A few weeks back, ready for an early peek at the coming festival season, I found myself among a wide array of crafters; enjoying a barbecue chicken lunch and puzzling over a group of girls dressed in Renaissance-type garb. There was no evidence of funnel cake, and the only fireworks came from an emotional attendee.

The event was a sparsely-attended craft fair held in March at Cairo-Durham High School. The barbecue was a fundraiser, and the girls were in dress rehearsals for a production of Beauty and the Beast.

With little to do but talk to one another, many vendors networked and exchanged information about upcoming festivals and events while counting down the hours until quitting time.

Of course the vendors are just part of what you’ll find when you head out to this season’s festivals and fairs. There’s music (live and otherwise) and food (from the gourmet to greasy), games (horseshoes anyone?) and gaming (think Cow Plop Bingo) fireworks and fun of every sort.

Take a look, take a ride. Have fun.

Columbia County
May 2, 3 and 4 is Cinco De Mayo Weekend at the Olana State Historic Site, a more scholarly take on the Fifth of May celebration gaining in popularity. No salsa here, but the tours will discuss the 19th century beginnings of the holiday and focus on Mexican items in Olana’s collection from 10 am to 4 pm each day.

Olana State Historic Site is located at 5720 Route 9G, Hudson. Admission is free for members of The Olana Partnership; otherwise, it’s $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and free for children under 12. Call 518 828 0135 for more information.

May 3 and 4 is the Celebration of Celts, a celebration of the sights, sounds, taste and music of the eight Celtic Nations, at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, Route 66, Chatham. This fifth-anniversary event features Enter the Haggis headlining with a Saturday night set, and Black 47 headlining on Sunday. Other performers include The Barra MacNeils from Cape Breton for a traditional touch, Dicey Riley, Coyote Run and others. There will be a Green Living Pavilion, offering insight into solar and geothermal power; a spoken word tent, animals, a bounce castle, rock climbing wall, pony rides, a magician and more.

Tickets are $10 for seniors ($6 online), $12 for adults ($8 online), and $40 for family packs of four tickets ($30 online) Visit www.celebrationofcelts.com or call 518 851 9670 for more details.

May 25 is the 18th Annual Country Barbecue, a Celebration of Columbia County agricultural and rural lands. The day includes a variety of hands-on activities for children, including a petting farm, live bird and fly tying demonstrations and more. It is sponsored by Columbia Land Conservancy and held at Kinderhook Farm, Shufelt Road in Ghent from 4:30 to 8 pm. Call 518 392 5252, ext. 204 for reservations by May 21. Visit www.clctrust.org for more information.

Delaware County
On May 10 you’ll find the 18th annual Edward Wessels Canoe Regatta, a day of canoe races on the Susquehanna River, sponsored by the Town of Sidney Chamber of Commerce and Michelob Ultra. The pre-registration fee is $20 per person for amateurs and $25 for pros. For more information call 607 561 2642.

May 25 at Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith is Saw It Day at the Mill. Watch as sawing & lumber history comes to life; see demonstrations, enjoy music and a variety of family activities at the museum from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org or call 607 278 5744.

Dutchess County
Roll over to Rhinebeck on May 2, 3 and 4 for its 38th annual Car Show. On Saturday you’ll find 800 hot rods and custom cars at the Dutchess Count Fairgrounds! Sunday brings 1,000 antique and classic cars. The show also features a huge swap meet and car corral. Hours are Friday from noon to 5 pm, Saturday from 6 am to dusk and Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm. The show is sponsored by HRVAAA. Admission to the fairgrounds on Route 9 is $10, children under 12 get in free. Click on www.RhinebeckCarShow.com for more details.

May 10 is the Ultimate Yard Sale at Stormville Airport, 428 Rt. 216 in Stormville. More than 250 families come together for this giant yard sale, what the promoters call a “bargain hunters’ paradise.” There’s also a food court. Parking and admission are free. The sale is held rain or shine from 9 am to 3 pm. The Web site is www.stormvilleairportfleamarket.com.

Also on May 10 is Second Saturday Beacon, with art gallery openings, food, antique stores and shopping events adjacent historic sites with entertainment. This citywide celebration of the arts is held the second Saturday of each month from noon to 9 pm and is free. Visit www.beaconarts.org or call 845 546 6222 for more information.

May 10 and 11 is the Hudson River Striped Bass Derby, taking place on boats and the shore between the George Washington Bridge and the Troy Dam. It’s open to all those 12 and older, with prizes for men and women. The weigh-in will be Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. The cost to participate is $30. Click on www.stripedbassderby.org or call 845 297 9308.

The Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market opens on May 11, Mothers’ Day, with a free seedling to all mothers. The weekly market features fresh locally grown produce as well as meats, cheeses, bread, wine, flowers, honey and more. There will be special events, demonstrations, tastings and live music all season. The market is held rain or shine Thursdays from 3 to 7 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm through Thanksgiving in the Municipal Parking Lot, East Market Street, Rhinebeck. More details at www.rhinebeckfarmersmarket.com

May 16 to 18 in Rhinebeck are Sidewalk Sale Days for everything from clothes, books, gourmet foods and wine, antiques, gifts, jewelry, fine art and home decor to cigars. You owe yourself a treat! Shop local and save. Visit village businesses on Mill and Montgomery Streets and find more information at www.rhinebeckchamber.com or by calling 845 876 5904.

Also May 16 to 18 is the SiteLines Hudson Valley Art Fair with 30 to 35 participating galleries and art institutions from the Hudson Valley and galleries from outside the region which feature the work of Hudson Valley artists. There will also be artist installations and special events, at the historic former Tallix Foundry, Route 52 in Beacon. Free admission. Click www.sitelinesartfair.com or call 845 838 2995 for more details.

May 17 is the Hudson Valley Youth Festival, an opportunity for young people to grow in the awareness of their talents and expand their interests through interaction and competition in the cultural arts, science and technology, sports and agriculture. Competitors must live in or attend school in Dutchess County. Youth contestants compete for $5,000 in prize money and ribbons in all categories. Admission to the Dutchess Count Fairgrounds on Route 9 in Rhinebeck is $5 for this event and those 18 and under get in free. Call 845 876 4001 for additional information.

May 24 and 25 is the Stormville Airport Antique Show and Flea Market with 600 exhibitors selling antiques, collectibles, new merchandise, arts and crafts. The show will be held rain or shine. Admission and parking are free. No pets. Hours are 8 am to 5 pm. For directions call 845 221 6561 or visit www.stormvilleairportfleamarket.com.

Also on May 24 and 25 is the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair, held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. Held indoors, rain or shine, the event features a food court and onsite delivery service. Hours Saturday are 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 11 am to 4 pm. Admission charges apply. Click on www.rhinebeckantiquesfair.com or call 845 876 4001 for additional details.

Greene County
May 10 at Gavin’s Irish Country Inn is the second annual Mother’s Day Craft Fair from 10 am to 3 pm, featuring performances, children’s activities, craft vendors, a snack bar and free admission. The Inn is located at 118 Golden Hill Road, East Durham. See www.gavins.com for more details.

Also on May 10 is the Greene County Libraries Expo and Book Sale, from 10 am to 2 pm featuring rare books, new books, DVD’s, family entertainment and food at Historic Catskill Point, One Main Street, Catskill. Call Christine Reda at 518 731 8084 for more information.

May 17 brings the Corvette Spring Fling and Car Show back to Blackthorne Resort, 348 Sunside Road, East Durham. With a tour through the hamlets of Maplecrest, Hunter, Lanesville and Phoenicia to the Catskill Mountain Railroad, drivers will also enjoy a lunch while on tour. Click www.blackthorneresort.com for more information.

May 25 and 26 is the East Durham Irish Festival from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm each day. With Irish music for all ages from traditional to Celtic rock, children’s rides and vendors, this show is one of the biggest of its kind. Admission is $13 per person before 2 pm and $16 per person afterwards. The festival is held at the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural Center Festival Grounds, Route 145, East Durham. See www.east-durham.org for more details as they are announced.

May 30 to June 1 is the fourth annual Mountain Jam at Hunter Mountain in Hunter with all-weather, onsite camping. Friday’s performers include Gov’t Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Pete Francis (of Dispatch), Buzz Universe, Dark Meat, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Jimmy Weider, Larry McCray Band, Phonograph, RatBoy and more. Saturday’s line up includes Gov’t Mule, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ray LaMontagne, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Ingrid Michaelson, Citizen Cope, Jackie Greene, JJ Grey and Mofro, O’Death, the WDST Join the Jam Winner and more. Visit www.mountainjam.com or www.wdst.com for ticket info and camping details.

May 31 is the Antique Machinery and Agriculture Festival from 8 am to 6 pm at Van Etten Farm, Saw Mill Road, New Baltimore. You’ll find antique machinery in open field display, a tractor pull and parade, vendors, exhibits, entertainment and food. Call 518 756 3517 for more information.

May 31 from 11 am to 4 pmwill find the debut of the Tannersville Duck Race and Festival beginning on Main Street and continuing adjacent Rip Van Winkle Lake in the village of Tannersville. Rubber ducks will be released on the Gooseberry Creek running through the village from Main Street to Rip Van Winkle Lake, where the festival will be held with live music, craft vendors, food and family fun. You will find a wide range of crafts gifts and general merchandise along with traditional festival foods and surprises! Ducks can be adopted at businesses throughout the village. Free admission. Rain date is Sunday, June 1. Visit www.mentgroup.com/events.htm for complete details or call 518 589 5765 for additional information.

Otsego County
May 6, 13 and 20 is the Spring Film Fest at Oneonta Theater, 47 Chestnut Street, Oneonta, with a variety of films for all audiences. Call 607 432 2920 or visit www.uccca.com for more details.

May 11 and 12 is the Taste of Fly Creek Series at Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard, 288 Goose Street, Fly Creek. Call 607 547 9692 or visit www.flycreekcidermill.com for more information about special sampling dates devoted to specific products and vendors. Promotions and recipe ideas are paired for each day’s tasting. These featured samplings are in addition to the Mill’s daily sampling of over 40 different products.

May 22 to 25 is the Father Hennepin and General Clinton Regatta River Rat Jamboree and Blues Festival at Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33 in Cooperstown. With the nation’s oldest flatwater canoe race (70 miles!) starting just down the road from the brewery, Brewery Ommegang has opted to open the grounds for family camping and a the blues fest. Don’t miss the Ommegatta Da Feeta, the world’s only canoe portage race that involves beer instead of water. Call 607 544 1800 or visit www.ommegang.com for the whole scoop. For more about the General Clinton Canoe Regatta, which also features entertainment at other sites, vendors, rides, food and fireworks, call 607 967 8700

May 26 is the Unadilla Memorial Day Parade, on Main Street. Love a parade? Be there for the kick off at 10 am. Call 888 530 7937 or visit www.unadillachamber.org for more information.

Schoharie County
May 17 is Family Safety Day at the New York Power Authority, 1378 State Route 30, North Blenheim from 10 am to 5 pm. Call 800 724 0309 or visit www.nypa.gov to illuminate the situation.

May 17 and 18 is the Wings, Wheels and Tracks Show at Cobleskill Fairgrounds from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am to 3 pm on Sunday. Head out to see historic military artifacts from World War II to the present, including tanks, trucks, artillery, living history, miltaria and parts vendors. There will be a 1943 USO Show Saturday at 6 pm featuring the Small Town Big Band with dancing, singing, and fun. Admission to the USO Show is $8 and will benefit today’s USO. Parking is free. There will also be a drawing for a 1953 historic military truck. The show will be held rain or shine with many indoor displays and a parade on Main Street in Cobleskill Saturday at 3 pm. Admission to the fairgrounds is $5. Call 518 872 1002 or visit www.wingswheelsandtracks.com for more details.

May 22 to 25 is AM-JAM 2008, a motorcycle and tattoo festival. Eight biker bands will play rock, blues and country. There will be antique bikes, free grandstand seating, motorcycle games, tattoo show, fireworks and vendors. See the best bike builders on the East Coast. The festival fills the Cobleskill Sunshine Fairgrounds on South Grand Street. Tickets include free onsite camping, all grandstand events, and all contests. Tickets are $42, or $20 for a Saturday-only ticket from noon to midnight. Call 518 893 2273 or visit www.am-jam.com for more details.

Sullivan County
May 23 to 26 is the grand opening of the Fiddlers Flea Market, an outdoor country market located just five miles west of the Monticello Race Track, at 1080 Route 17B and 3 Martin Road, Mongaup Valley. You’ll find flowers, plants, antiques, yard sale items, home-made and hand-made goods, household items and more. Buses and recreational vehicles are welcome. Call 845 583 6375 for more details.

May 24 is opening day of the flea market at Monticello Gaming and Raceway, 204 State Route 17B. 2008 marks the celebration of the 33rd annual summer flea market. Considered a shopping tradition, the market is open every Saturday and Sunday from May 24 to August 31, and on Friday, July 4, from 9 am to 5 pm. The flea market showcases a unique combination of a bazaar, flea market, craft show, art exhibit, farmers market, antiques and collectible show, swap meet, yard sale and international food fest. Call 845 794 4100 or 866 777 GAME for more information.

Ulster County
May 3 brings the Rosendale Earthfest and Energy Expo with performances by Arm-of-the-Sea Theater and Big Sky Ensemble, plus food, entertainment, speakers, vendors to help you shrink your carbon footprint and more, to the Rosendale Community Center, Route 32, Rosendale, from 9 am to 5 pm. Call 845 339 3062 for more details.

Also on May 3 is the 8th Annual Women’s Health and Fitness Expo, with over 150 exhibits, more than 20 free health screenings, seminars, workshops and demonstrations, private mini-consultations with specialists, exercise workshops, a spa area and more, at Tech City, Enterprise Drive in the town of Ulster from 8 am to 4 pm. Call 845 802 7025 or visit www.womenshealthexpo.com for more information.

May 4 will find the Celebration of Israel’s 60th Anniversary, with exhibits, activities, Israeli music, performance and a demonstration of Israeli folk dances and more at T.R. Gallo Waterfront Park in Kingston from 1:00 to 5:30 pm. Call 845 338 8131 or visit www.ucjf.org for more information.

May 10 is the Rondout Business Association’s annual spring festival, newly renamed the Rondout Music and Art Festival from 9 am to 5 pm, held in conjunction with the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Shad Fest. The day includes a Trolley 5K run, which is a fund-raiser for the Onteora Runners Club, the Trolley Museum of Kingston and the City of Kingston’s Heritage and Landmarks Preservation.

At noon, the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s activities kick off with the Arm-of-the-Sea puppet theatre, followed by The Turtle Island Medicine Show, Native American storytelling and food ways workshops, the Hudson River otter stewardship program, music, food and a boat-building challenge. The schooner Mystic Whaler will be in port at the Maritime Museum dock and will be open for tours.

Lighthouse tours, limited steamboat rides and trolley rides out to Kingston Point Park during the afternoon will also be available. You’ll also find artists, craftspeople and more on Lower Broadway in Kingston.

The Rondout restaurants will host their annual “A Taste of the Rondout” food pavilion, serving up various fish fries, raw bars and other fish specialties. For non-fish eaters, there will be hot dogs, soda and beer at the Maritime Museum, a barbecue lunch for the Trolley 5K Run participants, as well as foods and beverages at the music festival in Cornell Park. Call 845 339 6925 or 845 338 0071 for more information.

Also on May 10 is the Acoustic Artists Coalition and Art Party with music, food and art at A.I.R. Studio Gallery, 71 O’Neil Street, Kingston from 8 to 11 pm. Call 845 331 2662 or visit www.airstudiogallery.com for more details.

May 18 finds a car show at the Rosendale Recreation Center, Route 32, Rosendale from 8 am to 4 pm. Call 845 658 8982 or visit www.townofrosendale.com for more information.

May 24 to 26 is the Woodstock-New Paltz Art and Crafts Fair at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz. This preeminent event features over 300 juried artists and craftspeople, exhibitions, demonstrations, a children’s center, craft supplies, entertainment, specialty foods and more from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and 10 am to 4 pm on Monday. Call 845 679 8087 or 845 246 3414 or visit www.quailhollow.com for complete details.

May 25 at the Benmarl Winery in Marlboro is a Memorial Day Celebration with live music and food. Call 845 236 4265 or visit www.benmarl.com for directions and more information.

With much of the region still thawing out, you’ll find a bit more going on at lower altitudes in May, but there’s no question—there’s a fair deal to choose from this month.


Please send your events for inclusion in A Fair Deal to festsandfairs@yahoo.com.