Esopus Creek Conservancy
Welcome to Esopus Creek Conservancy. We're located in Saugerties, New York, a Hudson Valley town bordering the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains, one hundred miles north of New York City. With Saugerties as our home base, our purpose is to conserve significant natural landscapes in the Esopus Creek watershed and the Saugerties area. Established in July 2003 as a nonprofit corporation, we acquired a 156-acre natural environment in 2004, and added five more acres in 2006. The property shares a mile of shoreline with the upper Esopus Creek in Saugerties. Its name - Esopus Bend Nature Preserve.
Events
The Town of Saugerties lies nestled between the foothills of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River with extensive frontage on the Plattekill and Esopus Creeks. Saugerties, Dutch for sawmill, has enjoyed a rich industrial history from woodcutting to bluestone mining to coated paper manufacturing and now solar manufacturing. The result of this historic industrial development was large mills, now redeveloped, a vibrant main street, and a mix of Victorian and colonial housing architecture. Saugerties now enjoys a solid business base as well as a diverse mix of retail establishments in its revitalized Village Center.
Saugerties, recently was featured in the October 2009 issue of Budget Travel Magazine as one of the 10 Coolest Small Towns in America!
HITS-on-the-Hudson
The HITS-on-the-Hudson Circuit Saugerties, New York, runs from May to September. Set amidst the beautiful and historic Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River Valley, this circuit is produced at HITS' newest equestrian facility, which features an amphitheater containing the Grand Prix Ring and a Feature Hunter Ring, 1,100 permanent stalls, and permanent buildings housing offices, food concession, rest rooms and equestrian retail shops. HITS returns to Saugerties May 26, 2010.
Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
In 1992, the Kiwanis Club of Saugerties held their first Garlic Festival at Cantine Field in Saugerties, New York. The pre-festival crowd estimates were 2,500 if the weather held. To everyone's surprise, despite considerable rain, 5,000 people attended and had a great time. Again in 1993 it rained, only in the morning, and attendance more than doubled to an estimated crowd of 13,000. On the last Sunday of September 1994, the weather finally cooperated and attendance took off to over 30,000. The festival is always held the last full weekend in September. In 2009, it will be held September 26th and 27th. The hours on Saturday are 10 a.m. 'til 6 p.m, and on Sunday it's 10 a.m. 'til 5 p.m.
Kiwanis Ice Arena
The Town Of Saugerties Kiwanis Ice Arena is located in the Cantine Memorial Complex in Saugerties, New York. We are an Ice Arena that operates from the middle of August to the beginning of April. Our off season is from mid April to mid July in which we are available for off ice events such as Flea Markets, fundraisers, parties, and camps.
Olana
Olana, the Persian-style home of famed Hudson River School artist Frederic Edwin Church is perched high on a hill surrounded by an extensive Picturesque landscape. Visitors touring the majestic home will be led on a trip through time, seeing a remarkably preserved home, complete with much of the original furniture. World-class paintings from Church's personal collection grace the walls of this beautiful mansion. Visitors will learn the story of Church's life, and how he came to build this wonderful mansion overlooking the Hudson River.
Opus 40
Opus 40 was conceived of by artist /sculptor Harvey Fite. He built an environmental sculpture of native bluestone over the course of thirty-seven years (1939 to 1976). Originally conceived of as forty-year project, his nearly completed work was halted by his accidental death. His work is one of the most impressive and vast sculptures ever created by a single person.
Saugerties Farmers Market
Saugerties Farmers Market is located in the heart of the historic business district of the village of Saugerties and features a wide array of farm produce freshly harvested, grown, and brought to market by local farmers: fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, wine, dairy, poultry, meats, mushrooms, breads, jams, syrup, desserts, and more.
The farmers of the Saugerties Farmers Market are local small family farmers who provide a full range of farm products. Supporting these farmers will help keep our agricultural countryside green and flourishing while filling your dinner plate with the freshest most nutritious produce available.
Saugerties Historical Society / Kiersted House
Built in 1727, the Kiersted House is home to the Saugerties Historical Society. Special events include historical reenactments in May, History Day in October, free seasonal concerts and historical displays on the front lawn. May-October, Saturday and Sunday, 2:00PM-4:00PM.
Saugerties Lighthouse
The Saugerties Lighthouse is a venerable red-brick lighthouse built in 1869 at the mouth of the Esopus Creek. The Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy maintains the lighthouse and adjacent lands for the enjoyment of the public.
