By ARIEL ZANGLA
Freeman staff
azangla@freemanonline.com; twitter.com/ArielAtFreeman

CATSKILL, N.Y. — They might be part of a smaller litter, but this year’s batch of decorated fiberglass cats is just as eye-catching on the streets of Catskill as part of Cat’n Around Catskill 2012.

“We’re down to 43 cats this year, but we still have a pretty great display,” said Linda Overbaugh, executive director of the Catskill Chamber of Commerce/Heart of Catskill Association. She said this is the sixth year the community has held the summer-long art event and there have been more than 300 cats displayed in all. None have been duplicates, Overbaugh said. She said the artists keep coming up with new ideas.

This year’s cats include one designed to look like a rooster, another fashioned to have a body that looks like an old-fashioned soda vending machine and another made to look like a stack of carved jack-o’-lanterns. There’s even a cat encased in a knight’s armor.

The cats were erected around the community this past week and will remain on display through mid-September, Overbaugh said.

“We always try to get them up so they’re there for Memorial Day weekend,” Overbaugh said. She said the cats will later be auctioned off at the annual gala to be held Sept. 30 at the Historic Catskill Point in the village.

The auctioneer at the gala will once again be Russ Carlsen of Carlsen Gallery in Freehold, Overbaugh said.

The proceeds of the auction will be split, with 25 to 30 percent of each cat’s gross sale price going to its artist and the rest being donated to arts education, animal welfare, local not-for-profits, local food banks and future Catskill promotions.

The cats are mostly displayed on Main Street, as in past years, though four will be on county Route 23B between Jefferson Heights and the hamlet of Leeds, Overbaugh said. She said there will also be two cats on U.S. Route 9W, one in front of the Wine Cellar and the other in front of McDonald’s. Overbaugh said Catskill is also trading one of its cats for one of the Rip Van Winkle statues being decorated in the village of Hunter.

To purchase tickets to the annual auction and gala, call the Catskill Chamber of Commerce/Heart of Catskill Association at (518) 943-0989.

 

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