Early voting begins Saturday, Oct. 24, at six locations in Ulster County and one in Greene County ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. The early voting period ends Nov. 1. Registered Ulster County voters, including those in Hurley, Olive, Saugerties, Shandaken, and Woodstock, can vote at any of the county’s six early voting sites. […]

The post Where and When to Vote in Ulster and Greene Counties appeared first on The Overlook.

Erin Garcia, 25, escaped the Oct. 16 fire on White Birch Lane with two cats and a work bag. Their apartment and car burned. Now staying with relatives in New Jersey, Garcia is trying to replace the basics. “My biggest current concern would be financial,” Garcia, who uses they/them pronouns, said in an email. “But […]

The post After Fatal Woodstock Fire, Displaced Residents Look to Future appeared first on The Overlook.

Peak fall foliage and a holiday weekend brought thousands of tourists to the Hunter area this month, leading officials to evaluate how to manage traffic and environmental impacts. “Based on what I’m hearing from the businesses and a lot of the residents, this was the busiest weekend, like, ever,” said Hunter Supervisor Sean Mahoney. “I […]

The post Fall Crowds Bring Traffic to Hunter, Record Visitor Count at Kaaterskill Falls appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, Editor-in-Chief Noah Eckstein interviewed Shandaken Supervisor Barbara Mansfield, a Democrat seeking reelection. Mansfield, 65, lives in Phoenicia and works full-time as supervisor. […]

The post Meet the Candidates: Supervisor Barbara Mansfield on Housing, Town Finances, and Flood Protection appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, Editor-in-Chief Noah Eckstein interviewed Angela Galindo, the Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Barbara Mansfield for Shandaken town supervisor. Galindo, 74, lives in […]

The post Meet the Candidates: Angela Galindo on Housing, Flood Protection, and Resident Participation appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, reporter Connor Greco interviewed Janet Tweed, Democratic nominee for New York’s 102nd Assembly District. The district includes all of Greene and Schoharie […]

The post Meet the Candidates: Janet Tweed on Affordable Housing, Budget Constraints, and Renewable Energy appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, reporter Connor Greco interviewed Michele Frazier, Democratic nominee for New York’s 51st Senate District. The district includes parts of Ulster, Broome, and […]

The post Meet the Candidates: Michele Frazier on Healthcare, Climate Change, and the Ashokan Watershed appeared first on The Overlook.

What began as a pandemic-era pizza fundraiser has grown into a Greenwich Village restaurant, and the family behind it is staying close to its Catskills roots. “We started out of charity for our church in Durham,” said Melanie Wesslock, co-founder of The Pizza Box. “Whether it’s in the city or up here, we have a […]

The post The Pizza Box Comes Home to the Catskills appeared first on The Overlook.

State Sen. Michelle Hinchey called on the Windham Planning Board to pause its review of the Windham Mountain Club’s proposed 26-room luxury hotel, questioning the need for more lodging and the board chair’s ties to the applicant.  In an Oct. 15 letter to the Planning Board and Town Board, Hinchey requested a feasibility study and […]

The post Hinchey Urges Pause on Windham Mountain Club Hotel Review appeared first on The Overlook.

Amy Helm has sued to regain control of Levon Helm Studios, alleging that Brian Parillo illegally took over the company behind her father’s Woodstock concert venue and used its resources to pursue a campaign against her. The lawsuit, filed Oct. 16 in state Supreme Court in Ulster County, seeks to remove Parillo from management, invalidate […]

The post Amy Helm Sues to Regain Control of Levon Helm Studios appeared first on The Overlook.

Saugerties-based filmmaker Jessica Edwards, a documentary programmer for the Woodstock Film Festival, will become its executive director at the end of the year, succeeding co-founder Meira Blaustein. The festival announced Edwards’ appointment at its Maverick Awards ceremony on Oct. 18 at Oz Farm in Saugerties, where Blaustein received a special Honorary Maverick Award. Blaustein, who […]

The post Saugerties-Based Filmmaker Jessica Edwards Named Executive Director of Woodstock Film Festival appeared first on The Overlook.

Emma Kofov, 10, sat atop her Welsh pony, Brookside Sun Bunny, preparing to enter the jumping ring at HITS in Saugerties on Oct. 1. The rider from Ottawa was representing Partridge Acres farm in her first appearance at the Hudson Valley horse show. “I just love the animals,” Kofov said. “I like the thrill of […]

The post Love of Horseback Riding Comes at a Price at HITS in Saugerties appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates for office in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, reporter Isabella Schoonover sits down with Fred Costello, the incumbent Saugerties town supervisor, who is running unopposed for reelection on the […]

The post Meet the Candidates: Fred Costello on Housing, Development, and Saugerties’ Future appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, reporter Connor Greco interviewed incumbent Hunter Town Supervisor Sean Mahoney, who is running unopposed. Mahoney, 51, is a native of Hunter and […]

The post Meet the Candidates: Supervisor Sean Mahoney on Affordability, Town Spending, and Hunter’s Future appeared first on The Overlook.

In the Catskills, we have a bounty of native aster species to delight pollinators and gardeners alike. They bloom late in the year, when few other flowers are producing nectar. They also serve as host plants, whose leaves feed caterpillars of many different species of butterflies and moths. This makes them “keystone” plants, supporting a […]

The post Native Asters Keep the Catskills in Bloom as Autumn Deepens appeared first on The Overlook.

In early September, the Rev. Patrick Rice of Windham’s Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church was coming up with some fundraising ideas. He realized the church rectory’s garage was unused, and looked to the church’s women’s guild to repurpose it. “‘Why don’t we turn this into a thrift shop?’ Rice, who lives in […]

The post In Windham, a Church Garage Becomes a Thrift Shop appeared first on The Overlook.

Erin Garcia arrived at the Mountain Top Library in Tannersville on Wednesday, Oct. 14, with a deck of cards. Card games make good icebreakers. “Everybody likes cards,” Garcia said. Garcia, 25, of Mount Tremper, is a nonbinary lesbian and uses they/them pronouns. They’re leading a weekly support group for LGBTQ+ adults at the library at […]

The post New Tannersville Group Creates Space for LGBTQ+ Adults appeared first on The Overlook.

Five Greene County mountaintop towns are seeking to combine their ambulance services into one district, hoping to recruit more emergency workers, improve response times, and share rising costs. Ashland, Jewett, Lexington, Prattsville, and Windham plan to apply for a $1.25 million grant through the state Department of State’s Local Government Efficiency program, Windham Supervisor Tom […]

The post Windham Seeks Ambulance Merger With Other Mountaintop Towns appeared first on The Overlook.

Even when you’re in a local band with fans that include Wesley Schultz of the Lumineers and Conor Oberst, getting signed to a major record label and receiving an advance on sales can be revelatory. That was just one realization in “Lunatic Dreamers,” a new film on the Felice Brothers, a band with Palenville roots, […]

The post Felice Brothers Film Captures Band’s Ambitions and Anxieties appeared first on The Overlook.

EJ Chocolates usually closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This week, with the Woodstock Film Festival bringing visitors to town, its owners opened the Village Green shop both days. For co-owner Emily Kellogg, 32, the festival arrives at an opportune moment. “I think it’s a blend of the film festival, the trees are changing, the foliage […]

The post A Look at What Woodstock Film Festival Means for Local Businesses appeared first on The Overlook.

Matthew Dougherty moved to Bearsville in 2017 with enough savings to spend a year making a movie. Nearly a decade into his first documentary, he needed time to work without the expense and demands of New York City. “To work full time to pay your rent, you can’t make a movie like that, because the […]

The post A Film 18 Years in the Making Found Its Footing in a Hudson Valley WhatsApp Group appeared first on The Overlook.

Windham Supervisor Tom Hoyt ripped up a newspaper and threw the pieces at his election challenger, Connor Exum, during an Oct. 8 Town Board meeting after Exum showed him an ad criticizing the town’s review of a proposed luxury hotel. Exum, a Democrat, is challenging Hoyt for the second year in a row in the […]

The post Windham Supervisor Tears Up Newspaper, Tosses Pieces at Election Challenger appeared first on The Overlook.

Overlook Mountain, Cooper Lake, and the trees and wildlife around Woodstock appear again and again in the Avery family’s art. Across four generations, the landscapes have remained familiar even as each artist has found a different way to depict them. “Going Upstate: The Avery Family in Woodstock,” on view through Oct. 25 at Byrdcliffe’s Kleinert/James […]

The post For Four Generations of Avery Artists, Woodstock Is Common Ground appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates for office in the Nov. 4 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, reporter Connor Greco sits down with Thomas Hoyt, the Republican incumbent for Windham town supervisor, who is running for reelection against […]

The post Meet the Candidates: Supervisor Thomas Hoyt on the Cost of Living, Budget Concerns and the Windham Mountain Club appeared first on The Overlook.

Shandaken’s Town Board approved a resolution to support wastewater treatment, reviving efforts that failed three times over more than two decades and potentially restoring Phoenicia to the list of towns eligible for New York City funding to build one.  Phoenicia first tried to build a plant in 2000, only to have its plans fall apart […]

The post Shandaken Town Board Approves Resolution Supporting Wastewater Treatment  appeared first on The Overlook.

Two word-of-mouth referrals, 26 years apart, began and ended the legacy of the couple who owned Mirabai of Woodstock, the spiritual and metaphysical bookstore that anchors Mill Hill Road.  Saugerties residents Audrey Cusson and Jeff Cuiule bought the store in 2000 after learning about it from their couples counselor. In May, Cusson’s New York City […]

The post Longtime Book Publisher Buys Woodstock’s Mirabai as Cusson, Cuiule Exit appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 4 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, reporter Connor Greco sits down with Connor Exum, the Democratic nominee for Windham Town Supervisor, who is running against Republican incumbent Thomas […]

The post Meet The Candidates: Connor Exum on Affordable Housing, Transparency and Gentrification appeared first on The Overlook.

Windham Mountain Club’s proposed luxury hotel has become a focus of a broader debate over the town’s future, dividing business owners over whether the resort’s move toward exclusivity is bringing opportunity or driving visitors away. At a packed Oct. 1 Planning Board hearing, supporters said the 26-room hotel could attract customers and encourage investment. Opponents […]

The post Windham Mountain Club’s Hotel Plan Stirs Debate Over Town’s Future appeared first on The Overlook.

Five years ago, piano broker Robert Friedman, known as “the Steinway Hunter,” stumbled upon Thomas Edison’s piano while browsing a Long Island estate sale website. Today, the instrument sits in Rondavid Gold’s Woodstock home, where musicians gathered Sunday, Oct. 4, for a concert benefiting the Jewish Federation of Ulster County. About 40 people attended Gold’s […]

The post In Woodstock, Thomas Edison’s Piano Finds an Audience appeared first on The Overlook.

Technology developed in the 1870s proved to be a communications lifeline in Phoenicia when Hurricane Irene roared through, leaving the hamlet without power for 10 days. Since wireless coverage is spotty, the only residents who could call the outside world had landline phones connected by copper wires, which don’t need electricity. It’s a situation that […]

The post In Phoenicia, the Coming End of a Cherished Communication Link Stirs Concern appeared first on The Overlook.