Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

Episodes

March 12, 2024

Overlook History Hike with Will Nixon

Will Nixon has been writing about Woodstock for decades, including a column in the Woodstock Times , and two popular books-- Walking Woodstock , and The Pocket Guide to Woodstock , all in collaboration with writer Michael Per...

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Feb. 27, 2024

Ukraine Revisited 🇺🇦 Michael DiBenedetto at Hell's Kitchen

When we spoke with Michael DiBenedetto for our special Ukraine report in August, 2023 , he mentioned he'd consider returning in winter, when the volunteer pool was likely to thin. Well, Michael's a man of his word, and we cau...

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Feb. 13, 2024

Catskill Neighbors

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 Jan...

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Jan. 30, 2024

Telephone Tales with Switchboard Operator Lula Anderson

Before cell phones, before touch tone, before dial tone, even, if you wanted to make a phone call, you'd pick up the receiver and talk to an operator. If that call was placed in the Catskills in the late 1940s …

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Jan. 16, 2024

Plattekill Mountain: the Last Indie Ski Resort in the Catskills

Plattekill Mountain , in Roxbury, is the last of the Catskills' independent ski areas, boasting 1100 vertical feet, 40 trails, and 4 lifts. But those statistics aren't necessarily the draw at this laid-back family-run resort....

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Jan. 2, 2024

What's on Tap for 2024: Raising a Glass at 3 Catskills Breweries

Happy new year , and welcome to the first episode of our 5th season here at Kaatscast. To ring in the new year, we thought it would be fun to raise a glass with the owners of three breweries across …

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Dec. 19, 2023

Polar Express 🚂 Catskill Mountain Railroad's Santa Shuttle

A visit to the North Pole! In an hour and ten minutes? Where can one catch this train, you ask? Why, the Kingston Plaza parking lot, of course, where the Catskill Mountain Railroad embarks on a magical Christmas expedition ev...

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Dec. 5, 2023

Cup o' Cartography: Cheyenne Mallo Pottery

Cheyenne Mallo and partner Zac Schiff are the makers and purveyors of Cheyenne Mallo Pottery , in Olivebridge, NY. Their signature mugs feature raised topographic maps of Catskills places, like Overlook Mountain, North South ...

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Nov. 21, 2023

Thanksgiving Sides 🍠🥦 with Two Catskills Chefs

When it comes to Thanksgiving feasting, 2/3 of Americans prefer side dishes to the main entrée. So we visited two of the Catskills' best chefs for a fresh take on the beloved side dish! At Tannersville's craftsman-style Deer ...

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Nov. 7, 2023

At the D&H Canal Museum with Historian Bill Merchant

On today's Kaatscast, we checked in with Bill Merchant, Deputy Director for Collections, historian, and curator at the D&H Canal museum, recently transplanted to the historic Depuy Canal House in High Falls, NY. Not every vis...

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Oct. 24, 2023

Bill Abranowicz Turns His Lens on the Catskills

Bill Abranowicz is a renowned photographer who started snapping pictures 50 years ago. Bill's career has taken him around the globe many times over, taking pictures for the likes of Condé Nast Traveler , The New York Times Ma...

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Oct. 10, 2023

Indigenous Catskills 101

On the heals of Indigenous People's Day, Kaatscast sat down with Justin Wexler, of Wild Hudson Valley , for an overview of the Catskills' own native history. If you've ever wondered about the people who came before us, and wh...

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Sept. 26, 2023

Kaatscast’s 100th Episode! A Look Back and a Peek Ahead 💯

Welcome to a special edition of Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast . This is episode 100 , and we've got lots in store –– including a conversation with a 100-year-old Catskills native; an interview by Mollie Zoldan with the hos...

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Sept. 12, 2023

Chain of Wooded Mountains: Balkan Music in the Catskills

In late September, the basketball court at Shandaken's Glenbrook Park serves as a community dance floor, where area residents and visitors are transported through music to eastern Europe. This year marks the third anniversary...

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Aug. 29, 2023

Special Report: Connecting with Ukraine 🇺🇦

Late last year, and 20 episodes ago , Michael DiBenedetto joined us in the studio and made a convincing case for copper bullets over lead, citing collateral damage to our Catskills bald eagles. On today's show, we reconnected...

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Aug. 15, 2023

Pruning Experts 🌿 Bring in the Goats!

Ann Cihanek is a goat farmer whose herd of semi-retired goats are employed across the region to clear sites of invasive plants, brush, and overgrowth. We caught up with 10 of her Green Goats at the John Burroughs Memorial Sta...

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Aug. 1, 2023

Leaving No Trace: Outdoor Ethics with Moe Lemire

In July, a small group of hikers was apprehended and ticketed for leaving two Adirondack chairs at the summit of Slide Mountain. Those hikers' actions, while misguided, may have been good-intentioned. But they fly in the face...

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July 18, 2023

Brunel Sculpture Garden: Resurrecting a Roadside Attraction

Nearly a century ago, famed photographer and innovator Emile Brunel purchased Boiceville's Brown Hotel and transformed it into Le Chalet Indien, a world-class resort frequented by famed artists and politicians of the day. Bru...

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July 4, 2023

Wave Farm

Wave Farm –– in Greene County's Acra, NY –– is a 29-acre campus that's not only home to WGXC 90.7 FM, but a hub for terrestrial radio, transmission arts, and resident artists. Hear from Executive Director Galen Joseph-Hunter ...

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June 20, 2023

Uncharted: Kim Brown Seely's Epic Adventures Sailing ... and Narratin…

Silver Hollow Audio had the honor of recording –– and this month, publishing –– the audiobook version of Kim Brown Seely's Uncharted: A Couple's Empty-Nest Adventure Sailing from One Life to Another . Faced with an empty nest...

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June 6, 2023

Forest Therapy with Lara Land

The Catskills naturalist John Burroughs once wrote, "The place to observe nature is where you are; the walk to take to-day is the walk you took yesterday. You will not find just the same things: both the observed and the …

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May 23, 2023

Landscaping in Zone 5 with Zone4 Landscaper Mel Bellar

When Mel Bellar established his Andes, NY landscape design company, the Catskills were considered "zone 4" on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Thanks (?) to climate change and warmer winters, the region is now solidly in "z...

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May 9, 2023

CRISP on the front lines: Invasive Species Emerging in the Catskills

Spring has sprung in the Catskills, and with the reemergence of our native flora and fauna, invasive species are also happy to awaken. Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) director John Thompson tells us wha...

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April 25, 2023

Financial Literacy at Ulster Savings Bank

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 stic...

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