Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host Storyteller Laureate, Karen Pillsworth on Saturday, September 9 at 6pm as part of the 2023 Not Just for Kids Storytelling series.

This program will be held outside the Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter. 

This storyteller asks, “What’s in your basket?”

All of us go through life “collecting” our own stories and stories we love! Come hear Kingston, NY’S Storyteller Laureate, Karen Pillsworth, as she shares stories from her basket. There will be stories of hope and love, stories to make you laugh and cry, and just maybe, stories that will help you discover the stories within yourself.

Karen Sangaline Pillsworth has been sharing her stories with young and old alike for over 35 years. Her stories have taken her from Newfoundland, Canada to Sydney, Australia, and lots of places in between. Whether she is telling on a stage floating on a lake in a cave, or at the top of a mountain, Karen delights her audience with folktales, historic tales, and personal stories. In 2002 she was named Storyteller Laureate of Kingston, NY in perpetuity. Returning to “school” in 2021 she received her Story Practitioner’s Certification from the Storytelling Schools of London.

No matter where she roams to share her stories, Karen’s favorite place to tell is in her own hometown and her favorite words to hear… “That’s Karen, she’s OUR storyteller”!

This is an outdoor event, though weather may send us inside. We ask that you dress for the conditions, bug spray and sunblock are encouraged. Bring a lawn chair or blanket as seating may be limited.

All Not Just for Kids Storytelling events are free and open to the public. The next performance date is Sunday, October 15^th at 6pm with Dee and Frank Wind.

About the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century's greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation.

Within the site's boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal's development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putnam Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site's largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.

Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center.

On Sunday, August 20, at 6pm, Mary Murphy will perform, "Eating Wild & Other Tales of Love, Food, and Woodchucks!"

Fort Hunter, NY – Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host Mary Murphy on Sunday, August 20th at 6:00pm as part of the 2023 Not Just for Kids Storytelling series. This program will be held outside the Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter.

Murphy will perform, "Eating Wild & Other Tales of Love, Food, and Woodchucks!" She is known for her humorous family stories served up in a Murphy Stew full of folktales and seasoned with original tales too. Mary Murphy will leave you hungry for more!

Mary Murphy has performed regionally at Proctors and Story Sundays, as well as at the National Storytelling Festival, the Hawaii Storytelling Festival, and the Clever Gretchen Storytelling Festival at Syracuse University. She has been a teacher/mentor for young storytellers in schools and in Children at the Well, an interfaith storytelling group in the Capital District. Her stories have been published in several anthologies and magazines.

This is an outdoor event, though weather may send us inside. We ask that you dress for the conditions, bug spray and sunblock are encouraged. Bring a lawn chair or blanket as seating may be limited.

All of the Not Just for Kids Storytelling events are free and open to the public. The next performance dates are Joe Doolittle, Sunday, September 3^rd at 1pm; Karen Pillsworth, Saturday, September 9^that 6pm; Dee and Frank Wind on Sunday, October 15^th at 6pm.

About the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century's greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation.

Within the site's boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal's development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putnam Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site's largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.

Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center.

Author Anita Sanchez will be exploring wild medicinal and edible plants August 9 beginning at 6pm

Fort Hunter, NY – Schoharie Crossing will host award winning environmental educator and author Anita Sanchez for an exploration of wild medicinal and edible plants.  This free Wildlife Wednesday program will start at 6pm on August 9^th outside the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter.

Anita Sanchez’s award-winning books sing the praises of unloved plants and animals: dandelions, poison ivy, bats, tarantulas. She loves to explore the under-appreciated wild places of the world, from glaciers to mud puddles. Sanchez worked for many years as an environmental educator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at education centers across the state, teaching classes and developing curricula for thousands of students. She now is a free-lance educator, providing programs for schools, libraries, and museums as well as botanical gardens and arboreta. Years of field work and teaching outdoor classes have given her firsthand experience in introducing students to nature.

About the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century's greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation.

Within the site's boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal's development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putnam Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site's largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.

Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center.

10am on Thursdays through August 10

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is excited to announce the 2023 Summer Supplemental Knowledge Enhancement and Wellness Lab (Summer SKEWL) series at this Erie Canal historic site.  The series is open to all ages from five to 95 and will pair a recreational activity with a learning experience. SKEWL’s goal is to provide a meaningful combination of physical activity with a mental activity.

Thursday, August 3^rd come join Michael for “Landscape Sketches.” This one-mile loop walk to Empire Lock will include a lesson on landscape sketching to explore the natural & manmade features along the historic Erie Canal. Sketch supplies will be provided.

We wrap up the series on August 10^th with, “Traces of Leaves” with Altha.  Come explore leafy plants at Schoharie Crossing, identify some species and press them in one or both of two methods.

We encourage participants to dress according to the weather and bring a bag lunch for a picnic on site after each program. 

For more information, contact david.brooks@parks.ny.gov – 518-829-7516.  Anyone under the age of 18 needs a parent or guardian with them for these programs. These are free programs open to the public.

For more information about programs at Schoharie Crossing, please contact the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our NYS Parks webpage. The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Visitor Center is location at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 million people annually.  For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow-on Twitter.

About the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century's greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation.

Within the site's boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal's development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putnam Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site's largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.

Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center.

10am on Thursdays through August 10

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is excited to announce the 2023 Summer Supplemental Knowledge Enhancement and Wellness Lab (Summer SKEWL) series at this Erie Canal historic site.  The series is open to all ages from five to 95 and will pair a recreational activity with a learning experience. SKEWL’s goal is to provide a meaningful combination of physical activity with a mental activity.

We’ll continue the SKEWL on July 20^th with a program called, “Cache in on History” with Barb. Exercise and surprise! Learn to set up a geocaching account and how the game is played.  It is helpful but not necessary to bring the following: Smart Phone or handheld GPS. This program starts at 10am at the Visitor Center on Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter.

On July 27^th, “Peddle Through History” with Michael and explore the West Shore RR line that is today’s Empire State Trail.  This is the Summer SKEWL Field Trip and will leave at 10am from just outside Highwheeler Coffee on Canal Street in Fort Hunter.  From there, cyclists will make their way to the Arkell Museum at Canajoharie.  This “field trip” will include a brief art history lesson from Mary Alexander at the Arkell before the ride back to Fort Plain, about a seven-mile round trip.

Thursday, August 3^rd come join Michael for “Landscape Sketches.” This one-mile loop walk to Empire Lock will include a lesson on landscape sketching to explore the natural & manmade features along the historic Erie Canal. Sketch supplies will be provided.

We wrap up the series on August 10^th with, “Traces of Leaves” with Altha.  Come explore leafy plants at Schoharie Crossing, identify some species and press them in one or both of two methods.

We encourage participants to dress according to the weather and bring a bag lunch for a picnic on site after each program. 

For more information, contact david.brooks@parks.ny.gov – 518-829-7516.  Anyone under the age of 18 needs a parent or guardian with them for these programs. These are free programs open to the public.

For more information about programs at Schoharie Crossing, please contact the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our NYS Parks webpage. The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Visitor Center is location at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 million people annually.  For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow-on Twitter.

About the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century's greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation.

Within the site's boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal's development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putnam Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site's largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.

Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center.