As summer officially comes to a close and the maple trees start to drop their leaves, it’s time to indulge in all things Autumn.
The Catskill’s uniquely beautiful landscapes will be highlighted this season with Hunter’s Colors in the Catskills at Hunter Mountain Resort and the deep appreciation for the warm, golden colors of fall at Belleayre’s Fall Festival.
Our more ominous residents have arranged vampire-inspired burlesques at the Colony in Woodstock, a Mel Brooks Musical of Young Frankenstein in Shandaken, and Saugerties Lighthouse’s Halloween Spooktacular, for those itching for something haunting before Halloween.
Enjoy our roundup of all things eerie and beautiful in the region this season.
Hunter
Those interested in local history can register for several events taking place at the Mountain Top Historical Society throughout October. The organization, founded in 1973, operates out of Haines Falls, maintaining the hamlet’s 1913 Ulster and Delaware Railroad station.
On Oct. 10, the society will dedicate an informational kiosk outside of the station in memory of board member Gary Slutzky. Slutzky, son of Hunter Mountain ski resort co-founder Orville Slutzky, died in 2024.
“When he passed away, we had a lot of people donate money to us in memory,” said Debbie Fromer, treasurer of the organization. “We put it towards a kiosk that we’re putting out next to the train station just telling the story of why the train station sits there in the middle of nowhere out in the woods.”
The dedication follows another event highlighting the railroading history of Hunter, as Paul LaPierre of the Empire State Railway Museum in Phoenicia leads a four-mile hike over old railroad beds off state Route 214, also on Oct. 10, to trace the history of the Kaaterskill Junction.
On Oct. 11, the society brings back what has become a new tradition: a reading of the iconic story of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving. Catskill artist Matt Bua will bring his “Traveling Rip” exhibit.
“People do readings from the book, and some people dress up in period clothing,” Fromer said.
The society closes out the season with a two-part event chronicling the folklore of the Spruce Woods, located in the upper East Kill Valley near Colgate Lake in Jewett. The event centers around the 1992 book, “The Old Eagle Nester: The Lost Legends of the Catskills,” by Doris West Brooks. The book captures local myths, oral histories, and the unique lifestyle and atmosphere of early settlers and rural communities in the region.
On Oct. 23, the society will host a talk with Patti and Ricky Brooks about the book. Ricky Brooks is Doris West Brooks’ son. At the talk, antique maps, deeds, survey instruments and chains used in the early settlement of the area will be on display.
Participants will get to see the Spruce Woods themselves Oct. 24, as Patti and Ricky Brooks host an interactive hike through the area.
All of the events are free.
“We want the community to come over, be involved, come see our stuff and what we do,” Fromer said.
Hunter is also the location of a range of other cultural and arts events throughout the season.
On three weekends from Oct. 3 to Oct. 18, Hunter Mountain Resort will transform into a fall wonderland, bringing local vendors, food, live music, and scenic SkyRides offering views of fall foliage.
The first weekend is foliage-focused, while the second weekend includes German traditions and food for an Oktoberfest-inspired experience. Halloween takes center stage Oct. 17-18 with costume contests.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Automobile enthusiasts may be drawn to Tannersville on Oct. 4 for a fall car show, featuring hot rods, street rods, rat rods, customs, classics, antiques, trucks, muscle cars, and more lining Main Street from the traffic light to South Main Street.
The show, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offers free admission to spectators and live music by Whiskey Cross with Just James and Sonny Rock.
Performances at the Doctorow Center
The Doctorow Center for the Arts in Hunter, operated by the Catskill Mountain Foundation, hosts three performances through October, beginning with a production of The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon from Oct. 9-11. The comedy follows Al Lewis and Willie Clark, two feuding vaudeville comedians who performed together for 47 years before ending their partnership. Their nephew and talent agent attempts to reunite them for a television special, but the old animosity quickly threatens the reunion.
Pianists Joanne Polk and Jeffrey Langford come to the center on Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. for The Music of Amy Beach, a show examining the music and life of Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, lauded as one of the first successful American female composers. Polk and Langford will be joined by guest cellist Julian Langford.
Directors David Belkovski and Rachell Ellen Wong will lead the Twelfth Night Ensemble on Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., with fortepianist Yi-heng Yang, for a program built around birds and birdsong. The concert includes Haydn’s “The Hen” Symphony No. 83 and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, whose theme and variations were based on a tune Mozart wrote down from his pet starling.
Elton John tribute act Lance Millard brings his homage to the legendary British musician to the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
Millard brings over 25 years of experience performing as Elton John. The production features Elton-inspired costumes, vocals and a live ensemble of regional musicians.
Hurley
Just before Halloween, the Hurley Heritage Society will be hosting a guided walking tour on Oct. 25 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Hurley, originally the site of a Lenni Lenape community, was settled by the Dutch in 1662. Only two years later, the English took over the site, along with the rest of the New Netherland Colony.
Old Hurley’s Main St. is a National Historic Landmark due to its collection of preserved stone houses, which have housed residents for over 300 years. There are 27 historic sites in and around Hurley. Reservations are required and there is a suggested donation of $5.
On Oct. 18, Hurley Heritage Society will be hosting three walking tours in remembrance of the final day of the Burning of Kingston. Shuttle buses from Uptown Kingston to Hurley will be available and the museum will be open.
Hurley Library will be accepting clean, washed costumes in good condition until Oct. 4, where a community costume swap will take place at 1 p.m. You don’t need to donate a costume to take one and all leftover costumes will be donated. Each child can take one costume.
Hurley Library will also be hosting a S’mores Squishies event for children ages seven to twelve on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Participants will create their own s’mores inspired “squishy” using balloons, filling, and cardboard.
From 4:30 until 6:30 p.m., Hurley Reformed Church’s parking lot will be transformed by decorated trunks, trucks, burgers and hotdogs, music, candy, and a bounce house on Oct. 22.
Hurley Nursery School’s “Trunk or Treat” is hosting a free, family event where dressing up in costumes is expected.
Olive
Exploring Olive’s Historic Cemeteries
A cemetery walk with Dr. April Beisaw through Olive’s historic cemeteries will bring participants on a tour of the Bushkill, Ashokan Rural, and Tongore, Old Tongore cemeteries on Oct. 17.
At each stop Beisaw will tell stories of the people she has researched during her work on how the Ashokan Reservoir changed the Town of Olive. Participants will be able to tell their own stories as well. The event will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 1:45 p.m.
On Oct. 18 from 12 until 5 p.m., the Ashokan Center is inviting visitors to help them make fresh apple cider and then sample their own work. Food vendors, pumpkin decorating, hiking, and blacksmithing will also be available.
Live music from the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers, King City Corral, Strawberry Wine, and Nicole Ball will be playing. Children five years and younger are free and tickets range from $10 for economy, $20 for standard, and $30 for supporters.
Saugerties
Saugerties offers a variety of ways for community members to come together this fall, whether that’s through fundraising events for the local animal shelter, fall festivals and fairs, or a community plant exchange. Most events listed here are free, while others offer sliding scale admission.
HITS Hudson Valley Horse Shows
Saugerties is home to the annual HITS Hudson Valley horse show series, which ends its 11-week season with two Fall Classic events running from Sept. 30 to Oct. 11. All Wednesday through Saturday shows are free and open to the public for spectating. Sunday General Admission tickets are $5.
Shows include top-level hunter, jumper and dressage horse competitions against the backdrop of the Catskill Mountains at the recently renovated HITS-on-the-Hudson showgrounds on Washington Avenue. Food and refreshments are available for purchase on-site.
Fall Festival at Spiral House Park
The Spiral House, former home of Patty Livingston and the late artist Tom Gottsleben, became what is now Spiral House Park after Gottlesben’s passing in 2019.
The house will be open to the public for a Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 1-5 p.m., where all ages are invited to enjoy live music, food, art, nature, trails and fall-inspired workshops by local artists and makers. Tickets are offered on a sliding scale of $20-30. For children age 12 and under, tickets are $10.
Inquiring Minds Annual Fall Book Fair
Meet local and regional authors at Inquiring Minds Bookstore’s annual Fall Book Fair on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bookstore will host author book signings, readings, children’s story time and offer special discounts on new releases from local writers.
Saugerties Animal Shelter Fundraisers
Support the Saugerties Animal Shelter at its fall fundraisers during the month of October.
The Third Annual Classic Truck Show and Fill-A-Truck fundraiser will be on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 3-7 p.m. at FarmHouse Feed & Co. in Saugerties. Registration for truck models 2006 and older is $20. General Admission is free. Trophies for Fill-A-Truck are awarded at 5:30 p.m.
The Saugerties Animal Shelter Psychic Fair will be held at the animal shelter at 1767 Route 212 on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a bake sale, psychics, animal communicators, tarot card readers, reiki, and more. Readings are available by pre-paid appointment only. All proceeds go to support the animal shelter.
61st Annual Saugerties Mum Festival
Enjoy thousands of mum flowers, art, food, crafts, live music, a petting zoo, a reptile wildlife show, face painting and more on Sunday, Oct. 4, from noon to 4 p.m. at Seamon Park. An opening ceremony by the American Legion Color Guard and Saugerties High School Choir will kick off the festival at the flagpole.
Prepare your garden for fall by trading perennials, seeds, bulbs, indoor and outdoor plants with fellow community members at Saugerties Beach on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 1-3 p.m., rain or shine. All are welcome and the event is free. No invasive plant species allowed.
Saugerties Lighthouse Halloween Spooktacular
Enjoy a costume parade, pumpkin carving contest, haunted trail walk and trick-or-treating at the Saugerties Lighthouse on Sunday, Oct. 25 from 3-8 p.m. This is a family-friendly event for all ages. Hot cider and donuts will be served. Admission is $5.
Shandaken
Autumn in the Meadow: Fall Festival
Shandaken Inn’s free Fall Festival begins at 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Oct. 3 for a day full of activities for all ages.
Children can enjoy Cardboard Explosion by Paper Heart Puppets, face painting, and pumpkin picking. A beer garden, live music by Lali & The Pops, local vendors, and seasonal items from the fall menu will also be available.
Young Frankenstein – a Mel Brooks Musical
The comedic take on the horror film genre, specifically “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, will be playing at Phoenicia Playhouse from Oct. 9 until 25. The musical runs Friday and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Belleayre will be celebrating its official send-off to the summer season with its annual Fall Festival on Oct. 3, 4, 10, and 11 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Both weekends will feature local food, drinks, craft vendors, and live music that will highlight the unique culture of the region. A fall foliage gondola ride will allow visitors to appreciate the warm, golden colors of the season.
Children can enjoy lawn games, arts and crafts, a bounce house and pumpkin decorating. There is free admission and parking.
Windham
Windham Fine Arts on state Route 23 is ringing in the fall season with an exhibition of works by French-born artist Mireille Duchesne, on display in the gallery through Oct. 31.
Duchesne, who teaches at the Katonah Art Center in Westchester County, brings a unique perspective to fall landscapes of the Catskills and the Hudson Valley through color, shadow, and light.
Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Live poetry and experimental sound take center stage at the Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts in Maplecrest. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 2 and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 3, the center on Big Hollow Road will present a packed lineup of poetry, avant-garde music, and sound art.
The Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts is operated by the Catskill Mountain Foundation.
Performances are accompanied by a market of independent books, cassettes, and records by Hudson Valley-based small presses and record labels. Food and drink will be available from The Juice Branch and Left Bank Ciders.
photos from last year’s Autumn Affair
Now in its 32nd year, the Windham Chamber of Commerce’s fall festival returns Oct. 10-11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Main Street will welcome over 60 vendors, live music performances, wildlife exhibits, and children’s activities like face-painting.
The festival also includes a baking competition on Oct. 10 as locals bring their best recipes to be judged throughout the day. Local businesses on Main Street will also be opening their doors for festivalgoers.
Woodstock
Woodstock will host a plethora of educational workshops, outdoor family activities, art exhibitions, live music, theater shows, and film screenings throughout the fall season. When in doubt, always stop and take a look at the many fliers posted along Tinker Street.
Tannery Brook Tree Planting Workshop
The Woodstock Land Conservancy is holding a tree-planting workshop Saturday, Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Municipal Parking Lot across from the Colony, where participants can help plant 70 native trees and learn how to create healthy riparian buffers along the Tannery Brook. Bring your own work gloves, loppers and shovels if you have them. All ages are welcome. No experience necessary.
Mapping the Sawkill Watershed Project
The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (WAAM) is holding an exhibition for a yearlong community mapping project called “Mapping the Sawkill Watershed” from Oct. 24 to Nov. 29. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
Led by artist Jennifer Zackin, the community initiative brought together more than 100 community members, scientists and artists to survey key features of an eight-mile long portion of Sawkill Creek as an ecological artery for the Hudson Valley. An opening event will be held Oct. 24 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Juilliard Young Artists Concert
The 19th Julliard Young Artists Concert featuring mezzo-soprano Sarah Lekaj and pianist Gracie Yeung will kick off Sunday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church. The event will also serve as a memorial tribute to the late co-founder Marie Duane of Woodstock. Admission is free, donations accepted.
The Woodstock Playhouse will put on several shows this fall including “Back to The Garden 1969 – The Woodstock Experience” on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m., a multimedia theatrical event recreating Woodstock in the 1960s through period costuming, lighting, video, sound and storytelling.
Rock Academy “Best of Season” (Oct. 9): Rock Academy presents Best of Season at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, with songs from its four summer shows. Seats are sold only at the Playhouse box office, and it’s pitched as a family night.
The 27th annual Woodstock Film Festival will run from Oct. 14-18 at theater venues in Woodstock, Catskill, Saugerties, Rosendale and Kingston. The festival will showcase a lineup of independent feature films, documentaries, short films, and tv episodic premieres. There will also be seven panels held Oct. 16-17 featuring award-winning filmmakers and storytellers. Tickets and passes can be purchased on the WFF website.
Colony Woodstock Vampire Cabaret and Sideshow
For vampire-inspired burlesque, pole arts, sideshow acts, snake dancing, sword swallowing, drag and more, Strangehouse is putting on a Vampire Cabaret and Sideshow at The Colony Woodstock on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., hosted by Tryst La Noir of Nighthawks Radio, 98.1 WKZE.
The show will include raffles, prizes and audience contests. Audience members can arrive early at 6 p.m. for a screening of 1931 classic “Dracula” starring Bela Lugosi.
“The Last Supper” at Byrdcliffe Theater
“The Last Supper: A Grand Guignol Love Story” by playwright Dave Simpatico is a satire zombie apocalypse tale that asks the question, “What if your last supper really were your last supper?”
A staged reading will be performed by Round The Bend Theater at Byrdcliffe on Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. Audience members are encouraged to dress as a zombie and join a zombie parade and contest. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the Byrdcliffe Theater’s website.
Connor Greco is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Windham, Hunter, and surrounding Greene County communities. Send correspondence to connor@theoverlooknews.com.
Isabella Schoonover is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Woodstock, Saugerties, Hurley, and surrounding Ulster County communities. Send correspondence to isabella@theoverlooknews.com.
Mia Quick is an editorial assistant and reporter at The Overlook. Send correspondence to mia@theoverlooknews.com.
