CATSKILL, N.Y., June 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Join the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in New York's Hudson Valley for a summer of incredible entertainment and fun – from a perfectly paired art and beer festival, to following in the footsteps of the Hudson River School of art's most celebrated painters.
This summer, the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in the town of Catskill will offer a full calendar of summer events, festivals and family-friendly fun. Explore the Hudson River School Art Trail with one of Thomas Cole's knowledgeable guides and discover the spectacular landscapes captured on canvas by Cole and his contemporaries. Guided hikes from the Thomas Cole Site are offered throughout the summer once each month. There is a small fee to join the hike, and guests receive a copy of the Hudson River School Art Trail Guidebook, a guided tour of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site as well as expeditions to iconic painting sites such as Sunset Rock, Kaaterskill Falls and Catskill Mountain House.
Art, Ale and Albert Bierstadt at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Currently, the Thomas Cole House is hosting an exhibition of paintings from a Hudson River School artist titled: Albert Bierstadt in New York & New England. This new Bierstadt exhibition offers a rare glimpse at the artist's New England, New Hampshire and Hudson Valley scenes, and will be on display through November 3, 2013.
On August 14, join art and ale aficionados for Beir-Fest, a celebration of local craft brews and the art of Albert Bierstadt, from 4-7 pm. Enjoy award-winning brews paired with German food, musical entertainment and gallery tours. Visit www.ThomasCole.org for additional information.
Hudson River School Art Trail Contest
Explore Catskill hiking trails all summer long and participate in the Hudson River School Art Trail Contest to win a grand prize getaway to the Great Northern Catskills. The Art Trail is made up of multiple hiking trails, each leading to a famous view painted by a Hudson River School artist. At each of the first eight sites along the Hudson Valley section of the Art Trail, a special metal plaque with a rubbing medallion has been installed, allowing visitors to do a pencil rubbing as a keepsake.
The contest encourages visitors to complete all eight rubbings in either their own notebook or in the official Art Trail Passport, which is available for purchase at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and Olana State Historic Site.
Upon completion, participants simply present the completed series of rubbings to representatives at the Visitor Center for either the Thomas Cole or Olana Historic Sites by November 3, 2013 to receive an official certificate of completion. Participants who complete the eight rubbings will also be entered in a special grand prize drawing for a chance to win a weekend getaway to the Catskills.
The Hudson River School Art Trail Contest is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
About the Hudson River Art Trail:
The Hudson River School Art Trail project maps the sites where America's premier landscape painters stopped to capture the wild, untamed landscape of the young country's vast wilderness. The views from these sites appear in famous landscape paintings and the mobile website at www.hudsonriverschool.org enables people to compare the painted and actual views. There are 18 sites in the Hudson Valley, two in New Hampshire and one in Massachusetts with sites planned as far away as Wyoming. The Art Trail begins at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in the Village of Catskill, which is fitting because Cole is credited as the father of the Hudson River School. Cole's former home is now the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, located just two miles from Olana State Historic Site, the former home of Cole's friend and fellow painter Frederic Church. Olana is the second stop on the trail, and one of the partners in administering the 2013 art trail contest along with the Greene County Tourism Department and the Columbia County Tourism Department. For more information about the Hudson River Art School Trail, visit www.hudsonriverschool.org.