Community Episodes

The Shandaken Theatrical Society turns 50 this year, and its home stage — the Phoenicia Playhouse — has a history that stretches back even further. Built in 1887 as a lodge for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the building later served as an auction house and a movie theater before falling into disrepair by the 1980s. Community intervention saved it from demolition, and STS has run it ever since. This episode brings together voices spanning the organization's history: board member and lo...

For a hamlet of just a few hundred people, Pine Hill punches well above its weight. This week, Brett Barry visits the Pine Hill Community Center to mark its 25th anniversary — and to find out what it actually takes to keep a place like this alive. The center's origin story is equal parts heartbreak and generosity. In 2000, a tragedy in the community prompted founders Florence and Bernie Hamling to transform Bernie's research and development space into somewhere people could simply come togeth...

In this episode, host Brett Barry joins Jan Jaffe, board president of Wellington Blueberry LLC, outside the shuttered Wellington Hotel on Main Street in Pine Hill, New York — a 12,000-square-foot, 19th-century landmark and one of the few remaining intact Catskill hotels that survived the era's notorious fires. Jan shares the origin story of this ambitious community-driven project: how roughly 20 neighbors pooled resources in the fall of 2022 to purchase the long-vacant building. Their goal: r...

🎙️ Neighbors on the Front Lines: Margaretville FD and the Spirit of Catskills Volunteerism Episode Description: In this episode of Kaatscast, we head to Margaretville, New York, where volunteer firefighters train for blitz attacks—a high-volume water technique used to knock down fires fast. But this story goes beyond the hose line. It’s about community, commitment, and declining volunteerism nationwide. With over 90% of New York’s fire departments staffed by volunteers, towns like Margaretvil...

The Overlook, a new nonprofit newspaper, describes itself as "community journalism serving Hunter, Hurley, Olive, Saugerties, Shandaken and Woodstock." At a time when newspapers in America are disappearing at a rate of about 2.5 per week, The Overlook is attempting to buck that trend with community coverage and investigative reporting, served up weekly, in a free subscription model. Join us for a conversation with its inaugural Editor-in-chief, Noah Eckstein, who's taking the lead in shapi...

This episode of Kaatscast delves into the transformative period of the 1830s in the United States, marked by mass enfranchisement and significant demographic changes. The focus narrows to New York's Anti-Rent War (1839-1845), a period of political violence rooted in immigration anxiety and financial distress. Rebecca Rego Barry, our new literary correspondent (!), interviews author Jennifer Kabat about her new book, The Eighth Moon, which explores the Anti-Rent War and its legacy in the Catsk...

This episode takes us to the Woodstock Film Festival's Youth Film Lab, a three-week intensive filmmaking program for teens in Kingston, NY. Each summer, participants learn filmmaking from industry professionals like Gregg Bray, Megan Sperry, Saskia Madlener, and David Becker. The YFL provides a tuition-free launchpad for young filmmakers to produce documentaries and narrative films, which go on in the fall to be screened at the ⁠Woodstock Film Festival⁠. 00:00 Introduction to a Creative Jo...

In the early 20th century, ⁠Cauliflower Was King⁠ in the western Catskills, and –– especially in the good years –– farmers called it "white gold." Historian Diane Galusha describes the origins of cauliflower farming in Margaretville, the rise and fall of the industry from the 1890s to the 1950s (and beyond), and the notable contribution of the Van Benschoten family. Plus, voices from the annual ⁠Cauliflower Festival⁠, celebrating its 20th year on September 21, 2024. 00:00 Introduction to Caul...

The Bruderhof is a worldwide community of 3,000 Christians who, inspired by the early church, share their money and possessions, and practice "full-time discipleship," working, dining, and singing together. Perhaps you've bumped into one of their members out in the world (women can be identified by their conservative dress, reminiscent of Amish or colonial attire). Here in the Catskills is a sizable community of 240 residents, in Greene County's Platte Clove. They invited me in for a firsthan...

Dede Terns-Thorpe is the historian for the Town of Hunter, referred to locally as "the mountain top," and comprising the villages of Hunter and Tannersville, and the hamlets of Edgewood, Elka Park, Lanesville, and Platte Clove, plus the historic private communities: Onteora Park, Twilight Park, and Elka Park. Dede's passionate about the history of this place, and she's got her own history here, too, which is mostly what we talked about when we met at Tannersville's Mountain Top library. We were ...

In 2022, four Master Gardeners were looking for a new way to bring their expertise to our region, and they did so with a weekly podcast on everything from honeybees to hydrangeas; perennials and pollinators; monarchs, chickens, seeds, goats, and houseplants. Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley is a production of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Columbia and Greene Counties. And speaking of Cornell, the seed for this podcast was planted in the midst of the American Civil War. T...

Catskill Neighbors, whose mission it is to "help seniors wishing to remain safe and comfortable in their own homes," was born of necessity in the wake of 2011's Hurricane Irene. Founder, Reverend Ralph Darmstadt, died in January, 2024, but his legacy lives on in an organization that serves seniors in parts of Ulster, Delaware, and Greene counties, where social services are lacking and/or sparse. Listen in on our conversation with organization officers Patricia Ruane and Gary Kusen, plus a vis...

April is Financial Literacy Month! It's also National Jazz Appreciation Month, National Fresh Celery Month, Foot Health Awareness Month, World Landscape Architecture Month, and National Soft Pretzel Month. But let's just stick to finance for now, a topic that affects us all throughout the year. And for a refresher on that topic, we met up with our local bank branch manager, Samantha Awand-Gortel, for a conversation on banking and finance in the Catskills and beyond. Did we mention April is...

Just two weeks before the start of trout season, the Catskills lost a paragon of angling. Henry "Hank" Rope, Jr. wore out a pair of wading shoes every year, fishing Catskills creeks and tributaries. Hank shared his love of the sport through his Big Indian Guide Service and volunteered his time with Trout in the Classroom at a community elementary school. We recorded Mr. Rope on several occasions over the years, and this week we're joined by two friends –– Bethia Waterman and Jane Wolfrom –– w...

Radio Catskill hit the airwaves in 1990 and operated out of a hydro-powered station in Jeffersonville. But when a building was recently offered in nearby Liberty, WJFF shed its 30-year skin and relocated to the now fully-renovated, modern production facility. Technological advances aside, this small public radio station is still very much focused on local news and Catskills culture. Many thanks to our sponsors: Briars & Brambles Books The Mountain Eagle Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway ...

There's a "herd" of sewing machines in the hundreds, in Delancey, NY, and they're in the loving and capable hands of one Billy Hancock, owner of Billy's Make & Mend, an outpost for sewing machine repair and maintenance, sewing work, machine lessons, and plenty of history. Thanks to our latest sponsor, Ulster Savings Bank, which was established the same year as the Singer sewing machine company, 1851! Thanks also to the continued support of the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway and The Mountain ...

To start off the new year, we visited Shea in the Catskills, a tarot practitioner, artist, facilitator, organizer + contemplative, for a (deeper than perhaps expected) conversation on community, tarot, inspiration ... and some insights for 2023! Check out Shea's own podcasts! They're simply produced, clean, and inviting -- rumination and curation in a welcoming voice ... Shea in the Catskills The Ritualists Many thanks to our sponsors: the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce and The Moun...

Charles Shreyvogel was an Eastern artist who painted famous Western scenes. His favorite model was also decidedly non-Western. Greene County’s Kenny Bloodgood recounts tales of his great-uncle Grant and his unlikely appearance in some of Schruyvogel’s most famous paintings. We produced this episode as part of Catskill Historical Views, a collaboration between Catskill Tri-County Historical Views, the Zadock Pratt Museum, and Silver Hollow Audio. After 5 years of publication, Catskill Tri-Coun...

Ed Ullmann is the owner and pharmacy manager of Wellness Rx, a holistic and patient-centered pharmacy in Tannersville, and soon ... Phoenicia! Far from the chain store aesthetic (or lack thereof) the Tannersville location where we met is a meticulously painted Victorian with a wraparound porch. Inside there's a warm general store vibe, with wood floors and pharmacy cases, and a diverse inventory of traditional, natural, and holistic medicine; plus home goods, gifts, and crafts by dozens of local...

On March 19th, 2022, a Pierogi and Borscht fundraiser at the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jewett, NY, brought in thousands of dollars for the people of Ukraine. We spent some time in the kitchen with organizer Switlana Breigle, parishioners, and volunteers with deep connections to Ukraine. This fundraiser supports the efforts of the Ukrainian American Freedom Coalition, "providing material and logistic assistance to the Ukrainian people in need of help with humanitarian supplies." There are alre...

Gina Carbonari is a retired U.S. Marine with a new mission. As executive director of the 130-year-old Ulster County SPCA, she's ensuring that the homeless, abused, and neglected animals there are cared for, sheltered, and readied for adoption. Join us on a tour and meet some of the cats, dogs, and smaller critters safeguarded in Kingston, NY, as they await their new families. Recordist: Keith Kortright Sponsors: Hanford Mills Museum and the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway --- Support this pod...

Tannersville, NY, is a small mountain village, with big aspirations. And now, with the help of a very large grant from New York State, it's preparing for a basket of revitalization projects that would surely put a smile on Rip Van Winkle's face. We sat down with The Hunter Foundation's Sean Mahoney and Amy Scheibe for some backstory on this major award, and the various partners working toward a more vibrant, equitable, and connected community. Thanks to our sponsors: Hanford Mills Museum and ...

This week, I met with Brian Flynn for a no-holds-barred interview on his run for Congress, his business ventures, a family tragedy, a life of activism, civic engagement, and the donation of not one, but two living organs. All that, and more, from Brian's home in Elka Park, NY. This episode was edited by our production intern, Skye Ruse. Please support our supporters: the Phoenicia Playhouse and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast...