Holiday Fun in Woodstock

Mrs. Claus (aka Melody Newcombe) on 12/2/11

It's official: with the 30th annual Open House festivities on Friday evening (December 2 from 5 to 9 p.m.), Woodstock launched a season of holiday fun that will last throughout the winter.

You still have the month of December to use your 2011 Experience Woodstock Card (EWC) at close to 100 locations in the Woodstock area, and the 2012 card will be available at select locations on 1/1/2012. As always, check out the latest offers and EWC news at www.experiencewoodstockcard.com.

To purchase 2012 EWCs now and give them as holiday gifts, come out on Tuesday, December 6, to New World Home Cooking, beginning at 5 p.m. The 2012 EWCs will be available—along with a fabulous array of handcrafted goods—at the Ulster County Women's Network annual Holiday Gift Show. You'll find master craftspeople. fine artists, creators of natural beauty products, musicians and writers. Shop for gallery-quality gift items, holiday cards, pottery, jewelry, knitted clothing, hand-painted children's clothing, books, fused glass and much more . . . all at affordable prices.

New World Home Cooking is located at 1411 Route 212 in Saugerties (845-246-0900). For further details about the Holiday Gift Show, contact Melody Newcombe, mnewcombe@hvc.rr.com.

From all of us in Woodstock, happy holidays!

Music @ Woodstock

If you missed it, here's a link to footage of Traum Day, which took place August 6th on the Woodstock Village Green. Sponsored by the Woodstock Chamber, it was a ceremony to honor the Traum brothers . . . Happy and Artie . . . and it included such musicians as Levon Helm, John Sebastian, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, as well as Happy.

The videographer is Cambiz A. Khosravi.

Woodstock Yarnbombing

On Friday, September 30 to Saturday, October 1, Woodstock was yarnbombed by The Knitters of the Round Table. Check out Russell Richardson's video at http://vimeo.com/29981547.

Fall for Woodstock

Fall has begun and there's plenty to do in Woodstock!

The 12th annual, fiercely independent Woodstock Film Festival took place from Wednesday, September 21 through Sunday, September 25. If you missed this year's fest, you can catch up on highlights and order merchandise at www.woodstockfilmfestival.com.

Tomorrow (October 1) is the launch of the 8th annual Lark in the Park—10 days of outdoor activities in the Woodstock and Catskill Park region. According to Steve Berg, president of the Catskill Mountain Club, “We’re excited to offer the [Lark] this year for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the almost insurmountable odds we faced to do anything at all in the wake of tropical storms Irene and Lee.  The Lark has been running since the 100th anniversary of the Catskill Park in 2004.”

Berg continues, “This year, despite the flood damage, we are pleased to present 40+ events throughout the Park and neighboring counties.  These activities appeal to adults and kids and range from fly-fishing instruction to hiking; backpacking advice and a lecture on walking in old Woodstock.  We’re even planning to offer golf lessons! For a complete listing of the Lark’s events, which run through Columbus Day (Monday, October 10), click on www.catskillslark.org.

Woodstock + Bethel

Picnicking @ Bethel

The second annual "Party Bus to Bethel" departed from Woodstock on Friday, August 12, promptly at 3 p.m. On the way to Bethel we enjoyed a DVD and complimentary sandwiches. Guests also shared wine and other treats. Once at Bethel, a number of us visited The Museum, while others were transported directly to the picnic area. Three tables were reserved there for our group. The concert gates opened at 6:30. Just after 8 p.m. Leon Russell took the stage in fine form. Next up . . . a great performance from the poet of the 60s generation: Bob Dylan, together with his band.

After the concert the party bus picked us up in the VIP circle, and we were whisked away, munching homemade chocolate chip cookies. The party bus is a fun, green way to experience Woodstock + Bethel.

The party bus @ Bethel

If you'd like to recapture the magic of the sixties and the 1969 festival, the party bus is one way to do it. But there are additional options. The Bethel Woods web site offers The Woodstock Daytripper as well as the Total Woodstock Experience Overnighter. Both begin in Bethel at The Museum, and travel on to Woodstock, where visitors can explore the roots of the famous '69 festival . . . at the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony campus, the handcrafted Maverick Concert Hall, the Sound-Out meadow and much more.

Another way to enjoy Woodstock + Bethel is through the Experience Woodstock Card. Check out the top section labeled "Experience Woodstock Corridor." Offers include a special on admission to The Museum at Bethel Woods. That's also where we post "Party Bus to Bethel" news and related offers.

80th Annual Library Fair

It's a great tradition in Woodstock. Locals wouldn't miss it and visitors are always thrilled they've discovered it: The Woodstock Library Fair.

It takes place annually on the last Saturday in July. This year's, the 80th, was especially grand. The weather was perfect and there was something for everyone: gourmet food, great books at amazing prices, wonderful music, a white elephant tent, crafts, plants, and plenty for the young at heart: face painting, hat making, games and much more. Oh yes, and a giant 80th birthday cake.

If you missed this year's, don't despair: the next one is Saturday, July 28, 2012.

Hat Making at the Library Fair

A Favorite Group: "Not the Beatles"

Lodging in Walkable Woodstock

For those of you who have asked about lodging from which you can easily walk to the center of Woodstock—the Village Green—click here for a downloadable list. (It’s in PDF format.) This is just a list of suggestions . . . you may find more.

The Village Green is the place where you'll alight from the Adirondack Trailways buses that pass frequently through town. You don't need a car to enjoy a visit to Woodstock!

Village Green B&B . . . steps from the Green

Playhouse: One Singular Sensation

Waiting for the new curtain to rise

The newly revamped Woodstock Playhouse opened on Thursday evening to great acclaim with a marvelous staging of A Chorus Line. “One” [Singular Sensation], the musical’s signature number, sums up the cast, the production and the new décor. With its first official summer stock season in 25 years, the Playhouse is back—and how! Be sure to experience it for yourself:

A Chorus Line plays through July 10 (present your Experience Woodstock Card to receive $2 off Gold seating tickets).

Anything Goes will be staged from July 15 through 24.

The season finishes up with Hair, from August 4 through 13.

You can order tickets online by clicking here. If you prefer to purchase tickets by phone or in person, the box office is open Wednesday through Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m., and Sunday matinee days from 12 noon through performance time. Telephone (845) 679-6900.

A CHORUS LINE: "One" [Singular Sensation]

Mowers Saturday Flea Market

Mowers Saturday Flea market is a place to relax, shop, meet old friends, discover some great bargains and experience the beautiful seasons in upstate New York. For 34 years, this privately owned lot in the center of Woodstock has been transformed each weekend into an outdoor shopping venue. Vendors, who travel from far and wide to set up in Woodstock, offer a wide range of items for sale. Books, vintage jewelry, second hand household items, furniture, records, CD’s DVD’s, gemstones, antiques, glassware, Buddhas, incense, fresh organic produce, honey, maple syrup, tarot card readers, energy balancers . . . it’s all found at Mowers Saturday Flea market. 

You may also find photographers and artists set up with their beautiful creations framed and ready for your home. If you are hungry, you can feast on the best “dirty water” hot dogs on Saturday or the most scrumptious classic hot dogs on Sunday. Wednesday in Woodstock is Farm Fest day and Mower’s field plays host to the food vendors and the music venue for the Woodstock Farm Festival. The fresh organic produce farmers are set up in Houst’s parking lot on Maple Lane. Hundreds of people stop by to support the farmers, enjoy a meal together and listen to music. They also shop at the Mowers vendors that are set up around the periphery of the farm market activities. For further information, check the information line at 845-679-6744.

~Janine Fallon Mower

Fun for the whole family!

Chamber Info Booth Now Open

Rowan Smith-Spanier of the
Chamber Information Booth

The Woodstock Chamber information booth (10 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY 12498) opened today for the summer season. Hours of operation, now through Columbus Day, will be Fridays, 12 noon through 6 p.m., and Saturdays/Sundays, 11 a.m. through 5 p.m.

Please drop by to meet the new manager of the booth, Ms. Rowan Smith-Spanier. Rowan is a Woodstock resident and May 13 graduate of Pratt Institute's upstate campus at Utica, where she studied painting. She is pleased to be the new face of Woodstock. "I feel it's very appropriate that an art student will be representing the Colony of the Arts to visitors this summer."

The booth is a wonderful resource for visitors and newcomers to the Woodstock area. Stop by for help with lodging, dining, shopping and activities for the whole family. The booth is one of a dozen places where visitors and residents can purchase the Experience Woodstock Card, which is a passport to 100 or so special offers at select Woodstock-area restaurants, spas, performance spaces, galleries, lodging, professional services and more.

Woodstock Branch Voted TD Bank’s Friendliest

Nick Altomare, Woodstock Manager

TD Bank/Woodstock is located in a converted house at 68 Mill Hill Road. The store manager is Nick Altomare, a friendly and outgoing native of nearby Kingston. A graduate of SUNY Albany, he has been in banking for over ten years. About three years ago a friend suggested that he join TD Bank. He did so, and within six months he arrived here to manage the Woodstock branch.

This bank is the tenth largest financial services company in the nation, and has a triple “A” credit rating from Moody's. The local branch strives to position itself as a community-based bank. Nick is the president of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts, and the bank sponsors a slew of local initiatives including the Little League, the Woodstock Farm Festival, the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild’s Annual  5 x 7 show, the Woodstock Chamber’s Open House and the Experience Woodstock Card.

"Here Comes Summer," sculpture
by artist Ze'ev Willy Neumann

TD Bank styles itself as America’s Most Convenient Bank. It happens that the Woodstock branch is also one of the friendliest. In April their customers voted Woodstock the Number One branch in the company (of 1,250 stores from Maine to Florida), based on service provided by its employees.

One need not be a bank customer to obtain mortgages, home equity, car or personal loans.  TD Bank tries to be sensitive to their customers’ needs in the Hudson Valley, so many of the lending decisions are made locally.

A fun fact: Woodstock is the only TD Bank branch that has a sculpture on its front lawn.

~ Weston Blelock

Woodstock's Sidewalk Sale

Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Woodstock's fabulous shops and boutiques are celebrating the arrival of spring with the twice-annual Sidewalk Sale. Select stores throughout the hamlet are placing racks of clothes on the street with markdowns of 30 to 75 percent. Don't miss out!

Norwegian Folk College Travels the Experience Woodstock Corridor

The Norwegian students in Woodstock

In January the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts inaugurated the Experience Woodstock Corridor between Woodstock and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The Woodstock Festival of 1969 was conceived and was supposed to take place in Woodstock, NY—but due to space constraints, among other factors, was eventually sited in Bethel. The corridor has been established to honor the connection between the roots of Woodstock and the event itself.

At CPW (formerly Café Espresso)

On Bethel’s seasonal opening day of April 2nd, a tour bus of 37 students and instructors from a Norwegian folk college (folkehØgskoler) began their day at The Museum, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and then travelled the Experience Woodstock Corridor to Woodstock. Here they were met and welcomed by Marcus Lindner of Journey Art, who is also a board member of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts.

At WBG with photo of Dylan

Lindner first took the visitors to the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild (WBG) building at 34 Tinker Street. He explained how the organization is the steward for the Byrdcliffe Art Colony. The Byrdcliffe campus is about a mile from the town center and was founded in 1902. This organization jumpstarted the artistic and creative tradition that survives to the present day. Next he took them across the street to the Center for Photography (CPW) at 59 Tinker Street. It was here, he explained, that one of the key musical hotbeds of the 1960s was located. The Café Espresso, as it was known then, was run by Bernard and Mary Lou Paturel. On weekends, many of the leading folk acts of the day played. They included performers like Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs, Happy Traum, John Herald and Rev. Gary Davis. Upstairs in a studio Bob Dylan wrote Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home.

The Norwegian visitors stayed in Woodstock for several hours before heading back out on the road . . .

~Weston Blelock

With thanks to Marcus Lindner for the photos

Woodstock Writers Fest: 3 Days of Peace & Books

Window of WWF sponsor The Golden Notebook

All of Woodstock is gearing up for two great events in the opening week of April.

First up, the Woodstock Writers Workshops, from April 3 to 8. This your chance to work hands-on with New York Times bestseller Susan Richards (Chosen by a Horse), Edgar winner Larry Beinhart (Wag the Dog) and acclaimed memoirist Abigail Thomas (Safekeeping).

Then on Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 10, Woodstock will celebrate the Woodstock Writers Fest, with such notables as Gail Godwin, Jon Katz, Holly George-Warren, Michael Lang, Nick Flynn, Marion Winik, Shalom Auslander, Colm Tóibín and the festival's executive director, Martha Frankel.

Come join us and meet your muse!

Love to Shop Woodstock!

More than 100 shoppers who visited Woodstock today received a goodies and voucher bag valued at $150. Board members of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts handed the bags out to shoppers who presented receipts for purchases made in Woodstock this morning.

The bags included certificates, coupons, Valentine's cookies and assorted gifts representing a number of Woodstock's finest shops and services. The giveaway was so popular that the Chamber is already planning similar events. Stay tuned.

Thanks for shopping Woodstock and Happy Valentine's Day!

Woodstock Getaway

Is it time to take a break from the winter blues? How about pampering yourself and that special someone? The Woodstock Chamber’s Experience Woodstock Card (EWC) may be your answer.

Woodstock, NY is two hours driving time from New York City. Just off Exit 20 at Saugerties, make a right onto Route 212. About seven miles due west you will arrive at the luxurious Harmony House Bed & Breakfast (pictured here in spring—it's just around the corner!). Hosts Jacquie Wolf and Eva Plumb are offering cardholders 10% off on a two-night minimum. Accommodations range from $165 to 195 per night. Included in the package are a four-course breakfast, wifi, free local calls and a fireplace in the guest parlor.

There are many special offers associated with the EWC. For Valentine's weekend you might want to consider a trip to River Rock Health Spa. Over the past four years this venue has been voted by readers of Hudson Valley Magazine to be one of the area's best day spas. It features a menu of different therapeutic modalities, ranging from Swedish massage to Raindrop Aromatherapy sessions to side-by-side massage.

Woodstock is known up and down the Hudson Valley for its fine galleries and shops. Many of them have placed special offers on the EWC, including Jarita's Florist, Life is Good, SweetHeart Gallery, Lotus Fine Art & Design and Fletcher Gallery. And there are wonderful offers from restaurants, entertainment venues and service providers that will further enhance your stay. Click here to see the complete listing of current offers. You can download/print a list for use before and during your visit. See you soon!

Experience Woodstock Corridor

The Experience Woodstock Corridor, stretching from Woodstock's Village Green to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, is now open for business. Visitors to the Woodstock area are invited to sample the many restaurants, shops, galleries, spas and performance venues that Woodstock has to offer.

To complete their Woodstock experience, visitors are encouraged to enjoy The Museum at Bethel Woods, the performance stages, and the festivals of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Additional places of interest in Woodstock, Bethel, and points in between are being added to the program.

Powering the Corridor is the Experience Woodstock Card, now in its second year. The 2011 card, priced at $25, is good for unlimited usage throughout the calendar year. It can be purchased online or a nine locations in Woodstock (see listing at upper right).

2011 Experience Woodstock Card

The Woodstock Chamber is committed to a leadership role in working with Woodstock-area businesses, arts organizations, and local/county/state government to foster cultural tourism to the area. Through comprehensive planning and development it is working to support the local economy and arts.

On January 1st the Chamber launched the 2011 Experience Woodstock Card (EWC). Close to 80 Woodstock-area businesses have made offers on the card so far. These special offers include 10% off luncheon entrees at Joshua's Cafe and the Country Kitchen of Woodstock, 15% off tickets at Woodstock Fringe and 10% off all Woodstock Apothecary brand supplements. For a complete listing, click here.

According to studies generated by Civic Economics, an economic-development consultancy with offices in Austin and Chicago, locally-spent dollars stay local and are recycled. Further, $68 out of $100 spent with local merchants stays within the community—as opposed to $43 of every $100 spent at chains or franchises. Another striking finding of their research: Independent businesses produce an average of 70% more local economic activity than chains on comparable revenue.

Visitors and residents are invited to purchase the Experience Woodstock Card for $25. It is good for unlimited usage throughout the 2011 calendar year. Here's your opportunity to truly experience Woodstock!