Country in the Country 20140803

It's Country in the Country for Sunday, August 3, 2014.

Wednesday is Judgment Day! At least for the five finalists in the Sullivan Renaissance Community Mitzvah Award contest, and they are:

• American Theological, summer camp in Kiamesha
• Camp Bnos Ahavas Israel, summer camp in Liberty
• Camp Simcha, summer camp in Glen Spey
• Khal Divre Chaim, bungalow colony in Kauneonga Lake
• Skolya Bungalows, bungalow colony in South Fallsburg

Allen Frishman, who manages the Seasonal Demonstration Grant Program for Sullivan Renaissance, stopped by at the top of the show to remind us that on Wednesday, August 6, a panel of judges will select the winner of the Community Mitzvah Award from ten summer camps and bungalow colonies.

The three experts include individuals with horticultural, planning, community and international knowledge. 

• Mary Lewis – Founder of the garden design firm Barncroft, she served as a Sullivan Renaissance judge for nine years and a garden design consultant for two years; past president of Garden Club of Orange and Dutchess Counties, past Zone Representative of Visiting Gardens Committee for Garden Club of America (GCA), and co-chairs GCA flower show “A Woman’s Hardy Garden” in Beacon.
• Rabbi Joel Schwab – Religious leader of Temple Sinai in Middletown, NY since 1982; President of the Greater Middletown Interfaith Council, where he helped create a winter Warming Station for street people; honored by Orange County Human Rights Commission (2007), United Way of Orange County (2009) and METNY Region of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism (2011).
• Yossi Toiv – “Country Yossi” is the name of an English-language Orthodox Jewish magazine, radio show, collection of musical albums and children's books created, composed, authored and published by Yossi (Joseph) Toiv; the radio show has been on the air continuously since 1986; the monthly magazine has printed over 3 million copies since 1988.

Community Mitzvah projects are judged for cleaning-up and maintaining their grounds and beautifying the look of the facility.

Winning communities will be announced at the Sullivan Renaissance Awards Ceremony on Monday, August 11 in the Event Gallery at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, NY. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with light refreshments; the program begins promptly at 6:45 p.m. 

Community Mitzvah Awards of $10,000, $5000 and $3000 will go to the seasonal communities that best cleaned up and beautified their grounds.

Sullivan Renaissance is a beautification and community development program principally funded by the Gerry Foundation.  Sponsors include Bold Gold Media Group/Thunder 102, FisherMears Associates, Kristt Company, Robert Green Dealerships, Sullivan County Democrat, The River Reporter, Thompson Sanitation, and WSUL/WVOS.

For information, visit www.sullivanrenaissance.org.

After that bit of excitement, we heard some Three-Weeks appropriate Country Yossi music: "These I Remember."

Then some calls and the latest news from Israel with Dov Shurin.

Then some more calls to take us to the top of the hour.

We kicked off Round Two with some more a cappella music: Country Yossi's own "Deaf Man In The Shteeble" by Lev Tahor

A call or two, and then even more a cappella music! "Shalom Aleichem / Yesh Tikvah (Medley)"  by Ari Goldwag [feat. Moshe Dov Goldwag] From the Album A Cappella Soul 2

And keeping things all in the family, we had a well-dressed phone visit with the inimitable Murray Goldwag! Who? You may know him better as Murray the Sockman or the owner of Murray's Kosher Sox in South Fallsburg. And if you don't, you should!

We also had summer Sunday visit from Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss and his gevaldigeh divrei Torah.

And that was that. Have an easy fast, and we'll see you next week!