8TH ANNUAL HISTORY OF THE CATSKILLS CONFERENCE
August 23 - 25, 2002
Kutsher's Country Club
Monticello, New York
www.kutshers.com

Join us for a wonderful weekend of historical, musical, literary, and cultural presentations on the remarkable legacy of the Jewish experience in the Catskills. Meet Catskills veterans and relive the golden years.

Speakers will include authors who have written about the Catskills, as well as former guests, staff, and entertainers. Among the speakers will be John Weiner, on White Roe Before World War II. John will talk about White Roe, the large and unique adult hotel in Livingston Manor, and he will show film clips from the 1930s and 1940s. Bunny Grossinger will speak on "Remembering Grossingers," and Clarence Steinberg will lead a panel of veteran Catskills farmers speaking about "Our Lives as Jewish Farmers in the Catskills." Phil Brown will read his new short story, "The Boss' Visitor." There will be an opening night event with entertainment by singers and comics from the old days. A special treat this year is an optional bus tour narrated by Irwin Richman, based on his wonderful book Borscht Belt Bungalows. It will allow attendees to trace the path of Catskill resorts, some still standing and others in ruins. Another new feature is a “speak-out session,” where participants can do brief presentations of their own histories -- people interested in doing so should contact us ahead of time. Memorabilia and Judaica exhibits will also be featured.

Each year, the conference has been a delightful combination of styles of presentation. Scholars will learn a lot, and non-scholars won't feel like they're at an academic conference. Plus, we always have perfect weather. We begin Friday 6 PM with a cocktail party especially for conference participants, and finish Sunday after lunch.