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Margaretville Central Hosts Halloween Parade

By Matthew Avitabile

Margaretville Central School Halloween Parade 2025                                                             Photos by Robert Brune Teachers and students of Margaretville Central School accompanied by parents in the Halloween parade down Main Street as the rain paused for a couple of hours last FridayRemember to Subscribe! Subscription Options One Year $50.00 USD Six Months $30.00 USD One Year with Insider Newsletter $75.00 USD Thank you for readi...

Nov 6, 2025 • 204 views

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Fleischmanns Halloween Projection Series

By Matthew Avitabile

By Robert BruneFLEISCHMANNS — The seasonably moody weather of chilly temperatures and light rain didn’t stop artist Alan Powell from going ahead with his outdoor film projection across the front of his Victorian home in Fleischmanns, just across from the municipal parking lot. The Halloween weekend installation featured percussionist Michael Suchorsky and keyboardist Mihoko Suzuki performing music along with Powell’s visuals, an inventive blend of 1960s beach parties and monster movie clip...

Nov 6, 2025 • 210 views

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Day of the Dead in Margaretville Raises Awareness, Local Economy

By Matthew Avitabile

By Robert BruneMARGARETVILLE — The diversity of culture in Margaretville continues to strengthen the whole community through this year’s four-day Day of the Dead celebration at the Galli Curci Theater. On Wednesday, the theater’s bare walls were transformed by Armando Cuatianquiz and his partner at Sacred Soil, Juve Maldonado, into a radiant tapestry of Mexican art, traditional clothing, learning materials, and brilliant marigold flowers. The altar, where visitors were invited to place pho...

Nov 6, 2025 • 201 views

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Back on the Rails Once Again: Fall Excursions on the Delaware & Ulster Railroad

By Matthew Avitabile

Pulling Trains on the Delaware & Ulster Railroad, New York Ontario & Western Railway NW-2 class Locomotive #116. Photo by author. Rolling eastward toward Arkville, our engineer admires the fall scenery.  Photo by author. Splendid scenic view abord the D&U's open-air cars showcase the peak fall foliage.  Photo by author.  By Maxwell SykesARKVILLE — After a five-year hiatus, the Delaware & Ulster Railroad returned to active rail service in 2025. Mother’s Day weekend marked the long-await...

Nov 6, 2025 • 177 views

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Haunted Harbor Brings Halloween Magic to Andes Hotel

By Matthew Avitabile

                    Derek Curl was beyond fashionable for Halloween. Photos by Robert Brune. By Robert BruneANDES — The Andes Hotel once again proved itself the heart of holiday festivities in town, as owner Derek Curl and his staff transformed the property into a Halloween spectacle. This year’s theme, the Haunted Harbor, featured a towering ship dubbed the SS Regret as the centerpiece, setting the stage for DJ Tito’s music that pulsed through the hamlet.  Since Curl too...

Nov 6, 2025 • 215 views

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A FEW PLACES REMAIN IN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WORKSHOPS

By Matthew Avitabile

ARKVILLE — The failure of an online event service has caused Catskills Folk Connection to open registrations again for workshops this weekend, featuring Tuscarora/Mohawk artist Marilyn Isaacs who will teach traditional fingerweaving in two identical workshops.  Saturday 2-4 pm, or Sunday 1-3 pm. To register call or email Ginny Scheer 607-238-9162  or gscheer.mcs@gmail.com. The $50 payment can be made when you arrive for the workshop. “We are concerned that there are people who wished they ...

Nov 6, 2025 • 188 views

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Festive Fundraiser Celebrates the Arts and Community Dec. 5 - Benefits Roxbury Arts Group’s Diverse Programming

By Matthew Avitabile

ROXBURY — Roxbury Arts Group invites the community to celebrate the season with them at its inaugural Dance Party fundraiser on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 7 PM at the Old Mill Restaurant in Roxbury. This evening of dancing, dining, and community connection supports the high-quality arts programming that enriches life in the rural Catskills year-round."There's no better way to celebrate the holiday season than by dancing with friends and neighbors while supporting the diverse arts programming...

Nov 6, 2025 • 180 views

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Troopers Investigating Fatal Crash

By Matthew Avitabile

MIDDLETOWN — On October 28, just before 3 p.m., Troopers responded to State Highway 28 just north of the intersection to County Highway 6 in the town of Middletown for a two-vehicle crash.  An investigation at the scene determined that a 2022 Ford Edge was traveling north on State Highway 28 when for an unknown reason, crossed into on-coming traffic, directly into the path of a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado.The operator of the Ford Edge, Natasha Reed, age 36 of Delhi was pronounced deceased at Ma...

Nov 6, 2025 • 215 views

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Pine Hill Community Center Concert Series Presenting Max Wareham Saturday

By Matthew Avitabile

PINE HILL — The Pine Hill Community Center Concert Series Presents: Max Wareham Saturday Nov. 8 at 7pm at the Pine Hill Community Center at 287 Main Street.. Join us for an evening of incredible bluegrass music with Max Wareham, a banjo player, songwriter, and author from Boston, MA. He is a member of the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and was featured on the Grammy-nominated album "Calling You From My Mountain.”After two years of touring nationally with Peter, Max recorded his own album, “Dag...

Nov 6, 2025 • 203 views

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A Conversation about … Murmurations

By Matthew Avitabile

MC Escher Sky and Water                                    Murmuration and starling by Guy Edwardes and Mark RobinsonBy Jean ThomasAs a kid, I used to sit on a hill and watch the dark, swirling shapes made by thousands of birds. They chattered and their wings rustled as they  alternately swooped over harvested corn fields and clustered in the adjacent trees. They would suddenly all land on a tree and the sky would be empty. Then a few would lift off again, followed by...

Nov 6, 2025 • 221 views

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THE CATSKILL GEOLOGISTS BY PROFESSORS ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS - The Red Chasm: Like a Hot Knife Cutting Through Butter.

By Matthew Avitabile

October 15th is a date of some importance for us who live in the eastern Catskills. That’s when a number of the parking lots along Rte. 23A in Kaaterskill Clove re-open to the public. If you enjoy exploring the clove, then this is the time. We always have; we can’t even remember our first visit; it was so long ago. But so too do many of our talented friends. That includes Athena Billias, a well-known Catskills landscape artist. Recently Athena showed us a painting that she did in the lower p...

Nov 6, 2025 • 195 views

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Whittling Away with Dick Brooks - Just Say It

By Matthew Avitabile

In younger days, I used to consider old people opinionated and set in their ways.  How silly that seems to me now.  I now realize that over the years you start to see things clearly and get a firmer grasp on the ways of the world and how they work.  The right and wrong of things becomes more obvious and you give up the wishy-washy ways of your youth.  You have more time to seriously consider, analyze and be annoyed by things that you took for granted or just let slip by during the more rushe...

Nov 6, 2025 • 198 views