Valley Stream 24 Takes An Exciting Field Trip to the Ashokan Center
Students from all three schools in the Valley Stream 24 School District recently embarked on an interactive outdoor education experience at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York. “Visiting the…
GUEST POST: Scottish fiddle immersion experience at the Ashokan Center
This post is by the great Austin Scelzo after his experience at Ashokan’s 2024 Scottish String Fling Weekend. My heart is full after returning from a wonderful Scottish fiddle immersion…
Delaware Academy Second Graders Create Original Songs
If you were walking the hallways of Delaware Academy Elementary School in Delhi last Thursday, April 25th, you might have heard a hearty chorus of students (and teachers) singing at…
Uke Fest with Ben Hassenger
Ben Hassenger’s musical career began in the early 1970s when he was arrested for playing “Smoke on the Water” on accordion and singing in animal sounds in the cafeteria at…
Nettle Pesto by Liz Neves
Try Liz Neves’s Nettle Pesto recipe: Every spring I make a Nettle pesto and each year it’s a bit different. It’s highly adaptable! You’ll have to know I’m a guess-timator…
Awaken to Plants with Liz Neves
I am excited to have had the chance to chat with Liz Neves about plant medicine. Liz guided me to the Ashokan Center in 2020 when I was looking for…
Indigenous History with Justin Wexler
We got to chat with Justin Wexler of Wild Hudson Valley and ask a few questions about the area’s indigenous culture. You can learn more from Justin at Ashokan’s Spring…
Getting to Know the Dobro with Alex Sens
We sat down to get to know a little about Alex Sens and an instrument called the dobro. Alex will be teaching dobro at Ashoksn’s upcoming Bluegrass Camp as well…
Q&A with Interpreter of Black Folk Music, Jake Blount
We recently got to chat with Jake Blount on how his musical journey brought him to Ashokan’s Old Time Rollick year-after-year. Jake Blount (pronounced: blunt) is an award-winning interpreter of…
2024 Solar Eclipse
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, United States, and Canada. Even though our region isn’t in an area where there’ll be…
It’s Trout Fishing Time!
With the season just opening on April 1st, here’s a bit of backstory on this historic pastime, thanks to “Trout Fishing in the Catskills.” It’s a beautiful, knowledge packed book…
Mushroom Talk with Luke Sarrantonio
A quick introduction into fungi with a really fun guy, Hudson Valley mycologist, Luke Sarrantonio. Luke is the founder of Mycophilic and For the Love of Fungi Mushroom and Arts…
Ashokan / Turnwood Covered Bridge
One of 29 covered bridges in New York State, and one of five covered bridges in Ulster County, the Ashokan Bridge (also known as the Turnwood and Olive Bridge) is…
Son Jarocho Camp Will Be First Of Its Kind in the US
It’s a learning opportunity, a music-loving opportunity, a sharing of culture and community: It’s the Ashokan Center’s Ariles Son Jarocho Camp. Patterned after Luna Negra, a well-known annual gathering for…
Pardon our Progress: Our Homestead is being restored.
Ashokan’s Homestead, a two-story dovetail log home built in the 1970’s, was found in disrepair when the Ashokan Center, Inc. took over the site’s programs and stewardship in 2008. A…
3rd Youth Empowerment & Sustainability Summit
From February 21 – 23, the Ashokan Center held its 3rd Youth Empowerment & Sustainability Summit (YESS!). Students from grades 6 – 12 assembled from the Hudson Valley, Adirondacks, New…
Enhance Your Music Practice with Strum Machine App
Do you use a metronome or backing tracks while practicing? Strum Machine (https://strummachine.com/app) came as a recommended practice tool from Hilary Hawke (teacher from 2023’s Banjo Weekend!). The full version…
The Pulp Mill
Behold the old pulp mill at Winchell’s Falls on Esopus Creek, now part of the Ashokan Center. Esopus Creek has been a source of food, water, transportation, power, and recreation…
Birds of Winter
Just as we have unique birds that visit us during the warmer months, we also have birds who visit us in winter! This time of year, we tend to see…
Ashokan Receives Grant from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
The Ashokan Center has received a grant totaling $49,500 per year for two-years from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the nonprofit arts and culture…
YESS! Alumni Recognized for Environmental Work
Congrats to Bennett Elementary School students and instructional coach, Karen Hadley, for being recognized for their work in reducing the use of plastic and removing it from the waste stream!…
Indigenous Peoples Day
It is with great gratitude that we learn, gather, and perform on the ancestral homelands of the Munsee Lenape people. The land that the Ashokan Center sits on was a…
Why did the caterpillar cross the road?
Every fall, you’ll notice woolly bear caterpillars crossing roadways and sidewalks. And they’re fast, for a caterpillar — they can travel up to 4 feet per minute, which is roughly…
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