For Immediate Release: March 11, 2009

In this news release:

• Greene County Supports Tourism Economy
• Greene County Kicks off New York State’s Quadricentennial Celebration

Greene County Supports Tourism Economy Through March Mountain Madness and Regional Catskills Collaboration

CATSKILL, New York (March 11, 2009) – With today’s announcement of a regional public/private collaboration to market Catskill ski resorts as an attractive alternative to driving all the way to Vermont, Greene County reinforced that it is in full swing with its March Mountain Madness spring skiing campaign to draw more visitors to Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain and boost spending at hotels, restaurants, shops and other local businesses. For a copy of the Catskill Regional marketing campaign press release click here.

The initiative to extend the ski season well into spring was launched on March 1st with March Mountain Madness, a special promotion that teams the two Greene County ski areas with 22 local lodging properties to offer a range of “ski and stay” packages that represent discounts on lift tickets and accommodations of up to 40% through the end of April. Packages start as low as $60 per person based on double occupancy.

“With the importance of tourism to our economy, this is a successful first step to leverage resources to market the Catskills for skiing and snowboarding,” said Wayne C. Speenburgh, Chairman of the Greene County Legislature. “For several years, Greene County has promoted a very successful spring skiing campaign in partnership with Hunter and Windham Mountains. Hunter and Windham Mountains are key drivers of the Greene County economy, so the 1-2 punch of the Catskills collaborative marketing effort and Greene County’s March Mountain Madness Campaign should help stimulate more business for all of our tourism related industries. It’s a good return on our investment.”

Spearheaded by Greene County Tourism for the fourth year in a row, March Mountain Madness is also being supported by the Town of Hunter Chamber of Commerce, Windham Chamber of Commerce and New York State Tourism Office, in addition to Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain and the participating hotels, motels, inns, B&B’s and other lodging properties. An aggressive online initiative to target skiers and boarders in the metro New York area has been launched with the help of $30,000 in funding from the Greene County Legislature.

“This is expected to be one of the best spring skiing and snowboarding seasons in years, thanks to cold temperatures and lots of snow on the mountaintops,” said Daniela Marino of Greene County Tourism. “March Mountain Madness, coupled with the additional exposure our mountains will receive as a result of the collaborative Catskills marketing effort, should drive more visitors to Greene County to take advantage of the best deals of the season.”

Participants in this special promotion range from family-friendly motels and condominiums to charming country inns to luxury resorts.  Visitors can book their favorite type of accommodation and will receive lift tickets as part of the March Mountain Madness packages.  For details on packages, visit www.marchmountainmadness.com.  For more information on other things to do and see in Greene County, visit www.greenetourism.com. The Catskill regional marketing campaign is available at www.visitthecatskills.com.

Greene County Kicks off New York State’s Quadricentennial Celebration By Raising 400th Anniversary Flag over County Buildings and Announcing 6 Grants

CATSKILL, New York (March 11, 2009) – Greene County officially kicked off its celebration of New York State’s Quadricentennial today by raising a special 400th Anniversary flag at the Historic Catskill Point Park and announcing six grant recipients who will receive a total of $45,000 to stage events, exhibits or programs to commemorate Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage up the river that now bears his name.

The official New York State 400th Flag was presented to Wayne C. Speenburgh, Chairman of the Greene County Legislature by Tara Sullivan, Executive Director of the New York State Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial. Flags were also made available to fly in front of all county, town and village municipal buildings, as well as at schools and libraries. The flags not only celebrate Hudson’s voyage four centuries ago, but also Samuel de Champlain’s discovery of his namesake lake that same year and the 200th anniversary of Robert Fulton’s maiden steamboat journey up the Hudson River.

The flag ceremony was part of a three-day bus tour that began yesterday in New York City with a press conference with Mayor Bloomberg and First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson, who is Honorary Chair of the celebration. The official state van is stopping at a dozen locations from Manhattan to Saratoga County to distribute the colorful flags. “Greene County is proud to raise the 400th Anniversary flag to celebrate our rich history and our promising future,” said Karen Deyo, Chairman of the Greene County Legislature’s Government Operations Committee. “All of our communities can join in this celebration of New York’s heritage of exploration and discovery.”

Greene County also marked the occasion by announcing the organizations that were selected by the Greene County Legislature to receive funding through the State’s Quadricentennial Commission. Commenting on the selection of the grant recipients, Greene Tourism Director Daniela Marino said: “The Greene County Legislature and leaders of cultural, business and civic organizations in Greene County came together as a committee to plan a series of events throughout the County that will generate publicity for our historic sites and riverfront communities, attract new visitors and create projects that will last well beyond 2009.”

The six grant recipients are:

• Greene County Historical Society –The historical society received a $10,000 grant to assist with several initiatives, including “A Celebration of Everything Dutch” with lectures and cooking demonstrations by Dutch food expert Pieter Rose and a lecture by  Russell Shorto, author of best-selling novel “Island at the Center of the World;” the construction of a Mahican “village” at Historic Catskill Point; a performance at the Bronck Museum by Dutch singers and dancers about the voyage of Henry Hudson, with music and costumes from the early 17th century ; and the publication of “Historic Places in Greene County,” a book celebrating the County’s heritage starting with the first Dutch settlers.
• Cairo Chamber of Commerce –The chamber received a $10,000 grant for a summer-long “Bears and Butterflies” public art exhibition, which will feature fiberglass bears individually painted by local artists with scenes relevant to Henry Hudson’s life and legacy.  The bears will be placed along Main Street and in surrounding hamlets.  The celebration will also include an “Explore with Henry Hudson” treasure map with a prize drawing, coupons from local businesses and more.
• Greene Art Foundation –A $5,000 grant will help underwrite a multimedia theatrical production inspired by Hudson Talbott’s children’s book, “River of Dreams,” which tells the story of the Hudson River from its geological beginnings to its present importance. Eight workshops involving youths from Greene County high schools and led by a professional director and choreographer will culminate in six performances over two weekends in May.
• Thomas Cole National Historic Site –A $5,000 grant will help fund a special Hudson River Art Exhibition that will be on view from May through October and will include paintings of the Hudson River from private exhibitions around the East Coast.  Thomas Cole, Jasper Cropsey and Sanford Gifford will be among the artists to be represented.
• Greene County Council on the Arts –This $10,000 grant will help transform one of the buildings at Historic Catskill Point into a “Wall of History.”  Greene County artists will be commissioned to paint great moments in Greene County’s history on the Hudson River.  The paintings will be then hung in an open-air picture gallery.
• The Agroforestry Resource Center of Cornell Cooperative Extension –This $5,000 grant will help fund “Bounty along the Hudson” – a festival and exposition at the Historic Catskill Point on Columbus Day Weekend, a celebration of 400 years of food, agriculture and nature in Greene County.  The event will include food and wine tastings, educational speakers, entertainment, and vendors representing the bounty of our local farms, forests, artisans as well as vendors showcasing herbal remedies, organic foods and products, exhibits on aquatic life on the Hudson River, cooking demonstrations, and use of solar energy and conservation.

The $45,000 in grants announced today are in addition to a $45,000 grant received by the Town of Catskill from the Quadricentennial Commission to help stage the annual Cat ‘n Around Catskill celebration and other planned events.  This summer’s event will also focus on the Hudson River and its heritage. For more information, visit www.greenetourism.com or contact Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning at (518) 943-3223.

Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning

Warren Hart, Director, AICP

411 Main Street Catskill NY 12414 Phone: (518) 719-3290 Fax: (518) 719-3789

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