2024 Woodstock Cheez-In

When you think “Woodstock” do you immediately see Cheez-Its, those orange, rectangular (1” by .94”) crackers first introduced in 1921? Well, this week you can and should. From Monday, May 20, to Sunday, May 26, the makers of the iconic snack food are hosting a pop-up diner here called Cheez-In. It’s drawing people from all over the eastern U.S., and it’s just plain fun. You can order Cheez-It-infused burgers, milkshakes, and sides, visit the Cheez-It Taste-It Station, and buy retro Cheez-It merch. And because it’s Woodstock, you can play tunes on the world’s first Cheez-It Jukebox . . . fed not by coins, but by you guessed it, Cheez-It crackers!

Shakespeare in the Catskills

From April 8 through 28, 2024, Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s presentation of The Tempest will be on tour throughout the Catskills at various middle schools, high schools, and community venues. Performances open to the public include:

 

·      Prattsville, NY: Prattsville Arts Center, Saturday, April 13, 7:30 pm

·      Mt. Tremper, NY: Emerson Resort & Spa, Sunday, April 14, 2 pm

·      Cairo, NY: Storybrook Hollow, Saturday, April 20, 2 pm and 7:30 pm

·      Margaretville, NY: Open Eye Theatre, Sunday, April 21, 2 pm

·      Delhi, NY: Bushel Collective, Thursday, April 25, 7:30 pm

·      Red Hook, NY: Rose Hill Farm, Friday, April 26, 5:30 pm

·      Hunter, NY: Doctorow Center for the Arts, Saturday, April 27, 7:30 pm

·      Saugerties, NY: Opus 40 Sculpture Park: Sunday, April 28, 1 pm

 

Click here for tickets to the can’t-miss production, headed by founder and artistic director Sarah Reny and managing director Frank Wildermann.

Woodstock Bookfest!

Don’t miss Woodstock’s fun and thought-provoking writer/reader festival, now in its 15^th  year. From Story Slam (this time: “That’s Not What I Meant”) on Thursday evening, 3/21, to Memoir A-Go-Go on Sunday, 3/24, this fest delivers the goods. All events will take place at the historic Bearsville Theater. If you don’t yet have your tickets, link here. Remember, as festival leader Martha Frankel always says, “Reading changes everything.” See you there!

Back to the Garden

In January 2024, Henry Holt and Co. published Stephen McCauley's new book, You Only Call When You’re in Trouble. A blend of family and literary fiction, it centers on the lives of a sixty-something brother (Tom), his sister (Dorothy), and her thirty-four-year-old daughter (Cecily). The novel opens with Dorothy, who has recently moved to Woodstock, NY, preparing to send a momentous email message to Cecily:

 

Dorothy had turned on some music when she sat down to write this email. The designer friends had programmed her cell phone and hooked it up to a speaker system, so even she knew how to put on a playlist. She hadn’t been paying much attention for the past hour, but now, at just the right moment, she heard the familiar clear soprano of 1970s Joni Mitchell. This had been the background music to most of the important moments in her life. It was Mitchell’s iconic song about this town that had given Dorothy the courage to move here. We are stardust, we are golden . . . Impossible not to think of the random appearance of Joni, right here, right now, in her too-sunny living room, as a sign. By the end of the song, she’d send the email.

 

She turned up the volume and started to type.

 

It’s a great book, and I highly recommend it. In the words of Francine Prose, “I read You Only Call When You’re in Trouble at a moment when I needed to be around the intelligence and humanity of the novel’s characters, and I’m still grateful for being so happily entertained and totally engrossed.” New York Times bestselling author Jane Green adds, “I can’t find the words to say how much I love You Only Call When You’re in Trouble. This perfect novel has profoundly moving observations of human nature, emotional acuity, and brilliant insights wrapped up in warmth and wit. I don’t think I will find a book I love more this year.”

 

Dorothy’s email message to her daughter includes the line, “I should have guessed Woodstock was the town I was meant to live in . . . I’ve always known that one way or another, I’d get myself back to the garden.”

 

Other parts of the book occur in Boston and Chicago. The Woodstock setting may have been selected by McCauley largely for its usefulness as a cultural and generational metaphor. But on the other hand, aren’t most of us, wherever we live and whatever our circumstances, trying to get back to the garden?

Experiencing Overlook

View from the Overlook summit

The Town of Woodstock, NY, stands at the foot of Overlook Mountain, the southernmost peak of the Catskill Escarpment—the Catskill Mountains visible from the Hudson River.

Native Americans called the escarpment the Wall of Manitou, named for the Algonquian “Great Spirit.” According to Anita M. Smith in her Woodstock History and Hearsay, “There is a legend that when the Indians were on long marches, they avoided passing through the Wide Clove [the path between Overlook and Mt. Guardian to the west] because Overlook exerted a drag upon their footsteps. It would be necessary for them to camp for a while before they would muster enough strength to continue their journey.”

 

Many generations of Woodstock residents and visitors have felt the spiritual pull of Overlook. In July 1980, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) became the first Karma Kagu monastery to be established in the United States. This Tibetan spiritual center is on the site of the former Mead’s Mountain House, opposite the trailhead to the Overlook summit. Countless other places of worship have also made their homes in Woodstock.

 

Inside the Overlook Mountain House today

The approximately 2.5-mile hike up that trail to the Overlook Fire Tower (close to five miles roundtrip) can be a form of meditation, an excellent workout, a way to enjoy nature—or all three. The view from the fire tower and from the Overlook “lookout” atop the escarpment is spectacular, even on a partially cloudy day. And there is plenty to see along the way: the occasional bear or timber rattler, wildflowers with pollinators, and the skeletal remains of the thrice-built Overlook Mountain House. The latter first opened in 1871 and hosted President Grant two years later but burned to the ground on April Fool’s Day of 1875. It was rebuilt in 1878 and flourished initially but ran into hard times in the 1890s. The most recent iteration was begun in the early 1900s but was never finished, falling victim to the Great Depression. What remains today is a concrete structure, once white but now gray and, in places, embellished with colorful artwork.

Having climbed Overlook Mountain for the first time at age five many years ago, I’ve recently joined a group that hikes it every week. I’m finding that there’s always something new to see and enjoy on the path to Overlook.

 

A bear on the trail

When in Woodstock, be sure to hike the moderately difficult trail to the 3,140-foot Overlook summit. From the Village Green, take  Rock City Road and then Mead’s Mountain Road north for 2.7 miles to the Overlook Mountain trailhead. In winter, use microspikes or crampons, as the trail tends to be icy. During the warmer months, please be respectful of the timber rattlesnakes  (it’s their home, not yours) and keep dogs leashed. Thank you!

~ Julia Blelock

A French Affair in Phoenicia

The eighth annual Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice kicked off last night at 8 pm with a treat for ears and eyes: “Voices of Distinction—A French Affair,” featuring Piaf, Offenbach, Brel . . . and can-can! The evening was filled with glorious music and dance in a gorgeous setting (Phoenicia’s Parish Field), with soaring tents and trees lit up in purples, blues and reds. At the concessions tent there was even a miniature Tour Eiffel picked out in tiny white lights.

Fortunately, yesterday afternoon's monsoon was over and the two-hour outdoor performance was completely free of rain (unlike the water-soaked passion of this year's FotV program cover; see image at right).

From the start this festival has boasted world-class performers, and 2017 is no exception. Last night MC (and co-founder) Maria Todaro, Lauren Flanigan (soprano), Lucas Meachem (baritone), Mirelle Asselin, (soprano) and Irina Meachem (pianist)—all of whom are acclaimed internationally—were joined on the stage by Parisian superstar Olivier Laurent, the so-called “man of 110 voices.”

But FotV isn’t just about veteran artists. Last evening’s audience was on its feet for 14-year-old Maia Weis (alto) and 16-year-old Layla Michalopoulos (soprano), both of whom are residents of Woodstock. These young teens gave astonishingly polished performances that would have done credit to women two or three times their age.

EW Verdict: The weekend is still young and the weather in Phoenicia looks good. Link here to get tickets for today’s and tomorrow’s FotV performances. Or if you’re unlucky enough to be reading this after 8/6/17, don’t hesitate to attend next August’s celebration. It’s another incredible Woodstock-area experience that just has to be on your bucket list.

Kaaterskill Rail Trail

On Saturday, May 20th, the Mountain Top Historical Society held a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of a new trail connecting the MTHS directly to the renowned Kaaterskill Falls. Now it's possible to hike directly from the restored Ulster & Delaware Railroad station on the MTHS campus—along a lovely, leafy trail (liberally studded with original rail ties)—to the new falls observation platform. From there one can continue across a new footbridge and follow the trail all the way to Windham, more than 20 miles to the northeast!

The Falls of Kaaterskill, 1826,
by Thomas Cole

The Kaaterskill Falls is a two-stage waterfall located between Haines Falls and Palenville (a half-hour's drive from Woodstock). With waters cascading down a jaw-dropping 230 feet, it's one of the highest falls in the eastern United States. It's also one of America's oldest tourist attractions, inspiring countless stories, poems and other works of art—including paintings by Thomas Cole and Asher B. Durand of the famed Hudson River School.

The Kaaterskill Rail Trail (KRT) was originally a footpath connecting the Catskill Mountain House and other area hotels to Haines Falls. By the 1880s the pathway had been transformed into a busy rail corridor with two competing rail lines transporting thousands of vacationers to the Hotel Kaaterskill, the Laurel House hotel and many other boarding houses and resorts in the area. Throngs of summer visitors were drawn from New York City, Albany, Boston and other urban centers to enjoy the cooler temperatures and picturesque scenery still so popular today.

2017 Green Woodstock

The Woodstock area is welcoming visitors this spring with a festival of Earth-friendly events. On Saturday, April 29th,  The Ashokan Center ("celebrating 50 years of outdoor education") hosted the 2017 Ashokan Watershed Conference. The program included a full day of presentations and workshops for adults: "Building Sustainable Communities in a Changing Environment."

It also offered a Stream Explorers Youth Conference, geared for children ages 8 to 14:

• Stream Dynamics: Fun with the Stream Table
• Getting to Know Your Macroinvertebrates
• Cathedral Gorge Hike:

1. Gorge Exploration
2. Water Quality Sampling
3. Riparian Area Flora and Fauna
4. Art of Journaling

On Friday, April 28th, Woodstock observed Arbor Day with a special ceremony on the Woodstock Village Green. And the previous Saturday, April 22nd, the Woodstock Environmental Commission partnered with Sunflower Natural Foods Market to promote Earth Day awareness about solar solutions, gardening and landscaping best practices, composting and recycling, Earth-friendly building, safe hiking and other outdoor activities, and a new repair café in Woodstock. 

2015 Women's Woodstock Cycling Grand Prix

Martin Ernst Bruhn and his team are bringing the third annual Women's Woodstock Cycling Grand Prix to Woodstock on Saturday, May 2.

The WWCGP is a one-day competitive cycling event consisting of two women's-only bicycle races on a national caliber course. The Pro 1/2/3 is set to begin on Saturday morning at 9:10. Cyclists will depart from Woodstock and wind 60.3 miles through the Woodstock, Saugerties and Phoenicia areas, with an elevation gain/loss of 3,096 feet. A second race, the Category 3/4, will be launched at 9:20 a.m. Saturday and go 32.5 miles.

Bruhn's mission is to "highlight the equal sportsmanship and athleticism of females in the male dominated sport of cycling." Proceeds from this event will benefit Raising HOPE, The Bowery Mission of New York City, and Play to Live.org.

There is also a Family Fun Ride on Saturday morning of 6.2 miles, where the focus will be on bicycling safety and community involvement.

Course maps, further information and regular updates can be found at http://wwcgp.weebly.com and https://www.facebook.com/WWCGP2015.

World-Class Jazz @ the KJ

With quite the array of entertainment from which to choose last night in Woodstock, I went with Grammy-winner Roswell Rudd and his quartet at the Kleinert/James Center for the Arts. Mr. Rudd, trombonist extraordinaire, was in fine form, as were Ken Filiano on bass and Lafayette Harris on piano. Filling in for Sunny Kim, vocalist, was a very gifted Heather (couldn't quite catch her last name, but I'm sure we'll be hearing much more from her). My favorite tune of the evening was "Funky Little Sweet Thing," dedicated to Heather's son, August, who will celebrate his first birthday on 8/18.

If you missed the performance but would like to catch up with the artists, including producer Verna Gillis, check out the Roswell Rudd website.

Wild Thing at the Fair

Yesterday's annual Woodstock Library Fair, celebrating 100 years of the Woodstock Library, had much to offer attendees of all ages . . . books, of course—new and old, plus crafts, plants, a white elephant and vintage clothes tent, hat making, dress-up, face painting, live music, assorted games, and plenty of gourmet food and drink.

A special emphasis at this year's fair was placed on the young set, beginning with a parade and maypole festivities. And later, an unexpected appearance by Wild Thing.

In Search of a Watery Eden

The Millstream swimming hole in Woodstock (photo by Danny Ghitis)

If you missed this article in The New York Times, here's the link.

"Swimming holes have always held a sort of mythical quality. Everyone seems to have heard of that one sweet secret location through a friend of a friend: the still pool of crystal water hidden at the end of a winding path, untainted by tourists, inviting a skinny dip."

Woodstock offers several wonderful swimming holes in which to enjoy the sultry days of summer.

Best Trips 2013

According to National Geographic Traveler, a jaunt to the Hudson Valley is one of the 20 best trips in the world for 2013. (Other destinations on their top-travel list this year include Bagan, Quito, Malawi, Raja Ampat, Ravenna, Thessaloniki, Valparaiso, Jarash, Bodo and Kyoto.)

In its profile of the Hudson Valley, National Geographic Traveler observes that 

"Artists of all media find their muses here. Take a drive to the newly expanded Hudson River School Art Trail to see 17 sites in New York that inspired America’s great mid-19th-century landscape paintings. 'The views that compose the art trail are a national treasure,' says Elizabeth B. Jacks, director of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Or visit museums such as the outdoor Storm King Art Center sculpture park to see the work of contemporary visionaries.

Some villages marry art and music famously. In the wonderfully weird and artsy Woodstock, indie performers and music icons rub elbows and grab crusty loaves at Bread Alone Bakery. Budding musicians bring their bongos to the weekly hippie drum circle on the Village Green.

Much like Rip, Hudson Valley wanderers often wake up to find this is where they long to rest their vagabond souls."

Playhouse Summer Season

So many area events from which to choose . . . but if you're looking to treat yourself and guests, you can't go wrong with the Woodstock Playhouse. Saw The Producers last night with visitors from out of town and we all loved it!

Intermission @ The Producers

The Mel Brooks musical finishes up tonight at 8 (you might still be able to get tickets for the final performance), and then it's on to Legally Blonde (July 5 to 15), Equus (July 19 to 21) and Chicago (August 2 to 11).

Contact www.WoodstockPlayhouse.org or (845) 679-6900.

Mixer @ Maverick Concert Hall

The historic Maverick Concert Hall on a summer evening

The Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts is holding a mixer on Thursday, June 28, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the historic Maverick Concert Hall (120 Maverick Road in Woodstock). Alexander Platt, Maverick Music Director, may be on hand to talk about the upcoming season. Members of the Maverick Board will certainly be available, to speak about the history of this venerable institution. The evening will also include an update on Woodstock Chamber activities, as well as door prizes and refreshments courtesy of Maverick Concerts. This special event is open to all current and prospective Woodstock Chamber members. If you're interested in attending, please respond to info@woodstockchamber.com.

WAAM Splash

Just one of close to 40 offerings in WAAM's silent auction

What a great party! Last night at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum it was SRO for a talk by David A. Ross (former director of the Whitney). Ross kicked off this fab benefit, which also included delectable hors d'oeuvres, door prizes, a silent auction, and "Little Gems," a special sale of small works at just $100 each.

Woodstock's summer season is definitely underway! Stay tuned to the Woodstock Chamber's Community Events Calendar for upcoming highlights. 

Woodstock Guitar Festival

The 2012 Woodstock Guitar Festival will kick off this year’s Concerts on the Green series on May 26 at 1 p.m. on the Woodstock Village Green. Performers will include the following:

•   1 p.m., Bruce Ackerman

•   1:45 p.m., Flash Band

•   2:30 p.m., Royal Khaoz

•   3:20 p.m., Rip Van Ren

•   4:30 p.m., Zumbi Zumbi

•   5:15 p.m., Pitchfork Militia

The Guitar Festival will run throughout the summer, with concerts around town. A special highlight will be the concert on August 18 for Woodstock Volunteers Day—with a town wide picnic followed by fireworks at the Andy Lee Field.

Occupy Woodstock!

Don't miss it! The opening event is this evening at Oriole 9.

Some of the individual events are still on sale at the Golden Notebook, though a number of them have sold out. For a complete lineup check out http://www.woodstockwritersfestival.com/schedule12.html.

Hope to see you there!

Levon on Woodstock

Come visit us in Woodstock, Ulster County, New York. Home to Levon Helm, the Midnight Rambles and so much more! Check out this new video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77J6pQuxQnI

Woodstock Film Fest Party

WFF Raffle at the 3/1/12 Party

Everyone had a great time at the March 1st Woodstock Chamber mixer, hosted by the Woodstock Film Festival. Chief topic of discussion: welcoming visitors to the 2012 WFF, October 10 to 14, with community-wide special events and offers. No doubt about it . . . with all of Woodstock joining in, the 13th annual WFF will be the best one yet!

Our thanks to the entire Woodstock Film Festival team for their hospitality, and to Judy Steinfeld of Villas in Woodstock for providing the refreshments.

When in Woodstock, be sure to drop by the WFF offices at 13 Rock City Road. Present your Experience Woodstock Card for 10% off all merchandise at the WFF store.