the faculty and students of the Academy of Fortepiano Performance, Joanne Polk and Jeffrey Langford, and jazz pianist Jamie Saft on pianos from the collection.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 AT 7:00PM
MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY:
BAYE & ASA’S CORTEGE 2023
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Taking advantage of the Orpheum’s new technical upgrades, the world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company will spend the week in a Works & Process LaunchPAD tech-residency putting the finishing touches on a new commission by Baye & Asa. See the culmination of this process and join in on this first look before the company’s performance at Works & Process at the Guggenheim and the work’s premiere at New York City Center.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 AT 7:00PM
HOME AGAIN: CAROLE KING TRIBUTE
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
HOME AGAIN leaves no stone unturned, covering the entire repertoire of the multi-award winning singer/songwriter Carole King. Included on the list are songs Carole wrote & recorded on her own as well as songs she wrote that were recorded by others.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 7:00PM
AYODELE CASEL
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Ayodele Casel, a Doris Duke Artist in the dance category, Drama Desk Nominee and Bessie Award winning “tap dancer and choreographer of extraordinary depth” (The New York Times). Her work has been nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16 AT 7:00PM SOME ENCHANTED EVENING
BENNY BENACK III STELLA KATHERINE COLE
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Led by Emmy-nominated crooner Benny Benack III and singer and social media sensation Stella Katherine Cole, Some Enchanted Evening leads audiences on a jazz-inspired journey through Broadway’s greatest hits from the Golden Age of yesterday to the freshest hits of today. From Hammerstein to Hamilton and everything in between, this musical mashup also showcases Jabu Graybeal, a one-of-a-kind talent and tap-dancing star.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30 AT 7:00PM
TWELFTH NIGHT ENSEMBLE
YI-HENG YANG, FORTEPIANO AQUILA THEATER
Doctorow Center for the Arts
Fortepianist Yi-heng Yang, Twelfth Night Ensemble, and Aquila Theatre are collaborating on a special performance featuring the double concerti of Mozart with spoken word dramatizations of the life of Mozart performed by actors from the renowned Aquila Theatre. Twelfth Night is an ensemble of historical performance specialists, formed with the firm belief that art is best explored as a meeting place of the past, present, and future. Pianist and fortepianist Yi-heng Yang has been noted for her “remarkable expressivity and technique (Early Music Magazine). Aquila Theatre is one of the foremost producers of classical theatre in the U.S.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 AT 2:00 & 7:00PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 AT 2:00PM
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14 AT 2:00 & 7:00PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15 AT 2:00PM
THE NUTCRACKER
Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Now in its ninth year, the CMF Nutcracker has become a holiday favorite of residents of the surrounding Catskills and Hudson Valley. Featuring ballet stars of the future, this spectacular production has become one of the finest Nutcrackers in upstate New York.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR
Maude Adams Theater Hub
Catskill Mountain Foundation
Doctorow Center for the Arts
This December, the community gathers once more to sing, read, and share in the seasonal spirit for the 3rd Annual Holiday Spectacular. As ever, all are welcome to be a part of the performance, and tickets are free!
2024 SUMMER COURSES
CERAMICS BIG BURN: GENERAL MAYHEM
Instructors: Steve Cook & Bruce Dehnert
Dates: June 14 - 18 (5 Days)
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $120
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
If you love to fire and love lots of different effects, or if you’re short on atmospheric firing experience, this intensive workshop is your ticket. You will participate in different types of firing, achieving results in a short time. We’ll fire soda, wood, gas reduction, raku, and pit! Emphasis is placed on glaze/surface preparation and firing techniques through demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on participation. You bring the bisque-ware, and we deliver the heat.
FROM NATURE TO ART: A WILD CLAY POTTERY WORKSHOP
Instructors: Takuro and Hitomi Shibata
Dates: June 21 – 25
Course Fee: $600
Lab Fee: $100 (includes first bag of clay)
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced Locally prospected clays, known as “wild clays,” have been utilized for pottery-making for thousands of years. Join us in this workshop as we explore wild clay’s potential as a clay body, slip, or glaze material. This workshop will provide an opportunity to discover the possibilities of materials found in our own surroundings. Let’s craft together and enjoy this creative process of transforming the Catskill’s wild clay into creative objects.Test firings are planned.
HAND BUILT POTTERY: FROM FLAT TO FORM
Instructor: Bill Griffith
Dates: June 28-July 2
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $50 (includes first bag of clay)
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced Using soft clay slabs, templates and several hand building construction techniques, students
will create a variety of functional pottery forms including mugs, pouring pots, vases, and platters. Students will also make their own clay stamps. Emphasis will be on learning good craftsmanship and constructing functional forms. This workshop is designed for beginning level students, and teachers who want to expand their making skills and knowledge. There will be a bisque firing. Glazes and application will be demonstrated and discussed.
SODA FIRING INTENSIVE
Instructor: Chris Archer
Dates: June 28 – July 1
Course Fee: $400
Lab Fee: $50 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Explore the transformative power of soda ash in a three-day workshop covering glaze application, kiln stacking, and firing techniques. Achieve rich colors and unique surface textures through this atmospheric firing process. Learn to balance science and art as you choreograph your work for stunning results. Bring bisquefired stoneware or porcelain pieces, and experiment with glazes, flashing slips, and test tiles. There will be wheel-throwing and altering demonstrations, and time for making with lots of individual attention. All skill levels welcome!
LEVELING UP: PORCELAIN AND CELADON
Instructor: Francine Epstein
Dates: July 5-9
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $60 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner To Intermediate
If you are looking to improve your skills in throwing great pots with porcelain, this workshop is for you. Come study in our sunny studio with one of the most gifted teachers of the craft while focusing on making better pots. Through demonstrations, practice, and discussions, students will explore the anatomy of pots, and concentrate on aspects of their craft that deserve improvement. Students will take home a greater knowledge of their own approach and ‘voice’, as well as greenware, bisqueware, and high fired celadons from our gas reduction kiln!
GLAZE & MATERIALS
SCIENCE FOR THE ARTIST: PLUS!
Instructor: Dr. William M. Carty
Dates: July 5 – 9
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $60
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Whether you’re a recent arrival to the glaze and clay calculation world, or you’ve previously studied this fascinating science, this workshop will exponentially expand your knowledge of glaze and clay-body development. Students will ex-
plore color behavior in glazes, that they invent, in both oxidation AND reduction atmospheres. Glaze and clay body formulation, the role of metal oxides and stains, the introduction of opacifiers, and causes of defects will be taught step by step. Testing “wild clays” will be welcome in our explorations. Students are encouraged to bring in their curiosities and challenges for discussion with this renowned, and fun, instructor.
FIVE DAYS WITH ADJECTIVES
Instructor: John Gill
Dates: July 12 – 16
Course Fee: $600
Lab Fee: $50 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
John Gill is known for his unique approaches to constructing planular vessels that exhibit both contemporary and historical associations. Gill’s expressive angulars challenge gravity with cantilever, colliding with surfaces that feature dynamic painting. There is undeniable magic in his hands, and a plausible logic guided by the idea that working with function opens-up possibilities. Join us in this workshop that could change your trajectories in thinking and creating. Gill has been a leader in our field, absorbing stories, and working intuitively to put together forms in direct yet activated relationships. The opportunity to study with this artist is a rite of passage and not to be missed.
CLAYING WITH SODA FIRING
Instructor: Chad Steve
Dates: July 19-23
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $70 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
This workshop provides a hands-on experience in wheel throwing and soda firing. Students will experiment with altering and incorporating various flashing slips to enhance the aesthetic aspects of their work. Participants are encouraged to bring gathered materials, such as sand and small stones, to be added to slips. Each material can provide unique textures, patterns, or even contrasting colors. This process adds both aesthetic and tactile dimensions to the fired works. The combination of wheel throwing, alterations, slip additions and atmospheric firing allows for a diverse range of artistic expression.
SMOKIN’ LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN!
Instructor: Ben Owen
Dates: July 26 - August 4
Course Fee: 900
Lab Fee: $130 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
This pivotal workshop will provide a great experience of wood-firing as a group. Various approaches to using flashing slips, glazing with materials to create texture, and firing techniques will be emphasized. Specific placement in the
kiln, for various effects from the flame, smoke, and ash accumulation will be an important component of the experience. Philosophy, design, and specific ways of processing pottery will be shared. A hands-on workshop will take place while the wood kiln cools. Information on clays and materials to use for this workshop will be provided.
THE LAYERED SURFACE
Instructor: Anna Calluori Holcombe
Dates: August 9-13
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $90
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced If you are interested in developing a rich and layered surface, this course will allow you to expand your palette and skills in making work that is personally relevant and dynamic. By incorporating drawing, photography, scanning, and collage techniques to develop imagery. Techniques such as China paint, decals, slips, and under and over glazes will be explored. These processes will be used on a variety of forms, such as tiles and plates, as well as work you make during this exciting workshop. We will be working with porcelain, exploring its multitude of forming and decorative possibilities.
DWIPPY GLAZE PLAY & THE DIMINUTIVE TEAPOT
Instructor: Fong Choo
Dates: August 9-13
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $90
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Focus your playful side and inner glaze alchemist! This workshop will emphasize throwing a variety of forms, including the instructor’s beloved teapot, and delves into the mesmerizing world of unorthodox glazing, blending and learning how to tweak Mayco’s low-fire crystal glazes with their mid-range counterparts, for a kaleidoscope of unpredictable finishes. We’ll also explore his renowned handle-building techniques using unique materials like cane and reed, transforming your handled works into mini masterpieces. Come experiment, embrace the unexpected, and discover the magic of firing to cone 5-6 with the master of this approach.
ZOOMORPHIC VESSELS
Instructor: Katherine Maloney
Dates: August 16-20
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $70 (includes one bag of clay)
Skill Level: The ability to wheel-throw a cylinder is encouraged
Join us for 5 days of exploring imaginative approaches to creating zoomorphic pottery. Using techniques of throwing and hand-building, students will form vessels that incorporate animal figures by sculpting, carving, and alteration. Instruction will cover basic sculpting techniques such as the hollowing method and how to give their animals expression and detail. Katherine will provide individual guidance with each student to achieve a pleasing composition, structural integrity, and personal meaning in their finished work. The workshop also includes one glaze firing.
PAINTING ON CLAY WITH YOUR BODY, MIND AND SOUL
Instructor: Sin-ying Ho & Phil Read
Dates: Aug. 23-27
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $95 (includes first bag of clay)
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced
This exciting workshop will emphasize ancient Chinese methodologies and concepts for painting and decorating on porcelain greenware, bisqueware, and glaze ware. Processes, that include applying “Qing Hua” cobalt pigment, color underglazes, glazes, computer decal transfers and China paints, will be shared. Students will learn two major brush painting techniques; fine-line brush painting and board brush expression. Ways of painting symbols and patterns, like bamboo, will be covered. By understanding color field and exploring the subconscious, participants will connect with their body, mind, and soul.
THE WHOLE ENCHILADA: A BEGINNER’S JOURNEY IN CLAY
Instructors: Marilyn Katz, Gail Rutigliano, Karen Stern
Dates: September 7 – 9
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $50 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner
Last year, this revolutionary way of learning to work with clay was invented right here at Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts. Have a blast getting creative in this workshop with three Dynamos! Come be a part of a new paradigm in learning how to work with clay…under the guidance of three amazing artists. Students will learn wheel throwing, hand building, glazing, and raku firing…each technique important to building skills quickly. These Instructors who know how to work with clay, enthusiastically share their knowledge, and set the right atmosphere for learning.
VOLUMETRIC IMAGE TRANSFER
Instructor: Forrest Lesch-Middleton
Dates: September 13-17
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $110 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Intermediate To Advanced This workshop explores a technique called “volumetric image transfer.” We’ll start with wheel-throwing and tile demos, then move on to creating silkscreens with your own designs. By the end of day one, you’ll have your own silkscreen and understand how to set up a low-tech darkroom. We’ll also explore form and function, and you’ll gain a deeper understanding of wheel throwing and design principles. There’s plenty of time to develop your work and incorporate image transfer into your studio practice.
EXPLORING THE HUMAN TORSO
Instructor: Lisa Clague
Dates: Sept. 13-17
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $65 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced
Learning to sculpt the Figure is a process that is both exciting and challenging. With good instruction, you will enjoy the process of creating a torso that tells your own personal story In this workshop we will construct the torso using slab construction. Emphasis will be on the face and hands, giving expression to your piece. The incorporation of metal and fabric dipped in slip will give your work another level of freshness and excitement. Surface treatments will be explored on wet clay as well as glazes and post fired finishes.
2D PROGRAM SLICE N EASY: PAPERCUT CITYSCAPES
Instructor: Rosa Leff
Dates: June 10-12
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $30
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced In this workshop, we will work from personal photographs to create hand-cut paper images. Participants will learn how to navigate the shadows, layers, and movements in a photo and ensure that the cut image remains structurally sound without the use of adhesives. The skills practiced in this workshop can be applied to any image, allowing participants to create dynamic papercuts from their own photos. There will be discussions and demonstrations to assist students through this amazingly complex, and beautiful, art-form. All levels of skill are most welcome.
THE JOURNEY IS REAL
Instructor: Karin Lowney-Seed
Dates: June 28 - July 1
Course Fee: $400
Lab Fee: $45
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced In this workshop we will explore personal artistic style while venturing new ideas and pathways into your skills in painting. Experimenting and challenging yourself can be the most rewarding process, yet also intimidating. Students will receive instruction in understanding, mixing, and applying paint to create imagery. Learning personal mark-making is central to this experience. This supportive and dynamic workshop instructor will take you on that journey.
LANDSCAPE IN THE STUDIO AND AFIELD
Instructor: Nathan Loda
Dates: July 5 – 9
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $30
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced We will learn the fundamentals of landscape painting in the studio, and venture outdoors to use our skills under the beautiful Catskill sky. There will be demonstrations of a methodical approach to painting landscapes that can be used in the studio, as well as painting directly from observation in these ancient mountains, valleys, and glens. The focus will be on representational painting, and practicing techniques used to blend realism, abstraction, and imagination. All levels welcome.
THINKING WITH YOUR HANDS
Instructor: Cyrus Highsmith
Dates: July 7-9
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $40
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced There are few aspects of human communication that are as sophisticated as written alphabets. Integral to language and meaning, letters, designed and drawn, offer infinite aesthetic possibilities. Students will be introduced to methods that can be applied to type design as well as image-making of all kinds. This workshop will be a dynamic, hands-on, and mostly computer-free, exploration of drawing, making, and thinking about letters in ways that will enable students to see the world in different ways.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Instructor: Gabe Brown
Dates: July 12-16
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $40
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced Designed for those interested in not only the basic understanding of oil painting and various water media techniques and applications, this workshop will also address advanced knowledge of practical uses. This workshop is ideal for anyone wanting to perfect their craft with a better understanding of how to apply specific methods to individual studio practice. You will learn application methods of ‘ground’ on various substrates, paint-mixing techniques, presentation, and preparation of artwork for transportation.
EXPLORING WATERCOLOR AND ACRYLIC
Instructor: Loreen Oren
Dates: July 19- 21
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $50
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced
This workshop is designed for beginners or students who wish to continue working with watercolor and other water-based painting such as tempera gouache and acrylics. Techniques such as wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, scumbling and “dry brush” will be demonstrated. Students will learn
how to create patterns, layers, color relationships, brush strokes and effects in watercolor painting. In-depth explorations of various types of paper will be led, in addition to using unexpected tools to apply paint and achieve unique results. Bring your creativity and love for color!
FIND YOUR STARBURST
Instructor: Kulvinder Kaur Dhew
Dates: August 2-6
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $45
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced
Join us for a dynamic exploration of drawing where you’ll delve into the fundamentals of capturing form, image, and narrative through a wide array of media and tools. This workshop goes beyond the mechanics of drawing, inviting you to discover the profound connection between observation, understanding, and artistic expression. Engage in insightful lectures, stimulating exercises, and engaging presentations that fuel your artistic growth. This workshop is perfect for anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with drawing. All skill levels welcome.
EXPLORATIONS IN NATURAL PAINTS, DYES & PIGMENTS
Instructor: Patricia Miranda
Dates: August 16-20
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $50
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced This workshop is an exploration of color using natural dyes and pigments. Participants will create color from raw materials such as cochineal, malachite, clay, oak gall, and black walnuts, for use in a diverse group of water-based binders, from gum arabic to distemper to egg tempera. We will explore the potentials of color, and how materials carry content through history, context, physical and aesthetic properties. Considerations of the environmental impact of materials will offer a framework for maintaining a sustainable safe painting practice. Participants will create a set of handmade watercolor paints, a color swatch book, and paintings.
FIBERS RUG HOOKING
Instructor: Tina Harp
Dates: June 21 - 23
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $85
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced Rug Hooking is a traditional art form here in the Catskills. Beginning with a complete kit, students will learn how to hook a simple 8 x 10 picture using hand-dyed strips of wool. Learn how color and texture function in this intriguing craft technique. Because this tool is portable, students will be able to continue working on projects outside class hours, and the next morning will be spent going over how the colors create textures, and how to fix a mistake. Lots of demonstrations and individual attention!
TWINING BASKETS WITH WAXED LINEN
Instructor: Cael Chappell
Dates: August 9-13
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $50
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced Join us for a 5-day basket weaving workshop with award winning weaver Cael Chappell! This hands-on experience will take you on a creative journey, where you’ll learn the art of twined basketry using waxed linen thread. Each day will be filled with in-depth instruction to create unique, personalized baskets. Cael’s expertise and passion will guide you through the process, from planning your project to completing beautiful baskets. All skill levels welcome.
CATTAIL WEAVING INTENSIVE
Instructor: Renee Baumann
Dates: August 30-September 1
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $40
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced Drawing from traditional English rush-weaving techniques, this workshop will delve into working with locally harvested cattail leaves found here in the Catskills. This unique course will extend the student’s basket weaving skills through constructing smaller baskets and culminating with weaving a sun hat. Expect to leave Sugar Maples with the knowledge to harvest, prepare and weave baskets from this abundant wetland plant. No previous basketry experience required!
SPECIAL TOPICS
THE ART OF TYING FLIES
Instructor: Judd Weisberg
Dates: July 13
Time: 1-4pm
Course Fee: $100
Lab Fee: $60
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced In this introductory workshop, you’ll learn the essential techniques for crafting classic trout flies, from the alluring wet patterns that mimic aquatic insects to the vibrant streamers that tempt larger fish. Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a curious beginner, this hands-on experience will equip you with the skills to
create effective and beautiful lures. Under expert guidance, you’ll master the art of tying the Black & Olive Woolly Bugger, a versatile wet fly; the Black-Nosed Dace, a classic dry fly that imitates a small minnow; the Hendrickson, a dry fly designed for mayfly hatches; and assorted nymphs, essential for imitating underwater prey.
MOSAICS: NATURALLY
Instructor: Cynthia Fisher
Dates: June 14 -16
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $80
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced Mosaics inspired by the natural world range from abstract to representational. We will work in the indirect method with instruction tailored to your individual needs. Beginning with an overview of materials, substrates and tools, students will move onto composing their mosaic. Key elements of mosaic design will be emphasized: Andamento (the placement of tiles), color, value, and texture. Under the instructor’s skilled guidance, you will bring your nature-inspired vision to life in mosaic.
NATURAL PERFUME WORKSHOP
Instructor: Michelle O’Carroll
Dates: August 3
Course Fee: $160
Lab Fee: $130
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced
This workshop is your gateway to the captivating world of natural perfumery. We’ll cover the fascinating history and methods of scent extraction, and then delve into the principles of fragrance structure, composition, and how scents interact with your unique skin chemistry. Embark on a sensory adventure with a guided sampling of the 13 olfactory families before experimenting with over 50 raw materials from our extensive library. Design and create your own, bespoke natural perfume/cologne to take home, using professional skeletal formulas as your roadmap. This workshop is perfect for anyone curious about the art of natural perfumery and eager to express their creativity through scent.
DRIFTS & LABYRINTHS
Instructor: Christopher Kaczmarek
Dates: August 16-20
Course Fee: $500
Lab Fee: $30
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced
The act of walking is one of the most basic constants of the human condition, and is often a solo endeavor of short duration, covering the “last mile” between destination points. But there are creative and cultural spaces where walking serves as a shared modality for deep engagement and contemplation, and where both an investigation and a heightened awareness of our internal and external environments is undertaken. We will explore cultural spaces as formed through the artistic practice of Dérive, and the act of creating and walking an outdoor seven-circuit classic labyrinth.
WRITING ON CRAFT, ART AND OUR SELVES
Instructor: Vince Montague
Dates: August 31- September 2
Course Fee: $300
Lab Fee: $25
Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced
Sugar Maples is thrilled to announce that for the first time in our history, we are offering an opportunity for those who would like to write. This will be a workshop with one of the country’s most special writers. If you are interested in writing about art, craft, or memoir, this workshop will infuse your thinking and writing with new ways of looking at our world of creativity. There will be discussions and exercises aimed at helping you hone your ideas, sharpen your vision, explore language, and experiment with the infinite ways of words. Learn how to construct and submit manuscripts for publication by journals, online media, and book publishers. Participants will have full access to our beautiful, sunny studio that’s replete with lots of table room, potters’ wheels, WIFI, and a supportive atmosphere. Note* You don’t have to be an artist to take this workshop!
WEEKLY CLASSES (Wednesdays)
WEEKLY WHEEL THROWING CERAMICS
Instructor: Meredith Kunhardt
Dates: June 19 – August 20
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Course Fee: $220
Lab Fee: $65 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
There are many reasons that making pottery on the wheel has become so popular. Making pots gets us more in touch with our elemental ‘selves’. Fashioning pots with our hands, and minds, serves our desire to create and realize our imaginations. The farm to table movement has made us more aware of the relationship between locally grown foods and handmade wares. We aim to celebrate this relationship by offering an introductory course to making pots. Students will learn how to prepare clay and, using the potter’s wheel, create tableware shapes.
WEEKLY HAND BUILDING CERAMICS
Instructor: Maureen Garcia
Dates: June 19 – August 20
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Course Fee: $220
Lab Fee: $65 [includes first bag of clay]
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Using clay to create pottery, sculpture, architectural and other forms, reaches back as far in time as 28,000 years ago when the first paleolithic Venus figurines were sculpted. From the magnificent, Native American pots to modern day tilework, sculptures, and functional vessels, hand-building processes have played an important role in artists’ abilities to express their imaginations and cultures through this most malleable medium. During this exciting course, students will learn a variety of processes, tools, and approaches to realizing form. There will be demonstrations of pinch, coil, and slab techniques, and firings.
WEEKLY WEAVING
Instructor: Tina Harp
Dates: May 29 – July 17
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Course Fee: $220
Lab Fee: $65
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
This class is designed for beginners and advanced weavers who want to learn and refresh the basics of hand-weaving. Each week, you will focus on a different weaving technique or project. By the end of the class, you will have created a variety of woven pieces, such as a scarf, placemat, or wall hanging. In addition to learning how to wind a warp, set up a loom, and weave basic patterns, you’ll learn different weaving techniques and how to troubleshoot. This class is a great way to relax, while also learning a new skill that you can enjoy for years to come. No prior experience is required.
Please Note: If a course is marked as FULL, you may visit the website and register to be put on the waiting list.
34 Big Hollow Road Maplecrest, NY 12454 www.catskillmtn.org/
Photo: Mark Loete
The MOUNTAIN CINEMA
PLEASE visit catskillmtn.org or call 518 263 4702 in advance. Shows open on Friday & run through Monday.
View each week’s schedule and view trailers for our films online at www.catskillmtn.org
• We strongly encourage you to purchase your tickets in advance. Please visit www.catskillmtn.org and click on the film you’d like to see to choose your showing and reserve your seat!
UPCOMING FILMS AT THE MOUNTAIN CINEMA
During the summer months, films run Friday through Monday.
Please visit catskillmtn.org or call 518 253 4702 in advance to confirm schedule.
OPENING 6/28
A Quiet Place: Day One
A woman named Sam must survive an invasion in New York City by bloodthirsty alien creatures with ultrasonic sound hearing.
OPENING 7/5
Despicable Me 4
Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith, and Agnes welcome a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run.
Robot Dreams
DOG lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of 80’s NYC. One summer night, DOG, with great sadness, is forced to abandon ROBOT at the beach. Will they ever meet again?
OPENING 7/19
Thelma
When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.
Twisters
As tornado season intensifies, two competing stormchaser teams find themselves in a fight for their lives as multiple systems converge over central Oklahoma.
OPENING 7/26
Deadpool & Wolverine
Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.
OPENING 8/2
Ghostlight
When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.
OPENING 8/16
Janet Planet
In rural Western Massachusetts, 11-year-old Lacy spends the summer of 1991 at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. As the months pass, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet.
View each week’s schedule, view trailers and purchase tickets at catskillmtn.org
Stars of Ballet
SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2024, 3:00 PM The Catskill Mountain Foundation, in partnership with Works & Process, presents
with New York City Ballet Principal Adrian Danchig-Waring
Following last year’s sold-out Jacques d’Amboise tribute, Adrian Danchig-Waring returns with a star studded cast, including dancers from New York City Ballet, in a program of classics and contemporary favorites.
ORPHEUM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
6050 Main Street • Tannersville, NY 12485
Tickets Purchased Ahead: $25; $20 seniors; $7 students (+processing fees. Higher at-the-door ticket prices apply)
Tickets available at catskillmtn.org or 518 263 2063
Adrian Danchig-Waring and Anthony Roth Costanzo performing “Desire” by Lar Lubovitch (World Premiere), December 5, 2023.
Photo: Works & Process /Erick Munari
Your support matters and makes everything we do possible!
EACH YEAR, THE CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION
• Presents and hosts more than 20 performances and lectures
• Offers free or subsidized arts programs that are enjoyed by hundreds of local children.
• Hosts arts residencies bringing many artists to our community for extended stays.
• Operates the Catskill Mountain Foundation Gift Shop, featuring a curated selection of books and gifts from around the Region and the world.
• Publishes the monthly Guide magazine, distributed throughout the Catskill Region, and in Albany.
• Is the home of the Piano Performance Museum, a rare collection of historic playable pianos.
• Runs a dozen studio arts programs, with students from around the U.S.
• Shows more than 100 films on our three screens in Hunter.
YES! I would like to help the Catskill Mountain Foundation in its mission to bring the arts to the Mountaintop
Please accept my donation of: $
All donors are listed in our playbills and receive our weekly e-mail updates. Scan to make a donation online!
q Primary Address
Name 1:
Name 2 (if joint membership): Address: City:
q Secondary Address
q Check if this is a new address.
Please make your check payable to: Catskill Mountain Foundation PO Box 924 • Hunter, NY 12442
Become an “Angel of the Arts”: Make this a monthly gift I would like to donate $__________ monthly.
q Check Enclosed q Visa q Mastercard q AmEx Card # Exp. Date CVV Billing Zip Code Signature
You may be able to double your contribution if you work for or are retired from a company that has a matching gift program. To make your match, simply obtain a form from your company’s Matching Gift Coordinator and send it along with your contribution.
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