At least one camp has decided to cancel “Visiting Day” this Sunday, following YWN reports of a traffic nightmare this weekend heading to the Catskills, as it is the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival at Bethel Woods. Additionally, it is also Shabbos Nachamu as well as “Visiting Day Sunday”.
Camp Rayim sent the following email to all parents of campers notifying them of the cancellation.
“It has been brought to our attention by the NY State Police, Hatzoloh, and OEM that from this Thursday through Sunday there will be nightmare travelling conditions around the Catskills area, especially Rt 17 because of the Woodstock Anniversary this coming weekend.
After much deliberation and discussion, we have decided that in the best interests of our parents and campers, to cancel Visiting Day this Sunday.”
*****PLEASE NOTE: Make sure you are one of the more than 20,000 that signed up to YWN WhatsApp Status to receive news in live time. Click this link – or send a message to 1-888-4-YW-NEWS (888-499-6397) – to see our status posts*****
The New York State Police is expecting unusually long traffic delays in Sullivan County coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival at Bethel Woods. Traffic will heavy on Rt-17 and Rt-17b beginning Thursday August 15 through Sunday August 18.
Traffic is expected to be particularly heavy on ST-17 westbound between the New York State Thruway tolls in Harriman and exit 104 onto ST-17b in Monticello. Peak traffic for westbound lanes is anticipated between the hours of 1:00pm and 7:00pm and eastbound between the hours of 11:00pm and 2:00am. Motorists are encouraged to make alternate travel plans and avoid unnecessary travel during these hours on all four days of this anniversary concert weekend.
Additionally, heavy traffic at ST-17 exit 104 westbound may necessitate detours being put into place and motorists should be aware of alternate routes to camps and plan for these detours and heavy traffic accordingly.
Rabbi Abe Friedman, Special Assistant to the Sullivan County Sheriff encourages people to leave the city to upstate early Thursday afternoon and to avoid unnecessary traveling on the 17B.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
9 Responses
Now I only have to go to Woodstock
If you go to Woodstock, NY you will be fine. It’s the town of Bethel, NY you want to avoid.
Gantz Meshugah
All parents MUST TIP WELL
Counselors (and waiters) look forward all summer for visiting day, its them who can lose out the most.
PLEASE TIP THEM WELL.
Spend the money saved on gas, walmart, fialkoffs, dougies and the cases of gatorade on these heroes
Catskills118,
Since you raised the subject – can you perhaps explain this phenomenon?? Why is it that parents who spend a holy fortune sending their children to camp are asked to shell out OUTRAGEOUS amounts of $ labeled as “tips”?! The camps pay their staff pitifully and then pass on THEIR obligation to us parents! The “suggested TIP ” for my child’s summer Rebbi is more than I tip his Rebbi for all year! and I tip pretty decently. The answer is we’re not being asked to “tip” them, we’re being asked to pay them. My question is- Why is that my duty, that is the job of the camp owners, not mine!
That’s a worthwhile conversation to have with your camp director.Meanwhile, make sure to tip the counselors who depend on it as a small compensation for slaving over your kids.
Grey matter, sorry slavery ended with Abe Lincoln, they knew exactly what the job entails long before they signed the dotted line
Grey matter,
I tip the counselors and rebbeim well.
I wouldn’t call it such a “small compensation”, if all parents give the suggested amount, and I believe most do.
And I don’t think my point should be so casually dismissed. It is alot of chutzpah and has been this way for decades. It will never stop if noone stands up and says enough is enough! The camps make a fortune and pass their staff salaries onto the parents, who are already paying out huge sums of $ for camp.
@UncleMo:
My thoughts exactly. A “tip” is not an obligation. If I like the service provided to me or my child, I’ll tip accordingly. It’s my decision, not the camps. It applies to almost everywhere else. Car service driver, delivery boy, barber, restaurant waiter, handyman’s helper, mailman/UPS driver holiday time, etc… What the camps are trying to do is shift the burden of paying their employee’s rightful salary on to the Parents. Camps are NOT in the chesed business. They’re in the business to make money, lots of it. Good for them. Why not? It’s like any other business or parnasa. But they can’t expect us to be gullible enablers to take over the camps obligation to pay their employee’s their rightful wage.