Dozens of Memorial Day events kick off summer in the Catskills

Above: An honor guard leads the 2015 Liberty Memorial Day Parade. Photo by John Kocijanski of Catskill Photography, shared in the Watershed Post's Flickr pool.

Memorial Day Weekend 2016 brings a flood of enticing opportunities to come together, celebrate, and get the Catskills summer season started off right. Here’s our five-county guide to what’s happening where from Friday, May 27 to Monday, May 30.

DELAWARE COUNTY

Parades and Ceremonies:

Roxbury 

Parade: May 30, 9:30 a.m., Route 30 North

Grand Gorge 

Parade: May 30, 11 a.m., Route 23 West

Entertainment

RambleBramble Farm in South Kortright will be holding its annual Seedling Sale from Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30. Choose from a beautiful, healthy selection of 80 different organic, rare and heirloom varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and herbs.

The village of Fleischmanns hosts its annual Memorial Day Street Fair on Saturday, May 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with food, live music, a bounce house, kids' activities and vendors.

Above: The Memorial Day Street Fair in Fleischmanns. 

Rail fans, history buffs, subversives of all stripes and music lovers young and old will be amazed and delighted by the five action-packed hours taking place from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 at the Roxbury Depot in Roxbury. The Catskill rail festival and fundraiser promises “significant unveilings,” “regional development strategies” and a ton of fun, including five live bands, tours of the depot, and track “speeder” car tours for the brave.

The Hobart Book Village will host its annual Memorial Day Weekend Sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 28 through Monday, May 30, with big discounts on offer at each of the village's seven Main Street bookshops. This year, a new bookshop, "Creative Corner Books" will be open, selling cookbooks, craft books and Do-It-Yourself Books.

It’s happy times in Hancock, as the community gathers for the second annual Memorial Day Weekend Season Kickoff. Yard sales and a library book sale are happening both May 28 and 29. On Sunday, May 29, festivities start at noon in the Hancock Town Square with an old-fashioned chicken BBQ picnic, arts and crafts, games and live music headlined by the traditional, Celtic and patriotic sounds of the award-winning American Rogues.

Celebrate local history and summertime with the Delaware County Historical Association at their 1797 Frisbee House in Delhi. Their Summer Season Opening is on Saturday, May 28. At 2 p.m. there will be a free presentation on Native Americans and their history in these parts.

Above: Stone and Sawyer, bespoke lampmakers, open a retail storefront on Main Street in Delhi on Saturday, May 28. 

Come down to Main Street in Delhi on Saturday evening, May 28 for Summer Night in Delhi, an evening of grand openings, shopping, food, drinks and wine tastings as the community welcomes the brand new Stone and Sawyer retail store, the new headquarters for the Catskills-based ceramic lamp company, and celebrates the re-opening of Rachel’s Framing. Joining in the celebration from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. will be Ray’s Fine Wine and Spirits, Tay Tea, Stewarts, Blue Bee, Main Street Cards and Gifts and The Stonehouse.

“El Abogado de la Salsa,” Cuban singer and songwriter Gerardo Contino, is bringing his gritty, witty and streetwise 7-piece band Los Habaneros, chosen by WNYC/NPR as Manhattan’s Best Band of 2015, to the Roxbury Arts Center’s summer kickoff  on Saturday, May 28 from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. There’s a salsa lesson before the party to get you into the flow.

GREENE COUNTY

Parades and Ceremonies

Tannersville 

Parade: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 29, with a service to follow at Veterans Monument

Cairo

Parade: 11 a.m. Monday, May 30

Entertainment

Above: Tannersville's Crazy Boat Race & Festival. 

The village of Tannersville is going to be whooping it up all weekend . A carnival starts Friday evening, May 27 at 5 p.m. and continues through Monday, May 30, while the village’s beloved Rubber Duck Race, Crazy Boat Race and Festival happens on Saturday, May 28. Rubber dickies launch at 11 a.m. from the bridge on Main Street, while the boats at launch 2 p.m. on Rip Van Winkle Lake. Buy a ducky and/or bring your own boat—the festival lasts all day. Don’t forget to stop by the farmers’ market on Sunday. 

Up the hill, the annual Garden Fair/Plant Exchange will be happening at the Tannersville Mountain Top Arboretum on Saturday, May 28 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. They’ll have master gardeners brimming with good advice, food, vendors, camaraderie and plants, plants, plants!

Classic Memorial Day flavor will be served up at the Lexington Church Hall at Brooks’ Chicken Barbecue between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 28. 

Laugh it up at the Bridge Street Theatre Speakeasy in Catskill. Blue Horse Repertory Company is presenting “Leading Ladies,” an evening of comedic monologues and one-act plays for women, on Saturday May 28 at 8 p.m.

Above: The "World's Largest Map of Ireland" at the East Durham Irish Festival. 

Kick off the summer in fine Celtic style at the East Durham Irish Festival with 22 (begorrah!) of the very best Irish rock and traditional Irish bands. Headlining are The Whistlin' Donkeys. Céilí and Old Stlyle Séan Nós. Dancing workshops, singing classes, and children's Irish plays will be going on all weekend, as will.guided tours of the Authentic Donegal Irish Cottage and World's Largest Map of Ireland. It’s all happening Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29 at the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural and Sports center in East Durham.

SCHOHARIE COUNTY

Parades and Ceremonies

Schoharie

Parade: Thursday, May 26, 2016 6:30 p.m.

Middleburgh

Memorial Day celebration: 10 a.m. Monday, May 3, Memorial Park

Old Stone Form Museum, Schoharie

Traditional Decoration Day observance including cemetery wreath-laying procession, music, film and guided tours: Old Stone Fort Museum, Monday May 30 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Above: Decoration Day at the Old Stone Fort Museum.

Entertainment

The welcoming merchants of Sharon Springs, along with over 100 Mohawk Valley artists, artisans, farmers and fine food-vendors, invite you to celebrate the peaking of the springtime at a splendid Garden Party on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Pro tips: Saturday is the day to catch the gardening and cooking demos; Sunday is for shopping and strolling; and if you want to taste one of Chef Lee’s fresh-from-the-Atlantic lobster rolls, show up early. 

Get a first-hand account of the Peacemaker’s original instructions to humankind on how to respect and walk sustainably on the earth from an Onondaga Iroquois Clan Mother. Frieda Jacques will discuss  "The Honorable Harvest" at the Iroquois Museum in Howes Cave on Sunday, May 29 at 2 p.m.

SULLIVAN COUNTY

Parades and Ceremonies

Tusten

Parade: Settlement Church, military honors, service, hymns, refreshments; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 29

Roscoe 

Parade: 10 a.m. Monday, May 30

Liberty 

Parade: 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 30

Lumberland 

Observance and refreshments, Town Hall, 10 a.m. Monday, May 30

Entertainment

Visit the Memorial Day Barn Sale at Laughing Ladies Design, Decor, and Antiques in Mongaup Valley Saturday, May 27 through Monday, May 30, starting at 11 a.m. each morning. They promise food, fun, and sweet deals on a yard-full of antiques and tchotchkes. 

Friday night, May 27, at 9 p.m., come out to Zac’s Wilderness Lounge at the Catskill Mountain Resort in Barryville and start your weekend with some furious dancing to the sounds of Probable Cause.

It’s time for Liberty’s 13th Annual Yard Sale-O-Rama, all over town on Saturday, May 28. Grab up a map at a local business and shop until you drop.

Above: Liberty's Memorial Day Parade. Photo taken in 2015 by John Kocijanski of Catskill Photography, shared in the Watershed Post's Flickr pool.

It will be a weekend of communing with the Fae Folk at Crystal Connection Center in Wurtsboro. On Saturday, May 28, come down between 1 and 4 p.m. to explore Fairy Folklore with folklore scholar, fairy guide and professional psychic Zhenya. Then, on Sunday, May 29, from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., you’re invited to partake of Fairy Garden Fun: walk the Realm for natural materials and make your own fairy house and door to encourage wee magical friends to take up residence. 

Come join in the feasting at the Chicken BBQ happening at the Presbyterian Church in Livingston Manor on Saturday, May 28 from noon until 4 p.m.

Help out rescue animals and find yourself something crazy cool at Rocky's Refuge garage sale fundraiser in the former Roger’s Small Engine building in Liberty, happening from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday May 28 and Sunday May 29. Every penny goes directly to the animal rescue operation.

Fisherfolk, don’t miss the Anglers’ Market, an annual rite of spring in Roscoe (a.k.a. Trout Town, USA.)  A treasure trove of fishing gear, fish stories and expert advice (including books by local authors), it’s happening at the community center next to the firehouse from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 29.

Chamber music fans will be gloriously sated by “Mystery, Melodrama, and Pierrot Lunaire,” an in-depth look and listen to Schönberg's 1912 melodrama, hosted by the Weekend of Chamber Music at the Catskill Art Society in Livingston Manor at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 28. 

ULSTER COUNTY

Parades and Ceremonies

Marbletown

Parade: Monday, May 30 10 a.m., Route 209, ceremony to follow

Rosendale/Tillson

Parade: Monday, May 30, 10 a.m., Springtown Road/Main St., ceremony to follow

Accord 

Parade: Monday, May 30 1 p.m. Granit Rd./Main St.; service to follow at firehouse 

New Paltz

Parade: Monday, May 30 at 6 p.m., followed by service at Peace Park Veterans Memorial

The Gomez Mill House in Marlboro is offering free admission for vets and servicemen on Sunday, May 29.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston is offering free admission to veterans on Monday, May 30.

Entertainment

Bring the family and spend the Memorial Day weekend at Frost Valley YMCA in Claryville. The vast campus has something for everyone: climbing, hiking, archery, canoeing, ziplining, challenge courses, natural facials, stretch and meditation classes, stargazing at the observatory and the third annual Family Field Day. The good times start on Friday, May 27 at 5 p.m. and roll on until Monday, May 30 at noon.

What involves two potters, three days, and a whole lot of clay? It’s the annual Memorial Day Sale at Anne-Marie’s Pottery Studio in Claryville. Artists Anne-Marie Kremer and Chris Parrow are teaming up again to exhibit their new work in stoneware and porcelain; you’ll find great deals on both functional and decorative works. Open 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., Saturday May 28 through Monday, May 30.

It’s the weekend of the mind-blowingly fabulous, sweetly friendly Woodstock/New Paltz Arts and Crafts Fair happening at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz from 10 a.m. until  5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday May 28 and 29 and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Monday May 30. There will be over 300 juried exhibitors, live music, a supervised kids’ area and refreshments. New this year: Tiny houses. 

The Phoenicia Flea, a cleverly curated market of local and regional makers and merchants that was founded in Phoenicia in summer 2014, is happening at Stone Ridge Orchard in Stone Ridge from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29. Shop for handcrafted food, drinks, confections, jewelry, apparel, accessories, housewares, furnishings and vintage.

Uke fans rejoice! The 4th Annual Uke Fest at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge will bring bliss to players all weekend long with workshops, concerts and jams from Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30. Those who’d just love to listen can come hear six virtuoso players at the Uke-Stravaganza, happening Saturday, May 28 at 8 p.m.

The Woodstock Friends of the Library will hold a Book Sale on Saturday, May 28 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Book Barn.

Explore the sweetness of infused Phoenicia Honey products, summer fashions, garden needs  and much, much more at the Spring Sampling and Shopping event held Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29 from noon until 3 p.m. at the Emerson Country Stores in Mount Tremper.

The Matthew Persen House in Kingston opens for the summer on Saturday, May 28, and it’s starting the season off right with a Native American drumming, singing and crafts session featuring the Red Feather Singers and Drummers from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Poetry Barn, a new literary center, opens in West Hurley on Saturday, May 28 with "Skywriting: Poems & Planes," an afternoon poetry workshop that runs from noon to 5 p.m.

Above: The Catskill Mountain Railroad's lease with Ulster County ends this month, and its Memorial Day train rides may be its last. 

In Kingston and Mount Tremper, the Catskill Mountain Railroad will be operating its vintage tourist trains on what might be its final weekend, if the historic railroad does not receive a new lease from Ulster County this year. Some trains will feature live music, and all veterans ride free on May 30. 

At Lost Cat Farm in Kerhonkson, all are invited to join Mohawk elder Tom Porter from noon until 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 for “Planting the Tree of Peace,” sponsored by the Caretaker Society, the Creative Co-op and Neetop Keetop. A welcoming drum song, gift exchange, ceremony and storytelling will be followed by a potluck; please bring your own utensils.

The Town of Rosendale hosts its annual Car Show at the Rec Center on Sunday, May 29. Register your cool wheels by Friday for the People’s Choice contest and a chance to win other trophies; eat, schmooze and admire all that gleaming metal from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. 

The Pine Hill Community Center in Pine Hill is hosting a Plant Sale all day long on Sunday, May 29.

Lovers of the Belleayre Conservatory and Music Festival will enjoy the annual Memorial Day Weekend Auction, BBQ Dinner & Dance being held at the Overlook Lodge in Highmount on Sunday, May 29, starting at 5:30 p.m. Festivities at the fundraiser include a live and silent auction, a buffet dinner and dancing to Blues Maneuver.

The 8th Annual Bob Dylan Birthday Celebration at the Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, hosted by Happy Traum and Connor Kennedy & Minstrel, is a benefit for Family's Crisis Hotline and the John Herald Fund. A stellar lineup of Hudson Valley musician, 18 of them “surprise guests” at last count, will perform the songs of Bob Dylan for a beloved good cause. Sunday May 29; doors open at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m.

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