Radio Chatskill

A briny blend of food, fun, and fermentation is taking over Eldred this weekend. Sullivan Public is hosting its first-ever Public Pickle Party on Sunday, August 10, promising an afternoon packed with hands-on pickling, garden swapping, local flavors, and even a glowing pickle science show.

“It’s part food fest, part garden swap, and all small-town joy,” said Jesse Lazar, co-founder of Sullivan Public, a community-driven arts and culture hub. The idea for the quirky celebration started during a snowstorm, when local farmer Austin Nash asked if Sullivan Public had ever hosted a pickling event. They hadn’t—so naturally, they decided they had to. Now, that offhand idea has fermented into a full-scale community happening.

Pickling for All

From 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Nash—who works with Hidden Acre Farm and regularly sells produce at farmers markets—will lead a live pickling demo, guiding participants through the process of preserving fresh vegetables using sweet and sour brines. “There’s going to be giant lobster pots of brine,” said Lazar. “You slice up veggies, shove them in a jar, and the magic is in the brine.”

No experience or garden required. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own produce and clean jars, but locally grown vegetables and containers will also be available at cost for those who need them.

The idea, said Lazar, is about more than just preserving cucumbers—it's about cultivating connection. “Gardens are often private spaces. This is a way to make that experience communal,” she said. “It’s great for little kids, seasoned adults, and anyone in between.”

A Community Celebration

The event runs 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 16 Proctor Road in Eldred, next to the post office and behind the library. In addition to pickling, the celebration will include Mr. Jason’s glowing pickle science demo, teaching curious minds about electrodes and electrolytes through electrified pickles.

“I’m not a kid, and I’m very excited,” laughed Lazar. “There’s something magical about a glowing pickle.”

More Than a Party

The Pickle Party is part of Sullivan Public’s Second Sunday series, designed to create space for community interaction in rural Sullivan County.

“In a place as spread out as this, you sometimes need an excuse to gather,” said Lazar. “It doesn’t need to be about buying something or making something great—it’s about showing up and being together.”

• More Info: sullivanpublic.com or follow @sullivanpublic on Instagram

Audrey Garro, executive director of A Single Bite, has a clear mission: if you have a child in your household and you need food, they are here to help. What began as a grassroots response to food insecurity in Sullivan County has grown into a vital service now providing nearly 1,000 meals a week—a number driven by increasing financial hardship, rising food prices, and changing housing conditions.

“We're seeing more families where someone has lost a job, lost hours, or even moved into housing without cooking facilities,” said Garro during a recent interview on Radio Chatskill. “It's very difficult for families to ask for help, but the cost of living is just out of reach for many now.”

The organization delivers fresh, healthy, home-cooked meals directly to families with children. Meals include nutritious proteins, vegetables, and carbohydrates, all packed and delivered by a small team and an “army of volunteers.”

But with the dramatic rise in need has come a set of new challenges—chief among them, keeping up with demand amid rising food costs and limited funding.

Garro noted that while A Single Bite receives generous seasonal donations—particularly from local farmers and markets—protein remains one of the most expensive and essential components of their meals. And as summer draws to a close, food donations typically dwindle, forcing the organization to rely more heavily on purchased ingredients.

With little government support, the organization relies heavily on community donations and local partnerships to continue its mission. One such partnership takes center stage this weekend.

On Saturday, August 9, A Single Bite will team up with the Shandelee Music Festival for a special farm-to-table fundraising dinner ahead of the festival’s opening night performance. Chef Jonathan Garro—who cooks weekly meals for the program—will prepare the dinner, using locally donated produce, Snowdance Farm chicken, and fresh bread from Jeffersonville's own Tara Bread.

The evening’s headliner is acclaimed pianist Sara Davis Buechner, and proceeds from the dinner will go directly to support A Single Bite’s meal delivery and nutrition education programs.

Looking ahead to the fall, Garro expressed concern about sustaining the pace of meal production without the fresh surplus of summer donations.

Still, Garro remains optimistic and grateful—for her volunteers, the support of the community, and those who show up, meal after meal.

How to Help:

• Donate: Visit asinglebite.org to make a monetary contribution.
• Volunteer: Help deliver meals or assist with events.
• Attend the Fundraiser: The Shandelee Music Festival Dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 9, followed by a piano performance by Sara Davis Buechner.

Learn more and get involved at asinglebite.org.

Flooding has been a major issue nationwide this summer, and New York has been no exception. From the flooding on the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Cross Bronx Expressway to the most recent flash flood warning for Orange County last week, Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for nearly all counties in the Southern tip of New York.

The increase in the severity and frequency of these hazardous floods is leading to many to identify the causes and urge our leaders to find solutions. 

Radio Catskill’s Genevieve Hartnett spoke with Sullivan County Historian John Conway about how in order to effectively address this problem, we need to look to our past.

You've probably driven it--Route 17, winding through the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, but big changes are coming to this familiar stretch of highway.

New York State is in the process of upgrading Route 17 to federal interstate standards, part of a decades-long effort to rebrand the corridor as Interstate 86 (I-86).   Some of that work is already underway around Monocello with even more proposals on the table, but not everyone is on board. While the state touts improved travel and connectivity, local advocates warn the billion-dollar project could come at the cost of environmental sustainability, community needs, and smarter investments.

“Older Than I Am”: A Project With Deep Roots

“This plan has been going on for a while — it’s actually older than I am, oddly enough,” joked Liam Mayo, news editor at The River Reporter, who has been covering the story in detail. “The federal legislation that is underpinning all of this comes from 1998. It was called the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, and it designated Route 17 as a priority upgrade for inclusion in the National Highway System.”

Since then, upgrades have slowly progressed from west to east. Much of the western portion of the corridor has already been converted. As Mayo explained, “I-86 currently stretches all the way from the western end of the state up to Binghamton. And it’s the bit from Binghamton onwards that still needs to be upgraded.”

That remaining stretch includes the portion of Route 17 from Exit 113 to Exit 131, which runs through the Catskills and Hudson Valley. “While proposals are still being worked out,” Mayo said, “one of the more likely ones is adding a third lane, or expanding that stretch of highway.” That project alone is expected to cost more than $1 billion.

Monticello Upgrades and Public Input

Closer to home, the NYS Department of Transportation is in the early stages of planning upgrades to Exits 103, 104, and 107 in Monticello.

“These are proposals that are just kind of introducing to the public — at the very early stages of getting public input,” said Mayo. “There was a public display session on Monday, July 28, where the DOT had very preliminary proposals for what Exit 107 could look like. But those could still change as public input comes in. They weren’t even at that stage for Exits 103 and 104 — it was entirely just an announcement.”

Mayo noted that these proposed upgrades may resemble the redesign of Exit 105, which was rebuilt with a modern roundabout a few years ago as part of the broader I-86 upgrade.

Why Now?

When asked why the project is picking up momentum now, Mayo said the answer may be simpler than it seems: “I assume that it's just that they've been working their way east from the western end of the state. If they upgrade this section from 113 to 131, that knocks out another huge chunk of it.”

He added, “By the end of the decade, we could see just only a very little left to do to upgrade the entire corridor. But transportation projects take a very long time, and this is a very ambitious one. A lot has happened in the past 30 years that delayed sections or made them take longer than originally suggested.”

Advocates Say: Rethink Route 17

Environmental and community groups are pushing back — and asking the state to hit the brakes. Catskill Mountainkeeper is leading a coalition called Rethink Route 17, which is urging officials to consider different uses for the massive investment.

“One of their main arguments,” said Mayo, “is that over a billion dollars of investment into the transportation of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills — you could spend that money a lot of other ways instead of just on Route 17 improvements.”

According to data cited by the coalition — and sourced from NYSDOT — Route 17 is uncongested 95.8% of the time, and the full upgrade would reduce travel times by only about three minutes and six seconds.

“They’re saying that the improvements would have very marginal benefits for the average traveler,” said Mayo. “On the other hand, if you spent that money on more local things, you could get a much bigger bang for your buck.”

Suggestions from the coalition include fixing potholes, investing in local roads and downtowns, supporting small businesses, and developing alternative transportation infrastructure like trails, buses, and bikeways.

How to Get Involved

NYSDOT is currently seeking public input on the Route 17 upgrades. Residents can submit feedback via the state’s project website — route17.dot.ny.gov — or by mail at 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY 13901.

Advocacy groups like Catskill Mountainkeeper are also encouraging public participation. Their coalition website, rethinkroute17.org, includes ways to get involved and learn more.

“You can also send comments in by mail or go through those websites,” Mayo noted. “And we include those links in our story as well at The River Reporter.”

Competing Visions for the Future

What happens next will depend not just on engineers and agencies — but on the voices of residents across the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Whether Route 17 becomes a faster, wider highway or a case study in reimagining rural transportation, the decisions made in the coming years will shape the region’s roads — and communities — for decades.

For more detailed maps and project updates, read Liam Mayo’s full story:
 “Competing visions presented for Route 17 upgrades”
📍 Available now at: riverreporter.com

Last Friday, New York State adopted the strongest all-electric building code in the country — requiring most new homes and buildings to run entirely on electricity within the next few years.

It’s a major step in reducing climate pollution from buildings, which are New York’s number one source of emissions. The move is also seen as a direct response to federal rollbacks, including former President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which climate advocates warn could raise costs and undermine state-level progress.

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to speak with Michael Hernandez, New York Policy Director for Rewiring America. Hernandez has been working on state and local electrification policies that aim to protect residents, lower utility bills and move New York off of fossil fuels. 

The big, beautiful bill’s multi-prong attack against healthcare access includes a provision that will strip Planned Parenthood of federal Medicaid funding for one year. While a federal judge has indefinitely blocked the cuts from going into effect as of this Monday, they have the potential of  closing 200 Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide and endangering the healthcare of millions of Americans. 

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to speak with Planned Parenthood of Greater New York CEO Wendy Stark, Leslie Seery and Andrea Flynn of the local group Rivertown 4 Reproductive Rights and Sullivan County activist Dayna Halprin on what these cuts could mean for Planned Parenthood, the historical underinvestment of women and queer people’s healthcare and how marginalized communities have disproportionately faced barriers to healthcare. 

Here’s Andrea…

Several Hudson Valley lawmakers signed onto a letter on July 26 calling for immediate and unrestricted humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. Among those who signed on were New York 19th District Representative Pat Ryan, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Senator James Skoufis and District 103 Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha.

A new festival in Delhi, New York engaged the canna-curious and canna-isseurs this past weekend. CannaBLISS in the Catskills brought together hundreds of attendees to celebrate upstate New York’s growing cannabis community.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar visited the first day of CannaBLISS in the Catskills and chatted with cannabis farmers, business owners, and attendees about the future of cannabis four years after New York state legalized recreational marijuana. She brings us this report from Delaware County.

A unique gathering centered on wellness, grief, and collective action is returning to Sullivan County this summer. Now in its fifth year, the All Things Good festival—happening August 9–10 at New Memories in Parksville—invites participants to “wander into wellness” through a weekend of healing arts, protest training, and community celebration.

Organized by Ariana Kaminsky, the event goes beyond the typical festival format. “It was born out of my existential dread, which I’m sure many of us can relate to,” Kaminsky said. “Living in this current day and age can be overwhelming, and it can feel like, what can I actually do to make a difference? This festival is designed for any human who wants to make the world a better place to live.”

This year’s theme—grieving, healing, and organizing as a community—emphasizes both personal and collective resilience. Attendees can expect workshops on First Amendment rights, de-escalation tactics, and grassroots organizing, as well as sound healing, yoga, poetry, and live music.

Highlights include a Climate Café on Saturday with Gail King of Extinction Rebellion, a Stand Up for Your Rights workshop with Alexis Danzig of ACT UP, and a Saturday night dance party with DJ Cat Silk. Sunday is designated as family day, with children’s workshops such as Our Bodies, Our Power, designed to help young participants explore their emotions, voices, and physical presence.

Perhaps the most unusual feature of this year’s event is a community wedding ceremony planned for a couple facing hardships—whether financial, immigration-related, or tied to healthcare or LGBTQ rights. The package includes officiation by Once Upon a Vow of Boston, donated flowers from Earth Girl Flowers, a two-night stay at The Outlier Inn, and VIP tickets to the festival. “It’s so important to create space that recognizes love and hope in a period of such grief,” Kaminsky explained.

In addition to the main event, a pre-party is scheduled for Saturday, August 2, at the Coshocton Pump House from noon to 6 p.m., featuring live music by the Electric Orchords and a DJ set from Tika Masala.

Kaminsky hopes participants leave the festival with a renewed sense of hope. “Even though things can seem so scary and uncertain, we have each other, we have community, and we have to live moment to moment by embracing the love and opportunity that exists all around us,” she said.

Tickets and more information are available at atgfestival.com or via @ATGfestival on Instagram and TikTok. 

Local author Joan Glase is stepping into the literary spotlight with her debut novel, Searching for John Smith. The book weaves together adventure, mystery, romance, and unexpected twists as readers follow Julia, a heroine on a journey of resilience and self-discovery that forces her to confront a painful past. 

Culture Reporter Valerie Mansi spoke with Glase ahead of her reading and discussion at the Cutting Garden/Domesticities in Youngsville on Sunday, August 3rd, from 2 to 4 p.m.