The Elting Memorial Library is pleased to announce its third annual Sally Rhoads Memorial Lecture! Author and photographer Marisa Scheinfeld will present an illustrated lecture on her book The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America's Jewish Vacationland in the Steinberg Room at 5pm on Saturday November 15th. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is required for this program. All registered attendees will get an email reminder the day before the program.

Lecture Synopsis: "Today the Borscht Belt is recalled through the nostalgic lens of summer swims, Saturday night dances, and  comedy performances. But its current state, like that of many other formerly glorious regions, is nothing like  its earlier status. Forgotten about and exhausted, much of its structural environment has been left to decay. This illustrated lecture features Marisa Scheinfeld’s photographs of abandoned sites where resorts, hotels  and bungalow colonies once boomed in the Catskill Mountain region of upstate New York. The images were shot inside and outside locations that once buzzed with life as year-round havens for generations of  people. In her talk, Scheinfeld will discuss the rise and fall of the Borscht Belt, her documentation of the famed region, and the founding of the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity for questions and answers."

The library is proud to host Marisa Scheinfeld as the third speaker for its annual lecture series honoring Sally Rhoads, which has been funded by a friend of the Library. Sally, who passed in 2020, was the Library's longtime board president and a civic leader who worked hard to improve the lives of the people of New Paltz. After moving here in 1970, she quickly became active in the Reformed Church, the League of Women Voters and the New Paltz Faculty Wives. She served several terms on the local Board of Education, including several years as its President. She also served as President of the Lifetime Learning Institute and as a Village Trustee, but she is best known for her tireless work ethic for the betterment of the Elting Library, chairing the used book sale at the library’s annual fair for 35 years. She took justifiable pride in this and in her successful effort, as President of Elting’s Board, to raise the funds and build the large addition to the library.

Register here: https://eltinglibrary.libcal.com/event/15162345

Elting Memorial Library

93 Main Street
New Paltz, New York 12561