HURLEYVILLE, NY — On Sunday, July 3 at 2 p.m., the Sullivan County Historical Society will open a new gallery, “The Borscht Belt.” It has been made possible by the receipt of local donations.

The “Borscht Belt” depicts a time when living in Sullivan County meant excitement and diversions in all directions, when the famous and wannabes came and spent time in what was counted (by The New York Times) as over 500 resort hotels and 1,000 boarding houses, some establishments famous the world over. Associate curator Bill Gronwald has assembled information from many sources including the extensive files in the society’s archives. The collection includes a photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt with Jennie Grossinger and a small picture of the very first host of Grossinger’s, the original grandmother doing laundry for her guests by hand at the creek on the Grossinger Farm.

At the opening there will be musical entertainment by Patti Greco featuring musical tunes from the resort era, after a discussion led by Sullivan County Historian John Conway. The opening program is supported by a grant of “Arts for Sullivan” administered by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance.

Visits to the Sullivan County Museum on Main St. are free, but membership donations of $15 are always welcome. For more information call 845/434-8044.