Lady Antebellum, appearing Saturday at the Taste of Country Festival at Hunter Mountain.
Father’s Day is upon us -- an opportunity to honor and enjoy the dad in your life. This weekend, the various venues and organizations of the Catskills region and beyond have a varied batch of opportunities on tap for celebratory good times.
Some of the events listed below aren’t specifically planned with Father’s Day in mind -- but hey, paternal units come in all sorts of flavors. If you and Pater decide something is a Father’s Day outing, we’re sure the organizers won’t mind.
DELAWARE COUNTY
The Delaware County Fairgrounds in Walton will be taken over for the weekend by the Walton Regional Livestock Show -- more prize pigs, goats, cows and sheep than you can shake a dad at. Special this year: New bull show events, with a $100 prize for the champion. Friday, June 14 through Sunday, June 16.
Hanford Mills is celebrating New York State Museum Week -- which means two-for-one admission at East Meredith's historic mill museum. Odds are the 1926 Fitz Overshot Waterwheel that still runs Hanford Mills's working sawmill will be a hit. We hear dads love power tools.
On Saturday and Sunday at the Margaretville Pavilion, experience the culture of our region’s first residents at the Delaware River Bear Circle Powwow.
Artistic dads and their darlings can let it rip at the drop-in art class at the Roxbury Arts Center on Saturday, June 15. “Collage with Nat Thomas” will take place from 11:30am to 2pm, and will focus on creating a narrative through the versatile medium of collage.
Do you have (or are you) an Opera Dad? The Franklin Stage Company is bringing “Opera Oggi New York” to their Chapel Hall stage in Franklin. The production imports an “unorthodox indie-opera company” for high notes and hijinks on Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 5pm. In keeping with FSC’s philosophy, admission is free.
GREENE COUNTY
Cairo will be embracing its gangsta days on Saturday, June 15 from 11am to 6pm, when the “Temperance and Tommy Guns” festival takes over Main Street. All are encouraged to dress Prohibition-style, in flapper gear and pinstripes. There’ll be kids’ activities, displays of pre-1940s skills and artifacts, and all sorts of live music, from Irish step dance to acoustic blues.
The Ensemble for Early Music will be performing ‘Istanpitta,’ a compilation of dances from the 13th and 14 centuries that’s been described by Stereophile as “a bacchanalian celebration of movement,” at the Doctorow Center for the Arts in Hunter.
At Hunter Mountain, the first Taste of Country Music Festival will be going on through Saturday, June 15, with stellar headliners like Lady Antebellum, Willie Nelson and Family and Trace Adkins. The festivities begin on Thursday; there’s camping available on the mountain if you want to make a weekend of it.
On Sunday, June 16, the 16th Annual Cruisin' on the Mountain Top Antique and Classic Car Show will be held on Tannersville’s Main Street from 10am to 4pm, with live music from the Greyhounds and a gleaming array of autophile eye candy.
Golfers can get their groove on at the Father’s Day Tourney 9 Hole Scramble at the Catskill Golf Club in Catskill on Sunday, June 16. There’ll be burgers and dogs after the round, which starts at 9am.
SCHOHARIE COUNTY
The Howe Caverns Estate will be agleam with chrome and enamel at the 13th Annual Cavalcade of Cars, a hot rod and classic show. BBQ provided; bring a canned good for a Schoharie County food pantry and get in free. Noon to 4pm, Sunday, June 16.
SULLIVAN COUNTY
Get up early on Saturday and head down to the 12th Annual Fishing Classic in Hurleyville. The fun starts at 5am; winner gets bragging rights in perpetuity, or at least until the 13th Annual next year.
The Dancing Cat Saloon and Catskill Brewing Company in Bethel is hosting a Les Paul Tribute Day on Saturday, June 15. The Les Paul Trio performs at 8pm; your ticket gets you a signature cocktail.
Have a good time and help a good cause at the Rhulen Rock Hill Run & Ramble on Saturday. Set your own pace on the flat, fast loop around beautiful Lake Louise Marie; the race starts at 9am. Afterwards, relax over a pasta luncheon and a beer. There will be live music and a health fair.
ULSTER COUNTY
Woodstock hosts three days of peace, love and stagecraft at the Byrdcliffe Guild's annual Festival of the Arts this weekend. Come for the Rocky Horror Picture Show; stay for brilliant old-tymey fiddler Cleek Schrey. Or whatever on the diverse program floats your boat. Friday, June 14 through Sunday, June 16.
From 3pm to 6pm on Saturday, June 15, Kingston Rotary Park will be abuzz with the sounds of the 17 Year Cicada Celebration Outdoor Concert. Mik Horowitz and Gilles Malkine, the Princes of Serendip, Pauline Oliveros, Ione, and a host of others will help you and Dad reflect on the passage of the generations and much, much more.
The Kingston Trolley Museum is offering free rides for dads on Sunday, June 16 from 12am to 5pm. The scenic and historic ride takes you out to Kingston Point Beach, a great place for a swim and a picnic.
Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz is offering 15 percent off their castle-in-the-sky ambience as a Father’s Day special.
OTSEGO COUNTY
Wander among the butterflies and colorful tropical birds. Dads get in free on Sunday at the J.L. Popp Butterfly Conservatory in Oneonta.
CHENANGO COUNTY
Take Pop camping at Tall Pines in Bainbridge, where they’ll be celebrating Father’s Day all weekend long with glow-in-the-dark golf, a Pinewood Derby, and canoe trips. Classic dad fare like pizza and wings features prominently in the menu.
Ever picture your dad in a Model T Ford? The Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich -- besides being a real treat for any dad with a motorhead streak -- is offering free professional pix of you and dad in their Model T with every museum admission on Sunday, June 16. Or, you can visit them on Saturday around 6pm for a Father’s Day Mustang Rally.
SARATOGA COUNTY
Beer lovers will rejoice and be edified by the 150 brews on tap in Saratoga Springs at the Annual Saratoga Brewfest. More than fifty breweries will be participating, with an accompaniment of live music and topical guest speakers, on Saturday, June 15 from 2pm to 6pm. Or treat Dad to the VIP experience -- an extra hour of fun, access to limited quantity rare brews and a souveneir tasting glass.
ALBANY COUNTY
Juneteenth, the commemoration of the day the word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas, is a holiday sure to appeal to any freedom lovin’ father. The ninth annual Albany celebration takes place from 12am to 6pm in Washington Park, with Motown sounds, a dance-off, food and kids’ activities.
Trad dads and their loved ones will find their bliss at the free Father’s Day Concert taking place at Albany’s Riverfront Park Amphitheatre. Picnic to the sounds of the USO Liberty Bells and the 94 Band and enjoy fireworks over the Hudson. Food vendors will have their grills fired up at 6pm; music starts at 7. Sunday, June 16.
Have we missed any good dadly events coming up this weekend? Leave a comment below, and we'll add them to the post.
