For better or worse, the Town of Woodstock has gotten an awful lot of economic mileage out of the association of its name with a legendary three-day music festival that ended up being staged 60+ miles away in August 1969. But that wasn’t the last time that the community rolled up the welcome mat when some aspiring young entrepreneurs got a brainwave to stage a big public gathering there – only to have the name “Woodstock” continue to cling long afterwards to the event that finally manifested elsewhere.
This weekend marks the 44th year since two woodworkers, Neil and Scott Rubinstein, launched the Woodstock-New Paltz Art & Crafts Fair at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz. Both having recently relocated their families from New York City to Woodstock, the brothers’ original intent had been to hold it at the Comeau Property. Their application was actually approved by town officials, but just weeks before the original 1982 event, enough residents were expressing concerns about parking, logistics and crowd control that the town got cold feet. The Rubinsteins were asked to find an alternative site in a hurry.
Fortunately, the expansive Fairgrounds site, with its large parking lot and splendid view of the Shawangunk cliffs, turned out to be the perfect spot. And the Crafts Fair has been going on there twice every year ever since, bookending the summer season. (The sole exceptions were cancellation of both weekends during the plague year of 2020 and a detour to the nearby Field of Dreams on Memorial Day weekend of 2021, when the Fairgrounds were commandeered by the county Health Department as a sort of field hospital to administer the new COVID vaccine.)
Each year tens of thousands of visitors converge at this site to wander the aisles of two enormous crafts tents, dozens of outdoor booths, plus separate tents dedicated to furniture and architectural crafts, specialty foods and healthcare products and live demonstrations by the makers themselves. This year, the list of exhibitors totals 200. Plus, there’s a supervised children’s tent where you can leave your kids to do fun hands-on crafts activities while you browse.
“A craft show run by craftsmen” was the dream of these two young woodworkers who wanted a more settled life than running around from fair to fair throughout the Northeast once their own children were born. The artisan community responded enthusiastically, and the offerings at this competitive, carefully curated semiannual event went on to establish a solid reputation for consistent high quality and diversity. Product categories this year include Body Art; Candles, Soaps & Oils; Ceramics; Fiber; Fine Art & Design; Glass; Jewelry; Leather; Metal; Mixed & Other Media; Photography; Wood & Furniture; Handcrafted Specialty Foods; Wineries & Distilleries.
Even if you somehow don’t find something you absolutely need to take home with you, it’s worth the admission fee just to feast your eyes on the splendor on display at the Woodstock-New Paltz Art & Crafts Fair. There’s always a lineup of live music by outstanding local performers, plus the best in fair food – including homemade ice cream supplied by younger members of the Rubinstein family.
Scott Rubinstein is retired now, and management of the fair – along with others produced by their company, Quail Hollow Events – has been taken over by Neil’s son Tate and his wife Ola. Sadly, last winter, co-founder Neil Rubinstein died suddenly of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm the day after his 79th birthday. This weekend’s Crafts Fair is being dedicated to his memory. “His unshakable dedication, infectious energy and gift for building community turned a grassroots idea into a nationally recognized event,” said the organizers in a public statement on the Quail Hollow website. “As the fair prepares to welcome visitors and artists this Memorial Day weekend, the Rubinsteins are more committed than ever to preserving Neil’s legacy and nurturing the community he began building decades ago.”
Daughter-in-law Ola Rubinstein, a professional art educator who co-managed the fair with Neil for the last couple of decades, shared a more personal reminiscence with HV1: “Neil was more important to me than I can easily express; he was my business partner and father figure for 20+ years,” she wrote. “Neil was beloved by nearly everyone he came in contact with. He really was larger than life, with a welcoming, affable energy and endless confidence. Truly, we have received more notes from people who considered Neil to be their ‘best friend.’ He could talk to and connect with anyone, genuinely finding interest in the experiences and outlooks of others – even if they differed from his own. He lived in the present always, without stress or regrets, somehow fundamentally capable of enjoying life with ease.”
Besides running Quail Hollow Events, Neil Rubinstein was known locally as the developer of Maverick Knolls, which encompasses 45 townhouses on 22 acres in West Hurley. He was also “an avid tennis player, and for many years was president of the Woodstock Tennis Club. He was a tennis champion many times over, and continued to play until the very last day,” Ola noted.
In an announcement to members of their former president’s passing, the Tennis Club recalled, “He also enjoyed an impressive athletic career as a pitcher for the University of Cincinnati, and was once considered a professional baseball prospect until a shoulder injury altered the course of his career. One of Neil’s proudest moments, which he loved to share, was captured in a small photograph he kept in his wallet. It was of him standing side-by-side with Sandy Koufax, perhaps the greatest pitcher of all time, with a caption noting that he had broken Koufax’s strikeout record at the University of Cincinnati.”
Some people peak early and spend the rest of their low-key lives basking in memories of one remarkable sports season from their youth. Neil Rubinstein went on instead to make beautiful things out of wood and founded an event that, twice each summer, still brings hundreds of topnotch artisans together with thousands of shoppers and visitors who appreciate exquisite objects made by hand. “His drive, dedication and radiant zest for life, friendship and connection will continue to inspire us as we carry on his legacy, producing craft fairs for decades to come,” the family wrote on the Quail Hollow website. “Neil never missed a single fair since 1982, and we vow to honor his spirit for the next 40-plus years.”
Hours for the Spring Show of the Woodstock-New Paltz Art & Crafts Fair are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Memorial Day, May 26. It goes on rain or shine. Admission costs $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (cash only at the gate, but there’s an ATM handy) and is free for children under 12. You can also purchase tickets in advance online at quailhollow.com. Only service animals are admitted.
The Ulster County Fairgrounds are located at 249 Libertyville Road in New Paltz. Parking is free and ample, right across the street. Pro tip: Approach the site northbound from Gardiner if you really want to avoid traffic that may be backed up on Route 299 through New Paltz to Thruway Exit 18 on account of the Wallkill River crossing. Remember to bring your reusable shopping bags!
Join the family! 
