We’ll be at the Warwick Valley Farmers Market every Sunday until November 19th. Come on over and bring us your food scraps. We are composting them at a local farm and the Village of Warwick DPW is lending a hand by transporting the scraps for us! Team work.

If you are interested in helping us at the Food Scraps Collection booth any Sunday, we are seeking volunteers for either the 9-11:30am or 11:30-2pm shifts.

The Warwick Valley Farmers’ Market opened in 1994 and today features over 30 regional farms and farm kitchens at the South Street Parking Lot in the Village of Warwick. from May through November, the Market provides the community with the freshest food products available, as well as artisan goods.

Warwick| Faith’s Closet, located in the education wing of Warwick Reformed Church, offers gently used clothing for sale for Men, Women, and Children. Open Sunday after church11:30 am to 1:30 pm and Tuesday 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Closed on holidays. Seasonal clearance items. Accept donations on Tues.

https://warwickinfo.net/recommends/lamp-post-inn/

the Writers Group meets every Wednesday in the Library;’s Board Room. Bring in 6 copies of up to four pages, typed and double-spaced, to be critiqued by fellow writers in a friendly, constructive manner. All forms of prose accepted (NO poetry please). this is a non-instruct0inal program for adults; new members always welcomed!

Oktoberfest Celebration throughout the Warwick Valley

• Oct 6, Blue Arrow Farm: 4-10PM; music (6-9PM) with Tim O’Donohue and the TMU Band
• Weekends throughout October at The Lamp Post Inn, Vernon NJ
• Oct 14-15 Oktoberfest Celebration in Greenwood Lake NY
• October: The Jolly Onion

Videos and other information: https://www.facebook.com/sickstarnation/about_details

Prison of Horrors
Think You’re Brave? Think Again! ​As recently shown on Travel Channel’s Ghost Nation,

Our grounds are full of dark history as well as frightening mystery!

​Are you brave enough to step foot on our grounds and discover what is laying beneath?

​Prison of Horrors has found its strength in embracing the terror rather than avoiding it. And for the fourth year in a row, we seek to spread that terror to the masses. Our haunts may be an act, but the fear is real- and, for those lucky few, so are the ghosts. Come stay with us awhile, will you? But be careful when you leave us… for fear is infectious.

SEPTEMBER 29 & 30

OCTOBER 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28

Fridays & Saturdays

Open from 8 – 11 PM

​No new admittance after 10:30 PM

​$45 (+$2.50 processing fee) / Victim

Call for group tickets of 20 people or more for pricing and a 10% discount.

(845) 986-7777

Nov 4:  Fox Wine Festival (11 AM Admission)

Time & Location

The Warwick Children’s Book Festival was first held in September 2005 at Stanley-Deming Park in Warwick, NY.  So well-received, it was clear the Festival would have to become a Warwick tradition. After a six-year hiatus during which Albert Wisner Public Library designed, built and relocated to a beautiful new building, the Festival resumed in 2011.  Planned and organized by the Library, the Festival is sponsored by Library benefactors Glenn P. and Susan D. Dickes, the Village of Warwick and others.  Best Book Fairs, LLC is the bookseller.  A portion of the proceeds benefits the Albert Wisner Public Library Foundation, which funds enhancements to the programs and services of the Library.

The 2022 Warwick Children’s Book Festival will be held on Saturday, October 8 from 11am-4pm at Stanley-Deming Park at the intersection of South Street and Parkway.  Admission is free and the Festival is open to all the young at heart.  Join fellow readers to celebrate children’s literacy, share a love of the written word, discover new books, talk with those who create them, and have your book purchases autographed.  Nearly 2,000 visitors attended the Festival in 2021.  The Festival will again bring the community and visitors together in the heart of the Village of Warwick, near charming shops, galleries, and family-friendly cafes, and close to apple orchards and family farms. 

We are delighted to welcome back the beloved Uncle Brothers Band.  Singer-songwriter Tom Gardner and colleagues will perform a lively, interactive concert for children in the bandstand at 12:00pm.  Preview the Uncle Brothers here and invite a friend to the concert!  Feel free to bring a blanket, towel or lawn chair.

The Festival, its participants and guests will comply with any State and local public health safety requirements then in effect.

By bus from Port Authority:  consult New Jersey Transit bus schedules. The last stop of the bus route into Warwick is 1 block from Railroad Avenue.  (The bus departs back to Port Authority from this same stop.)  

Driving from Manhattan, Brooklyn or Long Island:

• George Washington Bridge (I-95 South) to Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) North.  Take the upper level of the bridge and stay in the far right-hand lane for easy access to the PIP.  The entrance ramp is on the far right exiting the bridge.
• Exit 18 off PIP onto Long Mountain Parkway / Route 6.  This is a left exit.
• Follow signs for Route 17 West and proceed on 17W for almost 10 miles.
• Exit 126 (Chester) off 17W.  Take a left at end of exit ramp onto Route 94 West.
• Continue on 94W 4 miles toward the village of Florida, taking a left at the 4-way intersection in Florida (landmark:  Dunkin Donuts) and proceeding on 94W into Warwick, another 7 miles.
• About 1/10 mile after first set of traffic lights in Warwick (by Key Bank) take a slight (diagonal) left onto South Street (landmark:  Queen Village Cleaners).  Proceed down South St. to 3rd St. and you will see Stanley-Deming Park.
• Parking:   We recommend the Chase Bank parking lot on South Street (4-hr limit) or the parking lot directly across the street from the Chase Bank lot (3-hr limit.)  Street parking is also available in the surrounding neighborhood.

Driving From Passaic County, NJ:

Follow route 94 North into Warwick, past the intersection with route 17A (landmark:  Warwick Valley Country Club on your left) and then look for Third Street on your right.

• Take a right onto Third Street, proceed 1 block and you will see the park directly ahead to your right.
• Parking:   We recommend the Chase Bank parking lot on South Street (4-hr limit) or the parking lot directly across the street from the Chase Bank lot (3-hr limit.)  Then walk up South Street 3 blocks to Stanley-Deming Park.  Street parking is also available in the surrounding neighborhood.

Driving from Bergen County, NJ:  2 options:

• Either take Route 17 North -> NYS Thruway (87 North) to exit 16 (Harriman tolls/17 West) and follow instructions from Manhattan (above), OR:
• Route 17 North -> NY 87 North to exit 15A. Take a left off the exit ramp and follow Route 17 North through Sloatsburg and Tuxedo.  About 1.5 miles past the Tuxedo train station, bear left onto 17A, proceeding through Sterling Forest and Greenwood Lake and following signs into Warwick. Take a right onto South Street and proceed 3 blocks.  You will see the park on your right.
• Parking:   We recommend the Chase Bank parking lot on South Street (4-hr limit) or the parking lot directly across the street from the Chase Bank lot (3-hr limit.)  Then walk up South Street 3 blocks to Stanley-Deming Park.  Street parking is also available in the surrounding neighborhood.

Driving from Westchester County, NY:  2 options:

• • Either take Tappan Zee Bridge/NYS Thruway (87 North) to exit 16 (Harriman tolls/17 West) and follow instructions from Manhattan (above), OR:

Take Tappan Zee Bridge/NYS Thruway (87 North) to exit 13 (Palisades Interstate Parkway North).  Follow PIP to exit 18, a left exit, onto Route 6 / Long Mountain Parkway.  Proceed over the mountain and onto 17 West, then follow instructions from Manhattan (above).

Driving from Ulster County, NY;  Albany, NY area:

• Take I-87 South to exit 16 – Harriman tolls.
• Follow signs for Route 17 West and proceed on 17W for almost 10 miles.
• Exit 126 (Chester) off 17W.  Take a left at end of exit ramp onto Route 94 West.
  Continue on 94W 4 miles toward the village of Florida, taking a left at the 4-way intersection in Florida (landmark:  Dunkin Donuts) and proceeding on 94W into Warwick, another 7 miles.
• About 1/10 mile after first set of traffic lights in Warwick (by Key Bank) take a slight (diagonal) left onto South Street (landmark:  Queen Village Cleaners).  Proceed down South St. about 2 blocks.  Park in the lot on the left side of South Street, behind the small red brick Chase Bank.  Then walk up South Street 3 blocks to Stanley-Deming Park.
• Parking:   We recommend the Chase Bank parking lot on South Street (4-hr limit) or the parking lot directly across the street from the Chase Bank lot (3-hr limit.)  Then walk up South Street 3 blocks to Stanley-Deming Park.  Street parking is also available in the surrounding neighborhood.

Driving from Connecticut/Massachusetts:

• From Massachusetts, depending on your point of origin, take either 90 West or 91 South to its intersection with I-84.
• Take 84 West to exit 4E (Middletown) onto Route 17E toward NYC.
• Take exit 124 off 17E and at the end of the exit ramp, a left onto 17A / 94W.  Proceed about 12 miles, through the village of Florida and into the village of Warwick.
• About 1/10 mile after first set of traffic lights in Warwick (by Key Bank) take a slight (diagonal) left onto South Street (landmark:  Queen Village Cleaners).  Proceed about 1/4 mile to 3rd St.  The park will be directly ahead of you.
• Parking:   We recommend the Chase Bank parking lot on South Street (4-hr limit) or the parking lot directly across the street from the Chase Bank lot (3-hr limit.)  Then walk up South Street 3 blocks to Stanley-Deming Park.  Street parking is also available in the surrounding neighborhood.

Reservations required; space is limited. Hosted by the Knights of Columbus

A new series of great jazz artists, featured at an intimate venue at Warwick’s Corporate Park, The Last Whiskey Bar

Performances are 2-4PK

• Sat June 17: Rick Savage
• Sat: July 1: Jeff Ciampa Trio

Chronogram Magazine
March 2023

Searching for an elevated whiskey experience, or just looking to soak up speakeasy vibes? You’ll find both at The Last Whisky Bar in Warwick.

Brian Smith, Jim Samborski, Michael Forman, and Bill Iurato are part of a 10-member whiskey appreciation group that has met every Wednesday since 2016. A couple years ago, the four men realized that if they wanted to frequent the whiskey-centric bar of their dreams with the Al-Capone-meets-the-Rat-Pack atmosphere they desired, they’d have to create it themselves.

Iurato, who’s owned Peck’s Liquors in the village of Warwick for over 30 years, and Smith, who co-owns a village bar, are the only two of the quartet with liquor biz chops. Samborski is a retired NYPD detective and a consultant for a bank in Puerto Rico, and Forman is a contractor. They collaborated on the concept and just needed the brick-and-mortar space to bring it to life. Forman offered up his 900-square-foot storage shed in Wickham Woodlands, the 733-acre grounds of the former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility.

The Last Whisky Bar opened last April, and it looks nothing like a storage shed anymore. A seamless, 47-foot-long, domed copper ceiling crowns the interior. Slate tiles that once graced a roof are solidly underfoot. Sunlight slants in through French doors—installed sideways to serve as windows—whose former life was spent in a Tuxedo Park home. The sinuous maple bar and wood-topped stools are etched with fractal-burned images resembling trees or lightning, which is apropos: Forman created them with (fairly dangerous) high-voltage electricity. “Michael is the artist behind all of this,” Smith says with appreciation.

The bar serves up whiskies, craft cocktails ($14 each, curated by cocktail sommelier John Contreras), wines, and beers. The cocktail list rotates throughout the year, with a couple mainstays: The Last Whisky Bar Manhattan (bourbon, sweet and dry vermouth, bitters, lemon) and the Corpse Reviver #2 (gin, Cointreau, Cocchi Americano, Absinthe, lemon), a hangover remedy whose recipe hails from the Prohibition era. A handful of barrel-aged cocktails (Old Fashioned, Manhattan) are offered, as well. They are mixed and finished in small oak barrels that sit behind the bar. Over six weeks, the cocktails take on the essence of the barrel before being served on demand.

More than 250 kinds of whiskey, rye, bourbon, and Scotch are served up at LWB. Newbies are invited to start with “Whiskey 101” ($25), a flight of four three-quarter-ounce pours that includes an Irish whiskey, rye, bourbon, and Scotch.

Patrons who know their favorites can choose from the extensive 1.5-ounce-a-pour menu ranging from Jim Beam ($9) up to Whistle Pig Double Malt Rye ($64 a pour), or partake in an experience that sets LWB apart from your neighborhood watering hole: The Bottle Keep.

For $250 per year and the cost of their bottle of choice, a patron (and up to five friends) can purchase a locker space. The bottle of top-shelf curated whiskey (up to a $350 bottle of Johnny Walker Blue and beyond) will be kept safely in the locker; when the locker owner visits, the bartender serves them from their very own bottle—either neat, on the rocks, or mixed into a cocktail—for $6 a drink.

There are three lockers with a total capacity of 148 bottles. Two lockers are tall, glass-faced, black wooden cabinets. The third is a wall-mounted set of horizontal cabinets that wrap around an alcove of seating. Some of the doors on those lockers are inlaid with glass interlaced by a diamond pattern of wire: Yes, it’s prison glass—salvaged onsite and cut to fit.

Forman and his electrician son Aiden wired LED lights throughout the lockers, and when a bartender pushes a button, the lights race all around the bottles inside before finally illuminating that particular bottle. Bottles that are in use sit on a shelf behind the bar. When the locker owner is ready to leave, their bottle is safely returned to the locker. LSB’s business is about 20 percent lockers, and the remaining 80 percent is traditional bar service.

More than 250 kinds of whiskey, rye, bourbon, and Scotch are served up at LWB. Newbies are invited to start with “Whiskey 101” ($25), a flight of four three-quarter-ounce pours that includes an Irish whiskey, rye, bourbon, and Scotch.

Patrons who know their favorites can choose from the extensive 1.5-ounce-a-pour menu ranging from Jim Beam ($9) up to Whistle Pig Double Malt Rye ($64 a pour), or partake in an experience that sets LWB apart from your neighborhood watering hole: The Bottle Keep.

For $250 per year and the cost of their bottle of choice, a patron (and up to five friends) can purchase a locker space. The bottle of top-shelf curated whiskey (up to a $350 bottle of Johnny Walker Blue and beyond) will be kept safely in the locker; when the locker owner visits, the bartender serves them from their very own bottle—either neat, on the rocks, or mixed into a cocktail—for $6 a drink.

There are three lockers with a total capacity of 148 bottles. Two lockers are tall, glass-faced, black wooden cabinets. The third is a wall-mounted set of horizontal cabinets that wrap around an alcove of seating. Some of the doors on those lockers are inlaid with glass interlaced by a diamond pattern of wire: Yes, it’s prison glass—salvaged onsite and cut to fit.

Forman and his electrician son Aiden wired LED lights throughout the lockers, and when a bartender pushes a button, the lights race all around the bottles inside before finally illuminating that particular bottle. Bottles that are in use sit on a shelf behind the bar. When the locker owner is ready to leave, their bottle is safely returned to the locker. LSB’s business is about 20 percent lockers, and the remaining 80 percent is traditional bar service.

The locker idea is reminiscent of those at the Flatiron Room whiskey lounge in Manhattan, without the $1,000 annual fees, “We wanted to do something like that here, so everyone can enjoy a high-end atmosphere without the higher price tag,” Forman says. The lockers are popular—of the 148 spots offered this year, only 15 were left as of March 16.

Greg and Christina Stanton are the proud owners of Locker No. 1. “We heard through friends about The Last Whisky Bar and its locker program, and we love it,” says Greg, twirling his wedding ring made from a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Weekly visitors to LWB, the Stantons recently surpassed a bottle threshold set by the bar; in gratitude, the bar’s partners gifted them with a bottle of 15-year Pappy Van Winkle.

Samborski points out that a sense of ownership in the bar has evolved among locker patrons, resulting in a friendliness reminiscent of the ’80s TV show “Cheers.” Not that you could watch a rerun, or any show actually, at LWB, because there are no TVs. “We’re all about conversation; you won’t see people staring at their phones here, either,” says Samborski. “All too often, people are too busy looking at a sporting event or down at their phones. We think of this place as a relief valve for the week.”

[image-6]

There’s plenty to see here without media interrupting the vibe. Two beautiful glass pendants hang over the bar, and a library ladder reaches the topmost mahogany bar shelves. A stained-glass pendant light from Samborski’s first home illuminates the lounge area. Another stained-glass chandelier—from Forman’s parents’ home—hangs next to the wall-mounted liquor locker. A deeply carved door with a thick coat of red paint marks the bar’s ADA-approved bathroom. It, and the sidelights on either side, came from a house Forman had renovated. If that bathroom is in use, patrons are welcome to enter the c.1970s phone booth to their left: Behind the bifold door is a petite but fully equipped bathroom.

The rest of the decor leans heavily toward the smoke-and-leather aesthetic of speakeasy days. Patrons can lounge on the Chesterfield couch in front of an electric fireplace, or curl up on a leather easy chair painted with a portrait of Paddy Van Winkle himself by local artist Kristy Rosen.

There’s live music every week from Thursday to Sunday. Indoors, the bands set up in the lounge area. When the temps warm up outside, the live music finds its way outside. To create a backdrop for the stage, Forman moved two boulders in the backyard and, between them, installed a red gate originally from the prison itself. You’ll hear Frank Sinatra and others Big Band favorites over the indoor and outdoor speakers when live music isn’t playing.

Music isn’t the only programming in the works. Whiskey-appreciation classes on the docket for the near future. “We’re all about educating our customers,” says Smith. “We’re not experts, but we’re all learning, and we invite people to learn with us.” The staff, too, becomes well-schooled in whiskey as they work.

The Last Whisky Bar is open Thursday through Sunday. But on select Mondays and Tuesdays, the bar opens as a speakeasy: Tipped off by LWB’s social media, followers are invited to knock on an inconspicuous gray steel door. Just like in the days of Al Capone, the “Closed” sign will slide open and the patron is asked for the password shared on LWB’s social that day. Their first speakeasy night was December 5—the 89th anniversary of the end of Prohibition—and the password was “Volstead,” the name of the act that began those dark days in 1933. Along with those flexible hours comes a caveat, however. “We will never be open on Wednesdays,” Smith says, as those are reserved for the OG whiskey appreciation nights.

Forman’s sister Dawn and her husband Max Mack run Griddle Me This, serving up gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and other delicacies from a camper and outdoor setup outside LWB. Griddle Me This’s schedule nearly mirrors that of the bar, making it a perfect stop for those late-night eats when most kitchens have closed.

True to their collaborative nature, the four owners cycled through a few names before settling on Last Whisky Bar, which is a reference to the Doors’ classic “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar).” They added ‘last’ because, well, according to Samborski, “this is the last whiskey bar you’ll ever need.”

Prison of Horrors
Think You’re Brave? Think Again! ​As recently shown on Travel Channel’s Ghost Nation,

Our grounds are full of dark history as well as frightening mystery!

​Are you brave enough to step foot on our grounds and discover what is laying beneath?

​Prison of Horrors has found its strength in embracing the terror rather than avoiding it. And for the fourth year in a row, we seek to spread that terror to the masses. Our haunts may be an act, but the fear is real- and, for those lucky few, so are the ghosts. Come stay with us awhile, will you? But be careful when you leave us… for fear is infectious.

SEPTEMBER 29 & 30

OCTOBER 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28

Fridays & Saturdays

Open from 8 – 11 PM

​No new admittance after 10:30 PM

​$45 (+$2.50 processing fee) / Victim

Call for group tickets of 20 people or more for pricing and a 10% discount.

(845) 986-7777

Nov 4:  Fox Wine Festival (11 AM Admission)

Time & Location

We’ll be at the Warwick Valley Farmers Market every Sunday until November 19th. Come on over and bring us your food scraps. We are composting them at a local farm and the Village of Warwick DPW is lending a hand by transporting the scraps for us! Team work.

If you are interested in helping us at the Food Scraps Collection booth any Sunday, we are seeking volunteers for either the 9-11:30am or 11:30-2pm shifts.

The Warwick Valley Farmers’ Market opened in 1994 and today features over 30 regional farms and farm kitchens at the South Street Parking Lot in the Village of Warwick. from May through November, the Market provides the community with the freshest food products available, as well as artisan goods.

Warwick| Faith’s Closet, located in the education wing of Warwick Reformed Church, offers gently used clothing for sale for Men, Women, and Children. Open Sunday after church11:30 am to 1:30 pm and Tuesday 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Closed on holidays. Seasonal clearance items. Accept donations on Tues.

https://warwickinfo.net/recommends/lamp-post-inn/

the Writers Group meets every Wednesday in the Library;’s Board Room. Bring in 6 copies of up to four pages, typed and double-spaced, to be critiqued by fellow writers in a friendly, constructive manner. All forms of prose accepted (NO poetry please). this is a non-instruct0inal program for adults; new members always welcomed!