The featured photo for the Village of Sloatsburg by Geoff Welch that is part of the Rockland County Tourism Explore Harriman poster. The campaign promotes western Rockland County as a trail town and outdoors destination. Posters are due to be installed on NJ Transit North Bergen County Line trains and select platforms this fall (including trains on the Sloatsburg line).

September is the traditional turning of the season for Sloatsburg and other Hudson Valley communities. It marks the return of school and the coming of October’s leaf peeping, when temperatures dip and the trees begin to light up with a bit of fall color. Continue Reading

The old public playground is not what it used to be. There’s the spring-laden duck of death that rocks back and forth. Sometimes a kid will rock so hard they get bucked off or nearly knock themselves out. And then there’s the spinning Merry-Go-Round that has put the fear of flight and injury into countless kids. How many have spun the giant metal wheel to warp speed before either jumping on off? Continue Reading

This September’s Highlands Bluegrass Festival in Sloatsburg, NY, features Tony Trischka and his band Territory as the headline act. Sponsored by the Town of Ramapo and Rockland County Tourism, the annual Bluegrass Festival runs from 1-6pm on Sunday, September 9 and is staged by the The Friends of Harmony Hall. The Friends are requesting concertgoers donate $10 toward the event (kids are free) — a much-needed contribution which helps the non-profit group pay for expenses.

The Highlands Bluegrass Festival is an important Sloatsburg event — it’s an opportunity for the Village to welcome hundreds of visitors from across the Hudson Valley and surrounding area. The big event animates the downtown Route 17 corridor, helping the local economy … come rain or shine.

The Friends of Harmony Hall only have so many hands to help stage the event, so members of the Sloatsburg Chamber of Commerce have stepped up to help, both as active vendors and event day volunteers. Continue Reading

Sloatsburger Randi Colton will be honored at the annual fundraiser on October 6 by the Rockland County non-profit Worldwide Community First Responder (WCFR) which selected Colton as the organization’s 2018 New York Hero Award for her tireless contributions to field of health and safety.

Sloatsburger Randi Colton has been hard at work the last few years spreading the word on personal fitness and how to save lives. A First Aid and CPR instructor, Colton offers a variety of custom classes in the community, including regularly at the Sloatsburg Public Library, where she regularly offers a Babysitting and CPR course (see your handy Library newsletter for information on the September 15 program). Continue Reading

The Village made a small adjustment to the Community Fields tennis courts. By repainting one court with yellow lines, one part of the courts was turned into a Pickleball court. Continue Reading

As restoration and repurposing of buildings continues apace, the Valley Rock Inn campus in Sloatsburg, NY has come into focus. Interior view of the Valley Rock Inn, showing the lawn off the porch of the new restaurant cantina.

With its wall of landscaping along Route 17, Valley Rock Inn in Sloatsburg, NY, has quietly enclosed itself. But the restoration and repurposing of the Valley Rock campus continues apace as crews have been busily working on an assortment of outdoor projects, creating whole new landscaped spaces, including a large restaurant and porch, a stone and beam courtyard and new in-ground pool — just as revitalization in the wider Village has taken root. Continue Reading

Visit the Sloatsburg Library on Saturday, July 14, where the Farmers Market takes place in the morning and A Touch of Sinatra entertains in the Community Room at 1 p.m.

Sometimes you find your groove in cultivating a past time, which is the case with Donny Farraro and his act, A Touch of Sinatra. As an old-time music lover, Farraro’s act recounts the life and times of Frank Sinatra through song and stories.  Continue Reading

There’s a particular family of mint native to our very own Ramapo Mountains. If you know where to look you might see Hoary Mountain Mint on the highest hilltops above Sloatsburg, especially at places on Torne Mountain. Continue Reading

The Sloatsburg Public Library hosts a Saturday Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through November 17. The market sets up in front of the library along Route 17. Rain or shine. Call the library circulation desk at 845/753-2001 for more information.

The Sloatsburg Public Library hosted its first Farmers Market Saturday in mid June and by all accounts it looks like a success, though sustained vendor participation and community attendance will be the real gauge. As it is with farmers market dynamics, the more popular the market becomes with the community, the more vendors of all sorts will want to participate. Continue Reading

Libraries across the state are busy preparing for the annual Summer Reading program which invites kids from elementary school through middle and high school to read a few good books over summer break. Continue Reading