The Catskill Chronicle

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY (May 14, 2013) – An opening reception for the new exhibition “Toil and Trouble: New York City’s Quest for Water and the Rondout-Neversink Story,” featuring keynote speaker Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at 4:00 p.m. at the Time and the Valleys Museum in Grahamsville, NY.

Other speakers are Alan Rosa, Catskill Watershed Corporation and Carter H. Strickland, Jr. Commissioner, NYC Department of Environmental Protection.

The reception will also include participation from the Tri-Valley School District and local area youth groups. 

This new interactive exhibition spans the very beginnings of New York City history through the Clean Water Act and beyond. It tells the story of NYC’s Water Supply System, with a special concentration on the Rondout and Neversink reservoirs and “The Takings” – the emotional story of local residents who were forced to sell their land to New York City for the building of the water system. Family members who lived in the communities where the reservoirs now stand are expected to attend the reception.

In addition to focusing on the different systems and how they work together, the exhibit also includes a part called “Would You Drink This Water?,” which illustrates the type of contaminants in early NYC water, “How Would You Feel?,” which delves into the lands taken and how local lives changed, and “Those Who Did the Dirty Work,” which is about the men who built the tunnels and reservoirs.

Through photographs, artifacts, video, audio, interactive computer programs and hands on activities, visitors will be immersed in the fascinating story of the water system’s development. They will “Spin the Wheel” of dirty water, listen to lost town residents talk about being forced to move from their homes, touch rocks dug from hundreds of feet below the earth, play a “Beat the Clock” game and complete an aqueduct puzzle. They will even build their own dam (including sinking and covering caissons) and dig a real tunnel.

Designed to entertain and enlighten visitors of all ages, the exhibition is perfect for school classes, youth organizations and adult groups seeking to learn more about the water system and its impact on the local area. For more information or to book a group tour, call the Museum at 845-985-7700.

The Time & the Valleys Museum is located at 332 Main Street in Grahamsville (State Route 55), and starting on May 23, the Museum will be open Thursday to Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. through Labor Day, and September and October weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m. Suggested donation for adults is $5, Children under 16 $2, and children under six are free.