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  1. KyMar Farm Distillery

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    Kenneth Wortz taps into his family’s 300-year history of apple farming – and the nearly as old tradition of crafting spirits.

    Today Ken and his wife, Lori, craft one-of-a-kind spirits, occasionally with family and friends who help them harvest and bottle at KyMar Farm Distillery. The signature Schoharie Mapple Jack liqueur and Schoharie Shine are just that good.

    Perhaps the key lies in the local products they use almost exclusively. Handmade copper kettles produce the hand-crafted spirits which are then carefully aged in oak barrels before they are blended.

    kyin2Ken’s family farmed apples for generations in his native Pennsylvania. That farm has since been sold and KyMar in part preserves that tradition for Ken, his family and future generations.

    Founded in 2011, the distillery begins a new legacy as the first to be licensed in Schoharie County since prohibition.

    KyMar plans a major expansion and addition of a tasting room in late 2013. Visitors are welcome upon request.

  2. Howes Caverns

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    Howe-37A new era began for Howe Caverns on April 19, 2007, when the 220 shareholders of Howe Caverns Inc. sold the company to two local men, Charles M. Wright and Emil J. Galasso. Both men vowed to invest several million dollars in improvements to Howe Caverns over the coming years.

    Galasso is also the founder of the Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology on the site of the original entrance to the caves next to Howe Caverns. The vision for the future of these properties includes joining the present Howe Caverns to Lester Howe’s original cave on the site of the museum so that visitors may see the natural wonder as they did in the 19th century.

    The new owners continue to fulfill their vision for a renewed Howe Caverns to expand the tour beyond the current Lake of Venus. Eventually, this work will unite the entire cave system as it was found when Lester Howe discovered it in 1842. Walkways, lights and bridges will need to be installed. The 875 feet of cave destroyed by mining in the early 1900s will need to be recreated.

    The Cave House Museum is a restoration project and is expected to take several years for completion.