Your presence is requested Saturday, May 19 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Open House at our new home (778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville). We’ll have food and door prizes, a wonderful raffle for an original painting by Michael Fauerbach, and an exhibit, “The Great Outdoors,” a tribute to the Catskill Mountain Chapter of the Izaak Walton League which built the hall in 1938.
Historic and contemporary photographs and some fascinating artifacts highlight the many recreational activities that have long been pursued in this area blessed by mountain, stream and the Catskill Forest Preserve: fishing, hunting, camping, skiing and hiking of course, but also swimming, boating, biking, skating, snowshoeing, tennis and team sports.
Guests at the many hotels and boarding houses in the area enjoyed lawn games and walks in the country, and even willingly participated in farm chores. Artists, including those at the Pakatakan Artists Colony in Arkville, have always been inspired to sketch and paint in the open air. Parks, playgrounds and ballfields have been the centers of their communities.
“The Great Outdoors” features an amazing pair of 7-foot-long wooden skis from the 1920s, a rope tow gripper and other memorabilia from the family-run Highmount Ski Center which closed in 1992. See antique fly rods and reels, and displays on baseball, Lake Switzerland and the Fleischmanns Tennis Tournament.
Spring party, 1961, at Highmount Ski Center
Profiles of people with local ties who figured prominently in outdoor sports will be shown, including A. J. McClane, fishing editor of Field and Stream; Niles Fairbairn, wildlife trainer for Disney, and Jay Kirke, major league baseball player in the 19-teens.
Stay tuned for announcements of future opportunities to view the exhibit and visit our wonderful grounds.