WIOX Radio to feature Catskills Folklorist Janis Benincasa

On Wednesday, December 21, at 7 p.m. WIOX Radio's program Catskills Folk will present Janis Benincasa, a Catskills resident who was staff folklorist at the Erpf Catskill Cultural Center during the 1980s.  On previous programs host Ginny Scheer has introduced 20th century folklorists who presented Catskills folktales and folk music.  This week she and Janis will talk about folklorists who worked in Delaware County in the 1980s and 1990s.  They were primarily staff folklorists at the Erpf Center and at Delaware County Historical Association, in addition to folklorists who pursued projects in the region.  Thanks to their efforts we wnjoyed a series of exhibits and publications about Catskills folklore and folk art and there is an archive of folk materials, including photos and interview transcripts at the Erpf Center (Catskill Center for Conservation and Development) and at DCHA.  Janis will share her experiences putting on an Irish Festival, celebrating local quilters, researching ethnic resorts, documenting regional farmstands, exhibiting folk art of the watershed, and publishing Catskills stories.  Join us at 7 p.m. on WIOX 91.3 or streaming on the internet at WIOXradio.org.  Perhaps we can get Janis to share the saltiest Catskills stories she knows!