Birthday Block Party July 26 celebrates Margaretville anniversary
MARGARETVILLE – The Village of Margaretville invites residents and visitors to play, shop, eat, drink and dance in the middle of Main Street Saturday, July 26 from 4 to 7 p.m.
The street will be partially closed for this Birthday Block Party which celebrates the 150th anniversary of the village’s incorporation as the local governing body back in 1875. Parking is available in municipal lots off Bridge Street, Walnut Street and Church Street.
The event will kick off at 4 p.m. sharp when a photograph will be taken of everyone who gathers in front of the iconic 1850 Bussy Building at the corner of Walnut and Main. The community snapshot, in the tradition of those taken in 1979 and 2000, will record this moment in Margaretville’s long and colorful history. To be part of this special commemoration, be there no later than 4 p.m. Come as you are! Or wear a commemorative T-shirt, available now and at the Block Party, from the Happy Giraffe.
Then get ready to get down with the music of Sue’s Garage, a seven-member band that will play the best of ‘60s and ‘70s rock music from 4:30 to 7.
Most businesses will stay open late, offering sidewalk sales, special activities and raffles. Food and beverages will be available from Oda’s Wine Garden with its oyster bar and grill on the patio; Café Marguerite, with Mexican specialties on the Binnekill Square deck, and Freshtown, offering hotdogs and burgers in the Binnekill Park. Catskill Mountain Embers will bring its mobile pizza oven, and Union Grove Brewstillery will be there with its signature drinks.
A soon-to-open restaurant and bakery on Main Street, Tomato Tomahto by the proprietors of Oda’s, will offer fresh bread, focaccia and sandwiches.
Ice cream will be served up by Margaretville Deli and Market, the MCS Class of 2028 will sell soda and sweets, and Margaretville Liquor Store will have a wine tasting.
Art and activities
Folks following the Andes-Margaretville-Roxbury (AMR) Open Studios Art Tour will follow signs to Longyear Gallery in the Commons Building and to Annex Art & Supply, 816 Main Street to see the paintings of Erica Bradbury. Art-Up, the Binnekill Square gallery, will feature a three-artist show, “No Apologies.” Bea Ortiz’ “Make Your Own Art” creative space and gallery, and Jenny Neal’s photography can be found on the second floor of the Commons Building, 765 Main. Gary Mayer’s studio will be open upstairs above Bloom fabric shop.
Vintage vehicles will be on display in the NBT parking lot. Next door, at Fairview Public Library, fun stations for kids will be set up, including a floral craft workshop by Sacred Soil. A Tiny Art Show and a children’s book sale are planned at the library as well.
Catskill Mountain Tattoo, Honeybee Herbs and Atelier Marguerite will also provide hands-on activities at their locations.
Margaretville Hospital staff will be with Westchester Medical Center’s Mobile Medical Unit to offer health screenings and wellness information. At 850 Main, Studio Upstate will team up with Twisted Sister Yoga to offer free 15-minute yoga sessions at 4:30 and 5:30, followed by a sound bath demonstration at 6pm.
Scavenger Hunt!
While you’re downtown, pick up an entry form for a Visual Scavenger Hunt and see how many of the architectural and sign details you can spy. Forms are currently available at the library and the Municipal Building. Those submitted at the Block Party will be eligible for prizes.
The doors of the Municipal Building will be open so that visitors can view a beautiful permanent exhibit of photographs of Margaretville in earlier days. A display about the Galli-Curci Theater, its builder and its namesake will also be set up. Representatives of the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown will be on hand to answer questions and promote upcoming events at the Middletown History Center.
Characters from Margaretville’s past will stroll along the street engaging in conversation about their lives and the development of the village.
Concluding concert
The party doesn’t end at 7 p.m.! It continues at Margaretville Methodist Church, Church Street, a block off Main, at 7:30 with a concert by vocalist Gina Hanzlik and violist Anna Stromer. “Margaretville Memoir” will explore the past century and a half of music, from opera to folk songs, classical to pop standards. Admission is by donation.
Mayor John Hubbell, with Trustees Iris Mead, Sarah Hubbell, Dave Budin and Jeff Warren; the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce, and the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown are spearheading the birthday celebration.
This event is made possible by a Delaware County Economic Development Tourism grant, matched by the Village, and contributions from the following: Sluiter Agency, NBT, MTC, FNBC Construction Corp., and Rotary Club of Margaretville.
The evening concert is supported by the owners of the Galli-Curci Theater.
For more information, visit villageofmargaretville.com or mtownhistory.org.
