Did you know Rockland County is a part of Hollywood’s history?
Learn about New City’s silver screen past during a free walking tour of Kennedy Dells Park on Saturday, Aug. 17.
Jack Bloom will guide walkers from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. through wooded and packed trails on a 3-mile tour of the grounds once owned by the man who made one of the first full-length feature films shown in the U.S., “Queen Elizabeth.”
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“This is a great chance to enjoy the beautiful summer weather, learn about Rockland’s ‘secret Hollywood,’ and get some exercise at the same time,” said Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, DO, FAAFP, Rockland County Commissioner of Health in a press release.
New City was once considered “the Hollywood of the East,” according to Rockland County’s website.
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Movie producer Adolf Zukor, who lived until 103 and is behind films like “The Count of Monte Cristo,” was president of Paramount Pictures Corporation in the twenties, according to his obituary in the New York Times.
His 760-acre New City estate, which the obituary describes as “the Dells” and north of New City, includes an 18-hole golf course. Zukor lived on the estate for 30 years until his wife died in 1956.
Part of the land is farmed by George Smith and Sons Inc., a growing company that produces sweet corn, with the rest of it left as meadows and preserved for future sporting activities, according to the County’s website.
The walk—sponsored by the Rockland County Division of Environmental Resources, the Rockland County Youth Bureau’s AmeriCorps program and the Rockland County Department of Health’s Steps to a Healthier Rockland program—begins in the park’s parking lot at 355 North Main St.
Restrooms are available in the park, which is not stroller-friendly and doesn’t allow dogs. It is recommended that participants wear proper closed-toed sturdy shoes, light colored clothing and a jacket or hat depending on the weather. Don’t forget your binoculars, camera, water, sunscreen and snacks.
To pre-register call (845) 708-7308 or e-mail rcamericorps@co.rockland.ny.us. For more information go to www.rocklandsteps.org/walks.
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