Episodes

Grilled Cheese with a Twist: Lunch and Jam with New York First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer Join us for a delightful culinary and conversational journey with Silda Wall Spitzer in her Hudson Valley home. In this episode, we explor...

The episode explores a long-standing tradition of square dancing at the Chase (now Sparer) family home and barn, in Ashokan. Host Brett Barry and production intern Olivia Sippel put on their dancing shoes and joined the fun, ...

Unveiling the Mysteries of the North American Porcupine In this episode of 'Kaatscast,' host Brett Barry delves into the fascinating world of the North American porcupine with Uldis Roze, the world's foremost expert on this m...

This episode of "Katz"cast delves into the fascinating life and career of Morris Katz, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor and acclaimed painter known for his lightning-fast painting technique using a palette knife and toilet pa...

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Kaatscast visits the unique International Museum of Dinnerware Design in Kingston, New York. Founded by Margaret Carney in 2012, the museum recently found its new home, offering dedicated exhibi...

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),...

We sat down with historian Samantha Misa in the Frisbee family cemetery to uncover some witchy tales from our collective Catskills past. Just in time for Halloween, Samantha shares some haunted encounters from Delaware County...

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 Br...

More than Maps: Insights from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference In this episode of Kaatscast, host Brett Barry interviews Melissa Cascini, Senior Program Coordinator for the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference , durin...

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 Margar...

In this episode of Kaatscast , we explore the journey of Emily Li Mandri, founder of the women's accessories brand MLE , based in Saugerties, New York. Emily shares insights into the challenges and rewards of running a fashio...

Mark Hearon didn't always drink coffee, but when he got started, he was all in. Now, he's roasting fair trade organic coffee at an 1872 general store that also carries gourmet sandwiches and local essentials –– beer, bread, m...

Michael Kudish is a Catskills legend and the authority on Catskills trees and forests. In 1971, Kudish earned his PhD with the thesis, "Vegetational History of the Catskill High Peaks." Five decades later, that research is on...

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. Hark! On this day's Kaatscast , we journey to the quaint village of Hunter in fair New York, whereupon Catskill Mountain Shakespeare doth present a stirring rendition of the nob...

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 bum...

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 Clov...

Join us for our very first LIVE show, recorded at Emerson Resort & Spa as part of their weekend celebration of Ralph Waldo's birthday (born May 25, 1803). Hear from Catskills scholars and writers Leslie T. Sharpe and Bill Bir...

Municipal sewer systems are few and far between in the rural Catskills, so chances are high that your home is reliant on its own septic system. And if that system isn't maintained, well, things could get ugly at the most inop...

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, chicken...

Paul Misko is an avid Catskills hiker, who –– true to his Boy Scout roots –– is always prepared. As spring rolls in and we pull out the hiking boots (maybe shaking out some nuts and nesting material from winter mouse habitati...

If you've been tuned in to local media for a while, you might Remember Paul Smart, writer for the Woodstock Times and author of the 1994 book, Rock & Woodstock . Paul lives in Mexico now, but he's still writing about the Cats...

Dubbed the "first lady of radio," Mary Margaret McBride was a welcome voice in millions of homes in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, pulling in 6 to 8 million listeners daily! Mary Margaret interviewed 30,000 guests, from Eleanor R...

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...

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...