Arkville

Peg Ellsworth, Roxbury’s community resources director, has been named executive director of the MARK Group, said MARK Board President Ernest Steiglehner on Friday.
“It was a consensus decision for all of us on the search committee and affirmed unanimously by our board,” said Steiglehner. “Peg has great experience working with communities. What really sold us was her detailed plan for how to move the organization forward in the next six months and how to interact closely with all the communities we serve, because that community work is MARK’s strong suit and central to our mission.”

The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development announced Monday that Lisa Rainwater will be its new executive director. 
Formerly the policy director at Riverkeeper in Tarrytown, Rainwater will be introduced to the members at The Catskill Center’s annual meeting on July 19 and take the helm in early August. In making the announcement, Catskill Center Board Chair Claude Shostal said, “We are pleased to welcome Lisa Rainwater as The Catskill Center’s new executive director. Her passion for the Catskills will further strengthen our connection to local communities, while her spirit and enthusiasm will generate new bonds and partnerships throughout the region. We look forward to embarking on this new journey, with Lisa’s years of community advocacy, government relations, and strategic planning guiding the way.”

The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development in Arkville will host a lecture and book signing on Saturday, June 14 at 1 p.m. featuring author David Stradling. 
His recent book, Making Mountains: New York City and the Catskills was described by William Cronon, University of Wisconsin, Madison as “the finest modern history yet written of the Catskills.”

By Jill Ribich
The MARK Group celebrated its 30th anniversary with a gala dinner and party at the upper lodge of the Belleayre Ski Center Saturday evening. The event was attended by over 150 past and present board members, founders, supporters, and recipients of the work of the MARK Group.

Join The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development in a celebration of National Trails Day on a hike up the Dry Brook Ridge Trail on Saturday, June 7.
The fabled Dry Brook Ridge overlooks Arkville and runs from Margaretville and the East Branch of the Delaware River south over Balsam Lake Mountain to the Beaver Kill. This difficult 15-mile hike will be split into two sections, allowing participants the opportunity to join one or both legs of the journey.

Two iPods – an 80-gigabyte Classic holding 20,000 songs plus video and a 1-gig Nano holding 1,000 songs plus video, a Hewlett-Packard all-in-one printer/scanner/copier, a finely crafted “thread art” walking stick, a framed photo of the prerenovation Round Barn, an antique tabletop butter churn and a painting by a local artist of a mountainside under threat are among the items to be auctioned off this Saturday afternoon, May 24, at a fund-raising event to Save the Mountain.

The Catskill Mountains spring back to life on Memorial Day weekend, as cars at the Delaware & Ulster Railroad in Arkville chug out of the station once again for a season of fun and adventure.
“Whether you’re a mountain regular or a first time visitor, you haven’t truly experienced authentic mountain life until you and your family enjoy a ride on the rails. You’ll be transported back in time with the rhythmic rumble and clatter that once ferried folks throughout these hills and valleys,” commented Executive Director Dave Riordan.

The opening reception for the 11th Annual Platte Clove Artists-in-Residence Exhibition will be held on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Catskill Center’s Erpf Gallery on Route 28 in Arkville.

The Open Eye Theater invites you aboard the Memorial Day Express for an evening of motion, magic and mystery! The historic Delaware and Ulster Rail Road train pulls out of the Arkville station at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 25. 

Nothing goes better together than barbecue for the palate and bluegrass music for the soul, and on Saturday, May 24, local residents and Catskill visitors will have the chance to indulge in special versions of both.