Antiquarian Richard Axtell will provide antique appraisals, while collectors of glass, clocks, memorabilia, postcards and more will display and discuss their collections on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Historical Society of Middletown, 778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville.

The Collectors’ Expo runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with appraisals conducted from 11-2. Admission to the hall is free; appraisals cost $5 per item. There will be door prizes and raffles, and refreshments will be available.

Richard “Smitty” Axtell started the House of Axtell Antiques, also known as “The Rookery,” in 1968 in a lovingly restored inn in Deposit, NY. The Rookery houses fine, museum quality examples of early Americana including baskets, stoneware, treenware, redware, folk art, iron hearth accessories, country furniture, textiles, art work, glassware and early lighting devices.

Axtell has carefully researched his ever-evolving collection of antiques, which he exhibits at shows throughout the east. In 2012, The Rookery Bookery was established offering books, poetry, pamphlets, song books, journals and manuscripts, some dating to the early 18th century.

Collectors who will be on hand September 12 to showcase their specialties include Robert Abbate of Andes, Depression glass; Bill Karpoich of Roxbury, cottage clocks; Debra Tuthill of Treadwell, Shirley Temple collectibles; John Duda of Fleischmanns, local postcards and British Royal commemorative items; Marsha Kathmann of Delhi, Boyd bears; and Peg Kearney of Fleischmanns, specialty ceramic items.

Shirley Temple

Debra Tuthill collects “everything Shirley Temple” reflecting her admiration for the 1930s child star who starred in 43 feature films in a Hollywood career that stretched into adulthood. Shirley Temple Black (1928-2014) also served in the US Congress, and as ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

John Duda will display his personal collection of Fleischmanns, Middletown and Pepacton Reservoir postcards and will also sell cards of other areas and topics. He will showcase his collection of British Royal memorabilia as well. It includes commemorative china, books and ephemera such as souvenir publications from Elizabeth’s coronation and post cards going back to Queen Victoria.

Learn to safely clean the surface of gravestones at a workshop Saturday, August 8 at the Clovesville Cemetery near Fleischmanns.

The workshop, led by Marianne Greenfield, proprietor of Gravestone Cleaning Service of Delhi, will run from 9:30 a.m. to noon. It is sponsored by the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown in cooperation with the Clovesville Cemetery Association.

Participants will be guided in the use of gravestone cleaning techniques and the biodegradable and non-toxic cleaning product D/2, which is used and recommended by the National Park Service.

Space is limited; reservations are required and can be made by calling 845-254-5381. Workshop fee is $15 and includes all supplies.

Before cleaning

The Historical Society of the Town of Middletown will celebrate ten years of promoting, preserving and presenting local history with a square dance and ice cream social on Sunday, July 19 at its hall located at 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville.

John Jacobson, fiddler and caller, will lead the Tremperskill Boys in an afternoon of Catskills traditional music. Doors open at Noon, the dance starts at 1 p.m., and ice cream and cake will be served at intermission. Admission is $10; children 15 and under are free. www.mtownhistory.org

No dancing experience is necessary to participate in this family friendly event, which is in keeping with community dances, picnics and parties held over many decades by the Izaak Walton League and later by the New Kingston Valley Grange, former occupants of the HSM hall.

Ginny Scheer, director of Catskills Folk Connection, will offer the folk and historical context of square dancing in the Catskills and will guide dancers on the floor. Beginners are welcome; dances of interest to veteran dancers will also be called.

Square dancing is about community, so come enjoy dancing with your neighbors and make new friends, too. But if you don’t feel like dancing, just come listen to the music, with its origins in Irish and Scottish traditions. Bring a picnic to enjoy by the pond! An exhibit of items from HSM’s collection of artifacts and memorabilia is also on display at the hall for the summer.

Musicians in addition to John Jacobson will include Amy Liebermann on upright bass, Chris Carey on banjo and Sheila Addison on guitar. A special guest on July 19 will be Casey Mullaney who calls lively contra dances, a type of line dance common in New England that is being revived in this area.

The band’s repertoire explores the roots of Celtic music, and pays tribute to the music and square dance calls of the late Hilt Kelly of Red Kill. The Tremperskill Boys along with Henry Hermann served as Hilt’s backup band, thereby extending his playing and calling in his later years. John Jacobson became Hilt’s protégé and studied his tunes and calls as well as dances by other Catskills’ callers recorded at Camp Woodland.