Friends of the Catharine Valley Trail

09/27/2026

A Special Thank you to Village of Montour Falls and Mayor James Ryan. We so appreciate being able to use the Village streets and your section of CVT! Our 6th annual Finger Lakes Festival of Races was enjoyed by the over 300 runners. We thank you for your steadfast support of the Friends of the Catharine Valley Trail.

Also want to give a shout out to NY State Parks & Historic Sites and the help we got from both Watkins Glen and Mark Twain Park personnel.

Finally, thank you to North New York Coffeehouse for staying open and serving so many runners and race personnel. We are so glad to have you on the trail.

What a great community we have.

09/22/2026

We are looking forward to our Festival of Races this weekend (Sept 25/26)! Come join us for a 5k, 10k, half, or 18 miler. There is a distance for everyone! Walkers also welcome, esp. for the 5k!

The race is on our wonderful, soft, flat CVT and everyone gets a finisher medal. Willow usually has great shirts as well for the racers!

To sign up, see Willow Running

https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/MontourFalls/FingerLakesHalfMarathon5K

Don't forget to Donate a few extra dollars to the Friends of CVT... we are saving up for another bathroom on the trail!

09/13/2026

All - We still need at least 3 volunteers for staffing a water station on Sept 26th!

3 volunteers needed to staff a water station at the Genesse St for the Festival of Races on Sat Sept 26 from 8:15am -12:30pm!! It is a great time.

Please comment below if you are available (even for just half the time!)

There will be runners coming through from the 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and 18miler. So we really need 3 for the first half of the time, and can probably get a way with 2 folks for the last couple of hours.

09/09/2026

3 volunteers needed to staff a water station at the Genesse St for the Festival of Races on Sat Sept 26 from 8:15am -12:30pm!! It is a great time.

Please comment below if you are available (even for just half the time!)

There will be runners coming through from the 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and 18miler. So we really need 3 for the first half of the time, and can probably get a way with 2 folks for the last couple of hours.

09/05/2026

What a great idea!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HAN1xd7Pj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

We are officially ONE MONTH away from the 2026 Falls Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 3rd! 🍁🍂

To help us get into the autumn spirit, we are launching a festival Coloring Contest for artists of all ages! Grab your favorite crayons, markers, or colored pencils and join in the fun:

How to Enter:
1️⃣ Get Your Sheet: Print out the photo on this post OR pick up a blank copy at our storefront. (209 N Franklin Street)
2️⃣ Submit: Drop off your finished artwork at our storefront or mail it to us by Thursday, October 1st.
3️⃣ Win: The winner will be announced live at the festival! 🏆

Join us Oct 3 (12–7:30 PM) on Main St in Montour Falls for live music, kids' fun, local vendors, and fireworks over Shequaga Falls at 7 PM! 🎆

Tag a friend, grab your crayons, and get coloring! 🖍️🍂

📍 Main St, Montour Falls, NY | 🎟️ FREE Admission!
Presented by Watkins Glen Promotions | Sponsored by Centralus Health

09/03/2026

We hung the plaque today at our Lafayette Park kiosk.

Congrats again to our first Friends of Distinction, Caryl Sutterby and Elizabeth Watson!

09/02/2026

Since all of you care about the Catharine Valley Trail, you might be interested in taking the survey about what they might do with the Marsh area.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EzQs5VnLP/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Schuyler County and the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce have announced in a release that they are looking for the public's opinion on a wildlife area in the county.

09/01/2026

Come join us for the Festival of Races September 25 - 26th ! We have a 5K on Friday Night and then on Saturday there is a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and an 18 miler! Walkers welcome for the 5k and 10k!

The whole race is on the CVT, a great soft-surface that is kind to your joints! Come on out enjoy the day with us. If you aren't up for running/ walking... we still need a water station staffed. It is a great time! Please comment below or message if you or a group of you would like to volunteer.

This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so don't forget to hit that DONATE button and give a few dollars to the Friends of CVT. We are working on another bathroom on the trail.

Sign up here:

https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/MontourFalls/FingerLakesHalfMarathon5K

08/27/2026

For all your birders out there, this sounds like a good time!

The 2026 Montezuma Muckrace T-shirt design is here! 👕🐦

This year’s shirt features the American Woodcock, celebrating another one of the incredible birds found throughout the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.

Register your team by August 31 to guarantee your Muckrace shirt!

🐦 Register a Team:
https://friendsofmontezuma.org/projects-programs/muckrace/

💚 New this year: Team Fundraising Pages + Leaderboard!
https://give.gofundme.com/muckrace2026

Every Muckrace team now has its own fundraising page to share with friends, family, and fellow birders. You can also follow the leaderboard, find and support your favorite team, or donate directly to the Muckrace.

Check out this year’s fun team names while you are there!
https://pro.gofundme.com/campaign/2026-montezuma-muckrace/c805417/search?type=team

Already registered? Team captains should have received an email with instructions for accessing and managing their team’s fundraising page. Start sharing your page and see how high your team can climb on the leaderboard!

📅 September 11–12, 2026
24 hours of birding to support the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.

See you at the Muckrace!