October 20th, 2026
The Autumn Howl arrives this weekend. The weather looks optimal. Hope you can make it. Enjoy the edition and I’ll see ya out there.
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CREW CLUB
DOORS ARE OPEN
The day has finally arrived — a day that’s been 3 years in the making.
I spend a lot of time thinking about how Catskill Crew doesn’t just survive, but can thrive for decades to come. That path forward is through more fun and more community. That’s my bottom line.
So, I’m pretty freaking excited to announce the next chapter for Catskill Crew: The Crew Club. Catskill Crew is a rare bird. We do things differently. There’s no clickbait, no paywalled articles. No annoying Sunday morning email blasts from big corporate advertisers.
The Crew Club is an invitation for this whole operation to be supported by you, the people it’s actually for.
This way, we can keep growing this community, bring in more local voices, host more gatherings, and push further toward conservation to protect this place we love.
Independently owned. Locally operated. Community supported.
So, now that the stage is set… let’s dive into what Crew Club Members unlock.
What the Crew Club is:
◈ Daily games like crossword, trivia, word guess, and more. New games arrive every-single-day.
◈ Local leaderboards so we can compete to see who’s the wisest owl in the mountains.
◈ Exclusive goodies from merch drops, to Crew Club gatherings, to freebies, and early access.
◈ Cool points for directly supporting Catskill Crew and our incredible local community. Your Membership ensures the stories, the gatherings, and the community causes will continue... and keep getting better.
What the Crew Club is NOT:
◈ A paywall. I’m not charging for the newsletter or the events calendar — nor will that ever happen. I’ll swear the sacred words and take a blood oath at the old-growth hemlock to this.
The Crew Club is officially live and the doors are open. Every single penny goes back into more gatherings, stories, games, and causes. And don’t worry, you can cancel anytime.
If it’s not in the budget, or you’re just not ready to pull the trigger, don’t sweat it. The newsletter will always be here.
Note: This was a TON of work and it will keep growing everyday. If you spot any bugs, reach out so I can squash ‘em.
THE REPORT
FROM THE MOUNTAINS
CONDITIONS |
|---|
SUNRISE 7:17 AM ↑ |
SUNSET 6:08 PM ↓ |
TOTAL DAYLIGHT 10 HRS 51 MIN |
MOONRISE 10:26 AM ↑ |
MOONSET 7:29 PM ↓ |
MOON Waxing Gibbous 68% |
AIR QUALITY Good 19 AQI |
FIRE DANGER Moderate |
PETS: Saugerties Animal Shelter still has many furry friends that can use our help — so I’d like you to meet Bean who has some phenomenal spin moves and Badger a kitten who appears to be exceptionally chill.
SKY: Orionids meteor shower peaks the night of the 21st to the 22nd. This will occur as Earth passes through the debris left behind by Halley’s Comet. You can expect to spot 13 to 20 meteors per hour.
SIGHTINGS: Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina
HEARTH, QUARRY AND MEADOW
CURATED WITH DESTINATION HUDSON VALLEY
Listed by Felicity Taylor | Corcoran Country Living · Photo: Sundae Spaces
A hearth on land with a long memory. Beamed ceilings, wide pine floors and a screened porch that holds the afternoon light. The fireplace is river stone, laid by hand. And the great room rises higher than the roof requires. Someone wanted it that way.
Opus 40, Saugerties · Photo: Lisa Ven Vertloh for Opus 40
Opus 40, and the case for the pedestal that became the monument. Six and a half acres of bluestone, dry-laid by one man with hand tools over thirty-seven years, in a spent quarry outside Saugerties. He built it to show his sculptures. Then he took them away.
Read the piece →
Christina Ahouse | Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty · Photo: Dani Smith
A meadow inside the old stone walls. Twelve acres at the end of a long private drive, minutes from Woodstock. Old bluestone walls, the kind farmers stacked as they cleared their fields, frame a meadow that faces the Catskills. The house looks out on it through walls of windows and a wraparound porch.
See the home →
Inspired, we stacked a few stones in the yard this weekend. By our count, we’re thirty-six years and fifty-one weeks behind Opus 40. Thanks for spending a little time with us.
— Daniel + Felicity
SINGLE MINGLE
NOT ANOTHER APP
I’ve been getting A LOT of requests to throw some gatherings for the single folks out there. I have some ideas… some are pretty simple and some are completely over the top.
So let me know if you’re interested and if there are enough people who want to get off the apps — I’ll figure something out.
Do you want me to do some events for the singles?
DINNER CLUB
MAKE SOME FRIENDS
The next Dinner Club will be in Livingston Manor. Fewer than 20 seats remain for our most intimate Dinner Club yet.
HOW THIS THING WORKS
▲ Take a quick quiz about interests, food preferences, and what types of folks you are looking to meet — you know, that kinda thing.
▲ Get matched with five other Crew Members based on the result.
▲ Receive your invite the morning of the dinner and discover which restaurant your group will be dining at.
▲ During dinner, everyone across town will receive a notification with the secret location of an afterparty. This is optional, so if you’re in a food coma, you can go home and sleep it off.
☞ NOTICE ☜
PARTNERS WANTED
Catskill Crew only teams up with folks we'd tell a friend about. Apply within for features, collaborations, and schemes.
HAPPENINGS
THIS WEEK
THE AUTUMN HOWL
The Autumn Howl will be a grand gathering to celebrate the season, eat too much, and drink some good drinks.
We’ll have six breweries and cideries from near and far coming to town.
The fires will be lit. Oysters will be shucked. The steinholding competition will be fierce. The bouncy castles will be inflated (please bounce prior to eating).
▲ West Kill Brewing - West Kill, NY
▲ Bunker Brewing Co. - Portland, ME
▲ Oxbow Brewing Company - Newcastle, ME
▲ Threes Brewing - Brooklyn, NY
▲ Wild Fern Brewing - Frenchtown, NJ
▲ Occam Fine Cider - Beacon, NY
Hope to see you at Urban Cowboy Lodge in Big Indian on Saturday, October 24th.
There are hundreds of events going on this week. Here are some of the most interesting that I came across.
★ this week’s favorite
WEDNESDAY | An Apple a Day: The Apples of the Hudson Valley
Hudson River Maritime Museum, Kingston at 7PM
100 apples on display
THURSDAY | October Birding at Thorn Preserve
Thorn Preserve, Woodstock at 9AM
loaner binoculars available
FRIDAY - SUNDAY | Catskills Halloween & Oddities Market
Blackthorne Resort, East Durham at 3PM
weird, whimsical, and wicked
FRIDAY | Emerald Ash Borer Volunteer Day
Catskills Visitor Center, Mt. Tremper at 10AM
save the ash trees
SATURDAY | Monster Ball Halloween Dance Party
Cochecton Pump House at 7PM
boogie in costume
SATURDAY | Sanctuary For Fall
Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Saugerties at 10AM
visit the rescued animals
★ SATURDAY | Annual Rice Harvest
Ever Growing Family Farm, Kerhonkson at 10AM
yes, catskills rice
SATURDAY | Halloween Light Paddle
Lake Taghkanic State Park, Ancram at 6PM
string lights on kayaks
SATURDAY | Weird Organisms: Active Camouflage
Mamakating Environmental Education Center, Wurtsboro at 1PM
poop as camouflage
SATURDAY | Catskill Public Library's 125th Anniversary
Catskill Public Library at 11AM
125 years of books
SATURDAY | Fly Fishing Tai Chi with Mike
Catskill Fly Fishing Center, Livingston Manor at 9AM
tight lines
SATURDAY | Trunk or Treat: Firefighter Edition
FASNY Museum of Firefighting, Hudson at 10AM
fire trucks full of candy
SUNDAY | Monthly D&D Game at MEEC
Mamakating Environmental Education Center, Wurtsboro at 4PM
roll for initiative
SUNDAY | Halloween Brunch
West Kill Lexington Community Hall at 10AM
pumpkin pancakes, perhaps
SUNDAY | Spellbound Supper + Amaro Magic
Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room, Big Indian at 5PM
dark auras dine elsewhere
SUNDAY | Hudson Valley Cider Symposium
Westwind Orchard, Accord at 12PM
twenty cider makers pouring
SUNDAY | Grovetober
Locust Grove Historic Site, Poughkeepsie at 11AM
35 storybook pumpkins
SUNDAY | Hand-crafted Brooms Workshop
Ravenwood Farm Shop, Kerhonkson at 12PM
handmade brooms, lunch included
Every Tuesday, 52 times a year, you get an edition of spam-free Catskill gold. Researched, written, and sent by one human (hey) who hunts down the events, does the moon math, throws the gatherings, and eats 20 breakfast sandwiches to find you the best one. All 100% free, forever and always.
If the Crew has earned your love, consider joining the Crew Club. You’ll get the daily games, the leaderboards, the merch drops, and the occasional gathering — plus my eternal gratitude and a handshake, a hug, or a tip of the cap at a future event.
Can’t or don’t want to? Don’t sweat it. I still <3 you.
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PARTNERSHIPS....... apply within
SUBMIT AN EVENT....... right here
TROUT CAPS....... grab yours
FIELD GUIDES....... dig in
SUBSCRIBE....... join the crew
— No. 157 —
SEE YA OUT THERE.