Summer brings robust tourism to Putnam County Transition to efficient county tourism department underway

Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell said Sunday that the county is close to choosing a new results-driven director of tourism who will showcase Putnam as a destination and promote the economic growth of the county.
A panel has been interviewing candidates and will send recommendations to Odell, who will forward her preferred choice to the Legislature for approval.

Putnam’s natural beauty sells itself, Odell said, but the new tourism director will work with stakeholders throughout the county and be better able to entice visitors to come to “Where the Country Begins.”
She thanked the Putnam County Visitors Bureau for its efforts and said the transition from a non-profit funded by county and state grants to an in-house county department would be swift and seamless. She also thanked the state I Love NY campaign for its generous support of Putnam tourism.

From farm-to-table dining on one end of the county to inspiring art shows on the other, exciting things are happening in Putnam, Odell said.

At Tilly Foster Farm in Southeast, hundreds of rock ‘n’ roll fans came out for the “Satisfaction, The International Rolling Stones Tribute Show,” Saturday night. It was an evening of fun, food and dancing under the stars that attracted visitors from throughout the region. The Rolling Stones’ tribute was just one of a new series of summer events at the county-owned farm, which also features Tilly’s Table restaurant, an educational institute and community garden.

In Cold Spring, the Magazzino Italian Art Foundation, a museum of Italian Postwar and Contemporary art that opened two years ago in a renovated warehouse, features a new exhibit of Arte Povera, minimalist art from the 1960s. The show, which opened Friday, runs through December. The Sardinian donkeys that live outside are part of the permanent collection.