Campaign aims to make Sugar Loaf destination for historical tourists
Local historians and volunteers successfully lobbied the State of New York to nominate Sugar Loaf for a spot in the National Register of Historic Places.
An eclectic working crafts community in Orange County is making a comeback.
Community advocates in Sugar Loaf are trying to make the hamlet a destination for historical tourists through a campaign that includes regular weekend events and recognition as a historic destination.
Nick Zungoli, owner of Exposures Art Gallery on Kings Highway, is bullish on Sugar Loaf's future.
He opened the gallery in 1979, toward the end of the arts and crafts movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Sugar Loaf was a major stop for travelers beginning in the mid-1700s.
It was a popular "saloon community."
Craftspeople started moving to the hamlet in the 1900s.
Local historians and volunteers successfully lobbied the state of New York to nominate Sugar Loaf for a spot in the National Register of Historic Places.
"With the added celebrity that this might provide, it's hard to know, actually, whether this will provide an impetus to bring more people here," Zungoli said, "but certainly, it's not going to hurt."
The Sugar Loaf Chamber of Commerce and some grassroots community groups said seeking out the historic designations is one part of their strategy to bring the hamlet back to what it was like before the internet came along.
"The advent of Etsy and Amazon and rents going up kind of slowed [Sugar Loaf] down a bit," said Jeffrey Zahn, president of the Sugar Loaf Community Foundation.
Zahm, who helped secure the recognition by the state, said Sugat Loaf can use the attention to market itself to history buffs who enjoyed traveling and shopping.
"It still appeals to the shopper that wants crafts and art, which goes back to the 18th century," Zahn said. "So we need those people, but the historical tourists -- absolutely."
The hamlet's autumn weekend events are drawing more visitors already.
Saturday's 5K race through the hamlet is drawing a lot more runners than expected.
"We were hoping that we would get into the 50-60 mark," race organizer Elizabeth said, "but it has exploded the last couple of days. We're up to 138."
The National Parks Service is reviewing the state's nomination for Sugar Loaf for an official listing on the National Register of Historic Places and may make a decision later this year.
