By DOROTHY HARTZ

From “Remembering the Catskills: Tales by a Recovering Hotelkeeper” to The Jupiter Symphony, this week is to regional culture what Catskill resort food was to a dieter—incredibly rich, diverse, tempting and impossible to get away from. But who would want to?

Cissy Blumberg and her aforementioned chronicle of Catskill life are featured in an Author’s Appearance at the Liberty Public Library at 7:00 p.m. on July 30. Call 845/292-6070 for further information.

On Saturday, July 28, the Opening Garden Party Gala Benefit for the Shandelee Music Festival 2001 features “A Tribute to American Piano & American Theater” as a prelude to its inaugural concert on Wednesday, August 1, in its newly constructed pavilion. What an inaugural concert it will be. The critically acclaimed Jupiter Symphony showcases the extraordinary talent of pianist Sara Davis Buechner in a program of works by Rameau, Haydn, Respighi and Mozart, conducted by Jens Nygaard. The festival is funded in part by the Sullivan County Decentralization Program, administered by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA). Call for reservations at 845/439-3277.

Also taking place on July 28, and also funded by the DVAA’s regrant program, “2001: Spaced Out,” a new treat from the Triad Dance Ensemble, begins at 8:00 p.m. at the Tusten Theater in Narrowsburg. The Ensemble’s annual summer program is anticipated by audiences of both dance and the spoken word, featuring as it does the works of local poets. Call 845/557-6340 for information and reservations.

“The O. Henry Conspiracy,” a two-person tour de force written by and featuring Richard Grunn of the Braman Arts Conservatory, as well as Duane Noch, travels to the Fallsburg High School auditorium on August 4 for an evening performance sponsored by Sullivan County Community College. A 1999 performance at the Tusten Theater was well received; if you missed it, don’t wait another two years to catch the original and slightly quirky spirit of Richard Grunn. More information is at 845/434-5750, ext. 4303.

“Quirky” is where one begins to describe the experimental but substantial works assembled for The Catskills New Theater Festival, sponsored by the North American Cultural Laboratory in Highland Lake. Six different artists or troupes will present nine performances from July 27 through August 5. The very titles are intriguing : “VinSanto,” “Icaria,” “The Time Cycle,” “The Hidden Twin,” “Murderers Bay,” “The Passion according to G.H.” and “As I Love Hell and Thee.” For reservations and more information on the whole enchilada(s), call the theater at 845/557-0694 or check www.nacl.org. When you get there, watch out for the stilt people.

Information about most of the above events appears elsewhere in this issue of TRR. Questions about other local arts activities? Call the DVAA, your arts connection, at 845/252-7576.