{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Bringing the Borscht Belt Back to Life: Parksville and Livingston Manor Markers Celebrate Catskills History","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":893,"description":"The Catskills were once the heart of the Borscht Belt, where towns like Parksville and Livingston Manor buzzed with resorts, entertainers, and families seeking a summer escape. This weekend, the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project unveils its 14th marker in Parksville, with another following later this month in Livingston Manor. More than commemorating the past, these markers bring history alive through art, music, food, and film.Photographer, historian, and curator Marisa Scheinfeld, along with photographer Isaac Jeffreys, are helping capture and share the story of the Catskills and the Borscht Belt through this ongoing project.“Parksville, just like so many other towns, had an immense Borscht Belt history,” Scheinfeld explained. “It had the Young’s Gap Hotel—the first all-inclusive, year-round resort. It offered unbelievable amenities. There was an iconic film screen there in 1950. It hosted amazing entertainers, and you know, just had everything. I think we have like 28 hotels in Parksville as our count.”The Young’s Gap Hotel, a pioneer in the all-inclusive model and featured in the film Catskill Honeymoon, holds a special legacy. “Yeah, all-inclusive—Marissa really nailed it,” Jeffreys said. “They had their own radio show, part of WVOS. We have a photo of it from the 1940s where they were hosting, I believe, the Mac Schwartz Company, talking about brochures for the season. So, they really had their own sort of compound going on there.”Even smaller resorts like the New Brighton Hotel and the Grand Hotel contributed to the town’s vibrant culture, but Young’s Gap was “one of the big anchor resorts in the county,” Jeffreys added. “It could go up there with the Laurels and Grossingers and the Nevele. It just kind of dropped off in the late ’60s, so it doesn’t get remembered as much. But it’s really one of the big ones.”The Parksville marker also highlights Sunset Acres, an African-American resort, acknowledging a broader, more inclusive history. “About less...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}