NEWSLETTER
Throughout October 2020, 9am to 5pm
Staatsburg, N.Y. (DATE 9/29/20) — Tucked on the portico of Staatsburgh State Historic Site is a box containing coloring kits offered to site and park visitors. Inside are colored pencils and a choice of line drawings of the mansion and surrounding landscape which visitors can borrow, to sit in the sun by the river, or under a shady tree, and color as they wish. The program is offered every day in October from 9am to 5pm.
The brainchild of site interpreter Frank Pidala, the program offers people a relaxing and creative way to experience the site, while the mansion is still closed due to the pandemic. “Many people, of all ages, find coloring meditative and calming,” says Pidala, “I wanted to create another option for enjoying the site in these rather stressful times.”
Visitors to Staatsburgh can also enjoy a picnic or stroll by the river, or a hike on the woodland trails in Mills and Norrie State Parks.
Coloring materials are available for use during normal park hours, from sunrise to sunset. For safety, each kit is returned to another box, and carefully sanitized by staff before re-use. In addition, Staatsburgh follows all NYS Department of Health guidelines for safety during the COVID 19 pandemic. Masks and social distancing are required of all park visitors until these guidelines are lifted.
Colorists can also submit their handiwork for a chance to win a gift certificate to Adams Fairacre Farms, by depositing their coloring onsite or by emailing a photo of their work to the site. A winner will be selected among the submissions by the end of each week in October.
Staatsburgh State Historic Site and the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park are located on Old Post Road in Staatsburg, off Route 9 between Rhinebeck and Hyde Park. The historic site is one of 6 sites and 15 parks administered by the Taconic Region of New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. For more information, call 845-889-8851, or visit Staatsburgh’s website at parks.ny.gov, their Facebook at Facebook.com/StaatsburghSHS, and blog at Staatsburghstatehistoricsite.blogspot.com. Staatsburgh’s events are listed at parks.ny.gov/events
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual parks, historic sites, recreational trails and boat launches, which were visited by a record 77 million people in 2019. A recent university study found that spending by State Parks and its visitors supports $5 billion in output and sales, 54,000 private-sector jobs and more than $2.8 billion in additional state GDP. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit parks.ny.gov, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. The free New York State Parks Explorer mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices. To download, visit: Google Play Store, NY State Parks Explorer App or Apple Store, NY State Parks Explorer App.
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Contact:
Pam Malcolm | Pam.Malcolm@parks.ny.gov | (845) 705-3368