The Woodstock Town Board has dropped a proposal to spend $15,000 in federal pandemic relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act on an affordable housing design competition, leaving officials to decide how to use the town’s remaining $60,000 before the end of the year. The Housing Committee proposed the competition at the board’s Aug. […]

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In 2005, Woodstock musician Larry Campbell was rehearsing with a band backing Dolly Parton for a string of television appearances. His wife, Teresa Williams, had a family friend in Tennessee, where she grew up, who was a major Parton fan. Campbell asked Parton to autograph a photograph for him. Parton said she would be glad […]

The post Dolly Parton’s Generosity Came in Gestures Grand and Small appeared first on The Overlook.

Greene County lawmakers approved more than $4.25 million in contracts on Aug. 19 to overhaul the aging Windham transfer station, bringing total funding for the project to about $4.92 million.  The Legislature unanimously awarded a $4,010,326 general construction contract to Jersen Construction Group, a Saratoga County contractor. Work on the 8,600-square-foot facility on Mitchell Hollow […]

The post Windham Transfer Station Upgrades to Cost Nearly $5 Million appeared first on The Overlook.

Tannersville could become the second village in the town of Hunter to ban commercial-grade dumpsters from properties with one to three residential units, as officials cite streets lined with refuse containers and growing problems with bears and other wildlife.  The village board discussed the proposed Village of Tannersville Refuse Control Law on Aug. 20. The […]

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Jay Fink, disc jockey at WRIP-FM 97.9, spent the night of Aug. 27, 2011, at the Windham radio station after being told a storm was coming. He didn’t know he’d be on the air for 13 hours the next day.  “I had no idea the severity of it, but I said, ‘Okay, I’ll hunker down […]

The post 15 Years After Hurricane Irene, Memories Run Deep in the Catskills appeared first on The Overlook.

The tornado threat was centered in neighboring Hardenburgh, while a severe storm carrying large hail and 60 mph winds moved toward Highmount, Oliverea, Pine Hill, and Belleayre Mountain. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for an area near Shandaken after radar detected rotation in a severe thunderstorm shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday. The […]

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Two drivers died after a head-on crash on state Route 28 in Shokan early Sunday, Aug. 23, state police said.  Peter Bonenfant, 19, of Smithtown, Suffolk County, was driving west near 3558 state Route 28 at about 6:47 a.m.  when his 2024 Chevrolet crossed into the eastbound lane for reasons that have not been determined […]

The post Two Dead After Head-On Crash in Shokan appeared first on The Overlook.

Shandaken’s Board of Ethics said it found no ethics concerns or violations by Supervisor Barbara Mansfield following a review prompted by allegations about her treatment of town employees and the handling of a permit for work at her home. “We determined that there were no ethics concerns or violations by Supervisor Mansfield,” ethics board member […]

The post Shandaken Ethics Board Finds No Violations by Supervisor Amid Two Building Department Resignations appeared first on The Overlook.

Opponents of Zena Homes are weighing two potential court challenges and focusing on Eastwoods Drive, the development’s proposed access route through Woodstock, after the project cleared two hurdles in the Town of Ulster last week. The Woodstock Land Conservancy and Stop Zena Development, a community group, held a meeting for residents and supporters in Woodstock […]

The post Zena Homes Opponents Regroup as Project Advances in Ulster appeared first on The Overlook.

Woodstock band Big Deep will play a free show Saturday, Aug. 22, on the front porch of Happy Life Productions as part of the Woodstock Music Walk. The performance begins at 6 p.m. at 59 Tinker St. The Music Walk will feature about 30 musicians performing outside businesses throughout town. Band members plan to meet […]

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Woodstock redesignated its Bear Task Force as a five-member BearWise Committee that will advise the town on bear awareness, public education, and conflict prevention. The town board named the committee’s members at a business meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18. They are Woodstock Supervisor Anula Courtis, Rachel Jackson, John Milo, Hannah Birenz, and Iris Permenter. The […]

The post Woodstock Creates BearWise Committee to Reduce Conflicts With Bears appeared first on The Overlook.

The Phoenicia Festival of the Arts will introduce a film festival during its fourth annual celebration, expanding the three-day event’s lineup of visual art, music, performances, poetry, and community programs. Events will take place along Phoenicia’s Main Street and at the Phoenicia Playhouse from Aug. 21 to 23. Christina Varga, the festival’s founder and producer […]

The post Phoenicia Festival of the Arts Adds Film Festival in Fourth Year appeared first on The Overlook.

Phoenicia will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its landmark cast-iron eagle with a parade, ceremony, live music, and conservation programs on Aug. 22. Eagle Day will begin with a parade along Main Street at 11 a.m. on Saturday before moving to the eagle statue at the intersection of state Routes 28 and 214 for a […]

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The Hunter Town Board fully renewed Haines Falls Auto Service and Sales Inc.’s junkyard and scrap facility licenses on Aug. 11 after the owner met a series of conditions imposed in June.  The board had granted owner Rory France conditional renewals in June after neighbors complained that the business had become an eyesore and was […]

The post Hunter Board Fully Renews Licenses for Haines Falls Auto appeared first on The Overlook.

The village of Hunter narrowly passed a ban on dumpsters and other exterior refuse containers on residential properties on Aug. 17, citing aesthetic and safety concerns.  Trustee Jason DiLeo and Mayor Alan Higgins voted for the Village of Hunter Refuse Control Law. Trustee Benjamin Sommers voted against it. The measure applies to large metal, wood, […]

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Hariklia Koundourakis boasts that her kourabiedes are the best.  The soft, buttery cookies, similar to shortbread, are made with ground almonds and dusted with powdered sugar. The popular dessert dates back to the early Ottoman Empire, with variations of the treat existing in countries across the Mediterranean and Western Asia. Koundourakis uses her mother’s recipe. […]

The post At Windham’s Greek Festival, the ‘Greek Alps’ Live On appeared first on The Overlook.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer called on the Postal Service to restore operations at the West Kill post office, which has been closed for 19 months following an electrical fire.  “The West Kill Post Office is more than a place to pick up and drop off mail,” said Schumer, a Democrat, in a statement on Aug. […]

The post Senator Chuck Schumer Calls for West Kill Post Office to Reopen appeared first on The Overlook.

Cheers erupt as Thomas DeSantis enters the burnout pit.  With his cloak on and scythe in hand, he calls himself the “Grim Reaper.” The nickname fits the car he drives: a coffin on wheels that he built from spare parts in three months.  His friends, too, look ready for the procession. Members of DeSantis’ Dead […]

The post Inside a Smoke-Filled Rat Rod Festival appeared first on The Overlook.

Decades ago, bass player Dave Holland was summoned to the U.S. to perform with the legendary Miles Davis, who had seen him play at Ronnie Scott in London and wanted him for a gig at Count Basie’s in Harlem.   A drummer who had struck up a friendship with Holland in London met him at the […]

The post Late Jazz Drummer Jack DeJohnette Celebrated as Fans Throng UPAC appeared first on The Overlook.

In the Catskills, reading is alive and well, according to author Glynnis MacNicol. “This idea that people aren’t reading is not actually true,” she said. “It’s not my experience as an author, it’s not my experience as a writer. I think that increasingly, we’re craving off-screens, real-life, something to hold in your hands.” MacNicol is […]

The post Inaugural Catskills Book Festival Draws Crowd to West Kill appeared first on The Overlook.

Less than a week after 12-year-old Levi Dempsey died following a utility terrain vehicle crash in Maplecrest, a summer concert at CD Lane Park became a fundraiser for his family.  Hundreds of community members gathered at the park in collective grief on County Route 56, also known as Big Hollow Road, on Aug. 7. The […]

The post Windham Concert Raises Thousands for Dempsey Family appeared first on The Overlook.

In six years of cycling the Tour of the Catskills, Tim Doyle had never encountered a bear along the course. That changed this year.  “He or she was galloping across the road,” Doyle said. “Of course there was a line of traffic coming behind us, so we couldn’t get over on the other shoulder.” Doyle, […]

The post Tour of the Catskills Returns to Tannersville appeared first on The Overlook.

The Windham Planning Board appears poised to advance an amendment to Windham Mountain Club’s already approved master plan that would replace eight townhouses with a 26-room luxury hotel, despite growing opposition and concerns from area hotel owners.  At an Aug. 6 meeting, board Chair Lisa Jaeger, alternate John O’Neill, and board member Nate Holdridge indicated […]

The post Windham Planning Board Signals Support for Mountain Club Hotel Plan appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook raised $60,000 at a fundraising event on Aug. 6, including a $25,000 matching gift from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism to support the digital nonprofit news outlet’s general operations. Jim Friedlich, the institute’s chief executive, announced the gift during the event. The challenge required other donors to contribute at least an equal amount. […]

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Susan Brown was working in an upstairs office overflowing with books, papers, and photographs on Aug. 9 when she heard her 8-pound dog, Blue, barking downstairs. Brown, 80, walked toward the living room and found an adult female black bear and one of her cubs inside. Blue was trying to confront them. “There is a […]

The post Bear and Cub Enter Woodstock Home, Injure Dog appeared first on The Overlook.

For more than a year and a half, some residents of the Lexington hamlet of West Kill have had to cross county lines to get their mail. The former post office on Spruceton Road closed in January 2025 after an electrical fire broke out in an adjacent building. Smoke damage shuttered the building, and operations […]

The post West Kill Rallies for Return of Its Post Office appeared first on The Overlook.

Zena Homes advanced through two Town of Ulster reviews this week after the Planning Board issued a negative declaration for the proposed subdivision and the Zoning Board of Appeals denied a challenge from the Woodstock Land Conservancy. The Planning Board voted Tuesday to determine that the controversial project in the towns of Woodstock and Ulster […]

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In the winter of 2020-21, some of the world’s leading mountaineers converged on K2, the world’s second-highest mountain in the Karakoram mountain range between Pakistan and China, in pursuit of a feat widely considered nearly impossible: reaching its summit in winter. “The Last First: Winter K2,” a new documentary from Amir Bar-Lev, follows Icelandic climber […]

The post Amir Bar-Lev Examines the Risks and Rivalries of K2 appeared first on The Overlook.

Levon Helm Studios sued musician Amy Helm and seven other defendants in federal court Monday, alleging that she used company money to support her personal life and music career, concealed financial transactions from other shareholders, and caused the Woodstock venue to sustain at least $2 million in damages. The lawsuit also alleges that Amy Helm, […]

The post Levon Helm Studios Sues Amy Helm in Federal Court, Alleging Millions in ‘Self-Dealing’ appeared first on The Overlook.

An Ulster County man is charged in a July hit-and-run crash in Saugerties that killed a Mount Marion motorcyclist, the New York State Police said. Chase Godwin, 24, of the hamlet of Wallkill, reported to the state police barracks in Kingston on Aug. 7 and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting […]

The post Wallkill Man Charged in Fatal Saugerties Hit-and-Run appeared first on The Overlook.