News

The 34th annual Fleischmanns Tennis Tournament’s rescheduled benefit auction took place on Sunday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. in the Garden Room at Belleayre Mountain. At the helm for the ninth year, auctioneer Bob Novak’s wry humor and playful prodding elicited generous bids from a gathering of more than 40 friends and supporters. Following the auction, guests enjoyed a midafternoon buffet and a social hour in the sun on the Bluestone Patio.

Whet Paint, an annual event that has become one of the most popular days in The Roxbury Arts Group’s busy calendar, returns on Saturday, Aug. 30. Over 40 artists have signed up to receive canvases at RAG in the morning. From there they will go out into the streets and fields of the surrounding area and create fresh and inspired works of art. They will return to RAG with these paintings at 4 p.m., and the paintings will be hung on the walls of the Hilt Kelly Hall and sold at a silent auction during one of RAG’s most lavish gallery receptions.

Who would have imagined any connection between a southern African country, where life expectancy is just 34 years, and the lush mountains of New York? But over the past three years, Hobart resident Dennis Gaboury has been building links between our community and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. He has accomplished this by founding ZimKids, a project that helps feed, clothe and educate Bulawayo’s orphans, encourages their creativity and teaches them about the dignity of work.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) will again allow bow hunting for deer on limited areas of the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project. One hundred permits, issued in a random lottery drawing, will be provided for use during the bow hunting season: October 18 through December 16.

Kirkside Island will be the site of a 10 a.m. outdoor worship service on Sunday, Aug. 31. The Roxbury United Methodist Church and the Jay Gould Memorial Reformed Church are sponsoring the service as a kickoff for Roxbury’s Turn of the Century events. Music will be supplied by the Roxbury Brass and the choir will share a special anthem.

Chace-Randall Gallery in Andes celebrates the publication of Inverna Lockpez’s new book, The Noble Barn on Sunday, Aug. 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. Ms. Lockpez will be signing books throughout the reception. Inverna Lockpez’s evocative portraits of Catskill barns reveal an integral part of our collective consciousness. Lockpez has chosen essayists whose writings combine a plea for historic preservation, poignant local history, and hope for the future of a diminished agricultural community.

Get ready to do-si-do your partner down at the Bovina Community Hall this Friday, Aug. 29 6:30 p.m. Wes St. Onge will be calling the dances for dancers of all ages and level of experience. Wes will be joined by musicians Kathy Shimberg and Ira McIntosh. Families are strongly encouraged to attend.

The Slow Food Catskills convivium will be hosting a canning workshop on Sunday, Sept. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Delaware County Historical Association grounds. Entitled “Putting It Up - Preserving the Harvest,” this workshop will educate people on how to preserve food grown from their gardens or from local farms so that it can be enjoyed during the winter months.

A free guided hike, led by members of Frost Valley YMCA’s Natural Resources Department, is planned for Saturday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. in Claryville. The Labor Day weekend venture is the first in a series of monthly hikes offered by Frost Valley. Staff will lead hikers on a moderate 2.5-mile hike that will feature a slight elevation gain. The outing will include stops at Frost Valley’s 40-foot waterfall and Sunrise Lookout, which features stunning views of Slide and Wildcat mountains.

The public is invited to attend an outdoor meeting of the Central Catskill Collaborative at Davis Park in Olive on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. This month’s guest speaker will be Dennis Doyle, director of the Ulster County Planning Board and Transportation Council. Doyle will discuss the various plans, options, and supporting resources for the continued development of the Ulster and Delaware rail corridor.