ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WEEKEND: FALL
November 1 – 3, 2019
Join us for our fall 150th anniversary celebration weekend at Mohonk Mountain House. Smiley Family members will guide guests on hikes and tours, and host special events—including an anniversary reception, campfire with s’mores, guided house history tour, mindfulness sessions, and more.
For this special anniversary weekend we’ve teamed up with Mohonk Consultations to offer a weekend-long conference on peacebuilding titled “Creating and Sustaining Peace.”
From 1895 to 1916, founder Albert K. Smiley hosted The Lake Mohonk Conferences on International Arbitration. The Mountain House has since provided a setting for people of all backgrounds to exchange dialogue, perspectives, and possible solutions to challenges within our communities and around the world. In 1980, third generation family member A. Keith Smiley founded Mohonk Consultations, a not-for-profit organization aimed at broadening efforts to maintain the quality of social and environmental life in the Hudson Valley and beyond.
To learn more about Mohonk Consultations, the Peace Conference: Creating and Sustaining Peace, and the conference speakers, please visit: https://mohonk-consultations.org/2019-fall-conference/
Availability is limited. For reservations, please call .
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Welcome Reception with the Smiley Family
5pm
Start off our anniversary weekend with some light refreshments and meet members of the Smiley family in our historic Parlor. 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.
Peace Conference: Introduction and Welcome
8pm
Join Mohonk Consultations’ Chair Marty Irwin for welcome remarks and a brief introduction to the weekend of Creating and Sustaining Peace. Dot Maver will share a reflection of peace in today’s world.
Campfire and S’mores with the Smileys
9pm
Join members of the Smiley family for a night of fun songs around the lakeside campfire. Great family fun accompanied by cider and “s’more” of our favorite gooey treats!
Peace through Music and the Arts
9pm
Peace can be expressed through words, actions, music, and the arts! Join Peace Crane Project founder Sue DiCicco for a look into their mission in promoting peace through the arts followed by music with Vanaver Caravan.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Peace Conference: Mohawk Sunrise Thanksgiving
7am
Inspired by Native American tradition, join Mohonk’s very own Naturalist Michael Ridolfo for a one of a kind sunrise welcome.
Morning Stroll – “The History of the Mohonk Summerhouses”
8am
Discover the history, the craftsmanship, and the beauty of our 120 Summerhouses. Join a member of the Smiley Family along with our Rustic Carpenters Terry Myers and Cody Claussen, to learn about our longstanding tradition of Mohonk Summerhouses and visit a few of our favorites.
Peace Crane Project Workshop
9am – 12pm
Stop in during your stay and join Peace Crane Project founder Sue DiCicco for an intimate, hands-on workshop and make your own paper peace crane while learning about the Project’s mission. All materials will be provided.
Peace Conference: Morning Session
9am – 12:30pm
Join us for the first session of our Peace Conference with welcome remarks from Mohonk Mountain House President, Eric Gullickson, Peace Conference Chair, Brad Berg and Mohonk Consultations Board member, Sandra Smiley. Highlights include a history of peace at Mohonk Mountain House with Louisa Finn, Mindfulness with Dr. Nina Smiley Ph.D., Visions of Peace with Philip Hellmich, and Building Peaceful Societies with Dr. Sakena Yacoobi. A Q&A session will follow with our guest speakers.
House History Tour with Maria Guralnik and Sevan Melikyan
11:15am
Accompany 4th generation Smiley family husband and wife Maria Guralnik and Sevan Melikyan 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!
Peace Crane Project Workshop
2pm – 5pm
Stop in during your stay and join Peace Crane Project founder Sue DiCicco for an intimate, hands-on workshop and make your own paper peace crane while learning about the Project’s mission. All materials will be provided.
Peace Conference: Afternoon Session
2pm
Join panelist Jeffrey Weisberg of River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, Masooma Rahmaty of the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals, and Solange Muller for a discussion on determining successful solutions and practices in achieving peace. Breakout sessions will follow the panel discussion. Topics will include Role of Development, Community Initiatives, Peace Within, Empowering Women & Youth, Quaker Perspectives, and Mindfulness in Nature.
Kitchen Tour and a Sneak Peek of Chef’s Table
3pm
Join 5th generation Smiley Family member and CEO Tom Smiley and Executive Chef Jim Palmeri as they lead you on a tour through our newly renovated, state-of-the-art kitchen. Get a sneak peek behind the scenes of our culinary staff in action and view our highly acclaimed Chef’s Table.
Peace Conference: Tea & Cookies
5pm
Continue to discuss, inspire, and learn more ways to instill peace over tea and cookies with our speakers and Mohonk Consultations.
Live Music with Gretchen Koehler and Michael Hartigan
9pm
Gretchen Koehler, an inductee of the New York State Fiddlers’ Hall of Fame, is joined by pianist Michael Hartigan for a peace themed evening. Together, Koehler and Hartigan will re-vision Irish jigs, reels, and aires with a syncopated twist to bring your evening to a perfect close.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Peace Conference: Quaker Style Gathering
7:30am
Join Sandra Smiley in the Smiley Family Parlor for silent reflection and a peaceful beginning to your day.
Peace Conference: Closing Session
9:30am – 12:45pm
Join us for our final session and a panel discussion titled “Youth and the Future of Peace” with the youth of the Hudson Valley. Institutions include Rondout Valley High School, State University of New York at New Paltz, Bruderhoff Mount High School, and Adelphi University. The audience is then invited to participate in an open discussion on how attendees can bring peace to their communities with Dot Maver and Philip Hellmich.
Art Tour with Pril Smiley
10:30am
Join Pril Smiley, our director of art and fourth generation family member, for a tour of the artwork collections that adorn the hallways of the Mountain House. Learn the stories behind the images, including historical information on the Mohonk Boys School, a look at our watercolor and oil painting acquisitions, vintage photographs and more.
MEET OUR PROGRAM LEADERS
Mohonk Consultations
Mohonk Consultations is a nonprofit organization aimed at helping communities thrive in practical ways. Its 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 centers its efforts on the Hudson Valley, while incorporating global and national perspectives as well. Programs include conferences, forums, awards, publications, and public meetings. 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.
To learn more about Mohonk Consultations, the Peace Conference: Creating and Sustaining Peace, and the conference Keynote Speakers, please visit: https://mohonk-consultations.org/2019-fall-conference/
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.
Eric Gullickson
President of Mohonk Mountain House
After a 10 year career in journalism and public relations, Eric joined the Mohonk Management team in 2010 as the Director of Hotel Operations. Eric was promoted to General Manager in 2014 and was appointed as Vice President in 2016. Throughout his life, Eric has been involved with the resort in a variety of ways, ranging from seasonal jobs in his teenage years to serving as a member of the Board of Directors in his adult years, giving him a unique perspective on the operation from the inside out.
Nina Smiley, Ph.D.
Director of Mindfulness Programming
Nina Smiley, Ph.D. graduated from Vassar College and earned a doctoral degree in psychology from Princeton University. She is co-author of The Three Minute Meditator, Mindfulness in Nature (2017), and the CD Mini-Meditations That Will Enhance Your Life. Nina taught psychology at the University of Maryland and worked at the American Psychological Association. She has studied mindfulness with Jack Kornfield (founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center), Sharon Salzberg (co-founder of Insight Meditation Society), Joseph Goldstein, and others. Nina’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Real Simple, Shape, Prevention, and O, the Oprah Magazine. She delights in sharing insights about mindfulness meditation and well-being.
Tom Smiley
CEO of Mohonk Mountain House
With an extensive background in manufacturing and engineering management, Tom joined the Mohonk management team in 2003 after serving as a member of the Mohonk Mountain House Board of Directors. For the last 8 years, Tom has led the Properties and Project Management teams as Director of Properties and was appointed as Vice President in 2016.
Maria Guralnik and Sevan Melikyan
Fourth generation Smiley family member Maria Guralnik grew up playing the flute and has wonderful memories of many Mohonk concerts featuring her grandmother, Rachel Orcutt Smiley, at the organ and her father, concert pianist Robert Guralnik. Maria graduated from New York University with a flute performance degree and has a master’s in non-profit organizations from Case Western University launching a career in performing arts management and education. She is the Artistic Director of Mohonk’s annual summer Festival of the Arts, established in 1989 by her parents. Maria is committed to continuing the outstanding legacy of music and the arts at Mohonk. Her husband Sevan Melikyan directs Wired Gallery which is often on-site at Mohonk.
Sevan Melikyan is the director of Wired Gallery in High Falls, New York, a founding member and director of Chagall in High Falls, Inc., a lecturer on art museums, a tour guide for Artful Journeys, and an artist. Sevan has produced dozens of art exhibits featuring Hudson Valley artists at Mohonk Mountain House, where he also leads monthly house tours. In 2013, Art Society of Kingston presented Melikyan with its ASKars award in recognition for his “significant contributions to the arts” and The Ulster County Executive recognized Melikyan as an Arts Ambassador. Before moving to the U.S., he lived in Paris, France where he earned a BA focusing on arts marketing, and in Istanbul, Turkey, where he was born of Armenian parents in 1965.
Their son Robert is a physics major at Ithaca College who can often be found performing with campus vocal ensembles and occasionally at Mohonk Mountain House when home for the holidays.
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.
Availability is limited. For reservations, please call .
When you visit for Fall Anniversary Celebration Weekend, your overnight package includes:
- Three meals daily featuring fresh, locally sourced cuisine from our farm-to-table partners
- Daily Guided “House History” Tours of our National Historic Landmark resort
- Yoga, Meditation, and Fitness Classes
- Indoor Heated Pool with underwater music
- Afternoon tea and cookies in our historic Lake Lounge
- Nightly Evening Entertainment
- Special Events and more! See schedule of activities >
- See the full list of what’s included in your overnight stay
A la carte experiences available to overnight guests:
- A full menu of nature-inspired treatments at our award-winning spa
- The Carriage Lounge, featuring a full bar and handcrafted cocktails as well as hyperlocal draft beer and hard cider
- An award-winning wine list in our Main Dining Room