To the Editor:

The highlight of this year’s Discover the Hilltowns: Farms and Artisans Tour on Sept. 13 and 14 will be a tour within a tour within a tour. 

The Helderberg Quilt Barn Trail will be featured as a self-guided driving mini tour of over 15 colorful, painted quilt patterns hung on barns throughout Berne and Knox.  Free maps of this mini tour will be available on Sept. 13 and 14 at Malachi Farm Stand (2548 Berne-Altamont Road, Berne), at Quilt for Ewe (47 Zeh Rd. East Berne), and at the Altamont and Berne Libraries. For more information, go to HBQT.org.

The tour will feature over 30 destinations in Berne, Knox, Westerlo, and Rensselaerville.  Pick up a free map for this self-guided driving tour of the Hilltowns at any tour destination where you see a “TOUR” sign with a yellow sunflower.  Advance copies of maps will also be available at local libraries and public places, and a printable version will be on Hilltowns.org the week before. 

Choose your destinations among farms, artisan studios, markets, historical museums, and other places of interest.  Detailed offerings for each venue, with schedules and wheelchair accessibility, as well as locations of gas stations, are all included on the map directory. Call 618-5376 for more information.

The 15th annual Hudson River Valley Ramble invites the public to “walk, hike, paddle, bike, and tour the Hudson River Valley” throughout the month of September. The Farms and Artisans Tour is featured on page 30 of this free, comprehensive regional listing of events and points of interest.  Copies of this publication are available at the Albany County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and other public places. For more information, call 473-3835 or visit hudsonrivervalleyramble.com.

Late summer days are a wonderful time to take a ride in the countryside.  You can wander the back roads far and wide, and discover some of the many hidden gems our great area has to offer.

Amy Lauterbach Pokorny
Chair, Farms and Artisans Tour
Helderberg Hilltowns Association