The village of Hancock, NY is abuzz with new goings-on and businesses centered on a growing cultural milieu. The village, located on the banks of the Delaware River where the East Branch and West Branch meet to form the river’s Main Stem, is the northernmost settlement on state Route 97. Long noted for trout fishing and deer hunting, the Town of Hancock’s rural and natural beauty is an inspiration to the new artists and restaurateurs who are now calling it home.

“We want to make a bright spot here in Hancock and give the town a look,” says Laura McManus, who with her husband James McManus opened “The Camptons,” an art and design studio, gallery and store on East Front Street, which runs parallel to the Delaware River.

“We are by the water,” said Laura, “We’re melding two worlds together in the building.” The couple, both artists themselves, formerly lived near the beaches in the Caribbean islands, but have now made the shores of the Delaware their home.

McManus’s sentiment is also echoed in the store’s motto: “Indoorsy for the Outdoorsy.” Merchandise includes handmade modern camp-style furniture and other handcrafted items that invoke a “cabin vibe.” Laura said that the name, “The Camptons,” is a play on the name Hamptons and refers to all the summer camps in the local area. The store also features a unique selection of antique tribal rugs.

The Camptons gallery currently features a show titled “Inventions of the Other,” a collection of small collages by the Atlanta-based artist Jeff Rackley. The show runs through August 21. The gallery and store are open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Unclebrother is an art gallery and restaurant that opened in July of 2015, just up the street from The Camptons in the former aqua-blue DaBrescia Motors dealership and garage building at 250 E. Front St. Owned and operated by art dealer Gavin Brown of Gavin Brown’s Enterprise Art Gallery in New York City and artist and cook Rirkrit Tiravanija, the gallery and accompanying restaurant retains the industrial details of the old car garage and showroom, while exploring the link between art and cooking.

Unclebrother’s unique combination of culinary arts, visual arts and industrial ambiance—not to mention its owners’ reputations—have caught the attention of no less than the style magazine of The New York Times (tinyurl.com/gq8wyo8). The gallery rooms, which retain the industrial feel and look of the old garage tune-up bays in which they are located, currently display a multi-media show titled “All Summer in a Day.” The restaurant features two different meals each weekend, one for dinner and one for brunch. Recently served foods range from roast lamb to locally smoked eel and Moroccan eggs to traditionally prepared New Zealand hāngi (meat and vegetables wrapped in leaves and roasted in an earth oven.) The restaurant is open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., through Labor Day.

The revival in Hancock may have started with the opening of the town’s new Town Square park in 2013. The project, spearheaded by the Hancock Partners, Inc., a non-profit community organization dedicated to revitalization of the village, saw the transformation of the former Great American grocery store parking lot into a lush, green park. It is now the setting for the on-going “Summer Nights Live on the Town Square” series of concerts.

“Hancock is coming alive again,” said Nancy Furdock, organizer of the town square performances. “It’s an eclectic mix,” said Furdock of this season’s performances, which so far have included Celtic group “The American Rogues,” a Native American music and dance group and New Orleans jazz. Performers from French Woods will be up next (see page 19).

Live shows are also being offered at Two Sisters Emporium located in the historic Capitol Theatre building on East Front Street. Formerly known as the “My Shady Lady Dance Hall,” the business has transformed itself into a gourmet coffee shop, bakeshop, restaurant, bar and gift shop. This summer the Two Sisters are also presenting two shows, both written by Hancock writer Judith Present. Coming up on September 10 will be “First Ladies,” a show detailing the stories of five first ladies.

Together with long-term businesses like Marino’s Outdoor World, The Bakery and Ray Turner’s “Delaware Delicacies,” whose specialty is smoked local eel, these newcomers are making Hancock increasingly a destination to spend a day or an evening eating, browsing and viewing.

For more information visit Destination Hancock.com or call 607/637-2870.