The "Catskill Arts & Air,” open-air art series returns to the Pakatakan Farmers Market every Saturday through out the summer. Each week this festival- styled series will join together our regional farmers with local artists, writers and musicians as an added bonus to the great bounty, creativity and atmosphere that the Pakatakan Farmers Market already offers our community and visitors. New this year will be a free children’s workshop added to the popular weekly artist demonstration. This festival series is presented by the Catskill Mountain Artisans Guild in collaboration with the MARK Project with support from the Roxbury Arts Group, Pakatakan Farmers Market, Delaware County Historical Association, Delaware and Ulster Railroad, Historical Society of the Town of Middletown, Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce, Ira & Laurie McIntosh and the Catskill Mountain Boys. Funded in part by the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation, the Delaware County Dept. of Economic Development, and a grant from NYS Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group.
Saturday, July 2
Val Wells will demonstrate paper marbling, and provide a workshop for children who wish to try their hand at this exciting technique from 10-12 pm on Sat. July 2, as the first of ten artist demonstrations and children’s workshops scheduled this summer at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30, Halcottsville. Wells, who creates her own hand marbled stationery, will mesmerize you with this process as the opening event of the season.
Saturday, July 9
“Catskill Arts & Air” presents a writers tour featuring Diane Galusha, who will lead you on a journey to learn how the CCC, a federal Depression-era employment program for jobless youth profoundly shaped the Catskills by developing campgrounds, hiking trails, ski slopes and planting millions of trees on Sat. July 9 at 9 am at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30, Halcottsville. Galusha, author of Another Day, Another Dollar, The Civilian Conservation Corps in the Catskills will discuss the Corps’ regional impact at the Ranger headquarters built in the mid-1930s by young men of Margaretville CCC Camp S-133. A one-mile hike through a CCC-planted Norway spruce plantation will follow. Wear sturdy shoes and prepare for bugs and rain! Autographed books will be available for purchase. All tours leave the Market at 10 am and return by 2 pm.
Also that day from 10-12 pm, Robin Bruck-Tanner of Loving Earth Studio will demonstratehow to make hand built pottery by using slabs or rolled clay and children will be invited to participate in creating small bowls or boxes.
Saturday, July 16
Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes will demonstrate traditional weaving techniques and offer some hands on fun for children on Sat. July 16 from 10-12 pm at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30, Halcottsville as part of “Catskill Arts & Air” an open-air arts festival series presenting events every Saturday this summer through Labor Day. Tabitha has been weaving since the mid-1970s, following a dream from high school days.
Saturday, July 23
A writer’s tour with Michael Kudish, author of the newly published “Where Did The Tracks Go in the Catskills?” will lead a journey along the Delaware & Ulster Railroad which served thirteen creameries and milk stations along the sixteen miles between Arkville and Grand Gorge Station in a time when dairy farming was a way of life for the Catskill region. This event begins on Sat., July 24 at 9 am at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30, Halcottsville, as part of the continuing “Catskill Arts & Air” festival series. Travel with Mike to see the five remaining creamery buildings and stops to observe the sites of the other five creameries and the three milk stations - now all without remains. Information on the Delaware and Ulster Railroad will be on display that day. All tours leave the Market at 10 am and return by 2 pm. Author signed books will be available. Remember to pack a lunch, water, and gear necessary for the forecast.
Artist Demonstrations continue this week from 10-12 pm as Becky Nielsen will demonstrate her unique painted river rocks. Everybody has memories of painting stones when they were kids, and it doesn’t have to stop. For this workshop children are invited to create their own miniature paintings.
Also get a true taste of the music of the Catskills from 11 am -1pm with regional darlings, Ira & “Story” Laurie McIntosh, a husband-wife team whose concerts are all made to order and seasoned to taste with a dash of originality. Ira & Laurie will be serving up a cornucopia of tunes just right for the season, & with a groove so infectious you can’t help but sing along.
Saturday, July 30
“Catskill Arts & Air” presents woodworking artist John Knapp, who will show us how he creates whimsical heirloom toys using wood that he harvests from his sustainable forest on Sat. July 30, from 10-12 pm at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30, Halcottsville as part of the weekly open-air arts series. John will demonstrate some of the different methods he uses to give his toys their spark, while also explaining the process of managing a woodlot in a sustainable manner. There will also be an interactive workshop when youngsters can engage in making their own toy.
Saturday, Aug. 6
Longyear gallery artist, Gerda van Leeuwen will demonstrate print making on Sat. Aug. 6 from 10-12pm at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30 Halcottsville as part of the “Catskill Arts & Air” open-air arts series. Van Leeuwen, who is inspired by her direct environment; using flowers, plants ,organic and non-organic matters in her printmaking will show us her unique techniques in combination with traditional mono prints and offer some hands on printing processes for children to try out on their own!
Saturday, Aug. 13
The Delaware County Historical Association and guides Dorothy Kubik and Tim Duerden will host an historic driving tour of important Anti-Rent War sites around Delaware County on Sat. Aug. 13 at 10 am at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30, Halcottsville as part of this weeks “Catskill Arts & Air” writers event. Ms. Kubik is the author of the popular book, A Free Soil…A Free People: The Anti-Rent War in Delaware County. Tim Duerden is the Director of the Delaware County Historical Association and author of A History of Delaware County 1797 – 2007. This tour leaves the Market at 11 am. Author signed books will be available. Remember to pack a lunch, water, and gear necessary for the forecast.
Meanwhile back at the Market, Martha Bremer will demonstrate traditional basket weaving as well as a variety of chair caning techniques from 10-12pm. She also will offer several basket weaving projects for children to try out their weaving skills.
Also come hear local favorites “The Catskill Mountain Boys”play a wide variety of bluegrass favorites from 11-1pm. The boys; Henry Hermann, John VanBenschoten, Mike Herman and Todd Pascarella will present their own unique blend of rhythm, swing & Catskill Mountain music. This event is free with any public donations going towards a new “inclusive” playground in the Fleischmanns’ Park.
Saturday, Aug. 20
Enjoy a moderate and scenic three-mile hike to the summit of Balsam Lake Mountain to see one of the five Catskill Mountains that has a fire tower with David and Carol White on Sat. Aug. 20 at 9 am at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30 ,Halcottsville at the final writer’s tour of the “Catskill Arts & Air” open–air arts series. Carol and David White, authors of Adirondack Mountain Club publications, Catskill Day Hikes for All Seasons (2002) and editors of Catskill Trails will lead hikers to the summit to meet a fire tower interpreter as well as a fire observer's cabin that's open to the public: both with lots of interesting facts and history about fire observing in the mountains. The total elevation change to the summit is 1100 feet. Pack a lunch, water, and gear necessary for the forecast.
Artist demonstrations and children’s workshops continue at the Market from 10-12 pm with Jill Clinedemonstrating the magical process of felting which begins with raw fleece, a little soap and water and a lot of agitation. Cline will give a brief history and demystify the felting process while offering to children a chance to roll up their sleeves, get their hands wet and felt.
Saturday, Aug 27
Craft artisan and watercolorist Maryann Stow will be demonstrating and presenting a children’s workshop on some unique painting techniques on Sat. Aug. 27 from 10-12 pm at the Pakatakan Farmers Market, Route 30, Halcottsville as part of the “Catskill Arts & Air” series continues. Stow will be showing the versatility of clapboard (a thin layer of clay on mason board), which lends itself to painting, lifting, collaging and scratching. There will be materials available for children to create their own clay board creation to take home
Saturday, Sept. 3
Katherine Somelofski of Dancing Star Studio of Art and Crafts will demonstrate the hand dipping process behind her pure beeswax candles from 10-12 pm on Sat. Sept. 4 as the final event of the ”Catskill Arts & Air” festival series at the Pakatakan Farmers Market , Route 30, Halcottsville . Children are invited to join in and try their hand at dipping their own candles! Katherine works only in beeswax because it is the most environmentally friendly of the waxes and supports “buy local” by sourcing all of her yellow beeswax wax from local beekeepers.