Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

Episodes

Dec. 31, 2024

Chasing Tradition: Square Dancing in the Catskills

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, ...

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Dec. 17, 2024

Porcupine Pursuits with Uldis Roze

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...

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Dec. 3, 2024

Borscht Belt Brilliance: The Extraordinary Art of Morris Katz

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...

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Nov. 19, 2024

Setting the Table: Kingston's International Museum of Dinnerware Desi…

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...

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Nov. 5, 2024

The Anti-Rent War's Populist Legacy with Author Jennifer Kabat

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),...

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Oct. 22, 2024

Season of the Witch: Witchcraft and Maleficium in the Catskills

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...

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Oct. 8, 2024

Teen Lens 🎬 Woodstock Film Festival's Youth Film Lab

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...

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Sept. 24, 2024

More than Maps: New York - New Jersey Trail Conference

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...

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Sept. 10, 2024

White Gold: The Rise and Fall of Catskill Cauliflower

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...

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Aug. 27, 2024

Catskill Couture: MLE's Sustainable Fashion

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...

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Aug. 13, 2024

Coffee β˜•οΈ Food πŸ₯ͺ and Fuel ⛽️ at Charlotteville General Store

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...

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July 30, 2024

Unearthing the History of Catskills Trees with Dr. Michael Kudish

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...

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July 16, 2024

Catskill Mountain Shakespeare

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...

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July 2, 2024

Bruderhof: a Christian Community in the Platte Clove

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...

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June 18, 2024

A Life on the Mountain Top with Dede Terns-Thorpe and Ed Thorpe

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...

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June 4, 2024

Ralph Waldo Emerson πŸŽ™οΈ LIVE at Emerson Resort & Spa

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...

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May 21, 2024

Country Life: Septic Maintenance and Repair

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 …

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May 7, 2024

Nature Calls πŸƒ Conversations from the Hudson Valley

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...

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April 23, 2024

Preparing for a Hike πŸŽ’ with Paul Misko

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 …

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April 9, 2024

The Strange Recital –– featuring Paul Smart's "Overlook"

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 …

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March 26, 2024

"It's One O'Clock and Here Is Mary Margaret McBride"

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...

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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 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ 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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