Mike O'Neil Tells Fishy Tales

The Jerry Bartlett Angling Collection at The Phoenicia Library will present "On The River" July 23rd, 2016 from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. This is another installment in the ongoing series of fishing discussions celebrating the 20th anniversary of the collection. Woodland Valley's own fishing expert, Mike O'Neil will be among the people telling fish stories. He will talk about his father Paul O'Neil's experiences as fisherman, author and sports writer for Time and Life magazines. Joining him will be Cal Smith, Hank Rope, Roger Menard and Ed Ostapczuk. If you are interested in fishing this promises to be a great discussion!

Save Water

Sorry that it has been a while since I last posted. The weather up here has been super gorgeous and I took this time to start to get caught up on my outdoor chores.

Anyway, for any of you at the beginning of the valley who are in the Phoenicia Water District, water superintendent Rick Ricciardella has requested that you take measures to conserve water. The spring and early summer have been dry and after a dry winter the reservoirs are not at their peak. So Rick requests that you start cutting back on unnecessary water use to help the district avoid future problems.

And for those of us with wells, we should all pay attention to our water usage in drier times too. So be mindful when you turn on your faucets!

Library Fair Tomorrow, June 11th!

The Phoenicia Library is having it's annual library fair tomorrow June 11th from 10am to 2pm. There will be music, a bake sale, a plant sale, a silent auction and a book sale. Woodland Valley residents George Holz and Rebecca Ffrench have donated signed copies of their books for the silent auction. And there are LOTS of other great things too. WCA member Ricarda O'Conner has donated a healing session with her amazing gongs. I have done this myself and it is awesome! There are also gift certificates to restaurants, spas and lodging in the area. So come to the library fair tomorrow. At the very least you will see lots of neighbors and friends! See you there!!

Free Holistic Clinic This Wednesday

FREE HOLISTIC COMMUNITY

CLINIC

 Wednesday June 1 2016, 4-7pm

Quarterly holistic wellness clinic Providing Massage, Cranio Sacral Therapy, Reiki, 

Matrix Energetics, Sound Healing, Reflexology, and 

more! 

LOCATION: ​Parish Hall, Phoenicia, across from the Catholic 

Church on Main Street.  

For Questions Call: ​518-989-6216  

WALK-IN’S WELCOME, NO APPOINTMENTS 

NECESSARY 

Brought to you by Healthcare is a Human Right, Inc. and your local holistic practitioners

 

Good Press From Europe

For those of you who read French, here is a link to the newest article about the Catskills in Le Monde. It once again features the Phoenicia Diner and other great Catskill gems. http://www.lemonde.fr/m-voyage/article/2016/05/17/catskill-mountains-label-boheme_4920528_4497613.html?xtmc=catskill&xtcr=1

I guess we can expect a lot of French tourists this year. This is great news because due to the warm winter the skiers largely stayed home and many of the local businesses have told me that it was a bad winter for them economically.

That being said, I would just like to remind you that if you need a father's day, graduation or any other kind of present try to shop in our little towns. You will be helping to keep the local businesses alive.

Sweet Sue's Has Re-opened

There is good news in Phoenicia, Sweet Sue's has finally re-opened. I have been watching for several weeks as Sue and her crew have been hard at work cleaning and getting ready. I am so glad that they have finally opened their doors again.

Here is an article in the Daily Freeman about it for those of you who want to read more. http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160518/at-reopened-sweet-sues-in-phoenicia-the-handwriting-is-on-the-wall-x2014-and-its-full-of-praise

Welcome back, Sue!

Phoenicia Pharmacy To Close

I am sad to report to you all that as of July 1st the Phoenicia Pharmacy will be closing it's doors. Up until that time they will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If you have active prescriptions at the pharmacy be aware that you will need to find another place to get your prescriptions filled.

For those of you who would like to read more about the closing here is a link to an article in The Watershed Post. http://www.watershedpost.com/2016/independent-pharmacies-close-margaretville-phoenicia

PS - I just found out that although the pharmacy is closing in July, the store itself will remain open until October.

Phoenicia Library in HV Magazine

Our awesome Phoenicia Library has been featured in an article about how libraries in the Hudson Valley are thriving. http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/April-2016/Hudson-Valley-Libraries-Are-Thriving/

If you haven't been to the Phoenicia Library lately I encourage you to stop by and visit. There is a LOT of fun things happening in addition to great books, DVDs, CDs and other things to peruse and borrow. I myself joined the ukulele lesson a couple of weeks ago and had a blast! So check out the Phoenicia Library schedule of events online and see what's up! http://phoenicialibrary.org

Easter Egg Hunt This Saturday

The MF Whitney Hose Company's 35th Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be this Saturday, March 26th at 11am SHARP in Parish Field, Main Street Phoenicia. Come one, come all (all ages through 12) and have some great family fun! There will be an egg hunt, games, raffle and joy for all. The event is rain or shine. See you on Saturday!

Saying Goodbye to Mama's Boy

Here is an article in the Woodstock Times about the closing of Mama's Boy. It was a great place and everyone in town will miss it. Good luck at Mama's Boy Burgers in Tannersville, Michael! I am sure many of us will visit you there.

http://www.woodstockx.com/2015/12/06/mamas-boy-cafe-closes/

Mama's Boy Closing

Mama's Boy Market in Phoenicia is closing and selling everything off the shelves. This is a post that was on Facebook earlier today. We will miss Mama's Boy!!

CLOSING SALE! 50% off everything on our shelves today and tomorrow. Except for our coffee beans. Plus practically EVERYTHING else is for sale coffee equipment, convection oven, refridgeration and freezers, picnic tables, chairs, tables, display items and much much more. STOP IN, SAY GOODBYE AND TAKE A PIECE OF MAMA'S BOY HOME WITH YOU!

Another Great Halloween Parade

The Phoenicia Halloween parade was great fun this year. As always, the folks of this town were wildly creative with their costumes. My personal favorite was the little girl who came dressed as a Hindu Goddess. Awesome!! Thing 1 and Thing 2 were pretty great as well. For those of you who could not be there here are some fun photos.

Halloween Parade Today

The Phoenicia Halloween Parade is today at 2pm. As always, the wonderful Phoenicia Rotary will be on hand to give out free cider and deserts after the march down Main St. Don't miss this super fun, hometown gathering. It is a great way to celebrate the holiday!! See you there!

New Farm Stand In Phoenicia

I passed the Phoenicia Market the other day and wondered what was happening in front. Apparently, two local young entrepreneurs (one who lives in Woodland Valley) are opening a homegrown, local produce stand. If you would like to read more about it here is the link. This should be a great addition to our little hamlet!

http://catskilleats.com/2015/08/21/coming-soon-in-phoenicia-homegrown-local-produce-stand/

YouTube Video By Young WV Resident

Here is a wonderful video by young WV resident Azalea Case and her cousin Savannah Swix. They did an excellent job in presenting an overview of the people and places of Phoenicia. They got great footage of the town and did wonderful interviews with local residents and business people. Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQhZt6pwgHQ

Five More Things To Do In Phoenicia

There was another article about Phabulous Phoenicia in the Times Herald-Record the other day. It was all about the fun things to do when visiting here. Check it out.

http://www.recordonline.com/article/20150724/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/150729756

Even The Brits Like Phoenicia

The Daily Mail just published the latest installment in the "I Love Phoenicia" series of magazine articles that seems to be appearing lately. It prominently features The Graham & Co (those people seem to have an awesome PR agency) and the Phoenicia Diner. If you would like to read this one (although it is basically like the others) the link is below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3091305/Stunning-mountains-small-town-charm-plenty-celebrity-inhabitants-New-York-s-Catskill-Mountains-new-list-oasis.html

BuzzFeed's List of 21 Diners

Here is a link to BuzzFeed's list of 21 diners you should eat in before you die. The Phoenicia Diner has made the list. Between the press in the NYTimes, Time magazine, BuzzFeed, and all the other outlets that have sung the praises of the Phoenicia Diner, we locals are going to be hard pressed to get into the establishment. Congrats to owner Mike Cioffi for opening a great place at the perfect time!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jonmichaelpoff/american-diners-you-should-eat-at-before-you-die?bffb&utm_term=4ldqpgx#.iv0J1opxd

More Great Press For Phoenicia

The last few weeks have been big ones for Phoenicia in the press. First, Time magazine puts the Catskills (with a mention of Phoenicia) on it's list of The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2015. http://time.com/3640728/best-places-travel-2015/
Then the NYTimes makes the Catskills, and Phoenicia specifically (calling it Williamsburg north……I am LOL and groaning at the same time on that one), #39 on it's list of the 52 places to go in 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/01/11/travel/52-places-to-go-in-2015.html?ref=travel
Looks like our hamlet will be hopping with hipsters (and other visitors from far and wide) for the foreseeable future!

Gorgeous New Library Renovation

I went to the library opening yesterday and as it happened I was the first patron through the door. I didn't mean to be. But a few days ago they called and said something that I had ordered about a month ago online finally came into Phoenicia. They also said they would be open on Friday for me to pick it up. I had to go to Kingston that day so I needed to get there, get it and get on with my day. So I was there shortly after they opened the doors. A big smiling group of people was on hand to greet me, so it was very fun.

I highly recommend that everyone visit the new building. It is gorgeous and I think it will be an important hub of activity for the entire community.

Since I was on my way somewhere else I didn't have too much time to take photos but here are some that I took to give you all a sneak peek until you can get there yourself.

Kudos to everyone who worked so hard to make this renovation a reality. You did a really great job!!!