Stoners from across the Northeast are praying for clear skies over Hancock this weekend. The first annual Catskill Chill Festival, a thick slice of crunchy merriment with a big fat dollop of jam, is taking over the bunkhouses and campgrounds of Camp Minglewood Friday and Saturday. Headliners include funk/jazz trio Soulive, livetronica band Particle and “one-man jam band” Keller Williams. Check out the whole lineup here.
Friday, 9.10 and Saturday, 9.11. Weekend passes $115 at the gate; includes camping and parking.
The pride of Saugerties, HITS (that stands for Horse Shows In The Sun, somehow), is hosting its biggest event of the year this weekend. All summer long, the best show jumpers from across the nation have been competing for the right to go to the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. But if you want in, all you've got to do is shine up your best tack and show up at the HITS-On-The-Hudson ring on Sunday. If you just can't get enough horseflesh, make a weekend of it: HITS will host an equestrian art auction on Friday evening, and on Saturday, the town of Saugerties is auctioning off the “Hors'n Around” painted carousel horses that have been prancing through town all summer.
HITS events throughout the weekend; Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix begins at 1:30pm on Sunday, 9.12. Admission $50.
Antique Engine Jamboree and Powerfest
Now in its 27th year, the Antique Engine Jamboree has become a tradition at the Hanford Mills Museum. This year, it gets better. On Saturday, clever engineer types will be showing the latest hydropower, wind, solar and other alternative-energy gadgets alongside the Museum's traditional display of vintage steam engines, antique fire engine pumpers and outboard motors from the 1930s. Ah, the thrill of power.
10am to 5pm, Saturday, 9.11. Adult and teen admission is $8.50, Seniors, $6.50; Active & Retired Military; $4.25.
Mountain Music Festival at Bethel Woods
Not everybody's a sucker for banjos. They're kind of an acquired taste. But odds are, if you're voluntarily spending your summers, your weekends, or your life in the Catskill Mountains, you've probably got a soft spot for banjos. Not to mention bluegrass, fresh-picked apples, homemade quilts, corn mazes, and the stomp of feet on floorboards. All these things can be found in abundance at the Mountain Music Festival at Bethel Woods this Sunday. For those about to twang, we salute you.
Sunday, 9.12. Free admission.
9/11 Anniversary
Saturday is the ninth anniversary of 9/11. Not that you needed a reminder. By the weekend, every news outlet in the country will be busy yawping about the Ground Zero mosque and rubbing salt in old wounds. Dreading the fateful day already? Do yourself a favor and leave the burning world behind for a little while. The Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper is hosting one of their popular introductory retreats for beginners this weekend. If you're still feeling raw over 9/11, a little compassion for all beings might be just what the doctor ordered.
For more events around the Catskills this weekend, check out our calendar.
