Sunday, October 5, 2025 | News Channel 13
The town of Chatham kicked off the start of October with a big festival for all ages on Saturday.
Chatham Area Business and Arts Blog
Celebrate Community Spirit at the Annual Octoberfeast in Chatham, NY
Chatham, NY – September 16, 2025 – Chatham Area Business and Arts (CABA) is thrilled to announce the return of its much-loved Annual Octoberfeast, taking place on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Chatham’s historic Main Street. This family-friendly fall festival brings together the very best of Chatham with food, live entertainment, shopping, and seasonal fun for all ages.
Attendees can look forward to:
- Kids’ Activities: A magician, face painting, pumpkin decorating, and hayrides.
- Dog Costume Contest: Returning for its third year—don’t miss the parade of creative canines!
- 1st Annual Carved Pumpkin Contest and onsite apple cider pressing from apples harvested at PS21. The official pumpkin lighting is at 7pm.
- Group Yoga: Hosted by Chatham Yoga, offering a moment of mindfulness amid the festivities.
- Music & Entertainment: Stonykill Coffee & Records spinning throughout the day, as well as live performances by local favorites Love Button, Hot Shot Hillbillies, Bits & Pieces, and Scott Stockman. (Live music will run until 9pm.)
- Food and Drinks: Food trucks and local restaurants will line the street, with special highlights including Chatham Brewing’s release of their seasonal Octoberfest beer, German specialties from Bimi’s Canteen and People’s Pub, and fresh pumpkin donuts served by CABA to benefit the Chatham and Ghent food pantries.
- Specialty Food/Beverage Vendors: Enjoy offerings from vendors which include Cooper’s Daughter Spirits, Oyster Party, The Gnome, Pixie Floss, and Fancy Fizz, adding even more variety to this year’s festivities.
“Octoberfeast is about celebrating community and showcasing everything that makes Chatham such a special place,” explains CABA president Debbye Byrum. “From local businesses to talented performers, it’s a day to gather, connect, and enjoy the spirit of fall together.”
Admission is free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to bring friends, family, and four-legged companions for a day of food, fun, and festivities in the heart of Chatham.
Event Details:
What: Annual Octoberfeast, presented by CABA
When: Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Where: Main Street, Chatham, NY
Cost: Free and open to all
For more information, visit: visitchathamny.com/chatham-octoberfeast.
Taconic Antiques Fair
Columbia County Fair
This September, dozens of top antique and vintage dealers gather in Chatham, NY for an Upstate antique market not to be missed: the Taconic Antiques Fair. Featuring everything from MCM design to country furniture, fine art to folk art, vintage clothing, and curious objects, the Fair is the antiquing destination of the year.
Now accepting vendor applications for OctoberFeast 2025
We hope that you will join us for OctoberFeast 2025. The annual Chatham OctoberFeast attracts hundreds of visitors from the Hudson Valley, Capitol Region and Berkshires, as well as our local community.
With great local food and drink purveyors and tabletop craftspeople, it promises to be a fun-filled fall event. The day will feature hay rides, carved pumpkin contests, a costumed dog parade, magic show, live music throughout the village and much more.
We hope that you will join us and help make this another terrific event.
Apply to be a vendor
Applications are open to all food and beverage vendors, as well as vendors who feature food and table-top related products such as vendors of spices, condiments, flowers and table-top items.
The deadline for applications is Sunday, September 20th. Late entries will be considered, but may not be accommodated as spaces are usually in high demand.
Vendor fee is $100 for a 12’x12′ space, if paid by 9/20/25.
OctoberFeast 2025 Vendor ApplicationFor more information, please contact .
Look forward to seeing you in October!
Chatham Summerfest returns July 12 with music, food, and family fun
July 7, 2025 | Chronogram.com
In the annual rite of small-town revelry known as Summerfest, Chatham once again shuts down Main Street and turns it over to the people—specifically, to pie-eaters, amateur bakers, wandering magicians, balloon-animal conjurers, and other assorted humans in search of communal delight. On Saturday, July 12, from 10am to 4pm, CABA’s Summerfest returns with its signature blend of family fun, local flavor, and just enough mischief to keep things interesting.
Chatham Summerfest brings music, contests, and loads of fun
On Saturday, July 12th, Chatham welcomes back CABA’s Summerfest, a fun summer festival for all ages centered on and around the village’s charming Main Street. This year’s festival begins at 10am, one hour earlier than in years past, and runs until 4pm. This year’s line-up boasts live music, an incredible list of vendors, and lots of fun activities.
This year’s third annual Great Chatham Bake-Off will be judged by nationally-acclaimed chef, author, and editor Ruth Reichl, Ellsworth Kelly Foundation president Jack Shear, and Nine Cakes founder/baker Betsy Thorleifson. The contest will be located at the village gazebo, and amateur bakers (of all ages) are invited to show off their baking skills and compete for the blue ribbon. (Any type of baked goods is eligible. No need to sign up in advance- just bring your entries to the gazebo by 10:30 am on the 12th.) The Marton & Davis Pie-Eating Contest (one for adults and one for the under-16 set), will commence at 11:30 on the Chatham Brewing stage and promises to be lots of messy fun. Sign up at the booth by the brewery the morning of the event to take part.
Summerfest’s main stage is located at Chatham Brewery at 59 Main Street, and bands include The Beaks (at 12:30), Bits & Pieces (at 3:00) and Almost Vintage (at 6:00pm). And from 2:00-4:00, singer/guitarist Scott Stockman will perform at the gazebo. Chatham Wine & Liquor will have wine tastings on site, Park Row Gallery will be hosting a vermouth tasting with Klocke Estate, and Cooper Daughter is one of the festival vendors.
There will be lots of entertainment for the kids- a hay ride will give rides to and from Crellin Park, and a magician will perform tricks, make balloon animals, and face-paint. There will be a scavenger hunt and Kids Club, in association with the Morris Memorial, will host a kids’ play area on Park Row.
Come hungry, because the local restaurants Fork & Whisk, Bimi’s Cheese Shop, Chatham Brewery, and Fiesta Café will be open during the festival. Or stay and have drinks or dinner in the village afterwards, at People’s Pub or Bimi’s Canteen & Bar. And it wouldn’t be a festival without “fair food”, so we’ll have plenty of food vendors, including Mr Ding-a-Ling ice cream and Pixie Floss Cotton Candy.
Many thanks to all of Summerfest’s sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor Metzwood Insurance and Major Sponsor, the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. A full list of activities and vendors can be found at www.chathamsummerfest.com, as well as a map and all the details. Please note: Summerfest has limited space for new vendors. Please see the website for times, parking info, and more details.
NYS agencies announce groundbreaking of Shaker Museum expansion
April 7, 2025 | esd.ny.gov
New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and Empire State Development (ESD) today announced the groundbreaking for the nearly $26 million renovation and expansion of Shaker Museum in Chatham, Columbia County. The 30,000 square foot project will create a year-round destination for visitors and a space that reflects the Shaker values of purposeful design and communal living with a 7,500 square foot space for permanent and rotating exhibitions. The project is supported by a combined $5 million investment from the New York State Council on the Arts and Empire State Development.
Chatham High School robotics team qualifies for world-level championship
March 31, 2025 | Classroom Progress Report
The Chatham High School robotics team has qualified for a world-level championship in April. Now, the team is requesting donations so that they are able to make the trip.
From Thursday through Sunday, the robotics team, called Artemis 6621, competed at the FIRST NY Tech Valley Regional competition at MVP Arena in Albany. Their competitors included other robotics teams from across New York State; Quebec, Canada and even one team from Türkiye.
PS21 names new director
March 27, 2025 | New York Times
Vallejo Gantner, a longtime arts administrator in New York City, has taken over as artistic and executive director at PS21 in Chatham, N.Y.
PS21, a newly prominent center for contemporary performance in Chatham, N.Y., has a new artistic and executive director, it announced on Thursday. Vallejo Gantner has already stepped into the role.
Crandell Theatre awarded $40K by NYSCA
December 5, 2024 | Daily Gazette
The Crandell Theatre, the historic single-screen, nonprofit cinema on Chatham’s Main Street, has been awarded a grant of $40,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the nonprofit arts and culture sector.
Through New York state’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA has awarded $82 million this year to 509 artists and 1,497 organizations across the state.