Manor, P’ville get historic signs

Borscht Belt Project unveils 14th sign

By Art Steinhauer | Manor Ink Mentor

Parksville, NY – On Oct. 5, the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project unveiled its 14th marker honoring Parksville’s important place in the era’s local legacy. The marker commemorates the hamlet’s transformation from rural hamlet to a major resort area.

Marisa Scheinfeld, founder and director of the Project, opened with remarks outlining the history of Parksville from the early 1800s when William Parks first built sawmills and gristmills along the Little Beaverkill Creek, to the late 1880s with the arrival of the railroad that enabled the creation of a vibrant community, to what eventually would become a major resort area beginning with the opening of the Young’s Gap Hotel in 1928.

“The farmhouses, boarding houses, ‘kuchaleins,’ hotels and bungalow colonies were more than places to vacation,” explained Scheinfeld. “They were cultural and creative havens where Jewish culture, art, music, comedy and tradition thrived.”

She noted the “deep imprint on Jewish culture and the spark it brought to American culture as the artists and entertainers who passed through here helped shaped not only Jewish identity but American life as a whole.” Citing an example, she mentioned Bobby Darin who got his start as a busboy at the Sunnylands Hotel in the hamlet and later went on to become one of the 20th century’s great pop idols.

John Conway, Sullivan County historian, also spoke of the Parksville Hotels having a “signature role” in the era, not just on the entertainment industry, but also on the resort industry. He mentioned innovations such as indoor swimming pools, ski slopes and all-inclusive pricing pioneered by Parksville’s Young’s Gap Hotel and others.

He also noted that in the era before professional basketball became wildly popular, it was the Catskill Hotels who hired college players to work summers and play for the hotel teams – players like George Mikan, who worked at Klein’s Hillside Resort in the hamlet. Conway also noted that it was the fire that destroyed the Prospect Inn in Parksville that is now recognized as marking the beginning of the end of the “Golden Era.”

A Manor marker and a CAS show

By Len Baldassano | Manor Ink Mentor

Livingston Manor, NY – A crowd of history buffs gathered at the corner of Main and Pearl Streets in the hamlet to celebrate the unveiling of the 15th Borscht Belt marker, the latest effort by the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project.

The ceremony featured a commemorative sign draped in purple cloth, which drew applause as it was revealed Saturday, Oct. 18.

The event paid tribute to the generation who built and sustained Livingston Manor’s once-thriving hospitality industry, a period from 1945 to 1965 known as the “Borscht Belt” era.

Descendants of former hotel owners, including Judy Siegel, whose family owned the Edgewood Inn, shared humorous stories and deep felt reflections She recalled both the laughter and the hardships of running a family resort.

Their remarks offered a view of a time when Livingston Manor buzzed with music, dancing and summer crowds, and preserved memories that crossed generations.

After the ceremony, guests gathered at the “Wish You Were Here” photo exhibit in the Catskills Art Space, and later at an after party at the Sunshine Colony.

Livingston Manor was the home to approximately 12 bungalow colonies and some 41 hotels, and drew thousands of summer vacationers, predominantly East Coast American Jews, according to a project handout.

Other speakers included Marisa Scheinfeld and Isaac Jeffreys of the marker project; Dennis Hawkins, grandson of John Weiner, owner of the White Roe Lake Hotel; David Menges, descendent of Menges Lakeside family; and fourth generation Livingston Manor resident, Sarah Halpern.

Elected officials in attendance included NY State Assemblywoman Paula Kay and Sullivan County District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips.