“A spirit-raising good time in midwinter” is the promise touted by the Ashokan Center as it prepares for its sixth annual Winter Hoot. It’s a three-day benefit for the Center’s year-round programs, taking place from Friday to Sunday, February 2 to 4. Visitors are invited to come for a few hours, the whole weekend or anything in between, with admission by “give-what-you-can” donation at the door. You can also purchase tickets in advance for guaranteed parking and entry, and rustic on-site lodging is available if you want to make a real getaway of it.
Local food, beer, wine, music, dancing, blacksmithing, film, art and nature activities for all ages are among the weekend’s offerings. Musical acts will include resident bands Jay Ungar & Molly Mason and the Mammals featuring Mike + Ruthy, as well as Spirit Family Reunion, Anna & Elizabeth, Connor Kennedy, Tracy Bonham, Radio Jarocho, the Wiyos, Little Leatherwood, Megan Downes, Uncle Rock and Joakim Lartey.
The Center also boasts a wood-fired sauna right on the lakeshore and a 90-foot-deep Cathedral Gorge. Or go for a moonlit prowl in a grove of evergreens and listen for the event’s namesakes: This is the time of year when great horned owls mate and nest.
For a peek at the full Hoot weekend schedule, visit www.homeofthehoot.com, or call (845) 657-8333. The Ashokan Center is located at 477 Beaverkill Road, not far off Route 28A in Olivebridge.
Join the family! 
