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Wassaic Project snags top tourism prize, rolls out Winter Wonderland

Wassaic Project snags top tourism prize, rolls out Winter Wonderland

The “Monuments to Motherhood” sculpture by artist Molly Gochman outside of Wassaic Project.

Joshua Simpson

For nearly two decades, the Wassaic Project has served as a vibrant beacon in Dutchess County, creating a space for emerging artists to hone their craft and explore social change. And while a seven story, 8,000-square-foot former grain elevator may not seem like a likely home for an arts space, the nonprofit is receiving countywide recognition for its unforgettable events.

Last month, the Wassaic Project was named the winner of the 2025 Events Tourism Award of Distinction at Destination Dutchess’ annual Tourism Awards of Distinction breakfast. Held Nov. 13 at Locust Grove Estate in Poughkeepsie, the honor places the arts organization alongside some of the region’s most celebrated tourism partners and highlights its impact on the upstate New York cultural landscape.

“Our Tourism Awards of Distinction allow us to pause and celebrate the people and businesses that make Dutchess County shine,” said Melanie Rottkamp, president and CEO of Destination Dutchess, in a press release. “Our team is extremely proud to help travelers discover Dutchess, inspiring them to visit and spend their travel dollars in our communities.”

The Wassaic Project earned the award over other finalists, including Beatrix Farrand Garden Association and Innisfree Garden.

Wassaic Project Co-Executive Directors Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino and Jeff Barnett-Winsby said, “We are just thrilled about this honor. We have worked with the Dutchess County Tourism office for more than a decade on promoting the beauty of the region. They are wonderful and supportive partners. We live in such a special place!”

The award arrives as the Wassaic Project prepares to welcome visitors to Maxon Mills for one of its most beloved seasonal traditions: The Winter Wonderland Market, running Dec. 6 to 7 and Dec. 13 to 14 from noon to 5 p.m. each day. The festive market invites the community to shop from Wassaic artist alumni and local makers, with offers ranging from playful art kits and stocking stuffers to limited-edition prints curated by Zunino.

The 2026 Winter Exhibition, “This Must Be The Place” also opens Dec. 6, and features work by 11 artists.

The Wassaic Project is located at Maxon Mills, 37 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic. For more info, visit: wassaicproject.org

Aly Morrissey
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The Millerton News - September 10, 2026

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Wassaic Project co-founder Eve Biddle presents her “Field Notes”

Wassaic Project co-founder Eve Biddle presents her “Field Notes”

Artist Eve Biddle and Tremaine Gallery Director Terri Moore.

D.H. Callahan

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the Tremaine Gallery at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville opened its new show, “Field Notes,” with works by multidisciplinary artist Eve Biddle.

Biddle is best known in the area as one of the founders of the iconic Wassaic Project in the hamlet of Wassaic, New York. The project, which is part art incubator, part gallery, part studio and a whole lot of community, is housed in an old converted grain elevator right next to the Metro North train tracks. It’s credited by many as the spark that revitalized the hamlet, which now boasts a craft bakery, a curated wine and liquor store, a pizza hot spot, the Lantern.

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Victor Cella is painting his own path

Victor Cella is painting his own path

Artist Victor Cella with his recent painting “White Dog” in his studio and shop, Little Store Antiques in Great Barrington.

L. Tomaino
If I taught art, I’d teach it in a different way. I could teach it as an awareness — how to free yourself up.
— Victor Cella

Paintings by Victor Cella of a blue dog, a flower still life and a colorful abstract greet visitors as they mount the steps to The Little Store, an antique shop he runs with his husband, John Ortisi, at 88 Main St. in Great Barrington, Mass.

The shop is filled not only with antiques but also with Cella’s paintings. People stop by to see what Cella is currently painting and to talk with him. He is known for his amiability as well as his paintings.

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Fear and Loathing in the Woodland

Fear and Loathing in the Woodland

Fear and Loathing in the Woodland Japanese barberry, an invasive shrub with thorny branches, provides shelter for mice and can contribute to conditions that allow tick populations to thrive.

Provided

I am tempting tick-bite fate by writing this, even from the safety of my office.

Eight people emailed me with a link to the New York Times article on ticks that ran in the Aug. 20 magazine section.My Instagram algorithm made sure that I saw the same story several times over.The article, “The Summer the Ticks Took Over,” by Benjamin Wallace reads like a horror story, engendering a kind of paranoia that sidewalk-hugging New Yorkers can easily fall prey to.The reader comments enhance the author’s terror and fall into key categories: readers who are living proof of the sometimes harrowing, life-altering consequences of a tick bite; readers’ instructive life hacks against ticks (“permethrin is your friend”); readers’ collective chant to kill the deer; and, finally, readers who question why anyone would ever go in the woods again.

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the ungardener

Oldtone brings roots music, dancing and community to Cool Whisper Farm

Oldtone brings roots music, dancing and community to Cool Whisper Farm

The Allum Ridge Boys & Ashlee at Oldtone Music Festival in 2025

Jim Wright

The Oldtone Music Festival returns Sept. 10 through 13, bringing musicians and audiences together for a four-day celebration of roots music at Cool Whisper Farm in Hillsdale.

Founded in 2015 as a one-day show in Wassaic, Oldtone moved the following year to the Schober family’s Cool Whisper Farm, where it grew into a three-stage camping festival. The festival ran annually until the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020. After limited attempts to bring it back in 2021 and 2022, organizers announced in early 2023 that the festival would end.

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“Come From Away,” a story of kindness at Sharon Playhouse

“Come From Away,” a story of kindness at Sharon Playhouse
“Come From Away” cast in rehearsal. (Back Row L to R): Jeffrey Konowitch, Meagan Lewis-Michelson, Max Bennett-Parker, Michael F. McGuirk, Tracy Liz Miller, Ricky Oliver, Cherish Love, Willie Marte (Front Row L to R) Cameron Sirian, Chelsie Nectow, Erin Lindsay Krom, Sophie Nassiri
Lynette Shy

Twenty-five years after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the Sharon Playhouse is staging a musical about what happened in the aftermath — and about an extraordinary act of kindness in a small Newfoundland town.

“Come From Away,” the Tony Award-winning musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, runs Sept. 11 through 27 and concludes the Playhouse’s 2026 MainStage season. Directed by Hunter Foster, with choreography by Krystyna Resavy and music direction by Eric Thomas Johnson, the production tells the true story of the thousands of airline passengers who suddenly found themselves stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, after U.S. airspace was closed following the terrorist attacks.

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