I grew up in New Windsor in Orange County in the 1960s and 1970s. Not too far from Sullivan County, maybe an hour. And I have very distinct memories of Monticello when I was a child. Let me tell you how I remember Monticello.

At the time, Monticello was a totally different town. There were still big resorts surrounding the area and some left-over big name comedians playing what they used to call the Borscht Belt. Every summer my grandmother from Brooklyn would stay at one of the resorts, and my aunt, uncle and their kids, also from Brooklyn, would rent a cabin for the summer. Our family, living only an hour away, would often drive to Monticello for the day to visit with the family.

I remember many days swimming in the pool at whatever resort my grandmother was staying at, while she gabbed with her friends. Then the family would head to town for dinner and a night of fun. We always had dinner at Kaplan’s, and then we’d play at all of the arcades. Yes, there were arcades full of kids and prizes. As I got older, we stopped going to Monticello, and other towns beckoned my grandmother and aunt.

The one thing I don’t remember, but wish I did, is the Mickey Mouse clock. I just learned about the clock a couple of weeks ago, and it’s a very cool story. Paul Kean, a long time Sullivan County resident who took the picture above, had posted on Facebook that the clock was back on Broadway in Monticello. According to Paul and his research, the Mickey Mouse clock fixture hovered above the sidewalk. Somewhere through the years it fell into disrepair and was removed. It was stored behind the former Catskill Arts Society building in Hurleyville. There it languished until it was restored and brought back to roost over Broadway once again. How cool is that?

Monticello has changed tremendously since my childhood, but it’s nice to know that some things never change, or at least return to the past. Like the iconic Mickey Mouse clock on Broadway.

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