Stay tuned

By Celin Schoen

Saturday afternoon, Dec. 8 saw the opening of the holiday show at the MURAL Gallery on Main St. in Hobart. The building once housed the Stamford Town Hall, and later served as an occasional site for a talk by an artist or author. Later remodeled with state funding, thanks to the Western Catskill Community Revitalization Council which administers funds from other sources as well, the building is now an attractive setting for art work of all kinds. A grand opening had been held earlier, with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony by the WCCRC on the day after Thanksgiving.

Multicolored scarves by Bobbi Goldman of S. Gilboa were among items ondisplay at the MURAL Gallery in Hobart (Photo by C. Schoen)

The Mt. Utsayantha Regional Arts League – MURAL — held its exhibits in the Cyr Center in Stamford for many years, with displays of the work of one or two artists for a two-month period. Later an additional gallery was set up in the former bank building at 74 Main St. in Stamford. Now MURAL has its own space in Hobart, in a building owned by the Catskill Mountain Foundation of Hunter.

The open house on Saturday featured the work of many artists and craftsmen/women. The outer room offered a tantalizing display of cheeses, grapes, cookies, cake, and other delights, plus a carafe of hot cider, and paintings by Judy Thuss, the featured artist of the month. The inner room held an equally tantalizing display of arts and crafts.

One showcase displayed ceramics by Marcie Schwartz, while another case held pottery by Rhonda Engle and Ralph Stupple. A wall panel held an assortment of delicate scarves by Bobbi Goldman, while next to it was a series of cut paper designs by Shirley Munoz. On a table at the back of the room were felted goat milk soaps and other fabric items by Idilko Repasi of the Goat Sheep Shop in Delhi.

Against another wall was still another showcase, this one holding a collection of jewelry by Tracy Jacknow, and her one-of-a-kind belt buckles which featured intricate designs made with many small “found items.” Also in the case was jewelry by Jen Potrzeba. Above it were a collection of artistic matchbooks by Alexander Sazonov, sketches of lithe dancers by Rhonda Harrow and a trio of small paintings by Barbara Arden. Other displays included work by Marie Cummings, Colin Hart, Ann DuBois, and Dawn Petrlik.

MURAL MOVES TO HOBART’S MAIN ST.

By Celin Schoen

For years the Mt. Utsayantha Regional Arts League (MURAL) provided those interested in art a place to view the work of local artists, with exhibits at the Cyr Center in Stamford, and at its gallery in the former bank building on Main St, also in Stamford. However, with the closing of the Cyr Center, that site was no longer available for displays open to the public.

Graceful Dancers by Rhonda Harrow were part of the display at the new MURAL Gallery in Hobart during their open house on December 8. (Photo by C. Schoen)

As a result, the organization has moved to Hobart, to the recently-renovated building which once housed the Stamford Town Hall. The Greater Stamford Area Chamber of Commerce (GSACC) will be hosting a ribbon cutting on Friday, Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at MURAL’s new gallery located at 631 Main St. in Hobart.

MURAL invites the public to an opening reception from 12 noon to 4 p.m. The Arts League will be presenting paintings from local artist Judy Thuss. They will also have for sale pottery from Ralph Stupple, Rhonda Harrow and Marcie Schwartzman, felted scarves from Bobbi Goldman, one of a kind belt buckles from Tracy Jacknow, original paintings from Alexandre Sazonov, Barbara Arden, and Colin Hart and more.

At the same time, the Hobart Book Village will be holding its semi-annual sale, which offers most books in all five Main Street stores at a 30% discount. Stop in for a visit at Paper Moon Bookbinding, the newest member of the Book Village, which offers an assortment of gifts made from or with paper-related themes.

The ribbon cutting is open to the public. For more information about this and other area events, visit www.CatskillMtns.org.

By Celin Schoen

In a meeting held at the Olive Price Memorial Reading Center Hobart Village Board members agreed to pay off their loan on the latest fire truck, saving the village more than five thousand dollars by doing so. The total due on the truck was $55,156.91, to be paid over a three-year period. However, by paying the total amount, the village will have extra money which will be put into a reserve fund for future purchases.

Mayor Aaron Kaufman also noted an increase of 11.4 percent in the cost of health insurance for employees, adding this is the third year in a row for such an increase.

Board members received copies of a contract with Lamont Engineering to examine to determine if the village should approve it at the December meeting. The contract includes an increase in the payment rate to agree with the Consumer Price Index, with a cap of three percent. Most of this cost is paid by New York City under an earlier agreement. Representatives of Lamont Engineering plan to be present at the next board meeting to discuss what should be included in the new contract.

Volunteer workers will soon begin painting rooms in the Community Center, according to Kaufman, including the firemen’s rooms.

The mayor noted that with the coming opening of the new quarters for Liberty Rock Books, the space which has been rented at the Activity Center for storage will soon become available. He suggested the because of the music lessons in an adjacent area, the space is probably not ideal for business, but should be ideal for some kind of community use. It is easy for public access, and would be a good option for the food pantry. Two churches have already offered support for the food pantry.

Because of the growth in population in the village (from 390 to 441), the Harpersfield Transfer Station has increased its usage fee from $7,359.30 to $8,486.15 per year. The transfer station is a joint project of the towns of Harpersfield, Stamford, and Kortright, with residents of all three towns have the right to use them without paying a fee to do so.

The Maple Ave. bridge has finally been repaired and is again open to traffic.

(Photo by C. Schoen)

By Celin Schoen

For the tenth year the Adams Antiquarian Bookstore will sponsor a series of Winter Respite Lectures in a program which includes the popular Hobart History series by former Hobart resident James Meagley, and a Christmas season talk on favorite toys, plus discussions of the fight against slavery, the early days of sound recording, and mountain climbing.

The first lecture of the new series will feature Deirdre Sinnott speaking on “The Tumultuous Founding of the New York Anti-Slavery Society” in Utica in 1835.

Ms. Sinnott’s writing has appeared in a number of prestigious magazines and journals, and on literary websites including The Catskill Review of Books, and in two books, “Challenge to Genocide: Let Iraq Live,” and “Trans-Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue.”

Her essay, “Outside,” won Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 79th Annual Writing Competition in 2010 and the “Remember in November” Contest at Hippocampus Magazine. She has won scholarships at the Norman Mailer Writers’ Colony in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

The author has traveled extensively, speaking at campuses and at international conferences, among other places. She has taught classes on current events and the history of socialist thought. She splits her time between New York City and the Catskill Mountains.

The remainder of the 2012-2013 lecture schedule includes Scott Jensen on December 9 with the timely topic “What a Great Idea: The Fascinating Stories Behind Some of Our Favorite Toys.”

On February 17, 2013 Jim Meagley will return with “More Hobart History.” This lecture will be held at the Hobart Community Center, which offers more seating space for what is always a large audience.

On March 17, Kelly Chien will talk about “Sound Recording in the Edison Age.” He will be followed on April 7 by Carol and David White with a slide show illustrating “Hazards and High Adventure on the Northeast’s Highest Peaks.”

Unless otherwise stated, all lectures start at 3 p.m., and are followed by refreshments. Except for the February talk, they all will be held at Adams’ Book Store, 602 Main Street in Hobart. There is no charge to attend and all are welcome, but seating is limited.

By Celin Schoen

Cooking Something Up. Among the winners in Hobart’s annual costume
parade on Halloween were “chefs” Gabriel Albanese and Lee Ann Palmatier
carrying Olivia Albanese in a lobster pot. (Photo by C. Schoen)

This year’s Halloween costume contest was swept by an “Alice in Wonderland” group which covered nearly all age categories and won the grand prize, while the Pre-Kindergarten youngsters gave the judges an impossible choice, leaving all of them as winners in their category. One of the funniest groupings included Gabriel Albanese and Lee Ann Palmatier as chefs, carrying Olivia Albanese in a stew pot.

This year’s contestants showed an increasing amount of originality. In the Kindergarten through Second Grade category, the winners were Madison Baldi as Alice, Kiera Barr as a cat, and Dominic Butler who portrayed the Edward Munch painting, “Scream.”

At the Third through Sixth grade level, Laurie Whritner delighted viewers with her depiction of a packing box, while Chaiz Reeves portrayed a fire engine, and Azalyn Brunson buzzed past the competition as a cute bumble bee.

In the junior high division, David and Kevin Jensen once again took honors, going as a one-man band and a Tiki Bar respectively, and Krystal Roth depicted a witch with a broomstick.

The adults, however, really swept the honors this year, with all the major characters in Alice in Wonderland being represented. The Red Queen – looking more like the Queen of Hearts – and the Mad Hatter (Jessica and Bruce Baldi) anchoring the group. Look-alikes Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee were played by Jacquelyn and Jessica Kelley (or was it the other way around?). The White Rabbit was part of the group, portrayed by Velma Kelley, and of course, the group could not be complete without Alice (Madison Baldi) in her charming blue dress and pinafore. Also included in the group were Bo Peep (Charlie Reinshagen), with Rebecca Finch and Alessandra Martin-Major as the sheep.

Judges were Barbara Coleman, Barbara Hoover-Stevens, and Tom Bolger.

As usual, the evening, which began with fire truck rides around town, ended with cider and doughnuts for all. (We missed “The Monster Mash,” however – the record, not part of the food!)

It currently houses an exhibit of military uniforms and memorabilia from World War II through Desert Storm, as well as a display featuring some of the businesses which made the village a hub of activity a century ago.

The village will celebrate its 125th anniversary next year, and the HHS is planning an updated and greatly expanded version of an earlier publication, A Century of Hobart, 1888-1988, which was created largely by the late Erma MacArthur, former village historian and one of the founders of the Society. The new volume, which is expected to be available by next summer, is the work of a former Hobart resident, James (“Jim”) Meagley of Williamsville.

In addition to information on every building and property in the village, the book will also include information on businesses, prominent residents, officials, and organizations, including schools and the fire department.

Edith Gould

Part 1
Part 2

George Stevens

Audio Recording

Bill Van Buren

 Audio Recording

Vida Lamport

Part 1
Part 2

Wallace Rich

Audio Recording

Jack Special

Part 1
Part 2

Margaret Kenyon will be available for book signing of Kortright Invites You.

Stop by and see us!