Julia Reischel
Articles
Aug. 28, 2012
Village Mayor, Middleburgh, Schoharie County
The day after Tropical Storm Irene flood, Matthew Avitabile, a 24-year-old trustee of the village of Middleburgh, heard a rumor that the Gilboa Dam was broken.
He didn’t even put on his shoes. Barefoot, he... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
CEO, Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville, Sullivan County
As Tropical Storm Irene poured down on Claryville, Biscuit Brook began to flood the Frost Valley YMCA. The river washed out roads on either side of the camp's 6,000-acre campus. Fields became rising... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Farmer, Middleburgh, Schoharie County
Barber is a 5th-generation family farmer who farms 400 low-spray acres in the Schoharie Valley. On August 28, 2011, eight feet of water covered her fields and greenhouses, full of late-summer produce. Her house was... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Chief, Margaretville Fire Department, Middletown, Delaware County
On August 28, 2012, Rosa coordinated a vast effort to rescue villagers from the rising waters. Many of those trapped needed to be rescued by water in small boats, including a rowboat. One... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Owner, Jim's Great American supermarket, Prattsville, Greene County
Eisel owns Prattsville's only supermarket. Irene flooded the store, but the community worked to re-open it in just 19 days.
Eisel recalls:
I got a phone call on Sunday morning from the... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Student and horse owner, New Paltz and Wallkill, Ulster County
“When I opened the door to the barn, everything was floating and the power was out. Then I heard all the horses screaming.” - Michele Arana
Michele Arana escaped Irene on horseback twice.... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Founders, the Lexington Mission and food pantry, Lexington, Greene County
“I don’t see the town getting back to the way it was. It’s coming back better.” – Jack Jordan
In the 20 years Jack and Kathy Jordan have lived in Lexington, N.Y., they have seen... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Owner, Home Goods kitchen store and volunteer coordinator for Margaretville, Delaware County
Dorothy Maffei calls the clothing donations "the tsunami after the hurricane."
Flood victims need new, clean clothes in the first few days after a disaster. So... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Owners, Middleburgh Hardware, Middleburgh, Schoharie County
The only thing they can’t get rid of is what the mud left behind.
“Dust, dust, dust. A fine, fine dust,” said Rich Vilegi.
The three feet of black sludge that bubbled through the floorboards of... Read more
Aug. 27, 2012
Top: And the grand prize winner is... "Hubbell Hill Heat Wave, Margaretville -- Summer 2012," by Holly Salzman. She wins dinner for two at Peekamoose in Big Indian, and her photo on the cover of our print Catskills Outdoor Guide.
Above: A slideshow of... Read more
Aug. 26, 2012
I was onhand at the Central Catskills Great Outdoor Experience Festival in Margaretville yesterday, which organizers estimate attracted about 1,000 people. There were climbing walls, canoeing, balloon animals, and a pet pig in attendance. Some photos to... Read more
Aug. 23, 2012
Above: A photo by Diana Misner Watters, submitted to our Catskills Great Outdoor Experience photo contest. To see all the entrants, click here. The winner will be revealed at the festival on Saturday.
It's finally here: the Central Catskills Great... Read more
Aug. 23, 2012
Above: Video proof that there's talent in them thar hills. (Promo for the Art & Soul of the Catskills Film Festival.)
If you had to guess how many filmmakers were based in the Catskills, what number would you pick? Five? Ten?
Try dozens. This... Read more
Aug. 17, 2012
Above: Trailer for "Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope," a new film by Morgan Spurlock. Spurlock will screen the film and take questions tomorrow in Arkville at the MMMFestival.
Today and tomorrow, some big names in film and music are descending on the... Read more
Aug. 9, 2012
The Maetreum of Cybele in Palenville. Photo by Julia Reischel.
A group of self-described pagans in Palenville has lost its bid for a religious exemption from property taxes.
Last Thursday, a New York State Supreme Court judge issued a decision in the... Read more
Aug. 7, 2012
Above: “The Huckleberry Brook Dancing Bear,” by David Barry, winner of the 2011 Watershed Post’s “Best-Kept Secret in the Catskills” photo contest. Submit your photo to the 2012 "Great Outdoors Experience" photo contest and win a dinner at Peekamoose.... Read more
Aug. 7, 2012
We're putting it together as we speak and it's looking good: Our 24-page print pocket compendium of all things Catskills and outdoorsey. Today is the last day to get in touch with me to place your ad -- we put it to bed this week.
Some prime spots are... Read more
Aug. 2, 2012
Above, Michelle Jennings and Maria Todaro took the stage during the final dress rehearsal for "Divas Unleashed: The Benefit," which kicks off the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice tonight. Photos by Kerry Henderson.