Ulster County’s 8th Annual Cultural Heritage Week

KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Mike Hein was joined by Ulster County Clerk Nina Postupack and Ulster County Historian Geoffrey Miller at the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture & History in Kingston to announce that Ulster County’s 8th Annual Cultural Heritage Week will be held from October 12th through October 21st. Activities are scheduled to take place throughout the County to celebrate Ulster’s diverse and rich history and culture, and events can be viewed on the County Executive’s Cultural Heritage Calendar available online at http://ulstercountyny.gov/cultural-heritage-week

Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Executive said, “I am pleased to be at the historic bakery at the Reher Center to announce and highlight the 8th Annual Ulster County Cultural Heritage Week. It is a special place that works to preserve and present stories about our community and its history like so many other organizations throughout the County,” said Ulster County Executive Mike Hein. “It is critical for future generations that we keep our history alive and I thank all of the people and organizations who continue to do so on a daily basis. I appreciate your participation in this year’s Cultural Heritage Week and your efforts to provide our residents and visitors with an opportunity to step into the past and visit the many sites throughout the County. I encourage everyone to view our Cultural Heritage Week Calendar and attend some of the many remarkable events that are happening this week and beyond.”

Nina Postupack, Ulster County Clerk said, “Cultural Heritage Week allows the Clerk’s Office to bring our history out of the Archives and to the people of Ulster County,” said Ulster County Clerk Nina Postupack. “It presents a fantastic opportunity to showcase our records and celebrate some of our tremendous history by bringing it to life through a number of exhibits, events, and reenactments.”

Geoffrey Miller, Ulster County Historian and Committee Chair for the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History said, “The Reher Center is pleased to host the kick-off for Ulster County’s 8th Annual Cultural Heritage Week. Institutions such as the Reher Center help us enhance our understanding of the past, celebrate the diverse history of our County and better understand the present,” said Geoffrey Miller, Ulster County Historian and Committee Chair for the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History. “I am so honored to have been appointed County Historian by County Executive Mike Hein and to have the privilege to serve in this position. We are fortunate to have such a rich cultural heritage here in Ulster County, and so many people who are dedicated to preserving and presenting it for the public to enjoy. I would like to thank County Executive Mike Hein and Ulster County Clerk Nina Postupack for their commitment to our local history. They both truly appreciate that a solid grounding in the past is essential to a full understanding of the present and for providing a strong foundation on which to build a future of promise.”

During Ulster County Cultural Heritage Week, some of the activities being offered to the public include:
* Ulster County Clerk’s Office “To Build A Courthouse”: An Exhibit of Ulster County Courthouse History through the Records of the County Clerk’s Archives;
* Ulster County Records Center “Coming Full Circle: Celebrating the 360th Anniversary of the Dutch Records;”
* D&H Canal Historical Society and Museum Free guided Five Locks Walk
* Gomez Mill House Tour the oldest extant Jewish dwelling in North America
* Historic Huguenot Street Haunted Huguenot Street/ Living in Style: A Special Tour with George Way
* The A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Library and Harambee “Silence is Never the Answer” and much more.

Events for Ulster County’s Cultural Heritage Week can be viewed at http://ulstercountyny.gov/cultural-heritage-week. For more information call 845-340-3800.