Who makes it happen?

You.

Each year hundreds of people help create this spectacular community-wide event.

How can you be part of it?

Join us at Celebration Space to help us make puppets and more!

Be a Puppeteer! Volunteer to animate a puppet in the Parade!

Be sure to return to our website to get involved with this year's Sinterklaas and learn about other upcoming events!

If you would like to make a donation for all the free events we produce, please visit our website!

Buy a Raffle Shirt, Illuminated Star, button or coffee table book to help us raise the funds we need!

If you have any questions, ask an ASK ME volunteer!

Share your photographs. Email us.

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Read the blog

The Community.

It truly takes a whole HOST of folks to come together in a beautiful way to make Sinterklaas happen. It includes everyone those who donated time and money for sure and all those who sat in meetings, answered millions of questions, made extraordinary suggestions, cut a branch, served up tea, and everyone who comes to the event. Sinterklaas forms a close and sweet community as it gathers steam throughout the year. We thank all of you who form this creative community!
Here are some who deserve special mention! We thank…

2012 Thank Yous

Village & Town: Tom Traudt, Supervisor and the Town Board! Jim Reardon, Mayor-Our White Knight! Village Board

The patient, wise and even-tempered Sgt. Peter Dunn.

Kathy Kinsella, the only person I know who sets up barriers and then things open up!

Howie Traudt foryeoman's work at the Arrival! And James Chapman at the Rhinecliff five years and running!

The graphics Elena Erber who designed ALL our graphics, including this beautiful book! Such patience, creativity and love all in one being! And Bernard Greenwald for stuffing!

Madwomen of the Sinterklaas Committee hardworking and joyfully playful: Lila Pague, Pat Sexton, Elena Erber, Ana San Juan, Lindy Wright, Suzi Morris, Joanne Hess, Tricia Reed, Joanne Engle, Jill Lundquist, Susie Linn and Nancy Donskoj who kept the fires burning all year long.

Marvelous Men of the Sinerklaas Committee Richard Prouse,, Norval Johnson and Barry Cohen!

A resounding shout out to Johanna Bard! Workshop Queen and Food Maven!!! You are fabulous!!!

The amazing Horse Woman and Artist Extraordinaire Kathy Dressel. Thank you for all the beautiful Hobby Horses!

Timely Volunteers to those who swoop in at the end and make it work Alice and Nick Seeger, Robbie Puglisi, Kathy Kane, Richard Pearson, Tom Dressel, Colleen Bloxham (paintings redux) and Kim Baker and Daytop.

Wisdom Sally Mazzarella, Jordan Matthews, Lila Pague, and Father Richard McKeon.

A super special shout out to Joanne Engle

Celebration Spaces: The Bantas (they are Dutch, you know!) and the Beekman Arms for giving us our wonderful home right on Market St.-Our Celebration Space! Location, Location, Location!!

To Stan Stroh for making the Star Sanctuary and Monica Lewin for giving it life!

The Bling Brigade! Lindy Wright, Lila Pague, Suzi Morris, Joanne Gelb

To the Workshop "Elves"Joanne Engle, Robbie Puglisi, Christine Livesay, Kathy Kane, Rebecca Hegstetter, and Jill Lundquist .

Party Space Momiji Sushi and Steak House for lighting the fire on our fabulous After Party!

Phoebe Melley of Foster's for opening the heart of our Village (the White Corner!) forging an ephemeral Town Green for all our performers and folks to gather.

Our Paparazzi Doug Baz for his 24 years of wonderful photographs that made it possible for us to tell the story.

Sinterklaas Craft Fair presented by the spirited and joyful Gelbs, David and Joanne and all the artists, crafts people, bakers and helpers for the Fair! Especially Russ Austin, Rod Owens and Elena Erber for making music!

Staging! The immensely talented Richard Prouse and Norval Johnson whose staging saved the day!

Sinterklaas costumes! Joanne Engel and Suzi Morris for their wonderful stitchery

The crew in Kingston! Susie Linn, Nancy Donskoj, Michael Lalicki, Jean Tansey, Susan Whelan, the Arts Society in Kingston, the Hudson River Maritime Museum, Ann Loeding and the Tugboat for being the true Dutch Sinterklaas!

In Red Hook — Norine Nakao-Peyton and The Imagination Station for having the kids create Hobby Horses for the parade. And Dream Studio Dance for ballerinas!

In Rhinebeck The Astor Home kids!

The Churches The Church of the Messiah, the Reformed Church of Rhinebeck and the Third Evangelical Lutheran Church folks filled with love and generosity in their hearts: Rev. Richard McKeon Jr., Fr. Luis Perez and Pastor Leroy Ness, and Anna Pavord, Liz Irwin and Bonnie Reyero.

Our Vaudeville House To DeDe Leiber and Upstate Films for looking deep into their theatrical past and finding Vaudeville!

Everyone at the Beekman Arms, especially Brenda Catalano, Cynthia Phillips, Gail Haskins and George Banta, Jr. for giving a home to The Illuminated Book.

The Courtyard — Holly Raal of Bumble and Hive and the truly hospitable Food Court!

Yasha Koah The Rhinebeck Hebrew School, Rabbi Yael Romer, Kimba Baker and Temple Emanuel for a beautiful and moving Havdalah. And the Dapson/Chestney Funeral Home for hosting this beautiful ceremony.

Reformed Church for bringing back the Living Nativity!

All those who were part of the Tree Trail !

The Wish Ladies May all the wishes come true!

The Pocket Ladies Liza Jane Norman who created the magnificent costume and Carla Carbone and Cait Johnson who gave it life! And the unforgettable Pocket Lady PalAnn Patty!

All the artists — The On the Lam Band, the Storycrafters, Solas An Lae; Andy Weintraub, Bond Street Theatre, Raya Brass Band, The Hungry March Band, Big Sky Ensemble, Thomas Workman, Vanaver Caravan, Arm of the Sea Theater, Dog on Fleas, The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Michael Rosman and Michael Richter, The Mid-Hudson Mexican Folkloric Group, Caprice Rouge, Woodstock Renaissance, Capella Festiva Treble, Tom Hanford, Grian MacGregor, Steve Charney, Roger the Jester, Nick Jacobs, the Royal Pipes, Mamalama, Mexico Beyond Mariachi, Peter Muste and St. George and the Dragon, Rhinebeck Choral Club, David Arner, Ben Senterfit and the Community Music Space in Red Hook, eLeMeNTs Improv, The Hudson Valley Gamelan, The Pokingbrook Morris Team, Gustavo, The Wild Women, Selezrosa, Jonathan Kruk, John Kirk and Trish Miller.

Bear Beauty — Sarah Chaneles and Kathy Varadi for the Bear Beauty Contest. Wonderful as ever, they are, they are! Samuel's and Ira Gutner for the Bear Beauty Contest and showing off the chocolate letters!

The totally organized Mary Yankajtis and the crew at Crowns and Branches!

YUM! All those who donated food for the hundreds of performers and volunteerswe thank you as well in a special section! Thank you to Johanna Bard for keeping this army running with good food!

• Arielle
• Aroi Thai Restaurant
• Bread Alone
• CJ's Pizza
• Eveready Diner
• Foster's Coach House
• Francesca's Pizzeria
• Gaby's Cafe
• Gigi Trattoria
• At the Top Hair Salon
• Le Grand Cru
• Le Petit Bistro
• Liberty
• Matchbox Cafe
• Market Street
• Migliorelli Farm Market
• Momiji Sushi and Steak House Restaurant
• Osaka Japanese Restaurant
• Pete's Famous
• Puccini Ristorante
• Rhinebeck Bagel Shoppe
• Rhinebeck Health Foods
• Rhinebeck Village Pizza
• Samuel's
• Stop 'n Shop
• Terrapin Restaurant
• Warren Kitchen & Cutlery
• Wonderland Florist

The Book The stellar team who made the Illuminated Book: Nadine Robbins, Molly Ahearn, Grace Gunning, Richard Prouse, Andy Neal and James Gurney!

All those wild Grumpuses! Richard Kopyscianski, Harlan Matthews, Christian Fekete, Steven Young, Dod Crane, David Gelb, Wally Carbone, Steven Pague, Bruce Lubman, Bob Wills, Robby Long, Richard Prouse, and Andy Weintraub. And their illustrious choreographer, Martha Tobias, who tamed and trained the wild beasts!

The Wild Women! And Abby Saxon, the Wildest!

The Ask Me Ladies: Dorna Schroeter, Queen! With Gwen Bardon, Kari Feuer, Clifford Hart, Johanna Hess, Jenn LaBelle, Jill Lundquist, Ana Sanjuan, Klara Sauer, Kiki Steele, Laureen Swanwick, Karen Graham, Mary Burns, Joanne Leffeld, Sarah Olson, Marianne Neifeld, Marie Dynes, Diana Devlin, Karil Davidson, Pat Schroeter

Costumes... To Lara Ckhetiani for her great spirit and guidance on the Grumpus' costumes and the makers of those costumes Linda Weintraub, Lila Pague, Karen Graham, Jenny Fox, Avrigal Landsman, Susun Ray, Margaret DeWys, Susan Moran, Susan Quasha, Grace Gunning, Susie Linn, Martha Tobias, Joanne Engel and Ann Patty and to Joanne Engel for fixing them up anew this year!

St. George and the Dragon Peter Muste and the Royal Crew of the Nancy Graham, Matilda Tucker, Kate Muste, Steve Young, Willa Pruitt

The Art Teachers at Rhinebeck High School, Cynthia Baer and Kathy Giles and the Art Students for their gorgeous and original paintings.

The Whale Watch Spaghetti, not fish, for dinner!

Even for things that could not be: The Shuttles: Mark Molinaro, Dutchess County Executive, Cynthia Ruiz of DC Tranporation, and Deborah Aschmann & Andy Imperati at the Fairgrounds

The Starr Library for its warm welcome to creatures great and small, human and puppet! Steven Cook and the Board of Trustees.

Branch Gatherers Ann Patty, George Vengrin and Sawyer. The branches were transformed!

Sound Omega Institute's Ken Kuter and Skip Backus for letting us hear!

All those who animated puppets! Especially Elena Erber, Linda Weintraub, Jeff and Alex Bratcher, Bob Wills and Family, The Kliphons, Richard Prouse, The Shornsteins, the Camp Ramapo Folks, and so many others!

Those we missed: Jessica Bard, Mother of Grace, Linda Woznicki, Mickey Haggerty, Mitchell Levine, Heinz Sauer, Tate Neilson and Paul Butler.

Our own special Sinterklaas, Ron Van Beek!

The Puppeteers — Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles whose vision and dedication to the work is unmatched anywhere, who hosted the workshop and taught so many in the skills of pageant puppetry and who made that magnificent Horse and burrokeeets along with a whole lot of folks in the workshop!

As always to Ania Aldrich and Gigi Alvare for the original work and setting us on the path. And special thanks to Gigi for channeling the Blessing of the Horse.

To my son Jordan who lived to see it and will live longer still after his transplant!

And especially to our patient, long-standing and supportive husbands: Peter Muste, Al Wright, Steven Michael Pague, Bernard Greenwald, Michael Lalicki, Doug Baz, Foster Reed, Ben Senterfit and Harlan Matthews who play greater roles than anyone could ever imagine.

If there is anyone I've forgotten, please forgive me and my more than addled brain. Sinterklaas is an astonishing achievement and shows what a community can do working and dreaming together. Thank you to the greater Rhinebeck community for the privilege of being allowed to do the work.

Jeanne Fleming,
Designer and Coordinator
SPEAKING FOR Pat Sexton, Lila Pague, Elena Erber, Susie Linn, Ana Sanjuan, Jill Lundquist, Joanne Engle, Tricia Reed, CO-EVERYTHINGS