With the school year rapidly drawing to a close, its time to figure out what will be happening with the kiddos for the summer. One very good choice is Koinonia Family Camp In Highland Lake. This Camp is a not-for-profit run by the Lutheran  Church but the camp activities have no religious base. “Koinonia” is a Greek word that means community and the camp has been in operation since 1959 and is set on 1,200 acres and has a small lake. Koinonia is a very popular camp program and the kids have a great time. The campsite has Pathfinder cabins, a Trail Building two family activity centers and  hosts a series of age-appropriate summer camp programs for children starting on July 1st through the end of August. Koinonia will sponsor a Nature Camp for children from 4-12 years old and there will be a Young Leaders Program for teens from 13-15 years old. The Camp hours are from 8:30-3pm and aftercare is available until 5pm. Childcare vouchers are accepted and discounts and scholarships are available for the Town of Highland residents. Registration for the camp is still open so call 845-456-0214 or go to www.koinoniany.org for more information.

Our Sullivan County Historian John Conway of Barryville is a mesmerizing speaker on all aspects of our local history and is considered an internationally recognized historian and historiographer (a person who studies history and historical documents) and an authority on the history of the Catskills and Sullivan County. Like many locals, whenever I see a notification that he will be making a presentation I always attend. I have done his history walk through the Minisink Battleground at least three times over the years and it’s really an amazing experience to hear him unpack what took place during the American Revolutionary War on that hallowed and some say haunted grounds some two hundred and forty-five years ago during a battle at Minisink in 1779. John Conway unravels the history from memory-with all the details, death, and emotions of a best-selling historical novel. His narration of the history is so compelling that it will change the way we view our surroundings. On Saturday, June 15th starting at 4pm John will be holding a free presentation at the Sunshine Hall Free Library called “The Barryville Bridges”. I guess like most residents I have always thought that there were just two bridges in Barryville but according to John there were about five- so there is an interesting tale to tell about what actually transpired! Also, John Conway and his wife Debra Conway-the Town of Highland Historian is also the Executive Director of a Not-for Profit organization called the Delaware Company that promotes and preserves the history and landmarks of the Upper Delaware River Valley. Beginning in 2021, The Delaware Company has taken over the revitalisation of the programs and daily operations of Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg and is making every effort to position the Fort into a living history museum by offering authentic immersive public programs. Fort Delaware is a wonderful experience and a must see stop for the family and a real treat for our summer house guests to experience what colonial life really looked like. For additional information about John Conway’s presentation at the Sunshine Hall Free Library about “The Barryville Bridges” on June 15th go to sunshinehallfreelibrary.org. For more information about the hours of operation and a listing of the upcoming public programs and events for Fort Delaware go to the delawarecompany.org.