Radio Chatskill

This weekend marks exactly 56 years since the original Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York — and in a rare coincidence, the dates line up precisely with the original 1969 festival.

The festival began on Friday, August 15, and ran through Sunday, August 17, 1969. This year, Friday, August 15, and Saturday, August 16, once again fall on the same days of the week.

Radio Catskill, the closest radio station to the original Woodstock site, is marking the occasion with a week of special local news coverage. Meanwhile, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts — located on the historic festival grounds — is hosting a week of anniversary events.

Festivities kick off Tuesday afternoon with special guest Elliott Landy, one of the official photographers of the original Woodstock festival. Landy is best known for his portraits of artists including Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix, and for capturing many of the most iconic images of Woodstock in 1969.

Speaking about the original site and its legacy, Landy said:

Landy reflected on the ideals of the 1960s and their continued relevance:

Landy first arrived at Woodstock through his work documenting the anti–Vietnam War movement for the underground press. His music photography career took off after shooting artists like Janis Joplin and The Band. One day, he ran into Woodstock organizer Michael Lang, who later invited him to photograph the festival.

Landy said he hopes his Bethel Woods appearances convey a message of optimism:

In addition to photo talks, Landy will present “Sharing Stillness” energy work and host a dinner event. On Wednesday, he will present Spirit of a Generation, a slideshow in the Event Gallery.

Looking back at his famous images, Landy noted that while the cultural spotlight on 1960s ideals may have dimmed, the values themselves remain vital:

More information about Elliott Landy’s work can be found at elliottlandy.com. 

Bethel Woods’ full Woodstock Anniversary Week schedule is available on their website.

As students gear up to return to school, they will face a new reality: smartphones, smart watches, and earbuds will be banned throughout the school day, except for specific educational, medical, or safety needs. The statewide restriction aims to reduce distractions and improve focus, but it has sparked conversations among students, parents, teachers, and administrators alike.

Liam Mayo, news editor of The River Reporter, discussed how these new rules are being implemented locally at Eldred Central School District and Sullivan West Central School District and what impact they might have.

Enforcing the Bell-to-Bell Ban

At Eldred Central, the policy varies by grade level:

• Elementary: Students are discouraged from bringing internet-enabled devices. If brought, devices must be silenced and stored in the school office.
• Middle School: Devices must be silenced and stored in homeroom device caddies.
• High School: Devices are silenced and kept in designated centralized holders.

Sullivan West’s approach is similar but tailored:

• Pre-K to 4: Internet-enabled devices are not allowed.
• Grades 5-6: Students must turn phones into their homeroom teachers.
• Secondary students: Responsible for storing phones in school-issued blockers.

Mayo explained, “There are some exceptions being made for medical, educational, or safety needs. These are managed through conversations between parents and school administration on a case-by-case basis, often involving individualized education programs (IEPs).”

Local Perspectives on the Shift

Both Eldred Central and Sullivan West anticipate a cultural shift with this policy change. Superintendent Tracy Ferreira of Eldred Central said, “This will be a cultural shift for students, staff, and families at the junior-senior high school.” Similarly, Sullivan West Superintendent Catherine Bressler noted that while some restrictions already existed, “Expanding it to the full day will be different because phones were part of how students communicated with parents or worked with teachers within set educational limits.”

To prepare the community, both districts held multiple meetings over the summer to listen to concerns and inform families. Mayo shared, “We heard that both districts reached out to students as well, to gauge their thoughts on the new rules.”

State Support and Safety Concerns

Governor Kathy Hochul has emphasized the goal behind the ban, stating, “We want freedom for kids and parents,” highlighting that the policy includes provisions for exceptions. The state is providing approximately $13.5 million in funds to help schools purchase device storage solutions and develop enforcement plans.

Sullivan West received $5,210 specifically for purchasing storage units for main offices and classrooms.

Addressing safety concerns, Mayo relayed Hochul’s reasoning: “It’s actually safer for students not to have their cell phones in an emergency because the last thing you want your child to be doing is pulling out their phone rather than focusing on their teacher or security personnel trained to keep them safe.”

Transition and Community Reaction

Sullivan West had some existing cell phone policies, potentially easing the transition. Superintendent Bressler acknowledged, “There were already areas where students could not use devices, so this expands those restrictions.”

However, Mayo noted, “The statewide mandate overrides any local discretion schools had, requiring a stricter, uniform policy.”

One notable perspective came from the president of the New York State United Teachers Association, who observed that students in schools adopting the ban early are passing notes instead of using phones.

Mayo commented on this dynamic, “While social media on phones can harm mental health, passing notes or whispering has long been part of school life. This highlights the broader issue of student discipline beyond just cell phones.”

Looking Ahead

As school resumes, local media plans to follow up with students and families to understand how they are adapting.

For detailed coverage at The River Reporter at riverreporter.com.

Local bookstores are bringing books to prisons throughout New York State. The Prison Books Project, in partnership with local bookstores throughout Ulster and Dutchess counties, is a nonprofit that was established in 2020 with the purpose of sending books to people incarcerated throughout New York State free of cost. 

Based in Binnacle Books in Beacon, the project has since partnered with a host of other local bookstores to send the hundreds of books requests that have come to fill their PO Box every month. 

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to speak with co-founder Annmarie Nye and current co-director Michal Mart on what inspired the Prison Books Project, the reach the nonprofit has been able to have and what role bookstores and books more broadly play in challenging the carceral system. 

Do you have those home-cooked recipes that transport you to another place or time? Well, that’s what chef David Perez is hoping to achieve through their new tamales menu at Sueños, a new Mexican food pop-up in Livingston Manor.

On the menu are fresh corn tamales, pork verde tostadas, and more. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar brought us along during her recent visit to Sueños at Sunshine Colony in Livingston Manor.

A deepening governance crisis in Woodstock, NY, has come to a head with the official termination of Michael Anello, a Level 3 sex offender who was quietly hired earlier this year as a town maintenance worker. His employment—and the secrecy around it—sparked weeks of public outrage, a power struggle within the town board, and widespread concern over transparency and safety.

Michael Anello was hired part-time in March and promoted to full-time in June. His criminal record, which includes a conviction for rape and five years served in prison, came to light in early July. The revelation sent shockwaves through the community and led to an intense debate over accountability, public trust, and the rights of formerly incarcerated individuals.

“In March he was hired, and it turns out he has a personal relationship with the supervisor’s confidential secretary,” said Noah Eckstein, editor-in-chief of The Overlook, who broke the story. “In 2014, the Town of Woodstock—like many towns across the state—‘banned the box,’ meaning they no longer asked about felony convictions on job applications.”

Eckstein explained that while the town may not have broken any laws, the hiring process left many questions unanswered.

“I would say it's not a breaking of any laws—it's more an ethical thing. It’s a failure in transparency and communication.”

Board Action Ignored

On July 22, after the full extent of Anello’s criminal history became public, the Woodstock Town Board voted 3-0 to terminate his employment. Board members Anula Cordes, Bennett Ratcliff, and Maria-Elena Conte voted in favor of dismissal. Laura Ricci abstained, and Town Supervisor Bill McKenna refused to vote.

McKenna, whose term ends later this year, did not act on the board’s decision, prompting further outrage.

“He just stalled on that. He completely waited,” said Eckstein. “Tensions have been high. I’ve been covering local government for many years, and this was the only town in which I thought there would be some sort of physical violence.”

In the absence of action from the supervisor, Cordes—who is also the Democratic nominee for supervisor—took matters into her own hands. She signed the change-of-personnel order and submitted it to the Ulster County Civil Service Department. The county has confirmed that Anello is no longer employed by the town.

“This week The Overlook broke the news and we confirmed that Anello has been fired,” said Eckstein.

A Town Divided

The fallout from the controversy continues to reverberate through the community. A protest calling for Supervisor McKenna’s resignation is planned for Friday on the Village Green. Public meetings have been packed, with emotions running high.

“The July 22nd meeting was completely packed—there were like 40 or 50 people there,” Eckstein said. “Some of whom were sexual assault survivors came in very, very impassioned by the hiring of Anello.”

The controversy also reignited debate over how society handles reintegration for people with criminal records. While some residents believe Anello deserves a second chance, others say that public safety and transparency must come first—especially when town employees work in proximity to children.

“It struck a nerve particularly because… he was seen sort of within 60 to 100 feet of the town pool near the rec camp,” Eckstein said.

Critics also noted that McKenna failed to inform other officials, including the police chief and the town library, about the hiring.

“It very much felt like a protection of Anello,” said Eckstein. “And I think it blew up because people want to feel safe and want to have as much knowledge about the people who are working in town as possible.”

What’s Next?

An upcoming town board meeting on August 12 is expected to be tense. Questions remain about Supervisor McKenna’s cooperation with the board and whether further actions will be taken.

“The supervisor’s not answering my calls,” Eckstein said. “It’s been hard to get him on the phone, but it’s likely to be a pretty contentious and just tense board meeting.”

The situation has thrown a spotlight on Woodstock’s local government, raising broader concerns about ethics, leadership, and how decisions are made behind closed doors.

“This has really been overshadowed by the hiring of Michael Anello,” said Eckstein. “We published an analysis of the situation and contextualized [McKenna’s] broader eight years as supervisor.”

As residents call for change, all eyes are now on the August 12 meeting—and the November election that could reshape town leadership.

Further coverage at The Overlook

It's National Farmers Market Week, a national event that celebrates the huge role that farmers markets play in supporting local agriculture, strengthening community ties and improving food access. Locally, the Wayne County Farmers Market is celebrating 50 years of farm fresh food. 

We spoke with Anita Avvisato –co manager of the Wayne County Farmers Market , about how the market got started and what’s ahead. 

Get ready, Parksville—because Saturday, August 16, the chickens are coming home to Main Street.

The B'Kawk Festival —a now-beloved local tradition celebrating all things chicken—is back for its fourth year on Saturday, August 16, and it’s bigger, bolder, and more bird-brained than ever.

From noon to 6 p.m., the small Catskills hamlet will transform into a lively celebration of community spirit, artistic expression, and, yes—chickens. Expect live music, a bustling lineup of food vendors, interactive art, quirky contests, and even a stilt-walking band.

“It’s a full-on celebration,” said festival co-organizer Todd Perlmutter during a recent live interview, accompanied by wife Adrian Perlmutter "speaking" in character for the chickens. “Most people love chicken, and we decided that it was a good canvas to do a lot of other things—vendors, art, music—and we just center it around the chicken.”

A Family-Friendly Flock Party

The B'Kawk Festival is packed with playful nods to its feathered mascot. Festival-goers can expect a chicken crowing contest, egg toss, a kids’ chicken art contest, and even appearances by real chickens—thanks to the return of the event’s beloved “chicken mobile.”

For younger attendees, there will be an arts and crafts tent, games, and early entertainment from the Shimbone Alley Stilt Band, who juggle and roam the street on stilts.

This year, the food scene is clucking impressive. Visitors can sample:

• Jerk chicken from 876 Jerk
• Rotisserie creations from Beast Troia
• Smoked chicken from Van Smokey
• Tacos and empanadas from Julia’s Market in Mountaindale

Music That Ruffles Feathers (In the Best Way)

The festival’s music lineup mixes local talent with returning favorites. The Giraffes, who headlined the first-ever B'Kawk, return from Brooklyn with their powerhouse rock set to close the event around 5 p.m.

Other performances include:

• Gorilla Toss
• The Boss’s Wife
• Creatures
• A DJ set from Livingston Manor’s Fine

From Ghost Town to Cultural Nest

Parksville has been experiencing a quiet renaissance, thanks in large part to efforts like B'Kawk and venues like New Memories and The Double Up.

“Every year, we’re getting more and more people who just can’t believe that this is all happening in Parksville—in the ghost town," Perlmutter said.

The festival is organized by volunteers and artists, with support from the Parksville Arts Center and a grant from the Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association.

“There's a lot of scheduling. We need a lot of volunteers,” said Perlmutter. “Adrian is getting all the food... and [she’s] complaining about all the social media she has to do,” he added with a laugh.

Dreaming Bigger for 2026

With each year, B'Kawk continues to grow—and the organizers are already dreaming about what’s next.

“I feel like we just want to keep amping it up,” Perlmutter said. “Like right now this year we've gotten more food vendors and more chicken options and then next year we want to have even more… maybe by next year we'll go into the night. As of right now it's just 12 to 6.”

But for now, the co-organizers are urging people to come and experience the magic in person.If you’re on the fence—or, as Perlmutter put it, “in the roost”—he had this to say:

 “The variety of entertainment and food that's going to happen... I don't think you're going to see anything [like it]. I'm pretty sure we have the only band on stilts.”

🎟 More info:

• parksvilleartscenter.com/events
• Instagram: @parksvillebkawk
• Facebook: The Parksville Bkawk Festival

As smoke from Canadian wildfires once again drifts across the U.S., impacting air quality for millions, and major blazes burn in the West, communities are being forced to confront the far-reaching effects of these disasters.

To help us better understand how to prepare for and respond to these increasingly frequent and complex emergencies, we spoke with Dr. Njoki Mwarumba, Assistant Professor of Emergency Management at SUNY Empire State University, whose work sits at the critical intersection of emergency planning and public health.

Wildfires Are Getting Worse—Here’s Why

Dr. Mwarumba pointed out that while fires have always been part of forest ecosystems, today’s fire patterns are changing dramatically. Fires are now:

• Burning hotter and spreading more widely
• Occurring more frequently
• Extending fire seasons and shortening recovery time

These shifts, she said, are being driven by a combination of drought conditions, increased fuel loads, and changing weather patterns—many of which are tied to climate change.

Smoke Knows No Borders

Even when the flames are hundreds of miles away, wildfire smoke poses serious health risks. The hazy skies across the Northeast this week are a stark reminder.

She emphasized the importance of regional and international cooperation in responding to cross-border disasters like wildfire smoke.

Are Emergency Systems Keeping Up?

With repeated air quality alerts, some people may start to tune them out—a phenomenon known as alert fatigue. That’s why, Dr. Mwarumba said, communication needs to be both clear and accessible.

Dr. Mwarumba stressed the need for sustained public education, especially when the threat is invisible or delayed.

Coordinating Response Across Borders and Agencies

From local fire crews to federal agencies and even international partners, wildfire response requires layers of coordination.

In remote or protected areas, like national parks or Indigenous lands, response becomes even more complex.

The Role of Climate Change

Dr. Mwarumba was clear: climate change is contributing to escalating wildfire activity.

Investing in Resilience

The most effective response, Dr. Mwarumba said, is preparedness—before disaster hits.

That means investing not just in equipment and personnel, but also in public communication, community planning, and equitable outreach to vulnerable populations.

A New Reality

As wildfires become more frequent and smoke events more common, Dr. Mwarumba said it’s time for everyone—individuals and institutions—to shift their mindset.

Her final advice? Find your trusted sources of information—whether it’s a local radio station, a family member, or your county emergency office—and stay engaged.

It’s not David Bowie’s band—but “spiders from Mars” are real, at least geologically speaking. That’s just one of the mind-bending science stories Radio Catskill’s resident science guy Joe Johnson broke down in a recent segment filled with cosmic curiosities, spinning chairs, and mysterious goo from the bottom of the Great Lakes.

Spiders on Mars? Yes, But Not the Kind You Squash

These “spiders” aren’t living creatures, but strange dark formations on the Martian surface recently photographed in remarkable detail by the Mars Express Orbiter in 2024. Though first spotted from orbit back in the early 2000s, NASA released new data last year suggesting how these peculiar half-mile-wide, spider-like features—located in a region of Mars near the South Pole known as "Inca City"—actually form.

The explanation lies in Mars’ extreme climate. Temperatures can plummet to -225°F, and the planet's atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide with a mere 1% of Earth’s air pressure. During the brutal Martian winter, CO₂ gas deposits directly onto the planet’s surface as translucent dry ice. Come spring, sunlight penetrates the ice, warming the dark soil below. This causes sublimation—ice turning directly into gas—resulting in sudden gas eruptions that blast through the ice, scattering dust and debris in branching patterns that resemble spiders.

NASA scientists recently confirmed this “spider” formation theory in a Mars simulation chamber on Earth, offering a compelling Earth-based model for a truly alien phenomenon.

Why August 5th Might Be One of the Shortest Days Ever

Shifting gears from Mars to Earth, Johnson highlighted another space-time oddity: the ever-so-slight shortening of Earth’s daily rotation. According to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, August 5, 2025, was predicted to be 1.25 milliseconds shorter than a standard 24-hour day.

“Milliseconds may not seem like much,” said Johnson, “but when it comes to GPS systems, air traffic control, and data transfer networks, precision matters.” In fact, just a 1-millisecond discrepancy once knocked out Qantas Airlines' system.

The exact reason for the change? A combination of factors—atmospheric dynamics, oceanic movements, shifts in Earth’s core, even melting polar ice—all subtly redistribute the planet’s mass and affect its spin. While the long-term trend is for days to get longer (thanks to the Moon slowly drifting away), these short-term fluctuations are still significant enough to warrant attention from scientists and technologists alike.

Scientists Find New Lifeform… on a Boat Rudder

Back here on Earth, another mystery unfolded under the hull of a research vessel named Blue Heron, operating in the Great Lakes. When the boat was dry-docked last fall for repairs, the captain noticed a mysterious black goo oozing from the rudder housing—an area normally ungreased to avoid contaminating the water.

A sample was sent to microbiologists at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. What they found was astonishing: 20 different microbial genomes, including one never before seen on Earth. This simple organism, tentatively dubbed Ship Goo 001, may belong to an entirely new phylum—a major classification just below kingdom. That’s extremely rare in modern biology.

Even more bizarre: the microbe seems to thrive in an oxygen-free environment, raising big questions. How did an anaerobic organism end up on a ship that’s only ever operated in the oxygen-rich Great Lakes?

So far, scientists have only detected the organism’s DNA, not isolated it. But one thing is clear: it’s not just the surface of Mars that holds surprises—our own planet still has plenty of unexplained life right under our rudders.

This weekend, audiences in Highland Lake will be invited to dive deep—into memory, myth, and the mysterious realms beneath the surface of consciousness—through a haunting new shadow puppet performance at NACL Theatre.

“A Fishing Line Sings” is the latest creation by composer and writer Rima Fand, developed in long-time collaboration with puppet designer and director Erin Orr. This Saturday’s work-in-progress showing (August 9 at 7:30 p.m.) marks the culmination of a week-long residency at NACL, a space renowned for nurturing experimental performance and community dialogue.

The piece is rooted in Fand’s earliest memory: fishing on Lake George with her father at the age of three. That tender recollection evolved into a layered meditation on loss, longing, and transformation—casting fishing as both literal act and potent metaphor.

From that line extends a web of connections: to ancient Slavic and Finnish myths of women turning into fish, to evolutionary biology (Fand’s late father was a biologist), and to the shadowy realms of ancestral memory.

In one Finnish myth that inspired the piece, a young woman transforms into a fish to escape an unwanted marriage proposal. Her would-be suitor, the deity Väinämöinen, unknowingly catches her—only to be told she’s gone for good. The myth mirrors Fand’s own exploration of grief and remembrance, wrapped in the gentle metaphor of “the one who got away.”

The music and story are brought to life through Orr’s evocative puppet design—an artistic partnership forged over two decades.

Though it’s still in development, “A Fishing Line Sings” has been in the works for over a decade. A short version debuted at a “Puppets and Poets” festival years ago, but Fand stepped away from the project after the death of her father. Now, she says, the work feels joyful again—"like something celebratory”—as she reconnects with memories of both her parents.

At NACL, artists are given space to explore and shape their work without pressure to present a finished product. NACL's Brett Keyser noted that even he has not yet seen the piece in full.

Audience feedback is central to the process. After the performance, a community discussion will be held—over homemade soup, in classic NACL style—giving attendees a chance to reflect, ask questions, and nourish both artists and each other.

Fand says the fantastical elements of the piece—mythology, evolutionary storytelling, the magic of shadow puppetry—help ease the weight of the emotional themes.

More information is available at nacl.org.