8/17-18: International Celtic Festival
Those who have been to the International Celtic Festival – some of them year after year – claim that the sound of hundreds of bagpipers descending Hunter Mountain en masse while playing “Amazing Grace” will make your hair stand on end and tears spring to your eyes, even if you don’t have a single strand of Gaelic DNA. That epic event happens on Sunday evening, but topnotch traditional Celtic musicians will be holding forth all weekend, with international megastars Cherish the Ladies and Andy Cooney heading the lineup. Step dancers, Irish food specialties and of course plenty of ale and stout are also featured. Admission costs $16 for all aged 13 and up. Hunter Mountain is located just off Route 23A in Hunter. For more info including the full music schedule, visit www.huntermtn.com/huntermtn/festivals/summer-festivals-celtic.aspx.
8/20-25: Dutchess County Fair returns to Rhinebeck
If you prefer your county fairs to be as massive as a state fair, so that you can go back day after day, walk your feet off and still not see it all, then the 144-acre Dutchess County Fair is for you. It has everything that you could imagine wanting at such an event and more – much more than there is space even to begin describing here, so you’ll just have to check https://dutchessfair.com for details. Fair exhibit hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with rides running until 12 midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11 p.m. other nights. General admission is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and military personnel with ID and free for kids under age 12. Midway rides cost extra; passes for 12 rides for $20 can be purchased online before August 21.
8/23-25: Esopus Creek Puppet Suite in Saugerties
Beloved local giant puppet theater troupe Arm-of-the-Sea has its repertoire of environmental-themed plays that it takes around the Hudson Valley all year long; but once every summer, it honors its hometown of Saugerties by unveiling a brand-new Esopus Creek Puppet Suite. This year’s is titled Bending the Crick of Time: True Tall Tales from Olde Saugerties. Based on local lore and archival materials, the show weaves together stories from Saugerties farming families, Civil War draftees and draft-dodgers, papermill workers, a steamboat captain, a wandering poet, two sisters who served as lighthouse keepers and lively mortals from the Fishermen’s Rest social club. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at Tina Chorvas Waterfront Park on East Bridge Street in the Village of Saugerties. Admission at the park entrance costs $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for a family of four. Arrive early and bring lawn seating. For more info, visit https://armofthesea.org/current-offerings/esopus-creek-puppet-suite.
8/31-9/2: Woodstock/New Paltz Arts & Crafts Fair in New Paltz
This long-running convocation of juried artisans and purveyors of fine handcrafted merchandise always has something new to view, and this year’s innovation is a concentration on hands-on crafts demonstrations, curated by the Catskill Mountain Artisan Guild. The vendors will surely be keeping their fingers crossed for less stormy weather than their Memorial Day weekend outing at the County Fairgrounds. Fair hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Labor Day. The Ulster County Fairgrounds are located at 249 Libertyville Road, on the west side of the Wallkill from New Paltz. Admission costs $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and is free for kids aged 12 and under. You can find a $1 discount coupon, along with lots of other info, at www.quailhollow.com.
