Halloween: not just for kids

One of the many things I love about living in the Catskills is the holidays. No matter where one lives, Christmas and Hanukkah never fail to get a lot of press, but here in the mountains, every holiday gets attention. I marvel at the decorations that abound at this time of year, long before the light-up Santas make their way to neighbor’s lawns.

As I travel throughout the region, I spy ghosts, ghouls and goblins peeking out from windows, hanging from trees and adorning store windows everywhere I turn. And the pumpkins... the pumpkins! Pumpkin festivals, parades and contests are rampant in the hills and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.

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Dressing up

I was Spider Man when I was growing up. My costume was made by my mother, who took a red and blue sweatshirt, created cutouts on the two layers and stitched them together. A few years later, I was Batman, the costume stretchy and elaborate, with a cape, cowl and belt. I was the Rocketeer, with a helmet made out of a Friday the 13th hockey mask, a bit of cardboard and an empty milk jug. I was Sherlock Holmes with an over-sized magnifying glass and two cheap hats stitched on top of each other and spray painted brown. I was Two-Face with sunglasses that had different colored lenses and a suitm half one color and half the other that was huge on me.

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The Catskills’ future is up to us

By Wes Gillingham

Make no mistake. The Catskills are the land of plenty. World-class fisheries, fertile soil, crisp clean air, majestic park land and the world’s cleanest municipal water supplies. These are invaluable assets that are ours to lose. We are at a crossroads now where our decisions will determine the future of the Catskills.

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