Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

Nov 19 2024 131 ep. 28 mins 48
Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast artwork

Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast is a biweekly series featuring Catskills culture, history, sustainability, local interviews, literature, and the arts. Shows are hosted by Brett Barry and produced by Silver Hollow Audio, in the heart of the Catskills. Subscribe and experience what reviewers have called “delightfully informative” storytelling with “great production quality.” Voted “Best Regional Podcast” three years in a row. Episode archives, transcripts, and a robust search engine at kaatscast.com. Enjoy!

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Setting the Table: Kingston's International Museum of Dinnerware Design

Nov 19 2024 28 mins  
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 exhibitions that celebrate the art and history of dining. This episode highlights the museum's two inaugural exhibits, 'Dining Grails,' featuring renowned designers

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

Nov 05 2024 37 mins  
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), a period of political violence rooted in immigration anxiety and financial distress. Rebecca Rego Barry, our new literary correspondent (!), interviews autho

Season of the Witch: Witchcraft and Maleficium in the Catskills

Oct 22 2024 21 mins  
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's Frisbee House and recounts tales from her book, Witches of the Catskills, including Molly Meyers, "witch cat," in Gilboa area's "Spook Woods." Misa recount

Teen Lens 🎬 Woodstock Film Festival's Youth Film Lab

Oct 08 2024 20 mins  
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 Bray, Megan Sperry, Saskia Madlener, and David Becker. The YFL provides a tuition-free launchpad for young filmmakers to produce documentaries and narrative film

More than Maps: New York - New Jersey Trail Conference

Sep 24 2024 17 mins  
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, during a hike on the Upper Ridge Trail at the Catskills Visitor Center. Melissa shares her journey with the organization, highlighting the importance of their iconic

White Gold: The Rise and Fall of Catskill Cauliflower

Sep 10 2024 26 mins  
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 Margaretville, the rise and fall of the industry from the 1890s to the 1950s (and beyond), and the notable contribution of the Van Benschoten f

Catskill Couture: MLE's Sustainable Fashion

Aug 27 2024 20 mins  
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 fashion brand in Upstate New York, her commitment to eco-conscious materials and sustainable fashion, and the influence of her family's background in apparel.

Coffee ☕️ Food 🥪 and Fuel ⛽️ at Charlotteville General Store

Aug 13 2024 19 mins  
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, milk, fishing bait, even a fill-up for your car from a vintage gas pump, making it a unique one-stop-shop for both locals and travelers.
Joined by his dau

Unearthing the History of Catskills Trees with Dr. Michael Kudish

Jul 30 2024 54 mins  
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 ongoing. In 2000, Purple Mountain Press published his landmark book, The Catskill Forest: A History. Now, an updated 6-volume set is in the works. I m

Catskill Mountain Shakespeare

Jul 16 2024 24 mins  
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 noble tragedy, Julius Caesar. Attend thee this discourse with the esteemed founder and artistic director, Sarah Reny. And verily, seize thee a billet, for this