Noted photographer is featured Annual Meeting speaker

Noted photographer is featured Annual Meeting speaker

Margaretville photographer William Abranowicz has used his camera to document beautiful spaces, mysterious places and the silent witnesses to our darkest history. He will talk about his eclectic body of work and share some of his favorite images at the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown’s Annual Meeting of Members Sunday, November 2 at 2 p.m. at the Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville.

The presentation will follow a business meeting which will include financial and activity reports, and the election of Trustees. Admission is free but donations are always welcome! The public is warmly invited to attend.

Abranowicz was a contributing photographer to Condé Nast Traveler for 25 years. He is the author of eight monographs on domestic life, the environment and travel. In This Far and No Further, he explores the living legacy of the civil and voting rights movement through photographs of locations, landscapes, and individuals associated with the struggle.His most recent book is very different. Country Life / Homes of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley, co-produced with his son, Zander, offers an armchair tour of 20 historic and contemporary dwellings in the region.

Abranowicz is currently at work on two more books, including a monograph of travel images made over the last 50 years.Abranowicz’s prints are in public and private collections, among them the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Corcoran Gallery, and the DeMenil Collection.

His work has appeared in nearly every major publication in the United States, Europe and Asia, including The New York Times Magazine, WSJ Magazine, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Bon Appétit and Travel + Leisure.

Abranowicz taught at Parsons School of Design and leads photography workshops in the United States and Europe. He is a licensed falconer, engaged in environmental and social justice issues nationally and locally and lives with his wife Andrea Raisfeld, a location agent.

All Things Pumpkin at HSM Oct. 19

All Things Pumpkin at HSM Oct. 19

“All Things Pumpkin!,” a new event on the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown’s roster, will be held Sunday, Oct. 19 from 2 to 4 at the Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville.

There will be pumpkin painting and decorating for kids, pumpkin trivia and a pumpkin seed spitting contest! Complementary pumpkin soup will be available, along with hot mulled cider.

Guest judges will preside over a bake-off (with prizes!) for pumpkin cookies and bread. Bakers are asked to bring a plate of a dozen cookies or a loaf of pumpkin bread to the center by 1:30. Call Iris, 845-586-4689, for more information, or go to mtownhistory.org to find contest entry rules.

Contest entries will then be available for attendees to enjoy.

Weather permitting, accomplished angler and guide Lenny Millen will offer fishing lessons at the pond. Poles will be available for novice anglers to try to hook the lunker bass that lurk beneath the surface (catch and release, of course).

RARE BASEKT AUCTION

A special feature of the event will be a silent auction of hand-crafted baskets made by Karl Amor (1906-1992), a folk artist whose work has been on display at the center this season.

Karl Amor basket photo

Karl Amor baskets, woven from willow shoots, grapevines and spruce roots gathered by the artist along roadsides and streambanks, have long been highly sought after by local residents and folk-art collectors. This is a rare opportunity to bid on these one-of-a-kind baskets, with proceeds benefitting HSM.

The exhibit on the life and work of Amor, and of metal folk artist Joseph Schoell, will remain on display for the October 19 event.

Admission is by donation.

Middletown History Center Open Oct. 3 & 4; Bakers Sought!

The Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville welcomes visitors Friday, Oct. 3 from 10 to 2, and Saturday, Oct. 4 from 1 to 3.

Sit by the pond, bring lunch to enjoy at the picnic table, view an exhibit on the work of two local folk artists, and check out the genealogical and historical documents in the Nicholas J. Juried Archives.

Basket maker Karl Amor (1906-1992) and metal sculptor Joseph Schoell (1907-1993) are highlighted in the season’s exhibit. Some of Amor’s baskets will be offered in a special sale at the upcoming All Things Pumpkin event on Sunday, Oct. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The event will include a Pumpkin Bake-off. Prizes will be awarded for the best pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread. For more information, call 845-586-4689.

The History Center’s hall is available for event rental. Stop by to check it out. You can also find out about volunteer opportunities with the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown. FMI: Mtownhistory.org; 845-586-2400.

Cauliflower Festival Sept. 20

Cauliflower Festival Sept. 20

The Annual Margaretville Cauliflower Festival is excited to celebrate its 21st year this September 19th through the 21st, 2025. This free event honors the history of cauliflower farming, agriculture, art and community with food, live music, vendors, and activities all weekend long!

Start the weekend with a Rockabilly concert at Union Grove Distillery, in Arkville on Friday at 7:00pm, featuring the Lara Hope Band! There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door.

On Saturday, The Cauliflower Festival will kick off with the ever popular Tractor Parade riding down Main Street, led by The Cauliflower Queen into the fairgrounds.

Enjoy fun for the entire family including food vendors all offering cauliflower options, a Pure Catskills tent, children’s activities and games, a unique selection of vendors and shopping options, and live music all day long. The 9th Catskill Conquest Rally will visit the Cauliflower Festival with a mix of vintage and modern cars.

Saturday night, enjoy a cauliflower tasting menu and the newly opened Rae’s of Margaretville.

The fun doesn’t stop there! Sunday morning, head over to Café Mornings for a cauliflower inspired brunch paired with their usual coffee drinks and Korean brunch menu.

Main Street Margaretville welcomes you to stop by and shop at its many new retail stores, dining options, art galleries, specialty food purveyors, jewelers, and so much more.

The Cauliflower Festival takes place at the Village Park behind Freshtown Marketplace  on Bridge Street, Margaretville, NY 12455. For updates and more information, visit the Festival’s website,  Facebook page, and Instagram

The 21st Annual Cauliflower Festival is brought to you by The Margaretville Arts Center and sponsored by Pure Catskills and The Middletown Historical Society.

Armchair Cemetery Tour Aug. 23 / 24

Armchair Cemetery Tour Aug. 23 / 24

MARGARETVILLE – Seven people from the past and a narrator to introduce them will be featured in the Historical Society of Middetown’s 2025 Living History Cemetery Tour August 23 and 24.

Instead of a walking tour through a cemetery, this year’s event has been reimagined as an “Armchair Tour” for the stage at Open Eye Theater in Margaretville. The stories will be just as compelling as in past years, however, with the addition of background visuals.

In this 11th living history event sponsored by the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown, seven characters, individuals who are buried in cemeteries throughout Middletown, will tell their stories. They include:

Fanny Hubbell, the “fourth Hubbell Brother,” who was crucial to maintaining the family business in Kelly Corners, portrayed by Rebecca Newman;

Conservation Officer Bryan Burgin and his outdoorsman friend Burt Tubbs, played by John Bernhardt and Frank Ryan;

Mathew Halcott, first postmaster of Halcottsville and the son of a British soldier who switched sides during the American Revolution, played by Burr Hubbell;

Molly Goldberg

Maria Haner, who bore the loss of a son and her husband in the Civil War, portrayed by Amy Taylor;

Tillie Edelstein, better known as radio and TV star Molly Goldberg, who discovered her passion for performance at her family’s boarding house in Fleischmanns, played by Adrienne Gusoff; and

Boaz Searle, an early settler in Middletown who ministered to his neighbors as a physician, played by Ward Stevenson.

Kent Brown, narrator, will introduce the characters, linking them in the continuum of Middletown history.

Directing the production will be Joyce St. George and Frank Canavan.

Reservations are not needed to attend the performances, scheduled for 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24. Admission is $20 (cash or check, please). Children under 15 get in free.

For more information on HSM events visit mtownhistory.org where there is much more local history to be enjoyed.