Liberty Harvest Festival This Sunday! Vendors, Music, and More!

Come to Liberty this Sunday, October 9th to celebrate fall at the Annual Liberty Harvest Festival! The festival features over 25 local vendors, live music, and even an applesauce eating contest. The event takes place at the Liberty Music and Arts Pavilion (Main Street Stage Area) in the center of the Village of Liberty.

The Harvest Festival kicks off at 10am and wraps up at 4pm – below is the times of the events during the festival:

10:00AM – Festival Starts
12:00PM – The World Music of Global Groove
2:00PM – The 4th CD release performance by Sasha Zan
2:00PM – Park Dedication Ceremony
3:30PM – Applesauce Eating Contest (limited to first 12 registrants

Don’t miss the harvest games for kids!

The 18th Annual Harvest Festival is sponsored by the Greater Liberty Chamber of Commerce.

Explore the Arts at the Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods

Further continuing the commitment of diverse culture and performing arts, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will host Explore the Arts – a day of local art, music, theater and dance as a part of the Harvest Festival on Sunday, September 25, 2011. This event provides a backdrop for local arts organizations and performance groups to collaborate and reach new audiences with their programs and talents.

The Harvest Festival runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each Sunday through Columbus Day Weekend. Admission to the Festival is free. Some activities have a charge. There is a $2.00 fee for parking and pets are not permitted on the grounds.

“Explore the Arts 2011 is shaping up to bigger and better than the inaugural event. We have new participants that will bring even more variety to the stage. It’s truly a unique day to have local performers of all ages showcasing the many artistic and cultural offerings in Sullivan County,” said Ken Cohen of the Janice Center. Cohen serves on the Explore the Arts Steering Committee.

It has been proven that a community that invests in and supports the arts benefits from the positive impacts and ripple effects in job creation, economic growth and a quality of life that attracts tourism and residents to the area. Bethel Woods is again presenting Explore the Arts as a way to continue to fostering partnerships and collaborative efforts within the arts community. The event provides a forum to showcase these diverse organizations and their abundant range of talent.

A variety of performances, workshops and demonstrations will take place on the main stage and in the event tent throughout the day. The main stage performances are as follows:

11:00 – 11:25 a.m. Delaware Valley Opera
11:30 – 11:55 a.m. Big Sky Productions
12:00 – 12:25 p.m. Forestburgh Playhouse
12:30 – 12:55 p.m. Main Street Dance
1:00 – 1:25 p.m. The Janice Center (Hip Hop)
1:30 – 1:55 p.m. Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop
2:00 – 2:25 p.m. Sullivan County Community College
3:00 – 3:25 p.m. Liberty Free Theater
3:30 – 4:00 p.m. The Janice Center (Zumba/instrumental)

To further explore the arts, Bethel Woods is pleased to once again present the “Next Generation: Showcasing Emerging New Artists” on site. Come out to see the talent of area high school artists as they show their work in ceramics, fiber, mixed media, jewelry, photography, drawing and painting. After the Festival, the students work will be displayed in the Corridor Gallery at the Museum at Bethel Woods.

The Harvest Festival also features an array of close to 100 vendors that make up the bountiful farmers market offering the freshest in regional produce as well as a diverse craft village featuring jewelry, woodwork, fabric designs and more. Round out your day with delectable festival foods (including vegetarian, barbeque, Brazilian, kettle corn and Italian ice). The corn and haze mazes will also be open, along with the Children’s Area sponsored by ShopRite Supermarkets. Here kids can create their own arts and crafts using various artistic mediums with teaching artist Matt Sherman.

Upcoming Festivals include:

October 2: Chili day in October – sponsored by Jeff Bank- The Ninth Annual Chili cook-off at the Harvest Festival will feature surprises and excitement as community organizations again pair up with culinary programs and area restaurants in a friendly competition of skill and spirit. Who will take the title this year? Come out and be the judge! Suggested tasting donation will benefit participating organizations. Check back for contestant information.
Music by: Love Assasin; The Shots and the Bergen County Firefighters Pipe Band

October 9: Rustic Craft Event – sponsored by Catskill Regional Medical Center and VanGorders’ Furniture – This expanded specialty craft event will showcase wood carvings, handmade furniture, pottery, accessories and accents for the home. Just in time to begin your holiday shopping!
Music by Kofi – African Drumming; Emish – Celtic Rock with an Edge

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a cultural center that inspires creative expression and civic engagement to enrich the human spirit. Among its primary visions is to present innovative, captivating performances, exhibitions and programs of the highest quality. Bethel Woods has presented the Harvest Festival each year as a celebration of the natural beauty, talent and bounty of Sullivan County and the surrounding area.

Bethel Woods Hosts 3rd Annual Airing of the Quilts

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is pleased to partner with Calico Geese Quilters for the 3rd annual Airing of the Quilts on Sunday, September 11th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Harvest Festival. This year’s event will include community quilt-making activities inspired by the Boise Idaho Quilt Project, which originated with women activists of the 60′s. The idea is to invite the community to participate in making quilts that celebrate our common threads and our diversity by creating two quilts – a “Quilt of Remembrance” and a “Quilt of Celebration and Nature”.

Admission to the Harvest Festival is free each week, with a $2.00 parking fee. Pets are not allowed on the grounds.

“We live in a magnificent place and we want to celebrate it. We hope that these community quilts will give our neighbors a form of expression for that purpose,”said Sally Abrams, President of Calico Geese Quilters.

Quilt of Remembrance: Block may honor the memory of a loved one (parent, grandparent, aunt, etc.), or the memory of those who have served (soldier, 911 responder, teacher, etc.). This quilt will feature sewn blocks and predominate colors must be red, white and blue.

Quilt of Celebration & Nature: Express your appreciation for our beautiful county and/or the many blessings we enjoy. This quilt will incorporate non-sewn blocks as well as sewn. Color/background of block must be of “muslincolor,”(i.e. white or beige) to serve as a foundation for your creative work.

Quilt block submissions will be collected at the Airing of the Quilts at the Harvest Festival. Members of the community are invited to participate, however there is a limit of one quilt block per person.The 4-H Program will assist in registering and documenting the submissions. Quilters from Calico Geese, a community group of Cornell Cooperative Extension will prep and assemble the blocks.

All submitted quilt blocks must be a 10 inch by 10 inch square (that will accommodate a ½ inch seam allowance and be trimmed to make a 9-1/2 inch by 9-1/2 inch square). Blocks can be sewn, non-sewn, or a combination of techniques and embellishments (beads, buttons, ribbons, etc.). Mediums such as fabric paint, crayon, markers, etc. are acceptable. Fabric does not necessarily need to be 100% cotton but must comply with the guidelines for at least one of the quilt themes. The quilts will also be displayed at various locations in Sullivan County through out the coming year, eventually finding a permanent home with the Sullivan County Historical Society.

Featured on the stage this week will be music of Festival favorites Darren and Albi and a very special Stacy and Friends – the Next Generation Singer Songwriter; performers who were chosen during a special showcasing of young artists at the Dancing Cat last weekend.

For additional information about The Harvest Festival, please contact Denise Frangipane at dfrangipane@bethelwoodscenter.org, by phone at (845) 295-2448, or visit the website at www.bethelwoodscenter.org.