ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WEEKEND: SPRING

Welcome Reception with a Peek Into Mohonk’s Past
5pm

Start off our anniversary weekend with some light refreshments and meet members of the Smiley family in the Cliff View Room. Join us for a look back in time as Pril Smiley presents recently discovered film footage from the archives shot in the 1930s by Albert K. Smiley (1883-1964), the nephew of our founder. We’ve put together highlights from over 100 reels of these vintage films to give you a glimpse into the history on our mountaintop.

Morning Stroll: The History of the Mohonk Summerhouses with Sandra Smiley
7:30am

Discover the history, the craftsmanship, and the beauty of our 120 Summerhouses. Join fourth generation family member Sandra Smiley, accompanied by our Rustic Carpenters Terry Myers and Cody Claussen. Learn about our longstanding tradition of Mohonk Summerhouses and visit a few of our favorites.

Bugle Calls with Gage Gullickson
8am

From 1902 – 1956, bugle calls were performed on a daily basis at the Mountain House to signal Breakfast, Morning Prayers, Lunch, Dinner, and Evening Entertainment. This weekend, we welcome 6th generation Smiley family member Gage Gullickson to revive this tradition. Bugle calls will be played on both the West side of the House overlooking the Catskills as well as on the East side of the House by Lake Mohonk.

House History Tour with Robyn Gullickson
11:15am

Accompany Smiley family member Robyn Gullickson on a history tour of the Mountain House. Great for first-time guests and longtime stayers who want to learn more from a family member!

Bugle Calls with Gage Gullickson
12pm

From 1902 – 1956, bugle calls were performed on a daily basis at the Mountain House to signal Breakfast, Morning Prayers, Lunch, Dinner, and Evening Entertainment. This weekend, we welcome 6th generation Smiley family member Gage Gullickson to revive this tradition. Bugle calls will be played on both the West side of the House overlooking the Catskills as well as on the East side of the House by Lake Mohonk.

Wet Felting Workshop with Wendy Smiley
2pm

Join Smiley family member Wendy Smiley to learn basic felting techniques or create a project of your own. Please arrive promptly, seating is limited. Supplies will be provided.

Tea and Cookies with the Smiley Family
4pm

Indulge in our long standing tradition of afternoon tea and cookies, served by members of the Smiley family.

150th Celebration Gala with Live Music from Fleur Seule
9pm

Celebrate in style with Fleur Seule’s 8 piece band as they perform 1940s Jazz & Swing hits from around the world. Enjoy live music along with a cash bar along with a birthday cake served by the Smiley family to celebrate 150 years of Mohonk Mountain House. Cocktail attire suggested!

Smiley Family Parlor Open House
9:45am

Stop by the Smiley Family Parlor to visit with Sandra Smiley, a great grandniece of our founder, as well as family members Louisa Finn and Rachel B. Matteson to share stories and reflections on Mohonk’s History.

Letters of Daniel and Effie Smiley
10:30am

Join Smiley family member Louisa Finn as she shares correspondence letters handwritten by Daniel Smiley and his wife, Effie. Letters can also be written to be placed in our time capsule which won’t be opened for 100 years!

Mohonk Consultations Spring Forum: Supporting Farms and Farm Workers in the Hudson Valley
3pm – 6pm

Join Mohonk Consultations for a panel discussion focusing on select issues raised in their November conference, “Pastures of Plenty? Food, Justice, & Labor in the Hudson Valley.” Discussions will include resources that are available to support farms, farmers, and farm workers in the Hudson Valley, identifying achievable and concrete actions to create better conditions for them, and opening the floor to the audience to help brainstorm about possible solutions.

There is a $25.00 per person charge to attend this event for day guests.

Pril Smiley
Mohonk Board of Directors and Art Director

Pril Smiley was raised at Mohonk, along with her fourth generation siblings and cousins. As an adult, she balanced her Mohonk involvement with a career in electronic music. While still a student at Bennington College, in 1963, Pril started working at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City. Following college graduation, she became established as a teacher and administrator at the Center. More notably, she was a pioneering composer—writing electronic music for over forty theatre, film, and dance productions, and serving for six years as Electronic Music Consultant for the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center after it had just opened.

She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1975. Her electronic compositions continue to be performed internationally.
Meanwhile, on the Mohonk front, Pril was elected to the Mohonk Board of Directors in 1972, and became involved in many facets of the business over the ensuing decades. Currently, she continues her work at Mohonk Mountain House as a member of the Board of Directors and as Mohonk’s Art Director.

Sandra Smiley

Sandra Smiley is a fourth generation Smiley family member and daughter of A. Keith Smiley (former president of Mohonk Mountain House and founder of Mohonk Consultations). Since 1985, she has been a board member of Mohonk Consultations, a not-for-profit sister organization of the Mountain House. Sandra was raised a Quaker at Mohonk, playing in the woods and climbing through the rocks. She moved to California to raise a family and continue her education before returning to Mohonk in the 1970s. From an early age she has had a vast array of jobs at Mohonk, ranging from “relish girl” to summerhouse roof thatcher, to Housekeeping floor supervisor and coordinator of Holistic Way programs. In the outside world, she has worked as supervisor of a residence for developmentally disabled clients and as a counselor for a Marist College program in Danbury Federal Prison. Sandra is dedicated to carrying on the founding Smiley family’s legacy of environmental stewardship and the promotion of dialogue on current social and humanitarian issues. She is committed to living lightly on the Earth so that our grandchildren and their grandchildren have an Earth to live on.

Robyn Darrow Gullickson

Robyn Darrow Gullickson started working at Mohonk Mountain House in June of 1995 after graduating from SUNY New Paltz with a degree in Art Education and a minor in Athletic Coaching. Her first position at Mohonk was on the Recreation Staff – as a lifeguard, hike leader, boat dock attendant and Kids Club counselor. She met her future husband, fifth-generation Smiley Family member Eric Gullickson, while working in the Ski Shop 1996. After a career of coaching springboard diving at the collegiate level and working at Mohonk in a variety of positions over the years, Robyn is now pursuing her dream to become an architect and is enrolled as a full-time student. Robyn gives lectures on Mohonk history and regularly leads House History Tours for our guests. Some would say that Robyn’s blood runs in “Mohonk Green.” She and Eric continue the family tradition of living and raising their children on the Mountain.

Wendy Smiley

Wendy Smiley graduated from Springfield College and University of Pennsylvania with degrees in physical education and physical therapy respectively. She practiced as a therapist for 50 years in both Cambridge MA, and the Hudson Valley. From an early age, she became interested in arts and crafts, sharing various skills such as knitting, quilting, felting, candling, doll making, in both structured and informal settings.

Louisa Finn

A Speech/Language Therapist by trade and a poet at heart, Louisa Finn grew up exploring the halls, rock scrambles, and the glacier lake at Mohonk Mountain House. Her ongoing explorations continue to this very day.

Mohonk Consultations

Mohonk Consultations is a nonprofit organization aimed at helping communities thrive in practical ways. Their mission is to foster a clearer awareness of the interrelationship of all life on earth and to find practical means to sustain life. Mohonk Consultations center their efforts most often within the Hudson Valley while incorporating global, national, and local perspectives. Programs include conferences, forums, awards, publications, public meetings, and service projects. Embraced by the neutral and supportive venue of Mohonk Mountain House, attendees use their diverse viewpoints and experiences to brainstorm and develop practical solutions to problematic issues.

Mohonk Consultations was founded in 1980 by the late A. Keith Smiley, Helen Vukasin, and others associated with The Mohonk Trust. It is a separate entity from Mohonk Mountain House.