Arkville

By Brian Sweeney
An Artists Aid Autism benefit held in Arkville on August 31 raised more than $4,000 to benefit the Delaware County ARC (Delarc). The event, held at Casey Joe’s Coffeehouse, featured live music and a silent auction. Organizers had hoped to net $2,500. The success of this fund-raiser far exceeded what event organizer Jerry Stein had envisioned when he set out on a quest to give back to his community.
“I’ve been a weekender here for four years and I was seeking a way to contribute to the community that has provided so much entertainment and joy for me and my wife,” he explained.

The public is invited to a lecture by Alice Zigelis on the Pakatakan Art Colony at The Catskill Center Erpf Gallery on Main Street in Arkville on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m.
Alice Zigelis acquired the cottage of Edward Loyal Field in 1975 and became interested in American art.  E. Loyal Field, born in the 19th century, was a landscape artist in oil and watercolor.  He lived and painted in Arkville during the summer, studied art in France and fell under the influence of the Barbison School of Art.

The public is invited to attend an outdoor meeting of the Central Catskill Collaborative at Davis Park in Olive on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. This month’s guest speaker will be Dennis Doyle, director of the Ulster County Planning Board and Transportation Council. Doyle will discuss the various plans, options, and supporting resources for the continued development of the Ulster and Delaware rail corridor.

There’s no better way to spend a lovely summer evening than on the Delaware & Ulster Railroad listening to great music as you roll along beside the East Branch of the Delaware River. On Saturday, Aug. 30, the Blues Maneuver will take to the rails on the historic D&URR from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a slow moving scenic train ride that everyone will enjoy.

Are you worried about the upcoming heating season? Join representatives from the New York Energy $martSM Programs for a how-to session for homeowners and small businesses. Plan now for a more affordable winter. The program will be held on Monday, Aug. 18 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at The Catskill Center for Conservation & Development on Route 28 in Arkville.

By Julia Green
A familiar face in Margaretville and Arkville has garnered recognition on a pretty big stage.
Brenda Finch-Hasay, the postmaster of the Arkville Post Office and the officer-in-charge at the Margaretville Post Office, was presented with the New York Postmaster of the Year Award at the state convention in Cooperstown at the end of May. At the start of August, Hasay, along with recipients of the award from other states, were recognized before the National League of Postmasters annual convention in Louisville, Ky.

The public is invited to the opening reception of Margaret Leveson’s paintings featuring some of the buildings in the wonderful and historic Pakatakan Art Colony, on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 3-5 p.m. at the Catskill Center’s Erpf Gallery on Route 28 in Arkville.
The Pakatakan Art Colony was a turn-of-the-century gathering of artists who spent time in the small hamlet of Arkville.  The colony began prior to 1886 when a prominent landscape painter from New York City, J. Francis Murphy, found accommodations in Arkville and urged Peter Hoffman, a local businessman and proprietor of the house where he boarded, to build a hotel, which today is called The Pakatakan Hotel.

Twilight on a lovely evening, rolling fields, passing farms, and the rhythm of the rails are all on track as the Delaware & Ulster Railroad offers another moonlit excursion. Music, food, fun and a little romance play a part in this magical evening train ride through the scenic Catskills as the D&U rolls out of the Arkville depot on Saturday, Aug. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development in Arkville will host an evening with Nancy Alexander, landscape architect with the New York State Department of Transportation, who will speak tonight on the merits of making Route 28 a designated scenic byway.

Charter members and friends and the public gathered at the Town of Middletown’s Town Hall to view a scale model of the proposed Water Discovery Center (WDC) to be built in Arkville. The model, created by Ryerson Studios in Kingston, was accompanied by briefings from the architect, Joseph Hurwitz of West Hurley, and the exhibit designer, Leonard Levitan of Shandaken and New York City.