I’m new-ish to the area and just trying to see if there’s any interest, (I’m not sure if there’s even any active members) in the area. I see some NYC/Jersey meetups, but that’s just a bit too far for me.
I’d love to share some of my endless stationery decorative supplies. If there’s enough interest, maybe get some nice Hudson Valley postcards printed.
I’m thinking sometime in the summer where we can sit outdoors (for everyone’s comfort, covid situation still pending) - somewhere in New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, Beacon, or the like.
Hello, I’m open to the idea – I live in Connecticut so New Paltz, PK aren’t really too far. Mass, Vt folks might be interested as well, but maybe you want to keep it regional.
What would we do - besides have lunch, of course. Is there a flea market or garlic festival 
or some activity that could be incorporated? I’d love to go to Storm King - the day I drove all the way there was the day before it was going to open, drat!
Your thoughts?
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I’d be game.
We started to organize a Hudson Valley meetup in Kingston, NY back in March 2020 - but then COVID hit. We had to cancel it. A few of us were going to attend the Katterskill Postcard Club show there. Unfortunately, they haven’t rescheduled that card show. Hoping they’ll do one in the fall.
Had a meetup card ready to go and everything!
(EDIT: added the message size)
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I’ve very open to anything - I moved up right before covid, so I don’t really know what activities will be available, if any, this summer. I know lots of places are starting to open up again and adding outdoor dining. I have yet to visit Storm King or Dia:Beacon - something I’m hoping to do this summer.
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for any upcoming events =]
You make a good point, I have to commute back and forth from Boston every week or two, so I’m open to basically any place from Mid-NY to Boston, MA 
I came across something about the Katterskil Postcard Club in my lazy-googling there other day! I couldn’t find much information, as it was mostly outdated show information.
I love the postcard! This whole idea of mine started because I was kind of jealous of all these cool Postcrossing events (and postcards) I’ve been seeing. (Wow, March 29, that was the week after everything was shut down - what an odd time.)
I’m very excited to hear that there’s interest in the area - I’ll have to do some digging to figure out what a good venue/event would be. I was hoping with the weather getting nicer, more options will be opening up for the summer.
DIA is incredible… And their gift shop sells a few (bizarre) postcards! My only fear is that the museum itself would be a HUGE distraction to meeting up. It’s so much fun to explore!!
Beacon would be a good location. There is a small park at the base of the former funicular that used to ascend Mount Beacon - itself the subject of many postcards. Or the riverside park is a nice public space. Bannerman Island in the Hudson would also be a great site… But I don’t think they allow private meetings there.
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I like these ideas – Beacon looks very nice & lots to do around there for those who might like to spend a little more time in the area. I agree that going to a major attraction might be too much -
What else do people do at a meet-up? Of course, we’d have a swap, maybe some kind of challenge for show & tell, IDK – just throwing some ideas out there. Because I’m feeling a glimmer of excitement. If summer is a possibility, I’m always looking for something to look forward to in the dog days when the doldrums hit.
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I’m loving these ideas as well - I’ve never been to a postcrossing meetup, so this will be new to me. I already love the swap, and show & tell ideas! I’d love to see how everyone stores/organizes/displays their postcards.
At some point I was looking at hosting meetups in one of the library community/meeting rooms (for other things, like knitting and fountain pens 
). I haven’t been to the libraries in the area yet, so I don’t know how big the rooms are.
How many people do we need to call it a meet-up and not a date 
I’m thinking maybe 5. @RockyRoadTrip seems to be well-connected as a resource for letting people know or otherwise networking. What would be the next logical step – set a date & see if anyone else is interested or ???
The admins suggest you simply pick a date and post it in the Meetups Forums - following the “If you build it, they will come” theory.
Personally, I think it’s better to poll the group here and come up with a date and location we know some of us can make. This way you have core attendance going in.
Once you have a date and location locked down, go to the USA Meet Up Forum and make an announcement, following their posting rules.
Something like: We’re planning a Hudson Valley, NY Meet-up on (a weekend date) from 11 - 3 pm meeting at XXX in Beacon. We will meet, postcard shop along the main drag, grab a quick lunch at the Diner, and fill out meet-up cards at the park that’s just up the street (they have a couple of picnic tables). Bring a blanket, pens, postcard stamps and bug spray.
Sounds good right? But it does take a bit of planning to set up and pull off.
I’ve hosted a couple of NYC meetups and attended one in Belfast, Ireland (of all places) so am happy to help.
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Yes! Sounds really good. Makes sense to me. thank you for ‘splainin’ all that!
Maybe when Ms. @paperglo weighs in we can try to get the details nailed down. I do like the itinerary you describe 
That was my thought too - I wanted to come and gauge interest before posting in the Meet Up Forum.
Thank you so much @RockyRoadTrip for the info - it’s exactly what I was looking for =]
I’m flexible on location and time, whatever works for the majority. I feel like there’s 2 or 3 shops I can think of in Beacon that carry postcards. I think New Paltz as well - both areas have food venues with outdoor seating. That’s basically my knowledge of the area so far, but I am open to researching and/or calling places for more info.
Aww. Now I wish I still lived in CT so I could join y’all (accent picked up from living in the south 20 years), but that’s a bit far travel from Florida for a 3-4hour Meetup. Have fun! Take pictures, or at least verbally share your experiences. I’ve yet to attend a Postcrossing meetup myself, but it sounds nice.
What do you think, Gloria? Any updates … I think the ball may be in your court 
Summer flies by so quickly, maybe get some dates out there … also, fall is nice, too.
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Hi everyone:
So I reached out to my contact at the Kaaterskill Postcard Club.
The good news is: they’re having another postcard show in Kingston, NY.
The bad news is: it’s not til November 7th. That’s pretty far off.
He also mentioned they’d be doing a smaller postcard show in Haines Falls (between Palenville and Tannersville - a bit deeper in the Catskills) on September 25th - which is a really nice time to be in that area, for sure.
Anyway, this is just me, trying to tie a meetup to a locally related event, but obviously, it doesn’t have to work that way. I think places like Beacon, Rhinebeck, or New Paltz (too bad Mohonk Mountain House charges admission) would also be suitable locations.
Thoughts?
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I am totally for events in Sept and Nov - I’ll be looking forward to those =]
For something a bit closer, how does late June or early July work for you? Any preference on weekday or weekends? I’m pretty flexible as my job allows me to move my hours around.
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Weekends would work better for me…
I’m pretty flexible, too, it just depends, my schedule is all over the place. The scheduled fall events sound interesting, too. I agree the Mohonk House would be awesome, that’s on my bucket list. But Beacon looked like there were plenty of low-key things to do (I might do an overnight if this gets set up.)
I’ll just list a bunch of dates that work for me through July and see if it works for anyone else =]
- Sun 6/20 (Father’s day - probably note a great day for a meetup)
- Sat 6/26
- Sun 6/27
- Sat 7/3
- Sun 7/4 (holiday again, though)
- Mon 7/5
- Sun 7/25
