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…
Close