Live Music: Justin Cole
"Good ol’ fashioned music for your ears."
Justin Cole, and his haunting, beautiful, and stripped down acoustic sounds hit the TCG stage from 8pm-10pm Sept 13th.
Free/Donations Strongly Encouraged
Kids Story Time w. Helen
Join us for story time with Helen Tennenbaum!
Ideal for bookworms between 3 and 7. Grown-ups monitoring of their little ones is highly encouraged :)
Hudson Valley Documentary Club
Join us at DocuClub HV for a night of documentary screenings of works-in-progress (trailers, samples, and rough cuts) for feedback. Food and drink available for purchase.
Trivia Night w. jason mcmahon
Not only does Jason McMahon host the best poetry nights, he’s now putting your random knowledge to the test…
Join us for Trivia Night — where the questions are sharp, the competition’s friendly, and the drinks are cold.
Bring a team or come solo, show off those weird facts you’ve been saving, and see if you’ve got what it takes to take the crown (or at least a free round or book!)
Author Event: Margaret A. Brucia
Brucia will be in conversation with poet, Brad Vogel.
Books will be available for purchase and signing after the event.
Ulster Literacy Day
Please join us in celebrating Ulster Literacy Day! We are honored to join with 8 other Ulster County bookstores to promote adult literacy, donating 10% of book sales from the day.
ULA’s free literacy programs for adults include one-on-one tutoring, English language instruction, and skill-building resources that empower adults to improve their job prospects, participate fully in civic life, and support their children’s education.
“This is the fourth countywide celebration of the power of literacy to open doors and the generosity of our local book community,” said Amy Lenard, Executive Director of ULA. “By shopping locally on September 20, customers will be directly helping their neighbors who wish to improve the literacy skills they need to thrive.”
Funds raised on Ulster Literacy Day will help ULA:
• Recruit and train volunteer tutors
• Provide instructional materials, assessments, and technology
• Offer customized learning plans for adults with low literacy or limited English proficiency.
Back to School w. NAACP and Eric Etheridge
The Common Good is elated to partner with the Ellenville NY chapter of the NAACP to host journalist Eric Etheridge, author of Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders.
Breach of Peace is a stunning book that commemorates the courage of the 329 individuals who sought to draw attention and challenge segregation in Mississippi. The book is a “photo-history told in images old and new. The book includes the mug shots of all 329 Freedom Riders arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, along with contemporary portraits of 99 Riders, supplemented by interviews and brief bios.”
Fantasy book Club meetup
Come early, grab a drink, make friends, talk about great books!
Mend & Stitch Circle
Share and learn mending techniques, like patching and sewing, to give your clothes a longer life with simple, creative repairs.
Bring your craft projects—knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or anything else—and enjoy creating with others.
Open to everyone, no matter your experience or skill level.
Good Work: A Series, with Nikki Volpicelli
Join writers in all genres as they read from works in progress. Signs up are first come first serve, with 7-10 minutes per reader. Guests and readers are encouraged to stick around after the event to shop, have a drink, and discuss work.
Sign up in person or online
*If signups fill up, we’ll add you to the top of the list next month
Fiction Book Club Meetup
Come early, grab a drink, make friends, and talk about The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kids Yoga!
Yoga for Kids!
A playful and calming yoga class designed just for kids age 4-7! We’ll stretch, breathe, move like animals, and explore fun poses to build strength, balance, and focus. Great for all energy levels, no experience needed!
Trivia Night w. jason mcmahon
Not only does Jason McMahon host the best poetry nights, he’s now putting your random knowledge to the test…
Join us for Trivia Night — where the questions are sharp, the competition’s friendly, and the drinks are cold.
Bring a team or come solo, show off those weird facts you’ve been saving, and see if you’ve got what it takes to take the crown (or at least a free round or book!)
DJ RC Romeo
Got your Saturday night plans right here! ✨
DJ RC Romeo will be spinning old school slow jams & classic R&B from the 70’s and 80’s from 8pm-close 🎶 And our bar’s got the perfect summer cocktails and wines to go along with em.
Good Work: A Series, with Nikki Volpicelli
Join writers in all genres as they read from works in progress. Signs up are first come first serve, with 7-10 minutes per reader. Guests and readers are encouraged to stick around after the event to shop, have a drink, and discuss work.
Sign up in person or online
*If signups fill up, we’ll add you to the top of the list next month
Local Author's Night
Please join us for a special evening with seven local authors, each sharing their work through live readings, a Q&A, and book signings to close the night.
Live Music: Barry Adelman
Barry Adelman plays some popular covers, but mostly originals; songs he discovered after going beyond the veil and bringing them back to share with humanity.
He has donated all monetary gain from these songs to https://musicforhumanity.org/, an organization he co-founded 20 years ago that has already given almost $200,000 in music scholarships.
Talking Heads: Never Seen, Never Heard - The Metropolis Recordings
Reservations can be made HERE
Mend & Stitch Circle
Share and learn mending techniques, like patching and sewing, to give your clothes a longer life with simple, creative repairs.
Bring your craft projects—knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or anything else—and enjoy creating with others.
Open to everyone, no matter your experience or skill level.
Young Adult Book Club w. Dakota
A new chapter begins — our YA Summer Book Club launches this month, led by local educator, Dakota Rose, who knows just how powerful the right book can be.
🌞Our Inaugural pick: the instant NY Times Bestseller, His Face Is the Sun, by Michelle Jabès Corpora. “Romance, magic, adventure, and horror collide in the start to this lush, epic, Ancient Egyptian-inspired trilogy.” You in?! 💕🪄📖
How’s it work??
1. Sign up at the shop, or shoot us a DM.
2. We’re happy to offer all members 15% off in-store purchases of the book.
3. You read.
4. We meet, we chat, we snack & make art (Dakota is cooking up a 🔥craft activity)
🗓️ Meetup: August 21st, 1-2:30pm.
Trivia Night w. jason mcmahon
Not only does Jason McMahon host the best poetry nights, he’s now putting your random knowledge to the test…
Join us for Trivia Night — where the questions are sharp, the competition’s friendly, and the drinks are cold.
Bring a team or come solo, show off those weird facts you’ve been saving, and see if you’ve got what it takes to take the crown (or at least a free round or book!)
Author Visit: Laura Kaplan
We are honored to host activist, Laura Kaplan, author of “The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service,” a powerful story of the women who founded and ran the legendary Chicago reproductive rights organization Abortion Counseling Service (otherwise known as Jane) that provided low-cost abortion services in Chicago in the years before the procedure was legalized.
Kaplan, a Jane member, is a life-long activist, she was a lay midwife, an advocate for battered women and an advocate for nursing home residents. She has worked on public policy for consumers covered by managed care plans and served on the board of NWHN. She has been involved in many community projects and continues to speak about Jane.
Joining Kaplan will be Emma Pildes, one of the directors of the HBO documentary “The Janes,” as well as former Ellenville resident, and Jane member, Susan Miller.
Blueberry Festival
Swing by our tent, say hi, peruse our stacks and enjoy some AC and cool drinks inside (starting at 10am).
*And back by popular demand - buy one NEW book, get a USED book or ARC free!*
Author Event: Aatish Taseer
Join us for a special book release event: A Return to Self: Excursions in Exile, by Aatish Taseer
AATISH TASEER is the author of the memoir Stranger to History: A Son’s Journey Through Islamic Lands and the acclaimed novels The Way Things Were, a finalist for the 2016 Jan Michalski Prize, The Temple-Goers, short-listed for the Costa First Novel Award, and Noon; and the memoir and travelog The Twice-Born. He is also the translator of a volume of Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories from Urdu, Manto: Selected Stories. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is a Writer at Large for T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Born in England and raised in New Delhi, educated in the US and previously a journalist in the UK, he now lives in New York.
Kids Yoga!
Yoga for Kids!
A playful and calming yoga class designed just for kids age 4-7! We’ll stretch, breathe, move like animals, and explore fun poses to build strength, balance, and focus. Great for all energy levels, no experience needed!
Trivia night w. jason mcmahon
Not only does Jason McMahon host the best poetry nights, he’s now putting your random knowledge to the test…
Join us for Trivia Night — where the questions are sharp, the competition’s friendly, and the drinks are cold.
Bring a team or come solo, show off those weird facts you’ve been saving, and see if you’ve got what it takes to take the crown (or at least a free round or book!)
Borscht Belt Writer's Panel: Fictionalizing the Catskills
The natural beauty of the Catskills and the colorful kaleidoscope of characters that inhabited its hotels, resorts and bungalow colonies have long inspired writers seeking to capture a unique summer world — and the high jinks that often ensued.
Though separated by a generation, fiction writers Eileen Pollack (The Bible of Dirty Jokes; The Rabbi in the Attic; Paradise, New York) and Lily Barrish Levner (Banquets and Bootleg Bounty), both grew up in the Catskills and their identities and storytelling are profoundly shaped by the resort era.
Thea Wieseltier, director of public programs at 70 Faces Media, moderates this intimate exploration of family, community, nostalgia and their power to spark our imagination.
Get Tickets HERE
Borscht Belt Author Talk: Gary Shteyngart & Aaron Hicklin in conversation
Join acclaimed author Gary Shteyngart for a lively and thought-provoking conversation on the intersection of writing, Jewish identity, and cultural memory. In a discussion moderated by Aaron Hicklin, director of the Deep Water Literary Festival, Shteyngart will reflect on his literary journey, from his early days in Leningrad and summers at a Catskills bungalow colony, to his rise as one of America’s most celebrated novelists, and explore the lasting influence of Jewish heritage and the Catskills on his work. With humor, insight, and sharp wit, this promises to be a highlight of the festival.
Tickets Available HERE
Borscht Belt Story Hour
Come share your favorite Catskill memories at a Borscht Belt-themed "Story Slam." Sign up for a chance to tell a true, personal 5-minute story about your time in the Catskills. Inspired by The Moth Story Hour, story-teller names will be drawn at random for a chance to pay tribute to those wonderful bygone days and nights. Whether your story is funny, poignant, or wistful, we're sure the audience will love our story-slam trip through time as they vote for the best story. The winning storyteller will receive a prize.
Tickets Available HERE
Borscht Belt Festival: The Jewish Dating Game
Not Your Motha's "Dating Game!" The Jewish Dating Game is a hilarious interactive dating game show with delicious prizes. Hosted by modern matchmaker, Linnea Sage. Watch people fall in love or sign up to be a contestant! A show for Jews and allies, singles and couples, all are welcome to this night of joy, fun, and love!
The show will be from 6-7:30, and stick around after the show for a single-mingle and raffle with more fun and delicious prizes from local Jewish vendors!
If you want to submit to be a contestant, please buy a ticket and fill out this form!
Tickets on sale HERE
Mend & Stitch Circle
Share and learn mending techniques, like patching and sewing, to give your clothes a longer life with simple, creative repairs.
Bring your craft projects—knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or anything else—and enjoy creating with others.
Open to everyone, no matter your experience or skill level.
Fantasy Bookclub Meetup
Come early, grab a drink, make friends, talk about great books!
Live Music: Justin Sutherland
Justin Sutherland is a composer and songwriter based in Parksville NY. He is the owner of an organic vegetable farm called Somewhere In Time Farm where he farms with his family. His music is influenced by nature , family , and growing up here in the mountains. You can find his full length album “The Answers” on all streaming platforms and hear his piano compositions on his Instagram page @sutherlandmusicofficial
Good Trouble Lives On: John Lewis Rally
TCG is proud to host this gathering in commemoration of the life’s work of John Lewis.
“Join NAACP Ellenville and Indivisible Ulster NY 18/19 on Thursday, July 17, at 5:30 p.m. to remember John Lewis on the fifth anniversary of his passing. We will honor his legacy by recommitting to work for equality and justice for all.
See you at The Common Good for an evening of inspiration, music and action.”
"When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up." ~John Lewis
Food, drinks, (and books!) available!
Trivia night w. jason mcmahon
Not only does Jason McMahon host the best poetry nights, he’s now putting your random knowledge to the test…
Join us for Trivia Night — where the questions are sharp, the competition’s friendly, and the drinks are cold.
Bring a team or come solo, show off those weird facts you’ve been saving, and see if you’ve got what it takes to take the crown (or at least a free round or book!)
Music & Book Event — Camp Woodland: The Improbable Community
Join author Bill Horne, Pat Lamanna, and more for an unforgettable live music and literary event exploring the origins and impacts of the legendary folk music camp, Camp Woodland.
In 1939, a group of idealists inspired by the spirit of New Deal reform put their vision of American democracy into practice by creating Camp Woodland, a racially and ethnically inclusive summer camp for city kids located in the remote and scenic mountains of upstate New York. The camp's innovative programs profoundly influenced campers for 24 summers from 1939 through 1962.
The founders of Camp Woodland were united by the progressive politics of the 1930s. Some were teachers influenced by educational reformers of the early 20th century. Some contributed administrative skills. And all were committed to racial and social justice well before the civil rights movement became a force in the 1950s and 1960s.
Unlike some experimental communities that isolate themselves and withdraw into a world of their own, Camp Woodland by design sought to have its diverse population of campers and staff (most from the New York City metropolitan area) become part of the rural, traditional community in which they lived. It was able to earn the acceptance and respect of its neighbors through a program of honoring and preserving the community's music, folklore and history. Local musicians, storytellers and artisans participated along with Woodlanders in musical and dramatic performances that celebrated the rich cultural resources of the region. Camp Woodland quickly became a center (and later, a model) for the preservation of local traditions that attracted musicologists and musicians, like Pete Seeger, who supported and participated in its programs.
The Improbable Community tells the story of the people whose dreams created Camp Woodland and whose talents enabled it to succeed. It tells the story of the rural neighbors whom Woodlanders came to know and of the music, history, homespun skills and folklore that they freely shared with their newfound friends. It tells the story of the musicians, performers and musicologists who contributed creativity, zeal and scholarship to Camp Woodland's summer programs as well as their legacy of collected traditional music
Live Music: David Oliver Till & Elena Ramos Pascullo
Elena Ramos Pascullo is a musician, actress, songwriter, poet, and creative. Performing has taken her around the world, and when she’s not on the road, she spends her time between NYC and the Catskills. Follow along @elenalenabobena and listen along on all streaming platforms.
Dave Tillistrand “David Oliver Till” - Actor, singer, and musician who very nearly appeared on Broadway and television…. but did not. But did appear in over a hundred roles in NY and regionally over three decades - including a few down the street at Shadowland. Very nearly had a thriving career in opera….but did not….not even nearly. With his third act foray into folk music, he’s proving to be a true triple threat - able to lose money in three genres. For Dave, it’s all an opportunity to tell a story. Tell it with a guitar in a coffee shop, sing it with an orchestra, or bring a playwright’s words to life. As long as he’s sharing a story, Dave is home. A recovering New Yorker, he lives with his family in Rahway NJ.
Trivia night w. jason mcmahon
Not only does Jason McMahon host the best poetry nights, he’s now putting your random knowledge to the test…
Join us for Trivia Night — where the questions are sharp, the competition’s friendly, and the drinks are cold.
Bring a team or come solo, show off those weird facts you’ve been saving, and see if you’ve got what it takes to take the crown (or at least a free round or book!)
Kevin & Steve Play the Hits
Swing by after the Fourth of July Parade, enjoy our Aperol Spritz special while Kevin and Steve play your favorite songs from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.