March, 2024: Catskills Dining

Photo

VOLUME 39, NUMBER 3 March 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

Bennecom/shutterstock.com, T.M. Bradshaw, Chef Deanna, Sarah Chianese, Chris Davin, Agnes Devereux, Phil Di Falco, Marine DiPaola, Fran Driscoll, Richard Erickson, Brian Gribbon, Hiker Trash Husbands, Michael Koegel, Greg Madden, Andrew Merritt, Jeff Senterman, Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson, and Ulster County Tourism.

ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE

Candy McKee

Tiffany Babcock & Hillary Morse

PRINTING

Catskill Mountain Printing Services

DISTRIBUTION

Catskill Mountain Foundation

EDITORIAL DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: February 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.

The liability of the publisher for any error for which it may be held legally responsible will not exceed the cost of space ordered or occupied by the error. The publisher assumes no liability for errors in key numbers. The publisher will not, in any event, be liable for loss of income or profits or any consequent damages.

The Catskill Mountain Region Guide office is located at 7971 Main Street, Hunter, NY 12442.

The magazine can be found on-line at www.catskillmtn.org by clicking on the “Magazine” button, or by going directly to issuu.com/catskillmtnregionguide

7,500 copies of the Catskill Mountain Region Guide are distributed each month. It is distributed free of charge at tourist information offices, restaurants, lodgings, retailers and other businesses throughout Greene, Delaware and Ulster counties, and at the Empire State Plaza Visitor Center in Albany.

Home delivery of the Guide magazine is available, at an additional fee, to annual members of the Catskill Mountain Foundation at the $100 membership level or higher.

©2000 Catskill Mountain Foundation, Inc.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

SPRING INTO SPRING Wellness Retreats in Ulster County

Are you ready to spring into spring?

Winter’s doldrums are nearly over. Spring is almost here. When spring bursts into its vibrant display of colors and life in the Catskills, will you join the celebration?

Immerse yourself in the joy of nature while reconnecting to you with a wellness retreat to Ulster County. From luxurious mountain resorts and charming inns to blooming wildflower farms, or energizing personal trainers—the Catskills offer seemingly infinite journeys to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul. Embrace the lively spirit of this season and make your presence a part of nature’s jubilation!

Thistle, an Auberge Spa, delights the senses and calms the mind to get you ready to meet spring with deep breaths and a calm mind. Hosted at Wildflower Farms, this spa uses old-world remedies and therapeutic bodywork to heal your mind, body and soul through nature. Each treatment and journey is curated for you to inspire a, “deeper connection with nature.” And who couldn’t use more of that after a long winter?

Honor’s Haven Retreat checks all the boxes for your postwinter rejuvenation plan: relaxation, physical challenges, wellness, spa and well-being. Nestled in a gentle valley, plan on a gorgeous lakeside weekend built especially for you. Align your chakras, lounge in jacuzzis, and reconnect with your body and the world around you. Whether you are on your own journey or looking for

a larger group retreat, Honor’s Haven reconnects you to nature, each other and yourself.

With packages and options for everyone, Emerson Resort & Spa features spa and wellness packages with dining and shopping options as well. Enjoy their serene experience which brings you into harmony with nature and relaxes you with their designed treatments. You can even work in a yoga and fitness class into your wellness getaway and elevate your life in their full-treatment spa before relaxing in one of their rooms at the inn or the lodge. They even have accommodations for your pooch. Woof woof, indeed! Find your bliss in Emerson or any of our area spas and resorts.

Wellness is important. But why not live a little too? If you prefer the finer things life has to offer, consider pairing your wellness getaway with some of the finest luxuries the Catskills offer.

Raise your luxury and visit the #1 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The Mohonk Mountain House has everything you want and maybe some things you have never seen. Only 90 miles north of New York City, this National Historic Landmark is a true bucket list destination. From horseback and carriage rides to spa and fine dining, Mohonk is synonymous with a dream vacation in the heart of the Catskills.

Mohonk delights your senses and tastes with farm-to-table meals, weekend brunches, afternoon tea and cookies and all

parts in between. Their hotel’s restaurant was voted #2 by USA Today’s Readers’ Choice in 2023. In between meals, they have you covered with a treasure of activities with nature tours, archery, golf, tomahawk throwing bocce, pickleball and so much more. Check out their calendar for special events occurring nearly every weekend in spring. For those worried about to do at night? They even have after-dinner entertainment too.

If you are looking for a luxurious spa treatment, consider Maria Vera Skincare in Kingston. As one of the premier skin care therapists in the Hudson Valley, they individualize your skincare treatment. They use cutting-edge technologies along with scientifically proven treatments to bring long-term health to your skin in their restorative atmosphere.

While they offer several rejuvenation treatments, their list of available add-ons will find something for everyone. Discover what the skin care professionals at Maria Vera in Kingston can do for you.

If stepping up your fitness is more your speed, the Catskills contains multiple yoga studios and personal trainers. For example, ROZEFIT Studios in the Catskills knows what it takes to get in shape. Initially starting in New York City, this strength and conditioning coach offers in-home personal training as well as remote coaching services. He helps clients own their health journeys through comprehensive diet, exercise and lifestyle modification.

With options from your spa gay to a long weekend at historic resorts, shake off your winter slumber and step into your spring

with renewed confidence and vitality. Invigorate your senses. Seek your inner peace. Greet the earlier sun rises with a renewed sense of optimism and tranquility.

Spring into your perfect spring by heading to the Catskills in Ulster County! Find out more at VisitUlsterCountyNY.com.

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.

“Compellingly original” — LOS ANGELES TIMES

“a powerhouse band” — THE IRISH TIMES

“fierce fiddle reels to pensive ballads” — THE NEW YORK TIMES

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 @ 7:00PM

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

The Catskill Mountain Foundation presents

Photo by John D. Kelly

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.

THE ARTS

Ladies of Hip Hop: “The Black Dancing Bodies—SpeakMyMind”

at the Orpheum in Tannersville this March

Catskill Mountain Foundation, in partnership with Works & Process, presents Ladies of Hip-Hop in a performance of authentic street and club dance on stage at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville on Saturday, March 30.

Part of an ongoing performance and documentary effort focused on Black women in street and club dance culture, this session of Black Dancing Bodies continues to explore the power of the choreopoem; first coined in 1975 by writer Ntozake Shange (for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf); 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.

“Each woman’s voice stands powerfully on its own.”

—Dance Enthusiast

Ladies of Hip-Hop is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in Hip-Hop. Ever present in the work are the freestyle, cipher, and call and response aspects of the origins of street and club dance culture, while exploring the space of proscenium performance.

Under the direction of founder Michele Byrd-McPhee, Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (LDC) builds on the shapeshifting paths laid out by generations of Black women artists and activists on and off the stage. As a nonprofit organization, LOHH’s mission is to provide artistic opportunities for women of color through female-empowered workshops, performances, public talks, and professional development training.

Byrd-McPhee is a street dance activist who works to decolonize hip-hop culture regarding gender, sex, and cultural and socio-historic racial lines. With a BS from Temple University and an MS from Drexel University, Byrd-McPhee has worked in many sectors of the entertainment industry, having been a Production Coordinator at Brooklyn Academy of Music and a Senior Music Coordinator at Late Night with Seth Meyers, and now a leader of LOHH. Additionally, she has been awarded the Integrated Arts Residency Fellowship at University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaching her course “Hip-Hop, Women and the World” to further enforce the idea of re-contextualizing hip-hop spaces. Byrd-McPhee currently serves as a Bessie Award Committee Member along with her ongoing commitment as Executive Director for Ladies of Hip-Hop 501c3 and artistic director of LOHH Dance Collective.

Ladies of Hip-Hop performs on Saturday, March 30, 2024 @ 7:00 pm at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville, NY 12485. Tickets are available at catskillmtn.org or boxoffice@catskillmtn.org or call 518 263 2063. For information about Catskill Mountain Foundation’s upcoming programs, please visit www.catskillmtn.org.

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.

“BMX, basketball, breakdancing, beatboxing, acrobatics, drumming and more!” The most thrilling stage show ever.”

—Weekend Notes

“Blindingly talented. The energy is infectious” —Broadway Baby ★★★★★

A phenomenal physical performance exploring all forms of rotation, 360 ALLSTARS connects the street with the elite to deliver a supercharged urban circus. 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. Scan

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 @ 7:00PM

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

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.

The Catskill Mountain Foundation Presents

360 ALLSTARS at the Orpheum in Tannersville this March

Catskill Mountain Foundation presents 360 All Stars, a high energy physical performance of extreme sports set to supercharged soundtracks at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville on Saturday, March 9 at 7:00 pm. BMX, basketball, breakdancing, acrobatics, drumming and more, the international smash hit returns!

A phenomenal physical performance exploring all forms of rotation, 360 ALLSTARS connects the street with the elite to deliver a supercharged urban circus. 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.

Add to this a stunning live soundtrack delivered by award winning musicians, coupled with spectacular video projections, 360 ALLSTARS is as aurally exciting as it is visually astounding.

A magnificent, colorful and astonishing expression of a generation that has reinvented the circus, 360 ALLSTARS is a revolutionary production that will leave you dizzy with excitement!

“BMX, basketball, breakdancing, beatboxing, acrobatics, drumming and more!”The most thrilling stage show ever.”

—Weekend Notes ★★★★★

“Blindingly talented. The energy is infectious”

—Broadway Baby ★★★★★

360 ALLSTARS will appear Saturday, March 9 at 7:00 pm. at the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville, NY 12485. Tickets are available at catskillmtn.org or boxoffice@catskillmtn. org or call 518 263 2063. For information about Catskill Mountain Foundation’s upcoming programs, please visit catskillmtn.org.

Danú Performs Traditional Music from Ireland at the Orpheum in Tannersville this March

Catskill Mountain Foundation presents Danú, Ireland’s leading musical ensemble, bringing traditional Irish music to the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville on Saturday, March 2 at 7:00 pm.

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.

Repertoire is announced from the stage and includes hornpipes, reels, and traditional favorites like “The Foggy Dew,” “Ten Thousand Miles,” and “Mo Ghile Mear.” According to one review, it’s “as close to a perfect rendition of 10,000 Miles as I have ever heard.”

Danú Members are: Nell Ní Chróinín, lead vocalist and on tin whistle, Benny McCarthy on button accordion, Oisin McAuley on fiddle and backing vocals, Tony Byrne on guitar, Eamon Doorley on bouzouki, Ivan Goff on Uilleann pipes, flute & whistles, and Billy Sutton on Bodhran, mandolin and backing vocals.

Danú will appear Saturday, March 2 at 7:00 pm. at the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville, NY 12485. Tickets are available at catskillmtn.org or boxoffice@catskillmtn. org or call 518 263 2063. For information about Catskill Mountain Foundation’s upcoming programs, please visit catskillmtn.org.

Photo by Darren Thomas

Photo by John D. Kelly

“Each woman’s voice stands powerfully on its own.” —Dance Enthusiast

Part of an ongoing performance and documentary effort focused on Black women in street and club dance culture, this session of Black Dancing Bodies continues to explore the power of the choreopoem; first coined in 1975 by writer Ntozake Shange (for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf); 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

with performances

the Guggenheim

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.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 @ 7:00PM

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

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.

(2023)

at

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.

The Catskill Mountain Foundation in Partnership with Works & Process Presents

Scan for tickets!

April in Paris at the Doctorow in Hunter

An afternoon of beautiful music and interesting lecture await the audience at the Doctorow Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 13. The husband and wife team of musicologist Dr. Jeffrey Langford and pianist Dr. Joanne Polk play and speak in a romantic conversation and musical stroll through Paris. Enjoy performances of songs by Cole Porter with the word “Paris” in the title, including “I Love Paris” and “April in Paris,” transcribed for solo piano exclusively for this concert. Other composers featured will include Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc and Cécile Chaminade.

Dr. Polk was catapulted into the public eye with her recordings of the complete piano works of American composer Amy Beach (1867-1944) on the Arabesque Recordings label. She celebrated the centennial of Beach’s Piano Concerto by giving the work its London premiere with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Barbican Center, under the baton of Paul Goodwin, and subsequently performed it with the Women’s Philharmonic in San Francisco, under conductor Apo Hsu, in a performance described as “brilliant” by critic Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Dr. Polk has been described as “…a splendid pianist, sensitive musically, supple in phrase, brilliant in technique.”

Dr. Langford is a retired faculty member, advisor, and associate dean of doctoral studies of Manhattan School of Music. He is the author of an annotated bibliography of research materials on Berlioz titled Hector Berlioz: A Guide to Research. In addition, Dr. Langford has appeared as a preconcert lecturer at the New York Metropolitan Opera, where he presented talks on both French opera and the works of Verdi. His book Evenings at the Opera is a collection of essays addressing the question of the relationship of music to drama in opera from Mozart to Britten.

Questions and interactions with Drs. Langford and Polk after the recital and conversation will be invited and welcome.

Enjoy an inspiring afternoon with Joanne and Jeffrey on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 2:00 pm at the Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Main Street, Hunter, NY 12442. Tickets are available online at www.catskillmtn.org, by email at boxoffice@catskillmtn.org or by phone at 518 263 2063. For more information, please visit www.catskillmtn.org.

Catskills Past

rooms with a view

By T.M. Bradshaw

Imagine a spot with spectacular panoramic views into several states, praised by writers such as James Fenimore Cooper, Washington Irving, and William Cullen Bryant, and captured by artists of the Hudson River School, such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. Of course, spectacular views are most often visible from spots that take an effort to reach, like the tops of mountains. Now imagine it to be a time when most work was accomplished through muscle power, both human and animal muscle power. Imagine the optimism and audacity required to choose such a spot as the building site for an enormous hotel.The Catskill Mountain House, which opened in 1824 and closed in 1942, was that hotel.

The building began as an undertaking of a group of businessmen from Catskill who formed the Catskill Mountain Association, incorporated in New York State on March 24, 1823, for the purpose of building a hotel. Situated on about 7 acres within a relatively flat area called Pine Orchard, the first building was 3 stories of 60 feet by 24 feet. Its structure was changed a few

times during its early years; its final footprint of 300 feet by 200 feet held accommodations for over 500 guests. Land acquisitions eventually expanded the hotel’s holdings to over 3,000 acres. Much of this area is now the North-South Lake Campground.

The site was initially only accessible by stage, a four- to sixhour journey to traverse the twelve miles from Catskill. The first few hours of the trip, about six miles, ran along what is now part of Route 23A; then, from a tollgate the road, which may have been a tannery road no longer in use, began a steep ascent to the hotel through “Rip Van Winkle’s Glen.” Various spots along the way also had names, “Dead Ox Hill” perhaps commemorating the last point an overburdened beast had reached. “Cape Horn” was one of several horseshoe bends in the narrow, rocky road. “Short Level” and “Long Level” were separated by “Feather Bed Hill,” a 200-foot ascent. At the end of Long Level, a 90-degree turn revealed a view of the Mountain House seemingly just ahead, but zig-zags meant it was closer to a mile. This last portion was often done on foot to ease the burden on the horses. Some pas-

Thomas Cole, “A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, Morning,” 1844. In the collection of the Brooklyn Art Museum

sengers found the trip thrilling, others terrifying. The rear wheels were especially equipped to prevent rolling backwards when stopping during ascents and to make descents possible at less than breakneck speeds.

Willis Gaylord Clark made the journey in 1837. This is how he described the descent, quoted in Roland Van Zandt’s The Catskill Mountain House:

“The wheels of the coach are shod … with iron slippers, which are essential to a hold up; and as you bowl and grate along, with wilderness-chasms and a brawling stream mayhap on one hand, and horrid masses of stone seemingly ready to tumble upon you on the other; the far plain stretching like the sea beneath you, in the mists of the morning; your emotions are fidgetty. You are not afraid—not you, indeed! Catch you at such folly! No; but you wish most devoutly that you were some nine miles down, notwithstanding, and are looking eagerly for that consummation.”

Thunderstorms sometimes added to the excitement, but the thing that frightened the stage drivers was sudden fog. One driver quoted by Van Zandt noted that fog might only last “ten minutes, but it was bad while it lasted …. A good driver could keep close watch and if the coach began to sag the least bit he’d know he was getting off the road and he’d pull to the other side. There’s some pretty steep drops and narrow passes.”

Charles L. Beach, son of Erastus Beach who had established the first livery service in Catskill in 1819, leased the Catskill Mountain House in 1839, then purchased it in 1845. Guests from all over the world flocked to his hotel for the view and for the hotel’s incongruous grandeur and luxury in such a wild setting. Some people found the luxuries inappropriate for the setting while others were grateful. Nathaniel P. Willis commented on the availability at the Mountain House of fine wines and French cuisine in 1843:

a foreign tourist was heard to complain of the high charges! High charges! As if we were to be supplied for nothing on a perch where the wonder is if any but the ravens get fed! . . . I was ready to thank the people devoutly for harboring us on any terms.

Harriet Martineau, a visiting Englishwoman noted

How the proprietor can have dragged up, and keeps dragging up, so many superfluities from the river level to the eagle’s nest, excites your wonder. It is the more strange, because in climbing a mountain the feeling is natural that you leave such enervating indulgences below.

But although much was on offer, sometimes what was wanted was not available. An 1880 incident, possibly apocryphal, widely reported as the “Fried Chicken War,” between Beach and a regular patron, George W. Harding of Philadelphia, resulted in big changes. Harding demanded fried chicken for his daughter’s dinner on a day when roast beef was on the menu. When the waiter was unable to comply, the problem ascended the manage-

Postcard of the Catskill Mountain House. Image courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections

Dinner menu and wine list from an 1881 dinner at the Hotel Kaaterskill. Image courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections

ment chain all the way to the owner. After some back and forth, Beach supposedly said, “If you want so much waiting on, you had better buy some land and build a hotel yourself.” So Harding did, opening his twice-as-large Kaaterskill House, also called the Hotel Kaaterskill, in 1881 on the top of South Mountain, about a mile from the Catskill Mountain House.

The incident appeared in numerous newspapers around the country in the summer of 1881, but with the slight differences that the food was requested, not demanded, and that it was chicken broth because the daughter was feeling unwell. That it appeared in newspapers as far away as Pennsylvania, Iowa, Kansas, and Maryland within days of each other and in exactly the same words suggests it was a placed report, essentially an ad. The public’s desire to vacation in the Catskills meant there was enough business for both; competition seemed to benefit both hotels, with guests staying at one for a few days, then moving to the other or strolling from one to the other for a meal. The Hotel Kaaterskill burned to the ground in three hours in 1924, visible as far away as Massachusetts.

Over the years, the Catskill Mountain House, too, had been occasionally threatened by fire. An August 30, 1854, report in the Brooklyn Eagle described a forest fire that had been burning for about a week and had reached within a half-mile of the hotel before rain came to the rescue. Beach claimed to be unconcerned by the approaching flames, stating that he had an evacuation plan in place and that he had a large number of men at the ready to spread water-soaked carpets against the building.

At about the same time as the Hotel Kaaterskill came into being, newer methods of transportation made it easier for patrons to reach both establishments. Beach organized the Catskill Mountain Railway Company in 1880, building a narrow gauge railroad during 1881 and 1882. It ran seasonally from Catskill Landing

to Palenville, its purpose to transport tourists who had arrived in Catskill by steamboat from various points along the Hudson to the mountain hotels, either directly or by transfers to other railroads or stage lines. At the stop before Palenville, passengers heading toward the Catskill Mountain House changed to a stage to continue up the mountain in the manner visitors had been using for almost 60 years.

At about the same time, the Ulster & Delaware was coming into the Catskills from Kingston. In Phoenicia, a branch line split off, traveled through Stony Clove Notch and then split again, one branch going to Hunter, the other to Tannersville and Haines Falls, all the way to North/South Lake.

In October of 1892, a new way up to the Catskill Mountain House was opened—a special Otis Elevating Railroad shortened the arduous stage journey to under ten minutes, according to a Brooklyn Times Union article about a party of railroad and Hudson River Line executives who made the journey in the company of engineers and newspaper reporters.

Names in the guest register at the Catskill Mountain House included Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Ulysses S. Grant, General Sherman, President Chester A. Arthur, and Oscar Wilde. Alexander Graham Bell was there when a telephone was installed.

Both Beach and Harding died in 1902, so neither man saw the demise of his hotel. And while a natural fire claimed the Hotel Kaaterskill, intentional fire was the Catskill Mountain House’s fate. Early on the morning of January 25, 1963, with the Catskills covered in a deep protective blanket of snow, several members of the New York State Conservation Department struck a single match, burning the decaying, dangerous wreck to the ground.

T. M. Bradshaw shares other thoughts on history at tmbradshawbooks.com.

Postcards of the Hotel Kaaterskill and the Otis Elevating Railway. Images courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections

Catskills Dining INCLUDING RECIPES AND TIPS FROM YOUR FAVORITE CHEFS

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!

FISH & SEAFOOD

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.

Photo by Agnes Devereux, courtesy Agnes Devereux Catering

Take shrimp out of fridge so that they are not ice cold when they hit the pan, but not for too long to keep food safe. Meanwhile, prepare garlic, gather your ingredients in place, blister tomatoes, and reduce wine. If the shrimp are too cold when they hit the pan, they tend to curl up, which you don’t want.

Mangia and Enjoy! Spiced Drunken Shrimp

Sarah Chianese, Mangia and Enjoy!

2 lb wild Argentinian extra large (16-30 shrimp per pound) or other wild shrimp, raw, peeled & deveined

2 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil

Organic heirloom cherry tomatoes (or various color strips of bell pepper) for color

Minced fresh garlic (8 cloves)

1/2 cup Sherry wine

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp dried organic oregano

1 TBS (or to taste, depending on preferred heat level) Spice blend (Tony Chachere spicy creole, or Slap Your Mama works well)

Pinch of kosher salt (depending on spice blend saltiness … may not be needed) and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Lime wedges (plus juice of 1 lime) for finishing

Fresh cilantro (or parsley if cilantro sensitivity) for garnish

Heat non stick large (16”, if you have one, otherwise do this in two batches) frying pan over medium high flame. Once hot add half of the minced garlic and the olive oil, along with the heirloom tomatoes or bell pepper strips. Toss until blistered and remove from pan. Set aside.

Lower pan heat to medium and add Sherry wine and remaining minced garlic, along with fresh thyme, dried oregano and spice blend. Cook until wine is reduced by half … it should be super fragrant. Depending on the surface area of your pan, this should take 3-4 minutes, but may reduce quicker, so keep an eye out on it.

The shrimp: this happens very quickly so be ready, or even have a second person beside you to flip and remove shrimp so as not to overcook! Add fresh shrimp in single layer without overcrowding and make sure they are all flat. Argentinian red shrimp is already red, so, unlike other shrimp, they will not turn color to indicate when they are ready to turn. In this case, because shrimp cook rather quickly, keep your eye out and start turning when you see the sides that are touching the pan turn opaque and their tail starts to curl in/shrink. It’s extremely important not to overcook shrimp! Be ready to start turning them over, within the first minute (unless shrimp are extremely large) which is where the second person comes in handy. If you don’t have a second person, take pan off heat as you turn and once all turned over, cook this side another minute, or until shrimp are no longer translucent. This determination takes a bit of skill to know when ready to take off the heat, so if you want, test out cooking 3 shrimp by themselves first to get the timing right, then complete with the rest. You can also opt to do this in two batches, if alone, to make the flipping of shrimp easier/faster. The shrimp will continue to cook while on the platter due to the heat, so if in doubt, remove from pan and check through all shrimp as you platter out to make sure none are translucent, and that they are not over cooked. They should be pliable when you remove from the pan.

Transfer to large platter, toss with or place fresh cilantro for garnish and added flavor (or fresh parsley leaves if someone has a cilantro sensitivity), the blistered garlicky tomatoes or bell pepper strips.

Immediately before serving, drizzle the fresh lime juice and place lime wedges and serve. (Do not add lime juice too early or it will continue to “cook” the shrimp.)

Mangia and Enjoy!

NATURAL 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.

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.

Italian Fried Almonds

Marine DiPaola, A Taste of Italy

1 lb whole blanched almonds

olive oil for frying

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp granulated onion

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

Mix spices together in a small bowl (spices can be adjusted to taste).

Heat oil in a 10” skillet on moderate heat.

Fry the almonds in small batches until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes, stirring once and a while to turn almonds.

Remove almonds from the pan with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl, sprinkle with spices while still warm. Repeat the process until all the almonds are cooked.

Store in an airtight container.

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!

How do you maintain your love of cooking after working long days in the kichen?

I maintain my love of cooking by trying to consistently satisfy customers. It is a challenge that both I and my staff strive for on a daily basis.

—Brian Gribbon, High Falls Cafe

Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Andrew Merritt, Gracie’s Luncheonette

These cookies are naturally gluten free as they are made with almond flour. A generous sprinkle of coarse, flaky sea salt on top balances the flavor and richness. If you’d like a more pronounced almond flavor, add in 1/2 tsp. of almond extract along with the vanilla extract! Enjoy!

2-3/4 cups almond flour

3/4 tsp Kosher Salt

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

2-1/4 cups chocolate chunks

Sea salt, for topping (we like Maldon)

Cream the butter and both sugars in a stand mixer, or mixing bowl with a hand mixer, on medium speed until very light and fluffy—about 5 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly to combine.

Stir in the almond flour, kosher salt, and baking soda until combined, and then add the chocolate chunks.

Divide cookie dough into 10 even sized scoops, and press down the tops of each scoop to flatten slightly.

Sprinkle the tops with coarse flaky sea salt.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Rotate the cookie tray halfway through to ensure even baking! Allow to cool completely.

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.

Brandywine

11157 State Route 23 Windham, NY 12496

brandywinewindham.com 518 734 3838

For the past 35 years, this full-service 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.

How do you maintain your love of cooking after working long days?

Being a chef is all about the long hours. I actually love the way a long day of work feels, always have. It makes me appreciate and value time. I have a healthy consideration for other people’s time and my own. I have never been bored a day in my life and I try not to waste time. Simple things like self care and long baths help. When I have a day off I am in the kitchen working on dishes and tapping into a creative space—to me that is the most luxurious time.

The art is cooking is about caring for other people, gifting them something you made with your hands and that is a burning desire that never hours away.

What kind of cuisine do you enjoy cooking?

I do love bringing elements of my Sicilian heritage into my food but I never want to be defined by that. So I am not sure I have a certain cuisine I do love to go outside my comfort zone and try new flavors and explore techniques. My favorite thing to do is serve a tasting menu of 12-14 courses, it is a culinary journey that reminds me of the past or sentimental experiences that are important to me. I feel like I am communicating who I am through food. It is like having a conversation and people tend to understand me better after that.

To me it is the highest culinary experience because it is from the heart and not just a plate of food put in front of you.

—Chef Deanna

Photo: Rosey Red Photography

How do you maintain your love of cooking after working long days in the kichen?

It’s never boring to cook -there’s always something new to learn. We have a talented kitchen team at the diner, which means I’m able to dig into experimenting with new menu items and techniques. And working with local ingredients means that each season brings new products for me to play with. One of the best parts of my job is designing menus for special events. We work with celebrants who have all kinds of favorite foods, dietary requests, and cultural backgrounds. Being a part of creating a truly memorable event makes the long hours

worth it.

—Chris Davin, Phoenicia Diner

Apple Cider Pancakes

Chris Davin, Phoenicia Diner

2 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 TBSP baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Pinch of your favorite baking spices (cinnamon and nutmeg are great choices)

2 eggs

2 cups apple cider

1/4 pound butter, melted + 1 TBSP for the pan

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and kosher salt together in a bowl. Using the whisk, make a well in the center. Pour the cider into the well and crack eggs into cider. Pour the melted butter into the mixture. Starting in the center, whisk everything together, moving towards the outside of the bowl, until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not overbeat (lumps are fine). The batter can be refrigerated for up to one hour.

Heat a large nonstick griddle or cast-iron skillet over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Turn heat up to medium–low and using a measuring cup, ladle ⅓ cup batter into the skillet. If you are using a large skillet or a griddle, repeat once or twice, taking care not to crowd the cooking surface.

Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, about 2 to 4 minutes. Cook until the other sides are lightly browned. Remove pancakes to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and keep in heated oven until all the batter is cooked and you are ready to serve.

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!

High Falls Cafe

2842 Route 209

North Marbletown, NY 12484

highfallscafe.com

845 687 2699

Family owned and chef operated since 2005. Scratch kitchen, our dishes are made to order using fresh ingredients. Daily specials. Live music and events weekly. Reservations are highly suggested. Open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 pm to 5 pm, dinner 5 pm to 9 pm. Sunday breakfast 9 am to 1 pm and lunch 1 pm to 3:30 pm. Bar open later all nights and closes at bartenders discretion. Closed on Mondays. Check out our menus and event calendar at highfallscafe.com or like us on Facebook for daily updates @highfallscafe1

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 dining.

Colcannon

Richard Erickson, Bistro-to-Go

A St. Patrick’s Day favorite, colcannon is an Irish potato dish made with creamy mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale. Here at the Bistro we favor the smooth creamy mashed potatoes but chunkier smashed potatoes are equally appropriate, cook’s choice!

4 lbs. peeled potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold

4 oz. unsalted butter

4 oz. sour cream

2/3 cup milk, warmed

1 large bunch kale, ribs removed and coarsely chopped

1 small head cabbage, preferably Savoy cabbage

1 large leek, rinsed well and finely sliced

1/2 cup heavy cream salt and pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes into 1-1/2 inch chunks and place in a pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes reserving a bit of the cooking liquid.

In a separate pot cook the kale and cabbage with a bit of the cooking liquid. Cover and steam until quite soft and tender. Season to taste.

First rinse the leek and let stand in water for a bit to remove any sand or grit. Cook in a covered sauce pan with a bit of the reserved potato water and the heavy cream. Cook until the leeks are completely soft, season to taste.

Now, mash the potatoes, adding a a bit of the warm milk and cold butter. Mash to desired consistency and finish with the sour cream. (*Note: Never melt the butter as it will impart a greasy oily consistency to the potatoes.)

Lastly, mix everything together, check seasoning for salt and pepper and serve. Colcannon can be garnished with a few pats of butter and chopped scallions if desired.

Any leftovers can be turned into potato cakes with the addition of a bit of flour and egg. Try with a poached egg for brunch if you need something hearty to help you recover from an overly indulgent St. Patrick’s day celebrations.

La Cabaña Mexican Restaurant & Bar

966 Main St.

Fleischmanns, NY 12442

lacabanarestaurantny.com

845 254 4966

Family owned and operated, La Cabaña is rich in tradition and authenticity. Our dinners are individually prepared with the freshest ingredients available. You’ll find all of your favorites on the menu, from enchiladas, burritos, tacos, chimichangas and flautas to chile relleños, carne asada, nachos and quesadillas to traditional desserts such as flan, fried ice cream and churros. Vegetarian options are available.

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.

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.

Scallops over Butternut Squash Risotto

Phil Di Falco, Jessie’s Harvest House

1 lb. Maine scallops

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cubed butternut squash, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon minced rosemary or sage

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Chopped parsley or small sage leaves, optional, for garnish

1/2 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese, optional, for serving

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and several grinds of pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butternut squash and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the garlic, rosemary, and the rice. Stir and let cook for about 1 minute then add the wine. Stir and cook for 1 to 3 minutes, or until the wine cooks down.

Add the stock, ¾ cup at a time, and stir continuously to allow each addition of stock to be absorbed before adding the next. Cook until the butternut squash is tender, and the risotto is soft and creamy. Season to taste.

In a hot cast iron skillet bring up to high heat 2-3 mins and add 1 tbsp EVOO

Salt the scallops and add to cast iron pan. Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes, turn over and baste with one teaspoon of butter for about 1 minute.

Plate risotto and put scallops on top. Garnish dish with parsley or sage leaves and serve with grated cheese, if desired.

Serve & Enjoy!

CHEF Q&A

How do you maintain your love of cooking after working long days?

There isn’t a day that is the same— living on this beautiful mountaintop, we are so fortunate to have the availability to locally sourced foods. Being creative with the quality of food is what keeps me going. Making my guests, friends and family happy though my food is what gives me the most happiness.

What kind of cuisine do you enjoy cooking?

There are so many different cuisines that I love. I would have to say elevated comfort food is what I love to cook most. Food that makes your soul happy after leaving the plate empty. Something that your grandmother would make but with a twist.

—Phil Di Falco, Jessie’s Harvest House

Phoenicia Diner

5681 State Route 28

Phoenicia, NY 12464

phoeniciadiner.com

845 688 9957

Built in 1962 and moved to the Catskills in the early 80s, the Phoenicia Diner has a long history of serving customers who are drawn to the Catskills’ natural beauty. We offer residents, weekenders and visitors fresh food sourced from Catskills and Hudson Valley farms when available. Our menu is carefully crafted to offer traditional diner favorites, sometimes with a modern twist, using seasonal and local fresh ingredients. Our venue is also a unique setting for one-of-kind events and celebrations.

WINE & LIQUOR

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.

Guinness Stew

Brian Gribbon, High Falls Cafe

3 lbs. stew meat

2 cans Guinness

3 Tbls. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 carrots, cut into chunks

1 large onion, cut into chunks

Windham Wine & Liquors

5448 State Route 23

Windham, NY 12496

518 734 3474

Windham Wine & Liquors is the Mountaintop’s premier destination for the best offerings of wines and spirits since 2003. Our ever-expanding selection is sure to please every palate and price range. Let us help with your special event or gift. Visit us at the west end of town. Open every day of the year except Christmas Day.

WINE, BREW & BEVERAGE FESTIVAL

Rip Van Winkle Wine, Brew & Beverage Festival

Saturday, May 11

Historic Catskill Point

1 Main Street Catskill, NY 12414

fortnightlyclubofcatskill.ticketspice. com/rip-van-winkle-wine-brew-beverage-festival

The 17th annual Rip Van Winkle Wine, Brew and Beverage Festival will be held on May 11th at 1 Main St. Catskill NY. Come and taste a variety of wine, craft beer, and distilled beverages, along with samples of food and a variety of craft vendors. Plus there is live music throughout the day. Tickets are $25. All proceeds benefit the community.

3 stalks celery, cut into chunks

Salt, pepper and oregano to taste

2-3 cups beef stock

3 Tbls. flour

Potatoes (we prefer gold, choose the ones you like and the amount)

Marinate stew meat for 24-48 hours in the Guinness. Strain, keeping juices aside.

In a dutch oven heat 2 Tbls. olive oil. Once hot, add the garlic, being careful not to let it burn. Add the meat to the pan. Sear on each side, then remove from pan. Add about 1 Tbls. more olive oil to the pan, then add the carrots, onion and celery. Saute until onions are translucent, adding salt, pepper and oregano while stirring.

While this is cooking, in separate pot add marinade, juices from meat resting and 2-3 cups of beef stock. Whisk the flour directly into the stock before putting in hot pan. Let this simmer for several minutes to desired thickness. Add meat and gravy back into dutch oven and cook for an hour on low heat.

Cut and add potatoes directly to the stew with other ingredients. To stop them from breaking up in the stew cook them separately and add to the stew right before serving.

Great served with crusty peasant bread or biscuits.

How to Build a Better Burger

By Michael Koegel, Mama’s Boy Burgers

One thing that I’ve learned in the burger biz is that just because they’re called “toppings” doesn’t mean you have to put them on top. It’s a common mistake, put the burger on the bun and then pile everything Jenga-like above it. Pick it up and you’re wearing half of it before it makes it to your mouth.

Basically, there are three things to think about when building your burger: Architecture, Taste, and Aesthetics. You’ll never get to taste your creation if it falls apart in your hands, and who wants to post a messy burger on instagram. So this is how we at Mama’s Boy suggest building your burger.

Start from the bottom and work your way up:

Toast your bun and put a little butter on it, just because.

Put the tomato slice directly on the bottom half of the bun. This adds support and provides a good foundation on which to build. If you put your tomato on top of the burger everything will slide off of it.

Lay your raw onion and pickles on top of the tomato, they too will topple off of the top of the burger.

Now, place your burger on top of the vegetables. Assuming you’re having cheese make sure you melt it on the burger first. Nothing snaps a good burger buzz like cold cheese!

If you’re having a double burger, like the kind we make any Mama’s Boy, repeat the above step; another burger, more melted cheese. A double burger requires double cheese.

Note: this would be the place to add whatever specialty toppings you might want: bacon, fried egg, caramelized onions, guacamole, mushrooms, etc. Keep in mind that the more you add here, the harder your burger will be to handle. And you don’t want to overwhelm the flavor of the beef.

Next up is lettuce which adds a refreshing crunch, and always looks sexy on a burger.

Top it with whatever sauce you like, but don’t put it directly on the lettuce, it’ll slide out and drip over everything. Instead, put the sauce, or ketchup, or whatever directly on the bun. That way the sauce soaks into the bun and doesn’t end up running down your hand.

If after all this you’ve still found yourself with an unmanageable burger on your hands, take a napkin and fold it around the back side of your burger to sop up the extra bits (That’s why we serve our burgers in envelopes.)

Mama’s Boy Burgers House Sauce

Michael Koegel, Mama’s Boy Burgers

We use this sauce on many of our burgers including our House Burger, The Mama’s Boy. A lot of people also use this as a dipping sauce for French Fries, Onion Rings and Tater Tots.

1 3/4 cups Hellman’s mayonnaise

3/4 cup ketchup

2 Tbls capers

1 Tbls green peppercorns

1 tsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp dijon mustard

Combine all ingredients except for mayonnaise in a food processor and run on high until peppercorns are finely chopped. Add mayonnaise to food processor and run on low until sauce attains a consistent creamy texture and color.

1/2 cup bread and butter pickles

CHEF Q&A

What kind of cuisine do you enjoy cooking?

Living in the country we eat seasonally. In the summertime, dinner is served on our screened-in deck every night without fail, so if I can’t grill it we don’t eat it. It all goes on the grill; we’re big fans of slow-cooked ribs, and seared steaks, sweet corn and asparagus, even grilled peaches for dessert. Caprese Salads are another summer staple, I often swap out tomatoes with seasonal fruits; watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches and pears; basically whatever we can get from Story Farms. We drive to Windham solely for the house-made mozzarella at Main Street in Windham, it’s the best in the Catskills. In the winter, we hibernate indoors with our wood stove, and revert to becoming meat and potatoes guys. One thing I never make at home are burgers.

—Michael Koegel, Mama’s Boy Burgers

Spring in the Catskills

ART GALLERY

Windham Fine Arts

5380 Main Street

Windham, NY 12496 windhamfinearts.com

518 734 6850

Windham Fine Arts is the premier art gallery in the Catskills. Representing local and internationally acclaimed artists, the gallery showcases a diverse collection of original paintings, photography, and ceramics. From inspiring landscapes to expressive abstracts, Windham Fine Arts is a kaleidoscope of visual enchantment. With over 3,000 square feet of curated artwork and 22 years in the business, Windham Fine Arts 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.

Photo by Fran Driscoll, francisxdriscoll.com

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.

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 reputation 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.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce

Margaretville, NY 12455

centralcatskills.com

ScenicCatskills.com

845 586 3300

The CCCoC 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.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

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.

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-you-can. We also host small events and workshops. All are welcome!

COWORKING SPACE

Tannersville Works

6041 Main Street

Tannersville, NY 12485

tannersvilleworks.com

518 589 4017

Escape to The Catskills for productive and inspiring work days! Our coworking space is perfect for remote workers, visitors, and entrepreneurs looking for a professional place to work while enjoying the natural beauty of the mountains. Conveniently located in the center of Tannersville with easy access to local parks, shops, and restaurants. Every coworker gets a dedicated desk, comfortable seating,

high-speed internet, and access to printers and private calling rooms. Daily, weekly, and monthly rates available.

GARDEN & LANDSCAPE

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 residential fruit tree pruning, berry bush and grapevine pruning, orchard planning and renovation, and natural sheet mulch and organic fertilization services. We are currently scheduling for our 2024 fruit tree pruning season! Please contact us to schedule your pruning or to request a quote.

HARDWARE

Houst Hardware

4 Mill Hill Road

Woodstock, NY 12498

housthardware.com

845 679 2115

Shop local with Houst Hardware, independent and family owned for 89 years. For all your projects, Houst Has IT. Benjamin Moore Paints, Equipment Rentals, Tools, Plumbing, Electrical, Organic and Heirloom Garden Seeds, Organic Soils and Fertilizers, Housewares, Weber grills, Seasonal products, Camping and Toys. Everything you need for work and play.

HOT TUBS

Best Hot Tubs

275 CR 65

Corner of Route 23 Windham, NY 12496

besthottubs.com

518 734 9100

Best Hot Tubs Windham store serves the entire Mountain Top area, including the nearby ski resorts at Hunter, Windham and Belleayre and beyond. You will find the right hot tub for your lifestyle and all the accessories you need to make your summer and winter spa experience perfect. Come see the new Bullfrog A series, Aspen Spas and Strong Spas. Best Hot Tubs repairs hot tubs and we offer weekly hot tub maintenance. All you have to do is relax!

LIVE PERFORMANCES

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 catskillmtn.org

Ticket line: 518 263 2063

Our 2024 Performing Arts season is filled with music, dance, theater and much more! March kicks off with 360 All Stars at the Orpheum on March 9. A phenomenal physical performance exploring all forms of rotation and boasting a stellar international cast of World Champion and World Recordholding athletes and artists, 360 ALLSTARS is a spectacular fusion of the extraordinary artistry that emerges from street culture. On March 24 we’ll present another virtual International Fortepiano Salon, streaming on Facebook and YouTube. This Salon’s guest will be Hilda Huang, 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. The Ladies of Hip Hop will perform on March 30 at the Orpheum. This performance, presented in partnership with

Works & Process at the Guggenheim, is 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.

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 3 popular ski mountains. 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 twelve-bedroom Victorian mansion, a newly-constructed 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 beautiful 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).

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. Shows run Friday through Sunday. Also available for rental.

MUSEUM

Shandaken Historical Museum

26 Academy Street Pine Hill, NY 12465

shandakennymuseum.org

845 254 4460

Set in a uniquely charming schoolhouse built in 1927, this museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It displays a fascinating collection of 19th and 20th century tools, machinery clothing, letters and unique artifacts relating to the town and its hamlets: Allaben, Big Indian, Bushnellsville, Chichester, Highmount, Mt, Pleasant, Mt. Tremper, Oliverea, Phoenicia, Pine Hill, Shandaken, and Woodland Valley. The Museum also offers special events such as art exhibits, multi-media shows, and lectures. As part of the museum’s continuing lecture series, there will be a presentation by Glenn Kreisberg on March 23rd from 1:00-3:00 pm. Glenn

is an author, outdoor guide, and radio engineer, who researches archeoastronomy and landscape archaeology in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains of New York.

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Catskill Mountain Foundation

7971 Main Street

Hunter, NY 12442

catskillmtn.org

518 263 2000

Founded in 1998, the Catskill Mountain Foundation is a 501 (C)3 non-profit corporation dedicated to arts, culture and educational enhancements in the northern Catskill Mountains. The Foundation creates programs in the performing arts, visual arts, studio arts, and film. We support the work of artists through performance opportunities and residency programs; create cultural and educational opportunities for residents and visitors in the Catskill Region; and use these initiatives to build on the Mountaintop’s assets and turn it into a major cultural and educational center in the region.

Windham Foundation windhamfoundation.com

info@windhamfoundation.com

518 734 9636

Windham is a special place for all of us. 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.

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. We started small in our hometown of Kingston. 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.

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.

PLUMBING & HEATING

N&S Supply

Locations in Fishkill, Brewster, Kingston, Catskill, and Hudson, NY; and Danbury, CT nssupply.com

N&S Supply is your one-stop resource for all your plumbing, heating and HVAC needs; Whether it’s an oil or gas burner, electric or gas water heater, furnace, toilet, faucet or custom shower, our service parts counters or our beautiful Bath Classics Showrooms will have what you need. We carry complete product lines, including all the accessories needed for any installation, with dependable, on-time delivery service available. We provide everything you would expect from a full-service distributor, including specialty products designed and manufactured to meet your needs and lifestyle. Contact us today and learn more about how we can provide the best solutions for you. Or, visit us at one of our full service locations or showrooms throughout the Hudson Valley and CT.

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!

Cedar waxwings in cherry tree.

Photo by Glenn Woodell/ shutterstock.com

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!

518 589 9000

Gordon Hunter Mountain Realty

6528 Route 23A

Hunter, NY 12442

gordonrealty.com

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.

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, the current market conditions, or any other related topics, feel free to ask!

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.

RETAIL

Camp Catskill

6006 Main Street

Tannersville, NY 12485

campcatskill.co

518 303 6050

Sustainable gear & gifts, 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. Having the right gear lets you spend more time outside in nature, which in turn connects you to the importance of preserving the natural wonders of our world. We work with brands that care about their impact on the planet and its people, and we donate 1% of our revenue to environmental nonprofits here in the Catskills.

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 gifts from around the Region and around the world. Open for holiday shopping Thursday through Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.

The Knitting Room

11111 State Route 23

Windham, NY 12496

theknittingroomny.com

518 768 1944

Co owned by long time friends May and Zairi, The Knitting Room is a yarn store specializing in locally produced and hand dyed yarn. Come touch gorgeous yarn and stay to knit or crochet over a cup of hot cocoa, latte or tea. We offer beginner and advanced classes, and help starting new projects. With gorgeous views of Windham Mountain and a great atmosphere, any afternoon spent at The Knitting Room is guaranteed good fun in fantastic company.

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, t-shirts & 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.

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.

Ulster County Tourism

visitulstercountyny.com

Seek for Yourself & Revitalize

What awaits you in Ulster County? A healing experience, a restorative yoga class or just a rejuvenating walk in the woods—it’s all in the Catskills. Leave the noise of the city behind. Take your foot off the gas. Savor the peace of singular moments. Be present in the now. When you taste life in Ulster County’s farm-to-table restaurants, vineyards, breweries, spas, galleries and nature trails, you’ll wonder why you haven’t slowed down sooner. Seek for yourself and find your bliss.

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A Greene County Garden in March: Stone Retaining Walls

By Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson

In some gardens, a retaining wall is an essential feature. Roads, sidewalks and buildings interrupt the land’s contours, leaving slopes that need help to stay in place. Poured concrete is a quick solution, but not usually as attractive as natural stone, and manufacturing concrete releases large amounts of climate-damaging gases. Natural stone, abundant in Greene County, is beautiful and more climate-friendly.

When early settlers plowed, they turned up hundreds of stones which they moved to the edges of their fields. Some of the boundary walls they built still stand, while others have fallen to leave a jumble of stones behind. Old stone walls that have proven their stability have a natural appeal in the landscape. Stones from tumble-down walls, with their weathered, mossy surfaces, can be lovely incorporated into a new retaining wall. Though you should never take stones from someone else’s property without permission, if you have a friend with a heap of fallen stones, they might be willing to let you take some.

Newly quarried stone, fitted together in an orderly design, can also look beautiful. But if you want a weathered, rustic look on a new stone wall, plants are one good way to achieve this. Setting the stones to slope slightly downward toward the bank of soil will help stabilize the wall, and allow niches for small plants like the maidenhair spleenwort fern (Asplenium trichomanes), creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), or a native sedum like wild stonecrop (Lysimachia nummularia). This technique works best with drystone walls, since mortar is alkaline, and most wall plants prefer acid soils.

Another way to soften a wall’s appearance is to grow climbing vines at its base or cascading shrubs or groundcovers at its top. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) are natives that can quickly climb up or cascade down to cover a large wall area. Forsythia (Forsythia suspensa) has arching stems that can bend gracefully over the top of a wall. A native alternative to forsythia is spicebush (Lindera benzoin); it has a spreading growth habit and attracts one of our most spectacular butterflies, the spicebush swallowtail.

If your wall is shaded, especially if the stones stay damp for much of the year, you can start a colony of moss on it by collecting some naturally growing moss from another part of your garden (especially if it’s growing on rock). Whirl the moss in a blender with some yogurt, buttermilk or kefir, and paint the mixture on the stones. You should see mosses starting to grow within a few months.

Whether you build your own wall, upgrade one already on your property, or simply admire the walls in your neighborhood, you can enjoy this graceful garden tradition throughout Greene County and the Hudson Valley.

Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson enjoys gardening in Catskill. She also writes a weekly Substack series, The Generous Garden, online at mtomlinson.substack.com.

Stone retaining wall

Rip Van Winkle Today in 2024

By Greg Madden

Living in, or visiting, this Catskill mountain paradise, we are often reminded of the simpler ways of life, and the pleasures that come with being away from the bustling metropolises of the big city experience. Sure it’s not like it was in these mountains when these dates danced through our calendars from the 1800’s, and before.

Those of us in our current times often seek the pristine simplicity of yesteryear and not the hustle and bustle of extreme modern eras.

Our very own Rip Van Winkle, when we last encountered (mythically, of course) our mountain loving mystic, had been enjoying a peaceful slumber in these same Catskill Mountains, surrounded by the timeless beauty of nature.

As our story morphs into the writer’s dreamscape, little did Rip know that his intended nap would last so much longer than he anticipated, or as it was originally told. So we/ I created our own make believe literary license by assigning our mystical time machine to this project and extending the boundaries of the original tale.

As our hero slowly opened his sleepy eyes, he found himself in a world vastly different from the one he remembered. After all, it was 2024 (now that’s one serious snooze).

The first thing our 2024 Rip noticed was the absence of his familiar sights and sounds of past memories from the 1800’s. Instead of the rustling leaves and chirping birds, he was greeted by a deep, low-toned bass hum.

(Shocker alert!) He was quickly introduced to many new things, things he had never witnessed before and just what they were anyway. There were automobiles, motorcoaches, bikes without pedals, shiny metal birds and locomotives that blurred at the speed of light. There had been a real estate explosion too, gone were the huts and lean-tos and in their place on a distant horizon, sky scrapers and McMansions.

Bewildered, he struggled to make sense of his newish surroundings. The towering buildings and sleek cars seemed like something out of a fevered dream.

2024 offered so much more. A passerby, engrossed in something in the palm of his hand, hardly noticed Rip’s befuddlement. With a furrowed brow, Rip approached the stranger and asked for directions to the nearest village. The person while looking up, momentarily stunned by Rip’s outdated garb and bewildered expression, offered, “just plug it into your GPS on your smartphone, gramps!!”

“Wait, you’re not from around here, are you?” The stranger followed up, a hint of astonishment in their voice. “Well dude, welcome to the 21st century and to the future!”

Van Winkle may have been a man short on words, but his eyes betrayed his confusion. The stranger, sensing his disorientation, offered some quick guidance. He handed Rip a small device that resembled a pocket watch but had a glowing screen. Rip was having a very different and interesting day to be sure.

“This is a phone, a smartphone,” the stranger explained. “It can connect you to the entire world. You can make calls, send messages, take pictures, and even browse the internet. Give it a try!” Rip wondered, what did he mean by the “entire world?”

Rip said “the what?” and then he slowly and hesitantly accepted the thing, eyeing it with suspicion. After some fumbling and help from the other, he managed to unlock the screen and explore its functions. As one might expect, this was overwhelming to have this all sprung upon him at once and all that was available at his fingertips left him in awe. He needed to sit and have a cool drink. He was offered so many odd sounding and varied things to drink … now in total confusion he settled on water.

Rip marveled at the experiences and new items called pictures and videos right before his eyes, each depicting a different reality unimaginable to someone from Rip’s era.

While Van Winkle continued to acquaint himself with this new-to-him modern world, he discovered the marvels of even more forms of travel. The stranger helped Rip hail a ride-sharing service, and soon, a sleek car arrived out of thin air to take them to the bustling town nearby. Rip was both fascinated and bewildered by the speed and efficiency of the traveling device and that it didn’t eat oats, nor drink water.

Upon reaching the town, our generational traveler was introduced to the nuances and wonders of contemporary life. Tall office buildings reached for the sky, folks hurried along the streets no longer dirt trails, absorbed in their fast-paced lives.

Since Rip hadn’t eaten in centuries, he became a bit peckish as the aromas of diverse cuisines wafting through the air replaced the rustic smells of his previous cafes and taverns.

The stranger took Rip to a local deli where they could sit, talk and nosh. As they sipped on coffee, Rip attempted to assimilate the vast changes that had occurred during his prolonged, and seemingly endless slumber. The stranger explained mind-boggling concepts like the internet, social media, and globalization, each term adding another layer of complexity to Rip’s understanding. He was literally a deer in the headlights, without concept about what any of that meant.

Eventually, the conversation turned to more personal matters. The stranger asked Rip about his life in the 1800s, and Rip shared tales of his adventures in the quaint village he once called home, located at the foot of the Catskills. The simplicity of his past clashed with the complexity of the present, creating a sense of nostalgia within him. As Rip attempted to see today’s world, his companion was equally curious about Rip’s past.

As the day unfolded, Rip Van Winkle encountered more technological marvels. He marveled at the mind-numbing efficiency of automated machines, the convenience of online shopping versus trading goods, and the ability to connect with people around the world instantly. He wondered where these places were and did one need to sail there and how long was the journey? It was becoming clear that the rapid pace of change and venue left him feeling an ever increasing a sense of detachment.

Later that evening, the stranger suggested a visit to an entertainment venue. Rip found himself in a world of virtual reality far beyond his experiences earlier in the day, where he could immerse himself in fantastical landscapes and experience adventures beyond his wildest dreams. The joy on Rip’s face was unmistakable as he interacted with the virtual world, momentarily forgetting the centuries that separated him from his past.

As the night fell, Rip became tired from all this excitement and learning, followed the stranger who strolled through a park illuminated by artificial lights. The stars were still visible above, but the glow of city lights, without flame, competed for their attention. Rip gazed up at the night sky, contemplating the profound transformation the world had undergone. After his last generational siesta, and the events of today, would Rip dare to put his head down and rest?

In a quiet moment, the stranger asked Rip the inevitable question: “Do you like and are you happy with the way things have turned out while you turned with the sandman?”

Rip Van Winkle, with a hint of melancholy in his eyes, replied, “It’s a world of wonders and conveniences for sure, but it feels like I’ve lost something along my way. The simplicity of my past, the close-knit hamlets and communities, and the connection to nature—they are all but distant memories now and one would have to search to find them amongst all of this.”

The stranger nodded in understanding, acknowledging the trade-offs that accompanied so-called progress. As they continued their walk, Rip couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing for his bygone era. The world may have advanced in unimaginable ways, but the essence of his simpler life remained etched in his heart. The next day, Rip awoke and decided to explore the outskirts of the city. He sought solace in the vast gardens and green spaces that still existed amidst the urban sprawl. As he walked along a trail, he encountered a group of people practicing mindfulness and yoga. Intrigued, he joined them, finding a sense of peace in the ancient practices that transcended the technological advancements of the modern world. He felt grounded for the first time since awakening, reconnected with Mother Earth.

In the quiet moments of meditation, Rip discovered a bridge between the past and the present. The fast-paced urban life and the tranquility of nature could coexist, offering him a balance that resonated with his hungry and yearning soul. He noticed those who ventured here to live or visit for the same reasons he loved the Catskills, a quiet peace.

Rip Van Winkle, a man out of time, embarked on his journey to navigate the complexities of the 21st century while holding onto the timeless values that defined his essence. He was home, especially when he found what feeds his soul.

So Rip … please answer one of life’s great questions, “Can you go home again?” And if given the chance, would you go back there or stay here?

How about you dear reader, or is this why you are here in our mountains right now reading this article. In any event, be like Rip and find your soul and you will be home! Nighty, night and see you all again in the year 3000! Sweet Dreams!

Greg Madden is the Development Manager at Wellness Rx Pharmacy where he also practices ancient healing modalities like Tui-Na Medical Massage and BioPhoton Light Therapy. More at www.IlluminatingWellness.care.

WellnessRx, Pharmacy for the Public Good is America’s first nonprofit Community Pharmacy and Wellness Center in Tannersville, NY (WellnessRxLLC.com) and in April in Phoenicia, NY (PharmacyforthePublicGood.org), both located on Main Street.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS IN THE CATSKILLS

By Jeff Senterman

Ready to shake off winter and welcome spring and summer? March is often the time of the year that we start to shake off cabin fever and start to get outside more often. March is also often when winter and spring battle in the Catskills. It is a month with the potential for highly variable weather conditions, temperatures and snowpack. Visitors to the Catskills in March should be prepared for all different kinds of conditions, should keep an eye on the forecast, and check on the latest trail conditions before they leave for their Catskill adventure.

Catskills Great Outdoor Expo

The popular Catskills Great Outdoor Expo returns this June on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at the Catskills Visitor Center in Mount Tremper, NY. The Catskills Great Outdoor Expo is your opportunity to learn about all the best the Catskills have to offer in hiking, paddling, bicycling, fishing, and all outdoor recreation activities. This one-day Expo will feature dozens of exhibitors, along with expert presentations, free samples and raffles—plus the famous Catskill Center Gear Sale. More information is available at catskillsoutdoorexpo.com.

Trail Safety in March

March is a month where hiking, skiing and snowshoeing conditions can change quickly in the Catskills. A warm spring hike can

suddenly turn dangerous when it starts raining and temperatures drop quickly. In the winter months, the mountains can be unforgiving with low temperatures, high winds and a deep snowpack. March is an even trickier month with the opportunity for winter snow storms and cold temperatures, along with wet spring weather and warmer temperatures. You truly must be prepared for just about any weather when you are exploring the Catskills in March.

Anyone planning on being outdoors in the Catskills should keep in mind a few general safety guidelines for any trip. It is a good idea to consider all four of these guidelines for every trip you take into the backcountry, no matter if it’s summer, winter, for a few hours or for a few days:

WEATHER: Always obtain local weather conditions from sources like the Albany National Weather Service, or local services like the Hudson Valley Weather website, all of which provide local conditions and weather discussion for areas throughout the Catskills.

WARNING: Wilderness conditions can change suddenly, and all users should plan accordingly, including bringing a flashlight, first aid equipment, extra food and clothing. Weather conditions may alter your plans; you should always be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods before entering the backcountry.

North Lake. Photo by Bennecom/shutterstock.com

Backcountry hiking trails can be rugged and rough—they are not maintained as park walkways—always wear proper footwear and clothing!

REMEMBER: Weather and trail conditions can change rapidly, especially during fall, winter and spring. Plan and prepare accordingly.

ALWAYS: Inform someone of your itinerary and when you expect to return so they can alert authorities if you do not return on time.

For more detailed information on the condition and status of trails and trailheads in the Catskills, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers a page on their website with backcountry information (dec.ny.gov/outdoor/108207. html). While this information is regularly updated, it may not reflect current, specific conditions. Regularly updated trail conditions are posted by the Catskills Visitor Center at catskillsvisitorcenter.org.

The local Forest Ranger is the best source for more current and specific information. To contact the Forest Rangers for Region 3 (Ulster & Sullivan Counties), please call the NYSDEC’s New Paltz regional office at 845 256 3026. For Forest Rangers in Region 4 (Greene and Delaware Counties), please call the NYSDEC’s Schenectady regional office at 518 357 2161. These numbers should also be used to report backcountry emergencies, such as lost or injured hikers, and wildland fires to the DEC Forest Rangers.

Updated Catskill Park Conditions

Local recreational opportunities are always changing 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 www.catskillsvisitorcenter.org/trail.

#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.

Hike the Catskills with the Hiker Trash Husbands

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.

Visit the Catskill Park’s Visitor Center

Located at 5096 Route 28 in Mount Tremper, NY, the Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center (CVC) is the official visitor center for the Catskill Park. Operated and managed by the Catskill Center, staff are available at the CVC with information, maps and all the advice needed to plan a Catskill adventure. The CVC is open every day, except for Tuesdays, from 9:30 am to 4 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.

In addition to tourism services, 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 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

Chaired by the Catskill Center, the Catskill Park Advisory Committee (CPAC) is a group of representatives from local governments and organizations that provides a forum to discuss issues of regional importance. The purpose of the Committee is to provide assistance, advice and guidance to the NYSDEC, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and other land managers in the management of the New York State Forest Preserve, the Catskill Park and the Catskill Watershed. 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 contact the Catskill Center at 845 586 2611 or email them at cccd@catskillcenter.org with CPAC in the subject asking to be added to the mailing list.

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 www.catskillcenter. org/membership 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 the Catskills in the nonprofit sector.

The author (right) and his husband, Moe Lemire, on Halcott Mountain, a Trailless Catskill 3500 Peak from Route 42 in Lexington.

Photo courtesy of hikertrashhusbands.com

The Catskill Mountain Foundation

Piano Performance Museum

Featuring the Steven E. Greenstein Collection

Discover this extraordinary collection in performance, music education, and cultural exploration

REOPENING THIS MAY!

The collection includes early and modern keyboard instruments including European historic pianos, as well as American pianos built in the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection shows the development of the instrument from the small pianoforte, built for use in private homes and salons, to the modern piano, built for large concert halls. The collection also includes tuning tools and repair kits, some 200 years old, leather-wrapped with a place for each tool; tuning forks, hammers—everything that would allow a technician to bring a piano back to maximum performance standards.

Doctorow Center for the Arts

7971 Main Street, Route 23A, Hunter, New York • www.catskillmtn.org

Hours: Closed for the winter, reopening in May.

The CMF Piano Performance Museum is funded in part by the Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation

Photo by Jeffrey Langford

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

This is just a sampling of all of the events in the Catskills this March.

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

Delhi Winter Farmers Market

The Delhi Farmers Market has an amazing line up of dedicated farmers, bakers, makers and more. Each week they bring their best with a wide selection of goods. You will find a variety of your kitchen staples—fresh bread, farm fresh cheeses, vegetables, jams, poultry and more. To help ward off the cold, you will find crocheted apparel, distilled spirits, amaryllis bulbs, and homemade pie. If you’d like to add sparkle and shine to your winter, there are unique jewelers at the market.

Location: Delhi American Legion, 41 Page Avenue, Delhi

Hours: Every Wednesday, 9am-2pm

Phoenicia Winter 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: Pine Hill Community Center, 287 Main Street, Pine Hill

Hours: Every Sunday, noon-4pm

Woodstock Farm Festival

Indoor Winter Farmers Market

Woodstock’s other festival - celebrating local food, live music, and our rockin’ community

Location: Overlook United Methodist Church, 233 Tinker Street, Woodstock

Day & Time: Every other Saturday, 10:00 am2:00 pm

More Info: woodstockfarmfestival.org

Online Meditation with Bushel

Bushel is hosting online meditation sessions that include guided meditation, group interaction, 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 MARCH 17

Members Late Winter Group Exhibit

Longyear Gallery is an artist run co-op gallery. This show features a variety of work by gallery members in various mediums.

Location: Longyear Gallery, 785 Main Street, Margaretville

Hours: Friday-Sunday & Holiday Mondays, 11:00 am-4:00 pm

More Info: longyeargallery.org

MARCH 1

First Fridays at the Athens Cultural Center

Embrace the arts and join us at the Athens Cultural Center for our vibrant “First Fridays” happy hour! 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

Driftwood

Anyone familiar with the Americana music scene knows this upstate New York-based band has cut their teeth on a killer live show. With a neverending tour schedule and a steady buzz, they have built a very solid underground fan base.

Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann

Lane, Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: levonhelm.com

MARCH 1-2

Dogs in a Pile

The sandy shores of Asbury Park, New Jersey are hallowed ground in the northeast. Dogs in a Pile, an eclectic quintet, has emerged as the heir apparent to the town’s rich musical legacy. Merging funk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedelia, the quintet presents a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes reminiscent of the days of yesteryear.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 1-3

Mirele Lernt Zich Yiddish

Launching this year’s Bridge Street Theatre Solofest—a mini- Festival of four original solo shows—is Philadelphia-based performer Miryam Coppersmith’s Mirele Lernt Zich Yiddish (Mirele Learns Yiddish). This celebratory semi-improvised dance/theater piece (different stories every show—no two performances the same!) uses dancing, song, puppetry, and audience interaction as Miryam attempts to reclaim a language that persecution and assimilation squeezed out of Ashkenazi Jewry in the first place. For those attending the show on March 2, the performance will be followed by an extended Klezmer Dance Party, to which the entire audience is invited at no extra cost.

Location: Bridge Street Theatre, 44 West Bridge Street, Catskill

Day & Time: Friday & Saturday @ 7:30 pm; Sunday @ 2:00 pm

More Info: bridgest.org

Howl at The CENTER

The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck is pleased to present Howl Playwrights’ Howl at The CENTER. Howl at The CENTER is a collection of original plays, monologues, and musical pieces by members of Howl Playwrights. These will be performed as staged readings.

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

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.

MARCH 1-31

Harmony

Discover the common thread that unites artistic vision. Celebrate art’s universal language of self-expression at Windham Fine Arts. Bold colors, bursting with life, contribute to a collective masterpiece and a harmony of our human experience. Featuring artists Sunil Howlader, H.M. Saffer ll, and Geoffrey Stein.

Location: Windham Fine Arts, 5380 Main Street, Windham

More Info: director@windhamfinearts.com, 518 734 6850, or windhamfinearts.com

MARCH 2

Probable Cause at the Main Bar

Come apres with us at the Main Bar with Probable Cause!

Location: Main Bar at Hunter Mountain Resort, 64 Klein Avenue, Hunter

Time: 3:00 pm

More Info: huntermtn.com

Danú “Traditional Music from Ireland” 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. Repertoire is announced from the stage and includes hornpipes, reels, and traditional favorites like “The Foggy Dew,” “Ten Thousand Miles,” and “Mo Ghile Mear.”

Location: Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville

Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: catskillmtn.org

The Gibson Brothers: Live Country Music

The Gibson Brothers are the real deal. They can pick. They can sing. And they can write a damn good country song. They’ve won about every bluegrass award you can name and released albums on almost every premier Americana label you can think of including Sugar Hill and Rounder, and, if that’s not enough, their songs have been recorded by bluegrass legends no less than Del McCoury. It’s a resume almost anybody in country music would be proud to have. Location: Walton Theatre, 30 Gardiner Place, Walton

Time: 7:30 pm

More Info: musiconthedelaware.org

Woodstock Symphony Orchestra: Mozart, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky

The 3rd of four concerts of the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra’s 44th season under the baton of new music director Mina Kim. Program: Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate soloist: Julie Papadopolous, Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite, Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 “Scottish”

Location: Woodstock Playhouse, 103 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock

Time: 7:30 pm

More Info: woodstockplayhouse.org

The Helm Family Midnight Ramble featuring Pieta Brown

The Helm Family Midnight Ramble is a musical tribute to the founding songbook of Rock and Roll. Born inside the hallowed walls of Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY, the Midnight Ramble has preserved and furthered Levon Helm’s legacy for nearly two decades. Pieta Brown was exposed early on to traditional and rural folk music through her father, Greg Brown, the beloved Midwestern folk singer. Later, while living with her mother in Birmingham, AL, Pieta drew on and expanded these influences and began writing poems and composing instrumental songs on piano.

Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: levonhelm.com

MARCH 2-3

AmEx First Tracks

Flash your AmEx and join us for first tracks one hour before lifts open, along with swag, coffee, hot chocolate and snacks!

Location: Main Bar at Hunter Mountain Resort, 64 Klein Avenue, Hunter

Time: 7:30 am

More Info: huntermtn.com

MARCH 3

Maple Festival

Indulge in the delights of maple sugaring. Tour our sugar shack, witness a live tree tapping demonstration, and savor fresh sap. Dive deeper with our morning educational session. Explore maple-themed offerings from Taste NY and local vendors.

Location: Agroforestry Resource Center, 6055

Route 23, Acra

Time: 10:000 am-3:30 pm

More Info: eventbrite.com/e/maple-festivaltickets-772216499337

Maple Sugaring: From Past to Present

Explore the rich world of maple sugar with CCE and Wild Hudson Valley, spanning historical practices to modern methods. Witness maple sugaring processes, taste sap from the tree, and secure your spot to receive a tapping kit. Limited space available, so register in advance for this immersive experience.

Location: Agroforestry Resource Center, 6055

Route 23, Acra

Time: 10:30 am-12:30 pm

More Info: eventbrite.com/e/maple-sugaringfrom-past-to-present-tickets-772333228477

“Piper Red Pearls,” by Geoffrey Stein

Sunday Silents Presents: A Salute to Film Pioneer Helen Holmes

Helen Holmes became a star playing the part of the fearless railroad telegrapher “Helen” in the Kalem Company’s long-running, stunt-driven serial The Hazards of Helen (1914–1917), and continued to make action films through the decade as an independent writer and producer. Not only were her films successful at the box office, but they featured some of the most heroic female images in silent cinema as she leapt to the top of speeding trains and handled pistols with ease. The program will show several of Holmes’ best film shorts, plus a 2011 documentary Stunt Love. We will be joined by Helen’s great-granddaughter and author, Shirley Freitas. With live accompaniment by Marta Waterman.

Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale

Time: 2:00 pm

More Info: rosendaletheatre.org

Be Here To Love Me:

The Songs of Townes Van Zandt

Known as a songwriter’s songwriter, Van Zandt’s soulful lyrics and lucid melodies, along with a turbulent lifestyle, have made him a cult legend. Since his passing in 2007, he has continued to appeal to a new generation. Featuring: Kenny Roby, Amy Laber, Marc Delgado, Kyle Esposito, Kate Prascher, Matt Witte, Jayla Kai, Mister Roper and many more!

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 6

Nature’s Best Hope with Doug Tallamy

Recent headlines about global insect declines, the impending extinction of one million species worldwide, and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals on our planet. Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can—and must—take to reverse declining biodiversity and will explain why we are nature’s best hope. Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has taught for 32 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities.

Location: Online via Zoom. Registration is required.

Time: 6:30-8:00 pm

More Info: mtarboretum.org

Music Fan Series: U2: Rattle and Hum

In 1987, legendary Irish rock group U2 embark on the North American leg of the concert tour for their acclaimed album, The Joshua Tree. The band visits historic sites of musical importance and spends time in the recording studio working on covers of classic rock tunes and new songs with guests like blues guitarist B.B. King, Bob Dylan and a gospel choir. All the while, concert footage of the band’s biggest hits on tour are featured while Bono speaks his mind on the problems of his homeland.

Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale

Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: rosendaletheatre.org

Blues Night at the Colony: Matthew Curry Matthew Curry is an original roots rock singer/ songwriter who is well-known for his incredible guitar-playing abilities. This talent has earned him opening touring slots with The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, Steve Miller Band, Journey and more. Curry’s music appeals to a broad spectrum as he has built a multi-generational audience, evident at his shows. His songs draw from personal inspirations, incorporating elements of rock, blues, southern rock, and old school country.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 7

Film: Stray Dog (1949)

Legendary director Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog set the template for police procedural and buddy cop films for years to follow. The film is an early collaboration between Kurosawa and famed actor Toshiro Mifune, who stars as a young detective whose gun is stolen on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. Costarring Takashi Shimura as the seasoned detective who keeps him on the right side of the law, Stray Dog (Nora inu) goes beyond crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind. This film appears as part of our GAME CHANGERS Series, featuring 12 films that revolutionized cinema. The screenings are free of charge, and are preceded by a Happy Hour starting at 6:30pm, featuring half price beer and wine as well as free snacks and soda.

Location: Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, Kingston Time: 7:30 pm

More Info: bardavon.org

Jim Lauderdale with Ira Wolf

At any given time, you’re likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music, whether he’s laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. He has won two Grammys, released 36 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Award. Opening for Jim is Ira Wolf, whose music and writing are vulnerably honest as she explores heartache, homesickness, and the highs and lows of an unconventional wandering lifestyle through her truthful lyrics and melancholy vocals.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 8

Lindsey Webster

From the first note, Lindsey Webster captivates listeners. Her rich, soulful voice enchants a dedicated following who connect with the raw emotion she shares with them. As a Soul R&B artist, she combines an admirable natural talent with a genuine, accessible stage presence. The release of Lindsey’s sixth full-length studio album, Reasons, contains great songwriting and amazing musical performances.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

Paul Thorn & Steve Poltz: In the Ring Together Tour

Similar backgrounds yet different paths. Paul Thorn and Steve Poltz have a 20+ year friendship and are taking it on the road and in the ring together this spring for a multi-city tour, surely to bring love, laughter and mischief along with them. Equal parts humor, poignant stories, and expert musicianship, these two storytellers with contagious smiles will put on a show that will make you laugh one minute and cry the next.

Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: levonhelm.com

MARCH 8-10

Top Drawer

Her father was a closeted gay concert pianist, her mother a thrice-married opera singer with impossibly high artistic standards. And the story of a daughter’s journey to Cuba to find her father’s grand piano, left behind when the family fled the Revolution in 1960, is told in Adelaide Mestre’s remarkable, hilarious, heartbreaking and song-filled one-woman show Top Drawer, part of BST’s 2024 SoloFest. Accompanied by

Film still with Holmes “at the throttle” of a locomotive in The Girl and the Game (1916)

Doug Oberhamer at the piano, Mestre revisits her privileged childhood on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, her parents’ doomed love affair, her return to Havana to try to reclaim her family’s heritage, and her struggle as an artist to break free from the facade of glamor and perfection that her family seemed to prize above all else. It’s an inspiring autobiographical tale of tragedy and triumph, dysfunction and redemption, shared in story and song.

Location: Bridge Street Theatre, 44 West Bridge Street, Catskill

Day & Time: Friday & Saturday @ 7:30 pm; Sunday @ 2:00 pm

More Info: bridgest.org

MARCH 8-24

Hamlet

CENTERstage Productions presents Hamlet by William Shakespeare as part of the 17th Annual Sam Scripps Shakespeare Festival. In Shakespeare’s iconic work in a new adaptation by director Lou Trapani, this Hamlet is about families and their angsts in 2024 America. Fast and intense, it features an off-beat cast in modern dress, with a bare set and a handful of sound and lighting effects.

Location: The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, 661 Route 308, Rhinebeck

Day & Time: Fridays & Saturdays @ 8:00 pm; Sundays @ 3:00 pm

More Info: CenterforPerformingArts.org

MARCH 9

360 All Stars

A phenomenal physical performance exploring all forms of rotation, 360 ALLSTARS connects the street with the elite to deliver a supercharged urban circus. 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.

Location: Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville

Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: catskillmtn.org

Claybourne Elder’s I Want to be Bad Broadway’s hunky gay ex-Mormon dad Claybourne Elder’s new show offers a hilarious, heartfelt, and surprisingly naughty glimpse into his life!

Location: Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street, Kingston

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: olddutchchurch.org

Help! An Evening of The Beatles

Some of the Hudson Valley’s finest musicians bring you the best songs of the late period albums by the Beatles. The musicians are Joey Eppard, vocals & guitar; Leslie Ritter, vocals; Scott Petito, bass & music director; Jeff Mercel, drums & percussion; Will Bryant, keyboards; and Adam Widoff, guitar.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 9-10

Maple Fest 2024

Come enjoy a day of maple sugaring, pancakes, and good times for all ages! Blacksmithing demos, live music, cozy campfires, and guided hikes to the place where the magic happens— the sugar shack!

Location: The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge

Time: 10:00 am-2:00 pm daily

More Info: ashokancenter.org

Gouache Weekend with Lisbeth Firmin

Often described as a middle ground between water color and acrylic painting, gouache paints are a water-medium paint that is great for creating vibrant, colorful paintings—and it’s perfect for beginners. During this inspiring weekend workshop participants will work with painter Lisbeth Firmin in an exploration of one of her favorite mediums. At the beginning of each day, Lisbeth Firmin will lead a painting demonstration followed by participant practice from still-life and other source materials. Each day will end with an engaging discussion from everyone of all the paintings done that day.

Location: Headwaters Art Center, 66 Main Street, Stamford

More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org

Roadhouse 60s at the Main Bar

Come apres with us at the Main Bar with Roadhouse 60s!

Location: Main Bar at Hunter Mountain Resort, 64 Klein Avenue, Hunter

Time: 3:00 pm

More Info: huntermtn.com

MARCH 9 & 23

Trash Art Adventure Sessions

Using cardboard, discarded fake flowers, egg cartons, markers, plastics, ribbons, and other recyclables children get the chance to create their own new adventures. No charge. Come and enjoy your children creating something wonderful out of clean trash! And maybe make a new friend! Parents please stay and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with us!

Location: Catskill Water Discovery Center, 669 Co Rd 38, Arkville

Time: 1:00-3:00 pm

More Info: waterdiscoverycenter.org

MARCH 9-APRIL 7

Imaginary Wilds: Architectural Interventions for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site The pop-up exhibition presents architectural projects created for the Thomas Cole National

Historic Site done by students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s School of Architecture. Under the guidance of six design studio instructors, students envisioned new buildings to house a gallery and public gathering space at the historic site’s campus. Framed by the concept of a mythic wild landscape, which was prevalent in Cole’s time and persists in ours, “Imaginary Wilds” presents a series of forwardlooking designs that address real and ideal relationships between architecture and landscape.

Location: Thomas Cole National Historic Site, 218 Spring Street, Catskill

Days: Saturdays & Sundays

More Info: thomascole.org

MARCH 10

Shamrock Run 2024

Get your running sneakers on and join in on the St. Patrick’s Day fun! The Irish Cultural Center of the Hudson Valley will be holding their 36th Annual 2-mile Shamrock Run! The race will start at Academy Green at 12:50pm SHARP and end at the foot of Broadway!

Location: Academy Green 238 Clinton Avenue, Kingston

Time: 12:50 pm

More Info: shamrockrun.org

Kingston St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Join the people of Kingston in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! You do not want to miss out on the Hudson Valley’s LARGEST parade! Make sure to check it out!

Location: Kingston Plaza, 151 Plaza Road, Kingston Time: 1:00 pm

Saugerties Pro Musica: AYA

Pronounced ay-why-ay, this piano trio was formed in 2013 at the Curtis Institute of Music. Winners of the 2018 WDAV Young Chamber Musicians Competition and the 2020 Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition, make sure you stop by and witness their beautiful music for FREE! The performance will include music by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Faure, Haydn, and Mozart.

Location: Saugerties United Methodist Church, 67 Washington Ave, Saugerties

Time: 3:00 pm

More information: saugertiespromusica.org

The Linda Ronstadt Experience

with American Idol Star Tristan McIntosh

American Idol Star Tristan McIntosh creates a stunning portrayal of Linda Ronstadt in the prime of her career. Supported by a superb backing band, Tristan’s formidable vocal talent

and stage presence will transport you to a time when Linda Ronstadt ruled the airwaves as one of the most popular female vocalists in music history.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

Ollabelle: ‘Ollabelle’ 20th Anniversary Join Ollabelle as they return to Levon Helm Studios to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut album, Ollabelle, released in March of 2004. Produced by T Bone Burnett and released on his own Sony imprint, the release of Ollabelle changed the blueprint of roots and Americana music in the 21st century.

Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: levonhelm.com

MARCH 13

Rainbow Fish

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia presents an original stage adaptation of Marcus Pfister’s colorful story as well as two of the author’s companion tales, Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea and Opposites. The Rainbow Fish tells the story of the most beautiful fish in the sea, whose scales shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow. Following the advice of a clever octopus, he gives each fish one of his scales. The more he shares, the happier he becomes. The Rainbow Fish took the best seller lists by storm when it was published in 1992. To date more than 30 million copies of the various Rainbow Fish volumes have been sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages. Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea highlights further adventures. Opposites uses striking images from Rainbow Fish’s underwater wonderland to introduce very young children to the concept of opposites. As a fitting finale, and story ends with the most satisfying opposite of all—give and take—as Rainbow Fish shares one of his shining scales with a friend.

Location: Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, Kingston

Time: 10:00 am

More Info: bardavon.org

MARCH 14

Classic Film Series:

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Directed by Elia Kazan and based on Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this film is a poignant exploration of desire, delusion, and the clash between old and new worlds. Set

in the vibrant and sultry city of New Orleans, the story revolves around the enigmatic Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh), who seeks refuge in her sister Stella’s (Kim Hunter) life only to find herself in a tumultuous collision with Stella’s brutish husband, Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando). A Streetcar Named Desire is celebrated for its powerful performances, evocative cinematography, and its unflinching portrayal of the human psyche. As an enduring classic, the film continues to captivate audiences with its exploration of the complexities of desire and the harsh realities of life.

Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale

Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: rosendaletheatre.org

Film Screening: Schultze Gets the Blues Schultze is a retired lignite miner living in an East German village and a passionate Polka musician on his accordion. One night he listens to a Zydeco tune in the radio, which changes his taste of music radically. Notwithstanding his complete ignorance of the English language he starts a trip into the heart of the Zydeco; to Louisana. There are no advance reservations, seating is first-come, first served. The Headwaters Arts Center has folding chairs for guests, but attendees can bring their own folding chairs or blankets if they prefer. There is no cost to attend. Donations are gratefully accepted to support the continued programming offered by the Roxbury Arts Group.

Location: Headwaters Art Center, 66 Main Street, Stamford

Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: roxburyartsgroup.org

Rose & the Bros and Viv & Riley

Rose & The Bros are a powerhouse ensemble specializing in irresistible Zydeco and Cajun dance grooves resonating with sweet vocal harmonies and crooning country roots. Viv & Riley’s sound is old-soul roots music to its core, elegantly combining a traditional backbone with the fresh iconic melodies of future-leaning indie-folk, and the tightly wound vocal harmonies of the old-time and classic country music they came from.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 15

Lena Jonsson Trio Concert

Lena Jonsson is is one of Scandinavia’s most influential fiddlers and visionary artists. Don’t miss this opportunity to see her dynamic trio live in concert!

Location: The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: ashokancenter.org

The Dublin City Ramblers

The name The Dublin City Ramblers is legendary in Irish music, they have blazed a trail in folk music for over 50 years with their unique style and unmistakable delivery of Irish music. Con-

tinuously performing at the highest level, The Ramblers are ambassadors of Irish culture and have gained the love and respect of loyal fans and fellow artists worldwide. Throughout their storied career, led by Sean McGuinness, the band has earned many awards and accolades and have headlined the major Celtic festivals all over the globe. The Dublin City Ramblers have been dubbed Ireland’s Number 1 Folk & Ballad Group over the past five decades, having contributed so much to the Great Irish Songbook.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 15-17

Women’s Wellness Weekend at Frost Valley A weekend to relax, rejuvenate, and have fun! Spend the weekend away in the beautiful Catskills to treat your spirit, mind, and body to better overall wellness! Get involved with all the activities they have to offer—dance classes, nature hikes, yoga, aromatherapy, pottery, vision boards, and so much more!

Location: Frost Valley YMCA 2000 Frost Valley Road, Claryville

More information: frostvalley.org

The Great Divide

Picture this: a trashy NYC apartment, and a dress that’s maybe a bit too daring. A New Year’s Eve bash where your latest crush is the only familiar face in the room. Every glance, every laugh, every drink could potentially lead to either your own unique “Meet Cute” or possibly a brutal rejection. Which way will things go? That’s the dilemma facing writer/performer Amy Crossman in her darkly comic solo show The Great Divide being presented as part of BST’s 2024 Solofest. What can you do to ease the pain when a relationship you hoped would last forever fades away and then abruptly—ends? Alternately hysterically funny, heartbreaking, and totally relatable, it’s a tragicomic exploration of what it means to love, to have your heart broken, and then to make a fresh start after the storm.

Location: Bridge Street Theatre, 44 West Bridge Street, Catskill

Day & Time: Friday & Saturday @ 7:30 pm; Sunday @ 2:00 pm

More Info: bridgest.org

Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos

Chadwick Stokes is an accomplished musician and songwriter whose many projects have woven together music, art, history and activism. From Dispatch, which he started in his early 20s; to his politically driven band, State Radio; to his nascent solo project, Chadwick Stokes and the Pintos, Chad has committed himself to using music as a vehicle for social and political change. Through his many years of working independently within what can be a difficult industry, Chadwick has been continually motivated by his love of music and the people he makes it with.\

Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: levonhelm.com

MARCH 16

Guilty Pleasure at the Main Bar

Come apres with us at the Main Bar with Guilty Pleasure!

Location: Main Bar at Hunter Mountain Resort, 64 Klein Avenue, Hunter

Time: 3:00 pm

More Info: huntermtn.com

Rend Collective: The Campfire Tour

Taking on the moniker “Purveyors of Good News,” the Bangor, Ireland-hailing Rend Collective is barreling down the road of authenticity, and simple old-fashioned Gospel. This tour celebrates the 10th anniversary of Campfire, the band’s third album, recorded around a literal campfire with all acoustic instruments on a chilly Northern Irish beach.

Location: Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, Kingston

Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: bardavon.org

Jamie McLean Band w/ Clare Maloney & The Great Adventure

Jamie McLean Band creates a musical gumbo that incorporates New Orleans soul, middle Americana roots, Delta blues and New York City swagger. McLean’s fiery guitar put him on stages from from Madison Square Garden to Japan’s Fuji Rock. And his top line songwriting chops have crafted profound, honest and heartfelt songs that will keep you singing along, dancing along and feeling like the song was written about you. Opening of Jamie are Clare Maloney and the Great Adventure: New York’s Clare Maloney is one of the most distinctive, powerful and emotive voices in rock & roll today.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

Saturday Creature Features Presents:

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone and Lionel Atwill come together in one of classic horror’s crown jewels. Baron Wolf von Frankenstein returns to his ancestral castle and discovers the near lifeless Monster but is torn between completely destroying the Monster or reviving him in order to honor his deceased father Henry Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi stars as the Monster’s friend “Ygor,” who nearly steals the entire film! Come see this Universal Monsters horror classic with FULL THEATRE SOUND on the BIG SCREEN!

Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale

Time: 9:30 pm

More Info: rosendaletheatre.org

MARCH 16-17 & 23-24

New York State Maple Weekends

Maple Producers all around NYS will have their farms open for tours, activities, tastings, and so much more. Maple Weekend is a chance for the public to visit local farms to learn about New York’s maple sugar making processes and traditions and to provide a chance to taste pure maple syrup in its many forms—right from the source. This event is organized and sponsored by the New York State Maple Producers’ Association.

Location: Locations throughout New York State

More Info: mapleweekend.com

MARCH 17

East Durham St. Patrick’s Day Parade

After 30 years the East Durham Irish Parade returns to East Durham led by Grand Marshall Neil Kellegher! Enjoy the festivities at East Durham St. Patrick’s Day Parade with lively marching bands, pipes and drums, live music, Irish dancing, floats, and more!

Location: Route 145, East Durham

Time: Parade kicks off at noon

St. Patrick’s Day Show with AJ Lee & Blue Summit

AJ Lee and Blue Summit made their first appearance in Santa Cruz in 2015. Led by singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, AJ Lee, the bluegrass band has performed all over the world, but finds home in California’s Bay Area. In 2019, they released their debut album, Like I Used To. Their second full length project, I’ll Come Back, came out August 2021 - with national touring in support of the record ongoing.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 20-21

High Society (1956) at the Orpheum Theatre Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and John Lund all swoon in a musical about a spoiled heiress plagued with having to choose between three suitors: her jazz musician ex-husband, a stuffy businessman, and an undercover tabloid reporter. A score by Cole Porter and a cameo by Louis Armstrong bolster this already gleeful joyride of a film.

Location: Orpheum Theatre, 156 Main Street, Saugerties

More information: upstatefilms.org

MARCH 21

Blueberry w/ Gail Ann Dorsey

Gwen Snyder lives on her own planet—the planet Blueberry. Blueberry also happens to be the name of the ever-changing, party-bringing

psychedelic-soul collective that New York singer and multi-instrumentalist Snyder formed in 1999 to play her songs. Gail Ann Dorsey is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and recording artist with a unique and impressive career in mainstream and independent music spanning more than three decades.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 21-24

Live Theatre Presents: Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen Radio Plays

Radio Rosendale (WRDL) visits Victorian England and the world of Sherlock Holmes. We have taken two classic stories, ‘The Redheaded League’ and ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’ to weave one tale of deception, foreign intrigue, theft and of course… scandal. Following Holmes we will move across the pond to NYC, 1939 and meet Ellery Queen, considered to be the American heir to Homes/Watson. Ellery is a mystery novelist who often gets pulled into crime solving, combining the skills of the British duo. The original radio show always included a moment for the audience to guess “who done it.” Dressing for the era is encouraged but not required!

Location: Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale

Time: Thursday & Friday @ 7:30 pm; Saturday @ 2:00 & 7:30 pm; Sunday @ 4:00 pm

More Info: rosendaletheatre.org

MARCH 22

Las Cafeteras

Las Cafeteras have taken the music scene by storm with their infectious live performances and have crossed genre and musical borders. Their electric sound & energy has taken them around the world playing shows from Bonnaroo to the Hollywood Bowl, WOMAD New Zealand to Montreal Jazz, & beyond!

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 22-24

Longing Lasts Longer

Bridge Street Theatre, in collaboration with NYC’s White Horse Theatre Company, closes out its 2024 SoloFest with the legendary performance artist Penny Arcade in her one-woman show, Longing Lasts Longer. A unique blend of stand-up comedy and memoir set in a riveting rock-and-roll soundscape, Longing Lasts Longer is a fierce, visionary, and ultimately forwardlooking critique of the erasure of history, the rise of nostalgia, and the pervasiveness of cultural amnesia created by international gentrification. This international performance legend, whose name has become globally synonymous with “Downtown New York Art,” combines poetics, comedy, and rock-and-roll into what can only be called cultural critique you can dance to!

Location: Bridge Street Theatre, 44 West Bridge Street, Catskill

Day & Time: Friday & Saturday @ 7:30 pm; Sunday @ 2:00 pm

More Info: bridgest.org

MARCH 23

Presentation by Glenn Kreisberg

Glenn Kreisberg is an author, outdoor guide, and radio engineer, who researches archeoastronomy and landscape archaeology in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. Glenn can be seen as a guest on The UnXplained with William Shatner and Ancient Aliens

Location: Shandaken Historical Museum, 26 Academy Street, Pine Hill

Time: 1:00 pm-3:00 pm

More Info: shandakennymuseum.org or 845 254 4460

Art Preview Reception for Margaretville Hospital Art Auction

A preview of the upcoming Margaretville Art Auction in May. Proceeds from this auction will be used towards the construction of a much needed, live saving, Heli Pad at Margaretville Hospital. The most amazing art work and sculptures from extremely talented and generous artists in our local community will be offered!

Location: River Rock Events, 739 Co Rd 18, Delhi

Time: 2:00 pm-5:00 pm

More Info: margaretvillehosp.org

Hunter x Wild Honey Pie on the Mountain

With six bands and DJs performing throughout the day and evening, OTM is a ticketed event that will provide access to after hours music and other curated experiences.

Location: Hunter Mountain Resort, 64 Klein Avenue, Hunter

More Info: huntermtn.com

The Feelies

The Feelies have released seven albums including their critically acclaimed and influential debut Crazy Rhythms, which was voted 49 in the top 100 albums of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine and chosen by Spin Magazine as #49 of the best alternative records of all time. Their music has left an indelible mark on the landscape of rock and roll.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 24

Salon Sunday: RPI Architecture students present their work from ‘Imaginary Wilds’

Join RPI Architecture students for a presentation of their work. Under the guidance of six design studio instructors, students envisioned new buildings to house a gallery and public gathering space at the historic site’s campus. “Imaginary Wilds” presents a series of forward-looking designs that address real and ideal relationships between architecture and landscape.

Location: Thomas Cole National Historic Site, 218 Spring Street, Catskill

Times: Two sessions @ 2:00 & 4:00 pm

More Info: thomascole.org

International Fortepiano Salon Online: Featuring Special Guest Hilda Huang Hilda Huang is a modern performer of historical music who brings together traditions of perfor-

mance 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. Hilda resides in Amsterdam and performs frequently in the United States, Netherlands, and Germany.

Location: Streaming Online on Facebook and YouTube

Time: 2:00 pm

More Info: catskillmtn.org or internationalfortepianosalon.com

MARCH 26-28

Spring Break Earth Art Camp

Youth ages 5 to 13 are welcomed this spring to head outside for adventures at Wild Earth’s spring break day camp with an artistic flare! The three-day experience includes nature arts and crafts, fire building, games, adventure, creativity, and so much more!

Location: Wild Earth 2307 Lucas Turnpike, High Falls

More information: wildearth.org

MARCH 27

Nature’s Palette Workshop with Laura Leigh Plein air/abstract artist Laura Leigh Lanchantin will walk through the traditional method of creating watercolor paint from Catskill and Appalachian sedimentary rock/clay. Laura will also discuss basic geology, the history of pigments, safety procedures, and areas where she collects her stones. Each student will have the opportunity to create a small watercolor palette to take home. The end of the workshop will feature an open-paint session with pigments, charcoal and watercolor mediums. This workshop is for adult artists and non-artists alike. No previous knowledge required. All materials included. Registration is required.

Location: Mountain Top Arboretum, 4 Maude Adams Road, Tannersville

Time: 6:00 pm

More Info: mtarboretum.org

MARCH 27-28

Sweet Charity (1969) at the Orpheum Theatre

A veritable who’s-who of sixties talent, Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera, Paula Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr., and more star in this Bob Fosse-directed and choreographed film about a down-on-herluck taxi dancer trying to make it in the city, with hope for love and a bevy of friends to buoy her spirits. What was at first received as a slapdash song and dance, the performances and script written by Neil Simon have endured the test of time and now prove an important keystone in musical history.

Location: Orpheum Theatre, 156 Main Street, Saugerties

More information: upstatefilms.org

MARCH 28

Time Has Made A Place featuring

Sam Amidon, Bridget St. John, Josh Kaufman, Annie Nero & Chris Vatalaro

Sam Amidon is a singer and multi-instrumentalist from Vermont, now based in London, England. He has released seven acclaimed solo albums of songs, and is currently working on a new album to be released this year. Amidon’s material for these albums often consists of adventurous reworkings of traditional American ballads, hymns and work songs, with The New York Times writing that Amidon “transforms all of the songs, changing their colors and loading them with trapdoors.” The albums have been deeply collaborative in nature, inviting contributions from musicians such as composer Nico Muhly, guitarist Bill Frisell, and legendary percussionist Milford Graves.

Location: Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann

Lane, Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: levonhelm.com

MARCH 29

Big Yellow Taxi: The Music of Joni Mitchell

Big Yellow Taxi is a New England based band, created to explore the music of Joni Mitchell, from her early folk roots to her jazz influenced compositions. The band features the expressive and soaring voice of Teresa Lorenço. Teresa has performed in folk and rock bands plus burlesque and musical theater. The Big Yellow Taxi band is composed of experienced and talented musicians dedicated to creating an exciting live show. The mission of the band is to present a show that immerses the audience in an intimate and emotional journey through many of Joni’s best loved and most powerful songs: a performance beyond mere imitation, to delve into Joni’s musical intensity and genius, to leave audiences entertained, moved and elated. Big Yellow Taxi has been performing shows on the east coast for over a year to the enthusiastic reviews of Joni fans and converts.

Location: Colony, 22 Rock City Rd., Woodstock

Time: 8:00 pm

More Info: colonywoodstock.com

MARCH 30

Ladies of Hip Hop: The Black Dancing Bodies—SpeakMyMind

Part of an ongoing performance and documentary effort focused on Black women in street and club dance culture, this session of Black Dancing Bodies continues to explore the power of the choreopoem; first coined in 1975 by writer Ntozake Shange (for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf); 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.

Location: Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Tannersville

Time: 7:00 pm

More Info: catskillmtn.org

SUMMER FOR YOUTH ART PROGRAMS

Summer programs to immerse your child in a safe and creative environment where they explore art, theater, music, and dance.

Ages 4-18

Community Summer Dance Classes

With Victoria Rinaldi

Offering dance classes for pre-ballet through advanced ballet, pointe and contemporary. Classes are $10 each paid at the beginning of the session Participation in the annual production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is free and open to all.

June 17 – August 4, 2024

Auditions for A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Wednesday, June 19

Performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Saturday – Sunday, August 3 – 4

Grades 3-8

The Living Environment

National Dance Institute (NDI), founded by Jacques d’Amboise, brings its award-winning dance program to the Catskill Mountains. Children 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.

NDI’s 2024 theme is The Living Environment. Using movement to explore the beauty of the natural world and its connections to human life, we aim to empower students to become stewards of the environment and creators of a future based on creative solutions, compassion, and community.

July 8 – 19, 2024

Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Performance: Saturday, July 20, 7:00 pm

are

Ages 5-14

ART EXPLORERS

The Superpowers of Art & Nature

Instructor: Kate Berten

Do you like to play outside and be creative? Art Explorers is for YOU!

Taking inspiration from the flowers, bugs, trees, and mountains around us, we will tap into our creativity to capture the magic of nature and create paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Each day will include free play in the gorgeous Catskill Mountains, art exploration and creative connections.

WEEK 1:

July 15 – 19

WEEK 2: July 22 – 26

WEEK 3: July 29 – August 2

WEEK 4: August 5 – 9

WEEK 5: August 12 – 16

Monday – Friday, 9:00am–4:00pm

Scan the QR code for more info and to register online, or call 518 263 2001

Scholarships are available!

MAUDE ADAMS THEATER HUB

Ages 8-12

The Superpowers of Theater and Movement

We will combine theater and movement to make small plays and skits as participants learn to create everything from scripts, to costumes, to props, and much more. Stage combat, movement, and dance will also be part of the curriculum as students explore their creativity in the beauty of Sugar Maples.

August 5 – 16, 2024

Monday – Friday, 9:00am–4:00pm

CATSKILL MOUNTAIN SHAKESPEARE

Ages 12-18

Scholarships are available!

Youth Company Summer Intensive

Spend a week immersed in the world of Shakespearean performance. Led by professional actors and teaching artists, members of the CMS Youth Company will spend their days making sense of verse and learning how to bring it to life, taking a stab at stage combat, and having a spin with Elizabethan song and dance. The week will culminate in a performance to showcase the work, because, after all, the play is the thing!

August 5 – 9, 2024

Monday – Friday, 9:00am–3:00pm

Special Outdoor Performance!

Saturday, August 10

Scholarships are available!

AUDITIONS

Maude Adams Theater Hub

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Auditions: March 23, 24 & 26

Doctorow Center for the Arts

7971 Main Street, Hunter, NY 12442

Performances: July 5 & 6

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

6050 Main Street, Tannersville, NY 12485

Orpheum Dance Program

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Auditions: June 19

CMF Red Barn

7970 Main Street, Hunter, NY 12442

Performances: August 3-4

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

6050 Main Street, Tannersville, NY 12485

2024 PERFORMING ARTS SEASON

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—

SOLD OUT!

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

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo February 24

360 ALLSTARS

March 9

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.

SATURDAY, APRIL 5 AT 7:00PM

SUNDAY, 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 and music by Cole Porter, Claude Debussy, François Poulenc 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 Shakspeare 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, CMT’s 2022 “Next Woman of Country” and Nashville-based singer Kristina Train, supported by a 5-member all-female band.

Photo: Darren Thomas

SATURDAY, MAY 11 AT 7:00PM

CAMILLE A. BROWN AND DANCERS

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, where 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

COMEDY SHOW

Doctorow Center for the Arts

Comedy Night is back, and it’s cleaner than ever! Josh Fromer brings opener Amanda Gail and headliner Gregg 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/academy20024

The 2024 Academy of Fortepiano Performance presents masterclasses and performances by fortepianists Elizaveta Miller of McGill University and Jiayan Sun of Smith College. The chamber music workshop will feature guest faculty Cynthia Roberts, faculty member at the Historical Performance program of the Juilliard School. Academy of Fortepiano Performance students will participate in lessons, master classes, and workshops supported by plentiful access to pianos from the 18th and 19th century or their modern replicas.

SATURDAY, MAY 25 AT 7:00 PM

FACULTY AND GUEST ARTIST CONCERT

Audrey Axinn, Maria Rose, Andrew Willis and guest artist Elizaveta Miller

MAY 25 – JUNE 2

ACADEMY OF FORTEPIANO PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP FOR SOLO FORTEPIANO

Guest artists: Elizaveta Miller and Jiayan Sun

JUNE 2 – JUNE 8

CHAMBER MUSIC WORKSHOP FOR FORTEPIANO AND STRINGS

Guest faculty: Cynthia Roberts

DOCTOROW CENTER FOR THE ARTS* 7971 MAIN STREET HUNTER, NY 12442

ORPHEUM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 6050 MAIN

* The Red Barn (and outdoor tent) are located directly across the street from the Doctorow Center for the Arts

JULY-DECEMBER AT-A-GLANCE

JULY

Maude Adams Theater Hub presents

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

Friday & Saturday, July 5 & 6

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

Catskill Mountain Foundation Benefit Dinner

Friday, July 12

Red Barn

Stars from the New York City Ballet

Saturday, July 13 @ 7:00pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

Catskill Mountain Shakespeare presents a Main Stage Production

July 2024

Under the Big Tent behind the Red Barn

Horton-By-The-Stream: Celebrating 30 Years!

Harrison, Texas, by Horton Foote

Saturdays and Sundays July 20-21 & 27-28 @ 2:00pm

Benefit Performance: Saturday July 27 @ 8:00pm

Doctorow Center for the Arts

National Dance Institute: The Living Environment

Saturday, July 20 @ 7:00pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

AUGUST

HUNTER INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

August 1 – August 10

Visit: huntermusicfestival.com

Hunter International Music Festival Faculty Concert

Friday, August 9 @ 7:00pm

Doctorow Center for the Arts

Guest Artist Concert: The Lysander Trio

Saturday, August 10 @ 7:00pm

Doctorow Center for the Arts

Music Salon @ HIMF

Sunday, August 4 @ 7:00pm

Red Barn Recital Hall

Young Artists Concert Series

Tuesday, August 6 @ 7:00pm

Wednesday, August 7 @ 7:00pm

Doctorow Center for the Arts

Student Chamber Music Performances

Thursday, August 8 @ 7:00pm

Friday, August 9 @ 4:00pm

Doctorow Center for the Arts

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Ballet

Orpheum Dance Program, Victoria Rinaldi, Director

Featuring dancers from Joffrey Ballet School New York, Aquila Theatre and Orpheum Dance Program Student Dancers

Saturday, August 3 @ 2:00 & 7:00pm

Sunday, August 4 @ 2:00pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra

Robert Manno, Music Director

Music of Tchaikovsky, Scott Joplin & Robert Manno

Robert Manno, conductor

Melissa Wimbish, soprano • Andrew Garland, baritone

Saturday, August 17 @ 7:00pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

The Moss Ensemble

Darcy Dunn, Marshall Coid and Mary Wooten

Saturday, August 24 @ 7:00pm

Doctorow Center for the Arts

SEPTEMBER

Maude Adams Theater Hub Production

September 26-28

Doctorow Center for the Arts

OCTOBER

Home Again: Carole King Tribute

Saturday, October 19 @ 7:00pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

Maude Adams Theater Hub presents Little Shop of Horrors

Friday & Saturday, October 4 & 5

Friday & Saturday, October 11 & 12

Doctorow Center for the Arts

NOVEMBER

Some Enchanted Evening

Benny Benack III and Stella Katherine Cole

Saturday, November 16 @ 7:00pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

Twelfth Night Ensemble

Yi-heng Yang, fortepiano and Aquila Theatre

Saturday, November 30 @ 7:00 pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

DECEMBER

The Nutcracker Ballet

Orpheum Dance Program, Victoria Rinaldi, Director

Featuring Dancers from Joffrey Ballet School New York, Aquila Theatre and Orpheum Dance Program Student Dancers SIX PERFORMANCES

Saturday, December 7 @ 2:00 & 7:00pm

Sunday, December 8 @ 2:00pm

Saturday, December 14 @ 2:00 & 7:00pm

Sunday, December 15 @ 2:00pm

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

Maude Adams Theater Hub Holiday Show

Friday, December 20

Orpheum Performing Arts Center

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.

Photo: Mark Loete

• 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.

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