Unplug This Weekend: Borscht Belt Films, a Beacon Bonfire, and Saratoga’s Final Restaurant Week Tables (November 7–8)

An Unplugged Cabins weekend guide — for everyone who’d rather be outside.

November is the month the region changes gear. The Borscht Belt Film Festival takes over Ellenville for a full weekend of screenings and talkbacks, Beacon answers with a free afternoon of music, art, and fires at the KuBe, and Saratoga closes its Restaurant Week on Sunday while its farmers’ market moves indoors for the winter. The anchor for the weekend is Ellenville, about 80 minutes from the cabin, where Saturday runs from a 10am panel with Josh Mostel to an 8pm screening of Bad Shabbos, and Sunday runs from a 9:30am conversation to the 3pm closing film on Mel Brooks.

Last week’s guide is in the journal. Every pick below is also on our events calendar, and every date, hour, and price was checked on November 4, 2026, with three late additions checked on November 6. Organizers can change prices on the day, so confirm before you drive. One planning note: the ski lifts are not turning yet. Projected opening dates listed for this season are November 20 for Belleayre and November 21 for Hunter, with Windham listed for December 4, so this is a films, markets, and fires weekend, not a ski weekend. The DEC page for Kaaterskill Wild Forest showed no closure alert on November 4, and the Greene County guide’s Route 23A pull-off parking rule is written for May through October, so it is not stated as in effect this weekend; use the designated DEC lots either way, and have a backup if they fill.

Every pick this weekend

### Within an hour of the cabin

Event	When	Admission	From Clove Creek
Banjo Weekend + Ashokan Barn Dance	Nov 6–8; Barn Dance Sat, 6pm	Not listed	~50 min
Rough Cut Pop Up Brunch Sundays	Sun, 10am–2pm	Not listed	~45 min
Asbury Shorts: The 45th Asbury Short Film Concert	Sun, 2–4pm	$20	~35 min
Opus 40 Fall Faire + last open weekend of the season	Sat, 11am–4pm; rain date Sun	$20 general / $10 member / $60 carpool pass (up to 5 guests); kids 12 and under free	~1h
Mapping the Sawkill: The Many Voices of the Sawkill	Sun, 11:30am–1pm	Not listed	~45 min

### One to two hours from the cabin

Event	When	Admission	From Clove Creek
Borscht Belt Film Festival	Sat, panels from 10am, screenings 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5:30pm, 8pm; Sun, panel 9:30am, walking tour 10am, screenings 11am, 1:30pm, 3pm	$500 All-Access pass; $25 donation for the Sunday walking tour	~1h20
Orleans: Final Tour	Sat, 7:30pm	$39–$79	~1h
Yungchen Lhamo Benefit Concert at Old Dutch Church	Sat, 3pm	$20	~1h
Fall Dance Concert 2026	Sat, 2pm and 7:30pm	Not listed	~1h20
Fall Celebration and Pumpkin Smash	Sat, 2–4pm	Free	~1h30
Stoutridge Distillery and Winery Tour and Tasting	Sat, 12–1:30pm	$40	~1h20
Salsa Party: Nick Corredor y Su Orquesta La Herencia	Sat, 8–10pm; doors 7pm	From $29.62	~1h
New Yields: Bard Photography Mentorship Program	Sat, 3–5pm; on view through Dec 6	Free	~1h
Theresa Caputo Live: The Experience	Sun, 3–5pm	$49.75–$103.90	~1h
Baby Bonfire	Sat, 1–5:30pm; ticketed evening mind-reading performance 7:30pm	Free daytime; evening price not listed	~1h45
Harvest Wine Festival at City Winery Hudson Valley	Sun, 12–6pm	$15 alcohol-free / $55 general admission; kids 12 and under free	~1h45
Hudson Valley Train Show	Sun, 10am–3pm	$8	~1h35
Sleepy Hollow Street Fair	Sun, 10am–5pm	Free	~2h
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze (final weekend)	Sat + Sun, timed entry in the evening	From $24, advance only	~2h
Westchester Book Festival	Sat, 10am–6pm	Ticketed; price not listed	~2h
Holiday House at Old Austerlitz	Sat + Sun, 11am–3pm	Free	~1h45

### About three hours from Manhattan

Event	Where	When	Admission
Saratoga Restaurant Week (final weekend)	Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County	Through Sun, Nov 8	$15 breakfast and lunch specials; three-course dinners $25, $35, or $45, plus tax and tip
Saratoga Farmers’ Market Indoor Season Opening Day	Wilton Mall Food Court, Saratoga Springs	Sat, 9:30am–1:30pm	Not listed
Pumpkin Smash with Community Compost	Pitney Meadows Community Farm, Saratoga Springs	Sat, 1–2pm	Not listed; pre-registration required, limit 1 pumpkin per household, no glitter or paint
2nd Annual Harvest Craft Fair	Malta Community Center, Malta	Sat, 9am–3pm	Not listed
Berkshire Bach Portals: THE SAVIOR, with Eugene Drucker	Linde Center for Music and Learning, Lenox, MA	Sat, 3–4:30pm	$50
MVP Stockade-athon 15K (50th running)	Schenectady	Sun, 8:30am	Not listed

### About five hours from Manhattan

Event	Where	When	Admission
Lake Placid Film Festival (25th anniversary)	Lake Placid	Nov 5–8; Sat panels and awards ceremony, Sun student showcase and short-film award winners	Festival, day, student, and group passes via the festival site; price not listed on the organizer page checked
Pumpkin Chunkin’	Event field behind High Peaks Distilling, Lake George	Sat, 12–4pm	Free; bring your own pumpkin
Holiday Market and Preparing for Winter	Genesee Country Village and Museum, Mumford	Sat + Sun, 10am–3pm	$10 adult at the gate ($9 online); $8 youth 4–12 at the gate ($7 online); 3 and under free
Bon Vivant, end-of-harvest party at Hosmer Winery	Hosmer Winery, Ovid	Sat, 1–4pm	No cover

Dates, hours and prices from each organizer’s own page, checked November 4, 2026; three late additions checked November 6, 2026. Prices may be changed by the organizers on the day of the event. Drive times from Clove Creek Cabin via Google Maps, without traffic.

A film weekend in Ellenville, with a second festival in Lake Placid

Ellenville is the anchor, and the schedule is dense enough to fill both days. The third annual Borscht Belt Film Festival runs November 6–8 at Shadowland Stages and the Borscht Belt Museum, with screenings at 157 Canal Street and panels at The Common Good Bookstore at 119 Canal Street. Saturday opens with a 10am panel, Like Father, Like Son, with Josh Mostel, followed by The Automat at 11am, Egg Cream and Pair of Jokers at 1pm, The Floaters at 3pm, Stiller and Meara: Nothing Is Lost at 5:30pm, and Bad Shabbos at 8pm, each followed by a talkback.
Sunday is shorter and ends on Mel Brooks. The day opens with a 9:30am conversation with We Met at Grossinger’s director Paula Eiselt, a 10am walking tour of Ellenville limited to 15 people for a $25 donation to the museum, a second screening of We Met at Grossinger’s at 11am, a 1pm museum tour, Ringside in the Mountains at 1:30pm, and the closing film, Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man, at 3pm. The All-Access pass is listed at $500 and covers all nine films, both panels, museum access for the weekend, and the opening-night party.
Lake Placid runs the same weekend, at the other end of the state. The 25th Lake Placid Film Festival, presented by Adirondack Film, runs November 5–8 at the Palace Theatre, High Peaks Resort, and Arts Center Lake Placid. Saturday’s listed program includes filmmaking panels and an 8–11pm awards ceremony and afterparty at High Peaks Resort; Sunday lists a 10–11:30am student summit alumni showcase and 12:30–2:30pm short-film award winners at the Palace Theatre. The festival page lists festival, day, student, and group passes but does not show a price on the page checked, so check the pass page before driving north.
Closer to the cabin, Sunday afternoon has a second film option. Asbury Shorts returns to the Phoenicia Playhouse for a seventh year on Sunday at 2pm with the 45th Asbury Short Film Concert, a two-hour program of internationally honored short films, listed at $20 and recommended for ages 16 and above.

Two festivals, two directions: Ellenville for Catskills resort history, Lake Placid for independent film in the Adirondacks.

Free Saturdays: Beacon’s Baby Bonfire and a pumpkin smash in Millerton

Beacon’s one-day festival is free and runs the whole afternoon. Baby Bonfire at the KuBe Art Center, 211 Fishkill Avenue, runs Saturday from 1 to 5:30pm, free and open to all ages, with live music on the lawn mainstage from 1 to 4pm, a synthesizer petting zoo, participatory ceramics, food trucks, fire pits, and free s’mores. The listed acts are Strange Candy at 1pm, Telepathic Moondance at 2:30pm, and a Beacon Drum Circle at 4pm, with gallery programming indoors through 5:30pm. A separate ticketed evening performance by mind reader Vinny DePonto follows at 7:30pm at the Masonic Lodge in Beacon; the organizer page does not list its price.
Millerton offers the same afternoon at a smaller scale. The Fall Celebration and Pumpkin Smash, hosted by the North East Community Center and Millerton Climate Smart at 5833 Elm Avenue, runs Saturday from 2 to 4pm, free, with warm apple cider, music, composting information, and a catapult for smashing pumpkins. RSVP is requested.
Saturday night in the valley is music, not film. Orleans plays its Final Tour at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston on Saturday at 7:30pm, listed at $39 to $79. At Bard, the Fall Dance Concert runs Saturday at 2pm and 7:30pm in the LUMA Theater, with works by Dance Program students and guest alumni performances; the organizer page does not list a price. At the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, Banjo Weekend runs November 6–8, with a Barn Dance on Saturday at 6pm; the center’s event page confirms the dates and times but does not show a price on the page checked.
Kingston adds a free art opening before the music starts. New Yields, the Bard Photography Mentorship Program show at CPW’s Community Gallery, 25 Dederick Street, opens Saturday from 3 to 5pm with work by 31 students, on view through December 6.
In Saugerties, the night ends on the dance floor. Nick Corredor y su Orquesta La Herencia, a 10-piece salsa, cumbia, and Latin soul band, plays The Local on John Street from 8 to 10pm, doors at 7pm, tickets from $29.62.

The last weekends: Opus 40, the Blaze, and Saratoga Restaurant Week

Opus 40 closes its season with a fair. The Fall Faire at Opus 40 in Saugerties runs Saturday from 11am to 4pm, with artist makers, live music, local food vendors, holiday gift specials, hot drinks, fire pits, and a goat named Tarot, on the sculpture park’s last open weekend of the season. Admission is listed at $20 general, $10 for members, and a $60 carpool pass for up to 5 guests in one vehicle, with kids 12 and under free, and Sunday, November 8, is listed as the rain date.
The Blaze ends on Sunday night. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson runs its final weekend, November 6–8, with more than 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins on the grounds, timed entry in the evening, tickets from $24, advance purchase only, and nothing sold at the gate. Check the exact entry time on the ticket for the night booked, since entry times vary by date.
Saratoga’s Restaurant Week also ends Sunday. Discover Saratoga’s 21st annual Restaurant Week runs November 2–8, with more than 40 participating restaurants across Saratoga County offering $15 breakfast and lunch specials at select restaurants and three-course dinners at $25, $35, or $45, plus tax and tip. Some restaurants are closed Sunday, so check the participating list before choosing a table.
Sunday in the Hudson Valley has four more options. Rough Cut Brewing in Kerhonkson opens at 10am for a new Sunday brunch pop-up, 10am to 2pm, walk-ins only, with French toast, chicken and waffles, and Croque Madame on the menu alongside Bloody Marys, mimosas, and beermosas; the regular menu returns after 2pm, with $1 Wing Night from 4pm. The Sleepy Hollow Street Fair runs Sunday from 10am to 5pm on Beekman Avenue, free, rain or shine, with more than 145 arts, crafts, food, and beverage vendors; the fair was postponed from its original September date, and the organizer’s current listing gives 10am, not 11am. The Hudson Valley Train Show runs Sunday from 10am to 3pm at the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie, listed at $8. The Harvest Wine Festival at City Winery Hudson Valley in Montgomery runs Sunday from 12 to 6pm, with $15 alcohol-free admission and $55 general admission covering a tasting of eight wines, a paired seasonal bite, a winery tour, and a full glass, and free admission for kids 12 and under.

Markets, makers, and a 15K in the three-hour band

Saturday morning in Saratoga is the indoor market’s opening day. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market moves indoors to the Wilton Mall Food Court on Saturday from 9:30am to 1:30pm, with 42 full-season vendors and 12 additional holiday vendors for the winter season, and continues every Saturday, November through April, at the same hours. Enter through the Scene ONE Cinemas entrance, across from the BJ’s parking lot.
Two more Saturday stops sit near Saratoga. The Pumpkin Smash with Community Compost at Pitney Meadows Community Farm runs Saturday from 1 to 2pm, with pre-registration required, a limit of 1 pumpkin per household, and no pumpkins with glitter or paint; the organizer page does not list an admission price. The Town of Malta’s 2nd Annual Harvest Craft Fair runs Saturday from 9am to 3pm at the Malta Community Center, 1 Bayberry Drive, with 60 juried craft vendors listed in the town’s newsletter; the town’s application page does not state a visitor admission price.
Sunday’s 15K is the 50th Stockade-athon. The MVP Stockade-athon 15K runs Sunday at 8:30am through Schenectady’s Stockade district, Central Park, and Vale Cemetery, with a half-mile kids’ run at 10:45am. The race site does not show a registration price on the pages checked, so check stockadeathon.com before registering.
In Lenox, Saturday afternoon is a book and a violin. Berkshire Bach Portals: THE SAVIOR, with Eugene Drucker, runs Saturday from 3 to 4:30pm at the Linde Center for Music and Learning, a performance, book reading, and conversation presented with the Tanglewood Learning Institute, listed at $50.

Worth the longer drive: Lake George pumpkins and a Finger Lakes harvest party

Lake George sends the pumpkins flying on Saturday. Pumpkin Chunkin’ at the event field behind High Peaks Distilling, 1 Canada Street, runs Saturday from 12 to 4pm, free, with catapults and medieval entertainment; the rule is bring your own pumpkin.
Mumford opens the holiday season on both days. The Holiday Market and Preparing for Winter at Genesee Country Village and Museum runs Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm, combining a holiday market with 19th-century winter preparations in the historic village, including candle dipping, holiday cakes in the Livingston-Backus kitchen, and pomander making. Admission is $10 for adults 13 and older at the gate, $9 online, with youth 4–12 at $8 at the gate and $7 online, and children 3 and under free.
On Cayuga Lake, harvest ends with a party and no cover. Bon Vivant at Hosmer Winery in Ovid runs Saturday from 1 to 4pm, with live music from Donna Colton and apple-cider mimosas, and no cover charge.
Two notes on markets that are not running this weekend. The Catskill Farmers Market lists its season as Sundays, May through October, so it is not on this weekend’s tables. The Greene County guide lists the Windham Farmers Market as June through October, so it is not assumed open either. The markets that are open are Saratoga’s indoor market on Saturday and the holiday market at Genesee Country Village on both days.

Where to stay

Clove Creek Cabin in Lanesville — the base for this guide, minutes from Hunter and the Tannersville picks: Clove Creek page and airbnb.com/h/clovecreekcabin. Blue Heron — airbnb.com/h/blue-heron-cabin.

FAQ

Is the Borscht Belt Film Festival a single ticket or a pass? The organizer lists an All-Access pass at $500 covering all nine films and both panels, plus a $25 donation for the Sunday walking tour. Individual screening prices were not shown on the program or ticketing pages checked, so check the festival site for single-screening tickets.

Is the Blaze really ending this weekend? Yes. The Blaze runs select evenings from September 18 through November 8, and November 6–8 is listed as its final weekend, with timed entry and advance tickets only.

Is Saratoga Restaurant Week still running on Sunday? The week runs November 2–8, so Sunday is its last day, but some participating restaurants are closed Sunday. Check the participating list before choosing a table.

Can I ski at Hunter or Windham this weekend? No, based on the projected dates listed for this season: Belleayre November 20, Hunter November 21, and Windham December 4. Confirm on each mountain’s own site before planning a ski trip.